The Grand Theft Auto series, which was originally released for the Playstation and PC back in 1997, is one of the most popular action / role-playing franchises of all time. Along with the console and PC releases, Gameboy and PSP versions of the game have given mobile gamers the opportunity to carjack and pillage on the go (with a Nintendo DS release set to debut in March). And, while we haven’t heard that Rockstar Games has plans to bring GTA to Apple’s mobile platform, tonight mobile gamers are getting the next best thing.
Or perhaps…a better thing?
Apex Designs has just (re)released Payback [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch. And in the original author’s words, “every effort has been made to ensure that Payback beats GTA in every way."
Payback started life as an Amiga clone of Grand Theft Auto [info]. Apex Designs brought an enhanced version of the game to the Macintosh, Gameboy Advance, and GP2X. Early this month, the developer informed us that the iPhone version was near release.
Payback features dozens of vehicles and 11 cities to explore. The player starts off each city on-foot and must get to a payphone to receive mission details. At first, the player’s only weapons are his fists, but crates scattered about the cities contain shotguns, grenades and other weapons that aid significantly in wreaking various flavors of havoc upon the cities’ inhabitants.
Each level requires a certain number of accumulated points to complete. Points are gained by completing mission milestones, running down civilians, and generally causing mayhem. The more mayhem the player causes, the more of a target he / she becomes to local law enforcement. A particular challenge of the game is the short timeframe given to complete certain missions. Admittedly, I’ve spent only a short time with the title, but some of the allotted mission times would seem to require back-of-the-hand familiarity with a given city.
The game features accelerometer control for left / right movement and touchscreen control for forward / backward movement as well as fire and enter / exit vehicle controls. Having played the joystick-based GP2X version, I can say that the control system of Payback for the iPhone compares quite favorably. It works well and is not in the way.
Payback offers three modes of play: Story, Rampage and Challenge. Story mode places the player in the role of a criminal seeking to amass as much money as possible in moving from city to city. Challenge mode offers all of the cities of Story mode plus a variety of smaller arenas–more of a pick-up game scenario. Rampage mode has no requisite score to move from level to level, it’s just about getting the most points possible.
Payback for earlier mobile units won kudos for its relatively complex software 3D rendering engine that pushed the limits of both the Gameboy Advance and the GP2X (neither of which feature 3D graphics hardware). The iPhone version appears to include an enhanced version of the GP2X engine with HDR (high dynamic range) rendering and impressive lighting and shadowing. Not surprisingly, the iPhone version runs at a notably higher framerate than the GP2X outing. Interestingly, it appears that Payback’s 3D engine for the iPhone version is not implemented in hardware-assisted OpenGL ES, but utilizes a software-based engine like the GP2X version before it. Is this a big deal? Not really, though true, perspective-correct texture mapping done in hardware would have given the game a bit more graphical polish.
Moving through the game’s various cities, tossing grenades at oncoming vehicles and pedestrians, carjacking fast rides, and gunning down rival gangs makes for rather engrossing gameplay. Payback is a fast-paced game and the never-distant sound of police sirens add to the overall pacing and urgency. For fans of the genre, it’s fun, solid action.
Having played both the GBA and GP2X versions of the game, I can say that the iPhone version of Payback is easily the best yet. It does a solid job of delivering the essence of the experience that is Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto II to the iPhone platform. Fans of the series will find that Payback hits close enough to home to be of particular interest.
Have a look at our gameplay video to get a feel for the action and the various levels.
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
The developer has also posted a video on YouTube showing additional action including some tank warfare.
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Anyone get and try this one? This was another i wanted to get :) If its gameplay is smooth and fun its a sealed deal i NEED a game like this
It truly is an impressive game, and WELL worth the money they ask for it. First game i got from itunes and i still play it 8 months later. Seriously for all the ppl that like role playing and gritty Rated R themed games this is right up your alley. You can be good or truly evil, a nice change.
That's ugly. Incredible ugly.
That's not iPhone style…
the graphics may not be up to date but it is totally reminiscent of my teenagehood and thats why i am gonna buy this (just like rouge touch)...
Come on! Looks are not all, reminds me of the old ones like Daggerfall, Wizardry and Lands of Lore.
I am going for it just have to sync now.
Ok, I must say it looks better than on any screenshots or videos, I love it. But imho the direction pad takes to much space - swiping the screen works also (WASD ;-) - only turning doesn't work) so it could be downsized for turning your character
"graphically stunning"? Really? Perhaps if we're talking games circa mid 1980s, then yes, stunning. In 2009 though, it looks laughably terrible.
Tell me, can you move the controls to the left side of the screen? This is a deal-breaker.
Thanks.
@Gee!: Unfortunately of, but as mentioned before you can just steer anywhere on the scree, even figured out how to turn "Move finger up then lef or right). ;-)
Regarding the graphics ... you people still realize that this is a mobile phone don't you?
Me again: @Gee!: Unfortunately not.
@Gee: You can play in both landscape and portrait, though, and moving around using the buttons isn't that awkward. As said, swiping works as well to move around. You shouldn't let this be a deal-breaker.
@Ricky: I don't mind the graphics personally, but the iPhone *is* capable of more. It would have been awesome to see updated graphics on this. :)
Man, Chillingo is on top of the gaming scene for iPhone/touch. I bought iDracula yesterday, looks like I'm buying this one today. STOP TAKING ALL MY MONEYS! lol
@ Ricky
"Regarding the graphics … you people still realize that this is a mobile phone don’t you?"
You do still realize this is a more powerful device than the PSP, don't you?
Kia:
yes, maybe it's more powerful, but even if it is we will never see psp-like graphics on iPhone/iPod touch.
this is by far, and i mean real far, the best RPG on the iphone. nothing out there is even close.
5 base attributes (strength, dex, endurance, intelligence, personality)
5 races, 6 classes.
20 skills. almost all upgradable (dependent on race) via level-ups or paying to learn.
almost endless variety of weaponary and armor due to enchantments.
even your fashion comes into play.
steal from people with their backs turned. enchant items in a slew of ways from skills, attributes, ac to resist magics, diseases, specific monster damage, etc. alchemy - get a mortar/pestle and make your own potions from probably 100 ingredients. the higher you're mercantile the cheaper things cost. even a snazzy little card game built in to win (or lose) money. great little game. Def worth the price. Wish the graphics were a little better but they're not horrible.
@Grx
I think we've already seen PSP-like graphics in some games. High level PSP? No. But low to mid level? Sure. You do realize that there are absolutely god awful looking games on PSP too, don't you?
Oh come on, I love the graphics! Just because you're used to full 3d doesn't make this bad!
looks and sounds just like Might and Might 3 and 4 for the PC. Great series.
I was going to buy it. Looked to me like a good classic "Valour" or "Dungeon Master" type amalgamation. I was a bit worried about whether the graphics would be entirely jerky, but the video showed it to be smoother than I expected.
Then it came up in iTunes .. and I saw the price ..
I wasn't expecting it to be $1.00. But I can count on the fingers of one hand how many iPhone apps I've been willing to spend that much on. ..Namco have similarly managed to not sell me anything this way.
Awesome game! So far, its almost a perfect Daggerfall mobile game! From the character creation to movement controls, to the dialog system.
This is so fun. The graphics are absolutely amazing too. Smooth and nostalgic.
lovin' this at the moment! (see vapourtrail's comment above)
Redshift, has released a well designed, well developed game here. I love that the game is an open environment. YOU choose your "quests" and just about every other aspect of your characters existence.
Of course, Chillingo published this game and as I say in my Appstore review; everything Chillingo touches lately seems to turn to gold!
Here's hoping The Quest and Redshift are successful, they deserve it.
just got the game and im stuck in a cave under the lake of brendan, i fell through the hole and cant get out , i see a lever but cant get to it, what do i do?
what are you talking about the games great who cares about the graffics there pretty dam good and the gameplay is fantastic, it's like a cross between elder scrolls oblivion and runescape its brilliant
oh and have they made any walkthrough's for the quest because some of them are annoying.
I agree a walkthrough would be nice
UPDATE! New patch out, You can now change which side your movement controls are, there is now a D-pad, starting out there are less hardcore monsters(Remaining monsters give more exp). And the questbook is more detailed so you know where you're going!
This game is top 5 of my 105 apps on my ipod, I love it to death, great game, great time waster, super duper fun. I advise it for any Oblivion-esque game lovers.
This game is SO good. The card game alone has kept me busy for days. Definitely like Oblivion and the like. Very pleased, and I'm not one for old skool rpgs.
You CAN change the orientation from right to left.
this game is pretty good. its a lot like oblivion. The game does have pretty good graphics except for the fact that the enemies and plants are flat
Alright, a couple things. For starters, to the older posts that say the iPhone is more powerful than a PSP and complain about graphics. The iPhone's processor is faster than that of the PSP and has more RAM, but the GPU isn't as good, which is a pretty important part of graphics. And the graphics aren't too bad considering the size of the world. There is no other iPhone game that has a world this large or so in depth gameplay, the graphics are also pretty charming and give some nostalgia. So it isn't something to get hung up on. It also helps to keep the file size and price down.
For help with the quests, if you read the help file it'll give you a website which has a link to a website that gives you some hints for the game. To save you the searching the website is http://www.thequesthints.de/