Has Apple recently brought many "dead" games back to life?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by LordGek, Apr 16, 2021.

  1. LordGek

    LordGek Well-Known Member
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    Feb 19, 2009
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    Hey Gang,

    As many of you long time iOSers know, a few new iOS versions ago HUNDREDS of games gained forced obsolescence with the old, "This game must be updated to run in your iOS" (I think this happened when they decided to stop backward compatibility to 32-bit games in the newer iOSes).

    Well over the last few days a lot of these seemingly dead games are snapping back to life with what looks like an update made to them by Apple themselves, not the devs necessarily, to allow them to run once again!

    While this is great news, it's also depressing as many of the games coming back I'd long uninstalled as it was clear I'd never be able to play them again with the latest iOS.

    So here is my plea to you guys out there also seeing these mass automated updates to old games, please post links to some of your favorite games that you've seen just received this update so I can hopefully re-install the many games I'd deleted so long ago I forgot their names. I'd link up a few myself but I'm stepping off to work right now, maybe I can later today.
     
    syntheticvoid and Gwarmaxx like this.
  2. syntheticvoid

    syntheticvoid Well-Known Member

    Jun 20, 2010
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    Holy crap! 32 updates today, but all of them were games that were already running on iOS 14. I have a CRAPLOAD of games to go through, but so far, no Cave games, no Stealth Inc. no Autumn Dynasty, no Monsters Ate My Condo, or really any of the 50 or so games I had on my ‘most want to be updated’ list. <shrug>
    I’m sure there’s some gems packed in there, but nothing that I immediately wanted to see updated. Still.... very nice surprise to see.
     
  3. Son of Anarchy

    Son of Anarchy Well-Known Member

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    I read somewhere yesterday that Apple had a problem with Family Sharing, people using it recently had all their apps fail to launch and/or lock up. Apple’s solution to fix the problem was to ‘force update’ apps that haven’t been updated for awhile to ‘use the latest signing certificate’. There’s also developers out there who are a bit uncomfortable knowing that Apple can do whatever they like to their stuff without the devs knowledge.

    I first started thinking like syntheticvoid and started checking old games like Battle Academy and Autumn Dynasty but I’m pretty sure that no 32bit games are being resurrected.
     
  4. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Yeah I wouldn’t get excited. All my metal slug games were updated but they all still have issues with the buttons

    shame
     
  5. LordGek

    LordGek Well-Known Member
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    Sorry, my bad, just old games but maybe no 32-bit or even ones that hadn't been working previously...:oops:
     
  6. stubbieoz

    stubbieoz Well-Known Member

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    Got a question in line with this.

    My iPad is pretty full of games and with all these updates I’m getting the “not enough storage” message popping up.
    Rather than delete the game to get space and then reinstalling, I am offloading them (to keep the old save files) and reinstalling.
    But after reinstalling, the larger size games, a day later, keep telling me to update them.

    So does offloading and then reinstalling, rather than deleting and then reinstalling, not update some games?

    It is going to be a right pain if I have to use delete to gain space and lose my progress.
     
  7. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    Bioshock included?
     
  8. metalcasket

    metalcasket Moderator
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    These are all 64-bit games that still exist on the App Store.
     
    Chikita D Isaac likes this.
  9. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for clearing this up
     
  10. metalcasket

    metalcasket Moderator
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    Hey, no probs. It sucks though. :( That BioShock port was so ahead of its time, its crazy that 2K just let it die. In hindsight, I highly doubt it would've been maintained at all, so I feel like we'd be having his convo regardless.
     
  11. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    lol I know right
     
  12. Chq

    Chq Well-Known Member

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    This was the best game i have ever played on an iPhone.

    Greetz Chris
     
  13. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    I’ve actually asked feral interactive to bring either alien isolation or bioshock the collection to iOS
     
  14. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    They’ve got my request maybe 2023
     
  15. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Getting sick and tired of apps not being updated. Put me right off iOS gaming recently

    love retro games. Checked some of my favourites. The metal slug games have been broken for ages. Now the double dragon trilogy and Raiden app are all broken

    such a waste. Don’t want to delete them in case crazily there’ll be an update but I doubt it.

    Surprisingly the Atari app with lots of old Atari 2600 games has been updated and now works

    I love dotemu and I know it’s not their fault but I wish they could persuade the companies they do the work for to let them updates the apps
     
  16. stubbieoz

    stubbieoz Well-Known Member

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    Same.
    I got absolutely fed up with some of my older iOS games being ported over to pc and the pc version gets updates and the iOS versions didn’t.
    Also, simple iOS patches breaking games and devs not being in a financial position to fix them.

    Being a premium game purchaser it was wasting a lot of my money. Not just the games but the devices to play them on.
    My 2018 iPad Pro will be my last hardware investment in the iOS gaming ecosystem, complete with it’s almost dead battery.

    I have since gone back to spending all my gaming dollars on Steam and Windows games.
     
  17. agreen437

    agreen437 Well-Known Member

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    Ok plain and simple I hear you guys complaining about older games not being updated but on the bright side I’ve lost faith in bioshock not bringing it back to life I learned to accept it though as this is the only way I can game because of my disability now it is frustrating how older games do not get updated but I figured out that’s the developers fault but are oodles of games out there and new ones are coming so im not giving up just yet for me personally
     
  18. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    I can see why when an old game doesn’t sell anything anymore devs won’t bother. Specially devs who did work for another company like the metal slug games

    but it’s frustrating as nothing. Bet at times the changes are quick and easy - not easy but I can imagine sometimes it is.
     
  19. Ksmack

    Ksmack Active Member

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    I still have my old iPad 4 with great games on it still running iOS 9. I have rage hd imo the best shooter ever on iOS. I have fightback which I’ve always loved. I have die hard which is a great tap shooter. Big buck safari which is a great tap shooter. Soul calibur the best fighter ever on mobile. And a bunch more
     

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