Hardly doubt this game lives up to even the worst rpgs on the 360. No offence to the developers, just the way it is with iPhone games.
Same here, honestly I've never actually looked forward to buying a game. I just buy everything I want when it comes out. This is the first.
Well, the XBox 360 has access to all the recent Bethesda and Bioware RPGs, so comparisons of that sort are, well, not quite fair. But is you look at the handheld market, it's a different landscape altogether: there are very few Western RPGs on the DS and PSP, and with Aralon and Shadow Sun the iOS could become the portable platform to beat in the genre.
This is true also because if Aralon turns put to be a successful venture for Crescent Moon, it could attract the attention of the big guys like Bethesda and Bioware...
As an owner of varied rpg games on 360 both jrpg and wrpg games alike: Dragon Age origins, Elderscrolls Oblivion, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy XIII, Tales of Vesperia...To name a few. There's not a whole lot on the upcoming horizon that I'm all too jazzed about :0( I don't use the ds, nor PSP; So for my other platform (iPad) Aralon, looks to be highly engaging and varied. I'm really stoked to see if Aralon will be a huge success and hopefully make the iOS platform a boon for deeper, longer and more content rich gaming experiences in general. Aralon has a lot riding on it's success. It's the first of its kind (in scope) on the platform, plus it's the first 3d rpg to encompass as much as some console releases, whether this gen or last. Here's to hoping it lives up to it's promises.
Well the platform has attention, alright. Look at what Epic is offering, with Infinity Blade. A very pretty title, which we know almost next to nothing about (regardless of all of those preview articles) Id software, is well aware of the varied titles coming and available to the iOS platform. Yet, they see what sells and, honestly, its those casual titles and low prices which hold them back. To their credit, id have been releasing some past games, as well as the upcoming Mutant Bash shooter, which incorporates elements of the Tech 5 engine. On another front, A couple chincy Mass Effect side things have appeared fromBioware and parent company, Electronic Arts whom is also a player on iOS. To make the case: Electronic Arts owns Bioware. Whether or not we will see EA allow something of depth to appear from Bioware remains to bee seen, seeing as EA themselves seem to refrain from deeper investments on iOS. The same case goes for Bethesda. They are owned by Zenimax media, as is Id software. Seeing as Id seems to think releasing something of sustenance on the iOS platform is too much of a gamble, I wouldn't expect anything from Bethesda either. It just makes no sense, as Zenimax owns the pair of companies and nothing too significant is arriving (even from id). So yes, unless EA gets serious, it seems like a job left to the indie developers...or the next inevitable Gameloft knockoff, probably of Aralon, lol. The main reasons for the lack of key players in the console space, on iOS is selling price and market demand. Yet, even with demand, the deeper investment may be against their financial interest.
Look, I am cynical. That's a given and we both know it. I guess I take issue with the definition of "scope." I'm honestly sick of the iDevice inferiority complex which is constantly being perpetuated by some developers, but much more so, by gamers themselves. I'm sick of the ooh-ing and aah-ing over upcoming games because they look something like their big boy console counterparts. The iDevices have massive potential to innovate, not (vainly) try to catch up to standards set by more powerful consoles. I'm not excited about that in the slightest. I am excited about the guy who sits back and asks himself: how can I best use this device to provide an enjoyable gaming experience? What advantages does it have and how can I make the most of them? Is there something I can do that hasn't been done before? THAT is "scope" in my eyes, not chasing after graphical (and gameplay) standards long ago set, and bettered, on other platforms.
I agree with this guy. The iOS platform is never gonna beat their console counterparts, graphic wise. Might as well use what it was created for, what makes it inovative. The touch screen and accelerometer
Exactly. There is plenty of room on my iPod for both 'console-like' games like Aralon and 'iOS only' titles like Tilt to Live.
@Pacificsun Yea, I'm aware of EA's ownership of Bioware. Seeing as how they've released increasingly meaty versions of their flagship sports and racing series, I think it's only a matter of time before we see a Bioware RPG. At least I hope so. I'm also waiting for a Burnout for the iPhone, along the lines of Burnout 3: Takedown... Not to get too far adrift of this thread's topic, but I read a recent EGM interview of Bethesda's Todd Howard (the guy behind Oblivion and Fallout 3) in which he discusses the freedom he has to choose the projects he wants to develop. The shareholders at Zenimax apparently have some faith in the guy's track record. Bethesda's games, however, have always pushed the technical boundaries of the platforms they're designed for, and we've yet to see a portable game from the company (I believe). So yea, an iOS game from them seems less likely but ya never know.
Agreed. I think what most of us want are games that are both innovative and specialized for iOS, as well as technically impressive. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Infinity Blade is an attempt to do this very thing. (Sorry for the double post )
We have different definitions of scope. We also have different definitions of "enjoyable gaming experience." I'm all for innovation, but I'm also all for diversity. I love gaming on portables, and the iPhone is my favorite portable device. I don't really give giant rat's ass whether a particular standard was set in a home console or a PC. Those devices don't fit in my pocket, and I can take them with me on my commute. As far as I'm concerned, the fact that a game as big as this one can be made to work on a handheld is reason enough to be excited.
Both what exactly? I'm not sure if you are talking about the old graphics vs gameplay argument, because that definitely wasn't my point. If you ARE talking about it, you'll definitely get no argument from me.
No, I just mean why can't we have the "only possible on iOS devices" games AND the more traditional kind of game, even if it takes a little shoehorning to make it work with touch screen. I don't see any harm with people being excited for a game like Aralon. By your previous post, you would think that developers should only ever use the newest and most innovative approaches to creating games. While I love to see innovation, that would basically mean every console game from here on out would be motion controlled since that's the newest hotness, and that would just plain suck IMO.
I see you point. I think the difference in our views comes from the fact that unlike you, I'm just as happy to game on my 360 as I am on my iPhone, (though I do get less time for the former) so I see no inherent value in having a "360-like" game on my iPhone for that virtue alone.
I'm afraid you already submitted your argument; he gave you what I thought to be a straightforward reply. You said you're tired of iOS devs pursuing graphical standards already set and bettered on consoles, and that you prefer devs innovate according to the unique iOS platform. Why can't we have both?
I couldn't have it better. I bought the iPod back when tap tap revenge was the shit, as in the first one. Considering the app fanatic I've been since then, averaging over 50 dollars a month on the AppStore, yes I calculated, I can safely say I've seen all there is to see that's been presented on the Idevice already. I have a psp, ps2, and ps3, and guess which three devices are in the closet (literally)? Maybe the Idevice doesn't match up to games like black ops, but I find myself wanting to play the Idevice rather than my ps3 when given the opportunity. Also, like squarezero said, the Idevice has its own standards. I bought that old itouch back in it's prehistoric days for the iPod function, video function, mobile apps (Facebook, aim), and for some casual gaming. After years, I bought the 32gb fourth generation solely for gaming. I have a damn rack of 14 psp games, 39 ps2 games, and 8 ps3 games. But I also have 578 paid apps from the AppStore. Go find a way I can carry my ps3 to class or the car, go make the psp allow me to hold 250 games, go find me a device thatll allow me to play and catch up with my friends anywhere. Aralon would be nothing new on our consoles, but it's a revolution on my favorite piece of technology. Yes, i've enjoyed greatly in seeing what developers have come up with using the accelerometer, touch controls, and now the gyroscope, but I find it amazing that the idevice, a multimedia music player that was made for casual games much like its cellular counterparts, grow into a portable gaming device that goes unmatched in my eyes to the psp, DS, or any other handheld you can name. Here's to Aralon.
Let me nuance my views a bit. It's not that I don't see the value of gaming on a console or a PC. The last "big" game I played through completion was Mafia II, and even though I found it to be ultimately disappointing, it was really incredible to inhabit such a loving recreation of "New York" in the 40s and 50s. It's the kind of thing that's only possible on a powerful machine like a PC or console. My point is that I value the experience of playing a game like Aralon on a portable device in and of itself, even within the limitations of the platform. I find it much more intimate and visceral to play up close on a small screen. For me, a title like Aralon doesn't recreate a console experience as much as it expands the definition of portable gaming.
