Just wondering if anyone can recommend good examples of an arcade type game (or something else fast paced) that supports online multiplayer? All I can really think of is along the lines of MMOs, but they're not quite what I have in mind. Reason I'm asking is I'm looking into adding some multiplayer to a game I'm working on (a stick shooter), and I'm curious to check out some of the best examples currently in terms of how the latency feels on device - particularly over 3G. I'm at very early stages of the netcode and if there are strong technical reasons not to continue, I'd rather spend the time on other features, or perhaps just GameKit/BT/wifi multiplayer. MMOs are not super helpful for comparison because latency is usually mitigated by simplified combat that allows a very loose sync without disrupting player interaction.
Check out dungeon defenders. I don't think any other multiplayer games in the appstore have as much particles and polygons on the screen during a match as this.
Well, since you are working on a stick shooter, I'll give you a great example of a dual-stick shooter. It is called SAS: Zombie Assault 3. You have 4 different game modes: Onslaught: The normal mode where you kill zombies for a certain number of waves to win. Purge: You must destroy zombie spawning nests and the zombies that come out of it for a certain number of waves. VERY hard. Apocalypse: Straight up survival mode. Kill until you die. Daily Mission: Every day, a new objective-based mission will be available for you to complete. You can play all of these games modes in single player or co-op (except for Purge; co-op only), and I must say, co-op is definitely the way to go. You have a better chance of survival against the thousands of zombies you will be up against. Literally several hundreds of zombies can be on screen at once, and there is never any lag. The game itself has a ton of weapons at your disposal. You have 43 weapons (including premium ones), two buildable turret types, three grenade types, and that's just the weapons! You also have lots of perks and abilities, and 50 ranks to go through. I definitely recommend it, plus it's free. You got nothing to lose, and a lot to gain.
NOVA 3 has more polygons and particles. And for a multiplayer game, look at any of Gameloft's games. Order and Chaos would be an MMO that works over 3G with realtime combat. MC3 and NOVA 3 are shooters. Deadlock by Cresent Moon is a good dual stick shooter.
