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BardicKnowledge

By BardicKnowledge,
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BardicKnowledge Newbie

BardicKnowledge

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To prevent those of us with iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) from having to have off-topic conversations about games in other threads, I'm making this one.

Currently, I'm enjoying Tilt to Live, HornetSmash (the free minigame from Spyder), Bouncedown, Hoggy, and a random Donut Games game (currently Action Buggy) as casual games.

For racing fans: Low Grav 2 plus is a lot of fun.

For shooters: I'm currently using Cube and Exo-Planet, but have heard good things about NOVA and Archetype.

For roleplaying games: Get Chaos Rings. I can't stress how good it is, and it's well worth whatever they're charging for it now. Zenonia is a good game that wants to be Zelda LTTP (but isn't quite there) -- I haven't played the sequel yet but would buy that before the original as I'd imagine they've made improvements.

The best puzzle game is still probably Peggle, but our own Prophet's iRis AG is a very exciting take on the "match3" idea that works wonderfully for the touchscreen. Finally in this category, Auditorium is extremely slick -- a free demo of the concept is available online.

I'm really looking forward to FF Tactics: War of the Lions, and fully expect Escher and maybe Eluca to show up as bonus characters.

Lastly, for a glimpse of what the future might hold for iOS, go get Epic Citadel now -- it's free and will blow your mind.

Games in italics are free to download and enjoy above btw, so have at it! OpenFeint is a nice program to have around to find quality free games now and then FYI. What are other people currently playing?

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OutSpoken Newbie

OutSpoken

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Thanks for the tips.

I lack a modern gaming system (other than the PC) so I spend a lot of game playing with apps on my iPod. I've waited most of the time for prices to drop on good games and this way I end up with a lot of shooter games while spending about ten dollars total.

Shooter Games that I own

NOVA (Love the graphics, great gameplay and interface (you can customize the exact location of every button on the screen). Story is sub-par, but the voice acting is terrible. Music is pretty ambient and loops frequently, with percussion layering during some of the more intense fights. Online play is sub-par.)

Eliminate Pro (Decent game for free, but overall very dependent on your ability to keep the cursor on your target while moving.)

Brothers In Arms 2 (Graphics are alright, it's harder to display excellent graphics in the WW2 environment than in the Sci-Fi setting of NOVA. Interface isn't very adaptable, but you get used to it after a while. Story is again sub-par, but the voice acting is slightly better than NOVA. Music is well done and evolves during fights. Online play is mostly dependent on your skill with grenades and lining up consistent headshots with a machine gun)

Archetype (Eliminate Pro with a price tag and some major advantages. Graphics are much improved and character design isn't too bad either. Interface was a bit confusing at first, but you quickly pick it up. Characters move quickly and it's a lot of run 'n gun. It needs some online game modes besides straight up deathmatch, but it still lasts for a while. Out of all the games I own, this one probably has the menu screen most similar to a console game; props for aesthetics.)

Modern Combat: Sandstorm (Gameloft's Call of Duty for the iOS. Pretty decent graphics once again. Interface is very similar to BIA 2. Story is short, but not that bad. Voice acting is still sub-par. Music is the best out of all the shooter games I've played for iOS. Online is what really makes this game fun although deathmatch is the only mode. You choose from 5 classes and can either do two on two, or every man for himself.)

Metal Gear Solid: Touch (Only worth it if it's on sale for a dollar and if you own the console game. Very repetitive.)

Brothers In Arms (Third person perspective works pretty well. Graphics aren't the best, but less polygons almost equals a grittier feel than BIA 2. Interface is similar to other Gameloft games. Only brief bursts of music at certain points, but the background sounds and commands add to the realism. I prefer the campaign of this game to BIA 2.)

HAWX (Flying a fighter jet translates fairly well to iOS. Graphics are okay, story is the same as console game, and multilayer is local only.)

Summary: If you want Science Fiction and a decent campaign go for NOVA. If you want multiplayer and that's it, get Archetype. Modern Combat: Sandstorm is the best translation of CoD for the iOS and is highly recommended if the genre works for you.

Other Games

I bought FF1 and FF2 (both are PSP ports to iOS) and have been enjoying them so far. I've been thinking about Chaos Rings, but I'd like to wait for the price to drop. I also have both Monkey Island 1 and 2 for iOS and although I enjoy them both, 2 is definitely the better designed game (not to mention Wilbert Rogert II and zircon with the reworked music).

Unfortunately all of the games I have listed above do cost something (except Eliminate Pro), but I've managed to avoid the price issue for the most part by waiting until games are $5 or under.

One last thing, although it isn't a game, has anyone on OCR taken a look at Nanostudio? I'm quite impressed with its capabilities.

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DarkeSword Community Regular

DarkeSword

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NOVA is such a pain to play. I don't know, the controls just don't do it for me. Maybe it's because I'm playing it on a Palm Pre? Who knows. Touch-screen controls for games based heavily on reflexes are usually a pain to play, which is why I think that without buttons, mobile phone gaming (iOS, Android, webOS) will always sort of be relegated to that 'casual' status.

Anyway, as for iOS games, I've got quite a bunch on my old-ass iPod touch, but one of my favorites is Gamevil's Baseball Superstars 2009. I've got 2010—and I haven't played it that much—but I spent a lot of time with 2009 and it's just phenomenal. I'm not even a big fan of sports games, but I've literally played the game for hours on end.

Helsing's Fire is a great, unique puzzle game with a lot of style.

Sword and Poker is another great one; a turn-based dungeon crawler built around a poker-oriented battle system.

I do like Square Enix's offerings too, like Vanguard Storm and Hills and Rivers Remain; I like it when they put something new out instead of porting old games like Final Fantasy. I haven't tried Chaos Rings; I think my poor first-gen iPod would buckle and break.

We can't have a thread about iOS games without mentioning Canabalt, the run'n'jump game with music by our very own Danny B.

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Arcana Newbie

Arcana

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The most hardcore game I've played that resembles a good console title is probably "Towers in Space", a little indie title that is tower defense that actually has voice acting and a storyline as a part of it.

It costs $2.99, which is an absolute steal for a game whose dialog is completely voiced. It's also for BOTH iPad and iPod touch... none of this "HD" version crap where you charge 7.99 for.

Really hard game though, it took me a while to learn it. If anyone plays it and wants some help let me know.

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  • 2 months later...
BardicKnowledge Newbie

BardicKnowledge

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Did anyone bother to pick up Infinity Blade since it came out? I'm wondering if it's worth getting; the folks at IGN gave it a 9, but I'm not sure if it warrants my time considering the plethora of iOS games I currently play.

It is amazing thus far. As I've described on Facebook, it's essentially a next-gen Karateka where you do 1v1 combat repeatedly. The catch is that this combat is so damn good it's unbelievable. The best swordplay of the generation, including the consoles thus far.

That on top of an addictive looting system, incoming free multiplayer and additional content, and the best looking game on the entire platform makes it a real easy purchase. Get it now! :P

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kitty Newbie

kitty

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Just a warning about Peggle for those of you with older iPod touches: it lags a lot more now than when it first came out. So far Popcap has done nothing to fix the problem despite numerous complaints.

Other than that issue with Peggle, all Popcap games are great on the iOS devices especially Plants vs. Zombies. I actually bought it on my ipod instead of my PC because it's more fun using the touch screen.

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Level 99 Newbie

Level 99

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I'm really looking forward to FF Tactics: War of the Lions, and fully expect Escher and maybe Eluca to show up as bonus characters.

O_O

>_<

O_O

WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS SOONER?!?

Oh man, I have a raging gameboner for FFT to be released now. Please come out before Christmas, oh please oh please oh please.

Well, as of right now, I'm still playing Trenches, which is a really nifty strategy game that is not completely unlike Worms but also not like it at all. Very fun, featuring music by Abadoss as well.

I still can't break myself away from Plants vs. Zombies or Peggle, they're just too addictive. Highly recommended as they can waste hours, days, and weeks of your time. Most fun to play on 3GS or above/iPad, because there's massive slowdown on the 3G version now.

The two Secret of Monkey Island games for iOS aren't bad, but the touchscreen on the phones is just a little too small for it to not be frustrating. On the plus side, revamped visuals and musical score are enough to warrant a purchase.

I just got Rage HD and, which the visuals and sound are absolutely stunning, the control is a little awkward. However, I did get used to it, and it's one of the most impressive apps on the iPad/iPhone3GS+ to date. At $2 it should be an absolutely no brainer.

I'll have more later but I'll leave on this not-exactly-a-game-but-game-related app: Modizer. Pointed out to us by one intrepid forumer, this is the single best chiptunes app for the iOS platform. There are some others, like Mod Player, Sid Player, Pokey Player, and the Keygen Music app, but Modizer beats them all. Direct access for MODLAND's database, supports direct download from web, able to unzip, and even including an FTP server so you can transfer stuff from your computer over, this has been the most used app on my devices since I bought it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
kupernikus Newbie

kupernikus

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Been playing a lot of Infinity Blade, it really is great and I love the new update so far.

Secret of Mana is fun, I never actually got into it on the SNES and it's the only Squaresoft game I didn't.... It's pretty, runs great (im on an iphone4) the sound is decent. The controls.... are passable. There are going to be plenty of times where you miss an enemy because you tried to turn and attack too quickly. I also didn't realise how hard the game could be. Finish a boss, go to next area and realize you have a bit of grinding to do to get up to appropriate level. Only Issue I've really had is that primma nd popoi are retarded.

Song Summoner is ok, though the using music to create tune troopers thing doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, and it's random.

Sliding heroes is terrible. Crystal defenders is fun, if not frustratingly hard. Vanguard crystal storm is fun, and fairly well tuned. Chaos rings is fun so far, decent music, good graphics, decent gameplay. Story seems odd. And there's a tremendous lack of completely androgynous teenage boys. I approve.

I like the Gamevil games, both Zenonia's where entertaining, and illusia is as long as you're ok with ridiculous amounts of grinding and repetition.

The Gamevil baseball games are great though, and 11 is worth the dollar when it's on sale for sure.

If you're looking for FFT style gameplay while waiting for the game to come out Rebirth of Fortune is fun. No items/stats to manage after you win a battle you get points which you use to level up your individual classes after obtaining certain levels for each class you unlock a new one, 8 total. The game decides what you can have on the field by value instead of troop number, so class x is worth 4 points, class y is worth 1 or 2, you have a total of 4 to spend, you can go with one solo character, or 4. Picked it up for 1$, there is a light version. There's no story and this game is a pretty blatant Tactics rip off.

Defender Chronicles is easily my favorite tower defense game so far.

Beatwave is so far my favorite music app on the iPad, though I love my ocarina on the phone.

Any suggestions for good music creation apps on the ipad? There're so many.

EpicWin is a great to do list app that awards Experience points and loots for doing the things on your list. 3bucks, kinda fun.

Heytell is a fabulous voice messaging app. It has replaced text messages for me for almost all my contacts as they all use it now. It works cross platform for Android/iOS/and soon win7/blackberry phones.

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  • 11 months later...
Evilhead Newbie

Evilhead

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I recently picked up an iPad 2, and I use it almost solely for gaming. And I have to say that the iPad is a solid next gen gaming device. Personally I think it succeeds where the DS fails. Nintendo had a great idea integrating touch screen technology with gaming, but in the end the hardware limitations and the poor execution of so many games left the touch aspects to be pointless gimmicks in a lot of games. But the iPad with it's fantastic multi-touch screen, beautiful resolution, and advanced graphical hardware really make it a gaming powerhouse. In my opinion it totally crushes any other portable gaming system out there, including the Vita. Here are some games I've been playing the most so far that I think are worth checking out.

ESPGALUDA II HD Smartphone Version

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espgaluda-ii-hd-smartphone/id450426784?mt=8

espgaluda-ii-hd-ipad-1317991441-002_m.jpg

2D shooters are probably my favorite genre, and the first thing I thought of when I got the iPad was how to get Dodonpatchi on there. Well, I was pleased to find that Cave is developing directly for iOS and already has several of it's insane shooters available. Of the group I'd say Espgaluda II HD is the best for the iPad so far mainly due to the graphics. Some of the other releases still have grainy upscaled graphics, which while don't detract from the gameplay, just don't match up to the beautiful HD graphics of Espgaluda. All of their games, however, feature amazing control. I own many dozens of shooters for various systems, but I've never experienced anything like this. Every slight twitch of your finger is registered, which allows you to skillfully weave your character through the intricate waves of projectiles famous in these bullet-hell shooters with relative ease (doesn't mean you're not going to get your ass handed to you from time to time!). It's almost mesmerizing. A slightly more expensive game, but well worth the cost especially considering how much it costs to buy a copy of this for PS2.

Air Attack HD

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airattack-hd/id383659024?mt=8

airattack-hd-screenshot-2.jpg

Another overhead shooter, but featuring fantastic 3D graphics while maintaining 2D gameplay. Featuring a WWII theme that I personally love in shooters (thing Strikers 1945, Metal Slug, etc), great control, weaponry, upgradable planes, and an epic soundtrack that gets you feeling like you are in a Hollywood war movie. A steal at $0.99.

Dead Space

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dead-space-for-ipad/id396019894?mt=8

dead-space-ipad-3.jpg

Haven't had a chance to spend too much time with this one yet, but it's graphically very impressive and has great controls. Ditching the virtual d-pad in favor of free controls is a route that a lot of developers are thankfully taking for iOS first and third person shooters. A brand new chapter in the horror series, not a port of the first game. On sale for a limited time for $0.99 from it's usual $9.99, so grab it quick!

Infinity Field HD

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/infinity-field-hd/id391766089?mt=8

infinity-field-20110215112513209_640w.jpg

I loved Geometry Wars on the DS and it was one game I thought implemented the touch controls well enough to enjoyably play for long periods. And I spent many hours on that game. Infinity Field is very similar to Geometry Wars, with upgraded graphics and sound, and and many added gameplay elements. Fans of GW will love this one, as I do.

Battle Squadron ONE 2-player

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/battle-squadron-one-2-player/id486449697?mt=8

mzl.sqvtrebf.480x480-75.jpg

A classic Amiga vertical shooter brought to iPad but with a twist. You can play 2-player co-op with an innovative split screen control scheme. Worth it for the soundtrack alone!

Zombie Gunship

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombie-gunship/id435797419?mt=8

zombie-gunship-20111111021350961_640w.jpg

A simple but highly addicting game. You circle around an area destroying zombies and saving civilians, but the presentation is very unique. It's almost exactly like a military gun ship display with the somewhat grainy black and white display and targeting system. I play this one a lot, as it's very satisfying to blow up a crowd of 20 zombies with your Howitzer or pick them off one at a time with your Gatling gun.

Puzzle Quest 2

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puzzle-quest-2/id398687544?mt=8

puzzle_quest_ipad_1.jpg

Another game I poured hours into for the DS was the original Puzzle Quest. It's a game that naturally works perfectly for the touch systems. This newer installment is very good, with great sound and presentation, and although I thought the story aspects of the original were more interesting, the added spells and gameplay elements make this a must-have for fans of the original. And if you've never played these games, give it a shot. It's an insanely addictive combination of an RPG and puzzle game, building up your character as you battle various monsters and demons.

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EC2151 Newbie

EC2151

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Evilhead, you will then be pleased to see that

And from the video, it looks like touch controls makes the ol' X-LAY move super fast now (who'da thunk!?). Don't know if it's coming out west, but since RayForce is about as good as shooters get (and in my personal top 3 or so in the genre), you know... GET IT.

Honestly, the only reason I'd want an iPad 2 is for the ability to play inexpensive Cave ports, but that's just me... >.>

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Evilhead Newbie

Evilhead

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Evilhead, you will then be pleased to see that

HELL YES. More iOS shooters PLEASE!!

And yeah, kupernikus, I agree. Virtual d-pads and buttons suck. Most games designed with standard controllers in mind play better with standard controllers, aside certain exceptions such as the aforementioned shooters. But there's nothing that a touch screen could really add to Chrono Trigger for instance. I know because I played through it again on the DS already and barely ever used the touch screen except when selection techniques on the bottom screen which was superfluous.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Arrow Newbie

Arrow

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I've recently been playing a lot of Run Roo Run, from 5th Cell. It's pretty much nothing like Drawn to Life or Scribblenauts; it's a micro platformer where your only ability is tapping the screen to jump. And each level can be finished in less than 3 seconds if you don't make mistakes, making this game perfect for times when you only have a few seconds to waste. But each chapter (20 of them) adds a new ability to your jump, a new environmental assist, or a hazard of some type, and they keep stacking, and even by chapter 6 you're like ARHGUIONSWCOIUHOHC at some of those jumps.

It's pretty addicting! It's also got 420 levels altogether, with free DLC dropping every week, so it'll keep you going for a while. My only real problem with it is something Joystiq's review mentioned: you can't access the leaderboards and have your times posted to it until you've beaten all 420 levels. The problem is that each chapter has 15 normal levels and 6 extreme levels, and I would've liked to have seen my time compared to others before forcing myself to go through those things.

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