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iOS Gaming August 2014: This reads like paid advertising, narrated by Tom Hiddleston

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O

okno

Member
The idea of having Bioshock on my phone/iPad is far more exciting than the reality of it is, to be honest. I love the idea of being able to carry around Bioshock with me everywhere I go, but the game is far too frantic at most stages to be played well with touch screens. I can't imagine how annoying it will be playing it on an iPad and having to stretch my fingers up to the top left corner in the middle of a dog fight to heal/replenish. I wonder if they toned down the number of enemies at all. I don't want them to compromise the game in the slightest, but there are some boss fights and areas in the game that I would imagine would be pretty frustrating without using an MFi controller.

That said, I'll still probably buy it. For the 5th time. When I could just play it on my PS3. Right now. For free.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
I have to agree. I'm more excited about what this means for the future of IOS gaming than actually playing Bioshock on my phone.
 
V

Vyer

Member
Bioshock is interesting, though I'm not sure if it's something I'd pick up.


Man, 80 Days works really well. I hadn't bought any iOS games in a little while, but Deep Loot and 80 Days is a real nice combination.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
More_Badass said:
Looks like 80 Days got an update:
Click to expand...

You forgot the most important piece of info :p that the devs listen to its customers...

Thanks to everyone who found new ways to run into trouble, and sent us feedback.
Click to expand...

Didn't buy it before but Ill buy it now because of this + premium + no IAP (hence the premium but some devs dont know the difference) + some Out There vibes
 
C

CornBurrito

Member
Jedeye Sniv said:
I'm out, looks poopy and will probably play poopy. I live touch gaming bit I don't think shooters work. And controllers are so expensive I might as well get a 3DS for a little bit more.
Click to expand...

I googled PS4 controllers and Amazon sells them for ~$60.00. In comparison most of the iPad/iPhone controllers seem to sell for ~$80.00. A bit of a price hike, but not terribly so.
 
P

PFD

Member
CornBurrito said:
I googled PS4 controllers and Amazon sells them for ~$60.00. In comparison most of the iPad/iPhone controllers seem to sell for ~$80.00. A bit of a price hike, but not terribly so.
Click to expand...

I got a DS3 off Amazon for $29.99 earlier this year. Since there's a jailbreak for the latest iOS release, there's no reason not to IMO
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
Fuu said:
Just bought Dokuro. It's on sale, $0.99 down from $2.99.
Click to expand...

I saw this a long time ago but didnt picked it up. I did with the sale and been playing a lot tonight, the game is like a 2D version of Ico. Controls are spot on and the screenshots dont do it justice. You have to help a hopeless princess though a castle full of obstacles shape like a giant puzzle. To do that you activate a series of mechanisms to help her move forward. Dokuro can also attack and double jump, and along the ride he learns new abilities, like drawing on screen (with a swipe) or transforming into a charming prince. So far, the game is brilliant. Like I said before, the 2D version of Ico on iOS.
 
P

PFD

Member
Regarding Bioshock, I am actually in the middle of a playthrough on my PC. I just got it from a recent bundle, and I'm playing it for the first time.

While I'm happy to see more quality releases/ports on iOS, I'm definitely gonna pass on this one. I'd much rather play this with a keyboard/mouse @ 1440p/96Hz.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
Oh my god, 80 Days is awesome, I am reaching China, spent only 1700 and 63 days left to arrive to London, I think I am doing great, it is so awesome. The story is kind of engaging. Now, where has my time gone to? So late must sleep, damn I want to keep playing...
 
A

Abandond

Member
Started actually playing mhfu on the iPad yesterday. I'm actually surprised at just how playable it is, which makes me even more annoyed about Godfire limiting movement. I just wish it didn't absolutely destroy the battery on iPhone.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Are there any other IOS games like Empire: Deck Building Strategy (or Ironclad Tactics if you're familiar with that)? I usually don't like card games, but blend deck building and cards with another genre and I'm intrigued

So games that mix cards and decks with other genres?
 
F

Flunkie

Banned
More_Badass said:
Are there any other IOS games like Empire: Deck Building Strategy (or Ironclad Tactics if you're familiar with that)? I usually don't like card games, but blend deck building and cards with another genre and I'm intrigued

So games that mix cards and decks with other genres?
Click to expand...

If More_Badass recommends it, then I guess I gotta get Empire huh?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Flunkie said:
If More_Badass recommends it, then I guess I gotta get Empire huh?
Click to expand...
These are the reviews that sold me on the game:
http://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-empire/
http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2013/10/24/will-fail-play-empire-ios/

I'm currently typing up some impressions of the game, I'll post them here later

Edit: done, here you go
Decay. Sacrifice. Desperation. Hopelessness.

Those are the kind of words that define Empire. This is not a game about establishing some grand kingdom to weather the tests of time. It is about hanging on by a thread, surviving just a little bit longer against inevitable defeat. You will fail. But how long your meager empire survives, how it dies, be it slow starvation or desperate battle, depends on your planning and tactical skills.

Empire encompasses numerous genres and when examined apart, you might think the game would falter under the weight of so many elements. City building. Deck building. Resource management. Tactical battles. Roguelike aspects. But somehow Empire works. You guide a small civilization eking out an existence amid a dangerous hostile land. Every turn erodes the land, drains resources. Eventually you will have to move on, rebuild, as the landscape is slowly corrupted by the ever-growing Desolation and monstrous hordes.

Advance week-by-week, collecting food, materials, gems. Expand your cities to earn new soldiers or new perks or explore the fog-shrouded environment and establish new cities. All the while, the Desolation grows, spreads, infests your land. You can send your armies to fend off the growing threat, but that eats up precious resources perhaps better used for other actions. When you do fight, combat plays out on a Plants vs Zombie-esque grid. Each turn, your troops and your enemies move forward; your only commands are issued from a set of four cards taken from your deck. These cards allow you to perform various actions such as halting movement, changing positions, boosting stats, and recovering hit points. Suffer a causality or lose a city and useless Strike cards begin cluttering your deck.

You can expand your cities with farms and academies and shaman huts, each with their own perks, but you can never get too attached to your settlements. You always have the choice to abandon them, and settle anew; in fact that is a crucial aspect in surviving for longer periods: deciding when to continue growing your cities and when it's best to move onto fresh land.

Empire distilled the elements of various genres into a unique blend that not only works, but works wells, providing challenge and strategic depth. Failure is inevitable, but maybe through your planning and decision, you might just stave off destruction a little bit longer
Click to expand...
 
G

gblues

Banned
Li Kao said:
Hey guys, what's the verdict on Final Fantasy I or II for IOS ? Price is a little steep but I could see myself working my way through the series at last.
Click to expand...

Final Fantasy 1 is really good. It uses the redrawn sprites and artwork from the PSP version.

Pretty sure FF2 is the same deal, but I don't think it's a very good game.
 
S

sibarraz

Banned
Well I think that I'm done with Crazy Taxi I will Make a little review

Pros:

- I actually like the gameplay mechanics, I find the game entertaining and I don't mind the "on rails" system since you can still take whenever route do you want to go.
- Graphics are good, but seems to had some performance issues, specially when you change of sector.
- I think that the music does a decent job to fit in the game, I like that track that is sung by a woman. Offspring and Bad Religion are superior, but this tracks are Entertaining Imo.
- I think that the drops of coins is good on this game, at least I never felt to be short on those to upgrade a car or buy a new one.

Cons

- Well, since is a F2P game, the monetization could break the game, and in this game, I think that the main problem is that you will always find tracks that require a car with the required stats to beat them. Some challenges are unbeateable without them, and if you fill the requirements, you run the risk of having a car too good for the stage. In normal difficulty I got some challenge at times, but it wasn't a big one.
- Another big problem that I had is that even though this game is treated as an endless runner, in the end doesn't work as one, and this hurts him a lot, since you never had this challenge of trying to beat previous records of yourself or your friends. Sonic Dash is more repetitive, but at least you still try to play it again to get a higher score. The mechanics could work to make it an endless runner imo, you could fuse it with the classic formula of crazy taxi where you had to pick passengers across all the city and took them within the time. Instead, basing the game on short missions kills the big appeal of "competitive" Crazy Taxi.
- Also, the ranking system is boring, since it is more based on how has played more than playing better
- Also, since the game works with energy bars, it sucks that the missions are short, .
- Finally, and this is what killed the game for me, when you lend your car to earn money while you are not playing, at times your car could get damaged without no explanation, and you must repair it with a fee that is higher that what you earned, this is super stupid since it doesn't had any fucking sense, and if you don't repair it, there is no timer, you had to pay to fix the car.

So yeah tl;dr, I like the gameplay mechanics, but some stupid decisions make this game boring very quick, if they fix some of my complaints (which I doubt) maybe I will return
 
S

SteveWD40

Member
Bioshock with controller support day one opens a few doors imho, if it does well there is no telling what kind of ports we will end up with, perhaps with controller support day one.
 
S

superrobot

Member
PittaGAF

PittaGAF

Member
More_Badass said:
Are there any other IOS games like Empire: Deck Building Strategy (or Ironclad Tactics if you're familiar with that)? I usually don't like card games, but blend deck building and cards with another genre and I'm intrigued

So games that mix cards and decks with other genres?
Click to expand...

Empire is a pretty unique blend between Civ, a fast fight TBS and (minor) a deck builder.
There is nothing really similar imho, not with this elegance and sleekness anyway.
I think if it had async and you could play with TWO civ in the same boards (pvp), it would have been much more hyped.
I usually do not like Civ nor I appreciate games like this without a story/campaign....but the incredibly solid gameplay makes me return to the game every now and then.

They added recently some sort of 'ending' target to aim for too (initially, there wasn't any...nor there were the 3 generals).

The spoken tutorial is great too, together with the masters of tutorials like Carcassonne and Lost Cities.

EDIT: thanks to your post I felt compelled to play another game of Empire (was months now) and I discovered they added the wandering enemies too!!! WOOOOT!!!! Cool!!! It spices up things again!!!!
 
S

SeanR1221

Member
I'm sill oddly addicted to Modern Combat 5. I'm getting better at the controls and my k/d is actually better than it's ever been in CoD. Weird.
 
W

Widge

Member
Must stick Secret Of Mana on my iPad, believe the update has allowed this to happen.

Don't really want to fork out £11 for FFVI, so this will do just nicely.
 
V

Vyer

Member
Matt Frost said:
Oh my god, 80 Days is awesome, I am reaching China, spent only 1700 and 63 days left to arrive to London, I think I am doing great, it is so awesome. The story is kind of engaging. Now, where has my time gone to? So late must sleep, damn I want to keep playing...
Click to expand...

Just finished my first trip, it was like 86 days so I just missed it. It's funny how differently you approach things as the deadline gets closer, lol.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
My trip in 80 Days has gone from really good to really bad... China turned out to be more troublesome than I thought and spent quite a few days in jail, contracted a fever, had to brive and Japan was really expensive... now I am on my way to San Francisco (half way there) without money and only 32 days left to complete it...

Vyer said:
Just finished my first trip, it was like 86 days so I just missed it. It's funny how differently you approach things as the deadline gets closer, lol.
Click to expand...

Uhh 86 so close... but seems great for a first time trip... reminded me of my first one with Out There... (still my second best run and my highest score before they wiped the leaderboards) wondering how many days it will take me to do it.

More_Badass said:
Awesome review of Angels In the Sky from Pocket Gamer:
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Angels+in+the+Sky/review.asp?c=60873
Click to expand...

Haha... I saw the score and flipped, but after reading it... its an awesome review xD
 
K

Katori

Member
sibarraz said:
Well I think that I'm done with Crazy Taxi I will Make a little review

(snip)
Click to expand...
Very good writeup. I agree, I think the gameplay itself is pretty good. But the music, lack of original characters (seriously, why not include them??) and some elements of the monetization are offensive to me.

I think that the game actually having an endless mode like the arcade version would be really fun, driving around getting more time when you pick up and drop off. Hopefully they can add that in an update. Put the original characters in and I'll even spend money on the game.

All that being said, I'm still hoping for ports of the other two games, though I suppose that's a pipe dream.
 
F

FerranMG

Member
Anyone playing (or has played) Hay Day?
How did you like it?

Just started yesterday, and I want to know if I'm expected to hit heavy paywalls soon or it's a fair F2P game.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
FerranMG said:
Anyone playing (or has played) Hay Day?
How did you like it?

Just started yesterday, and I want to know if I'm expected to hit heavy paywalls soon or it's a fair F2P game.
Click to expand...
Cracked has you covered
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-iphone-games-that-clearly-hate-player-tested/
#1. Hay Day
I've been bracing myself against this all day. The worst of all tapathons are the farming games. These are the FarmVille clones that don't even pretend to be anything other than "tap this button, then wait until you're allowed to tap it again." They're the evil opposite of the snooze button.

The game gives you a pointless chore, then makes you wait until it allows you to do it. So if you were worried about the machines enslaving humanity, don't worry, it's already happened. You see people clicking around the screen to kill time until they're allowed to click other bits of the screen. That's exactly what I'd build to keep minions in line after Health & Safety vetoed the explosive collars.

And it was still so much worse than I could imagine. I was soon fondly remembering those golden hours I spent with Kim Kardashian pretending to listen to me while she tried to get my money.

Aldous Huxley and George Orwell thought future-people could be controlled with timed sessions of sex and hatred, because Aldous Huxley and George Orwell were surprisingly optimistic. Smartphone games reveal that the timer's all we needed. Give us a big button, tell us when we're allowed to press it, and if it makes a number get bigger, then we'll be happy forever. It makes the Matrix look ludicrously overdesigned.

Being left waiting by your own video game is more insulting than being left waiting at the altar. At least then the other person might have their own reasons for doing it. The game has no purpose other than entertaining me, and it's decided to hold me hostage instead. To defend my brain from self-protective shutdown while waiting, I worked out how much each of these games thinks I'm worth.

These click-farming games think I'm worth nine cents an hour. Of course I can get better value if I buy in bulk, because you can get all sorts of nonsensical mathematical results when you multiply by zero, because the value of Hay Day diamonds is zero. Developers call big spenders "whales." You tell me if that sounds like a compliment.

The more diamonds you buy, the less each is worth. And since those gems are tied to your time, buying in bulk reduces the value of your life even further.

Notice that once you pass 1,500 diamonds, there are no further savings. They know they've already got you. Once you're prepared to spend $100 on a dipping bird simulator, there's just no point in saving you any more time, or money, or anything, and that's the game you're paying talking.

A Better Solution:
Open a calculator app, type 1+1, then keep hitting the equal sign.
Click to expand...
 
PittaGAF

PittaGAF

Member
I'm really curious about CodingMonkeys new game: Rules!

Seems something different...but Lost Cities and Carcassonne are still among my most played games (Lost Cities probably my most played async game, even over Ascension now) so I guess it's worth checking it out.

I wish FantasyFlightGames and CodingMonkeys just signed a deal to publish a game each year, starting with Star Wars:The miniature game. (Dreaming, I know).
 
W

Widge

Member
infiniteloop said:
secret of mana is 3.99, worth it?
Click to expand...

The SNES version was one of my fondest memories, alternating that and Zelda over and over.

The iOS port enhanced some bits but I wasn't a fan of the touchscreen inputs.

However, it says it has had an overhaul, so I'm intrigued to see what this translates to. A shame that it isn't a universal app. Searched for it on the pad and its still iphone only.
 
E

Ezel

Neo Member
Hey guys!

I have been on NeoGAF for a while but never had the opportunity to post something meaningful! So maybe now is the time :) We’re a team of 4 industry professionals who worked on games like FUEL, KINECT RUSH: A Disney Pixar Adventure, PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER (iOS) and the soon to be released THE CREW! Recently, we decided to gather our strengths and develop a game of our own…

SND_IG_1_1.jpg

SND_IG_1_2.jpg
SND_IG_3_1.jpg


SPLODE’N’DIE is a frantic rhythm game featuring a bunch of awesome monsters YOU will need to destroy!
Prevent them to reach the exit by using deadly weapons but beware, each of them is only sensitive to the weapon of the same color, so make sure you fire at the right time!

SND_IG_10_1.jpg

SND_IG_18_1.jpg

SND_IG_31_1.jpg


SPLODE’N’DIE features:
. Various types of monsters with their own unique abilities
. Different types of weapons: electric, laser, flame and acid
. An exciting match 3 mechanic with shielded monsters to spice things up!
. Nearly 50 levels with increased difficulty just for your fingers
. A mind-blowing scoring system to compete with your friends
. And of course… 15 achievements, 5 leaderboards + cloud saving enabled

SPLODE’N’DIE release on iOS and Android is due later this summer but stay tuned, we have more to share in the upcoming weeks (gameplay footage amongst other things)!

... So obviously we are beginning to try to build awareness around the game but first and foremost we wanted to finally put the game in front of people’s eyes and we’d really love to hear what you think about it so don’t hesitate to send us your feedback or ask any question about S'N'D!

SND_Menu_1.jpg
SND_Menu_2.jpg


If you want to reach us directly just PM me or use our contact address: snd.thegame@gmail.com
 
B

brainzelda

Member
Looking for some recommendations. Just finished Hitman Go and loved it, and wanted something along those lines. I like stage based games because I play on the bus, and I highly prefer grid based puzzlers like Hitman Go and Quell because I don't have to control where I touch the screen. The most I will tolerate in terms of fine control is something along the lines of Tiny Thief, where the action is slower paced to offset the need to touch accurately. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of the "deliberately old-school" 8/16-bit look of some mobile games, unless they go above and beyond like Swords & Sworcery.

tldr: recommendations on grid-based puzzler with stages and good art/graphics?

Thanks.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
I love match-3 and frantic games, and if they have colorful graphics, no IAP and are endless much better. SPLODE’N’DIE Looks terrific, looking forward to it :D
 
O

okno

Member
I just can't say enough good things about Deep Loot. The controls are spot on, the graphics are adorable, the music is fantastic - although the transitions between areas can be quite jarring - and I just cannot stop playing it. It's my day off, I have a huge list of chores sitting next to me and I am wasting all of my time digging, digging, digging, digging... Learning that you don't need keys to open locked chests was REVELATORY. Every time I tell myself, "this is the last one," I'll find another piece of bone for my collection or find a ship or a new location. It's just so great.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
brainzelda said:
Looking for some recommendations. Just finished Hitman Go and loved it, and wanted something along those lines. I like stage based games because I play on the bus, and I highly prefer grid based puzzlers like Hitman Go and Quell because I don't have to control where I touch the screen. The most I will tolerate in terms of fine control is something along the lines of Tiny Thief, where the action is slower paced to offset the need to touch accurately. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of the "deliberately old-school" 8/16-bit look of some mobile games, unless they go above and beyond like Swords & Sworcery.

tldr: recommendations on grid-based puzzler with stages and good art/graphics?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Not exactly sure if it's what you're looking for:

Perfect Paths - if you're enjoyed SpaceChem, you're like this puzzle game. Challenging, intuitive, nice presentation
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/perfect-paths/id856029362?mt=8

AntiVirus - another SpaceChem-esque puzzle game. Program your movements to reach the exit, gets complex as new mechanics and multiple blocks are added
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/antivirus-super-duper-accurate/id736071440?mt=8

Causality - minimalist puzzle game, new mechanics every chapter, a lot of levels
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/causality-classic-puzzle-game/id793844553?mt=8

10 - actually came out months before Threes, combine tiles to make tens, stylish look, tricky, a lot of stages
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/10/id633103088?mt=8

Knight Defense - chess + tower defense. Simple, strategic, challenging
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/knight-defense/id384314610?mt=8
 
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