Holy SHIT. So far, this game is absolutely gorgeous. The framerate certainly dips at points, but no more than of GameLoft's other FPS titles. But, wow. It looks like a launch 360 title. I could absolutely mistake this for a modern console game.
Also, it's FAR more Crysis 2 than Halo this time. Art, animations, style - everything. The controls are definitely the tightest they've been on a GameLoft FPS, but they're still touch screen controls, so you should know what you're getting into. You can customize the virtual buttons by moving them around (but not resizing), except for the reload button, which stay irritatingly at the top.
Rag doll physics actually exist in this game, which I think is a first for GameLoft. You have the ability to Force push enemies down, and they don't fall with a predetermined animation - they physically react to the environments (it seems). Sometimes, they don't even fall, and just stumble.
The voiceovers are much better and less cheesy, too. Still cheesy, though.
But DAMN it looks amazing on an iPad 3. The framerate isn't solid, but it generally stays t or above 30, and hasn't dipped to anything insufferable yet. Geometry is complex, and most textures are razor sharp on the retina screen. It's probably the nicest looking game I've played so far on the iPad.
I'm going to now try it on my 4S, and I'll check the thread in a few minutes. If there's anything specific you want me to check for, let me know. So far, though, if you enjoyed any GameLoft FPS in the past, there's no reason not to grab this.
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Ok, so now played a bit on the iPhone 4S. It does have additional effects the iPad 3 does not. Or, at least one - depth of field blurring. And it looks really nice, too.
Other than that, subtle differences are slightly longer load times on the 4S, and just a slight bit more of texture-loading framerate drop. It seems like it plays at the same framerate, overall.
And then, of course, the final drawback from the iPhone version is the smaller screen, which leads to harder-to-manage controls. But if you've gotten used to it before with a GameLoft FPS, this will definitely feel better than those other games.
Up next, I'm playtesting it on an iPad 2. Let me know if there's anything you guys want me to check or try. I'm also collecting a few comparison screenshots. I just have to figure out how to upload them directly from my devices, so let me know if you know how to do that, anyone.
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Hmm, my third post got lost. Anyway, iPad 2 impressions and updated comparison:
The iPad 2 runs almost identically to the iPhone 4S. It seems to have all the same effects as the 4S version, and the ever-so-slightly lower framerate dips.
Now, for the bad news for iPad 3 owners. There are a lot more effects cut than I thought. First off, the world seems to be lit just a little brighter, (this could be my screen) but it seems like there's less visual contrast. The screenshots will tell that tale. But other effects, like heat coming off the gun and distorting your visuals, are gone. It's a shame, because they look fantastic on the iPad 2 and 4S.
Personally, I'd like the option to try and run the game with effects on on my iPad 3, just to see how big of a hit it really takes. Either that, or run it at a lower resolution that can handle it.
Still, the game is great on all three devices I tested it on, and it's universal. Any other questions?
And I'm betting it's much easier to play on a tablet, it seems like touch controls could really work there. I usually play on Easy on my phone.
