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The Official iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming Thread

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lawblob said:
Lumines only comes with 1 skin. Additional skins are $2 in the in-game store. Controls are shitty, for reasons just described above.

If you are already a Lumines fan, and don't mind sluggish controls, you can still have fun with this. But if you are teetering on whether to purchase, its probably not worth it. Between the controls and obnoxious DLC, its a bit underwhelming.
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yeah :(
 
Man, the I'm glad lumines had a lite version. Maybe they'll patch better control into the game down the road.
 
I can't imagine Lumines being interesting even if the controls were tolerable. Why was everyone hyped for this release? So many better puzzle games out there, it seems...
 
Dammit, Lumines... I was SO hyped for this game, why did it have to disappoint so much?

Gah. Why can't some developer just get the controls on the iPhone?
 
Critter Crunch is probably one of the best games I've played on the iPhone.. I dunno why .. its so simple but so fun to watch and play and gets your head really running around in certain situations.

Awesome game.
 
I thought they learned from the XBLA version of Lumines that trying to sell everything but the most basic game via DLC wasn't a good idea. But...it appears that's not the case?
 
Lumines is trash. If you're an experienced Lumines player, forget it. The controls will make you play like a snail. It doesn't recognize your swipes accurately, most of the time it'll move your piece left/right instead of dropping down. Getting a high combo in this game is nearly impossible. What a crap port
 
Shaneus said:
Can anyone remind me what that other Lumines clone was that nailed the controls? I remember enjoying that immensely.
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shit, it was like blocks squared, or cubed or something like that
 
Dacvak said:
Dammit, Lumines... I was SO hyped for this game, why did it have to disappoint so much?

Gah. Why can't some developer just get the controls on the iPhone?
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I don't think this is a problem with a developer not getting the controls for the iPhone, I think it's a problem of porting a game ill-suited for iPhone controls to the platform. The game is too fast paced and requires far too much precision for touch controls, if you ask me.

Could the controls be better? Yes. Will it ever rival playing it on the PSP's d-pad? No way.
 
In addition to the recently released Sliding Heroes, Square-Enix has two new iPhone games on display at TGS. The first is Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes - Encore. This looks like an update of the original Song Summoner that was released last year for the click-wheel iPods. The other title is Hills and Rivers Remain. It's apparently a tower defense-style game that was released on mobile phones in Japan in May.

Song Summoner - Screens/Video
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Hills and Rivers Remain - Screens/Video
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LaneDS said:
I don't think this is a problem with a developer not getting the controls for the iPhone, I think it's a problem of porting a game ill-suited for iPhone controls to the platform. The game is too fast paced and requires far too much precision for touch controls, if you ask me.

Could the controls be better? Yes. Will it ever rival playing it on the PSP's d-pad? No way.
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It won't ever compete with a d-pad, but it could be way better.

I just tried it. The controls are simply unresponsive. I'll swipe, and it rotates. Then I try to rotate and it drops. It's like the controls are lagging in response. You move something into posotion, but it's not quite there, so you do a little swipe to move it again, but it registers it as a rotate. Sometimes in addition to a swipe.

Also, just one thing that makes me think they haven't put much thought into it - it ONLY rotates clockwise. You can change it, but they need to be able to make you rotate both ways. How? Do it like tetris (which has perfect swipe controls) - tap on the left side of the screen to rotate anti-clockwise, and on the right to go clockwise.

I think they will clean this up, because it's getting a big backlash because of it. Until they do, I'm not buying it. And that's saying something for me.
 
I agree with you. The controls are pretty awful, iPhone or not. Unify is pretty similar in terms of what you need to do (rotate blocks of four, swipe to drop), except that it actually works.

That said, the main thing I was trying to get across is that Lumines is a game originally designed for a d-pad and it bugs me when developers port games over with little regard for the control switch. Even with great touch controls it just won't compare, in my mind anyways.
 
Thexder? Since when was that a Square game? I always thought it belonged to Sierra/Game Arts.

Either way... if it's anything like the first two for PC... OMG.
 
LaneDS said:
I agree with you. The controls are pretty awful, iPhone or not. Unify is pretty similar in terms of what you need to do (rotate blocks of four, swipe to drop), except that it actually works.

That said, the main thing I was trying to get across is that Lumines is a game originally designed for a d-pad and it bugs me when developers port games over with little regard for the control switch. Even with great touch controls it just won't compare, in my mind anyways.
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For sure, they don't compare. But I still get fun out of tetris and unify, both which use this implementation quite well.
 
wow... so dissapointed with the controls in Lumines. They really need to go back to teh drawing board on the controls. Some suggestions:

-maybe offer a d-pad option
-double click to drop piece (instead of swiping, which registers as a rotate 1/2 the time)


I was so hyped for this, but I just can't buy it as it is right now...
 
RS4- said:
Oh shit, I want to play FAME, especially if they come out with some ghetto autotuner karaoke :lol
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Just tap/swipe gameplay in this one, but depending on how this one goes we may do another version with playing instruments or singing :)
 
God, Lumines iPhone is terrible. I bought it without trying the Lite version because I like Lumines....yeah, huge mistake. If they fix the controls it might be pretty good, but right now it's pretty much unplayable.

Easy way to fix it: Tap the right half of screen to rotate clockwise, left side to rotate counter-clockwise, and use TWO fingers to move and drop peices. Problem solved!

Unify is about a million times better if you need a puzzle game. Get that instead!
 
Chorazin said:
God, Lumines iPhone is terrible. I bought it without trying the Lite version because I like Lumines....yeah, huge mistake. If they fix the controls it might be pretty good, but right now it's pretty much unplayable.

Easy way to fix it: Tap the right half of screen to rotate clockwise, left side to rotate counter-clockwise, and use TWO fingers to move and drop peices. Problem solved!

Unify is about a million times better if you need a puzzle game. Get that instead!
Click to expand...


Checked out this gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVr90Ut5Snc

It seems okay. Though I am not sure I am good enough to play with my finger constantly getting in the way of the screen.
 
Chorazin said:
God, Lumines iPhone is terrible. I bought it without trying the Lite version because I like Lumines....yeah, huge mistake. If they fix the controls it might be pretty good, but right now it's pretty much unplayable.

Easy way to fix it: Tap the right half of screen to rotate clockwise, left side to rotate counter-clockwise, and use TWO fingers to move and drop peices. Problem solved!

Unify is about a million times better if you need a puzzle game. Get that instead!
Click to expand...

I'll wait for the inevitable PSP Mini version.
 
Hi guys, i just published an interview with the developer of Run! I was really impressed with his story. He developed the game basically all on his own, and did a good portion of the work while still in college! Anyways, i really enjoyed getting to talk to him about his game and indie studio. It made me feel good about where indie games and the casual/mobile market is headed. here is a link to the full interview if anyone wants to check it out.

oh and if you havent bought Run! yet, it is awesome. I finished a review for it a while back and still play it quite a bit. It really is a ton of fun for only $0.99

on a different topic, i am so bummed about the impressions i am seeing for lumines. I really thought it had so much potential. Heres hoping they listen to the feedback and get working on an update asap.

I just got started on a review for Squareball. I decided to check it ot for review after hearing some of you talk about it. It is great! I may have a soft spot for retro style games but Squareball has been a blast. I love that it doesnt pull any punches with the difficuly as well. SO old school!
 
dskillzhtown said:
Checked out this gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVr90Ut5Snc

It seems okay. Though I am not sure I am good enough to play with my finger constantly getting in the way of the screen.
Click to expand...

Oh, it certainly looks alright. That's until you move to drag it down and it rotates instead, or you go to rotate and it drops all the way. The controls sound fine on paper, but the execution is very sloppy.

As has been said, UNIFY
 
drmcclin said:
double click to drop would fix lumines completely
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I think that would inadvertently lead to lots of unwanted block shifting. I think they just need to get the swipe to register correctly. If Unify can do it (in two directions!) there's no reason Lumines can't do it either.
 
LaneDS said:
I think that would inadvertently lead to lots of unwanted block shifting. I think they just need to get the swipe to register correctly. If Unify can do it (in two directions!) there's no reason Lumines can't do it either.
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Agreed. The tap to spin is fine. Just need the swipe to register better. If I touch the screen on a big slide down it should know to toss it down. Other problem tho is sometimes I slide down and it moves to the left or right a space.

Basically, this game is not intended for the iphone. iPhone games are better when they're made for the iPhone, not ported to the iPhone (I know it's not an actual port but I mean the idea behdin teh gameplay being ported. It was designed for a d-pad and buttons). But maybe it can be done. Even the best ports tough are just shells fo their original (Wolf3D and Peggle play great, but they play better on their original platforms).
 
Acid08 said:
Meteor Blitz is fucking awesome. Best "dual stick" type game in the iPhone.
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I just got a free code for this, and I agree. It plays extremely well, and I have actually bumped off Galcon from my exclusive 2 game screens (No offense to Galcon, I just didn't play it all that much). So this is in my list of games to play.

Interestingly, this is EXACTLY what the promo code is for. I never would have otherwise bought this game, but with a free code, I am impressed and am passing on word of mouth about Meteor Blitz.

One of the things I absolutely hate about the Touch Arcade forums is the constant scrounging for promo codes, with a lot of people feeling like they are entitled to a free copy simply because they want the game. No. The promo codes are for promotion - people who DON'T want the game are probably the more appropriate market for them (and reviews sites, obviously) - to give to people who otherwise wouldn't have purchased it so they can spread the word. Not a bunch of freeloaders who just want a game for not cost at the promise of a review hit.

Anyway, just popped by to say Meteor Blitz is pretty good so far - it feels right. Saw that Acid08 mentioned it, so bonus, I can quote.


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On the story of Lumines, I think it will be fixed - too much of a backlash for them not to.

Also another chance to pimp Tetris. It has swipe and tap controls that are near perfect. Of course, still no match for a good d-pad, but pretty adequate. Tetris has had numerous updates to add functionality and improve performance - it will be one of the games I will NEVER remove from my phone (well, unless they release another version with all the same stuff but more, loll).
 
So, I forced myself to deal with the controls of Lumines. It definitely needs improvement, but I'm still enjoying it somewhat. I do make some stupid mistakes because it doesn't do exactly what I want it to.

To make matters worse however, if you leave the game and come back, you can't resume from where you were. That is total bullshit.
 
Another pimp for DDR S, which has finally dropped to 99c in the US.

Appshoper Link:



This is DDR for the iPhone. Awesome. You might think, "What's the point of a dancing game with fingers? - isn't that like playing DDR with the D-pad?". Well kind of. But think of it as a rhythm game - regardless of how you play it, the mechanics are sound.

This game has had several updates that has improved overall performance.

I do not regret buying this game when it was $6.99, and I would do it again if I had to.

Another game that I would probably never remove.

Note: Do NOT get the DDR S+ - that, I hear, only has one song with DLC. I didn't even know it existed until now!

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AZ Greg said:
mrkgoo, how many songs does DDR come with?
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I don't think I have everything unlocked, but I count 18 songs on mine (some are locked to begin with). They have 4 difficulties, I believe.

I don't think any of them are licensed music, but are Konami originals (you know the dance, j-pop style stuff), but maybe a more die-hard DDR fan can clear that up.

I wonder if this price drop is to become the incentive version for the DLC version?


I dunno, but as a big fan of the series, and a fairly casual player, it satisfies my urges, and I think is the best rhythm game on the app store. That said, if you must have licensed western music, it may not appeal.
 
Bought DDRS

But I noticed something strange with the old "lite" version of DDRs basically if you downloaded it before last week it got updated to DDRs+ and it has in-app purchase of song packs.

At first I was like WTF you can't add in-app purchases to a free app and then I discovered that DDRs+ is .99 so Konami basically gave you a .99 app for free.
 
KeiichiInafune said:
Bought DDRS

But I noticed something strange with the old "lite" version of DDRs basically if you downloaded it before last week it got updated to DDRs+ and it has in-app purchase of song packs.

At first I was like WTF you can't add in-app purchases to a free app and then I discovered that DDRs+ is .99 so Konami basically gave you a .99 app for free.
Click to expand...
Ah, so that's what happened. That makes sense. I looked on appshopper and it said it was out since January.
 
Lumines is so irritating. Its obvious the controls are borked, so in order to play the game you have to be very methodical with your movements; ie: slowly moving and dropping blocks. Unfortunately, the devs didn't even bother to give you extra time to string combos together. The blinking blocks seem to disappear even faster than I remember them doing so in the PSP version, making it effectively impossible to string combos. What a lazy piece of shit port. Unreal.
 
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