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The Official iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming Thread

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Ok, I haven't been keeping up with this, but why are a bunch of apps currently free? Such as Commodore64, Unify, Birdstrike, etc.?
 
Stuff goes free for a number of reasons. The economy of the appstore is a tragedy!

In C64 case, they are monetizing it by the in-app purchases (it comes bundled with some games, but there are others you can buy separately). Of course it will drive a lot more of those IAP sales if they put the "system" out for free.

In the case of Bird Strike and Unify, a different case - they're both already extremely cheap, and their devs have likely noticed a stark dropoff in sales after awhile. Putting something to free guarantees an excessive amount of fresh downloads, "after an app has made its money" - thus helping to bolster the reputation of the dev, and perhaps to help promote some other newer app which is being charged for.

It's crappy as a dev to have to resort to this stuff - of course you wanna be proerly reimbursed for the hours of hard work that goes into development - but the store is so beyond-oversaturated with content that these tactics become necessary to get mindshare..
 
wondermega said:
Stuff goes free for a number of reasons. The economy of the appstore is a tragedy!

In C64 case, they are monetizing it by the in-app purchases (it comes bundled with some games, but there are others you can buy separately). Of course it will drive a lot more of those IAP sales if they put the "system" out for free.

In the case of Bird Strike and Unify, a different case - they're both already extremely cheap, and their devs have likely noticed a stark dropoff in sales after awhile. Putting something to free guarantees an excessive amount of fresh downloads, "after an app has made its money" - thus helping to bolster the reputation of the dev, and perhaps to help promote some other newer app which is being charged for.

It's crappy as a dev to have to resort to this stuff - of course you wanna be proerly reimbursed for the hours of hard work that goes into development - but the store is so beyond-oversaturated with content that these tactics become necessary to get mindshare..

I know about the Appstore economy, but on several of these apps, they say "Free for a day for FreeAppADay!", but that was a week ago. Why are they still free?
 
They like the huge increase of DLS they are getting and perhaps they want to enjoy the influx of positive ratings they can receive? (I think Apple just got rid of "rate on delete" so you won't see so may people giving crappy ratings to everything just "because they can," anymore)
 
noire said:
dock said:
tumbledrop-newlevels2.png

http://itunes.apple.com/app/tumbledrop/id349928060?mt=8

Just thought I'd let you know that my 5 year old niece and 7 year old nephew had a great time with TumbleDrop :)
Oh, that's great news - thanks for letting me know!
 
I HATE tilt controls, and sadly Birdstrike isn't changing things for me. Why can't there be an alternate control scheme where you run your finger side to side on the bottom of the screen to control the path of the bird? That I'd actually enjoy. Instead, I can't help loathing the imprecision of tilt controls.
 
Hello everyone! Great news today, Halfbrick is officially announcing its very first original iPhone title. And it's a doozy.





Fruit Ninja is an exciting action game that is simple to play and impossible to put down!

Swipe your finger across the screen to deliciously slash and splatter fruit like a true ninja warrior. But be careful of the bombs, which are explosive to the touch and will put a swift end to your juicy adventure!

“Violent and visceral combat. It’s you versus a watermelon,” says Luke Muscat, lead designer. “Who hasn’t wanted to attack a melon with a sword just to see it explode? We’ve captured the awesome feeling of splatty squishiness, and thanks to the hands-on touch controls of the iPhone, you really feel satisfied with the sweet, juicy carnage on the screen!”

Fruit Ninjas also uses OpenFeint, so players can unlock achievements and shoot for the top of the global leaderboards while racking up OpenFeint points. Your success will also please the wise ninja Sensei, who will accompany your journey with wise words and fun fruit facts.

Fruit Ninja will be released April 21st worldwide on the App Store for a juice-inducing price of 99 cents.

Step up, wield your katana and enjoy the messiest and most satisfying fruit game ever!

www.fruitninja.com

fn_screen_02.jpg


fn_screen_03.jpg


fn_screen_01.jpg


And finally, the Coup de Grace - the live action Fruit Ninja trailer, featuring some pretty intense action sequences. If you love it, please show your friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hUTC1Edyo

Fruit Ninja will be releasing next week and we're very keen to make it a huge hit! Follow along with updates at the official Twitter page!

http://twitter.com/fruitninja

Thanks for your support!
 
Gamecocks625 said:
What are the top 2-3 racing games on the App store?

I'm curious about Real Racing and Crash Team Racing (or whatever it's called).

Any other decent racers?
Raging Thunder 2 looks like it might be fun if you're into the crazy arcadey style (video here).
wondermega said:
They like the huge increase of DLS they are getting and perhaps they want to enjoy the influx of positive ratings they can receive? (I think Apple just got rid of "rate on delete" so you won't see so may people giving crappy ratings to everything just "because they can," anymore)
Removal of rate on delete is for 4.0 I think...so the crapfest will probably continue for a few months.
Aaron said:
I HATE tilt controls, and sadly Birdstrike isn't changing things for me. Why can't there be an alternate control scheme where you run your finger side to side on the bottom of the screen to control the path of the bird? That I'd actually enjoy. Instead, I can't help loathing the imprecision of tilt controls.
Yeah this is why I couldn't play the game much. I bet touch controls would screw the leaderboards though.
HalfbrickPhil said:
And finally, the Coup de Grace - the live action Fruit Ninja trailer, featuring some pretty intense action sequences. If you love it, please show your friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hUTC1Edyo
I'm sure that was fun to make and all, but it's a 54 second video with ~12 seconds of gameplay that doesn't show up until half way through.

Nothing against you personally or anything, this is just something I've noticed with a lot of videos and it bugs the hell out of me. Get to the damn game already!
 
japtor said:
Yeah this is why I couldn't play the game much. I bet touch controls would screw the leaderboards though.
Make separate leaderboards, or just deny those scores from getting on the boards. I don't care about that crap. I just want to enjoy the game.
 
wondermega said:
In the case of Bird Strike and Unify, a different case - they're both already extremely cheap, and their devs have likely noticed a stark dropoff in sales after awhile. Putting something to free guarantees an excessive amount of fresh downloads, "after an app has made its money" - thus helping to bolster the reputation of the dev, and perhaps to help promote some other newer app which is being charged for.

Not a bad guess of our motives, but there is method to our madness. Grab it free now because there is "stuff" happening soon :D
 
The Twin Blades update really helped the game, it's turned it from being a cheap but nice looking zombieville clone to a full game worthy of owning, the zombies being bullet proof, faster and all that as you progress also help vary the gameplay a lot more then just shooting and slicing.

I feel guilty for buying it at 59 at launch now since the update is a huge one and has taken time, might buy it on xbox live indie also to support the devs.
 
Brewster's Wallet said:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/fm-2010/id352933624?mt=8
mzl.qbbzioks.320x480-75.jpg


Football Manager out in the UK. Hoping its a slightly scaled back version (surely must be) and thus will be like the best versions from the later nineties and early 2000s

Nice. Can you "play" with international teams? I've never ventured into the FM arena before. I'm curious ;)

HalfbrickPhil said:
Hello everyone! Great news today, Halfbrick is officially announcing its very first original iPhone title. And it's a doozy.




Thanks for your support!

I loved all of your PSP Minis so I'll definitely give it a shot. Actually, I really dug this section on Wii Sports Resort.
 
Gamecocks625 said:
Nice. Can you "play" with international teams? I've never ventured into the FM arena before. I'm curious ;)

FM 2010 for the iPhone is still packed with tons of information compared to it's rival Championship manager.

You can not manage international squads on the iPhone but yes on the PC
 
Just discovered Soosiz and am amazed by it. A very solid little game with great controls, visuals, and performance. I think it sets the bar as far as what developers should aim for, really. The visuals are crisp and clean while running at a rock solid 60 fps. Absolutely amazing looking.

Some of the other platforms at there run so poorly that they may as well not even have existed.

It seems to me that polishing up simplistic ideas to perfection works best with the iPhone games. Trying to go beyond the limits of the platform produces rather uninteresting results.
 
I'd like to get some thoughts on FM 2010 from some real fans or experienced players. I read reviews of the PSP version and they were less than glowing, I do wonder if iphone/ipad effect has lowered people's expectations enough so that they suddenly find themselves enjoying the same game on a different platform.
 
I'm going to repost this for Phil since we got the bloody bottom of the page again! Argh! :P

And also watch the trailer! You won't want to miss it!

HalfbrickPhil said:
Hello everyone! Great news today, Halfbrick is officially announcing its very first original iPhone title. And it's a doozy.





Fruit Ninja is an exciting action game that is simple to play and impossible to put down!

Swipe your finger across the screen to deliciously slash and splatter fruit like a true ninja warrior. But be careful of the bombs, which are explosive to the touch and will put a swift end to your juicy adventure!

“Violent and visceral combat. It’s you versus a watermelon,” says Luke Muscat, lead designer. “Who hasn’t wanted to attack a melon with a sword just to see it explode? We’ve captured the awesome feeling of splatty squishiness, and thanks to the hands-on touch controls of the iPhone, you really feel satisfied with the sweet, juicy carnage on the screen!”

Fruit Ninjas also uses OpenFeint, so players can unlock achievements and shoot for the top of the global leaderboards while racking up OpenFeint points. Your success will also please the wise ninja Sensei, who will accompany your journey with wise words and fun fruit facts.

Fruit Ninja will be released April 21st worldwide on the App Store for a juice-inducing price of 99 cents.

Step up, wield your katana and enjoy the messiest and most satisfying fruit game ever!

www.fruitninja.com

fn_screen_02.jpg


fn_screen_03.jpg


fn_screen_01.jpg


And finally, the Coup de Grace - the live action Fruit Ninja trailer, featuring some pretty intense action sequences. If you love it, please show your friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hUTC1Edyo

Fruit Ninja will be releasing next week and we're very keen to make it a huge hit! Follow along with updates at the official Twitter page!

http://twitter.com/fruitninja

Thanks for your support!
 
kaizoku said:
I'd like to get some thoughts on FM 2010 from some real fans or experienced players. I read reviews of the PSP version and they were less than glowing, I do wonder if iphone/ipad effect has lowered people's expectations enough so that they suddenly find themselves enjoying the same game on a different platform.
D-Pad could be a dealbreaker when playing FM. Specially finding players and playing with tactics.
 
kaizoku said:
I'd like to get some thoughts on FM 2010 from some real fans or experienced players. I read reviews of the PSP version and they were less than glowing, I do wonder if iphone/ipad effect has lowered people's expectations enough so that they suddenly find themselves enjoying the same game on a different platform.

If you're expecting PC Version details you're going to be highly disappointed. No player pictures, play calling is basic, no international team coaching available, etc.


If you're looking for the best version of a football manager game on an iPhone FM 2010 is the obvious and best choice(championship manager doesn't even come close).

The amount of depth present in the game is still a substantial amount to warrant the $10 price tag and as can be expected from SI, you will have your occasional update to hopefully improve the experience but yeah it's basically FM 2010 Lite.
 
I'm not sinking 600 yen into Warp Gate until I get some lengthy impressions.
Most importantly, does it have proper music in it? Not like that Space Miner crap :/
 
Jonnyram said:
I'm not sinking 600 yen into Warp Gate until I get some lengthy impressions.
Most importantly, does it have proper music in it? Not like that Space Miner crap :/

TouchArcade's Warpgate HD review should translate well.

As for the music, it's "proper" in that it's more epic and whatnot, but there aren't a lot of tracks. There is an in-game music player so you can put on your own stuff, though.
 
ugh, why the fuck are so many developers so incompetent?

A nice update for Minigore was just released. Too bad it completely wipes out your entire saved game.
 
how are the retro games on iphone?

I was searching for the C64 app but its got mixed reviews. But while there I also saw repton (remember it fondly on the electron) and flashback.

Any sign of other C64/Amiga era classics? I'd love stunt car racer and the Sentinel
 
I've been kind of out of the iPhone gaming market since about August - what's been big since then? I've got Sword & Poker and the demo of Space Miner, but everything else is new to me. Sorry if this has been asked recently... I saw a general question in the last couples of pages about recommendations, but nothing about what's happened in the last several months.
 
mrklaw said:
how are the retro games on iphone?

I was searching for the C64 app but its got mixed reviews. But while there I also saw repton (remember it fondly on the electron) and flashback.

Any sign of other C64/Amiga era classics? I'd love stunt car racer and the Sentinel

The C64 app is kinda crappy. Really hard to control the games... it is free though, and comes with a few games you can try.

Flashback, again, is very hard to control.

I have played a few other d-pad games that have gotten it right on the touchscreen, so hopefully we'll see updates for the classics.

And, funny you should mention it, but a remake of Sentinel just came out:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/koth/id348372401?mt=8

There's also a great remake of Populous that I mentioned yesterday:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tribes/id366798640?mt=8
 
Kosma said:
Im really afraid to buy an Iphone now with the 4G coming up, afraid that games on 3GS will be gimped from then on.

I really doubt you have to worry about that. I believe there has been just one game that has come out that requires a 3GS, and a small handful that actually utilize it. If anything, now is the time to get a 3GS as we'll probably getting a lot more games that take advantage of it.
 
mrklaw said:
how are the retro games on iphone?

I was searching for the C64 app but its got mixed reviews. But while there I also saw repton (remember it fondly on the electron) and flashback.

Any sign of other C64/Amiga era classics? I'd love stunt car racer and the Sentinel
They basically all share the same d-pad issues. Didn't like the Flashback demo. Have the C64 app and while the variety is decent some of the games are trash and controls are eh. Bruce Lee borders on unplayable about a 3rd of the way in.

Basically, none of the old games were meant to be played this way. I would like a Sentinel remake for touch, though.
 
Bird Strike is okay, but I'm kind of sick of these 'launch something in the air, then use object X to keep it going higher' games. Soooooo many of them over the years.

The use of the accelerometer is also really weird, in that it feels like there's a huge deadzone then you suddenly move from one side to the other by a further millimetre tilt.

FlyinJ said:
I really doubt you have to worry about that. I believe there has been just one game that has come out that requires a 3GS, and a small handful that actually utilize it. If anything, now is the time to get a 3GS as we'll probably getting a lot more games that take advantage of it.
Now is not the time to get an iPhone full stop.

Even if the 4th gen is just an incremental upgrade, the 3GS will still probably be that bit cheaper than it is now.
 
Kosma said:
Im really afraid to buy an Iphone now with the 4G coming up, afraid that games on 3GS will be gimped from then on.

You should be.

You should be.

Seriously, can you wait 3 months or do you need one right now?
 
This thread is huge, instead of sifting through all of these pages can anyone tell me the 25-50 best iphone games out now or point me to a list somewhere?
 
d58e7 said:
This thread is huge, instead of sifting through all of these pages can anyone tell me the 25-50 best iphone games out now or point me to a list somewhere?

You could practically pick any page, and the same question (with an answer) will appear.

Anyway, my picks (in no particular order):


Edge
Space Invaders: Infinity Gene
Pac-man Championsip edition
Angry Birds
The Creeps!
Flight Control
Unify
DDR S
Doom
Street Fighter IV
Space Miner
Monopoly
Scrabble
Tetris
Yahtzee Adventures
Peggle
Plants vs Zombies
Snood
Sword & Poker
Colorbind
Electric Box
Geared
Card Ace/ Word Ace
Real Racing
Catan
Civilisation Revolution
Monkey Island SE
geoDefense/GD swarm
Mini Squadron
 
Flunkie said:
Fruit Ninja looks like a lot of fun! :lol

It is. It really, really is.

When it comes to iPhone, it's much tougher getting the word out than on other consoles, simply because there is so much stuff. I can pretty safely say that Fruit Ninja is one of the best games we've made, and is just as simple, fun and addictive as all the other heavy hitters on iPhone. Hopefully it can be successful!

TRAILER
 
This might be old and already posted since the according to the site he linked me to the deal is expiring but a friend just alerted me to the Rayman 2 port being free. I glossed over it since I already own it, so I dont know if this is a lite version with a different name or not
 
Lijik said:
This might be old and already posted since the deal is expiring but a friend just alerted me to the Rayman 2 port being free. I glossed over it since I already own it, so I dont know if this is a lite version with a different name or not

I'm pretty sure that's just the Rayman 2 demo.
 
infiniteloop said:
Isn't that just the lite version?
I dont know, its not called Lite, and it was noted as expiring in the original site I was linking to which I swapped out so it didnt seem like I click-fishing for it.

EDIT- Yeah its definitely a lite version. Really weird they didn't just call it Lite.
 
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