Top 5 Upcoming iPhone Games Worthy of Salivation

Every once in a while the giddy jitters of a pre-pubescent Christmas morning come rushing back to me. I can still vividly recall the euphoria I felt when I unwrapped my N64 in the Winter of ‘96. In fact, the experience wasn’t unlike this age-old internet gem. What can I say, I’m a red-blooded American consumer, and the prospect of something fresh and novel in the world of gaming sets me a flutter like a steamy cup of joe.  I’ve recently come across a slew of upcoming iPhone titles with this capacity to enthrall. And seeing as it’s always more fun to share your pre-release gaming glee with others, I present you with a bundle of upcomers that promise to further legitimize the iPhone as a top-notch gaming platform.

1) Freeverse’s Warp Gate

Release Date: TBA (in active development)

Announced at the World Wide Developer conference in early June, Warp Gate is best described as a deep space role-playing, combat and trading simulation title.  In other words, a portable Escape Velocity successor, with a 3D graphics engine. Well, at least I hope Freeverse packs in as much depth as Ambrosia’s Mac-tastic classic. According to TouchArcade they’ve promised six separate organizations to join, a variable commodity market and more than 32 galaxies to explore. The only feature conspicuously absent from conversation surrounding the release is online play – something that EV never managed to implement in spite of fan pressure. But gamers can dream. And I’m sure a little fan feedback wouldn’t help: Freeverse contact info : )

2) Ngmoco’s Killtest

Release Date: Summer 09

If you didn’t think the iPhone was capable of handling a fluid first-person shooter with online play, then you probably haven’t seen the trailer for Killtest. Ngmoco’s daftly-named title (previously known as  Livefire) is being hyped as the iPhone’s Halo, and for good reason. With the ability to play over Wi-Fi or 3G, match challenges delivered via push notification, and a complex profile ranking system, it definitely merits the comparison. Those apprehensive about controlling an FPS  title on a button-less device should know that – unlike the control schemes of other shooters in the App Store – Killtest employs a touch anywhere interface. The left side of the screen is dedicated to movement, while the right side handles aiming. Though you can fire manually, your weapon is automatically triggered when a target occupies your crosshairs. Glossing over its horridly uninspired title, Killtest should take the App Store by storm when it drops later this summer.

3) Blacksmithgames’ Plushed

Release Date: 8/09

I normally wouldn’t admit that I follow iPhone game developers on my personal Twitter account, but the folks at BlackSmithGames have been running a pretty clever viral campaign for their upcoming platformer, Plushed. The final price of the game will be proportional to the number of follower’s on Blacksmithgames’ Twitter page. So more followers = a lower price point (it’s $3.99 now if you’re keeping tabs) and you can win one of several iTunes gift cards as well. Promotional strategies aside, the game looks very promising. You’ll play as a knightly bunny rabbit, traversing beautiful hand-painted terrain and interacting with over 20 unique characters through 9 expansive levels. According to the aforementioned twitter account, Plushed will offer mutliple control options – a decision the developers made based on direct follower feedback. If nothing else, the visuals are unlike anything in the App Store, described by the devs as an intersection between the “happy world of childhood fairytales [and] a somewhat macabre twist [of] dark humor.” As a fan of Tim Burton’s haunting work it’s suffice to say that I’ll be keeping a creepily close watch on this title.

4) Gameloft’s Gangstar: West Coast Hustle

Release Date: Summer 2009

Big dog mobile powerhouse Gameloft recently leaked screens and gameplay footage (not to mention a viral media campaign) for their newest iPhone venture, Grand Theft, uh, I mean Gangstar: West Coast Hustle.  Yes it’s as clear as Mr. Wonka’s glass elevator from whence the inspiration for this title came.  But that doesn’t mean it’s an extremely ambitious and potentially incredible project. Gameloft likes to push boundaries, and putting out the first fully-3D, open-world sandbox title for the iPhone is no exception.  I’m sure the App Store censor-police will have fun with this one, but my main concern isn’t as family-oriented. As one of the many iPhone owners who hasn’t upgraded to the 3GS, I’m a little worried about frame rate issues. I can’t even begin to imagine how Gameloft intends to populate an entire city, let alone pack in some decent mission depth. But I certainly admire their efforts to push the hardware.

5) Mountain Sheep’s Minigore

Release Date: 7/09 (submitted for App Store approval)

Finnish developer Mountain Sheep has teamed up with Chillingo (as publisher) to bring this top-down shooter with “tiny creatures” and “big adventure” to the iPhone gaming community. Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t a re-skinned iDracula (same publisher, but developed by Moregames Entertainment). I mean, yeah, the control scheme is identical and the action (judging by gameplay footage) understandly draws parallels. But the similarities end there. The aesthetic, flaunting beautiful (hand-drawn?) backgrounds with isometrically-angled 3D character models, is friggin’ impressive. It kind of reminds me of the Lego videogame series, especially considering the blocky nature of John Gore, the game’s protagonist. And what say I of the gameplay?  Three types of enemies (which can nest inside eachother), three weapons, special powerups, a self-described “Monkey Island” score and bum Bum BUM . . . co-operative multiplayer with the first free update. Did I mention it’ll retail for $.99? Spiffy.

Honorable Mention: Ice Hill’s Vampire Origins

iDracula Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright folks, I think I speak for all of us at PowerOnSoundOff when I say that these past weeks have seen a shitstorm of papers, tests and other equally time-consuming perils of academia. Nevertheless, we made a promise to you, POWSO readers, to update the site on a regular basis. Thus, you wont catch us pants-down-procrastinating any further. This week I present to you iDracula, a chart-topping title developed by MoreGames Entertainment and published by Chillingo.

Title: iDracula.

Developer: MoreGames Entertainment

Publisher: Chillingo

Price: $0.99

Graphics: 10 Isometric goodness.

Gameplay: 9 Sick execution but arguably repetitive.

Sound: 9 Scarier than a werewolf Bar Mitzvah.

Value: 8 Not quite the incentive-driven-addiction that Blizzard offers.

Overall: 9

Let’s start with the juicy bits. iDracula is an action-arcade thriller with groundbreaking Diablo II-quality visuals and a control scheme that you can really sink your teeth into. Frenetic mayhem sums up the gameplay, which depending on your scale of comparison is either varied enough (for the casual gamer) or just hors d oeuvres for those seeking a true RPG experience.

Using two 360 degree-directional thumb pads (in the vein of arcade classic Robotron) you control a nameless badass struggling to fend off hordes of werewolves, ghosts and other ghastly adversaries. The controls are ace, smooth and responsive, and it feels GOOD to spray bullets into the masses.

If you last long enough, the baddies will start to drop goodies: crossbows, machine guns, grenade launchers, etc. And you can choose from a variety of powerups – from health boosts to weapon upgrades. I commend the developers for packing in so much nuance – few arcade games permit any strategizing, let alone allow you to switch between weapons or choose from variable list of upgrades. 

iDracula’s soundtrack is aptly characterized (if I don’t say so myself) as vampire metal. The shit is intense, and it suits the gameplay like hipster-wear suits Gerry:

The map is moderately sized, but I’d appreciate a little more diversity on this front. The folks at MoreGames Entertainment have apparently bugged my computer because they’ve just promised more mappage with their next update: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wh3SVv1WCw

Awesome. Unfortunately they’ve also promised to raise the price, so get it while you can you penny-countin’ cheapsters! Before you fire up your fingers for a purchase, however, consider the following thorns in this rose:

• Slow, unimaginative loading screens.
• Repetitive gameplay.
• Questionable replay value.

Oh yea, and the name. I’m admittedly nitpicking on a superficial level here, but icarumba! I’ve had enough with the pedestrian practice of prefixing every fucking title with a lowercase i. This does not add any legitimacy to your app. It just makes you look like a tool.

My REAL (substitute insightful) criticism is with iDracula’s scope. At the end of the day this “game” feels like little more than an engine demonstration for a larger and soon-to-be explosive project – the first hack-and-slash iPhone RPG that doesn’t have the suck. If the developers pushed this project a little bit further they might just REVOLUTIONIZE the platform. Can you imagine a Battle.net scenario in your pants pocket? Scary right?

At this point, though, it’s hard to argue with the price tag. At $.099, you should grab iDracula while you can and see to it that the developers are vigilant with their updates.  Sles out.