Gang$tar: West Coast Hustle is Live!

Gameloft’s latest offering, impressive-looking Grand Theft Auto clone Gang$tar: West Coast Hustle, debuted in the App Store today for $6.99. With 173 MB of sandbox-style gameplay glory, it promises to be the center of attention in the iDevice gaming community. Expect a review in the coming week. We’ll see if it lives up to the hype. And peep the newest trailer below.

Plushed Gameplay Footage is Tantalizing

I deemed Blacksmithgames‘ neat-looking platformer Plushed worthy of salivation a few weeks ago, and I still stand confidently behind my words. They’ve just released some gameplay footage (see below) and for the most part it looks fantastic. The character animations are among the most detailed and unique to hit the device, and the haunting score is no less other-worldly.

My one apprehension, which seems to be shared by others on Touch Arcade, is the slowish-looking player movement. Hopefully this can be remedied before the developer’s planned October release. And just to remind folks, follow Blacksmithgame’s twitter account to lower the launch price. Sweet beans.

Gameplay Footage:

Gameloft Drops Yet Another iPhone Adaptation

Mobile gaming titan Gameloft has just announced two new iPhone releases, a full-featured football title, NFL 2010 and an impressive-looking FPS called Modern Combat: Sandstorm. Both releases draw immediate comparison to existing console titles: Electronic Art’s Madden series and Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare franchise respectively. This should come as no surprise to followers of the production outfit, however. The majority of Gameloft’s titles seem to be modeled after established heavyweights. Have you, for instance, taken a gander at Gangstar: West Coast Hustle? Everything from the character models to the player interface smacks egregiously of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The question remains though, whether Gameloft’s unabashed biting is a actually a bad thing. A certain faction of iGamers contend that Gameloft is filling a void that these console heavyweights have glossed over.  From Touch Arcade’s Modern Combat comment thread:

August 4, 2009 at 1:31 pm arn says:  “it’s their business model. I don’t see a problem with it. If these major franchises want to port over to the iPhone, then I’m sure people will be happy to buy them. In the meanwhile, Gameloft does a pretty good job.”

Arn makes a valid point, though I’m sure some of the developer’s whose ideas are serving as inspiration for Gameloft’s titles aren’t so forgiving – if they’re even aware of the practice, that is.

On the other hand are those sided against Gameloft, posing the question, if they truly are the eminent iDevice game developer, why can’t they come up with ideas of their own? Also from TA:

August 4, 2009 at 1:01 pm MrCompleteyl says:  “They should change their name from Gameloft to Knockoffloft, all they do is take popular games and make generic versions of them. Modern Combat? Seriously? Trying to bank that consumers will confuse it with Modern Warfare?…”

Alright, so this post has a bit more depth than your average quick fix entry, but I’m inclined to agree with the hater camp. Believe me, I understand Gameloft’s business model – it’s certainly less financially risky to put out re-hashed classics with built-in fanbases. But this platform should warrant innovation, both in story and gameplay mechanics. Rolando, I’m winking in your direction.

Still, I can’t deny the appeal of their games. And I applaud Castle of Magic as an original, albeit trademark title. Also the  trailer for Modern Combat makes me smile. Go figure.

Slugger for the iPhone: A Freakin’ Homerun

Once upon a time I was baseball fanatic. Hailing from the hilly terain of beautiful San Francisco I inhaled the sweaty musk of los Gigantes with pride. And I made a mark on the mound chucking side-arm sliders for my high school baseball team, the Lowell Cardinals (whoop whoop). But when I migrated 400 miles South to attend college in Los Angeles, the diamond-shaped baseball region buried deep in my soft-tissue shuddered and short-circuited. Perhaps I can fault my newfound proximity to a team I was raised to hate (the Dodgers). Or maybe the clumpy, stinky L.A. atmosphere can be held responsible. Either way, I fell off the MLB train.

It wasn’t until just recently, when I happened upon a slew baseball titles in the App store, that the smell of clean-cut grass and deodorant-less Umpires came barreling back at me like a screaming line drive. Beisbol. My former flame. I decided to give a couple of lite versions a whirl. These digital reunions,  to put it eloquently, were dick. Big, hairy dick.

In fact, I was about to give up on the sport altogether when a certain home run derby type title plunged onto the top of the App Store charts. What’s this? How could a baseball game lacking the functionality to play an actual nine inning game be so popular? Me no get it.

Then it went on sale. At $.99 I had to take a bite.

The result: Com2Us’ Slugger for the iPhone is my glorious albeit admittedly geeky return to America’s hot-dog-eating, beer-slurping, terrorist-stomping national pastime.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Home Run derby, you should immediately punch through the rock from which under you live. The classic mechanic works like this: hit as many home runs as you can within the span of 10 outs. An out is anything other than a home run.

Slugger is an arcade-style home run derby challenge with a surprising amount of depth. You’ve got standard Arcade and Classic modes (the only difference being that arcade mode rewards you for hits), a training mode with customizable delivery rotation, pitch speed and type and the coup de grace of this tiny wonder: head-to-head online competition.

With a plethora of player statistics (online ranking, win/loss totals, avg. HR distance, longest HR streak, etc.) repeated play is extremely gratifying. In my case,  maintaining a respectable win/loss ratio has become an obsession.

In online play, you choose your difficulty specific channel (or opt for a non-discerning one) and are immediately paired up with a comparably ranked challenger. The set-up is lightning fast over 3G and WiFi, and the gameplay is a blast. A small window displays your challenger’s game in the upper-right hand portion of the screen, and it’s a race to fill your score bar. After a match which lasts anywhere from 2-5 minutes, you can immediately request another, and you can even friend your opponent for later play.

I might as well let on now that online play alone is worth the purchase. But why don’t you humor me and read on for the other stellar stud in this baseball gem; upgradables. In both on and off-line play, a variety of pitches will come at you. Other than the standard smorgasboard of curves, sliders and knuckleballs, there are power-up pitches, sabotage pitches, and of course gold balls. Should you hit one of these golden nuggets out of the park, you’ll gain gold points, Slugger’s currency equivalent. With these gold points you can browse a marketplace of character upgrades. Helmets, uniforms, bats, batting gloves, even glasses and facial hair are all available to stat boost and customize your character’s look. Ish is bomb dot com.

Hokay, so you’ll note that I haven’t even mentioned the controls, graphics or sound design at this point. The truth of the matter is, they are all PERFECTLY executed. The graphics are Playstation caliber, the sounds of jeering fans, cracking bats and baseball-damaged scorboards are extremely satisfying and the controls are simple and effective. You use the accelerometer to line up the bat’s sweet spot with the pitch’s anticipated destination, and tap anywhere on screen to swing.

At the risk of turning this review into a full-fledged feature, I’ll compact my criticism into easily digestable bullets:

• Not all of the upgradables offer stat boosts, which begs the question why would you purchase them other than to customize your look?
• On that note, because the higher-costing items are generally better stat-augmenters, appearance customization is consequently minimal.
• I’d like to see an expanded marketplace with more emphasis on appearance customization and not just tiered upgrades. For instance, why do you have to pay to change your skin tone at the outset?
• More multiplayer game modes, please?

That about wraps up this review. I definitely recommend a purchase here, for baseball enthusiasts, former baseball enthusiasts, and sports-shy arcade fans alike. And if you ever come across SamSles in online play, watch the eff out. I can swing a mighty digital bat bitches. Crrrrraaaaacccck!

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

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