The iOS gaming thread

[ZOK]

Jetpack Joyride can piss off though - another stupidly overhyped iOS game that's just another one button "go as far as you can!" game with with little more to add to the genre than a nice art style. And fucking dreadful "powerups".

You're half right, here. Jetpack Joyride is pretty similar to Tiny Tower inasmuch as the endless pointless reach for a constantly moving bar is the core of both games.

However, where Tiny Towers is filled from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty, Jetpack Joyride is made from pure love. And I should know, I just unlocked the Rainbow Jetpack.

To the coins!

[Cornfield87]

Shame the merchant doesn't say his classic lines, either.

Haha, I died a little inside when I realised that, crying shame they didn't port his voice over.

EDIT - Not sure if all of these iOS games are still on sale, but thought it worth posting this list of sale items - IGN.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

I can't agree. The achievement system alone makes it very different from the majority of those games. It's probably the pinnacle of the endless-runner genre - throwaway fun, sure, but so artfully put together.

It's not a patch on Hook Worlds, which actually has an interesting gameplay mechanic unique to it and not just an achievement system.

[ZOK]

It's not a patch on Hook Worlds, which actually has an interesting gameplay mechanic unique to it and not just an achievement system.

I've never played Hook Worlds, but to suggest that Jetpack Joyride doesn't have an interesting gameplay mechanic is just silly.

It's got thrust and inertia, which are as thoroughbred gameplay mechanics as it's possible to get. Lunar Lander, Defender, Jet Pack, SfCave, the list could go on and on and on...JJ is simply another spin on that same mechanic. It's one that people can't get enough of, which is why JJ is so popular. That that mechanic is not unique is an irrelevance.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

Wow, I just searched this thread and Hook Worlds got maybe one or two mentions and no discussion. Seriously, you should all play it if you haven't already, it is considerably better than Jetpack Joyride.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

I've never played Hook Worlds, but to suggest that Jetpack Joyride doesn't have an interesting gameplay mechanic is just silly.

It's got thrust and inertia, which are as thoroughbred gameplay mechanics as it's possible to get. Lunar Lander, Defender, Jet Pack, SfCave, the list could go on and on and on...JJ is simply another spin on that same mechanic. It's one that people can't get enough of, which is why JJ is so popular. That that mechanic is not unique is an irrelevance.

Well I guess what I mean is that it doesn't interest me because it's been done in this genre many times before. The art style is nice and the achievements stuff built on top is fine, but I just couldn't see how it is deserving of such gushing praise. The same things happens an awful lot with iOS games, it seems.

[ZOK]

I agree really, but it just has some sort of X factor to it...I can't stop playing it!

[ph0rce]

Just wanted to quickly mention Zombie Highway, its free today & is quite an entertaining little game based on a simple premise. You drive along the road, using tilt to weave between vehicles & zombies throw themselves onto the car which you have to fend off.

You can brush alongside abandoned vehicles to damage them or shoot them using a variety of guns, the zombies have different attributes & powers & obviously become more numerous the further you get. If they stay on too long, they rock your car & its game over.

You unlock new guns buy completing various challenges, as well as a couple of new cars. There are multiple game modes however they are all based on the same gameplay.

Graphics are nice & smooth, if a little bland & the whole game is well presented. Its certainly worth a free download if nothing else!

[Cheeko]

Well I guess what I mean is that it doesn't interest me because it's been done in this genre many times before. The art style is nice and the achievements stuff built on top is fine, but I just couldn't see how it is deserving of such gushing praise. The same things happens an awful lot with iOS games, it seems.

It's the emperor's new clothes iphone app, they've dressed up Helicopter Game with collectibles, achievements and purchases so you're going through the motions of playing a proper game whilst in reality it's just the same thing over and over again with no progression.

I even went as far as buying one of the other jetpacks to see what difference it made but it's totally cosmetic! You can get a better highscore on your first game than after putting 8 hours into the thing. I'm all for simple games and I really enjoyed Helicopter Game but please don't try and make out like this is some great new direction for the genre.

It does raise some serious questions about what makes a game a game though, people are clearly deriving enjoyment and spending time with it but they're kidding themselves if they think they are achieving anything other than just doing the same thing over and over again with no progression.

[Sarlaccfood]

Yeah I have to say I'm really aching for a game to sink my teeth into on the iPhone. Something with levels, a story, that kind of thing. I lose interest pretty quickly with endless high-score games because I soon realise that I'll never get close to some of the online scores.

[Asura]

I've been playing ascension a lot, but just tried downloading shadow era. Am I missing something or is there no tutorial? Surely that's unforgivable for a ccg.

[Eighthours]

Wow. Jetpack Joyride is all kinds of awesome.

[Alex W.]

Edge Extended update today claims to sync progress through your Game Center account. I don't think this has been available previously. Maybe this is the iCloud fix for game saves we've all been waiting for?

[Massive Invisible Dog]

It will be in iOS 5, but that API can't be used by apps until it's out of beta. They must be doing it by some other means.

[MrHendo]

It does raise some serious questions about what makes a game a game though, people are clearly deriving enjoyment and spending time with it but they're kidding themselves if they think they are achieving anything other than just doing the same thing over and over again with no progression.

I think that's a very narrow-minded way of looking at games. Is that not what Pac-Man and Space Invaders did? Are they not "real games"?

It's a score attack game that pushes along the desire to play more by constantly throwing mini-achievements your way of things to do and try in the game. Yeah, it's that helicopter flash game but that game in itself is really addictive and fun and Jetpack Joyride has taken that core idea and ran with it.

I agree there's an element of luck to the game, but there is also skill too. Which is maybe why I'm struggling to get to 4000m

[Asura]

Resident Evil 4 and Mercenaries are currently on sale for 69p.

Gave the Resi 4 demo a go earlier. It's one of those iOS games not unlike Rage, where it's worth seeing because it's novel and impressive looking on the format, but ultimately not very good as anything but a tech demo.

I think I just don't get along with virtual pads here as much as some people do though. I recently bought Streets of Rage 2, and I glean absolutely no enjoyment from it whatsoever. Ditto for titles like League of Evil, which is admittedly the best implementation I've seen - I just die far too many times thinking "LEFT! BLOODY LEFT!" despite knowing it'd be a cinch if I was on a GB Micro.

My top titles are still the likes of Extreme Roadtrip, Perfect Getaway and Ascension - with the latter being by far my highest rated title, none of which have virtual pads, so despite what people say I might just avoid all games like that in the future. This applies particularly when everyone online seems to be heralding League of Evil as having a virtual pad that actually works^tm as though that's a "feature", and not just a baseline thing one expects to be flawless before even considering the rest of the game.

[Rudderless]

I'm with you, Asura. Any game that has a virtual pad is a no-no for me. I've been burned too many times. Like you, I think it's a bit sad that some iOS games are basically advertising functional controls, as if this is some exciting new feature.

iOS is an amazing platform with some brilliant games, but there are some genres that just don't work. There are signs that devs are starting to realise this, but there should be some kind of mandate which says "if your game has virtual thumbsticks you have failed."

This is what gets me when people bang on about Nintendo releasing its back catalogue on iOS. I can't imagine why anyone would want to play massively compromised versions of old games. Can you imagine trying to play The Lost Levels on an iPhone?

(Jungle Beat could work, mind.)

[shock33]

So is samurai bloodshow out? I can only see what appears to be the Japanese version, is that the one people are buying?

[Rev. Stuart Campbell]

It's the emperor's new clothes iphone app, they've dressed up Helicopter Game with collectibles, achievements and purchases so you're going through the motions of playing a proper game whilst in reality it's just the same thing over and over again with no progression.

This is nonsense, and the reason it's nonsense is the mission system. At any time you have three separate objectives over and above distance, and they make the game play completely differently. You might be having to stick to the ground to high-five scientists, or stick to the roof to rub your head against it. You might be gathering as many coins as possible, or avoiding coins completely. You might be chasing spin tokens above all else, or skimming just barely past missiles or zappers to register "graze" hits for another kind of mission, and there are many more. The fact that it's never the same two games in a row is exactly why it's NOT just another dull cave-flyer clone. (And there's plenty other stuff that lifts it above the pack too.)

[Cheeko]

I see what you're saying, down to opinion I guess, you see it as never being the same two games in a row, I see it as trying to distract you from the fact that it is the same game, every time.

It's like, running the 100meters and trying to get the best time, then you have to run it again but you complain that it's boring so they suggest running the 100meters whilst looking at the floor to make it different, yeah, you're doing something different, but the objective is still to get across the finish line as quickly as possible.

Jetpack's goal is distance, and nothing you do adds to the distance you can achieve beyond what you could do on your first few goes.

[MotiVater]

I've spent an insane amount of time on JJ this weekend!

Just finished all of the goals so I made level 15 and I'm officially a

Barry.

And to top it all, I now find you can basically

"Prestige" and do it all again, argh!!

[Dudley]

Jetpack's goal is distance, and nothing you do adds to the distance you can achieve beyond what you could do on your first few goes.

Well no it isn't, because the missions are different and aren't all distance.

But yes, you're right it's the same as the "Helicopter game" but only in the same way that Borderlands is Wolfenstein 3D.

[MotiVater]

I have barely played for max distance at all. Just going for the goals it sets is way more fun.

[Rudderless]

I have barely played for max distance at all. Just going for the goals it sets is way more fun.

You're as rubbish as me, aren't you?

[Rudderless]

Jetpack's goal is distance, and nothing you do adds to the distance you can achieve beyond what you could do on your first few goes.

If that WAS its only goal, you'd have a point. But it's really not.

[klargon]

I've spent an insane amount of time on JJ this weekend!

Aye, me too. Not entirely sure whether I enjoyed it, though. It was more compulsive than anything, so I won't be going back through. I think 4000-odd was my top distance. I guess it would be easy to eclipse that if you buy some items though.

Anyone played The Secret of Chateau de Moreau? It's 69p at the moment, and is a nicely presented detective/puzzler similar to a few DS games. Well worth the money so far. It has a couple of fairly major bugs though. The first is that it randomly plays some sound effects at full whack volume (even if you had your volume at zero). Also it has some issues with sleeping and resuming (including slept time as time in game, annoyingly), so make sure you save frequently.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

My problem with it is that I don't find the missions very interesting. Use one of the shitty vehicles for a certain distance, which I'd reluctantly be doing anyway. Cash in or collect spin coins, which I'd be doing anyway. Finish between certain distances, which is just ending a go on purpose. There's the odd one that's a bit more interesting, like having close calls with zappers, but for the most part I really didn't think they added much. Certainly nothing that comes close to the pacifism achievement in Geometry Wars, which I guess is pretty much the zenith of meta game goals.

[Rudderless]

My problem with it is that I don't find the missions very interesting. Use one of the shitty vehicles for a certain distance, which I'd reluctantly be doing anyway. Cash in or collect spin coins, which I'd be doing anyway. Finish between certain distances, which is just ending a go on purpose. There's the odd one that's a bit more interesting, like having close calls with zappers, but for the most part I really didn't think they added much. Certainly nothing that comes close to the pacifism achievement in Geometry Wars, which I guess is pretty much the zenith of meta game goals.

Fair enough. It could be that it's one of those games that loses its lustre pretty quickly. I tend to go through iOS games like nobody's business - I'll love a game to death for a short period of time then move onto the next new thing. I suppose this ties back to Reggie's "candidly disposable" comment.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

"Monetising boredom" is how I saw someone on Twitter eloquently put it a few weeks back.

[sir stiff_one]

It's like, running the 100meters and trying to get the best time, then you have to run it again but you complain that it's boring so they suggest running the 100meters whilst looking at the floor

To be fair, that sounds bloody brilliant.