A round-up the week in iOS gaming. Including news, reviews, hands-on video… and a sniff at what’s to come…
A week in news
iPad 2 released internationally
After a sell out in the states, next up was the iPad 2′s invasion of the rest of the world. I was in line in the UK, and much like the US launch, I waited patiently in line until the 5 o’clock release. I say patiently, in fact I spent a few hours of the wait in a pub, while friendly queuers held my spot. Joining the line just after 10am, it soon grew from around 40 people to well over 300 by the end of the day. While there seemed to be plenty of stock to go around, many at the back were not able to pick up the exact model they wanted. Online sales soon switched from 2-3 week dispatch estimates, to 4-5 week, echoing that of the US.
To those lucky enough to pick up a unit, welcome to the world of iOS!
Real Racing 1080p
Hot on the heels of the release of Real Racing HD for iPad, which included iPad 2 enhancements. Firemint have announced that they will be bringing full 1080p widescreen support to the next major update. As most of you will know from Matt’s iPad 2/HD TV out videos, Real RAcing 2 HD can be played in mirrored mode. However, that only replicates teh iPad screen, meaning you get letter-boxing on an HD TV. The new update however, will allow you to play in full screen on your HD TV, while your iPad 2 displays only track data. Seems Firemint see the iPad 2 as a potential console. The one drawback ofcourse is the need to tether your Ipad to an HDMI cable. Perhaps though, we’ll soon see games being fully streamed to your TV’s using Apple’s Airplay technology which, and let’s be honest, would be awesome!
BackStab – coming to iOS?
Gameloft announced Order & Chaos last week, which looks to continue their reign of cloning popular titles, in this case World of Warcraft. However, this week they announced a new title coming to Sony Ericsson’ new Xperia Play handset. Called BackStab, the free roaming action game sees you play as Henry Blake, who has been falsely accused of treason and must seek vengeance on his jailers.
Gameloft tell us that the Xperia play gets one month exclusivity, so it is likely that the game will be coming to iOS soon after that month expires.
TouchGen: A week in video
We get hands-on video of the week’s big releases: Max and the Magic marker, Final Fantasy III, and Sword & Sworcery… plus a sneak peek at Fishlabs’ Snowboard Hero.. check it out
A week in review
Among the reviews this week, including Jane’s Zoo, Stellar Escape, Fruit Juice Tycoon 2, Vector Conflict and Cool Bean, were three standouts.
I love strawberries tickled Matt’s fancy: “Like most good platforming games, there are certainly frustrating moments, and ILS is no walk in the park, but the cuteness and fun gameplay will shine through those moments. Even if you’re not usually a fan of platformers, it’s hard not to be charmed by I Love Strawberries, and the experience is well worth the $1 price tag for new and old gamers alike”
4.5 Stars
Mission Europa impressed Torbjorn with its vast depth: “Mission Europa has managed to grip me in a manner that Ravensword, and other RPGs for iOS has failed. The combination of action, challenging gameplay and customization cater directly to me. I highly recommend Mission Europa, as a deep, fun game worth investing a whole lot of time into”
4.5 Stars
And finally, Final Fantasy III made Nathan fall in love with the game all over again, stating that the iOS version is “the one to beat”
The week ahead…
Two releases to look out for next week, and both hitting on the 31st, are Snowboard Hero from Fishlabs (as shown in the Week in Video section above), and EA’s long overdue return of Tiger Woods to iOS.
Snowboard Hero is Fishlabs’ answer to 1080 snowboarding and certainly does a good job of capturing the thrills and tricks of the extreme winter sport. Look out for our review release day. In the meantime check out our video sneak peek in the video above, or read Matt’s hands-on with the game at GDC here.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 also hits the same day, and is expected to offer a significant visual upgrade over the previous release back in 2009. An iPad version is also expected.
