I love it when my favourite PC and console games get ported to the IOS. As tablets and phones grow in technical might, their popularity and versatility are luring evermore ambitious ports to the platform, opening up mouth-watering possibilities for the future. 2K games, one of the famous subsidiaries of development giant Take-Two Interactive - who has already managed to bring the enormous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to iOS - has announced an App Store port of it's critically and commercially lauded first-person shooter BioShock.
For those unfamiliar with BioShock, it's a rare brand of shooter that emphasises atmosphere and storyline, as well as introducing original gameplay mechanics that have helped evolve the entire genre. BioShock is truly a masterpiece and as such I am incredibly excited to see it ported to the tablet. Unfortunately, it won't be the same experience as the original as the game's visuals take quite a hit, but I feel that taking a title of this magnitude and releasing it for iOS could be a big boost to demonstrate the capacity of the device to handle a similar, wholly unique series in the future.
Perhaps more importantly, it will show that titles from the most recent X360 and PS3 generation of consoles - at least those from early in the cycle - are portable to iOS. The floodgates could open. And surely 2K Games itself - who published titles like Borderlands, The Darkness, Mafia and Spec Ops: The Line, and has already released an excellent port of XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS - will greenlight more ports if BioShock sells well.
If you missed the original, or just want to re-experience the game, then you'll have an opportunity to dive into the eerie and haunting world of BioShock later on this year. In the interim, GTA: San Andreas and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are well worth checking out, and you might also enjoy our article about the creator of BioShock, Ken Levine Jumped Off A Sinking Ship.
Writer: Max Joseph
Have you collected every episode of Grab It? - Episode 1 - Includes The Making of République (*free sample issue) - Episode 2 - Includes The Making of Oceanhorn - Episode 3 - Includes The Making of Monument Valley - Episode 4 - Includes The Making of Last Inua - Episode 5 - Includes The Making of World of Tanks Blitz - Episode 6 - Includes The Making of Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers - Grab It Presents Nihilumbra - Classics Collection
Several months ago, hugely successful casual games creator King (of Candy Crush Saga fame) initiated a lawsuit against the much smaller indie developer Stoic Studio over its Viking-inspired strategy title The Banner Saga. Despite being polar opposite experiences - one a simple lolly-themed puzzle game; the other a hardcore Nordic strategy title - King thought the use of the word "saga" in Stoic's game may confuse its existing consumers. Luckily, after a stack of negative press and plenty of community backlash, the legal proceedings were dropped and Stoic has been able to move ahead with the iOS port of what's already considered a PC indie classic. In fact, it's one of my favourite PC releases of 2014 and I expect its unique and fun gameplay will transcend well to iOS when it releases shortly.
Sadly, Stoic isn't the only indie to have a large legal hurdle to leap in 2014.
I've been quite excited by the impending release of Chroma Squad from South American developer Behold Studios, which uses the zany, iconic and distinctly Japanese Sentai theme. But the countdown to release has hit a snag. Behold was recently approached by Saban Entertainment - the company behind the Power Rangers (arguably the most iconic Sentai-inspired IP in the West) - and were told that if a share of the profits didn't come its way, the indie studio would face a legal battle on the grounds of intellectual property infringement.
My initial instinct is to revert to the overly negative and all too familiar story of a giant company stomping on a smaller one - see Banner Saga - but you can't argue that the Chroma Squad screens do look awfully Power Rangery. The details of the negotiations between the two companies are under wraps, but as long as Behold get to release the game it, and the game's Kickstarter supporters, want to see made, without losing too much profit share, then I'll be happy.
Chroma Squad is due out on PC soon, with iOS later in the year.
Koei Tecmo, the development giant behind a slew of brutal console titles is bringing some of the love to IOS with the recent announcement that its flagship hack ‘n’ slash series, Dynasty Warriors, is hitting tablets in the East by the end of July.
For those unfamiliar with the series, players take the role of a hero from Chinese legend, then stomp across gigantic battle setpieces whilst slicing, stabbing and striking through countless hordes of (seemingly) worthless soldiers. Amidst all the over-the-top combos there is light RPG and strategy elements (such as taking control of certain areas on the map) and you’ll need to duel similar hero characters from the opposing side.
These core elements make up the nuts and bolts of every title, but at least each subsequent release features redesigns of the series’ staple characters and battles, new weapons, items and features, graphical overhauls and enough new content or gameplay gimmicks to differentiate it from its predecessors. I'm optimistic that the mobile release, Dynasty Warriors Blast, will at the very least provide a different take on the series and its forbears, but until a Western release date is announced, we'll have to wait and see.
Plague Inc. is a game that inspires immense, macabre satisfaction every time I jump back into its uniquely morbid gameplay. This bizarre strategy title puts you in control of a deadly pathogen and challenges you to orchestrate a global epidemic, fighting off everything humankind can throw at you while keeping symptoms under control until you’ve really gotten about.
As a fan of the addictive formula that made Plague Inc. a winner, I was a little dubious when I heard that the latest update is a direct marketing tie-in, asking the player to genetically engineer their very own planet of the apes, evolving communities of our genetic cousins into hostile predators to once again wipe out the world.
I'm not fussed with the marketing aspect, as Ndemic Creations has always inserted enough meta references, in-jokes and satire into Plague Inc. to make this kind of addition acceptable. Rather, considering the premium nature of this game and the developer’s popularity, I dislike being asked to pay more to effectively be marketed to by a film company.
But I will, of course. I'm too interested to see if this Simian Virus adds more depth and richness to the game’s already diverse content. You can grab Plague Inc. here, and pick up the Planet of the Apes additions via an IAP for $2.99.
If you like the idea of destroying all humans on the planet, we also recommend checking out First Strike.
I’m a big fan of roguelikes and it’s been enjoyable watching one of my favourite genres receive such a run of polished titles in recent years. Wayward Souls follows the top-down, 2D, permadeath hack ‘n’ slashing that has remained the genre’s template for decades – think Cardinal Quest, Hoplite, 100 Rogues and developer RocketCat Games’ own Mage Gauntlet. It’s a game filled with challenge and retro fun, despite occasional control issues.
Endless runners generally follow the same concept; a silent protagonist runs through a variety of locations avoiding enemies, pitfalls, traps and other obstacles to reach the barely attainable high score goal. No doubt you’ve stumbled on these mechanics before – congratulations, you’ve played an endless runner! Thankfully, variations of the theme in titles like Boson X and Jetpack Joyride continue to turn these simple, rock solid foundations into something unique and entertaining.
Such is the case with iconic endless runner Canabalt, one of the first to popularise the genre on iOS and an inspiration to many that have released since. Developer Adam Saltsman has just released an update including several more obstacles, more destructive visual effects, a fresh musical track featuring nerdcore rapper Mega Ran and a new female character. This joins other additional skins to make a roster of four runners, which are randomly chosen between before each new game.
While it brings a breath of fresh air to this classic, the core gameplay remains essentially the same. This new content has, however, succeeded in getting me back for another shot at gaining a high score. The beauty of Canabalt lies therein - it doesn't need to change, but the developer has still bought a few new things to add more flavour.
The update is free for anyone who currently owns the game, or you can grab it from the App Store now - it's well worth the $2.99.
If, like me, you’re a sucker for a nice big RPG, then the sudden and completely unheralded arrival of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on the App Store is sure to grab your attention. This is some truly classic JRPG goodness.
While not as well-known outside Japan as publisher Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise, Dragon Quest VIII made its mark in the twilight of the PS2 and was critically acclaimed as a captivating fantasy epic. I thoroughly enjoyed the game in 2005 and anyone who similarly played its initial console release will get a significant hit of nostalgic charm, whilst newcomers will find that even nearing a decade down the line, Dragon Quest VIII still has enough quality to rival many of the modern iOS RPG gems like The Shadow Sun or Zenonia 5.
It was originally developed by Level-5, too, who would go on to do more brilliant things with PlayStation titles Rogue Galaxy and Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, as well as the Professor Layton series on Nintendo's handhelds.
Also featuring art designed by famed Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama, the classic anime style works well with the charming cel-shaded graphics, which have been reworked for the higher resolution iPad. The developer has also reworked the control mechanics for the touch interface and players will find it easy to multitask and still enjoy the sumptuous world. The only hesitation about instantly grabbing the old school title is the mighty US$19.99 price tag, but considering the game runs for an enjoyable 80 to 100 hours, what it asks for in price is matched in content.
Dragon Quest VIII is out now on the App Store and you can grab it here.
Powerhouse game developer Epic Games recently created an indie channel for its trendsetting Unreal Engine 4 middleware, allowing studios to license the game making tool for a very affordable $19.95 a month, plus a 5% cut of the revenue. Known for driving blockbuster console titles like Gears of War and BioShock, Epic obviously believed it needed to prove the engine's worth to the little guys. So, it has released a clone of popular game Flappy Bird to showcase how the engine can be used to create simple, effective and retro-inspired games. Tappy Chicken is nothing special, but demonstrates the practical use of their engine no matter how low the requirements.
Epic Games' message is specifically targeted to inexperienced or small-scale developers, showing them they should not be intimidated or afraid of using Unreal Engine 4 for their projects. Proving how large the engine can go is something fans of the Infinity Blade series will already be aware of: the console-like, swipe-heavy RPG trilogy is one of the App Store's best.
A second season of Darklings is coming our way in Q3, adding plenty of fresh content to the already addictive pattern-swirling gameplay. The original stood out for really embracing the idea of darkness, with a shadowy noir world and a hero, Lum, tasked with purging Darklings from the world. However, its impressive 3m downloads was really driven by the touch-heavy combat, where swiping in various shapes helped you beat back the waves of baddies.
As you'd expect, Episode 2 is about more, more, more. More adorable light-thieving monsters (see image above); more strategic gameplay modes - including a Capture The Flag-like - and more gadgets and costume bonuses, not to mention improved character customisation and levelling-up systems. Developer MildMania cites these features as adding to, rather than changing the core game, so whether this serves as an expansion as opposed to a sequel will be seen on release. We're told it won't be the last addition to the Darklings world, too.
