I've always been a huge fan of the Resident Evil series, and having likely spent weeks of combined playtime in my life playing and re-playing the games of the Resident Evil universe. It's more than a little weird to me that Gameloft has somehow managed to make a better Resident Evil game than even Capcom, the original creators of the series, has on the iPhone.
If Gameloft's highly "inspired" games make your eyes roll, you should turn back now because when I first saw Zombie Infection today there was little I could do to stop myself from groaning at the first level we were shown– A nearly identical African cityscape to the one found in Resident Evil 5, with an equally similar premise to the game complete with a second character you come across named Shawna who serves as your female sidekick.
Zombie Infection comes loaded with 10 levels, some lifted directly out of Resident Evil games, and others in locations that could either be described as "ridiculous", "awesome", or possibly even "ridiculously awesome". One such locale we were shown was a zoo, filled with zombie zoo animals. After just barely making it out alive after fighting a zombified lion, my play session was brought to an end by some gigantic crocodile that sprung up from the water.
Like other similar Gameloft games, controls work exactly how you would expect. A virtual joystick handles all your movement, while context sensitive buttons appear that do things like open doors, shoot, holster your gun, unleash melee attacks, etc. Speaking of melee attacks, there's also a number of "finisher" moves that you can pull on nearby zombies. For instance, if a zombie is knocked to the ground you can run over to them and a button will activate allowing you to stomp their head. Also, like Resident Evil games, you cannot move and shoot at the same time.
I wasn't able to get a solid answer on the graphics engine powering Zombie Infection, but the polygon count of the character models, scenery, and all the texturing was extremely detailed. On top of that, it was running at an excellent framerate, making the whole package that much more impressive.
Aside from the standard campaign mode, there's also going to be a survival mode Gameloft is calling "Arena Mode" where players fight off endless swarms of zombies. Other details are scarce at the moment, and much like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell we only had enough time with the game to blow through a few levels. Needless to say, I'll be giving Zombie Infection a thorough play through as soon as its released sometime later this month.
Here at GDC 2010 we had the chance to meet with Benjamin Zuckerer of CipSoft and have a look at the upcoming iPhone version of their popular TibiaME mobile MMO.
TibiaME is an exclusively mobile, top-down 2D MMO that made its debut on Nokia platform devices six years ago and has been growing its community ever since. At present there are approximately 50,000 active players in the game world, which consists of 67 islands, with 16 levels each. The islands exhibit a variety of different terrain types, such as forest, dungeons, ice, and "undead."
TibiaME places the player in the game world as either a warrior or a wizard. The islands of the world are peopled by other online players and a host of enemy characters that range from squirrels to demons — 56 types in all. There are magic-using boss monsters to contend with, as well. During the demonstration we were given of the pre-release iPhone client, there was no lack of activity in the world, as can be seen in our demo video.
While the iPhone version of the game client ties into the same game world that has been running these six years, it is a complete, ground-up rewrite that has been under development for a year and a half. The 20×20-pixel character graphics of previous versions of the game have been redrawn at a rather more detailed 50×50 pixels for the iPhone version, a new user interface has been implemented, and fight sequence animations have been added to the mix, as well.
The iPhone release will make its debut mid-year and follow the "freemium" price model. The base release can be downloaded free of charge and offers two (of the total 67) islands to explore. Characters playing in this mode are limited to a maximum of level 20 experience. Those wanting to experience the full game world can buy play time in blocks of one (5 euros) or 4 months (12 euros). Any character that has been built up in the pay model will retain all stats in the event an unrenewed block of time, but will be unable to level higher without the purchase of additional play time. The developer estimates that the base, free play experience delivers about one month of engaging play for the typical user.
To keep the game fresh, the developer has been in the practice of releasing a series of updates over the course of a year: 12 small that alter various game details, and 2 large, bringing new features and notable enhancements.
The only stand-out negative we saw about the title is its complete lack of any in-game music or sound effects. The iPhone version will allow the user to play tracks from their iTunes song library, however. And, of course, the main stand-out positive is the six years the game has been live and the sizable community that has grown within it, a most iPhone MMO's can't point to.
See our gameplay video for a look at the action in the pre-release client.
TibiaME for the iPhone is expected to debut mid-2010. Additional screenshots of the game can be seen at CipSoft's TibiaME Facebook page.
The first game that Gameloft showed us at GDC this year was the latest in a long line of Splinter Cell games, a series that also has several books associated with it along with a movie that may or may not still be in the works. In the games, you play as Sam Fisher who is an extremely experienced member of an elite team within the NSA called the "Third Echelon". Splinter Cell games are episodic in nature, and this is the sixth installment in Sam's adventure.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for the iPhone closely follows the console game with the same title. In fact, they are so alike, they even share cut scenes and voice work. (And because of this the voice acting is much higher quality than typical Gameloft games.) There is also a surprising amount of chatter between the bad guys you come across, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction is one of the few iPhone games that frequently drops the F bomb. It will be interesting to see how much of that remains in the final version of the game.
There are 10 included levels that Gameloft estimates will take players anywhere between 4 to 5 hours to burn through, and of the few levels we were able to see in the demonstration the locales vary wildly from night time stealth missions to missions in middle eastern cities complete with sand blowing everywhere. Overall the game looks amazing, and according to Gameloft is running on the next evolution of the NOVA engine.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction controls well, using a virtual joystick for movement, an array of context sensitive buttons that appear when needed as well as the same buttons that act like dials seen in many other Gameloft games that can be swiped to select different weapons and gadgets. There's a cover system, different instant kill melee attacks, and a "tag and execute" aiming mode that can potentially allow players to slay entire rooms full of bad guys.
For the few minutes I was able to play of the game, it's hard to form much of an opinion on it. Initial impressions are positive, but we'll need to put the game through its paces once it's finally released. Gameloft isn't discussing release dates with Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction yet, but the console versions of the game are due to be released on April 13th, so it's unlikely that we will see the iPhone game before then.
ZDNet reports that it has received information from tipsters claiming that Apple will release new Mac Pro models next Tuesday, adding a hexacore Core i7-based model to its lineup.
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Namco held a press event last night where they announced the iPhone version of Pool Pro Online 3. This represents the 3rd in the franchise which originally began on mobile phones but is now extending to smartphones and even the desktop.
While the game may be of interest to those who enjoy pool, it also represents a few first of potentially a series of games using their UniteSDK which allows cross-platform online play. Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of apple games for Namco Networks, writes "This is only the beginning of where we are going as a company. Over the next several months, we will roll out a series of other features and games that are powered by UniteSDK, including tournaments for Pool Pro Online 3."
Pool Pro Online 3 will eventually be also available for PC, Mac, Android, Java, BREW, RIM and Windows Mobile, and will allow instant online play across all the platforms. UniteSDK also includes the usual friend lists, leaderboards and such that we've already seen in OpenFeint and Plus+. Namco is also opening up UniteSDK to 3rd party developers as well.
As for Pool Pro Online 3, it allows both single player and online play in 8-ball, 9-ball and Snooker. Players can also make in-game wagers against their opponents and use winnings to upgrade table felts, cue sticks and new pool halls. The 3d game allows you to rotate your view and pinch/zoom to line up your shot.
The iPhone version of the game will be released on Thursday for $4.99.
A few weeks back we posted gameplay videos of an unexpected and since, highly anticipated, title coming to the iPhone this month. Well, the wait is now over, with Street Fighter 4 [AppStore] launching today! Whilst many were skeptical at Capcom's ability to port such an critically impressive console title to the portable devices, our time with Street Fighter 4 reveals a surprisingly faithful rendition, if somewhat watered down to suit the smaller scale of the iPhone.
Street Fighter 4 gives you control over 8 characters from the console version; Abel, Blanka, Chun Li, Ryu, Bison, Dhalsim, Guile and Ken (in order of appearance). The game offers an impressive move list, featuring all the special attacks from the console version, leaving out the low and medium punch/kick buttons and their respective moves. The purists amongst you may find this too much of a downsize as it undoubtedly poses a change in pace from the original and diminishes the ability to hit those ridiculously high combos. Having said that, there's no doubting its authenticity– this is Street Fighter 4 in all its glory.
It is hard really to see how any additional attacks could have been squeezed in, as the on-screen controls already take up a sizeable portion of the real estate available. Super and Ultra attacks are performed by simply tapping their respective bars (which may irk some), though they can still be pulled off in their traditional, anologue stick fashion via the SP button. This SP button also activates EX attacks and together with a Focus button, complements the kick and punch attacks on the right part of the screen. It should be noted that these on-screen elements can be moved around and have their transparency adjusted, to accommodate left-handers and minimalists alike.
Street Fighter 4 looks and runs exquisitely on the 3GS device we tested it on, with impressive animations and the same gorgeous backdrops we were treated to in the console version. Combat in Street Fighter 4 is fast and fluid, and button input is as responsive as we hoped it would be. The AI does a good job at keeping you on your toes too, and can be configured at 4 difficulty levels from beginner to gruelling. There are a number of game modes, from the standard Tournament mode (against 7 competitors, with Bison featuring as the end boss), to a "Dojo" challenge mode, together with a training mode and a single player versus mode. For those who prefer human competitors, a Bluetooth multiplayer mode is available too.
To round out the impressive feature list, Street Fighter 4 sports a full blown replay system and local leaderboards, to record your matches for later viewing, and to breakdown your winnings in both tournament and versus modes. Capcom has certainly created a comprehensive Street Fighter 4 offering, with only WiFi multiplayer and online leader boards remaining on our wish list, together with the inevitable cries for a more extensive character roster.
Street Fighter 4 is easily recommended to any Street Fighter fan or fighting game aficionado. At its core it is a lightweight port of the exceptional console title, so don't go expecting anything different if you've had your SF4 fill. On the other hand, it is amazing that such a game was ported to the AppStore in the first place and the simple fact that you can now bring Street Fighter 4 around in your pocket should be enough to sway many an eager button masher.
Impressions from our forums are collecting fast and are largely positive. Our readers have noted that there is only minimal slowdown on 3G models compared to the 3GS device we tested, and even 1G users are reportedly happy with Street Fighter 4's performance.
App Store Link: Street Fighter 4, $9.99.
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