Planet of the Apps: Honey, I Shrunk the Games!
Games that we've known on console are popping up on the iPhone. Is anything getting lost in translation?
8/20/2009 8:38 AM | 5 Comments | Page 1 of 2
Nobody ever forgets the old school. This era of a medium sparks a person's imagination, and infects them with a curiosity about its depth and possibility.
Game publishers aren't stupid. They know they can mine this nostalgia for cheap and easy bucks, and the latest place they're doing it is on the iPhone. But the Apple portable platform presents a special challenge in that it has no buttons. Many of these games were initially built with some kind of physical input in mind, and the iPhone and iPod Touch only sport touch-screens. Still, that's not the biggest problem.
The thing with App Store videogames is that they have to be eminently playable and immediately charming. As
Ryan Kuo put forth in
his recent piece, a game on the iPhone isn't just competing against other games for your attention. It's got to be compelling enough for you to ignore incoming e-mails, phone calls or text messages. There's little leeway for learning curves, and no room for twiddling with display or control schemes.
These old-school games may have commanded your attention when you were sitting on a couch, ready to transported to another world. But times have changed. You're on the move. Let's take a look at how some franchises have managed their migration to iPhone.
1.
Time Crisis Strike
Original iteration: Even in an age where arcades have largely died out, Namco Bandai's light-gun shooter manages to thrive in multiplexes and Dave & Buster's locations. One or two players aim their brightly colored pistols and pull the triggers at on-screen enemies in timed stages, while stepping on and off a pedal to pop in and out of cover.
Why it works on iPhone: The Time Crisis experience translates surprisingly well to iPhone play. Tapping the screen to shoot feels instinctive, and the tilting reload mechanic -- which doubles as a cover toggle -- oddly feels like a natural replacement for the pedal in the stand-up cabinets.
2.
Missile Command
Original iteration: The Atari shooter that fed off Cold War fears of nuclear annihilation tasked players with protecting buildings and bunkers from an ever-increasing flurry of ICBMs. Players had a limited supply of anti-ICBMs that they could launch, creating blooming explosions that could eliminate multiple threats. Extra tension came from the fact that you had to steer a slow-moving reticule where you wanted it, and the missiles only got faster as the levels went on.
Why it works on iPhone: With tap-to-shoot, you may not have that slow-moving reticule to worry about -- but the speed and number of missiles still get daunting in later levels. The change in format adds an element of twitch-shooting to what was always a strategic game. Trying to keep your landscape from getting bombed-out still makes for a stressfully good time.
3.
Centipede
Original iteration: In 1980, what made the shooter stand out from other arcade cabinets was trackball control, an unusual method for movement when just about everything else relied on joysticks. The frantic action in Atari's shooter focused more on movement and also had a bit of a trippy vibe, what with all the mushrooms, spiders and fleas.
Why it works on iPhone: The floating thumb-pad that replaces the freewheeling trackball works excellently. As a bonus, automatic shooting means you don't have to worry about creating another control input. (More on that later.)
4.
Frogger
Original iteration: Immortalized in
that one "Seinfield" episode, Komani's title pit frog against freeway. The goal was to weave as many croakers as you could in and out of highway traffic and across a river to reach a safe haven.
Why it works on iPhone: The iPhone version offers three control options: Tap, Slide and Tilt. In Slide, short swipes do a good job of substituting for the joystick taps. So, don't mess with the other options. The graphical upgrade is nicely done, too, and doesn't go overboard like the "Remix" or "Ultra" versions of many other classic games.
5.
Metal Gear Solid Touch
Original iteration: Built specifically for the iPhone, this game essentially presents the same story of the hit PlayStation 3 exclusive
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Don't go expecting any spiffy, adaptive Octocamo action, though. What you're getting doesn't at all resemble the sneak-and-shoot action that's been the series hallmark.
MGS Touch is basically a shooting-gallery game with Old Snake.
Why it works on iPhone: Regardless of the fact that you're getting a shallower experience compared to console versions,
MGS Touch is still a fun and fast-paced game. It's got good, smooth controls -- especially the use of pinch to switch weapons as well as zoom in and out.
6.
Tetris
Original iteration: It's
Tetris ... surely you know it? Falling block shapes aligned into lines that disappear? Yeah, that's the one.
Why it works on iPhone: Oh,
Tetris! If only the games in the following category had it as easy as you. Tap to rotate, slide to move, flick down to slam down the pieces. EA's officially licensed version includes a Hold function and ghosting overlay, so that you can pause the stream of blocks and also see where they land.
But not every classic has the touch...
