Archive for the ‘iMac’ tag
‘Chaos Rings’ – Square Enix’s iPhone Exclusive RPG
Last month news broke that video game giant Square Enix was bringing a brand new RPG exclusively to the iPhone, and that it was being developed by a team whose combined resumé consisted of work in both the Wild Arms and Final Fantasy series. Needless to say, expectations skyrocketed with such an announcement, and to top it off this ambitious project is based on an entirely new, unproven IP. Now that Chaos Rings [App Store] is finally available, does it actually deliver? After putting the game through its paces, I can safely say it stands to not only meet any high expectations but exceed them in remarkable fashion. With stunning visuals and captivating gameplay that is tailored specifically for Apple's device, Chaos Rings defines what an RPG experience should be like on a mobile platform.
The story revolves around a dark tournament in a mysterious place known as the Arka Arena. Take control of one of four two-person teams as you advance through the arena's enemy-laden dungeons, ultimately preparing to square off against the opposing teams themselves in a fight to the death. The last ones standing are promised eternal youth and immortality. The reason each combatant has been summoned to this tournament and exactly why they have been paired with their particular partner slowly unfold via text cutscenes as the game progresses. Each team has their own storyline to play through, and they all intertwine with one another in intriguing ways. It's all very well written and remains interesting while still being suitable for on-the-go play, avoiding the problem of an overly convoluted story that is hard to follow in short bursts.
The bulk of the game is spent traversing through the Arka Arena's four distinct dungeon locations. Here you'll engage enemies randomly in a combination of indoor and outdoor settings, and each dungeon has a mid-level and end-level boss encounter. The random fighting is broken up with an occasional logic puzzle that must be beaten to advance in the game by granting an item or access to a new area. The style of the puzzles varies based on which dungeon you're in and what team you're playing with. They're a fun distraction, and force you to think hard while delivering a breather from the constant enemy confrontations.
The battle system is turn-based and has you controlling both characters in your party with an easy to use touch menu interface. The two members of your team can either attack individually or pair-up for a combined strike. This collaborative effort can deliver a more devastating blow, but leaves your combatants vulnerable to being counter-attacked in tandem. There's also a number of upgradeable magic abilities and weapons in the game that are obtained from defeated enemies, treasure chests, or the in-game shop. Control outside of battle is handled simply with an analog stick that appears anywhere the screen is touched, and one multi-use action button in the corner.
The structure of Chaos Rings is intelligently designed, and caters to a broad variety of players. Before entering a dungeon, you can choose the difficulty level of the enemies you face within. The higher the level you play on, the more treasure and rare items you will come across. A more casual gamer can choose to fight the easiest tier of enemies as they make their way through the story. In addition, you can toggle random enemy encounters on or off at any time for a more streamlined play experience. On the other hand, you can spend as much time on character leveling as you want. Any of the dungeons can be replayed at any time, so feel free to go back and endlessly grind your way to more powerful weapons and spells. It's a smart, flexible system that allows you to choose how to tackle the different aspects of the game. It took about 8 hours to beat the game with my first team, and once finished you can start a new game using the same characters and retaining much of your equipment and experience from the previous playthrough. Coupled with three additional teams to play as, there is a mountain of content here that should last most players a long time.
Graphically Chaos Rings really impresses. Beautifully illustrated 2D backgrounds make up the environments, while characters and monsters consist of detailed 3D models. It has a look that's evocative of classic Playstation-era RPGs. The battle sequences are fully rendered in 3D and really showcase the gorgeous enemy designs and fluid animations. The huge bosses in particular are downright intimidating as they fill your touch screen with their presence. A dramatic soundtrack accompanies the action and provides a unique sound for each of the locations in the game.
App Store Link: Chaos Rings, $12.99
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Coming Soon: ‘Pinball Remote’ iPhone App and ‘The Pinball’
We just got word that Gameprom's set of three pinball games for the iPhone are coming to the Mac in one application that is going to serve as the hub for all of their desktop-sized pinball ports. The Pinball will allow you to play full screen high resolution versions of Wild West Pinball, The Deep Pinball and Jungle Style Pinball and bring several new features to the table such as greatly improved graphics, as well as that will require red/blue 3D glasses to play.
Available along side the launch of The Pinball is the companion iPhone app Pinball Remote which will allow players to utilize their iPhone as a wireless controller while playing The Pinball. You will also be able to use Pinball Remote to browse scores online, as well as purchase other pinball tables to play. Gameprom mentions Wild West Pinball available for free for users who download Pinball Remote, but has yet to reveal pricing details on both The Pinball Mac game or additional tables for Pinball Remote.
Here is a video of Pinball Remote and The Pinball in action:
Gameprom is hoping to launch The Pinball and Pinball Remote on March 1st, and being a Mac user who obviously owns an iPhone, I'm anxious to try these games full screen on my iMac.
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Gameloft: Raising the Bar in 2009
Amongst the thousands of iPhone developers in 2009, the developer that single-handedly had the most dramatic impact on the App Store gaming scene has to be Gameloft. An international company with thousands of employees scattered throughout the world, Gameloft took an early interest in the iPhone. In March, 2008, three months before the official launch of the App Store, Gameloft pre-announced that they were working on 15 games for the platform. This early interest should have come as little surprise as they have built a business trying to deliver gaming to mobile handsets.
Most of their early 2008 titles ended up being ports of their existing mobile titles, but they must have done well enough during the first six months to decide to dedicate themselves full force into the iPhone scene in the following year. In 2009, Gameloft has released 35 games for the platform and most of those releases were amongst the most ambitious titles we've seen on the iPhone. And we cover Gameloft's releases consistently, not just because they are a large publisher, but because their games are consistently interesting, of high quality, and technically impressive.
N.O.V.A.
There's always some detractors to Gameloft's releases as many of their titles are clearly clones of popular console franchises. Our opinion is that Gameloft is successfully filling popular niches and adding much needed legitimacy to the iPhone/iPod Touch as a gaming platform. We suspect 3rd party interest by companies such as Rockstar and Epic Games is in part due to the massive success Gameloft has had in the iPhone space.
We highlighted N.O.V.A. and Let's Golf in our 2009 Games Roundup but here are a selection of other impressive titles from Gameloft this past year:
- Gangstar (Review, App Store)
- Driver (Review, App Store]
- Castle of Magic (Review, App Store)
- Modern Combat: Sandstorm (Review, App Store)
- Blades of Fury (Review, App Store)
- Dungeon Hunter (Review, App Store)
- James Cameron's Avatar (Review, App Store)
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