The much publicized Commodore C64 emulator from Manomio is finally coming back to the App Store. The app has had a rocky history with an initial rejection, public out cry, App Store approval and was then pulled from the App Store by Apple due to inadvertent violations of the SDK terms.
Well, C64 is "almost back" with details posted in FAQ forum by Manomio. According to the developers, the 1.1 version will include the following:
Compliance with the Apple SDK agreement
Up to 30% improvement in performance - better battery life and smoother game play
3 additional games, International Soccer, International Basketball and International Tennis
Minor UI improvements
Manomio also reveals that they will be supporting in-app purchases in the 1.2 version which is expected in December. This will allow you to buy additional games in-app rather than the rather cumbersome installation process they had previously used. Existing customers of C64 will get the 1.1 update for free as if nothing had happened.
Looking towards the future, Manomio is considering support for external controls, network play, social gaming and more. Read our hands on with C64 for more details on the App.
TipCat Mobile just released a very nice side scrolling shooter called Cell War [App Store].
The $2.99 game offers a beautifully stylized side scroller that places you as the pilot of a nano machine whose mission is fight off viruses and save the humans from disease. Designed for the iPhone, the game has some nice touches with a good variety of level design and power-ups that seem to keep the game interesting. Three levels of difficulty are provided over 9 different stages, and the game also provides online leaderboards.
The game is controlled primarily through the use of the iPhone's accelerometer allowing you to move the ship with tilt controls alone. This can be calibrated in the options so you can choose the neutral position. Your primary weapon is fired automatically and can be upgraded multiple times. Beyond this, the game also offers a nice touch targeting system for missiles akin to Space Deadbeef -- simply touching on the enemies will lock on your missiles.
Here's the game in action:
The developers have also released a fully featured Lite version that provides the first two stages of the game, complete with all 3 difficulty levels. There really is a lot to like about this game, and the production values are outstanding. My only real issue with the game may simply be a personal one. I've never been a fan of the use of the accelerometer for ship movement in 2D iPhone shooters, and I much prefer touch (which is not an option). If you have no such hang ups, this game is definitely recommended, but even if you do, the Lite version provides you with a great sampling of the game.
We once again had the opportunity to speak with id Software's John Carmack today. This time about Doom Classic [App Store], the iPhone, and his plans for the future among other things. We've included the audio of our complete interview in podcast format in our TouchArcade podcast [App Store], but have summarized several of the highlights here.
When we asked Carmack about the lack of 3G multiplayer in Doom Classic, it turns out he left it out because he doesn't feel the ping times over the cellular network are conducive to a good multiplayer experience, and unfortunately doesn't have plans to implement 3G multiplayer in any of id's action-twitch-FPS games-- which pretty much covers most of their catalog.
Carmack isn't quite yet sure how exactly they will deploy Doom's vast array of extra content. In our previous interview he mentioned the likelihood of bringing Doom 2 levels along with several other level packs to Doom Classic. The two examples he gave for how they might roll out this extra content were either in discretely buyable level packs, or a completely different "premium" version of the game with every level that exists for Doom.
Most interesting is that he does have plans to eventually implement the ability for Doom Classic gamers to enjoy all kinds of player-created customized maps and other content, and cites Wolfenstein 3D Classic's [App Store] latest update which utilizes a specially formatted link inside of mobile Safari to import this data in to the game as an example of what they would like to do with Doom Classic. Carmack seemed very excited about the potential this system has.
For those concerned about missing specific Wolf 3D control options (such as strafe) in Doom Classic, Carmack told us he regretted not simply including all of the Wolf 3D control methods and that he will likely add these missing control layouts in a future update.
The next game we will see on the App Store from id Software will likely be Quake Classic, which will eventually be followed by Quake 2 and then Quake 3. The release date for Quake Classic, however, is likely several months off, and he's still shooting for one iPhone game per quarter. Carmack also reports that another "from scratch" iPhone-specific game is still in the plans at some point next year. This game hasn't even gone into the design phase, but he expects it to be based on Rage and be a combat/action/racing game.
Carmack also reveals he does follow the TouchArcade forums/comments to see how people are reacting to his games and was complimentary of the iPhone gaming community.
These are just a few of the points of our discussion with John Carmack, but the entire 20 minute interview is worth a listen. If you'd like to hear more about id Software, their games, and Carmack's feelings on the iPhone and the App Store, you can either subscribe to our podcast in iTunes, or download the file directly.
Ngmoco announced today that they had acquired iPhone developer Miraphonic, the developer of Epic Pet Wars [App Store].
Epic Pet Wars is one of the Mafia-type MMO games on the App Store that revolves around picking a pet, training and leveling it up for battle. The game is offered for free and makes money based on the sale of add-on pet races and respect points. The game has a loyal following on our forums and seems to fit right in with Ngmoco's recent push into Free + Paid DLC business model with Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets.
We've never provided much coverage to these types of games here on TouchArcade, but they do seem to have a large following amongst App Store customers.
id Software's John Carmack posted new notes about the development of Doom Classic for the iPhone as well as providing some control tips and notes about future products.
First, he provides a few tips for Doom Classic:
Multiplayer requires a WiFi connection that doesn't have UDP port 14666 blocked
For those who care about tilt-to-turn, it can still be enabled by four-finger-tapping to bring up the keyboard and typing "tiltturn 4000" or some number like that. Make sure you have tiltmove pulled down to 0.
"Center sticks: ON" that can be toggled off to keep the sticks fixed in place like in Wolf 3D.
Turning sensitivity is now graded, and can be disabled by toggling "Ramp turn: ON"
Carmack reports that they do plan on supporting Doom Classic with further updates, but don't plan on making a Lite version. While he will be stepping back from direct iPhone development in the near future, he will put some time into working out a good touch interface for the upcoming Quake Classic for the iPhone. Meanwhile, work on an iPhone specific version of Doom 2 RPG is already underway, and if its well received, they will probably bring over Orcs & Elves as well.
Carmack also reveals that he was initially excited about the possibility of Doom multiplayer over 3G, but after some testing of ping times, he decided on "local link networking only."
TouchArcade will be speaking to Carmack later this afternoon in a very brief interview about Doom Classic, if you have any pressing questions, please leave them in the comments, and we'll see if we can fit them in.
We felt somewhat obligated to review a game as huge as Eliminate Pro [App Store]. Following its epic development cycle, it's hard to think of many other games which were as highly anticipated among our community. But it's not just Touch Arcade forum members who have been waiting for Eliminate, as countless other developers have all been anxiously holding their breath to see how successful the microtransaction-powered gameplay is from a business perspective.
If it wasn't apparent by now from reading our other coverage on the game, we really enjoy Eliminate. The classic four player deathmatch gameplay is enhanced with an RPG-style progression system which adds a great deal of depth to an otherwise simple game. Power-ups littered throughout the maps spice up battles, and when it's working as intended, the matchmaking system seems to do a decent job of making sure the game you get thrown in to is reasonably matched.
While we did feel obligated to review Eliminate Pro, since you can download and experience everything in the game for free, there isn't much reason for me to dwell much on the gameplay. Instead, I'll try to clear up some common misconceptions I've seen in comments and in forum posts, along with offering some helpful tips and hints for new players.
Agharta Studios' Rogue Planet was the surprise of WWDC this year for me. I had a last minute meeting with CEO Aurelien Kerbeci where he pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and proceeded to blow me away with a game that was so far above and beyond my expectations that I was nearly speechless.
During this meeting, Kebeci mentioned that the game was still in development, but at the time only had two weeks to go before submitting their game to Apple for approval. We posted this in our exclusive preview, the forums caught wind, and then Rogue Planet vanished without a trace. Emails to Agharta Studios were met with cryptic responses about a mysterious "big name" publisher and a September release date.
Needless to say, we were left scratching out heads, and nothing came of Rogue Planet aside from forum members randomly bumping the thread asking if anyone had any new information every once in a while. That is, until today, when the following video appeared on Gameloft's YouTube channel:
As you can see from the trailer, Rogue Planet is a turn based strategy game with the same amazing art style seen in Agharta's other game,1112 [$4.99 / Free]. We posted other details in our preview along with a gameplay video, but it has been so long since we last saw the game that it's hard to say how much of it is still the same from what was shown at WWDC.
Per the video, Rogue Planet is going to be released on the 24th, and assuming they can stick with that date I have a pretty good idea of what I will be spending my Thanksgiving holiday weekend playing. Needless to say, as soon as we get more information about this game we will post it, and hopefully will have a better preview very soon.
Agharta Studios' partnership with Gameloft as a publisher is a very interesting one. While Gameloft seems to have dabbled in publishing other titles in the past, for the most part has done much of their iPhone game development in house.
Our October game ratings are in place now, and here are the top of the heap. Our monthly "best of" round-up summarizes the top rated games that we looked at in the previous month. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a 3 or higher is considered a "good" rating.
Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others.
October's "Best iPhone Games" are highlighted here:
5 Stars
Soosiz - This is the best platforming game that we've played on the iPhone. It adopts the usual trappings of a traditional 2d platformer but perfectly mixes in a gravity defying mechanism that turns out to be a lot more than just a cute gimmick. Combine that with great controls and a ton of content, and you have one of our favorite iPhone games. (Review, App Store)
Canabalt - This isn't a particularly deep game. In fact, the average gaming session is probably measured in seconds rather than minutes. But with its simplicity and style, it managed to keep us coming back again and again throughout the month. You can try out the identical Flash version for free at Canabalt.com. (Review, App Store)
4.5 Stars
2XL ATV Offroad - We described this as a "console quality" iPhone racer. The game is technically impressive with beautiful graphics and manages to combine it with varied tracks, a proper career mode and Wi-Fi multiplayer to deliver one of the best racers in the App Store. (Review, App Store)
Boost 3D - We might not have been too over the top about the game when we first reviewed it, but over time we realized that Boost 3D is a game that we love to play. There's something hypnotic about this tunnel runner that had us coming back to play it throughout the month. (Review, App Store)
As always, we expect there will be some debate about relative scores, but keep in mind that everyone's personal ratings may vary based on individual tastes.
In the debate of the best racers on the iPhone platform, titles such as Real Racing and Need for Speed: Undercover are likely to come up. You may want to add one more to the debate — Gameloft’s newly released Asphalt 5 is simply an adrenaline rush in your pocket. On the fun meter, Asphalt 5 definitely delivers with strong sense of speed. But, while the game delivers a solid overall racing experience with a good amount of content and responsive controls, the graphics and animation do keep it a notch below the others.
On that note, the first thing that hits you is the graphics. Even though they may not be the smoothest (on a 2G iPod) on the platform, they do pop off the screen, which makes a difference when you’re careening through tracks and dealing with oncoming traffic from all sides. Framerate aside, even though you may not be focused on the details, Gameloft obviously has. Whether racing through snow-covered freeways, mud soaked roads, or the darkness of night, the details are everywhere. From the signs on storefronts to damage on vehicles, Gameloft has definitely spent a good deal of development creating an arcade experience with good degree of visuals. The perky soundtrack is a keeper, although you can play your own music if you’re into something a little more gut wrenching.
The objective of Asphalt 5 is simple: win races and earn money to soup up your ride. Of course, you’ll face a variety of obstacles including oncoming traffic, innocent bystanders, and police in addition to varying weather conditions such as snow and rain. This can all be experienced through 3 different camera angles: close, far and bumper. Bumper provides a driver’s seat view which can be quite intense with every bump and crash.
The game takes you through 12 different locations including Aspen, St. Tropez, Athens and Las Vegas. The well-designed tracks offer different terrains and environmental conditions, and most importantly, shortcuts. These shortcuts, which can be seen on the mini-map, are a good addition allowing players the option of sticking to the standard track or risking it by taking a shorter yet tighter path. In some cases, these shortcuts are the only way to succeed especially in the time-sensitive races.
Asphalt 5 has three game modes: Single Race, Career and Local/Online Multiplayer. For many, Single Race will be the first taste of Asphalt 5 which provides a quick multi-lap race through the track of your choosing. While Single Race provides a good setting to practice driving skills, winning doesn’t unlock new tracks or earn money.
Online multiplayer provides a number of options which includes competing against up to six players in a single race. In our brief time with the game, the online experience was smooth with minimal performance issues, and joining or hosting a race is relatively easy.
Meanwhile, Career is the guts of Asphalt 5, and where winning matters. Whether unlocking tracks, picking up women, or earning money, Career is where you do it facing 8 different racing events. And once tracks are unlocked in Career, they become available in Single Race.
With a variety of challenging racing events (time trial, cop chase, escape, drift and more), Asphalt 5 has 33 licensed cars and motorcycles potentially at your disposal. From Lamborghinis and Ferraris to Ducatis and Kawasakis, winning races and earning cash will give you access to many of these vehicles for a price. The default vehicles are the Mini Cooper S and Nissan 370Z, and all vehicles are stored in the Garage section. If you want to cut through all that, playing online through Gameloft Live will provide full access to all the vehicles for competing against others or in individual time trials.
Cash can be used to upgrade vehicles in three areas: engine, handling and boost. And you’ll find there are numerous other ways to customize your vehicle. For example, paint jobs can be altered using the color slider and decals can be applied. Earning cash goes beyond winning races although that’s a big part of it. Cash is also earned by collecting tokens on the roadway, near misses with other vehicles, drifting, jumping, and eliminations.
Asphalt 5 provides a responsive set of controls, and in general, the handling is highly accurate. The game consists of three types of controls: wheel, screen tap, and accelerometer. Choosing the accelerometer controls allows you to turn on/off auto acceleration. Of the three, the accelerometer feels the most natural with screen tapping the most awkward. With auto acceleration turned off, a brake pad appears, although I rarely used my brakes except when wanting score style points for drifting.
Gameplay video from Japanese version recorded by AppBank:
When it comes to gameplay, Asphalt 5 does what it’s supposed to do—provide a good sense of speed. The different race types certainly offer variety, and a replay function is included at the end of each race to review the race, although replays can’t be saved. The AI in Asphalt 5 feels well balanced providing enough aggressive driving to keep it interesting but not overdoing it either to make it impossible. The controls make steering and handling relatively easy, and most won’t have issues picking them up. The game is fairly forgiving when it comes to crashing into objects, however, crashing into oncoming traffic tends to have more severe consequences by stalling your momentum and losing position in the race.
Overall, Asphalt 5 definitely delivers on the fun meter. The controls and content really makes this a racer accessible to everyone. Aside from the middling (though acceptable) framerate on earlier generation devices, Asphalt 5 is solid arcade racer with quality graphics. With a variety of different races, a relatively balanced AI, online multiplayer and a great feeling of speed, Asphalt 5 comes highly recommended.
If you were a PC gamer in the mid 90's, the very mention of Command & Conquer likely brings back memories of massive battles, elaborate bases, the cumbersome Westwood Online multiplayer, and best of all- The game coming with two discs to give one to a friend to play against without having to buy a second copy of the game. Westwood was eventually acquired by EA, and through numerous sequels and spin-offs there have been over 30 million copies sold across the franchise.
Command & Conquer Red Alert [App Store] like the other games in the Red Alert family takes place in an alternate universe where World War II never occurred thanks to some time traveling trickery by Albert Einstein which resulted in the Soviet Union rising to power due to the Allies never developing nuclear weaponry. Unfortunately, the iPhone game doesn't do much to convey this fascinating game setting, but other games in the series that do a better job of this are worth checking out if you're an alternate history fiction fan.
The controls in Command & Conquer Red Alert work shockingly well. I consider myself real time strategy fan, but there are not only few of these games on the App Store, but even fewer that have controls that make for fun gameplay. The user interface has remained constant since the preview we did early last month:
The screen is framed with all kinds of interface elements, and while seeming slightly cluttered, everything works well enough and I never felt like the controls were getting in the way of what I wanted to do in the game. The battlefield can be zoomed using standard pinching gestures, and to change your field of view you can either swipe your finger around the screen or touch the mini map in the top right corner.
Lining the right side of the screen are all the buttons and menus for building your base as well as training units. Just like the PC version, units can be queued up to train multiples at once. Placing a new building in your base is as simple as tapping it from the "build" menu, at which point a grid appears on top of the terrain and your building can be placed with familiar green and red highlighting indicating valid placement.
Once you've got your army built, you can organize units in to three squads assigned to the three buttons on the left hand side of the screen. To select units, you can either tap them to select individual units, or by tapping a button on the bottom left corner of the screen you can drag a selection box around units on the battlefield. From there, another button on the bottom of the screen allows you to assign your current selection of units to one of the three buttons on the left side of the screen.
The graphics and sound in Command & Conquer Red Alert are absolutely phenomenal. Everything is rendered in beautiful 3D graphics, and some of my favorite tracks from other Red Alert games have made their way in to the iPhone version. In these two categories, the game excels.
However, like most games from long-standing franchises that wind up on the iPhone, Command & Conquer Red Alert is substantially trimmed down. On one hand, this is without a doubt among the best RTS games available on the platform, but on the other, the game is very minimal and when I step back from my incredibly fond nostalgia of the Red Alert series, it seems like a $9.99 vessel to sell downloadable content packs.
The amount of content the game itself comes with is disappointing, to the point that I didn't mention it in the preview as I was fairly certain they were going to add more in to the game when it was finally released. Unfortunately, it has remained the same. Without looking to the in-game store, the content in Command & Conquer Red Alert is limited to two brief campaigns which feel more like tutorials and two skirmish maps you can play against an AI opponent.
The single $0.99 DLC pack which is available with the launch of the game offers six additional skirmish maps and a couple extra units. In the future EA plans on releasing a free update to add local multiplayer via WiFi or bluetooth, but currently you're stuck playing these maps against an AI controlled army that has no difficulty adjustment-- likely creating gameplay that will be boring to veterans of the genre and frustrating to newcomers.
So in the end, how much you enjoy Command & Conquer Red Alert will largely depend on what you expect out of the game. For an iPhone game, EA does a great job with the controls and stellar music and graphics make watching and listening to the game much more fun. Unfortunately, the game does feel remarkably bite sized, with neither very much content nor much replay value without buying more maps via DLC. And launching a $9.99 game with a $0.99 DLC just doesn't sit well, especially when the downloadable packs don't feel as optional as they should be.
We generally try to avoid discussing game pricing, as everyone feels differently on what is and isn't an acceptable price for a game. It just seems to me, that if you're launching your game at the top-end of the App Store pricing spectrum, it shouldn't require an additional DLC pack for gamers to feel like they're experiencing a more complete game-- especially in a Command & Conquer game which historically have come with an unbelievable amount of maps.
If you can get around feeling nickel and dimed buying what seems like something that should have been included in the initial version of the game, Command & Conquer Red Alert is great. Unfortunately, with how little content is included, I'd suggest waiting to see how the multiplayer updates pan out.
Eliminate [App Store] has been somewhat of a sensation on our forums since its initial release in Canada. Our Canadian members (as well as quite a few "Canadians") have really enjoyed having early access to the game, and aside from the somewhat expected reactions towards the energy system and in-game microtransactions, it seems like everyone is having a lot of fun.
We extensively previewed Eliminate last month, and very little has changed since then short of some tweaking of the energy system and increasing the recharge time. Still, as mentioned in the preview, you can play Eliminate for as long as you'd like to without paying a penny-- Your character advancement will just be slowed as you will only earn credits (the in-game currency used to level up and buy equipment) while you're energized.
I highly recommend downloading Eliminate. It's free, you've got nothing to lose. Regardless of how you feel about the payment system ngmoco is using to fund the game, it's still one of the more impressive multiplayer games available on the platform, and experiencing that won't cost you anything.
Update: Eliminate is available in most major iTunes markets, it seems there are still some countries that haven't seen it yet, but most European stores as well as the US store are currently stocked with Eliminate.
This past weekend was a big one for the App Store, with a number of major releases. In case you missed it, here are a couple that we already covered, and a couple we haven't had a chance yet to get into detail.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert ($9.99) - EA's real time strategy game arrived in the App Store late last night. We previewed the game back in October and a much closer look is coming shortly.
Doom Classic ($6.99) - The classic first person shooter which set the standard showed up on Friday night. Overall, a great rendition of the game that we already looked at, though the controls feel they could be improved still.
Eliminate (Free - Canada Only) - The beta for ngmoco's first person shooter Eliminate began on Friday but for Canadian customers only. They plan on expanding to a worldwide release after sufficient testing.
Games with a similar gameplay mechanic to IUGO's Cliffed [App Store] will always have a place in my heart, as I burnt through countless sets of AAA batteries in my TI-83 through school playing a calculator game called Falldown which consisted of little more than navigating a small grayscale ball through sets of obstacles trying to fall as far as you could before being pushed up the top of the screen.
Cliffed takes this exact game premise, adds unlockable characters to play as, online multiplayer, global leaderboards, obstacles, and the ability to dash right or left to make it to the next level of platforms. Controls are delightfully simple, with giant arrow buttons on each side of the screen to control your character's movement. Double tapping makes you dash in that direction.
Online multiplayer works great, although sadly at this point there isn't much of an online community to speak of. I've managed to arrange a few games with friends online, but just trying to find a game with random opponents is easier said than done. That being said, when you do actually arrange a game, the multiplayer is fun and lag free. Cliffed would greatly benefit with the inclusion of some kind of friends system with push alerts, or some other way to get people in to your online games.
Cliffed is a great example of yet another iPhone title that takes an amazingly simple gameplay concept and fleshes it out with unlockables and online functionality to create a much deeper experience. If you're tired of all the games that have you jumping up, maybe it's time to give one a try that has you falling down.
Following an extremely positive preview earlier this week, Wheeler's Treasure [App Store] was released this evening. Wheeler's Treasure is a pirate themed high scoring game with randomly generated levels, so no two play-throughs will ever be the same. Packed with items to discover, treasure to collect, and bad guys to stomp on, the game brings a surprising amount of replay value to the table which is only enhanced by the inclusion of online scoring via OpenFeint.
The goal of the game is to see how many yarrds (get it?) you can accompany a wheel through a sidescrolling environment filled with all kinds of obstacles. You can use the wheel to shield yourself from enemies, avoid hazards, swing, jump, and more. Your character is moved using simple swiping gestures, and buttons in the bottom corner of the screen control the use of your items.
The game has a feel of part mini-game and part platformer when you first start playing, and is certainly one of the more original games we've seen in the App Store. It takes more than a few tries to learn the game's unique gameplay mechanic and how best to utilize your character's jumps and equipment to make it further along each time.
What makes the game really stand out from just another "make it further" casual game is the ability to unlock up to 16 different pieces of equipment that can be equipped prior to your gaming sessions. Each of these items give you a special ability that can aid in your run. For example, the standard pirate hook lets you hold on to the top of the wheel to avoid ground obstacles. Meanwhile, this video shows an unlockable Voodoo Pocketwatch which slows time down:
Choosing which equipment to use obviously dramatically changes each gameplay session. This keeps the gameplay evolving and makes you come back for more.
The developer plans on supporting Wheeler's Treasure with free content updates, and has already been polling our forums on what to include next. The game may suffer a bit from being a bit too different, as it doesn't really fall into an easily recognizable category. But I still adored the game in our preview and all the initial reactions from forum members in the game's thread are overwhelmingly positive.
The much publicized Commodore C64 emulator from Manomio is finally coming back to the App Store. The app has had a rocky history with an initial rejection, public out cry, App Store approval and was then pulled from the App Store by Apple due to inadvertent violations of the SDK terms.
We once again had the opportunity to speak with 
The next game we will see on the App Store from id Software will likely be Quake Classic, which will eventually be followed by Quake 2 and then Quake 3. The release date for Quake Classic, however, is likely several months off, and he's still shooting for one iPhone game per quarter. Carmack also reports that another "from scratch" iPhone-specific game is still in the plans at some point next year. This game hasn't even gone into the design phase, but he expects it to be based on 
If you were a PC gamer in the mid 90's, the very mention of Command & Conquer likely brings back memories of massive battles, elaborate bases, the cumbersome Westwood Online multiplayer, and best of all- The game coming with two discs to give one to a friend to play against without having to buy a second copy of the game. Westwood was eventually acquired by EA, and through numerous sequels and spin-offs there have been over 30 million copies sold across the franchise.
Eliminate [
This past weekend was a big one for the App Store, with a number of major releases. In case you missed it, here are a couple that we already covered, and a couple we haven't had a chance yet to get into detail.
Games with a similar gameplay mechanic to IUGO's Cliffed [
Following 
