In fact, Gameloft was very wise in porting this game to the iPhone platform. As far as traditional-style games on Apple portables go, control issues can tend to muddy an otherwise well-developed user experience. Innovative platform-targeted titles like Rolando escape these nagging issues, but a straight-up hack-and-slash RPG is a different fish.

Graphics and Audio

The look and sound of this game are exactly what you would expect if you’ve played previous Gameloft offerings like Hero of Sparta or Assassin’s Creed. You view things from a third-person, three-quarters perspective, which is right in line with the Diablo games it so liberally borrows from.

Your character’s look changes depending upon what class you choose, and what items you have equipped. It doesn’t display quite the level of detail and variety that you get from Diablo 2, but it does do a fair job of keeping things interesting for those easily bored by their character’s avatar.

Monsters and NPCs on the other hand get recycled quite a bit, but let’s be honest, all we’re looking for here is a point-and-click experience fest, and for those purposes, the baddies serve well enough.

In terms of sound, Dungeon Hunter doesn’t offend, but the score also won’t be claiming any awards any time soon. If you tire of vaguely ominous orchestral music, however, there is the nice feature of a built-in music player complete with unfettered access to your iPhone’s music library in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, tucked away nicely where it doesn’t get in the way of anything.

Classes, Attributes and Skills

You can choose from three different classes in Dungeon Hunter. There’s the basic Warrior, the more lightly clad Rogue, and finally the Mage, who is obviously the chief magic user in the bunch. I like the simplicity of class choice, since you don’t get all muddled up trying to choose between shades of difference, like those that exist between a Warrior and a Barbarian. I chose a Warrior as my first character, as I always do, because magic is girly and lame.

Speaking of girly, ladies are out of luck with avatar choices, since there aren’t any heroes of the female persuasion to choose from. That might be story-driven, since you take on the role of the recently deceased king of the land, but I suspect it has more to do with making game design and coding easier.

Each class will assign your attribute points according to their strengths. You can later assign two points per level as you progress in the game towards the attribute of your choosing. I’ve been throwing mine around with abandon, and so far it hasn’t negatively affected gameplay.

Skills are class-specific, and include both active attacks and spells and passive buffs. There is not very much variety here, but each skill has a number of levels so you won’t soon run out of places to put the points you acquire when you level up. In addition to these, you get a Fairy spell that changes depending on which Fairy you currently have equipped. You find these creatures throughout the game.

Gameplay

In Dungeon Hunter, the controls shine, so long as you have click-where-you-want-to-go mode enabled, which is off by default. You can use the virtual stick if you want, as has been the standard for Gameloft’s other action-adventure titles, but tapping where you want to move just feels natural in a Diablo-esque title, and it works well on the iPhone. Spellcasting isn’t as smooth. You have to flick through your available skills to change which you want to use, so I just basically stick with one and put all my skill points into it.

As in Diablo, you travel from town to town and to various dungeons in between, following your central quest arc. You can also pick up a number of side quests along the way, many of which yield items, experience, or both. I wouldn’t call any of the side quests complex or overly detailed, but they also don’t feel tedious, so it works well.

Once you’ve cleared an area, you can either just quit to the map or fight your way back to the entrance to exit. You can also return any time you like to pick up items and defeat more enemies, which respawn. Helps with the occasional grinding that’s required to beat a boss.

Verdict

I paid $7 for this game, and I would gladly do so again. It may only provide a fraction of the addictive, life-ruining enjoyment that I derive from the Diablo series, but it provides it anywhere, any time via my iPhone, and it does this all with sound design and a certain amount of style to boot.

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Each studio showed off one of its new titles. While not particularly enthralling when you’re watching mostly for the thrilling possibility of revolutionary software/hardware announcements by Apple itself, considered after the fact, there were some impressive showings from third party guests at today’s presentation.

Madden NFL 10

EA presented last, but announced a title that’s nearest and dearest to my heart. Just in time for the start of the NFL’s regular season, EA released Madden NFL 10 ($7.99, iTunes link) today, after demoing it onstage at the event. It’s on sale until the real kick-off this Thursday, too.

The game features all 32 NFL teams, real players, and real stadiums. The playbook isn’t too shabby either, with almost 300 plays available to choose from. You can also draw your own passing routes on the screen using your finger and the iPhone or iPod touch’s screen. Season play is included, and roster updates will be part of an upcoming feature update. The game also auto-saves the state on exit, so you never have to worry about losing your game when you take a call.

Nova

Gameloft also got some facetime at today’s event, and it took advantage of the opportunity to show off its new first person shooter. Called Nova, it features a space marine hero (original!) blasting aliens, presumably in space somewhere.

Nova makes use of Gameloft’s powerful 3D graphics engine that’s found in titles like Modern Combat: Sandstorm, and has a similar control scheme, with movement on the left and firing controls on the right. Multiplayer via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is supported, as is iPod library access. Is it Halo called something else? Is Gangstar actually GTA? Either way, Gameloft is very adept at what it does, even if it’s actually only what other people have already done, except smaller.

Nova will be available later in the year. No word on pricing yet, but expect it to be somewhere around the $10 mark.

Riddim Ribbon

Presumably pronounced “Ride’em Ribbon,” this game puts you in the DJ/driver’s seat. It’s by Tapulous, makers of Tap Tap Revenge, and it follows in the popular rhythm game’s footsteps. You race down a ribbon track, and you have to follow the groove and create a dynamic track in the role of DJ in order to further your progress.

You control your racer via tilt, and use the accelerometer to jump at certain points. The Black Eyed Peas will provide featured music for the game. Completing a track essentially remixes it, and you can then share that remix with others online. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

Assassin’s Creed 2

French Studio Ubisoft showed off the sequel to its flagship title, Assassin’s Creed today. Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery puts new emphasis on the fighting aspect of the game, featuring more realistic combat.

There are also some interesting iPhone-exclusive features, like the ability to take a photo of yourself and use it in wanted posters in the game. The iPhone and iPod touch version will be a puzzle and platform-based side-scroller, unlike its open world console counterpart. The game’s setting does match the console’s Renaissance-era backdrop, though. Expect it sometime later this year.

A lot of these games look like they will be pushing the envelope of iPod gaming, which is probably why Apple chose to highlight them today. The only one I’m picking up for sure is Madden, but that’s because I’m a degenerate Madden addict, no matter the platform. Any of these catch your eye today?

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I think I may have achieved a grasp of Gameloft’s concept design strategy for their iPhone catalog. It seems to have something to do with being “inspired” by titles and franchises that are already wildly successful. You can’t help but see the similarity between Hero of Sparta and God of War (even syntactically). Likewise, with Rise of Lost Empires ($4.99, iTunes link), their new real-time strategy game for the platform, which resembles a certain other title in which humans and orcs do battle strategically.

Don’t get me wrong, Gameloft’s “inspiration” strategy is not something I’m against. It has resulted in some very fun games to date, and Rise of Lost Empires is, hopefully, just one more opportunity for them to get iPhone gaming right with yet another lovely homage. If the original dev studios aren’t bringing the platform any love, I’d rather Gameloft did than no one at all.

RTS On a Phone?

Once upon a time, I was a devout real-time strategy fan; Warcraft, Starcraft, Command & Conquer, Age of Empires, and so on. I like that they’re generally easy to grasp, but become very challenging very quickly. I also like building and resource management, which is something very few other types of games offer.

But on a phone? A touchscreen phone, no less? I used to play Warfare, Inc. on my Palm pilot back in the day, and the iPhone port was fairly successful, but in general, good RTS games require a depth which doesn’t seem to fit with the iPhone’s casual vibe.

Surprisingly, I found Rise of Lost Empire’s controls to be very intuitive and easy to use. Whether or not depth of play is sacrificed on the portable platform is another story.

Graphics & Audio

Rise of Lost Empire doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look amazing, either. The isometric perspective works very well for buildings and structures, but characters and sprites look a little generic and lazy, in my opinion. It all adds up to give the game sort of a retro/RTS traditionalist vibe, which is not a bad thing.

Audio is pretty good. Characters even have recorded vocal snippets for when you click on them, order them to do things, etc. I really appreciate that opposing factions have different death cries so that I can keep track of what’s going on, even if I’m not watching the action at the moment.

What surprised me about the game’s graphics was that even though I’m playing this on a 3GS, occasionally there is actual lag when the action gets intense. It only happens when there’s an inordinately large number of sprites sharing the screen at the same time, but considering how fast the game boots and loads, it still came as quite a shock.

Gameplay

Gameplay is where Rise really falls for me, and unfortunately it’s the most important category of all. I give credit to Gameloft for trying to find the right balance between gameplay depth and ease-of-use, given the platform, but I find that they don’t quite find the right mix. In fact, they may miss the mark on both counts.

The game takes resource gathering out of the equation, having revenue come in automatically from your home castle, and any farms you build. It takes the problem of commanding grunts or peons off your hands, but that’s an integral part of the RTS experience, and as a result Rise feels more like a shallow RPG (thanks to Hero leveling).

Finally, the difficulty seems manageable enough, but level design leads to massive gaps in how achievable a particular goal is. Castle defense against waves of enemies seems unmanageable, while simple attack-and-destroy missions require little more than a quick trigger on your hero’s “Heal” ability and a small group of tightly clustered soldiers.

Verdict

Lag issues and questionable difficulty scaling mar an otherwise nicely put-together iPhone RTS in Rise of Lost Empires. In other words, unless you have a really bad RTS itch, and you need to scratch it with an iPhone offering while you wait for Starcraft II to come out, you might want to skip this particular Gameloft offering. Try out the free version (iTunes link) before you go coughing up any cash, at least.

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Graphics

The game looks good on the iPhone, about as good as it does on the DS, judging from the screenshots I’ve seen online. Going from dual to single screen means that some game elements change, but it never felt like I was missing out on anything by not having the second display. Gameloft throws in a video introduction which is gorgeous, with gameplay footage taken from the PS3/Xbox 360 installment of the series. It might mislead people not familiar with the graphics limitations of the platform, but it’s not a big deal.

In-game CG video segments are just plain bizarre, though. Often I had trouble figuring out what was going on, and they’re shown in little frames in the center of the screen, making them very, very small. Also, during non-playable interactions using the actual sprites, character movement was often improperly synced with voice-over audio, which just seems unprofessional in a title of this caliber from this particular developer. I also think that some video segments just plain didn’t play, because there were times when I had no idea how I got to be where I was.

Still, minor issues aside, it’s a good-looking game, and gameplay only slowed a couple of times — pretty much on par with Hero of Sparta, or Gun for the PSP.

Audio

Despite sync issues, and problems with the game’s writing and storyline, voice-over work was actually pretty impressive in Altair’s Chronicles. The audio quality of the voice tracks is great, and the acting isn’t terrible. There seem to be a lot of arbitrary differences between what characters actually say and what the subtitles think they’re saying, but it’s more amusing than anything else.

Soundtrack and sound effects are both done well. I especially appreciate the sound that indicates a special action button is available, because I’d miss it without the auditory cue most of the time. My largish thumb generally obscures that part of the screen.

Gameplay

I actually haven’t played Assassin’s Creed for either the PS3 or the Xbox, so my impression of the gameplay here won’t be comparative with that title, which I don’t think is fair anyways, considering the disparity between the platforms. The most important factor for gameplay on the iPhone/iPod Touch, for me, are controls. In this case, Gameloft stuck with the formula that worked for them in Hero of Sparta and Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes. That means you control movement via an on-screen D-pad, and jump/attack/perform actions with buttons on the right side of the screen. The difference is that where those games were primarily action-oriented, Altair’s Chronicles is very much a platformer.

It works well enough, although there were a few very frustrating moments when it seemed like bad camera angles and awkward controls combined to make simple tasks infuriatingly difficult. In fact, that probably helps explain why Gameloft peppered in Checkpoints with such frequency. It almost makes frustrating control experiences seem like challenging gameplay. Almost, but not quite.

Even so, I did finish the game the same day I started playing it (albeit on “Easy”), so the control issues weren’t enough to make me give up altogether (although I did have to take a couple extended, frustration-based breaks). The game is thoroughly playable, and some of the mini-games, like picking people’s pockets or interrogating people, are perfectly suited to the iPhone platform.

Verdict

If you liked Hero of Sparta, and/or Brothers in Arms for the iPhone and iPod Touch, you’ll probably also enjoy Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles. Don’t go looking for a great and illuminating story line, however, since it seems like a broken and hastily cobbled together prequel at best. Also, be ready to wish you had a physical D-pad, which for me is just part of the iPhone gaming territory at this point, and a trade-off I’m willing to make for some more traditional platform gaming from time-to-time.

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Apple may or may not be thinking about it this way, but the iPhone App Store is fast becoming a moral battleground for the gaming and entertainment industry.

Forget the ESRB, forget the MPAA, the new moral authority developers and studios have to contend with is Apple’s App Store reviewers, and they may be setting the bar pretty high, at least judging from a recently publicized rejection. The app denied, in this case, is a “South Park” one (not the original Imaginationland game, which remains available), which would have brought a range of “South Park” content to the iPhone and iPod touch.

The app had been submitted in October 2008, but kicked around the review process for quite some time, actually being rejected twice until its development team finally decided to stop bashing its head against the wall and let the thing die a peaceful death. Apple’s reason for blocking the app, which provided clips, information, and other media for “South Park” fans to use and view on their phones, was that it was “potentially offensive.” Throwing the “potentially” in there is a nice attempt to evade being painted as arbiters of morality, which is just what I’m doing in this article.

Macworld UK points out that full seasons of “South Park” are available uncensored from Apple via iTunes as it is, and can therefore be easily transferred to the iPhone, so refusing to offer clips of the same content via an iPhone app seems a little arbitrary. “South Park” developers said that Apple suggested App Store standards would evolve, just as iTunes standards did (explicit lyrics were originally not allowed), but why should it require a separate evolutionary process? It is, after all, an addition to iTunes, not an altogether different beast.

My big problem with this latest rejection is that Apple is beginning to take on the role of industry councils set up for the purpose, made up of members representing a variety of concerns. Because of the success of the App Store, and since they are able to set the terms of access for developers, they are becoming a private company with the authority of a regulatory board, and as such have undue influence over what does and doesn’t get made. Hopefully the advent of mobile app stores from so many other carriers will force the establishment of some kind of standards governing software in this space, so that Apple can’t keep single-handedly setting the industry tone.

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Let’s start with the familiar parts. Gameloft established a successful blueprint for iPhone/iPod touch game control with Brothers in Arms, and, luckily, they’ve carried over the core components of the system for Hero of Sparta. The control disc is located in the bottom list, and controls the direction and movement of your character in the game. On the right are the action buttons, which include your Weapon button and your Shield button. The Weapon button controls whatever offensive gear you’ve got equipped, and the Shield button controls blocking and special abilities.

In a move taken pretty obviously from God of War, you can initiate special kill sequences for certain enemies, above and beyond your basic attacks. When these are available, a special button appears above the Weapon button. Hitting this will trigger a special move, which you complete by tapping the screen in the appropriate place as buttons appear. I never had any trouble completing any of these, so I don’t find them particularly challenging, but they do break up the action and keep things interesting.

Visually, the game is also similar in quality to Brothers in Arms. The graphics are comparable to PSP games, with Gun coming to mind specifically in terms of the appearance of character models. There were no noticeable slowdowns, and environments and in-game cutscenes were also impressive. As with BIA, I didn’t feel like I was playing a game on a cell phone, which is definitely a good thing.

As for gameplay, I actually preferred it to BIA, probably because of the content and type of action. I’m a big fan of games like God of War and Devil May Cry in which you slash your way through waves and waves of enemies, and Hero of Sparta stays true to the model. They also introduce switchable weapons, abilities you acquire over time, and other unlockables and upgrades that elevate the gameplay over and above that provided by competitors like Kroll. Boss fights are fun, and require more than just randomly stabbing at things, although this is still a big component.

If you liked BIA, or Kroll, or God of War for the PSP, Hero of Sparta will probably provide you with a few hours of enjoyment. There are eight levels total, and an unlockable difficulty setting with harder enemies, where you keep and can continue upgrading your gear. The story is a little weak (why is the Spartan king called Argos? Just to confuse those of us familiar with Jason’s famed ship, I guess), but the monster-killing more than makes up for it. Until a genuine God of War games comes to the iPhone, it’s definitely the best hack-and-slash title available. Get it now for $9.99 in the App Store.

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Guitar Rock Tour has arrived to challenge Tap Tap Revenge‘s rhythm-action throne. The new arrival touts a bevy of terrific tunes to tap along to, plus the option to play drums or guitar, loads of characters and unlockable awards.

While Guitar Rock Tour may be Rock Band squished on to the iPhone, it’s just as loud and rocks just as hard. Whereas Tap Tap Revenge is free, Guitar Rock Tour costs a few bucks ($9.99) and as such is polished better than a factory fresh Fender Strat.

At the core of any decent music-based game is the soundtrack and, while all of the song in GRT are sound-a-likes of the real thing, these are well performed covers and during a frenetic, in-game jam session the tracks come across as hard-rocking and suitably authentic.

Choose your track in Guitar Rock Tour

There’s a real range of tunes too, most of them classics in their own right, from contemporary tunes like Bloc Party’s Banquet across to classic hits with recognizable riffs such as Message in a Bottlee by The Police. Conversely, Tap Tap Revenge is heavy on excellent, yet obscure, indie and electronic artists spiced with a few chart-topping acts like Kaiser Chiefs and The Offspring.

In essence, the soundtrack for Tap Tap Revenge is more experimental and certainly more edgy. Where Gameloft call on a Blink-182 cover for some cool caché in Guitar Rock Tour, the folks at Tapulous feature girl-kissing chart topper Katy Perry’s latest hit in Tap Tap Revenge.

Play drums too in Guitar Rock Tour

One thing that Guitar Rock Tour implements wonderfully is multiple instruments. For each track you’re able to choose between shredding your way to fame on guitar or beating your way out of obscurity on the drums. In particular, playing the guitar is a joy: with chords executed in a smart way and techniques included for hammer-ons and pull-offs.  As a result, it’s far more tactile-feeling than TTR.

Another feature in Guitar Rock Tour that is absent from Tap Tap Revenge (though not necessarily missed), is a Tour mode. After picking a character and signing a cartoony contract, you and your amateur band take to the road, playing tunes across the U.S. and Canada, and rocking your way to stardom.

Along the way you also pick up various awards, meet some odd characters and unlock new tracks to play live. The story is indeed silly, yet it’s great fun and certainly a compelling way of playing through the game’s selection of 17 tunes.

Stylized clarity in Tap Tap Revenge

In terms of the graphics, the aesthetic in Tap Tap Revenge has a stylized clarity, suiting tons of musical genres, while Guitar Rock Tour is designed with a gritty rock feel — it’s like Guitar Hero meets one of those dingy little bars where the bands jam around Hendrix tunes. Effectively, it’s cliché but it works and screams of console-gaming.

But although Guitar Rock Tour clearly means business, there’s a show-stopping bug that lets the entire game down. On tracks that require more shredding and finger-picking, the backing track falls out of sync with the guitar track. As a result, the game suddenly becomes a lot harder to play and the music ends up sounding like a bad covers band who can’t seem to play in time.

The folks over at Gameloft have made a raucous rocker of a music game, with a stomping soundtrack too, and yet sometimes it just doesn’t work. For now, we’d say hold back from investing until Gameloft patches the problem and releases an updated version of Guitar Rock Tour.

In the mean time, grab Tap Tap Revenge, it may not have all the extras of Guitar Rock Tour, but it’s free, plays very well and includes some fantastic tunes too.

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