Oceanhorn, one of the very best action-RPGs available for iOS, recently received a free âGame of the Year Editionâ upgrade.
This update brings 4 hours of additional content, mostly in the form of an entertaining new fishing minigame and an extensive new island.
If youâre a fan of RPGs who hasnât downloaded Oceanhorn yet, fix that immediately. This is one of the most polished and most well constructed gaming experiences available on iOS , and with this update, itâs better than ever.
A game announced 5 years ago played with a controller announced 5 months ago
Bioshock for iOS. It’s real. It’s happening. It has MFi controller support. And later this summer, you’ll be wanting to download it immediately.
This is a game with a long history. Bioshock for iOS was announcedyears ago, at least as far back as 2008. It immediately became one of the more highly anticipated iPhone games, but ended up dropping off the radar entirely. This all changed a few weeks ago, when publisher 2K Games tweeted an image that seemed to imply Bioshock for Apple devices was back on.
At some indeterminate point over the past few weeks, members of the press (no not including myself) were allowed to spend some hands-on time with Bioshock. Interestingly enough, they were allowed to play it using the MOGA Rebel controller. A controller which was promised to be revealed months ago, then which completely vanished, along with MOGA themselves.
First, TouchArcade provides an exhaustive, excellent hands on preview of the game, complete with 20 minutes of gameplay footage. Interestingly, they make no mention of the unannounced Rebel controller, perhaps implying that they already have one and are under NDA. Still, their impressions of the game are absolutely worth a look.
[…] All in all Bioshock on iOS is the same Bioshock we’ve known for the past 7 years. It controls just as good as any first-person shooter on a touchscreen, and paired with an MFi controller it’s just like playing on a console. The visuals have been ever so slightly toned down, but you’d be hard-pressed to tell. There are a couple of nifty extras like a digital art book and Game Center integration for leaderboards and achievements, but the biggest benefit of all is that the whole shebang fits snugly in your pocket. Or bag if you’re playing on iPad. But either way, it’s quite a marvel.
Next up, GameSpot shows a full video of actually playing the game with a controller (which they incorrectly refer to as the Moga Hero Power), and writes up additional detailed impressions of the game. Notably, GameSpot is NOT an iOS focused organization, so their impressions of the iOS version are the occasionally jaded views of PC and console gamers.
If the only thing stopping you from experiencing last-gen classic BioShock was the lack of a portable option, you’re about to have one less excuse. Publisher 2K announced today that BioShock is coming to iOS.
But in a hands-on session with an early build of the game, it seems to be a remarkably faithful port of the original. Obvious concessions had to be made to fit the game on less-powerful hardware, so there’s a noticeable dip in quality in the game’s textures, lighting and shadows, and sound compared to the original. Yet even with the downgrades, it’s still an impressive mobile accomplishment.
While it might not compare with Bioshock’s 6 year period between announcement and release, the MOGA Rebel has still been missing in action for quite some time. Originally teased back in February, MOGA revealed a partial image of the controller, and promised more information at GDC.
Mock-up of the Moga Rebel I created based on the leaked teaser – not bad at all, I think
Unfortunately, after inviting members of the press to a meeting at GDC, MOGA abruptly cancelled the reveal. Since that time, their status as a company is unclear. Their controller has fluctuated in availability, having been pulled from the Apple Store for a few months, only to be returned recently. Requests for comment have gone unresponded.
It’s great to see that both the MOGA Rebel and Bioshock for iOS are making progress – it’s been a long time coming in both cases. Bioshock for iOS is scheduled for release later this summer. Hopefully the MOGA Rebel won’t be far behind.
Lawnmower Retro Arcade, a NES rom inside an emulator with full MFi controller support, was just released on the App Store. Itâs unclear if this was an oversight on Appleâs part, or a change in policy, but traditionally theyâve frowned on emulators.
A NES game with MFi controller support
Fans of the NES with a little technical know-how (and who arenât interested in jailbreaking) will want to download this one immediately, on the off chance Apple removes it from sale.
Also a nice bonus: for those not interested in any behind-the-scenes fiddling, the Lawnmower game itself is actually strangely addictingâ¦
Super Crossfighter, a highly polished arcade game from developer Radian Games, has just been released for free with MFi controller support.
Taking inspiration squarely from Space Invaders and similar games, Super Crossfighter further expands on the genre by adding a unique “warp” feature, where you can quickly send your ship from the bottom of the screen to the top in order to collect powers and dodge incoming projectiles. From that point on, you continue playing the game from the top of the screen down until you warp back again. It’s an interesting mechanic that adds a level of depth to this game that distances it from being a mere Space Invaders clone.
Super Crossfighter has a somewhat complicated history. It was originally titled Super Crossfire, and published by Chillingo on a wide variety of platforms. Unfortunately, that name was subject to a trademark dispute, forcing the removal of the original version from sale. Developer Radian Games has opted to rename and re-release the game under their own identity, without Chillingo’s involvement.
Because of all these issues, Super Crossfighter is currently free for a very limited time, to allow owners of the previous release to upgrade. Even if you’ve never purchased the previous version of the game, now is a great time to give this one a try – it’s a lot of fun, and you can’t argue with the price.
Tower defense fans, start your downloads: the excellent Prime World: Defenders has been updated for full MFi controller support!
Prime World: Defenders combines tried-and-true tower defense mechanics with an engrossing storyline and top-notch visuals and production values. Controllers are fully supported, both in-game and for menu control.
High production values meet classic TD gameplay
Of the tower defense genre, there are two main types: maze-based and path-based. Maze based games allow you to construct towers anywhere you want to, allowing you to determine the paths your enemies will take on their way to your base by constructing a maze of defensive towers. Path based games have a preset path that enemies will follow, and task you with constructing towers along that path. Prime World Defenders is a path-based game. However, while path-based TD games have a tendency to get old over time due to a lack of variety, Prime World Defenders counters this through the use of randomly generated missions.
One of the more interesting and unique aspects of Prime World: Defenders is the way in which you collect new towers. These towers are presented as cards that you earn for completing various tasks. You decide which towers you’d like to be able to build by building a deck of these available cards. This, coupled with an upgrade tree for more general abilities, allows for a great deal of flexibility in how the game is played.
Choose your tower rollout from a collection of cards
It’s difficult NOT to recommend Prime World Defenders for fans of the tower defense genre. Graphics, presentation, polish… everything is absolutely first rate. Controller support is implemented excellently. It’s free to download, with the option to purchase in-game currency.
A free and ad-supported version of the excellent retro-styled action platformer 2-Bit Cowboy is now available. Just like the $0.99 paid version, this free version is compatible with both Standard and Extended layout MFi controllers.
Classic, retro platforming action
I covered the original version of 2-Bit Cowboy in a lengthy review, and I don’t have much to add here. It’s a fun, solid, game that does a great job harkening back to the pixel-art platforming games of the NES and GameBoy. If you’re a fan of that sort of game, you should definitely give this game a look. Especially now that you can do it for free.
Recently, Square Enix saw fit to release a surprise update for Secret of Mana, adding controller support, and tweaking some of the visuals.
While controller support is a welcome addition, of course, some of the visual changes are a little less welcome. New is the “widescreen mode”, which basically adds unnecessary green bars to the sides of the screen, rather than allowing the standard letterbox black bars. Also new is “retina” graphics, which basically amount to a blur filter dropped over the previously-beautiful pixel art.
A bit blurry and with tacky borders, but controller support more than makes up for it
These changes are perhaps unfortunate, but they certainly don’t ruin the experience. Secret of Mana is one of the most beloved and respected RPGs of it’s generation. Seeing the iOS version get ANY love is always welcome. And the control improvements really are a massive improvement. In addition to full controller support with both Standard and Extended layouts, movement now takes place over 360 degrees of motion. All previous versions of this game locked motion along preset axes.
Facebook users now have one more option to get the latest news from Afterpad, thanks to our new Facebook presence at facebook.com/Afterpad!
This website will still remain the primary source of information – the Facebook page is simply another option for fans of that social network. It joins Twitter (twitter.com/Afterpad), Tumblr (tumblr.com/follow/Afterpad), as well as our traditional RSS Feed options.
Transworld Endless Skater, a recently released skateboarding game for iOS, takes on a difficult task of merging the twitch-reaction lane changing gameplay of Temple Run with the combo-based extreme sports gameplay pioneered by the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. After spending some time playing this game, I’m happy to say it executes that mash-up splendidly.
Transworld Endless Skater tasks you with transversing a series of levels which are presented in a straight path, with a variety of lanes. Your goal is to trick, jump, and grind your way across various obstacles and jumps, while at the same time changing lanes to avoid hazards and find the best trick spots. i
Controller support is mixed. Extended controllers are fully supported both in-game and in the menu, but Standard layout controllers like the PowerShell and the Junglecat don’t work properly. Changing lanes requires tapping the left and right bottom trigger buttons, which Standard layout controllers don’t have. Hopefully this will be fixed shortly, because aside from this one complication, there doesn’t seem to be any issue playing with the Standard layout controller.
Other than that, controls are mapped very similarly to the old Tony Hawk games – A to jump, B to grab, X to trick, Y to grind. It’s a welcome familiarity, considering just how much time I put into the old THPS series on the Playstation! This is one of those games that plays so, so much better with a controller than it does with a touch-screen.
Indoors and outdoors, often throughout the same level
Transworld Endles Skater does a great job bridging the extreme skateboarding genre with the lane-based reaction genre. Fans of either would be wise to give it a shot. It’s free to download, with a “Gamer” in-app purchase to remove ads and increase cash drops.
Update
Good news: according to the developer’s comments at the end of this review, an update has already been submitted to enable full control with Standard layout controllers!
A lite version of the recently released twitch-reaction-platformer Manuganu 2 just hit the App Store, and like its full-featured sibling, features full MFi controller support.
Fun, polished platforming across colorful worlds
I reviewed Manuganu 2 a few weeks ago and quite liked it. If you’re still on the fence, check out the review, or just download the lite version – it is absolutely worth the few minutes it takes to give it a shot.
