An iOS game that doesn't feel like a mobile game

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Marshall618, Jul 19, 2013.

  1. Marshall618

    Marshall618 New Member
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    #1 Marshall618, Jul 19, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2013
    Hey everyone,
    I haven't been here long, so apologies if this question has been asked a million times before (although I didn't see it in the forum's recent history).

    Can any of you suggest a game for iPhone that feels like a fully-fleshed out game, rather than a gaming experience tailored for portable play? I'd like to play a game with some weight behind it, that has a point of view. Not a Gameloft-esque copy-and-paste of a console game, or a game whose visuals impress but ends up feeling hollow. Something that feels complete.
    A few games of the type that I've played and spring to mind are...
    -The World Ends with You (a port, clearly)
    -Final Fantasy games/other Square Enix hits
    -Bastion
    -The Bard's Tale
    -Sid Meier's Pirates (yes, they've all been ports so far)
    -GTA Chinatown Wars
    -Flatspace
    -Ascension
    -King of Dragon Pass
    -Might and Magic
    -Galaxy on Fire 2

    Am I making any sense? What I really mean, is a game that doesn't leave you yearning for a deeper experience.


    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

    Jan 12, 2012
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    ^I assume ports are ok with you since your list has them so... I think these titles can be made into console games (even though some of them already are) and they'd play perfectly.

    XCOM
    Phoenix HD
    Danmaku Unlimited 2
    ARC Squadron
    Liberation Maiden
    Jacob Jones (but this is currently just Ep1)
    The Walking Dead
    Back to the Future
    KOTOR
    Limbo
    Zen Pinball
    Sine Mora
    Fireball SE
     
  3. MasterChief3624

    MasterChief3624 Well-Known Member

    Oct 11, 2009
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    A console experience on iOS... I'm not sure I've had such an experience. The touch controls, and inevitable interface changes because of those (especially troublesome with ports) take away any illusion that the games are anything but mobile games.

    That's just my opinion, though. Nothing wrong with the games listed so far, but ehh...

    I guess XCOM, from what I've seen, is the closest to this. Unlike KotOR, the interface doesn't seem like it was given a massive cluttering, and it is essentially a lite version of its console brethren. So I guess I'd say XCOM.
     
  4. Tronfan

    Tronfan Well-Known Member

    Jul 20, 2013
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    Infinity Blade 2 is pretty good , and Real Racing 2 and 3 , although 3 is freemium .
     
  5. Leegames

    Leegames Well-Known Member

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    Ex. game journalist and EiC now PR
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    #5 Leegames, Jul 20, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2013
    Hunters 2
    Dead Space
    The Walking Dead
    Dungeon Defenders
    Lili
    Wild Frontier
    Chaos Rings 2

    Are all pretty good candidates, I think. :)
     
  6. Vovin

    Vovin 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Nov 28, 2009
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    Gameloft's Order & Chaos.
     
  7. thesidewaystable

    thesidewaystable Well-Known Member

    Oct 24, 2012
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    I know this isn't very helpfull to you because I don't have any suggestions for games that feel like console games but are on IOS but I was just wondering why you want a game like that if you want a console game play a console game .It might just be me with this opinion but I think the simplistic time-wasting gameplay is what makes IOS gaming a popular and now respected platform (as shown by ports of some prestigious AAA titles)I guess what I'm saying is I would rather play super hexagon!
     
  8. Zevious Zoquis

    Zevious Zoquis Well-Known Member

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    #8 Zevious Zoquis, Jul 20, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2013
    I'm with thesidewaystable on this one. This is a fools errand - the quest for the "console experience" in a $1-$5 game on a device with no dedicated controller and a 3 inch screen.

    I guess what people mean when they refer to this console experience is the big FPSs like COD or the 40 hour rpgs like Skyrim and whatnot. Well, there really aren't any games on ios that get there - there's some that are a reasonable approximation for a portable device though (Bastion, XCOM, SuperBro's Sword & Sorcery..). However, some of my favorite games on the PS3 are games like Super Stardust HD and Pixeljunk Monsters and there are ios games that get pretty close to those.

    The fact is the idevices are best suited for a certain type of gaming experience. If somebody wants to define that as a "lesser" experience, well that's up to them, but its a totally subjective thing. Fruit Ninja is one of the best videogames I've played in years on any system. It definitely is not a "console experience" but that's fine by me...
     
  9. Alister

    Alister Well-Known Member

    Jul 1, 2012
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    #9 Alister, Jul 20, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2013
    Well try to take a look at these titles:
    Deus EX:The Fall
    Shadowrun Returns(I hope it will be released this coming week)
    Ravensword 2
    Frozen Synapse
    Iesabel(closest thing to diablo on iOS imo but it still needs some sharpening up).
    Might and Magic:Clash of heroes
    Sky Gamblers Series
    Crazy Hedgy
     
  10. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    But i cant take a console on a long train journey, i cant take a console (bit rude really) to my friends/parents if i go there for a weekend.

    'Simple time wasting gameplay' is popular on iOS but i always dislike it when people seem to think iOS consists of mostly 'Angry Bird' quick type games. iOS has many huge epic games you can come back to, Order & Chaos, Aralon, Ravensword II and many more.

    I think the days of thinking phones are just for 'quick simple games' are long gone. Look at something like Nova and you realise we've come a long way since Snake on an old Nokia phone.

    One huge thing i love about my iphone is that wherever i go i've got my favourite books/movies/music/comics and TONS of epic apps (some granted for quick simple bursts, others for long epic gameplay over weeks) with me at all times
     
  11. Zevious Zoquis

    Zevious Zoquis Well-Known Member

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    I consider all videogaming (and to a large extent, pretty much any hobby) to be "time-wasting" to some degree. Its what I do when I have free time to waste. The problem I have with the premise of threads like this is that there's an inherent value judgment being made. "Console games," and the "console experience" is presented as being a higher order of gaming experience than something like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja or other so-called casual games. I just don't feel there's any truth to that judgment. In other words, I don't think COD or Skyrim are necessarily better games than Fruit Ninja just because they offer however many hours of somewhat distinct gameplay (which I'd sort of argue is really more like 40 hours of strung-together casual games anyway.) I don't feel there's anything in playing 40 hours of Skyrim that really makes it a more meaningful gameplay experience than spending 40 hours trying to beat my high score in Fruit Ninja or trying to 3 star every level of Cat Physics.

    But of course, as has been pointed out already, there are quite a few games on the ios platform that offer a "deeper," more complex gaming experience than the traditional high score arcade type of game.
     
  12. basil

    basil Well-Known Member

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    Mage Gaunlet has never crashed on me, but if it were to I would take it out and blow the dust out of the cartridge if you know what I'm saying.
     
  13. Marshall618

    Marshall618 New Member
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    #13 Marshall618, Jul 20, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2013
    I appreciate all the comments.It's great that this has started a discussion. And I definitely appreciate the suggestions; XCOM, in particular, is one I've been meaning to play.
    You all have a point about finding a console quality game on iOS—that is to say, it's rather a fool's errand. I don't consider iOS games to offer a "lesser" experience. I play casual and deeper iOS titles all the time, and love them. I've sunk hours into Tiny Wings, and Triple Town, and play every genre. I support indie developer projects, and will always defend the iPhone/iPad as a gaming platform. I didn't think there was any value judgment in my question, however if it's an issue you're passionate about then I can see how it could rankle. Just because I'm asking for a game that isn't Fruit Ninja, doesn't mean I consider it a "lesser" game. It just means that I'm asking about a different kind of game.
    Yet, it's nice some times to play a game that doesn't feel like it was made for "pick up and play." It's a fine line, I'm aware. Still, there's a reason so many of us have been dying for a usable GBA/GBC emulator for iOS.
    I was probably unclear when I asked the question. I didn't mean that I expect to play a game that's had the same amount of time and money go into it as a console game by a major developer. I was thinking of a game that aims for a deep experience but doesn't leave you wishing it were deeper. It's an ambiguous category, which is why I thought it may stimulate discussion. Mage Gauntlet was a good suggestion.
     
  14. Tronfan

    Tronfan Well-Known Member

    Jul 20, 2013
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    I understand completely . Personally , Infinity Blade is good when I want something deep , but I mostly play angry birds , the blockheads , tiny wings , sprinkle, etc.
     
  15. Oceraux

    Oceraux Well-Known Member

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    I don't know if these games I will be mentioning is already mentioned, but..

    All 4 Sky Gamblers Games
    Dead Space (the best of the best)
    Real Racing 1 & 2 (but 2 is the best)
    Joe Danger - XBL port
    Modern Combat 4 (consider 3 too)
    Mirror's Edge
    Kinetic Damage

    That's all I know
     
  16. Wizard_Mike

    Wizard_Mike Well-Known Member

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    Horn and Deadspace have been the best "console-like" experiences I've had on my iPad so far. I was really blown away by both of them.
     
  17. sapphire_neo

    sapphire_neo Well-Known Member

    Jan 20, 2011
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    Ravenmark
    Ghost Trick
    Summoner Wars
     
  18. Edmilan

    Edmilan Well-Known Member

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    XCOM definitely!
     
  19. Zanna

    Zanna New Member

    Jul 21, 2013
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    Secret :)
    Australia, moving back to Cali
    I like mage gauntlet :) only so much space for portable games but this ones good ;)
    :D
     
  20. thesidewaystable

    thesidewaystable Well-Known Member

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    #20 thesidewaystable, Jul 21, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2013
    Saying what I said earlier aside I was thinking if I actually have a game with an experience on ios ,.Games which immerse you into their story I have played games like that such as superbrothers and year walk but I wouldn't compare them to the game I play most on my Xbox skyrim but then again superbrothers and year walk Are not my most played games on iOS they are probably :
    Super hexagon
    Ski safari
    Tilt to live
    Tiny wings
    Catch 22
    Backflip madness
    and Mage gauntlet
    Their not in depth like skyrim but I play them as much as skyrim .In a way that is a console experience.
     

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