methodist embarrassing: BnBGaming's iOS Hot List: Retro Edition

Posted by Tom Rippon on Thursday, February 16, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

This week, Apple?s App Store has been flooded with retro titles. Even on the homepage, they are being emblazoned in front of gamers eager to get their fix of an old classic. This week?s Hot List will be taking a look at some of the classic titles available on the App Store, as well as a few modern greats that tip their hats to retro.

Atari?s Greatest Hits (Free, Atari) Universal

On the App Store page for Atari?s Greatest Hits, there are three things worth noting. The first is the onslaught of poor review scores from players who bought this app thinking it would take them back to their younger years. The second is Atari?s description of the selection of almost a hundred games included in the app as ?the golden age of gaming?. The third is the statement that Atari have paid ?close attention to [players'] feedback?.

There would be little point in me talking about how the games play, because I?m sure everybody has played an arcade game before. No, I?ll avoid talking about the touch-screen making controls difficult, and instead focus on the way the collection of games is put together in Atari?s Greatest Hits. Although the initial app is free, it only comes with Missile Command pre-loaded. If you want to actually revisit your childhood favourites, you?ll need to pay an extra ?0.69 or $0.99 per four games, or ?6.99/$9.99 for the entire collection. To me, this seems quite steep, especially since Atari?s arcade games had their time in the sun several decades ago. Instead, it just seems like they?ve realised people still like the games, and want to re-release them with a hefty price-tag. The four games you can download are not even fully your choice. Pong caught my eye when I first opened the app, and so I decided I?d buy that. I didn?t realise that I wouldn?t be able to choose for myself which other titles were downloaded. So I ended up with a ?game? called Basic Math, and two others I haven?t been able to find.

Don?t get me wrong, I love classic games, and have a lot of respect for the Atari titles, but to me and, judging by the review scores, to most gamers, the prices are just too high. Perhaps in Atari?s case, the golden age should have stayed dead.

Canabalt (?1.99/$2.99, Semi Secret Software) Universal

You?d probably have to know the history of the incredibly successful Flash game to know that Canabalt is in fact not a full-fledged retro title. Yes, it has a wonderful pixelated art-style and an addictively simple gameplay mechanic, but the truth behind Canabalt is much more? Originally a five day project started by Adam Atomic, Canabalt went on to have some of the most awesome music in an iOS game, as well as being a very popular free Flash game during its time on the net. However, it was quickly ported to iOS platforms, and although it isn?t a recent title, it?s still garnering a lot of attention from gamers everywhere.

The basic premise of Canabalt is that you must escape from a destroyed city by jumping onto billboards, buildings, and other structures, while trying to ignore the giant shadowy monsters lurking in the background. It?s incredibly simple ? all you have to do is touch the screen to jump over obstacles and gaps ? but equally addictive. Like retro games, it uses a leaderboard to keep players interested, so you?re constantly going back to try and beat your last effort. The layout of the game changes every time you play, too, so you may just get lucky a few times. Despite the rather high price, Canabalt is definitely worth the money.

Namco Arcade (Free, NamcoBandai) Universal

Like Atari, Namco are trying to cash in on their older titles. And although as I was playing Atari?s Greatest Hits I never thought I?d be saying this, they got something right. In camparison to Atari?s selection of games, Namco?s offerings are laughable. Namco Arcade comes with five games, instead of Atari?s hundred, and although they insist more games are on the way, I don?t understand why they didn?t just wait for all the games to be ready and release one really massive collection.

Unfortunately, Namco Arcade is running a similar scam to Atari?s Greatest Hits. None of Namco?s games are free to play, like Atari offered with Missile Command ? instead, Namco gives players one free game per day, and if you want to play more, well, you?d better pay for it. You can either buy in-game coins to spend on your favourite games, or buy the game completely for an even bigger price. It actually makes me feel quite disappointed to see this as the case from both Atari and now Namco ? they are both undisputed champions of classic games, but by charging such extortionate amounts to play, especially in Namco?s case, they alienate the audiences that just want to revisit their favourites. My advice would be to avoid downloading Namco Arcade altogether, because it?s a slippery slope. You?ll end up buying coins to play a game ?just one more time?, only to finish and wonder why you wasted your money. If we wanted to spend so much on retro games, I like to think we?d just go out and buy the original arcade machines.

Ice Rage (?0.69/$0.99, Mountain Sheep) Universal

Ice Rage doesn?t really have a retro feel in the same obvious way that a game like Canabalt does, but it still has the charm and simplicity that is present in most classic games. From the makers of Bike Baron comes Ice Rage, a brilliant ice hockey game that brings speed, simplicity and intense fun into one entertaining package.

By controlling an angry little hockey player, it?s up to the player to win in various matches of ice hockey, whether against AI in a Quick Match or Tournament, or in Multiplayer mode, which pits you against other players either on your own screen or from around the world. Honestly, it was actually difficult to put the game down just to come and write this small segment about it, but I did it, so I think I deserve a pat on the back. Ice Rage is so very simple to play, with its joystick and button combination (oh, there?s the retro influence!), and most importantly, it really is fun. It?s got a great style that echoes the successful Bike Baron, and the gameplay is addictive and rewarding. There?s a kind of thrill that comes with tackling your opponent and scoring an awesome goal, and Ice Rage really brings that excitement to iOS devices.

Extra content is available to download, too, but unlike the arcade titles mentioned above, the content seems worth it. For ?0.69/$0.99 you can buy a whole range of new characters to play as, including a bear and Santa. There?s a great sense of humour behind Ice Rage that I?m always happy to see in a game. If you only buy one game on this week?s Hot List, make it Ice Rage.

Another World ? 20th Anniversary Edition (?2.99/$4.99, Eric Chahi/Dot Emu/BulkyPix) Universal

The brainchild of world-famous games designer Eric Chahi, Another World is renowned among critics for its incredible cinematic style and gorgeous visuals, which wowed gamers back in 1991. Following the journey of Lester, a young scientist who is accidentally teleported to an alien world, this platforming game provides a stiff challenge, where players must rely on logic and skill (and a lot of trial and error) to escape an oppressive alien race and avoid a series of deadly traps along the way. The 20th Anniversary Edition features touch controls, which, despite being a bit too fiddly for the game?s more difficult sections, do the trick, and players can switch between the original visuals or the remastered HD mode at any time by sliding two fingers down the screen (pleasing purists or intrigued fans in the process). Still beautiful and wonderfully evocative in even today?s world of high-definition 3D gaming, this is a must-have download for fans of the original and younger gamers that never had the chance to try it out.

Check back next Thursday for more of the best and worst iOS games of the week.

Filed under iOS Game News, iOS Game Reviews, iOS Games, Retro, Video Game News ? Tagged with arcade, Atari, Canabalt, classic, gaming, greatest hits, hot list, ice rage, iOS, Namco, Retro

Source: http://bnbgaming.com/2012/02/16/ios-hot-list-retro-edition/

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