Joe – One Year On: Second Sequence
The grass is always greener. It seems nary a year or two ago that I was writing about the origins of my Sega Megadrive (Genesis, yanks) as I sat at the rickety white desk in my university digs. I sit before you now live from my parents bungelow – unemployed and whimsical. Physical media is still around I see. Good stuff.
I stand before you today (that’s right, I got up) to put forth a case for the most underutilised bit of gaming technology this side of Sky Active. After 18 months of dedicated service from T-mobile I have swapped out my G1 for a brand spanking new iPhone 3Gs with Orange, and currently face the dilemma of how to meet the monthly charges.
It it well documented that the iPhone 3Gs’s graphical capacity exceeds that of the DS, and since it encompasses the same – nay, better – touchscreen technology as well as a tilt sensor I find it perplexing that the platform is sidelined by gaming media in favour of the latest PSP Syphon Filter port.
Nothing on Ifrit
Recently Squeenix saw fit to release Chaos Rings – an RPG for the iPhone that perfectly encapsulates the platform’s pick-up-and-go ethic. A substantial story that plays out like a crazy anime Battle Royale is frequently interspersed with intuitive and gloriously realised gameplay, harking back to the 3D-characters-on-a-2D-plain-save-for-the-battles Final Fantasies of old. Although the iPhone and any smartphone for the foreseeable future will be a slave to it’s battery life (the 3Gs clocks in at about 2 and a half hours when used intensively for gaming) it’s a welcome substitute or even replacement for the other competitors in the handheld market, at least until Cloud-based gaming steamrolls the whole affair flat.
Another tasty morsel I’ve been spending a lot of time with is Gameloft’s Resi-esque mash-up Zombie Infection. Following the trials and tribulations of a special forces agent throughout a pandemic-swept South America (again), Zombie Infection uses the touchscreen interface to effectively conjour the fluidity of any third person shooter. With 12 sweet-looking levels, clocking in at 200MB and sporting a £2.99 pricetag, although not as meaty as the Syphon Filter port that may or may not exist, it’s a fine example of the iPhone’s limitations, or rather lack of them.
Exotic zombies, without the controversy
The platform plays host to a wealth of gems that – thanks to the badly organised app store – are only made apparent through a chance remark, or video suggestion on Youtube. For 59 pence I found Pandorum – a survival-horror movie tie-in that owes a debt to Dead Space, and makes for a delightful albeit juddery romp as a result.
That’s not forgetting all the classic ports you can enjoy. Plants Vs. Zombies is just as complete an experience in the palm of your hand, and Dragon’s Lair would be but an abstraction to me were it not for that iTunes spending spree.
So next time your contract runs out, consider an iPhone. Sure, your HTC may have Flash, but does it have Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2?
Currently Playing:
Alpha Protocol – 360
