Can we game on the Jesus Phone?

plower glove | August 05, 2008 | Blog | Company Misc

The Jesus Phone (aka the iPhone) has all the tools it needs to be a gaming platform. But how do the pros and cons stack up to the established gaming devices in the industry? s0rethumbs.com takes an in-depth look at Apple's gaming wannabee.

iPhone weaknesses as a gaming platform:
Innovative controls shouldn't replace traditional controls. Remember "Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" for the DS? Remember its "innovative" touch controls? Honestly, they weren't too bad, but whose boneheaded decision was it to completely remove all traditional controls? I can't count the number of times I yelled *bleep* every time Link rolled into a pit instead of performing a stab. Just because you can have innovative controls, doesn't mean you should.. or even FORCE it without any options. For the sake of aesthetics (Steve Jobs thinks he's too good for buttons ), the iPhone lacks any sort of traditional controls. You are pretty much forced to use the touchscreen and accelerometer in every game and while it fits for some games (Aurora Feint), it doesn't for others (Try ANY FPS in AppStore). This pretty much constrains the genres that the iPhone can effectively support to puzzle games and slow paced adventure games.

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Deathsythe | August 06, 2008

quote
Just because you can have innovative controls, doesn't mean you should.. or even FORCE it without any options

That's my only real issue with the DS, Wii, and now the iPhone.

A lot of the gameplay does not call-for, nor require or mandate that you use touch controls of any sort. But in an effort to push their "innovative feature" they force the use upon gamers, resulting in spotty, sometimes even downright annoying gameplay.

Games like Pokemon:D/P, Advance Wars: DoR, and FFIV are great examples of how games can be fantastic on the DS without having to constantly use the touch pad. Just as the touchpad is a feature, it should be used accordingly- ie in some features of the game, but not the total gameplay itself!

I fear the iPhone has no choice but to go down this route, considering the lack of buttons.