iPhone shmups

[Anesthetize]

Ok, I have a decision to make. I'm finally getting a smart phone. If shmups weren't an interest of mine, I'd more than likely be getting a Droid of some sort. But since Cave's most recent phone games are iPhone exclusive, I'm seriously getting an iPhone instead.

Both EspII and DFK on iOS look quite fun, and most reviewers seem to agree. But are they enough for me to get the iPhone instead of the Droid? Are there any other shmups worth mentioning on either phone?

Also, the new phone will be through Verizon. It's still an iPhone 4, but can anyone confirm that the apps will even work on the Verizon version?

[IDruggedShamu]

-

[Thjodbjorn]

Bug Panic is t a shmup, but it's a fun little game anyway.

[IDruggedShamu]

-

[dpful]

Here's some shmups on the Iphone that I like: (there's another thread for this somewhere, but I've got I phone right in front of me now).

Sketch Nation Shooter
InfinityGene
Assault Squadron
Espgaluda2
ifighter
Ultrablast
Superlaser
rRootage free
Phoenix
Dodonpachi Resurection

[Kaspal]

Here's some shmups on the Iphone that I like: (there's another thread for this somewhere, but I've got I phone right in front of me now).

Sketch Nation Shooter
InfinityGene
Assault Squadron
Espgaluda2
ifighter
Ultrablast
Superlaser
rRootage free
Phoenix
Dodonpachi Resurection

Add to those:
Hotfield
ISUD(it shoots you dodge)
1942 1st strike
1945 AirStrike
Rosswell Fighter
Radiant
Assault Squadron
Flight Attack
AstroWings
Bunz Fighters
Lightning Fighter
Sky Smash
LibertyWings

i have some more... but i think those are the ones worth mentioning.
i resisted the itch for a long time, but when i saw there were enough shmup love for me to have on the go, i just coulndt take it anymore and got myself an iTouch... dont regret it at all... DDP Resurrection its just AWESOME!.

[Anesthetize]

Is the gameplay/control pretty similar between iPhone and iPod touch? I'm assuming things feel a bit different on the iPad since it's so much larger, but are the other two pretty comparable?

[louisg]

Is the gameplay/control pretty similar between iPhone and iPod touch? I'm assuming things feel a bit different on the iPad since it's so much larger, but are the other two pretty comparable?

Yeah, I think it's the exact same software running on both iPhone and iPod Touch

[Kaspal]

Is the gameplay/control pretty similar between iPhone and iPod touch? I'm assuming things feel a bit different on the iPad since it's so much larger, but are the other two pretty comparable?

Yeah, I think it's the exact same software running on both iPhone and iPod Touch

iPhone4 and iTouch 4thGen are basically the same machine ... so playing one or the other wont make any difference (if you dont count the load times, which are a lil faster on the iPhone4 due to double ammount of ram on that machine).

on the iPad ... you have more room for playing, moving around and stuff, but since most of this games "force you" to moveyour ship with the finger, i think its not than comfy to play them on the iPad... even tho you have more real estate to look at things and avoid bullets and shit.

when the games started comming out on the iDevices, i thought it could be really bothersome to play them there... but you get acustomed to it in no time... and IMHO, the iTouch and iPhone are better for gaming than the iPad.... i dont know, theres something about the iPad that doesnt convince me.... but i must recognize that playing something like Plantz vs Zombiez plays way better on the iPad than on the iPhone.

Anyway, i think its all a matter of taste... i like the pocketable ones better.

[Anesthetize]

Well, I went ahead and put in my preorder for the iPhone, so I guess I'll be able to decide for myself in a week!

[kemical]

i picked up an ipod touch 4g a couple weeks ago for development and gotta say it is one of the nicest consumer electronics purchases i've made in a long time.

[exquisite_torture]

Infinity Gene and rRootage aside, the only ones worth bothering with are the 3 Cave games.

[BrianC]

when the games started comming out on the iDevices, i thought it could be really bothersome to play them there... but you get acustomed to it in no time... and IMHO, the iTouch and iPhone are better for gaming than the iPad.... i dont know, theres something about the iPad that doesnt convince me.... but i must recognize that playing something like Plantz vs Zombiez plays way better on the iPad than on the iPhone.

I found the iPad to have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to control. The shmups I have control well with a finger, though the arrangment of the buttons in the expert mode of Espgaluda 2 took some getting used to. The size is overwhelming and it's less comfortable to hold with one hand, but the extra screen real estate makes percise touches easier.

Plants vs. Zombies is better on iPad mainly due to missing features on the iPhone version. Considering the hardware is the same with extra RAM for iPhone, there is no good reason why the iPhone can't have the same features.

As far as shmups go, Infinity Gene, Noiz2sa Free, rRootage, and Espgaluda 2 are good stuff. I also like the iPad Geometry Wars (though it seems the iPhone version currently has some issues, telling from comments in the app store) and Minotaur Rescue (controls take some getting used to, but the game is great fun).

[Frederik]

I bought an iPod Touch specifically to play the two CAVE shooters on it, but in the process discovered that there are TONS of fantastic little gaming gems on iOS as well. Some people still are stuck with the mindset that "this isn´t a real gaming machine since it has no buttons and all games are lame little flash game ripoffs", but if you ask me these people are just jealous that especially small indie titles are taking off so hugely on the platform. Sure, for bigger games it can be a pain (virtual joysticks are most often a terrible solution), but for games specifically made for the platform it works really well. Monster Dash, They Need To Be Fed or Hook Champ prove that even virtual buttons can work with stunning precision if they are made with the platform in mind.

DDP:R and Espgaluda II are indeed very brilliant games, I especially enjoy the iPhone mode on EspII - most of the time you aren´t really dodging or shooting anything (except for the boss fights), just going in and out of the Awakening mode, cancelling bullets to turn into gems and just at the right time convert all the bullets onscreen into giant gold ingots. Once you get the hang of it and find the right milking spots it´s ridiculous in a Bangai-O "tons of shit on the screen" kinda way.

I have to say, though, that it took me a couple of days to get used to the touch controls, especially memorizing the location of the virtual buttons. I recommend controlling your ship with your index finger instead of your thumb, at least that works much better for me.

rRootage is a very fine port, the free version has the standard resolution and I immediately spend the 0.79€ to get the hires version. I find the touch control in the CAVE ports very enjoyable and it´s even more fun here since you don´t have to keep any other buttons in mind. rRootage is perfect for short sessions, the later stages get very challenging and the bullet patterns are inspired by all kinds of CAVE titles. Kinda makes me wish DDP and EspII had shorter score attack modes as well, or at least separate score keeping for every stage. (There are other ports of Kenta Cho games on the app store, but none of them had nearly the same quality as rRootage.)

There appear to be more CAVE ports in the pipeline, here are the results of the last survey:
http://caveworlden.wordpress.com/2011/0 ... ey-report/

[Question 4] Tell us some of the genres you play (multiple selections OK).
The top 3 for Japan here was:

1st Shooting Games
2nd Action
3rd Puzzle games

For overseas:

1st Shooting Games
2nd Roleplaying
3rd Puzzle games

Last time, Shooting games didn’t even make top 3, but this time they’re #1! Looks like everybody really loves their shooters: a very satisfying result for us.

[Question 27] Tell us which CAVE games you would like to see ported to the iPhone (Multiple selections OK).
Maybe this is the question everyone has on their mind.

Ok, first the Japanese rankings!

1st Dodonpachi Daioujou
2nd Mushihimesama Futari
3rd Ketsui
4th Mushihimesama
5th Dodonpachi
6th Deathsmiles
7th Deathsmiles II
8th ESP Ra.de
9th Akai Katana
10th Espgaluda

Next, the overseas rankings!

1st Mushihimesama Futari
2nd Deathsmiles
3rd Ketsui
4th Dodonpachi
5th Dodonpachi Daioujou
6th Mushihimesama
7th Espgaluda
8th Guwange
9th ESP Ra.de
10th Donpachi

In Japan we had the same results as last time, with Dodonpachi Daioujou on top, and overseas (probably due to the Xbox 360), Mushihimesama Futari at #1. Both overseas and Japanese users picked Ketsui as #3!
Very interesting results for us.

I would be really, really surprised if the next port wasn´t Futari. They already have the vertical setup down, know how to port the SH3 hardware titles, and they established the brand to the iOS audience with Bug Panic. Next could be most likely Deathsmiles, seeing how it did so well in the arcades and on the 360. And who knows, maybe even Ketsui, DDP and DOJ in the future, since they already teased the masses with the "history" section in the iOS port. I´m really interested in how the iPhone arrange modes will be for either games, too - as I said, the EspII one is brilliant and I even like it on DDP:R, despite the stupid ship-rotation-hyper stuff - the bullet grazing to charge up your multiplier and then cashing it in was quite interesting.

These are some non-shmup games I´m currently in love with (yeah, this is off-topic but whatever):
Hook Champ and Super Quick Hook, two extremely well produced "hook swinging" titles;
Tilt To Live, a bullet-dodging game a bit similar to Geometry Wars Pacifism, with very interesting modes - Code Red basically starts you off in bullet-hell, just a very compelling scoring game. It looks a bit bland in screenshots, but it´s straight up arcade action and the tilt controls are surprisingly accurate as well.

I wasn´t really too much into Bug Panic at first, but it is very well made - I really loved the music in the ice world, and it´s fun trying to score once in a while: You can chain enemies together like in DDP, and the annoying flies that pop up all the time are actually for keeping your chain alive during the enemy sections, very clever. The only downside is that the virtual joysticks just get in the way all the time - I died way too often because Reco would either go too slow or walk into a slight wrong direction. I´d MUCH rather have an virtual d-pad than these terrible virtual joysticks, which ruin almost any 2D game (including Geometry Wars, which breaks my heart).
Tapping the screen works well, but having to do dragging motions all the time is just not working for me at all. Thankfully, the best games on iOS have very precise and elegant controls despite the lack of actual buttons.

And I love Doodle Jump.

[Frederik]

i picked up an ipod touch 4g a couple weeks ago for development and gotta say it is one of the nicest consumer electronics purchases i've made in a long time.

I agree. I was a bit of an Apple hater some time ago ("overpriced, overhyped, locked-down lifestyle crap!"), but once I held the new iPod in my hands it just sucked me right in. I have a hulking work PC, but I love just lying in bed or sitting on the toilet and browse around from time to time. Some site-specific apps are much better than the actual sites - Reddit in particular, but also Flickr, YouTube and Facebook. It´s just so nice to have a mini-computer that doesn´t make any noise, doesn´t get hot, or doesn´t suck electricity like my big PC does. I´m even considering buying an iPad some time in the future, even though I distinctly remember laughing at that thing when it was first unveiled. It certainly doesn´t do a lot of things, but what it does it does extremely well, which is something a lot of people (my past self included) don´t realize because we´re so used to throw tech specs around and think it´s all that matters.

I still think their computers are a bit too pricey, but for 230€ the base iPod Touch is an incredible bargain and easily the best value-for-money product Apple ever had in its lineup. Anyways, enough Jobs/Jonny Ives-asskissing

[Kaspal]

i picked up an ipod touch 4g a couple weeks ago for development and gotta say it is one of the nicest consumer electronics purchases i've made in a long time.

I agree. I was a bit of an Apple hater some time ago ("overpriced, overhyped, locked-down lifestyle crap!"), but once I held the new iPod in my hands it just sucked me right in. I have a hulking work PC, but I love just lying in bed or sitting on the toilet and browse around from time to time. Some site-specific apps are much better than the actual sites - Reddit in particular, but also Flickr, YouTube and Facebook. It´s just so nice to have a mini-computer that doesn´t make any noise, doesn´t get hot, or doesn´t suck electricity like my big PC does. I´m even considering buying an iPad some time in the future, even though I distinctly remember laughing at that thing when it was first unveiled. It certainly doesn´t do a lot of things, but what it does it does extremely well, which is something a lot of people (my past self included) don´t realize because we´re so used to throw tech specs around and think it´s all that matters.

I still think their computers are a bit too pricey, but for 230€ the base iPod Touch is an incredible bargain and easily the best value-for-money product Apple ever had in its lineup. Anyways, enough Jobs/Jonny Ives-asskissing

i had almost the same mentality that you had.... but i still think their products are overpriced... i just happened to bite the bullet cuz i so wanted to play those babies .... but now, i wont go to the "throne" w/o it. there are quite a few games to keep me entertained for awhile... not only shmups, but puzzlers (i LOVE sarang!!), racers (real racing 2 its amazing!) and platformers...

in certain cases i wouldnt change a real analog or d-pad controller over the touch controls, but in the games in which the touch controls have been considered from the design phase, i have nothing else to say but "bravo!".

im keeping this lil b!tch for a couple years and see how it goes, but so far, im loving it.

[kong]

I just wish the ipod touch 4g had a better battery. Battery life is garbage on my touch. I've been looking for a battery case but it's slim pickings for the 4g right now. By the way Phoenix just had a pretty nice update and it's definitely worth checking out. The game is a steal for a buck. One of my favorite shmups on the system.

[Kaspal]

I just wish the ipod touch 4g had a better battery. Battery life is garbage on my touch. I've been looking for a battery case but it's slim pickings for the 4g right now. By the way Phoenix just had a pretty nice update and it's definitely worth checking out. The game is a steal for a buck. One of my favorite shmups on the system.

oh yeah!... i dont know about the iPhone4, but the iTouch 4thGen wont last you more than 3 hours while playing... and since i dont use it to listen to music, i cannot say how much will it last on that matter... thats the problem with such slim devices, they dont pack a "real" battery.

[superquake]

I've played a load on my iPod Touch, and apart from the Cave games, the only three I've kep installed are Shmup, Phoenix, and Magic Kui.

[-Bridget-]

I bought an iPod Touch specifically to play the two CAVE shooters on it, but in the process discovered that there are TONS of fantastic little gaming gems on iOS as well. Some people still are stuck with the mindset that "this isn´t a real gaming machine since it has no buttons and all games are lame little flash game ripoffs", but if you ask me these people are just jealous that especially small indie titles are taking off so hugely on the platform. Sure, for bigger games it can be a pain (virtual joysticks are most often a terrible solution), but for games specifically made for the platform it works really well. Monster Dash, They Need To Be Fed or Hook Champ prove that even virtual buttons can work with stunning precision if they are made with the platform in mind.

I have to completely agree here.

Originally I'd been rather skeptical myself of the sorts of games that would be on such a platform, but after getting an iPad myself, I ended up being quite satisfied indeed with it's, uh, gaming...ness. Anyone that says "oh it isnt a REAL gaming platform" has certainly not tried one. I ended up liking this well more than the DS or PSP; there's just WAY MORE GAMES on here that I actually care about. Even better, quite alot of indie games do very well on here. And I just love indie games.

I dont have any issues with virtual-joysticks or any of that myself, to be honest. Though, it might be BECAUSE it's an iPad and not an iPhone or iPod Touch. I always think that some of these games would have quite cramped controls on the smaller devices. But playing something like Bug Panic, I generally find that the controls are precise enough.... just takes getting used to.

As for the shmups, Cave's games being on here were one of the big reasons I chose this over one of the Android tablets. They didnt disappoint, either.... both of their shmups are very well done on here, and have excellent new modes. Galuda's is a little.... strange.... but still fun.... and I think DDP's is just pure genius. Though I'm never sure just what the best scoring tactics for that one is.

I'd kill for a port of Futari onto this thing. Or Ketsui.

I'd list some other shmups that I have on there, but aside from Geometry Wars I dont have much; I end up downloading alot of non-shmup games as well, so... yeah. Not to mention that the App Store can be a bit..... obnoxious to browse. Based on this thread, it would seem there's quite alot of shmups on there for me to try out; but finding those WITHOUT someone directly telling you what they are is something that doesnt happen easily.


EDIT:

There is ONE complaint I can think of though: I wish that games on this type of platform didnt tend to have such.... generic sounding names. That type of thing does NOT make them easier to sell.

For example, alot of people probably wouldnt think a game called "Super Mega Worm" would be much of a game.... so generic sounding.... in actuality though, it's one of the best arcade-ish games I've yet found on there (seriously, go try it if you havent).

[Frederik]

Flying Hamster just got a limited time price drop from 2.99€ to 0.79€ (and whatever that is in dollars). I kinda liked the demo so I'm going to pick this up for sure. Seriously, the AppShopper-app is a terrific tool - also got Real Racing 2 for half price.

And yeah, battery life sucks a bit, especially big games like DDP drain them quickly. However, turning down the brightness really helps, I keep it always below 50%, everything above is just blindingly bright for me. I think the battery life is okay considering how much tech is in such a tiny device - but there is a reason I stick with my cheap Nokia dumpphone for actual calls

Definitely going to check out Super Mega Worm as well!

[JoJo]

DDP DFK is the only shump I have bought the full game for on iphone (have Espgaluda 2 on 360).

It plays VERY well and proves the iphone is capable of being a nifty game platform for more than just flash-like games. It's fun being able to play as Hibachi too.

When tweeted about him appearing in other games they went "nice idea but for now playable hibachi is an iphone exclusive"
=(

[Frederik]

The iPhone-mode on EspII is pretty nifty, much simpler than the original arcade mode but it has a juicy, over-the-top feel to it. You basically milk enemies and bosses to death - if you get the timing right you can stay in Awakening-mode for the entire stage, at least with Asagi. It feels less like a shmup and more like Bangai-O at this point, but its deeper than it looks and really enjoyable. Its also easy to control since it works perfectly with the one-button config.

[Kaspal]

I've been playing some "Phoenix" today, and while im inlove with this game, i really HATE its control scheme... i mean, it's cool that you can move your ship around with your thumb and all that, but somehow i feel like theres a lack of fine tunning there... responsiveness or some inertia added that sometimes leave you hanging in the worst moment.

i mean, i can control DDP:R ships with no problem, and i can make it to the 5th boss with one credit on that game in hard difficulty (playing for survival, ofcourse!... i dont really understand the scoring system yet), but ni Phoenix, while i just made a score over 1 million, getting there was no easy feat, and all because of the control scheme... im pretty sure the game would be better if the control was a lil more responsive!... anyway, what do you guys thing about that game?

[Shatterhand]

How do you play shmups in an iphone ?

I just got a new cellphone with touchscreen support. I've been trying a few games on it, and every game that requires me touching arouind the middle of the screen to control anything is pretty much unplayable IMO. I mean, I put my finger on screen, I can't see anything else but my finger. That's seem a pretty stupid way of playing games, or I am just doing something wrong.



Well, to be quite honest, everything I tried on it was pretty much garbage anyway.

[dcharlie]

Some people still are stuck with the mindset that "this isn´t a real gaming machine since it has no buttons and all games are lame little flash game ripoffs

yup - this plus "I will NEVER buy an apple product" mindset. I just don't understand why , as a consumer, you'd shackle yourself. Everyone i've heard say this has ended up buying an iphone/ipad/ipod touch too - so they get to look dumb twice!

But yeah, it's not going to replace your entire gaming life over night, but there's a ton of fun time killer games AND shmups! What's not to like ? Yes, real controls would take it up a notch, but for 5 minute games - it's prefect.

I just got a new cellphone with touchscreen support. I've been trying a few games on it, and every game that requires me touching arouind the middle of the screen to control anything is pretty much unplayable IMO. I mean, I put my finger on screen, I can't see anything else but my finger. That's seem a pretty stupid way of playing games, or I am just doing something wrong.

With the cave games, and ISUD etc.. you can put your finger ANYWHERE on the screen and the relative movement of your finger moves the ship. So you can have your finger away from where the action is and move the ship accordingly

[Shatterhand]

With the cave games, and ISUD etc.. you can put your finger ANYWHERE on the screen and the relative movement of your finger moves the ship. So you can have your finger away from where the action is and move the ship accordingly

So I need to keep moving my finger constantly to keep my ship moving, or does it work more like a normal joypad, when I move my finger to the right a little, the ship keeps moving to the right until I "center" my finger again?



I am just curious, I don't see me buying an iPhone in the next 3 years

[JoJo]

With the cave games, and ISUD etc.. you can put your finger ANYWHERE on the screen and the relative movement of your finger moves the ship. So you can have your finger away from where the action is and move the ship accordingly

So I need to keep moving my finger constantly to keep my ship moving, or does it work more like a normal joypad, when I move my finger to the right a little, the ship keeps moving to the right until I "center" my finger again?



I am just curious, I don't see me buying an iPhone in the next 3 years

Get an ipod touch then.

As for controlling shumps on an iOs device, in DDP:DFK and ESP2 shots are mostly on auto-fire and you roll your finger to move the ship around (indeed, breaking the speed limit). In ESP2 you have buttons you can tap to set focus, charge beams etc and in DFK you can get buttons to switch shot/laser/bomb and in Iphone mode use a Hyper, in Arcade it will auto-hyper (this is slightly irritating as it makes Ura Route on stage 1 next to impossible). But otherwise it REALLY works well.

[rancid3000]

I've been playing some "Phoenix" today, and while im inlove with this game, i really HATE its control scheme... i mean, it's cool that you can move your ship around with your thumb and all that, but somehow i feel like theres a lack of fine tunning there... responsiveness or some inertia added that sometimes leave you hanging in the worst moment.

i mean, i can control DDP:R ships with no problem, and i can make it to the 5th boss with one credit on that game in hard difficulty (playing for survival, ofcourse!... i dont really understand the scoring system yet), but ni Phoenix, while i just made a score over 1 million, getting there was no easy feat, and all because of the control scheme... im pretty sure the game would be better if the control was a lil more responsive!... anyway, what do you guys thing about that game?

I would consider myself a fairly big iDevice gamer. Two $50 gift cards sure help with that haha. Anyway. Phoenix has the potential to be a great game. I always play it and try to like it but ultimately the controls get to me. In DDP:DFK, Espgaluda II and I.S.U.D. your ship moves as fast as your finger can move on the screen which is how shmup controls should work on the iDevice. In Phoenix your ship cannot move as fast as your finger can and seems to lag behind it's movements slightly.

The other thing that really bothers me in that game is that they throw patterns at you that you cannot avoid due to the size of your hitbox. It's not that they are difficult to dodge but the space they leave you in some bullet spreads is just too damn small for your hitbox to make it through. This leads you to take damage and become very frustrated.

Other than that I like the randomized idea of the game.

[rancid3000]

The cute-em-up Flying Hamster is on sale for a limited time for 99 cents. It originally costs $3.99. I wound up buying it for $4 and at 99 cents it's a steal. The artwork is awesome and it had me laughing. It's pretty challenging as well. There is a free version as well to try out first.

Full version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flying-h ... 33758?mt=8

Free version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flying-h ... 29087?mt=8