gameloft

Hands On: GTA Lite...er, GangStar for iPhone

There are certain things one expects from a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game. Sure, there's the obvious: Violence, fast cars, and more violence, but what many GTA laymen don't know, is that GTA fans also expect (since Vice City at least) a rich, compelling story, with likable and (intentionally) unlikable characters. All told in a way only the best video games can.

After spending about two hours with Gameloft's GangStar I can safely say, they got the obvious right. Not so much the other stuff.

Gangstar is a GTA clone for the iPhone and iPod Touch where you play an ex-con named...honestly does it matter what his name is? Seriously, the main character and your sidekick are so similar in appearance I hardly ever know which is talking at any given time.

The game plays very close to GTA. Specifically GTA3. You run around, steal cars, mistakenly--thanks to the default and difficult to control accelerometer controls--run over pedestrians, and shoot and beat innocents to death.

There are also missions you can take by going to certain waypoints designated on your minimap. So far the missions have ranged from chauffeuring your boss around to following and killing groups of gang members. … Read more

Digital City No. 46: Debating the PS3 Slim, plus how to get your free Windows 7 upgrade

Episode 46 of the Digital City, where we debate the merits of the PS3 Slim, show how to get your free Windows 7 upgrade, and discuss new games from Batman: Arkham Asylum to GangStar for the iPhone.

Related links: >>Skip the PS3 Slim and get one of these Blu-ray laptops >>Should I buy a new laptop now, or wait for Windows 7? >>Are gaming handhelds too expensive?

>>Watch the Digital City live every Friday at 3pm EST on CNET Live! >>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes >>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page &… Read more

Can NFL 2010 for iPhone topple Madden?

NFL game fans, we feel your pain. Ever since EA locked up video game-publishing rights to consoles and PCs, Madden has become the only game in town--a monopoly on NFL gaming that eliminates free choice and, some say, removes a competitive need for change. We played the new Madden 10, and we happen to like it. Still, we miss the days when competitors such as NFL 2K5 actually existed.

But, in fact, one still does, and it's made by Gameloft. NFL 2010 (App Store link) hit the iPhone last week with relative quiet. Not only is it an NFL-licensed game, but it's a full-3D game with playbooks and complete league-accurate rosters. In case you're wondering how this happened, EA Sports doesn't own exclusive rights to NFL mobile games. In the mobile arena, competition still exists. Gameloft currently has a license to make NFL games as well, although only on phones and not for DS/PSP hardware.

EA is reportedly preparing an iPhone version of Madden, but for now, Gameloft's title is the only real-deal gridiron action on Apple's App Store. Of course, we were extremely curious as to how it would play, especially with no physical control pad. Read on for our impressions, and check out the gallery below. … Read more

For games, no big rush to speedy iPhone 3GS

The iPhone 3GS is already wooing game developers with its faster, more powerful platform, but don't expect a ton of games fully taking advantage of it to flood the App Store--yet.

Though 1 million iPhone 3GSs sold in one weekend, the latest Apple mobile device is essentially still a niche product, compared to the 40 million original iPhones, iPhone 3Gs, and both iPod Touch models already sold. And those won't be able to run games with the same efficiency and speed as the new iPhone 3GS.

In short, it's still too early to declare the era of iPhone 3GS games officially arrived. Some game makers are waiting, or not creating games to take advantage of the device at all. Some say it's "not wise" to play specifically to what is still a small slice of the audience combing Apple's App Store for the latest downloads. For example, Pop Cap, the company behind Peggle and Bejeweled for the iPhone, said its games are benefiting from the faster load times the 3GS offers, but it has no plans to create games that are iPhone 3GS-specific.

This wait-and-see approach may be contrary to what some expected. The iPhone 3GS was essentially an update to the iPhone 3G. The "S," we were told, stands for "speed." Indeed, there's a faster processor, a PowerVR SGX graphics chip that can handle 3D rendering, and support for OpenGL ES 2.0, a standard use for creating 2D and 3D graphics. It also has a magnetometer and a video camera, unlike other Apple mobile devices.

… Read more

Let's Golf tees off on iPhone

Let's Golf is a new game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that lets users play 63 holes in four distinct locations that have been remodeled in 3D. Those locations are referred to as Fiji Beach, the American Mountains, the English Countryside, and Scottish Lochs. You can choose to play as one of four customizable characters, and you can compete with friends via a Wi-Fi multiplayer mode. Let's Golf boasts scalable game modes ranging from Advanced, which allows you to add spin to the ball, to Causal, which is easier and lets just about anyone experience a Tiger … Read more

Gameloft goes west

The Oregon Trail, an Apple II classic, is coming to the iPhone and iTouch. The original Oregon Trail computer game was developed in 1971 by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger. The game taught school children about the realities of 19th century pioneer life. The player assumed the role of a wagon leader guiding his party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley along the Oregon Trail via a Conestoga wagon in 1848.

This old-school, side-scrolling voyage was entirely remade to take advantage of the multitouch display on the iPhone or the iPod Touch. The game … Read more

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week brings us a classic action platformer from the NES era.

WiiWare

Midnight Pool (Gameloft, 800 Wii points): Travel across America and compete in tournaments with a variety of different characters and locations. The game comes with three different play modes and adjusts to players of all skill levels. Virtual Console

Mega Man (1987, NES, 500 Wii points): The classic platformer is now available for the Virtual Console. What many regard as the worst box art for a game ever is also the first game in a legendary generation that still continues today. If you've never completed the … Read more

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week you can travel to the Wild West, go out for a spin with everyone's favorite hedgehog, or get terrorized in a mansion filled with horrifying enemies.

WiiWare

Wild West Guns (Gameloft, 1,000 Wii points): Take on the old west in Wild West Guns. The game offers various shooting modes including the chance to take pair in an old-fashioned train heist. Enjoy it alone or with a friend! Virtual Console Sonic The Hedgehog (1991, Sega Master System, 500 Wii points): Sonic The Hedgehog was the first game to give Nintendo and Mario a run for their money. … Read more

'Lost' game for iPod now available

Tonight is the season finale of Lost, and although I'm excited to see what happens, I'm also certain the show will leave us will an unbearable cliffhanger. I felt like rioting at the end of last season. How dare ABC toy with our emotions like this?

Well, to keep rabid fans from doing anything they might regret later (do they get Lost in prison?), Gameloft has created an iPod game of Lost that is downloadable from Apple's iTunes store for $4.99.

The game looks pretty cool and challenging, actually. It has 27 levels, weapons, wild animals, … Read more