Ok, this is something I've been thinking about for a week now, but have barely had the time to post about it.
Recently, while on a short vacation, I took a good look at the App Store on my iPhone. I had an itch to game, but being away, began to think outside of the box.
Let me just jump right and get to the point. Last fall I got an iPhone 3GS. I had a $400 credit with AT&T, so I only paid $200 for a brand new $600 phone. Awesome deal, I couldn't pass it up, and I have no regrets. I've had the phone for about six+ months now, and it's been nothing short of badass. For the most part, it replaces my casual computing entirely. I pretty much do not surf on my computer anymore [except for lengthy posts like this], and also deep net searching. Hell, I think the only things my computer[s] are used for currently are music production and hardcore gaming. And the hardcore games have sucked lately.
But times change. People change. Games change. For the past week, I've found myself in a state of awe, literally overwhelmed with the awesome things I've been finding in the iPhone's App Store. We're talking wild stuff, people.
I'll be honest, I was a skeptic initially when I got my phone, and a skeptic even more when I started snooping around the App Store last week. Since last fall, the only downloaded App I've had on my phone is Scrabble. The App Store has been up and doling out apps for over two years. I remember looking through the App Store the day I got the phone last fall, thinking mostly something along the lines of, "oh, neato..."
But now I look at the App Store every single day, wondering what will come out next. Over the course of this past week my phone has gone from having one single dinky Scrabble app to having the following additions:
1 MMORPG, 2 MMOFPS [1 like Unreal Tourny, 1 like CoD], an online Mario Kart knockoff, an online Bomberman, online Poker, and a Final Fantasy Tactics knockoff with an unique twist.
Heres a few pics of some of the games I've been totally dominating online...
^ Pocket Legends ^
^ Eliminate Pro ^
^ Brothers In Arms 2: Global Front ^
^ Cocoto Kart Online ^
And those are just the games.
So basically what I'm getting at is, Developers of all kinds of software have finally figured out how to make badass games and apps. I'm talking badass. Theres a 30 dollar app called LogMeIn: Ignition that lets you do GoToMyPC type of stuff. You can literally control any PC in the world from your phone. You could actually play a computer game on a PC on the moon, controlling everything on the PC from just your phone. Holy cow!!!
Let me put it this way - the makers of this Mario Kart knockoff, Cocoto Kart Online, stopped making the series for Nintendo DS and switched to iPhone full-time.
I've downloaded things like Speed Test, to check my Wi-Fi connection whenever I'm using a spotty connection around town. I've downloaded a few News apps, some of which feature LIVE STREAMING TELEVISION FOR FREE. Things like ESPN Sportscenter. Stuff like an IRC client. Or a Radio fetcher which can play over 50,000 live stations on-the-fly. For free!!!
But again, the real gems are the games. The diamond of all the games is Pocket Legends [pictured above earlier]. I know it sounds corny, but, playing WoW on your phone is a million times cooler than playing from your PC. No monthly fees, no initial app download purchase - you pay for end game content as it comes out. And it comes out constantly, so you're basically paying 2-5 a month to stay at the top. Oh, and did I mention PvP? No, I didn't, because it hasn't been patched in yet... but it will... and when it does... this game will be launched into my top ten games of all time list. Literally. It's that f'ing cool. The game just came out last month, too, so it's perfect time to jump in. The devs put out patches DAILY. They talk with the customers CONSTANTLY. The game actually plays like a balanced MOBILE DIABLO. If you own an iPhone and do not at least check this game out for the free content, then you're an absolute fail.
I mean, for the love of god - they're online!!!
Anyways, I just wanted to give a little exposure to something that certainly deserves consideration. The thing that amazes me the most is the willingness of developers to try something new and untested, and with truly cutting edge technology. I've played games with people from China, Costa Rica, Russia, England, France, Sweden, Mexico, and all over the world already. Right from my phone. Total spent on games? About $10. Worth every penny, probably more.
Stay tuned for album release... you do want free some music, right?