Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, Software Update, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes impresses as an iPhone shooter
Here we go -- Doom on the jailbreak aside, the iPhone hasn't really had a nice example of shooter gameplay, though Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes (iTunes link) seems like it might be the breakout. It's made by Gameloft, who've been making mobile games for a while now, but the good news is that it doesn't look like a mobile game at all. The graphics are 3D and vibrant, and the sounds are very impressive. The control scheme is interesting -- it's more of a third person shooter, as you use the lower left wheel to move your character, and you can use the touchscreen to move the aiming reticule (seems like there's a little autoaim help in there as well). There are even cutscenes, multiple weapons to choose from, vehicles to drive, and a cover system (though there kind of has to be, with aiming that slow in places).
Still, very impressive for an iPhone game, and a very good bar-setter for the first major shooter we've seen on the platform. As you might expect, this isn't going to be cheap -- it's $9.99 in the App Store, and while this would be the perfect title for a demo (how else do you expect to sell a $10 app?), there's not one to be found at all. Still, if there's going to be such a thing as a premium game on the iPhone, this is probably it. For all of the colorful little puzzle and wordplay games on the iPhone, sometimes you just want to shoot some Nazis.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike said 9:24AM on 12-04-2008
Holy crap this looks impressive. I just might have to pick it up.
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james Churchman said 9:40AM on 12-04-2008
$10 is really cheap for a game this impressive, id personally have paid at least $15, maybe 20 (well the equivalent in uk pounds). Bought it strait away and, having only used it for 30 mins, have to say its amazing, never knew my iphone was capable of game play like this! (and i rarely even play games!)
james
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darren said 10:46AM on 12-04-2008
This gmae would cost $40 on the PSP - how is $10 considered expensive again? Sheesh, this is awesome. When force unleashed came out it became obvious that touch was workable, but needed some playing around and experimenting to find the right control scheme. This one looks pretty good - although turning around is a tad slow.
Heh, a game like this with bonjour multiplayer would make for some interesting meetings at work ;-)
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anthony said 12:05PM on 12-04-2008
ahh, it's not "reticule." It 's "reticle."
tony
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larry Friedman said 12:15PM on 12-04-2008
@4
Tony, don't be a little snot. Emailing them works just fine without proving your an OCD grammar Nazi.
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shinseiromeo said 12:46PM on 12-04-2008
My fav genre is FPS and I love my iPhone, but to me this looks horrible. Now I don't mean the graphics but the controls. To play a FPS you need either two joysticks or a mouse and keyboard. The player in the vid just keeps strafing and never really aims.
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Norman said 1:32PM on 12-04-2008
Watch the video again, he aims all the time, he has to adjust not only left/right but also height !!!
Alejoö said 6:10PM on 12-04-2008
actually, the game has 3 diferent control schemes and one of them allows u to play with 2 ''joysticks'' on the screen right to move forward n backward and left to move the camera and 2 fire buttons too
guilt+1 said 4:32PM on 12-04-2008
It'd be great if could get the game to run. All I can get is the splash screen then it goes black and nothing happens.
Developers weren't much help either just stating the obvious, delete/re-install/reboot.
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Chaseskip said 5:19PM on 12-04-2008
guilt+1,
Same thing happening here.
Support said to do a restore of the full iphone then try.
If that doesn't work, wait for our update sometime next week....
gordon.child said 6:23PM on 12-04-2008
Same here. Just a very black screen. I don't think I'll want to try a full restore to get it to work. Way too much effort.
Strongest Hylian said 5:28PM on 12-04-2008
It looks a lot like the Nintendo DS Brothers in Arms game, which I think is also developed by GameLoft. I'm not too sure, thoug.
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Libwolf said 5:41PM on 12-04-2008
guilt+1, Chaseskip -
I'm having the same problem with my 2.2 jail-broken touch.
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Noah said 6:31PM on 12-04-2008
Great, except for the fact that Cube was the first major shooter for the iPhone. It also does not look like a mobile game, in fact it's a direct port from the PC/Mac version, and the accelerometer control scheme is fantastic if you are able to sit down and stay still. It also is really good for aiming with some practice. This looks like a fantastic game, but get off of the game developer's teat and actually look at what's offered in the store. Cube is free, has multiple maps, and looks fantastic. Also, I've been playing 4-player free-for-all on my school's wifi with people who have iPhones and iTouches and Cube, so the multiplayer works great.
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mark said 6:41PM on 12-04-2008
Gameloft, test your ***** before SELLING it on the app store! I don't like being a $10 guinea pig for you!!! All I get is a splash screen and then crash.
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artful dodger said 7:20AM on 12-05-2008
For those having problems on jailbroken phones. Set permissions to 755 recursively on the folder which holds the game.
I find the black screen hangs for about 10 secs then the game loads up. But first I either have to put the iphone into safe mode via sbs settings or un-check everything in winterboard. Seems like a RAM issue to me.
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edward said 2:43AM on 12-06-2008
anyone know how to throw a grenade correctly. i keep getting stuck on the intro level when you have to throw the grenade, but the target is further away then my range will allow. Same problem on the first level when trying to set the smoke signal.
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Mason said 6:08AM on 12-06-2008
I'd just like to reiterate what Noah said, as I was thinking the exact same thing as I read the article.
One word: Cube(iTunes link)
Cube is a free game engine available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and of course now the iPhone (as of mid-November). Cube is open-source and has many game variants, the basic of which is you fighting monsters. That's the only version available for the iPhone. I have a version called AssaultCube that is with realistic weapons and terrorists on my Mac.
Cube Engine website: http://cubeengine.com/
AssaultCube website: http://assault.cubers.net/
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Deranged said 5:05PM on 12-06-2008
This does look pretty impressive, and I am always on the look for new application that will attract my eye. Even willing to pay for it this time.
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Jared said 11:46AM on 12-14-2008
I have the same trouble than Edward. I try EVERYTHING but i can't through away the smoke signal. ANYONE KNOWS SOMETHING??????
PLEASE!!!!
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