A bunch of iPhone junk
If it seems like there are fewer updates here than usual, it’s because I’m temporarily maintaining Finger Gaming, a somewhat suggestively named iPhone gaming blog from the Gamasutra network.
It’s a fun gig! Hopefully, Jeremy Parish won’t put my coverage to shame when 1UP launches its own iPhone site.
On a related note, I’ve read a couple articles lately arguing that the iPhone could eventually usurp the Nintendo DS’s handheld gaming throne through hardware superiority, a belief shared by Apple’s Greg Joswiak, who says that the iPhone’s significantly greater computer power and 3D graphic power will lead to better games than the DS’s.
I won’t say that the iPhone will never oust the DS — who knows, we might see a Castle Vidcons comic about the DS’s downfall in a few months — but I’ll contend that Apple won’t do it through better graphics and sound, or even through features like the iPhone’s multi-touch display and built-in accelerometer.
As the PSP learned, competing against the DS isn’t about besting the system’s hardware, which already seemed outdated before it even hit stores; taking on the DS means beating Animal Crossing, Brain Age, Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros., and of course, Pokemon.
What developer is going to do that on the iPhone? EA Mobile? THQ Wireless? Sega Mobile? Gameloft?
That’s not to say that there aren’t great games coming to or already on the App Store, or that smaller studios aren’t working on creative titles. I’m really looking forward to Dr. Awesome, Microsurgeon M.D., a Qix clone with a Trauma Center-esque premise.
To be honest, though, I’m more excited about the N-Gage’s upcoming titles — Yamake and Ghostwire both seem like they could be really fun.
[Disclaimer: Both N-Gage and Dr. Awesome developer ngmoco sponsor Gamasutra sites.]
tags / apple / ec / finger gaming / iphone / mobile / n-gage / real talk
