From Coleco Vision to iPhone Games - Some High Water Marks in Video Game Design History - Part 4

Street Fighter II (arcade) - Developed by Capcom as a follow-up to their much maligned original Street Fighter title, Street Fighter II (SF2) solidified the company as the industry leader in fighting game design. In searching for the standout design elements of SF2, the search begins and ends with the games incredible balance. Featuring 8 characters, SF2 presented players with more character options than most arcade games up to that point. Faced with this large selection, many players chose one of the games stars (Ken & Ryu) as their character of choice. Armed with their combination of ha-do-kens and sho-ryu-kens, these two seemed at first glance to be the game's strongest characters. However, the beauty of SF2 was the fact that each character had their own strengths and, despite initial impressions, their own vulnerabilities. Despite the fact that most players used either Ken or Ryu, many of the world's best tournament players could be found using the games quartet of boss characters: Sagat, M. Bison, Vega and Balrog. The mighty Zangief was another darling of world class players due to his incredibly powerful arsenal of moves, while those who invested the time into mastering Dhalsim's intricate ranged attacks also garnered their fair share of tournament victories. Thanks to ingenious balancing on the part of the game's designers, each character offered players their own distinct path to victory and placed all players on equal footing among their peers.

Day of Defeat v1.2-1.3b (PC) - This popular World War 2 themed Half-Life mod has since gone onto retail release, but most fans will agree that the game actually peaked with the release of Beta 1.2 in April, 2001. With precious few levels (and even fewer actually being used), most of the games of this early iteration of Day of Defeat (DoD) were played on the maps DoD_Caen, DoD_Hill, DoD_Snowtown, DoD_Dam, Dod_Valley and a selection of Normandy-like maps. The incredible amounts of traffic on DoD servers at the time spoke to the quality of the game, but much like SFII, the standout element for this game was its near perfect balance. Players had the choice of choosing either the Allied or Axis forces, but the choice made little difference to the overall gameplay. DoD, perhaps more so than any other shooter before it, truly allowed the player to showcase their skill set. Missing were the super guns or tactical nukes of other games of the era. Instead, players were armed the most basic options of rifle or machine gun. Battles were won with teamwork and skill rather than firepower and a race to the super weapons. In an era where space themed shooters and a 'bigger is better' attitude dominated the FPS landscape, DoD delivered a gaming experience that demanded collaboration to succeed, and kept the players grounded in the harsh reality of wartime combat. Balanced gameplay, skilled players rising to the top to become team leaders, limited but near perfect maps and a less is more approach to weapons and player classes are what makes DoD v 1.2-1.3b a game that truly deserves its place among the all time best.

Tim Kennedy writes on behalf of AppsPatrol. He recommends you visit AppsPatrol for your iphone app reviews and iphone game reviews.

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Great Game Apps For Your iPhone 4

People love to play games and with the recent burst in mobile gaming technology, people have been taking their favorite games with them wherever they go. The Apple iPhone has many great games and is among the most popular mobile gaming platforms on the market. With that being said, a slew of great gaming applications can be downloaded for anyone to play on the go! If you are looking for a great new game to download onto your iPhone or iPad check out the reviews of these awesome apps!

Angry Birds is a really fun game that offers many hours of challenging gameplay. When a bunch of green pigs steal all of the friendly neighborhood bird's eggs, the birds seek out revenge by using demolition strategy to destroy the pig's castle defenses, and try to maintain the survival of their species before the pigs can wipe them out forever. A very popular game among all ages and is appropriate for all as well. This is a game that not only works on the iPhone, but it also works on the iPad as well. The app only costs $0.99 and can be downloaded easily to your mobile device from the App Store found in iTunes.

Another great game that gained popularity among many console gamers is Battlefield Bad Company 2. This game application stays true to the console format with a Teen rating and 14 great modern combat missions. To top it all off, this great game app for the iPhone comes equipped with an online multiplayer mode which is best run on a 3G network, allowing players to battle each other from across the world. Retailing at only $0.99, you can can't beat this FPS game app with a stick!

Last but not least is another popular game app for the Apple iPhone, iPhone Touch, and iPad, is Words with Friends. This game is great because it allows multiple players to play 20 games at the same time online or by passing the device back and forth. This game is not only fun but it really gets you thinking. Similar rules to a classic board game we are all familiar apply this game for all ages as well. Words with Friends can be downloaded from the App Store for only $0.99!

Gaming has become the new social network for many people across the globe and with so many affordable gaming apps available to download, who know's where mobile gaming will go in the future? Next time you go to download a new killer game app for your Apple mobile device, be sure to check out all of these popular titles.

As you can see there are a host of brilliant applications that are essential for iPhone users. One point that needs to be considered as you increase the use of your iPhone is the wear of on the face of the screen. The gaming apps that I mention above require the user to make more contact with the screen of the device. I have tried various options to shield the screen and found the best iPhone 4 screen protector for avid iPhone gamers.

Adam Johns's passion is sharing worthy discoveries and quality information from a place of value, with respect from knowing that people need solid helpful advice when investigating products on the Internet.

Adams blog is at: Best iPhone 4 Screen Protector

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From ColecoVision to iPhone Games - Some High Water Marks in Video Game Design History - Part 9

In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at Bungie's Halo, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series, Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone Game Reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this ninth part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Halo 2 - A launch title for the original Xbox, Halo:Combat Evolved not only ensured the success of the Xbox, but served as the launching point for what would go onto become one of the biggest franchises in all of video games. Its first sequel, Halo 2, had more than its share of hype to deliver on and seemed poised to yet again redefine the first-person-shooter (FPS) genre upon its release. Despite its warm critical reception and record breaking sales, a small but vocal contingent of Halo fans felt that Halo 2 fell short in many ways. Animations were lacking and stiff (melee animations in particular were of markedly lower quality than the original), draw-in and pop-up was abound, and a surprise playable character coupled with an undelivered upon - yet promised - story arc left enthusiasts feeling slighted. Regardless of these actual and perceived shortcomings, Halo 2 did many things exceedingly well. Its new vehicle mounting and dual wielding systems were implemented effectively, and the Arbiter character, though maligned, offered a refreshing change of gameplay pace and style.

In singling out a single aspect of Halo 2 for its lasting greatness, we can simply focus on the game's refined enemy selection. While most players praised Halo 2 for its newly introduced online multiplayer element, the single player received a much needed shot in the arm in the form of new enemies - various Brutes, Drones and Prophets.

Much line in the original Halo, Halo 2 demands the player to be well rounded. Intricate and carefully planned battles among humans and the Covenant make way to the all out bullet storms that are interactions with the Flood. Tactical gunfights with the much more powerful Brutes were tempered by frantic wars with swarms of flying drones. The game demanded not only precision aiming and battlefield smarts (take a Brutes helmet out and the Brute will shortly follow), but stealthy assassinations performed under timed periods of invisibility (Arbiter levels). The introduction of boss battles with the Prophets serves as another example of a new character being seamlessly introduced into the narrative and gameplay. In playing Halo 2, players are forced to call upon skills that have been refined over many years of FPS gaming. Battlefield experience from games like Call of Duty helped the player overcome hordes of foot soldiers and entrenched enemies. The Dooms and Quakes of the world helped develop those fast twitch reactions required to beat enemies like the flood and the drones, while the original Halo primed the player for the vehicle battles that made up such a healthy portion of each game. It is because of its varied enemy selection and the demands it places on the skill-sets of even the most seasoned FPS players that Halo 2 will go down in history as a game that pushed the genre forward and truly tested all gamers who chose to rise to its challenge.

Frank Taylor writes on behalf of AppsPatrol. He recommends you visit AppsPatrol for your iphone app reviews and iPhone Game Reviews