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Featured Review
Review - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for iPhone
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hits retail shelves today. Thanks to the instant access of the iPhone App Store, the game has already been available to iPhone users for several hours.
This mobile version of the Star Wars blockbuster game has a lot to live up to and a lot to prove on the iPhone. Not only it it trying something completely different with its control scheme and gameplay, but it’s attempting to bring a game that is built for platforms like the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 down to a much smaller scale - and not make it seem cheap.
Does it succeed?
The answer is yes.
The game follows the same basic storyline as its console counterparts. You play the role of Darth Vader’s apprentice, who sets out to do his Master’s bidding and help rid the Empire of Jedi scum. The first level of the game features the same plot elements as the demo level of the game on the Xbox 360. You must enter a Tie Fighter manufacturing facility and stop a Jedi Master. Vader wants his lightsaber - and you must obey.
The first thing you’ll notice about the game are the graphics. They don’t scream at you the way some two-dimensional games do. They are very similar to the kind of graphics you would find on a Playstation One, or a Sega Saturn. Nothing revolutionary, but certainly good enough for a mobile game.
What’s really interesting an innovative about the game though is the control scheme. Instead of controlling the character with some kind of on-screen joy pad or accelerometer options, the game uses gestures to move the action along - and it works really well. You don’t have to worry about moving your character around at all. He runs into new screens, you face your enemies, and he runs on to more screens.
In many ways it feels like a battle in an RPG game, except that you don’t take turns. You use your force powers (that you literally have at the tip of your finger) and you flick and twist storm troopers to their death, and deflect their blaster fire at the same time.
I thought, from looking at the video, that the novelty of this might wear off quickly, and that it might not provide a satisfying gaming experience. I’m happy to say I was wrong on both counts. I truly love the control scheme, and I think it does a fantastic job of bringing the power of “the force” to a touch screen device.
After playing through the first few chapters of the game I feel confident in saying that it’s worth the $9.99 price tag. It’s an impressive outing that really is a great deal of fun.
Featured Commentary
Steve Jobs isn’t interested in Netbooks - just ask him
Analyst Ezra Gottheil from Technology Business Research (TBR) needs to find another job.
If you can make it through this very long winded article on Apple Insider, what you’ll find is that Gottheil is certain that Apple is going to release a $599 netbook sometime in the first half of next year.
He bases this on the fact that “It is too much to ask consumers to pay more than twice as much for a PC in these times,”
In other words, he’s pulling it out of his ass.
If he’d been on the last quarter conference call, he would have heard Jobs speak very clearly about not only netbooks, but also about low-end computers. Steve Jobs was very clear.
He’s not interested.
He’s not interested in making a low-end Mac. He went so far as to say that there are certain markets that Apple is simply not interested in participating in. He downplayed the netbooks, and commented that they had some ideas but that he needed to see it actually become a viable market first.
Jobs even pointed out that the iPhone fulfills many of those netbook needs.
The fact that Jobs was even talking about netbooks is a clear indication that there won’t be a netbook from Apple anytime soon. We all know the man is notoriously secretive about that kind of thing, and we’ve seen no indication that his habits have changed.
Don’t hold your breath for anything resembling the current netbooks to ever come out of Apple. If Jobs and co. did produce anything in this range, it would most likely be modeled more after the 12 inch Powerbook…and I doubt it will ever be anywhere close to $599. $799…maybe…but not $599.
Now, granted, I’m pulling that out of my ass too - but at least I’m telling you that upfront - and not telling you to expect to see it early next year.
While we’re all pulling things out of various places - what do you think? Is a netbook going to happen? If so, what will it be like? If not - why not?
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Apple Gazette Daily 406 - Preparing for Macworld 2009
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AGTV - Should you upgrade to the iPhone 3G?
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