You are confusing an actual bona fide review with those articles. The article(s) had everyone's own preferences - probably to show the readers the span of games that were considered for game of the year. But a review is going to be unbiased from your own personal views. You review a game on its merits; virtual controls or not. Yes some reviewers tend to like a different genre or feature more than another and it is beneficial to have that writer cover certain games, but even if you love that genre there are some duds in it. The entire front page staff seems to put whatever their personal biases are aside when it comes to reviews. Seemed to me to be the miniscule minority. The under 12 set that were puffed up with hutzpah because they cracked the parental controls on their computer that day. Bottom line - if you don't like the service in this restaurant there are plenty of others to frequent.
No kidding. What you see on the front page are the comments we let through. The ones we deleted were even more insane. I seriously couldn't believe the sheer level of anger and disrespect we received from some people. I can't imagine any adults actually conducting themselves in that manner online, but complete anonymity is a powerful enabler.
I agree, as well as the tutorial and lack of polish, the controls are unusable. Bug Heroes, a game similar, uses dual sticks and controls like a dream. No need to over complicate.
Don't expect that anytime soon. He obsessed over Canabalt's $2.99 price point for close to a year and a half and was quick with a zing when they dropped to 99¢ which was quickly edited when he discovered it was for charity.
See, here's where you think this is somehow a bad thing, when it isn't. Hell yeah, Dungeon Defenders is one of the worst attempts to cram traditional control schemes onto the iDevice. I asked the developer about it and they seemed convinced that the awesomeness of the game would win out over the handling. It's the equivalent of Chop Chop Cavemen's absolutely horrid touch controls. (or *invokes flame shield* the old Resident Evil tank controls). But you see, the fear from late 2008 that most traditional games would have ended up like such abysmal claptrap never really panned out. First back in early 2009 iDracula proved against common groupthink that dual stick controls could not work whatsoever. To me that was one of the major games that helped turn the tide, because the placement of dual stick controls can approximate a lot of other control schemes for other genres (platforming, running, 3rd person adventure, FPS, etc. Between indie/ small devs like Moregames and bigger companies like Gameloft refining the experience, it's been proven that they work. A long time ago. So I can't take anyone seriously who has the same old 2008 mindset of "traditional controls don't work" as if this proof of concept hadn't gone into mass acceptance over a year ago. I'd rather the site evolve its views and really sit down and think about why certain games have traditional/ touch controls that work and other games that suck. But that's just me.
That a lot of people don't have any issue with using. My point is that someone other than you should review games that use virtual controls. What are you talking about? I love Canabalt. Best game ever. The retro style moves me.
The controls for DD weren't that bad, but they were cluttered IMO. @tsharpfilm Everybody's entitled to their own opinions. I don't believe that someone else should write the reviews because they're ultimately good, helpful reviews. If he feels that way, it's just feedback for the developers to fix something that he doesn't like.
And that's great that there are people who like them, but the fact of the matter is, we don't. If you disagree with our reviews, you're in luck because there are many other review sites available for you to read. As far as Brad not reviewing games that use virtual controls, again, as I said before: I'm not sure if you're just trolling at this point, incredibly thick, or not reading anyone's posts but your own... But we take reviews seriously, and no one just publishes one firing from the hip without someone else checking it out. I put a lot of effort in to making sure the site has a consistent voice, and making sure everyone on our team is in agreement with our opinion on games in a big part of that. Fact of the matter is we didn't like Dungeon Defenders. Not Brad himself. I'm not sure how much more you can kick and scream over this, but I'm willing to bet we haven't gotten close to the bottom of this rabbit hole yet.
But why? One of his choices of a standout game in 2010 is a part of the series of one of your current favorites in your signature. Let it go, you are fighting to fight now.
How am I kicking and screaming? I just posted a suggestion. Maybe someone else, a different pair of writers, or whatever could review games with virtual controls since Brad seems to be the most vocal about them. But if the site as a whole shares his opinion, or if the site doesn't want to find a way to take it easier on virtual controls, whatever. It's really not that big of a deal. This is your site. You can run it how you please.
My problem is not as much virtual controls as trying to cram console games (especially FPSs) down the throat of a portable gaming device. Yes, it can feasibly run cheap gameloft knockoffs, but there is no possible way FPS games on iphone can approach the level of quality of console versions. Part of it is the virtual controls, the other part is that it's just a phone. There are many iPhone games that are better than a lot of console games, but these games are never ones trying to replicate a console experience on the device. They are unique games like Infinity Blade or Rolando that fit the device. I have given "hardcore" iphone FPSs more than a fair try (NOVA, BIA2, MC2, BF:BC2) and every time I have felt incredibly disappointed. Please, someone try to argue that mc2 can even be compared to call of duty or that NOVA can be compared to halo. It's not possible. There's probably a lot of people on here who play iphone games and only iphone games. The truth is, console games are better than any cheap iPhone ripoffs. The only way iPhone gaming can move forward is by embracing the unique hardware of the device and playing to its strengths, not forcing "console" games onto the devices.
Well of course iPhone FPS games aren't going to be as good as PC/console FPS game, that almost goes without saying. But you can't fit a Xbox 360 and HD TV in your pocket and carry it around wherever you go. And currently, the best portable platform for FPS games is the iPhone. By far.
Games like Soosiz control much better than Rolando ever did. Guess which has traditional controls and which doesn't? (Don't get me started on NgMoco going wild with the tilting and having you turn the damn device around for some stages.)
Resolution Darn can anyone find a resolution to this matter. As far as opinion I find TA to be very consistant . The buyers guide was excellent and these matters are just personal opinion.
I definitely agree that the best portable FPS gaming device is iPhone. Easily beats the DS and also the PSP. However, I wonder if FPS games are really the right fit for any mobile device. Maybe because we can't make them as high quality, we shouldn't try cramming them on. For example, if someone made an xbox 360 version of Flight Control that would not be the right fit for the console. So maybe first-person shooters aren't the right fit for iPhone. It seems to me that the best iPhone games are ones that can only be possible on an iDevice and that wouldn't work on a console.
I'm not denouncing virtual controls as much as denouncing trying to cram console games on iPhone. Virtual controls can, and often do, work. And I fully agree that they can often be better than swipes and tilts (eg lego harry potter works much better with a d-pad) However, I have played Soosiz and Rolando and I have to disagree with you. The controls in Rolando bring you into the experience and allow you to interact with the game on a level not possible with just a simple "jump" button. And the levels where you have to "go wild and tilt the damn device around" created variety and added a fun gaming mechanic only possible on iPhone. I hate the new freemium ngmoco, but at the time, their games were simply amazing.
