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May 8, 2009 8:30 am US/Central
Review: "Assassin" Proves iPhone's Got Game
By Phil Stauskas
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The iPhone's App Store is flooded with tools for increasing your mobile productivity, but the majority of the apps are games. Apple has even embraced this fact by positioning its iPod Touch as a serious handheld gaming machine, and hinting that they will take more aggressive steps into the video game industry soon.
But that begs the question: Is the iPhone really ready to support handheld video games?
"Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles" says yes.
The "Assassin's Creed" franchise started in 2007 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, but was given a handheld follow-up on the Nintendo DS in early 2008. This iPhone incarnation is a port of that game, but with a definite makeover that significantly improves the graphics and accounts for the iPhone's lack of buttons. Still, those who have already played through the Nintendo DS version won't find much new here.
But those who are new to this game, or the franchise as a whole, are in for a treat. The storyline follows a young assassin on a quest for a sacred piece of treasure. The gameplay combines quiet rooftop stealth maneuvers with more action-oriented battles.
In other words, this isn't your standard casino game or puzzler or word game, the likes of which make up a large portion of the iPhone's offerings. This is a full-featured 2.5-D platformer with hours of gameplay, plenty of well-developed levels and character upgrades. That's because it's a full Nintendo DS game. On your iPhone. And not much is sacrificed in the transition.
The only issue with "Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles," and this is an issue with almost every iPhone game, is the control setup. The screen is cramped by multiple buttons, a directional pad for movement and various status bars and items. That's a lot of stuff to fit in the iPhone's 3.5 inch display and it leaves little room for the action. But at least I didn't feel like my big hands were in the way.
However, the lack of physical buttons on iPhone makes many games hard to play. I have to keep looking at my fingertips to make sure that I'm hitting the correct part of the screen. This is not a problem on more traditional handheld gaming machines like the Nintendo DS.
But the worst part of the controls weren't the missing buttons, but rather my sticky fingers. As the iPhone got hot and my hands got sweaty, my fingers started to stick to the screen as I tried to slide around on the faux directional pad. So, the longer I played the game, the harder it was to control.
Although, that really says something positive about "Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles." I was enjoying the game so much that I kept playing until my hands were hot and sweaty. I suppose this wouldn't have been a problem if I took breaks more frequently.
"Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles" is currently listed in the App Store for about $10, which is a steal considering its Nintendo DS counterpart costs twice as much, at least. I know that the price is a bit hard to swallow considering how many games are only a couple bucks, but this isn't some throw-away timekiller. For $10, you're getting a full-length, console-worthy title. For those gamers looking to save some cash in the struggling economy, this is the way to do it.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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