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Nintendo loser in games battle
By Lou Kesten |
June 28, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NINTENDO has owned the portable video-game market (r)? first with the Game Boy, now with the DS (r)? for so long that most of us gave up hope of ever seeing a viable competitor. But it's become impossible to ignore the new kid on the block: Apple's iPhone, whose game library has quickly overwhelmed Nintendo's.
There are now more than 9,000 iPhone games available at Apple's App Store.
The quality varies widely, and the market is so flooded that it's hard to sort the good from the bad. But since the prices are low, you can buy 10 or so games for the price of one Nintendo cartridge.
None of them will have the depth of, say, Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars," but they may be better suited for on-the-go action.
I'm not about to replace my DS (or my PlayStation Portable, for that matter), but I enjoy wading through App Store offerings. Here are some standouts.
"Zen Bound" (Chillingo, US$4.99):
The best iPhone games are those that seem like they couldn't have worked on any other device. Each level of this gem shows a 3D sculpture with a string attached, and the idea is to rotate the object with your finger until most of its surface is wrapped by the string. Never has a game been more appropriately named; the challenging yet stress-free "Zen Bound" creates an eerie sense of calm.
"Flight Control" (Firemint, US$2.99):
The most popular game at the App Store is as nerve-racking as "Zen Bound" is relaxing. You use your finger to guide aircraft safely onto runways, but it isn't long before the skies are filled with planes waiting for you to bring them home. A crash is inevitable (r)? but that only makes you want to try again to get a better score.
"The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft, US$5.99):
Sure, pioneer travel was awful, but this revamp of an '80s classic brings it to life with vivid animation and wacky humor. Try not to let your kids get abducted by eagles.
There are now more than 9,000 iPhone games available at Apple's App Store.
The quality varies widely, and the market is so flooded that it's hard to sort the good from the bad. But since the prices are low, you can buy 10 or so games for the price of one Nintendo cartridge.
None of them will have the depth of, say, Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars," but they may be better suited for on-the-go action.
I'm not about to replace my DS (or my PlayStation Portable, for that matter), but I enjoy wading through App Store offerings. Here are some standouts.
"Zen Bound" (Chillingo, US$4.99):
The best iPhone games are those that seem like they couldn't have worked on any other device. Each level of this gem shows a 3D sculpture with a string attached, and the idea is to rotate the object with your finger until most of its surface is wrapped by the string. Never has a game been more appropriately named; the challenging yet stress-free "Zen Bound" creates an eerie sense of calm.
"Flight Control" (Firemint, US$2.99):
The most popular game at the App Store is as nerve-racking as "Zen Bound" is relaxing. You use your finger to guide aircraft safely onto runways, but it isn't long before the skies are filled with planes waiting for you to bring them home. A crash is inevitable (r)? but that only makes you want to try again to get a better score.
"The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft, US$5.99):
Sure, pioneer travel was awful, but this revamp of an '80s classic brings it to life with vivid animation and wacky humor. Try not to let your kids get abducted by eagles.
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