Group test: Gameloft’s 3D Android games, part 2

In part one of our Gameloft group test we pitched five of its high-end Android conversions against the iPhone originals.

We got some mixed results, but the overall conclusion was that improvements needed to be made in the conversion process.

Part two sees us tackling the remaining five games, including such biggies as N.O.V.A. and Assassin’s Creed. Did we say five games? We meant four.

At the time of going to press, Modern Combat: Sandstorm is available on neither of the handsets Gameloft provided for these tests – that’s the Google Nexus One and the HTC Desire. So we’ll have to leave that particular comparison for another time, unfortunately.

We tested the remaining four games on the HTC Desire – another high-end Android phone that possesses many of the same components as the Nexus One.

As with part one, we’re testing the iPhone originals on a second generation iPod touch – one of the most common iDevices around. Read on for our thoughts on each conversion.

N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

Let’s start with the biggie, the Halo-aping, top-of-the-portable-FPS-tree N.O.V.A. It remains an enormously impressive game on a technical level, and it’s still the finest game of its kind on the App Store.

How does the Android version fare? Well let’s get this out of the way from the start – just as the game is the finest FPS on iPhone, so it proves to be the finest FPS on Android. Of course, that’s not saying a lot at present, but point stands that Android owning FPS fans can rest assured as to its quality.

There are still issues with the frame rate, which frequently drops during busy sections, and the HTC Desire’s screen appears to be no more a match for the iPhone’s than the Nexus One did (or, at least, Gameloft’s calibration is no better). We often found ourselves shooting when we merely wanted to aim – particularly when we were moving at the same time (see part one for more on this issue).

But there does appear to be approximate graphical parity between the two versions, with the Android version, if anything possessing sharper edges and deeper colours.

Not perfect, then, but it’s still a cause for celebration that this excellent game is on Android.

(iPhone review)

Hero of Sparta on iPhone is a relative oldie (coming out on the App Store in 2008) but a goodie, with its potent mix of Greek myth and intense action making it the closest thing to God of War on iPhone.

The Android conversion, though, really doesn’t do the source material justice. It’s consistently sluggish, with hero Argos plodding around like a pensioner and his evasive roll laughably slow.

In fact, going back to the iPhone version felt perversely fast for the first few minutes. Then it clicked and we remembered that this was how it was supposed to be.

Bizarrely, while the main action is horribly slow in the Android conversion, the text scrolls way too fast, to the point where we couldn’t keep up with the (admittedly nonsensical) story.

Meanwhile the controls are comparable with the worst of the conversions, consistently failing to register attack and defence commands until you release the virtual D-pad.

It may appear to have nice graphics (complete with a lot more blood than the iPhone version) in the screenshots, but you should be aware that this is something of a Trojan Horse. Inside it’s most unfriendly.

(iPhone review)

Assassin’s Creed

This is a bit better. Assassin’s Creed on Android remains an entertaining action-platformer from its iPhone days, though it’s lost a bit of the old loose-limbed slickness.

The game sees you, as the nimble Altair, tippy-toeing across roof tops, picking pockets and doing nasty assassin-type things to various unscrupulous people in the Holy Land. As well as the expected medieval parkour gameplay, Gameloft has squeezed in some fun mini-games that make use of the touchscreen.

While the Android version suffers from some familiar slow-down, the control issues that haunt other games on this list don’t appear to affect Assassin’s Creed quite as badly. Which is a good job, as there’s plenty of pinpoint jumping and hectic sword-play to deal with.

This is well worth a purchase if you’re after a slick action game on Android. It’s far from a perfect conversion, but relative to some of the other attempts, it’s perfectly acceptable.

(iPhone review)

The Android version of H.A.W.X. bucks the trend somewhat by including the iPhone’s cinematic introduction. Don’t ask us why, as its file size appears to be as meaty as most of the other games on this list, so it’s not like there would have been room to spare.

That’s not the only area in which it goes against the grain, either - H.A.W.X. on Android is practically as good as the iPhone original. It perhaps loses out on a little smoothness and in the odd graphical touch, but otherwise it’s the same game.

For those who missed our iPhone review, that means exhilarating air combat, allied to intuitive accelerometer-based flight controls.

Taking the weight off of the touchscreen is perhaps one of the major reasons this conversion is such a success. Unless you opt to swicth to virtual controls, all you need the touchscreen for is speed, camera and weapon controls – and none of these need to be handled simultaneously.

Regardless of the reason, H.A.W.X. on Android is an accomplished aerial combat game, and one of the better games on the format.

(iPhone review)

You can get all Gameloft's Android games from its online store.