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The Rumour Mine: Dragon Age, F1 2010, and Star Wars: Force Unleashed II on iPhone

Big brands coming to your little handset

The Rumour Mine: Dragon Age, F1 2010, and Star Wars: Force Unleashed II on iPhone
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iOS

As much as us gamers like to whine about sequels and established franchises as inferior to indie games and original titles from experienced developers, we sure do get excited at the prospect of a big game release.

How can you not be interested in a new Star Wars game or feel some excitement at the thought of a big role-playing series like Dragon Age playable on iPhone and iPod touch?

You may not find either of those two specific franchises to your liking, but let there be no doubt that there's a series out there that would surely send a thrill down your spine if it was announced as coming to Apple handsets.

Quite frankly, that's fine by me. After all, games are about enjoying yourself and having unique experiences. If that means buying into a big franchise that's made with quality in mind, there's nothing wrong with that.

Dragon Age iPhone game unlocks bonus content in console sequel

While word of a Dragon Age game for iPhone and iPod touch has been circulating for some time, I've finally managed to track down a tantalising detail about the action role-playing spin-off. According to one source, the game will enable you to unlock bonuses in the console game when played.

Similar to the marketing tactic used to promote Mass Effect Galaxy ahead of the release of Mass Effect 2, EA and developer BioWare intend to push the iPhone and iPod touch iteration of the Dragon Age ahead of Dragon Age 2 as a means of drumming up interest. Precisely what kind of content will be unlocked remains to be seen, as much about the upcoming games in the franchise remains unknown.

With EA having just committed to a March 2011 release for Dragon Age 2, it won't be long before you'll have your own portable version to play.

Codemasters committed to improved F1 2010 for iPhone, iPad

F1 2010Last year's Formula One effort was underwhelming to say the least. It lacked the defining element of all racing games: competition. Being the only vehicle on the track doesn't make for a very exciting racer.

Apparently a restrictive licensing agreement prevented Codemasters from being able to include a small number of vehicles on the screen. Either they could have one vehicle or a full roster of F1 machines and given the short development cycle for F1 2009, they decided on the one.

Codemasters is aware of its mistake and plans to make amends with a fully loaded F1 2010 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad later this year. According to my source, the game will feature real-time competition with computer-controlled racers. Unsurprisingly, multiplayer of any sort isn't planned and it doesn't look likely to be introduced in any update either.

A quick glance at the 2009 iteration's App Store listing shows just how eager the publisher is in updating its titles. Still, it sounds like a noted improvement over last year's game and that's all you can expect from any sequel. Separate versions of the game are planned for iPhone and iPod touch, and iPad, which will be priced slightly higher.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II coming to iPhone

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed IIStarkiller didn't exactly bring a killer app with him to iPhone and iPod touch in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, though he'll get a second shot later this year when his sequel hits.

As decent as the first game was, here's hoping that THQ Wireless goes big with the follow up. Recent games built on the Star Wars franchise have been less than fun, but that in no way diminishes potential for a kick ass Force Unleashed II. In fact, I'm extremely hopeful that it will be the start of a comeback for the publisher.

While I don't have details to share about gameplay, I can only say that I desperately want a third-person action game built specifically for iPhone and iPod touch. Abandon the icon-tapping gameplay of the first game and give me some hard-hitting Jedi-on-Sith action. This is a game all about bold use of the Force, so come on THQ, give us the sort of bombastic Star Wars game we want.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II should be available sometime in October in conjunction with the console versions.