Top 10 iPhone games that would be awesome on iSlate
Jot these games down on your tablet
The tech industry has been abuzz with talk of iSlate, and the magazine publishing world in particular is looking to it as the great white hope of print media.
We're more concerned with the fun stuff: the games.
Imagine taking an iPhone and making it several times bigger, faster, and spanglier. Just think of all the amazing titles that could be made for such a system.
That's exactly what we've done. What follows is a wishlist of ten existing touch-enabled games that would be prime material for iSlate conversion.
Of course, not all iPhone and iPod touch games would make good ports. iSlate is portable, but not handheld in the same way as iPhone. As such, first-person shooters and platformers requiring you to cradle the device in your hands would be tricky.
Accelerometer-enabled titles like Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid or Labyrinth 2 wouldn't work either. iSlate is likely to have an accelerometer for screen reorientation, but having to tilt a screen ten inches diagonally across probably wouldn't be much fun.
We'll be following Apple closely in the coming weeks to see how iSlate materialises and whether all our talk of its gaming chops ends up being put to good use. Don't forget to tell us the games you'd like to see on iSlate by leaving a comment!
Flight Control
Developer: Firemint
Publisher: Firemint
The ultimate in multi-touch iPhone gaming would make for an excellent gaming introduction on Apple's new tablet. Flight Control is a superb showcase for multi-touch technology, the concept of guiding aircraft to their landing pads and runways instantly accessible.
Linking up the game with Twitter and Facebook would be a cinch on iSlate, giving it casual credibility that could draw in non-gamers. Of course, aiming for high scores posts a serious challenge to veteran gamers - just look at the ridiculous scores that have been racked up on the iPhone and iPod touch version.
On iSlate, we can imagine dictating air traffic for entire airports: multiple runways and landing pads, divided into sections by the gates and sprawl of the central terminal. We know Firemint could come up with clever elements for the larger screen - here's hoping they give it a whirl.
Developer: Origin8
Publisher: Origin8 Strategy games make sense on a touchscreen, yet none more than the top-down real-time battling of Space Station Frontier.
Defending your space station against an alien onslaught would be that much easier on iSlate - the larger screen allowing you to see enemies as they approach at a greater distance, as well as strategically place defences without the need to constantly scrolling and zoom the screen.
The added space would also ensure minimal interference from the surrounding heads-up display. Such added visibility would make the campaign a breeze, not to mention boost your chance of enduring in Survival mode. It's hard to imagine a more apt game for iSlate conversion.
Star Hogs
Developer: IUGO
Publisher: IUGO One of the best kept secrets on the App Store, Star Hogs takes the classic tactical gameplay of Worms and pairs it with real-time elements and ventures online. Redeploying it on iSlate would serve this stellar game even more, the larger screen giving you a better view of the battlefield.
We'd even be keen on seeing expanded levels that could support more more players. Four players in the iPhone and iPod touch version is great, but doubling it for iSlate could result in some truly hectic battle scenarios.
Given how overlooked it's been on iPhone, iSlate could be just the boost Star Hogs needs to get the recognition it deserves.
Developer: Subatomic Games
Publisher: Subatomic Games Fieldrunners is emblematic of the tower defence genre, which makes it a superb candidate for an iSlate conversion.
Like so many of the games we'd like to see on the tablet, the larger screen would ensure ample room for plunking down towers without the interface elements crowding your view. More specifically, you'd be able to creating winding paths across bigger battlefields that take advantage of the expanded screen.
In fact, new levels and units would be ideal in a remixed iSlate version. Special units or powers could utilise the larger touchscreen in ways not possible on smaller iPhone and iPod touch handsets.
Furthermore, easy online access means leaderboards and challenges would be a must on iSlate.
Developer: Glu
Publisher: Glu Tap Tap Revenge and Rock Band would be fun, though we'd be keener on an iSlate conversion of Glu's inventive hit Beat It! The prospect of laying down your iSlate flat and playing the bit tunes DJ sounds too tempting for us to resist.
Enlarging the beat squares and fitting every measure onto the screen is the most immediate advantage we see in the conversion, and there are plenty more neat features that could be introduced.
Why not add in more sophisticated touch controls? In the level editor, you could allow tweaking of beats based on full-hand gestures that aren't possible on a smaller iPhone or iPod touch. Network song sharing would be easier to do on iSlate, too.
Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft What better way to launch a new Apple computer than with a game that was an Apple II signature? The Oregon Trail reemerged from the annals of classic gaming thanks to this fantastic remake and we can only imagine how great it would be on the larger iSlate screen.
The expanded screen would enable more information to be packed into the interface without requiring you to flip through menus. Instead, you could view vitals while trundling along the harsh trail in pursuit of Oregonian glory.
We'd even be up for some new mini-game to take advantage of the larger screen such as expansive hunting grounds or a revised berry-picking event.
Developer: Tiger Style
Publisher: Tiger Style Like most of the titles on our list, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor would be ripe for an iSlate adaptation by virtue of the larger screen. Zooming in and out to view an entire level was slightly annoying on iPhone and iPod touch, so we'd be keen to have it all laid out on iSlate without the need to zoom.
The flick controls used to send your spider across the abandoned rooms and exterior of the Bryce estate would work well, too.
More processing power could also enable seamless movement between stages, so instead of loading up individual levels you would just move from room to room.
Developer: RedLynx
Publisher: RedLynx Tilting an iSlate for Real Racing or Need for Speed: Shift sounds like an embarrassing proposition to us, but drawing out racing lines seems an ideal fit. On iPhone and iPod touch, DrawRace is a surprisingly challenging racer that would benefit from larger tracks and more cars on the track.
Three-way races are good fun, but how about a competitive slate of eight? A beefed-up iSlate could handle it, not to mention more expansive raceways that would truly test your finger speed and handling.
As with Flight Control, we would be ecstatic to see an iSlate iteration of DrawRace - even embedded with the device as emblematic of the sort of gaming experiences we want from the device.
Developer: EA Mobile
Publisher: EA Mobile One of our biggest gripes with Command & Conquer: Red Alert was the crowded screen. Despite great controls, units bunched up on the screen and too many interface elements made from cramped strategising on iPhone and iPod touch.
Take that experience, blow it up on iSlate, and all of a sudden you have a slick real-time strategy game that fits the bill. Touch-enabled strategy games have enormous potential and the large iSlate screen has what it takes to realise it.
We'd like to see a more robust campaign and better multiplayer options right out the gate, but it's hard to argue against an iSlate iteration of Command & Conquer.
Publisher: ngmoco
Developer: Rough Cookie One of the most underappreciated games on the App Store, Star Defense would make an excellent iSlate adaptation. The constant zooming and repositioning of the camera on iPhone and iPod touch would be nearly done away on a much larger iSlate screen.
Imagine planets, paths, and defences appearing big enough to do away with constant zooming. Of course, you'd still be able to do so using multi-touch, but the larger screen would enable everything to appear large enough by default.
There are also the benefits to be had with touchscreen advances expected with iSlate. Hovering fingers above the screen could be used for strategising turret placement or toggling the interface.
Whatever the case, we're convinced Star Defense could be embellished for a superb iSlate conversion.
