Shooters can work on mobile, and these 7 games prove it
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Last week, Matt Thrower made the argument that it's time to give up on first and third person shooters for mobile.
He certainly made a few excellent points that were backed up by several of mobile's worst offenders (Modern Combat 5, Deus Ex: The Fall, and Max Payne, to name a few).
However, I feel that there have been shooters that really strive to overcome the limitations of the platform and even bring something new to the table that remain unfairly unrepresented.
No, I'm not going to make a case for games best played with an MFi controller because I feel that defeats the object.
Here are seven games that offer not only an excellent shooter experience right now, but a glimpse at the exciting potential the genre has on mobile.
Midnight Star
By Industrial Toys
The major issue with getting FPSs to work on mobile is the control scheme. FPSs just require far too many buttons. And analogue sticks. And triggers.
Midnight Star gets around this by putting the movement on-rails so you can take care of the most important aspect - shooting enemies in the face.
The typical challenge of an FPS stems from a tiny health pool and limited ammunition. Midnight Star gives you unlimited ammunition and is more about chasing score than running for a health pack.
It's a genuinely enjoyable shooter experience and does effectively what people raved about with Bulletstorm - puts all of the focus on precise and creative shooting.
Dead Trigger 2
By Madfinger Games
You have control over two things in Dead Trigger 2 - movement and aim.
Everything else is automated. Aim at an enemy's head and, provided you're close enough, and you'll shoot automatically. Stop for a few seconds and you'll reload.
Unless you have an MFi controller, the platform just isn't suited for games with a ton of controls. But because Dead Trigger 2 lets you focus entirely on shooting and maneuvering away from enemies, it fits mobile well.
World War Z
By Paramount Digital Entertainment
World War Z isn't a great game. But for a free to play movie tie-in mobile game, it ain't a bad one either.
The reason we're bringing it up, though, is because by blending the on-rails movement of Midnight Star with the automated shooting of Dead Trigger 2, it make a compelling case for shooters on mobile.
Just avoid any melee combat if you can.
Neon Shadow
By Crescent Moon Games
Neon Shadow took an entirely different approach to the shooters above.
The crosshair takes up a huge part of the screen, the enemies are chunky, and the aim assist is generous.
Despite that, Neon Shadow isn't an easy game - the enemies can be difficult to put down in numbers and your health pool isn't the largest.
Crescent Moon Games demonstrated perfectly with Neon Shadow that it understands the limitations of a mobile shooter and almost surpassed them.
Shadowgun
By Madfinger Games
I really like the idea of a third person shooter on mobile - the genre seems like it could be a good fit here.
Once you're in cover, you only have to focus on one thing which solves the problem of moving and shooting at once.
Shadowgun is one of the finest example of this so far, with it's simple control scheme, snap to cover mechanic, and variety of fun weaponry.
EPOCH.
By Uppercut Games
Then along came EPOCH., which remains the absolute best third person shooter franchise on mobile.
Movement is handled automatically until you're behind cover, then you swipe to spring the robot from hiding spot to spot. You choose which enemy to focus your fire on then plough all of your concentration into dodging their return fire.
On top of great controls and mechanics, EPOCH. is impressive visually which is a trademark of console and FPS shooters.
Dead Space
By Electronic Arts
EA did a terrific job in bringing the full Dead Space experience to mobile when this launched.
Slide your left thumb forward and you can dictate how fast the character moves. Your right thumb aims the camera. Simple.
When an enemy attacks you simply tab a button on screen to bring up your weapon. Doing so forces you to be stationary, so you don't have to worry about moving, aiming, and shooting like some three-thumbed monster.