Ports of computer games on iOS. How to install older versions of apps and games on iOS
Came out . At first, I had a desire to write an article in the series: “What is it about a game in which, by today’s standards, almost everything is terrible?” Then I remembered how, quite recently, I myself sometimes picked up a joystick and played those same Dendy tanks on a laptop... And I changed my mind! :)
For some, the games that will be discussed are nostalgia, for others, pleasant memories. Some games, according to fans, are still beyond any competition. I decided to make up top old games, which were reborn on the iPad like a phoenix from the ashes. Games that are more than 10 years old, but they are still alive in hearts and memories! Let's do without ranking by place, I don't understand how you can even choose anything between such games!
The game appeared out of nowhere at the time. It was released by an unknown publisher and an unknown team in 1997. Popular game became essentially due to the scandal with the age rating. In some places the game was banned, in others it was modified. As a result, the hype raised in the press had a positive impact on the popularity of the game.
I once had it on a CD with games, but I didn’t really like it. That’s why nostalgia didn’t torment me. The project on iOS appeared thanks to Kickstarter. The first day the game was distributed for free and now costs its legal price of 1 dollar.
Platform:
MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows/Macintosh, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
Re-Volt Classic
How good is this game. Computer racing on toy radio-controlled cars was popular at the turn of the century. The graphics, polished by the standards of 1999, delighted me then, and still delight me now... The routes were learned by heart and over time they were completed just perfectly, record after record was broken...
Platform:
If some people know the above games, others don’t, then Pac-Man is famous throughout the world not just as a game, but also as a cult character on posters, T-shirts, etc. It's scary to say, but the first Pac-Man appeared in 1980! Google dedicated one of their doodles to him ( play for free if you want).
In first grade we had a computer science lesson. I remember when we were allowed to play at the end of the lesson, everyone was playing Pac Man. A true computer hero of his time.
Platform:
Grand Theft Auto series (GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas)
2001 was rich not only for Max Payne. The first 3D GTA has been released! And away we go. I think fans haven't given up on the first classic games either. Now on iPad in App Store You can download 3 classic games from the GTA series and I sincerely recommend all three!
Platform:
Play Station 2, and then, according to the tradition of the series, the game migrated from the console to the PC.
Final Fantasy
This is a whole series of games. Final Fantasy is a popular brand. Although in 1987 the first part of the game was created by a small group of people consisting of 8 people. The games in the series take place in different worlds, with various characters.
The final fantasy has become a whole cultural phenomenon. Films, cartoons, paraphernalia, etc. began to be produced. by Final Fantasy. Accordingly, over 25 years and games, a fair amount has accumulated. Some games have been ported to iOS. True, the price tag is steep and there are no discounts... Square Enix developers and marketers seem to be delusional, but will the price stop a real fan?..
Platform:
The list of platforms on which games in the series were released is too long to even begin with.
Siberia (Syberia)
Benoit Sokal's classic game is also available on iPad. About 5 years ago I completed it twice on the small screen of a netbook. A very beautiful toy. In general, many people fell in love with quests because of Siberia. Now in the App Store there is a completely Russian version from the Buka company.
Platform:
Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Smartphones, Nintendo DS.
Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II
The legendary game with grief in half was released on the iPad at the end of 2012. A Russian translation was promised (and there is a lot of text), but it appeared only after a year and a half, and even then it was clumsy. Nobody trusts Beamdog anymore. But this didn't make the game any worse. If you are good with English, then this game looks great even now! This is a real big RPG adventure!
Well, I consider Baldur’s Gate II the best RPG of all time, regardless of the Platform. A huge world, many quests, non-linear plot, intrigue, investigations...
Broken Sword
A series of adventure quests from the Revolution company. The first part of the game was released back in 1996. Already re-released and greatly improved versions of the first two quests are presented on the iPad. Good knowledge of English is required.
Note. Later, thanks to Kickstarter, a new 5th part of Broken Sword was released for the iPad.
The legendary Duke Nukem returned to PC in 2002 in the 2D platformer Duke Nukem Manhattan Project. More than 10 years later, the game appeared on iOS.
If they released Baldur's Gate, then why not port Icewind Dale? The games are very similar in gameplay, but if in BG the emphasis was on the plot and role-playing component, then in Icewind Dale the emphasis was on battles.
Platform:
Tomb Raider 1 and 2
Tomb Raider is a series of adventure games about the cute archaeologist Lara Croft. The series is not limited to two games - on this moment More than a dozen parts were released. You can experience Lara's very first adventures on your iPad!
Platform:
Dos, Mac, Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn.
Download Tomb Raider I 69 rubles
Download Tomb Raider II 119 rubles
Fahrenhit: Indigo Prophecy
Formally, the game should be included in this catalog only in September 2015 (it is not yet ten years old), but this, friends, is a masterpiece! Let's make an exception for him. From the creators of Heavy Rain, the first interactive movie on a tablet. A quest after which the plots of many films fade.
Mobile gaming is not experiencing better times. We were hooked on free to play, where you have to pay for every step. And even if you fork out a dozen crystals, being connected to the Internet will not allow you to play on the plane or outside the city.
All hope is for the classics, which we spent hours watching 10-15 years ago. For old school they ask for 500-600 rubles, but this is the price for a full-fledged plot, nostalgia and the ability to play as much as you want, anywhere.
In front of you 7 classic games, making it to the iPhone and iPad. Recommended for both experienced gamers and beginners to get acquainted with the classics.
1. Bully: Anniversary Edition
Bully is the story of one bully, 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins. You have to make noise at the local school, ride a skateboard, fight and shoot with a slingshot.
Atmosphere, humor and gameplay in the best traditions of GTA.
2.Grand Theft Auto
I think even those who have never played it know GTA. Huge open world, crime, shootings, chases. There are currently three parts available on iOS - GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas.
We are looking forward to GTA IV, let me remind you that it came out in 2008. As is tradition, Rockstar is porting games for their tenth anniversary, so the wait won't be long.
3. Max Payne
An atmospheric game with a great story, action and soundtrack. The game's narrative revolves around Max Payne, a police officer who was framed for murder.
You will have to participate in numerous shootouts with the Slo-Mo effect, solve riddles and clear your good name.
4. XCOM: Enemy Within
XCOM: Enemy Within is an excellent strategy game with RPG elements. The plot is not very original - aliens attack the earth, we are trying to send them home.
You, as a commander, will have to hire and upgrade soldiers, develop your base, repel UFO attacks, build laboratories and much more.
The game is dynamic, exciting, looks great big screen iPhone with Plus console and iPad.
5. DuckTales
The classic 8-bit game from the 90s, DuckTales, made its way to the iPhone and iPad last year. As I remember now, I played it on a dandy. Just a little at a time, because the picture tube can get damaged, if you know what I mean.
The gameplay is still the same, but the graphics are modern, the dialogues are funny, I recommend it to adults and children. Eh, why couldn’t Mario like this be made...
6.Titan Quest
One of best games in the hack-and-slash genre, which largely justifies the purchase of an iPad. Titan Quest captivates with its addictive gameplay, scale and variety.
You have 60 hours to complete, 80 types of enemies, 1200 items and 150 skills.
There are no in-game purchases, just pay 599 rubles and play for your own pleasure. The main thing is to keep track of time, it’s addictive.
7. Heroes of Might & Magic III
A cult game that I once spent more than one month of my life on. “Third” Heroes have been asking for a release on tablets for a long time, and last year they were released on the iPad with improved graphics.
The game is completely translated into Russian, offers 7 story campaigns and 48 different maps. The re-release was completely redrawn, 25,000 elements were changed and support for high-resolution screens was added.
If you have an iPad, buy the “third” Heroes without hesitation.
The selection includes the most beloved hits of the past, but, of course, these are not all the games that made it to the App Store. Write in the comments which ones classic games you'd like to see on iPhone and iPad.
Please rate.
It's no secret that modern smartphones and tablets are no less powerful than the PCs of six years ago. Multi-core processors and gigabytes of RAM allow you to run games on portable gadgets that once made home computers slow down.
Transfer best projects present and past on iPhone and iPad allows thousands of gamers to nostalgically remember their youth and joyfully replay games they once admired. However, not all projects are transferred to portable platforms with high quality; many are not ports at all, but fables “based on them.” This selection contains the top most successful PC and console ports for iOS.
Papers, Please
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Blizzard Entertainment managed to realize this game, and its artificial intelligence is no different from the one we see on the PC. As for controls, working with maps by touching the screen is much more convenient than moving the mouse.
Faster Than Light
Here's an example of how a port can be implemented just perfectly. Subset Games has not only successfully brought this roguelike's user interface to the relatively small screens of your iPad, but it has also been able to adapt the controls to touch screens.
The Walking Dead
Classic point-and-click adventure games have found a renaissance on mobile platforms, and Telltale Games has taken the genre a step further by turning their games into real interactive novels. Playing them on the iPad is truly comfortable.
Bastion
This game originally existed on Xbox, and representatives of Warner Bros. , and they did it quite well, especially with regard to the swipe-based and very convenient controls.
XCOM: Enemy Within
2K Games is ideally from the Firaxis studio, which was originally released on PC. Both the controls and the gameplay are in perfect order here, and the differences from the original version are minimal, if they exist at all.
The LEGO Movie Video Game
A year after the release of the PC and console versions, Warner Bros. decided to please mobile gamers by releasing . The isometric view made the controls quite convenient, and in general the game did not undergo too many changes during the porting.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
This game is on mobile platforms without the slightest changes. Aspyr Media Inc. took into account all the smallest details, making the port comfortable and the interface friendly.
The Banner Saga
Studio Stoic managed the almost impossible - as if conceived for touchscreens. Its gorgeous graphics look great on the iPad screen, and the controls are flawless.
Dragon Quest VIII
Square Enix approached porting this game by changing its screen orientation to vertical. This gave gamers the ability to control gameplay using one finger, without obscuring the screen. The idea turned out to be simple, but extremely effective.
Gmbox continues a series of articles in which we talk about the best mobile games on the Android platform: the most beautiful shooters, the fastest races, the most difficult puzzles, the most addictive RPGs and other outstanding representatives of their genre. Previously, we talked about and, and today you will learn about the most successful ports from PC to Android.
The best twitch arcade of our time, made by an interesting single developer named Terry Kavanagh. Accompanied by rhythmic 8-bit music, the player must quickly move a small triangle along the surface of a geometric figure in the center of the screen to avoid colliding with walls that are approaching from all sides. Super Hexagon is a primitive but exciting journey to the origins of the gaming industry. Something similar is probably used to train military fighter pilots. Very difficult, but worth it.
Card madness from Blizzard, which has already captured the minds of many millions of players around the world. They were attracted by the unique combination of collectible card strategy and familiar setting, as well as the highest quality of execution. The cards here seem to be alive, talking and screaming when removed from the field, and each of the nine classes has thousands of potentially winning decks. For now, you can only play on Android tablets, but a version for smartphones should be released in the near future.
Recently we talked about the new addition Black Mountain.
A full-fledged tactical strategy with the same full-fledged addition, which was not expected at all on mobile platforms. But Firaxis Games believes that you can lead an elite squad of super-soldiers who protect the Earth from a large-scale alien attack on the go. The developers and I completely agree. A slightly enlarged interface and simplified graphics are the only differences between mobile XCOM and the computer one, and this is pleasing. The main thing is to monitor the battery charge, which this game eats up very quickly.
And
Two classic ports role playing games in the Dungeons & Dragons universe from Bioware, which came out on PC in 1998 and 2000, respectively. These are complex and large games filled with characters, non-standard tasks and plot twists. Diving into them in 2015 will require a lot of effort, a good amount of imagination and patience (you'll have to read a lot), but there is simply no better mobile way to join the most important part of gaming history.
A cute, unusual and simply wonderful quest that tells about five creatures living on a huge tree. They cannot speak and communicate using unintelligible sounds, but together they must save the last seed of the plant from hordes of black arachnid villains. Czech Amanita Design has outdone itself - there has never been anything so extraordinary and at the same time accessible to players of all ages in the genre before and there still isn’t. And there’s just a magical soundtrack.
A recent indie phenomenon, a physics puzzle that turns the player into a surgeon who is not entirely professional and neat, to say the least. You need to operate it with both hands that hold surgical instruments, and this is much more difficult than you imagine. A heart transplant in such conditions turns into a tense race, either the patient will die from blood loss, or by some miracle you will still get a new organ from special camera and replace the old one with it. Is it still easy? Try doing the same thing in zero gravity in space!
Another indie phenomenon and at the same time the stupidest game in general. From a goat simulator you expect calm eating of grass and caring for offspring, but Goat Simulator does not offer anything like that. Instead, the player in the role of a goat rushes around a small town and bothers its residents in every possible way, licking passers-by, knocking down lampposts and climbing onto tower cranes to jump off them beautifully and with dignity. For all this, points are awarded, in a set of which you are invited to compete with yourself and others.
Three parts of Five Nights at Freddy's indie story from Scott Cawthon, developer Christian games for children, which, thanks to the famous games journalist Jim Sterling, who criticized the way he depicted children's toys in one of his projects, turned to dark side. Now he produces horror films featuring sinister animatronic stuffed animals that can move. The player needs to spend five nights in the same building with them, and in order not to die (from which it is not very clear, most likely just from fear and a heart attack) he will have to monitor all the rooms using video cameras and control the lighting. Naturally, the battery will not be enough to constantly illuminate the entire building throughout the night.
The other day Gmbox talked about the most interesting theories of her fans.
One of Ubisoft's most successful experiments with small and inexpensive games is a short, tragic story of several characters who were led by different paths to the battlefield during the First World War. The heroes of Valiant Hearts seem comical in appearance, but thanks to personal letters they become close to the player; After the first hour, you don’t want to lose any of them under shelling and in clouds of toxic smoke. A rare example successful game about the First World War - this setting is not found very often in games.
, And
All three Grand Theft Autos of the PlayStation 2 era have been transferred to mobile platforms almost unchanged and feel good here. You just need to get used to the controls, and then the stories of Claude, Tommy Vercetti and Carl Johnson will appear before you in all their glory. GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas are examples of video game crime dramas highest quality that simply cannot be missed.
An incredibly popular virtual sandbox that made its own creator. Minecraft places the player in a randomly generated world and offers to build in it everything that comes to mind - castles, spaceships and portals to other dimensions. Buildings must be defended from several types of monsters, for example, slow and stupid zombies or explosive creepers, which have become a symbol of the game. The mobile version is noticeably behind the computer and console versions in terms of content (you can only play with other users on a local WiFi network), but it is still capable of captivating for many hours.
A classic adventure platformer that came out on PC back in 1991. Main character in the role of a physicist named Lester Knight, Chaykin, as a result of a failed experiment, ends up on a planet at the other end of the universe and must survive, fighting aliens and finding ways out of numerous dangerous situations. Interestingly, the plot in the game is presented in an unusual way: all the characters that the player meets speak an unfamiliar language.
To put it simply, this is 2D Minecraft with a side view. But Terraria is also interesting in isolation from its older brother: here it is much more interesting to fight monsters, including quite complex and unique bosses. The latter, after victory, leave the player with increasingly powerful equipment - this is another aspect in which Terraria turns out to be much deeper than Minecraft. Otherwise, everything is very similar: endless crafting, an almost completely destructible world and ample opportunities for experimentation and building your own castles. Multiplayer mode in mobile version Yes, but you can only play it over a local wireless network.
It's no secret that iOS devices are used by many for gaming. This is extremely convenient, because you don’t have to carry a PSP or Gameboy with you, and the hardware of the latest iPhone and iPad allows you to play good 3D games without any lags. While and are coming out, we decided to talk about the imperishable classics, which at one time were not created for mobile platforms at all...
GTA III
There’s not even anything to say here - timeless classic, which irrevocably changed the entire gaming industry. It was GTA III that became the pioneer among the so-called sand-box games, which are now released on “adult” consoles with enviable frequency. Criminal atmosphere, interesting plot and open city will not leave anyone indifferent. The game, like all parts of the Grand Theft Auto series, is distinguished by very high-quality voice acting: among the guest actors are Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano and Kyle MacLachlan. Moreover, who doesn’t want to pick up a rocket launcher from time to time and shoot down a couple of police helicopters? =)
By the way, the game took 3rd place in the list of "top paid applications of all time" on the list of 50 billion downloaded applications. Musthave, no less.
GTA III
GTA: Vice City
If the third part of GTA opened the door, it entered with fireworks. The surprising thing is that the game is loved primarily for its atmosphere, which has not gotten worse one iota in the 10 years since its release. Anyone who experienced Vice City on PC or last generation consoles remembers how detailed and amazing the world awaits the player in VC. Having released the Anniversary Edition of the game on iOS, Rockstar was not lazy and added synchronization of saves via iCloud. Quotes woven into the plot and game mechanics deserve special mention. From time to time you catch yourself thinking that you are repeating the bloody scene with a chainsaw from “Scarface” or the opening sequence of the TV series “Miami Vice: Vice.” The game is a living classic that is unlikely to ever get boring. For me, for example, Vice City is still the best part GTA series. I'm sure many will agree, so I suggest everyone take a Hawaiian shirt, a gun and try to return the stolen cocaine.
GTA: Vice City
Bard's Tale
The original game came out in 2004 and didn't make the splash it definitely deserved, despite receiving good reviews in gaming magazines. In fact, Bards Tale is an ordinary hack"n"slash RPG with a simplified combat system, which in no way stands out in its gameplay among thousands of other Diablo II "killers". The game is completely different. If most fantasy games exist with very serious faces, constantly hinting to the player that the fate of the entire fairy-tale kingdom/magical order/world (underline as appropriate) is in his hands, then Bards Tale is a parody game. It makes the player laugh from the first minutes to the very end, turning the pathetic plot moves and techniques traditional for fantasy games inside out. Every quest and every dialogue makes you smile. Of course, there are control flaws (it’s always more convenient to play with a mouse), but this in no way spoils the pleasure of the game. If you want to immerse yourself in a fairy-tale world of self-parody and travel along with a cynical drunkard bard, barely holding back laughter, then this game is for you.
Bard's Tale
Developer: inXile
Version: 1.7
iPhone + iPad (1440 MB) - $2.99 [Download]
Max Payne
Yes, another game from Rockstar. This American company apparently really enjoyed porting its timeless games to young mobile platforms. Max Payne is a milestone game that largely defined the development of the third-person shooter genre. The atmosphere of neo-noir, comic book style, good plot and slow-mo, which is unlikely to get boring after the release of The Matrix. Having just downloaded the game, I planned to complete the first level and go to bed, but I played Max Payne all night and went to bed only when I was stuck at one of the moments (remember Max’s nightmares that await the player after the end of each chapter?). The game is distinguished by pleasant controls: once you get used to it, you forget that you once played using a joystick or keyboard. An awesome bonus is the localization of the project. Licensed voice acting from 1C has migrated from the computer version to the mobile version, which adds another plus to the developers’ treasury. Classic.
Max Payne Mobile
Carmageddon
Here it is, the crazy drive that impressed me so much as a child, when the old PS One was huddled in front of the TV, and I had to do my homework the next day. Now, of course, the graphics look more than angular, and the physics will make you think about what path the industry has come over the past 10 years, but that’s not what makes Carmageddon catchy. Frantic races for survival, flashy car design in the style of Mad Max and cruelty towards opponents and pixelated passers-by. The racer's face in the upper left corner of the screen deserves special mention: it looked very cool for its time. And even now it makes me remember pleasant evenings watching TV. The racing format fits perfectly into the framework mobile application, because the game does not lose its charm due to constant breaks and switching to other applications. A separate race is completed in a couple of minutes, there is no plot as such, so old game It turned out to be quite a good time killer.
Carmageddon
Myst
Without exaggeration, Myst (or rather realMyst) is the father of all modern 3D quests. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine that a development team of 4 people (!) could implement a cult project, but in 1993 this is exactly what happened. By the way, the fact that the game was originally developed for the Macintosh, when it was still two-dimensional, deserves special mention. The authors' flight of fancy, twisted and complex plot, as well as excellent implementation made this project a hit. The game has its own universe, which, in addition to 4 sequels, also includes a series of books and comics. What we can play on iOS is a remake of the original game: 2D is forgotten, there are full-fledged three-dimensional graphics, new colorful videos and, most importantly, the good old world, plot and puzzles that made the game so popular.
Myst
Final Fantasy
At the moment, as many as 5 parts of “Final Fantasy” have been released on iOS: 1,2,3,4 and the once popular spin-off subtitled Tactics. Despite the fact that the era of jRPGs seems to have sunk into oblivion, and these games will seem at least strange to neophytes, Final Fantasy is a cult series of games. Like Myst, FF began as a modest project by a small group of developers, and it all grew to incredible proportions. At the moment, the “Final Fantasy” universe includes 14 main games with sequential numbering, a dozen spin-offs and side projects, anime, comics and cartoons. Distinctive feature series is that in each part the player explores absolutely new world with new heroes. Thus, all parts are united by the general concept of a fantasy adventure and game mechanics, but not by a common plot. If you've ever played ff, then you know how captivating these games are. Once you get into the gameplay a little, it will be impossible to tear you away from the screen. It’s clear that we’re not exactly dealing with original games: instead of sprite graphics, we’re looking at cartoonish 3D. The only thing that causes concern is the price tag. For one game, Square Enix is asking $16, which is not only out of the ordinary on mobile platforms, but also generally goes beyond what is reasonable. Although the project is not aimed at new players, but at those who once managed to join the world of “Final Fantasy”, and these people are definitely willing to pay not that much money for the sake of their favorite game on their iPhone.
Final Fantasy IV
Prince of Persia Classic
Like many other "classic" games on iOS, Prince of Persia is a 3D remake original project. Unlike the failed Prince of Persia Warrior Within, which was optimized by Gameloft, PoP Classic was developed by UbiSoft, which can serve as a guarantee of quality. In fact, this is “the same” classic Prince of Persia, which many played in the 90s, without thinking about any 3D. The main disadvantage of the port is the control; on the “Reviews” page there are constantly messages about the “impossibility of playing normally” using a virtual joystick. There is a simple solution: in the settings, switch to arrow controls and the game will become much more enjoyable. The price is not bad, and the game definitely deserves its $2.
Prince of Persia® Classic
Doom
Damn it, this is the original Doom. A fantastic game that predetermined the development of the first-person shooter genre for many years to come. Take shotguns and boldly clear the mysterious laboratory from hordes of infernal monsters. It's noticeable that the game is old: you can't jump, the graphics are pseudo-3D ( special technology, developed by id Software), but therein lies its charm and magic that kept me glued to the screen for a long time. I even remembered the time when I launched DOOM through the “console”. Unlike, for example, Myst or Final Fantasy, everyone knows this game, almost everyone played it on old computers, so there is no point in talking about it. Unfortunately, the game is ONLY available in the US App Store. If you are the owner of an American Apple ID, do not hesitate for a second. Let's show the forces of evil where crayfish spend the winter!
