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Infinity Blade blows up big time
Mo' Money, Mo' money

Developers have flocked to the iOS and Android apps market with some addictive games that are raking in huge profits. Games like Angry Birds are massive hits on both iOS and Android devices (the former is a paid game, while the latter is a free, ad-driven game). The latest hit game application for the iPhone is from Epic and is called Infinity Blade.

Infinity Blade has now become the fastest grossing app for the iOS platform. Gamasutra reports that the game generated $1.6 million in the first four days it was available on the App Store.

The game sells for $5.99. As of right now, the game has 271,424 users.

Infinity Blade beat the record set by a cutesy game called Cut the Rope that sold over a million in the first ten days it was available.  Infinity Blade pushed Angry Birds Seasons HD and Angry Birds HD into the second and third sports on the top chart for paid apps on the iPad.

Infinity Blade is a 3rd person RPG game that has incredible graphics that many didn’t believe was actually possible with iPhone hardware. Critics have not only praised the graphics, but also the gameplay of the Infinity Blade. 

You can catch reviews of the game here and here.

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DO WANT
By kraeper on 12/13/2010 12:39:20 PM , Rating: 2
Do want for Android, but I'd guess game development is easier on a closed system than an open one, what with standardized hardware.




RE: DO WANT
By akugami on 12/13/2010 2:51:35 PM , Rating: 2
Pretty much this is what's holding back more graphically intense games on Android. As much as people want to tout Android, fragmentation is an issue. One is the varying graphics and compute horsepower of the various Android phones vs iPhones which really only have two models, this year's model and last year's. The other is supporting the various versions of a game/app on Android which can raise support costs substantially. And these are not my words but taken from an interview with John Carmack on Ars Technica.

Note that I said graphically intense. Graphics is not the be-all end-all of gaming. Gameplay is ultimately king and this game is probably not the best in terms of gameplay but ultimately it's a sign of things to come on mobile phones.


RE: DO WANT
By SunAngel on 12/13/2010 3:41:40 PM , Rating: 2
Sign of what? Mimicking iOS?


RE: DO WANT
By akugami on 12/13/2010 5:23:19 PM , Rating: 3
That's the problem with these quick replies, even in a proper forum and not attached to a blog post. Sometimes replies are ambiguous. Anyways, I meant it's a sign of games having higher production values on smart phones.

Previously, most of the games have been retro ports or more simplistic games. We're seeing more and more games specifically designed for the smart phone market which also have big budgets associated with them. Instead of being a secondary market, companies are seriously targeting smart phone games.


RE: DO WANT
By aharris on 12/13/2010 3:43:55 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Graphics is not the be-all end-all of gaming. Gameplay is ultimately king


Agreed.

quote:
this game is probably not the best in terms of gameplay


Having played this game, I have to disagree.

"The best" is terribly vague, and in a list based on the literal sense of the phrase, sure the game probably wouldn't be ranked #1. Its gameplay is very solid, and my expectations were low for this one based wholly on the graphics. Chair did a great job of making the most of the platform.

quote:
it's a sign of things to come on mobile phones.


I sure as hell hope so!


RE: DO WANT
By Chaser on 12/13/2010 4:14:00 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Graphics is not the be-all end-all of gaming.
To you maybe. But with RPG type games the best "game play" in the world won't make up for horrible imagery on the screen. Tetris and even Angry Birds is more gameplay.


RE: DO WANT
By akugami on 12/13/2010 5:29:24 PM , Rating: 2
Obviously I'm not talking graphics such as those produced by a five year old child. But a great game doesn't need Crysis level graphics. Just because I'm saying a great game doesn't need Crysis or whatever level graphics does not mean I'm saying that we should be producing games with Atari 2600 level graphics here.

An example is Stickwars (currently free) on the iPhone has relatively "crappy" graphics. It's still a fun little game. Is Stickwars great? No. But for the price, and considering what you get, it's a great value.

As for RPG's, depending on the type, they can contain SNES era or older graphics and still be tons of fun. Heck, the original Zelda on the NES would still be a great game if ported to the iPhone or Android (yes I know about the emulators).


RE: DO WANT
By MozeeToby on 12/13/2010 5:34:42 PM , Rating: 2
Nethack (or SLASH'EM if you prefer) is still one of the most entertaining strategy RPGs out there in terms of pure game play. Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are also big favorites, not to mention several of the early Final Fantasies. All of which are easily playable on my 2 year old Android phone (emulated no less). If someone started producing quality RPG's with 16-bit era graphics, there's a decent population that would be ready and willing to buy.


RE: DO WANT
By DM0407 on 12/13/2010 9:04:13 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
To you maybe. But with RPG type games the best "game play" in the world won't make up for horrible imagery on the screen. Tetris and even Angry Birds is more gameplay.


Your joking right? Zelda and Dragon Warrior are still two of the best RPG's ever. FF7 is right up there. Graphics is the least important part of an RPG...


*Spoiler alert*
By theplaidfad on 12/13/2010 12:44:06 PM , Rating: 2
The game is addictive. But if you're anything like me, you play it through. It only took me one day (8 hours) to get to a point in the game where I've unlocked everything, can no longer level up, and I'm playing the same victory cut scene over and over.

I suppose it was worth the $5.99 for the addictive entertainment it provided, but the fun ended quickly. The planned updates will be needed quickly if the game is to keep up the pace it set so easily.




RE: *Spoiler alert*
By aharris on 12/13/2010 2:34:49 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed, but those 8 hours were some of the most fun I've spent on the iPhone and their ideas for future updates are promising.

And what's with everyone calling this game an RPG? It's no more an RPG than Call of Duty... absolutely an Action/Fighting game with slight RPG elements: fantasy setting, magic, & gear upgrades.

Also as a heads up: the game does get slightly choppy at times on the iPhone 4, but that's somewhat expected given the progressive graphics of this game on a CELL PHONE :o


RE: *Spoiler alert*
By Keeir on 12/13/2010 4:30:33 PM , Rating: 2
I think people have gotten spoiled...

Some games on the iphone do indeed provide many more hours at lower cost...

but as a starting point? ~8 hours of fun for only 6 dollars? thats not even 1 dollar an hour. Its rare for me to get 40-50 hours out of games that I pay 40-50 dollars for on traditional console systems.. With a moderate update of few more hours and it cheaper than renting a 1 dollar movie... I can't really say something bad about the value or the length of such an inexpensive game...


RE: *Spoiler alert*
By MozeeToby on 12/13/2010 5:37:07 PM , Rating: 2
Slightly off topic but... I just picked up Fallout 3 for $10 on Amazon. 100+ hours of quality gameplay comes to about $.10 per hour, that's some bargain basement entertainment right there.


RE: *Spoiler alert*
By jimhsu on 12/14/2010 5:04:28 PM , Rating: 2
At least for this, I have to disagree. Then again, I don't have a console.

1 dollar an hour seems high (i.e. too expensive). For me to pay $40-50 (and not borrow it from a friend, for example), I'd expect at least 100 hours of gameplay, which automatically disqualifies about 80% (probably more) of the games out there. The few exceptions (Oblivion/Fallout, the X3 series, Supreme commander (not the crappy second one)) have truly provided quality entertainment - hundreds of hours, each. I'll reserve my judgment on Starcraft 2 for now, but I did buy it.


RE: *Spoiler alert*
By psonice on 12/14/2010 4:56:57 AM , Rating: 2
I've finished it too. Not got all the level ups though, still a couple of swords left.

But chair are promising updates for it - they're supposed to be unlocking the dungeon area "during december" if i remember right. There's talk of multiplayer and more expansions too. We'll have to see if they're free or paid.


Sweet!
By quiksilvr on 12/13/2010 12:11:24 PM , Rating: 2
The game looks awesome, and at $6, what do you really have to lose? (besides six bucks)




RE: Sweet!
By Akrovah on 12/13/2010 12:38:48 PM , Rating: 2
Don't forget time. If the game is fun and adictive you could also be losing alot of time.


RE: Sweet!
By amanojaku on 12/13/2010 12:55:08 PM , Rating: 3
The flow of time isn't something you can control. If you're spending it having fun then it isn't a loss.

You still have to take out the garbage, pay the rent, feed the kids, etc...


RE: Sweet!
By Dean364 on 12/13/2010 2:47:47 PM , Rating: 1
Time isn't an issue for iPad/iPhone users, they have plenty of free time. I'm guessing this is because most are unemployed.


iPad2
By kmmatney on 12/13/2010 12:05:29 PM , Rating: 2
Surprised not to see anything about the iPad2 today on dailytech...




RE: iPad2
By melgross on 12/13/2010 1:42:14 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, I bought it for the iPad.


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