Within an extremely short timeframe, it seems like the next big thing in mobile gaming is all about getting bigger. We’re not talking popularity, either – it looks like the handheld titles we’ve grown to know and love are literally taking a large step onto the big screen.
Within an extremely short timeframe, it seems like the next big thing in mobile gaming is all about getting bigger. We’re not talking popularity, either – it looks like the handheld titles we’ve grown to know and love are literally taking a large step onto the big screen.
Angry Birds is already primed to hit consoles this holiday season. The GameDock Kickstarter is hoping to provide iOS gamers with an easy solution for HDTV gaming. And if 3 million dollars of funding in barely a day for the new Android-powered console, OUYA (already supporting Dead Trigger and Minecraft), means anything, we’d say that developers and gamers alike can’t wait to take mobile devices to the television.
To commemorate this explosion of TV-based mobile gaming, here are seven great titles that we’d like to see taking up our living rooms:
Infinity Blade II (and Dungeons)
From its inception back in 2010, the Infinity Blade series has been a shining example of the graphical power of the iOS. After all, Epic Studios was practically born on the big screen in the first place (see Unreal Engine 3 and Gears of War). Who wouldn’t want to dodge, cast, and slash their way through hundreds of hideous monsters in glorious HD?
Infinity Blade‘s darker sister title needs some love, too. Phosphor Games’ creepy hospital ward has all the gorgeous setting (and disgusting monsters) to warrant the full screen experience, but Dark Meadow also contains a great helping of something commonly overlooked in mobile games: audio. We can’t wait for a world where we can hear the creepy wheelchair-bound antagonist yelling at us over the intercoms at max volume.
Gameloft has positioned itself as a “console imitator” for mobile devices for years, so nearly their entire library has been built with big ambitions in mind. Their most ambitious title to date, N.O.V.A. 3, is practically begging to bring the series to a console. We’re pretty sure the addition of dual analogue sticks on a controller could go a long way, too.
Why not make Real Racing 2 feel even more real? Firemint’s gorgeous racing title is a perfect fit for an HD-ready console. And with all the openness that OUYA has shown for hacking and third-party add-ons, we’re sure an authentic steering wheel control system is already on programmer minds.
Speaking of racing titles, ever find yourself longing for the good old days of Wave Race? Throw Riptide GP onto a television, and it’ll (pun intended) blow those memories out of the water. Riptide has been optimized for the Android Tegra 3 processor, allowing it to display HD water and motion blur with a breeze. Seeing as the OUYA already runs on Tegra 3, it’s a match made in heaven.
Fish Labs’ epic space adventure would be so much more epic with a little more, well, space. Taking those stars, ships, and explosions, and expanding them to an even larger universe is a perfect solution.
Who said great-looking titles were all about polygon counts? If there’s anything HD does do, it’s amazing for allowing colorful and crisp visuals to really pop (just see Rayman Origins). Squids: Wild West is no exception to this – its gorgeous 2D environments and adorable animated character models would sit perfectly in a bigger world.
Whatever comes out of this televised revolution is yet to be determined, but one thing’s for certain: we’re loving just how “big” mobile development has become.
