The newly announced iPhone 4S will come to market with a big crop of games for players to dig into thanks to the tons of titles already found in the iTunes App Store. But like the iPad 2 before it, which shares the same dual-core A5 processor, those games are going to get a significant bump from the new iPhone’s powerful inner hardware. With a new antenna that boosts 3G connectivity speeds and graphics rendered as much as seven times faster with the A5 than its predecessor, mobile gaming could get a serious upgrade when people purchase the new device. We’ve compiled five(ish) games you can expect to be even better with more power under your iPhone 4S’ hood.
Real Racing 2 ($4.99)
Among the first games to be optimized for the power and speed of the A5 chip was Real Racing 2, back when the A5 was launched in the iPad 2. So developer Firemint has some experience working with Apple’s amped-up new hardware, and it has already announced plans to optimize its beautiful racing title for the iPhone 4S. Real Racing 2 will take advantage of the A5 for some crystal clear graphics, and it’ll allow the game to better render 16-car races in its online multiplayer mode. It will also feature a new gameplay mode called Party Play, which will use Airplay Mirroring in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 to allow up to four players to race head-to-head on a TV screen, using their devices as controllers. Already beautiful on the iPhone 4 and even better on the iPad 2, Real Racing 2 is going to set a high bar for what’s possible on Apple’s new smartphone.
Archetype, N.O.V.A 2, Eliminate: CO-OP ($0.99, $6.99, Free)
The iPhone actually does first-person shooters, a staple of the video game world, quite well. With the iPhone 4S, one aspect of these games in particular will be getting a huge boost: online multiplayer. Archetype and N.O.V.A 2 both feature great online deathmatch modes that pit player against player, while Eliminate takes a cooperative approach the proceedings by letting two gunslingers team up. All of them will get a graphics boost from the A5 that will make getting two 4Ss to play together well, and the faster 3G connectivity afforded by the 4S’ dual antennas should mean that no matter where you are, you’ll be able to get an action-packed game going.
Dark Meadow ($5.99)
Normally, I’d point the graphically astounding Infinity Blade for this list, but Apple and Epic Games kind of beat me to it when at the iPhone 4S announcement keynote. But there are plenty of other graphically gorgeous games out there that will look even better with the power of the A5, and the newly released survival horror game, Dark Meadow, is among them. In fact, Dark Meadow plays a lot like Infinity Blade in its combat, making use of a very similar system, and it’s also is built on the same graphics engine – Unreal Engine 3. When that A5 hits, expect 3-D games rendered with Epic’s powerful software to dazzle.
In the graphics category, an honorable mention goes to the also newly released SHADOWGUN, which is built on the Unity engine. A third-person shooter, it also looks just awesome on an iPhone 4. Can’t wait to see it on an iPhone 4S.
Pocket Legends (Free)
In a game that’s all about connecting players to make a huge community, faster connectivity and more computing power are going to go a long way. Pocket Legends has a community of more than 2 million players and works over both Wi-Fi and 3G Internet connections, so the new hardware found in the iPhone 4S is really just perfect to play this “World of Warcraft for the iPhone” massively multiplayer game. Faster 3G speeds means gaming should work well no matter where you are, and the A5 will benefit putting players together to smash enemies and conquer quests.
Armada – Galactic War Online (Free)
Another big entry in the multiplayer category is Armada – Galactic war Online, a real-time strategy game in the vein of big-time PC titles such as StarCraft II. Armada looks pretty good, but its real benefits, like many of the other titles on this list, will likely be in the connectivity speeds afforded the iPhone 4S. It’s another big game you can play over a 3G connection, but in the real-time strategy genre, every second matters as you try to position your armies to defeat those of your enemies. Expect lots of multiplayer titles to become significantly better, especially over 3G connections, with the iPhone 4S.
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