I would like to talk about games that migrated to Android from PC and talk about my favorite ports from 'adult' platforms.
It's no secret that the gaming industry is changing with the advent of new devices. It is games and another equally popular industry that push progress forward. Capacities are growing, new manipulators and technologies for interacting with gaming reality appear.
A brief history of the gaming industry
The first 'computer' game is considered to be Atari's Pong slot machine, which appeared back in 1972. The gameplay was as primitive as possible, somewhat reminiscent of tennis. There are two platforms opposite each other, which ride up and down and hit the ball. The one who concedes the most goals loses. However, the game gained immense popularity, especially when Atari released the home version of Pong as a game console. Of course, before that, too, 'computer' games were created, but it was Atari who laid the foundation for this industry, and after 1972 the first game companies began to form.
After that, personal computers and home game consoles began to flourish gradually, making games more complex in terms of gameplay and technology. There were more objects on the display, a full-fledged soundtrack began to appear in games, and over time, music, games became colored instead of monochrome, a transition to three-dimensional graphics began, and so on. In fact, the industry developed evolutionarily, but very actively.
The early 2000s also became a significant period for the gaming industry – the first games appeared on phones. Mobile games have followed the same path as 'grown-up' computer games. At first, these were primitive arcades, however, they were very popular, because it was during this period that telephones became more accessible and widespread. For many it was a shock – it was possible to play on the phone (!) On the way to work / study, in addition to just making calls. Here you should definitely remember, I'm not afraid of this word, the cult “Snake” on Nokia phones. Games became more complex and beautiful in parallel with the development of phones – color displays appeared, power increased, memory increased.
Today
And now we have reached the current stage, when smartphones have 8 cores and 4 GB of RAM 'on board', but modern mobile games are essentially no different from those of five years ago. The graphics have become a little better, there are more polygons and, perhaps, that's all. There is no radical breakthrough. But everyone was waiting for a jump when, for example, Apple added support for external gamepads in iOS. 'Now we will live!', They said, but this was initially a weak idea: no one wants to carry a gamepad with them, and playing at home on a smartphone or tablet is stupid, because there is a computer / laptop / set-top box. The beauty of mobile games is in portability and accessibility, and an external manipulator completely kills this ideology. There was also a presentation of Metal technology along with iPhone 6/6 Plus about two years ago, but, alas, it will only help to improve graphics and performance, this will not affect the fun of games.
VainGlory is one of the first games with Metal technology
So, as for me, it's not worth waiting for some kind of breakthrough in the mobile games industry, and it's probably not necessary on smartphones. Not everyone has the opportunity to play for half an hour or an hour, and this will not affect the battery in the best way. But games, in which you can spend 5-10-15 minutes, are self-explanatory for the phone. Moreover, there are excellent casual games for which you can enjoy your time. However, tablets are a completely different matter. It's more convenient to play on them due to the fact that the screen is larger, and it's not scary to discharge the battery on the road. This is exactly the mobile platform that is best suited for 'complex' games. Now I'm not talking about portable consoles (PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS), because they have sagged quite a lot in sales precisely because of the development of mobile systems and are common only among the most ardent gamers. So 'real' mobile games are most suitable for smartphones, and ports from PC to tablets.
There are a huge number of mobile games for Android and iOS. However, there are also games-ports from 'adult' systems – consoles and PCs. I don't know about you, but I often like these games more than those that were originally developed for smartphones or tablets. That is why I want to share with you a selection of the most interesting and exciting PC ports for Android.
Max payne
This is not to say that the game about Max Paynesthal was the founder of the Action Shooter genre, but it definitely made a big contribution to it. 'Max Payne' can definitely be called innovative – it was possible to slow down time (!), Not to mention believable shooting and physics (at that time – 2001). It seemed that such a dynamic game would not be suitable for a smartphone or tablet, but Rockstar, which owns the rights to the series of games about Max Payne, was not afraid and released a port of Max Payne Mobile for iOS and Android.
The game was released for mobile platforms in 2012, when smartphones were still small, on average – up to 4.3 ″. Playing on such a display in Max Payne Mobile was rather difficult and inconvenient. At that time, however, tablets flourished, where 'Max Payne' was played more confidently, but far from perfect.
Max Payne Mobile, in fact, is no different from the 'adult' game, except for the controls, an auto-aim was added and the textures were slightly 'tightened up'. Otherwise, this is an old Max with a difficult fate, an interesting plot, guns and hordes of opponents.
However, on modern Android devices, compatibility problems may arise – I advise you to contact thematic forums, there is a solution to this problem.
I strongly advise those who have not encountered it before, and even those who have already played, to familiarize themselves with this game – on the tablet, a completely different impression of the game.
Price: 229 rubles
GTA series
This is probably one of the most popular series of games in the history of the industry. Despite the title – Grand Theft Auto ('The Great Car Thief'), the game is not always about carjacking. She rather talks about criminal life in general – robberies, murders, drugs and the like. In almost the entire series, you start playing as a 'pawn' and as the plot progresses, you climb the career ladder higher and higher (if you can call it a career).
Only three parts of the series 'got' to mobile platforms – GTA III, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas. Before the first port from Rockstar, there was a line of Gangstar games from Gameloft, but they were no match even with the third part of The Great Hijacker, which was released in 2001.
In these games, you can do literally everything, especially in the last part of GTA: San Andreas, you can complete story missions or secondary tasks, but some people prefer to just wander around the city, beat passers-by, steal cars and break away from the police pursuit. This is what the GTA series is loved for. However, the games also have a good plot, but it often fades into the background.
If you are not familiar with GTA games, then I highly recommend starting with Vice City, which is imbued with the atmosphere of the movie 'Scarface'. The third part may seem too simple and uninteresting. Further, it will already be possible to turn to San Andreas, which tells about the hard life in the Ghetto.
Cost: from 379 to 529 rubles
Games from Telltale Games
The Telltale company produces series games where the main part is the story, and the gameplay fades into the background. Personally, I only played The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead from their products, but they also have other popular games about different universes – Minecraft: Story Mode, Game of Thrones, Tales from the Borderlands.
The company's games are adventure quests that are released according to the series' scheme – by episodes and seasons. The gameplay is as simple as possible – you move around the location, look for and use objects, communicate with other characters. It is the dialogue that is the main part of the Telltale games. The player can directly influence the development of the plot with his actions and decisions. One phrase at the beginning of the game can completely change the ending.
Telltale games are great for tablets. On the road, the same 'Walking Dead' help pass the time no worse than a movie or TV series. But there is one problem with them – in the official version they do not have a Russian translation, not even subtitles. Craftsmen have already created a crack, but you can install it only in an illegal way – you choose.
Cost: from 331 rubles (the first episode is free)
XCOM: Enemy Within
Strategies and quests are best played on tablets. To my regret, there are very, very few decent strategy games on mobile platforms. This is why I have a very warm welcome to the XCOM port for Android.
If anyone is not familiar with the series, I will tell you briefly. In XCOM: Enemy Within, you play as the leader of an organization fighting alien invaders. You have your own secret base that needs to be developed, as well as a team of engineers, scientists and fighters. Researchers create upgrades for weapons, equipment and vehicles. If danger is detected, you send a squad of fighters of different classes to the hot spot – sniper, attack aircraft, medic and others.
Battles take place step by step, amesto battles are generated randomly. It is necessary in turn to give commands to each soldier – to hide in cover, advance from the flank, attack, retreat, and so on. In the game, you must show all your leadership, tactical and economic skills. Otherwise, the aliens will win.
The game is perfectly suited for control on a touch screen, but it has minor problems with optimization, so there may be freezes on weak hardware – be careful.
Price: 731 rubles
World of goo
The only arcade game in today's collection. The gameplay of World of Goo is based on physics, the main task of each level is to guide the Goo balls to the pipe. For this, it is necessary to build special figures from these very balls – bridges, towers and other structures, taking into account the laws of physics.
Guu balloons come in different types, some can stick to objects, others are a balloon and can pull the structure up, some explode, and so on. Given the peculiarities of the balls, one should be scrupulous about the construction of bridges to the pipe. One extra movement and the building will collapse. You use a lot of balls – you will not have enough of them to send into the pipe.
World of Goo is perhaps more convenient to play on a tablet than on a computer with a mouse. After all, with the help of multitouch, you can move several balls of 'Guu' at once. I also want to notice the excellent cartoon graphics and catchy music.
The game has many exciting and varied levels. I highly recommend to fans of puzzles and arcades.
Cost: 200 rubles
Conclusion
That's all for today. I have listed those games that I played on mobile or tablet myself, but there are many others that are worth mentioning. First of all, these are Heroes of Might and Magic III HD, Syberia, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Machinarium, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Broken Age, Fahrenheit, This War of Mine and much, much more. Yes, many PC ports cost significantly more than games originally intended for mobile platforms, but almost all 'adult' games are significantly more interesting, fun and detailed.
Share your favorite PC games that you have ported to Android or you would like to see on a mobile platform in the comments.