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Perfect Ten: Mobile apps to enhance your MMO lifestyle
We're living in the age of smart phones, when there are more cell phones than there are people on this planet. I can't go anywhere without seeing people constantly whipping out their little rectangular companions for the constant stream of information, social connection, and Candy Crush interludes. While MMOs aren't making great headway on these devices, in part due to the limited input scheme, several wise studios have made good use of the mobile market to give players a way to keep in touch with their games even while AFK. Today we're going to count down, count up, and count sideways 10 official mobile apps that will enhance your MMO lifestyle.
MMObility: Simplifying design for the mobile market
Whenever I write up something about a smartphone MMO, one of the most common complaints I hear is this: "If I wanted to play a game for several hours, I would sit at my gaming desktop." While this is true for many players, it is also true that games like Star Legends and Pocket Legends by Spacetime Studios have met with a lot of success. The developers were surprised to find that players were more than willing to sit for several hours while playing the games on their tiny screens. Still, there is a lot of truth to the complaints about smartphone MMOs. An MMO is typically something a player wants to get lost in. We commonly refer to it as "immersion," but really we're just talking about being sucked into the ideas and design of a title. If you have found yourself daydreaming about a game while at work, you were "immersed." I would argue that this type of deep immersion is very possible on the smaller screens of smartphones and tablets. However, in order to achieve it more commonly, developers might have to adjust many of their designs and theories. Click past the cut and we'll discuss it!
Massively Mobile: iPhone apps for your favorite MMOs part 2
Every two weeks, Massively Mobile brings you the latest news, guides and analysis about MMOs on mobile devices. Covering iPhone, iPad and Android platforms, we're on the lookout for the next generation of MMOs. In the last column, I covered a number of iPhone apps for MMOs. Some kept you connected to the game world, others offered you information at your fingertips, while still others were entire games unto themselves. Today I continue with the second half of the list starting with Final Fantasy XI all the way through Wizard101. In the next Massively Mobile column, I will focus specifically on World of Warcraft mobile apps for both the iPhone and the Android. I have to admit that in the process of researching this column, I became obsessed with one particular app, Warrior Epic: Sagas. I don't even play the MMO, but I found the app to be one I returned to again and again throughout the week. It's very addictive, has an engaging storyline and is a dream come true for equipment micromanagers like myself. Check it out along with the rest of the apps after the jump.
Wizard101 introduces iPhone minigame
We've gotten quite an infusion of side applications for mobile devices of late, but Wizard101 has released one that might set a somewhat dangerous new precedent. It's one thing to be able to surf your auctions or your character builds, but it's another to be able to earn gold and potions in-game through diligent play of the mobile app. But just such a thing is possible in the new WizardBlox app, for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. High scores give you access to in-game rewards, thereby making your goofing around between classes or during breaks at work all the more productive. In terms of gameplay, it's a fairly standard puzzle game format -- slide blocks around on the bottom, match three or more to destroy them, avoid crossing the top of the screen. It's based off the in-game minigame Sorcery Stones, so gameplay will be familiar for any Wizard101 fan. The official page doesn't give any information on how large the rewards that you can earn for the main game will be, so it's safe to bet they're not going to be enormous. Still, this means players on the go can do more than usual in the game... even when they're not in the game.
