6 iPad Games I Want To Play
The iPad, with its big and bright screen, practically begs to be a video game machine. But with all the excitement of games with razzle-dazzle graphics and fancy sound effects, other genres are being ignored. Here are six games I want to be developed for the iPad:
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: That’s right! Everyone’s favorite text-based game is back. And now it’s on the iPad. Just like the original it features no new graphics, no new sound effects, and black text on a gray background. So get ready to figure out how to get a Babel Fish from the Babel Fish Dispenser. Available on 5 1/4″ floppy (iPad-compatible floppy drive sold separately)
NetHack: Hey kids – do you like video games that are older than you?! Sure you do! So play NetHack. It’s an exciting dungeon crawler game. Fight kobolds as a knight, barbarian, wizard, rogue, valkyrie, priest, monk, or samurai,or even an archaeologist, tourist, or caveman! Featuring the best ASCII graphics on the iPad, you’ll be wearing the Amulet of Yendor in no time. Available exclusively in USENET groups.
Pac-Man – Atari 2600 Edition: If you’re a hipster with a retro bent (and I know you are), then you can’t go wrong with Pac-Man. Featuring the original Atari 2600 graphics, your eyes will burn with joy as you squint at the flashy-blinky ghosts. Your ears will bleed with delight at the faithfully reproduced terrible sound from the Atari game. Playable only with Atari 2600 joystick accessory (sold separately).
E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial – Atari 2600 Edition: Another in the Atari 2600 Edition series of games for the iPad, this is a must-buy. Critics dismissed the original as rushed to market, but this is one that’s been in the works for almost three decades. And it shows. A faithful reproduction of the original game, you will giggle with anger at every terrible puzzle and laugh with rage as you fumble with the bad controls. True to the original, this is available on 16Kb ROM cartridge for use with the Atari 2600 cartridge adapter (sold separately).
1990′s Magic 3D Picture: 3D is so hot now that it’s burning up the box office. Now, it can burn out your iPad screen (and your retinas!). This fun-for-all-ages optical illusion will have you staring at your iPad screen for hours on end, trying to see the spaceship (or the sailboat or the teddy bear). But wait – there’s more. The real trick is that there is no picture of anything. But no one but you has to know. To help you stare for hours on end, Magic Picture overrides the power management feature of the iPad completely and permanently, cranking the brightness to maximum and destroying the auto-off function. Once you turn it on, you won’t turn it off (it also destroys the ability to turn off your iPad or escape to the Home screen). $2.99 on iTunes.
Desert Bus: The legendary minigame is back – in iPad form. Featuring the same terrible controls from the original, drive the bus in real-time from Reno, Nevada to Tempe, Arizona. Each time you make a successful round-trip, you score one point. This is for hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike. No saves, no pause function, no soundtrack except the simulated sound of tires on a poorly-maintained highway. Run off the road and feel what it’s like to be towed back to the bus depot in real time. And with the iPad’s wifi connectivity, you can post your scores to the Leaderboard. Available on CD-ROM
