With the Apple iPad making it’s triumphant splash on the market, it’s time to take a look at the social games developers that are undoubtedly lining up in droves to cash in. One such games maker is Gameloft, who last Friday announced not one, not two, but eight specific titles that are ready and waiting for new iPad users to dive right into.
Keeping in mind that the iPad is (arguably) just a giant iPod Touch, at least in respect to the (modified) operating system, games developers are poised to make a killing with social apps. Remember, the current iPhone OS incorporates microtransactions, as does the iPad. While there’s no specific mention of microtransactions in Gameloft’s releases, a number of them are ripe for the option. Gameloft’s lineup includes: N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, Modern Combat: Sandstorm, Dungeon Hunter, Asphalt 5, UNO, NFL 2010, Let’s Golf, and Real Football 2010.
Currently, Gameloft is riding the “new” wave, capitalizing on a number of the iPad’s unique interface. Noting that the screen resolution of the iPad is 1024 x 768 (remember that one?), HD gaming has now come to the portable platform. All of Gameloft’s iPad specific applications have a much higher level of detail. For example, their Real Football 2010 has been completely remastered to include HD resolution grass, textures, characters, and animations.
Likewise, Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance App utilizes the iPad’s control features, allowing users to open an airlock door by rotating three fingers, as well as sliding buttons to make various object move, elevators for example.
Where Gameloft expects the iPad to excel is in level of complexity now available. That’s not to say that a number of iPhone apps are not highly detailed, but rather the more powerful iPad allows for greater flexibility. Increased depth of field, complex map layouts, and more intense action sequences can be found in their iPad specific applications. For example, the N.O.V.A. title allows for multi-target acquisition, activated via a user-drawn grid that serves as the targeting method for an in-game rocket launcher.
Finally, we all know that gaming is fun, but even more so when doing it with friends. Gameloft’s iPad titles will be easier and more attractive for multiplayer gaming. One of my personal favorite casual/social games produced by Gameloft, UNO, allows for up to four players to compete against each other on one iPad by selecting “One Device Multiplayer” mode. Likewise, for multiple device play, UNO also allows friends on different iPads or iPhones to connect for local and online Wi-Fi gameplay.
“With iPhone and iPod touch, Apple changed the way consumers perceive and interact with their devices and created a revolutionary era for the mobile gaming industry,” said Michel Guillemot, president of Gameloft. “We are taking full advantage of all the new possibilities and features iPad is bringing to developers with games that will once again transform the digital gaming experience.”
Only about a month and a half after Open Feint’s announcement of their 
If computer hardware/software making companies getting into gaming sounds familiar, the most obvious example is Microsoft’s Xbox console, but one can’t count out Dell and or Alienware’s commitment to addressing what gamers are after. For decades Apple has been doing things a differently (remember the Think Different advertising campaign?), and their committed entry to the gaming market is no different.
