The galaxy in GOF2 HD is not actually on fire, but it does look really damn good. It is, in fact, so good looking that the game can only run on an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2. I asked the developers for a review code a few weeks ago because I was stunned by the graphical quality of the game and intrigued by the promised iCloud integration for saved games.
Expansive space shooters like Galaxy on Fire 2 HD are the kind of games that you can spend hours playing, and so the ability to switch seamlessly from my iPhone to my iPad sounded fantastic. The problem is that, although there is plenty to do and plenty to like in GOF2 HD, I have found it difficult to play the game for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time (more on this soon).
SPACE
One of the coolest aspects of space shooters like GOF2 HD is the way that levels look like they could simply go on forever. Other shooter genres will sometimes display beautiful vistas, but space shooters tend to be all pretty all the time. However, there is something that developers really need to watch out for when playing in this big a field: balancing the concept of a huge gaming world with that of an accessible one.
SPACE APLENTY
My biggest issue with Galaxy on Fire 2 HD is how difficult (and even boring) it can be to travel between galaxies. Intergalactic travel is essential to the game for sub-missions and the main storyline, but for the 3 1/2 hours I have played, I have been limited to traveling galaxies one at a time – and the process of moving across galaxies through jumpgates requires manual targeting of the destination.
This would be alright if there were only a couple of galaxies to visit, but there are almost 20 of them on my current map and many of the missions I’ve taken part in have asked me to travel across five or six of them at a time. The game will occasionally throw a few pirates your way to spice up your travels, but I’d really much rather save on both the time and the firefighting. Allowing Jumpgates a range of only one galaxy seems like a very artificial limitation on the player in order to make the whole game world feel larger.
CACHES OF KABOOM
I really don’t think this limitation on travel is needed, since there is already so much to do in the world of GOF2 HD. You start the game off with only the most basic of space ships, with barely enough room for cargo, armor, shields, or weapons. But invest a little time in the game by killing a few pirates or mining a few asteroids and you’ll soon find yourself trading your little starting vessel for some sort of sleek fighter class ship, or, even better, a behemoth of a ship with three turrets and the armour of a flying fortress. There’s a lot of stuff to save up for and upgrade in this game, and I genuinely enjoyed visiting different stations to see what supplies were on offer.
In fact, many of the stations are absolutely gorgeous you both on the outside and the inside. Docking with the station presents you with a 3D rendering of the hangar bay in the menu of options for shopping, questing, and save your game. Incidentally, this is where I found out that the iCloud integration in GOF2 HD was not quite as seamless as I thought it would be. To make sure that your game is consistent across your iPhone and your iPad, you have to make sure to manually save in the iCloud slot of the same game list when you dock at a station. This runs a little counter to the seamless iCloud integration in other games, such as Zombieville 2, where you simply load up the game on either of your devices and let iCloud do the rest.
JAW-DROPPING GRAPHICS
One area where GOF2 HD absolutely does not disappoint is in graphics. The level of detail, especially in the iPhone 4S version, is actually stunning. The developers even anticipated that players would pause the game simply to take a look around, and there’s even an option in the main menu to do just that.
COMBAT
The default tilt controls for each of the ships feel tight on the iPhone and the iPad, though I had an easier time playing on my smartphone, since it was so much lighter. Actual combat feels equally tight for the most part and I enjoyed the variety of tactical options that my new weapons (EMPs, missiles, chain guns, etc.) provided me. That said, there is also a strangely ponderous pacing to the movement and combat in this game, and players looking for dogfighting at breakneck speed will probably be a little surprised at how far away enemies can feel when you first encounter them. thankfully, it’s always plenty of fun to EMP an opponent into paralysis, gun them down mercilessly from long range, and swoop in to tractor beam the left over weaponry.
CONCLUSION
There are a couple of other features that I haven’t mentioned so far, including in-game voice acting, hiring wingmen, mining, and a couple of others. But these features really aren’t the reason you want to pick up this title — they’re just icing on this very, very pretty cake.
What matters in this batter is the meaty space combat, gorgeous visuals, and the distinct sense of progression as you trade in one ship for another, better ship. There’s a surprising amount of heart and depth in this $10 universal iOS title, and I think that’s very promising as a sign of things to come for the iPhone and iPad as gaming platforms. However, I still maintain that the whole game would be a lot more fun if traveling around the galaxy didn’t take up so much darn time.
—
GOF2 HD was provided by fishlabs for review on iSource. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
Continue reading:
- Everything New Apple Just Announced (Septembe
- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
TAGS: space shooter
