I've been searching for a good first-person shooter for my iPhone since I bought one in 2008. Most of the ones that were developed for the OS were a bit too hard to control on such a small display and only the geekiest of gamers could play it well.
I was an early adopter of the PSP back in the day, and one of my favorite games ever was the SOCOM series for that platform. The graphics were just good enough, the controls were easy and the difficulty was just right for an occasional player like myself to jump into and out of it no problem. I'll never forget the day I spent in the "Gov Center" in Ramadi during election day in December of 2005 playing SOCOM on the PSP with a bunch of Marines on Ad Hoc mode. It was hysterical!...
But my quest for a SOCOM equivalent on the iPhone has ended. And on this holiday (for some) Monday, I thought it would be worth recommending the best new iPhone game I've seen in a long time...
Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasushas the alluring graphics of the SOCOM series -- with jungle, desert and urban combat environments -- with a healthy dose of realistic dialogue, sound effects and shot results that add just enough reality without being hyperbole.
The best part of the game, though, is the control scheme. I don't know how they did it without tying the processor up in knots, but with the iPhone 4 gyro control and new OS, you can walk, scan and aim using a close combo of your finger panning and simply orienting the phone itself to the direction you want to face. It's just incredible to watch and makes gameplay instinctive rather than learned.
Shotguns, pistols, rifles, ARs, grenades, RPGs...you got 'em and you shoot 'em. 12 single player missions and a robust oline and ad hoc gaming mode (I'm too chicken to engage with that) have helped rocket this game to the #1 position on the App Store in less than 24 hour after launch.
Trust me: Coming from a casual gamer who's been looking for something fun in a realistic, first-person shooter that doesn't require an hour of gameplay to figure out the controls, Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus is well worth the $7 sticker price. You will not be disappointed...
