10 big franchises we want to see on iPhone

Product: Top 10 iPhone charts

by Tracy Erickson

The App Store has been a haven for indie developers, allowing them to flourish with great original titles like Galcon, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, and Above & Beyond Air Combat. But awesome titles such as these don't detract from the desire to play some of gaming's big franchises and classic series.

How could you not want to toy with a touch-enabled spin-off of Final Fantasy or shoot up terrorists in a Call of Duty adaptation? Franchises get big for a reason: they're fun to play.

While they may not have the cache of an indie title, it's hard to deny all the fun to be had with these ten mammoth series should they land on iPhone and iPod touch.

As a sidenote, we didn't consider first-party franchises like Halo, The Legend of Zelda, or Ratchet and Clank for obvious reasons. Barring some freakish circumstances, these series won't ever land on the App Store. Instead, we've honed in on big multi-platform franchises.

Let us know what big franchise you'd like to play on your iPhone or iPod touch by leaving a comment or posting in the forum.

Final Fantasy



This is a no-brainer. The biggest, best-known console role-playing series making its way to iPhone and iPod touch would be nothing short of an epic event. While we'd love to see a brand new instalment come to the App Store, however, it's unlikely to happen.

Spin-off titles in the vein of Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm are more in line with Square Enix's plans, but we want something more substantial.

Why not a third take on Final Fantasy Tactics exclusive to the App Store? What about iterating on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles with Bluetooth multiplayer on iPhone and iPod Touch?

Alternatively, a port of one of the older games in the main series would be great. Final Fantasy VI with its ensemble cast or Final Fantasy VIII led by the troubled Squall would be awesome choices, no doubt.

At the very least, porting over the well-done remakes of Final Fantasy I and II released together on Game Boy Advance would give us something to work with.

Call of Duty



It's tough, but we know that first-person shooters can be done on iPhone and iPod -ouch - just take a look at Modern Combat: Sandstorm and Eliminate. Neither of those games has the cache of Activision's sharpshooting Call of Duty franchise, though.

An iPhone-exclusive edition of Call of Duty would be a major stamp of approval for touch-enabled shooters. By dabbling with instalments on DS, we know Activision is willing to extend the franchise to handheld platforms and what better device than iPhone and iPod touch?

The contemporary setting of the Modern Warfare versions would be our preference, though a return to World War II could be interesting. Regardless of the setting, we're keen to see the polish and intense action for which the franchise is known come to our handset.

Fallout



It's not an obvious one, but Fallout on iPhone has captured our imagination ever since Bethesda revealed work on an iPhone project earlier this year.

While we aren't sure whether the game is an extension of an existing franchise or something completely new, we'd be willing to pop open a Nuka Cola to celebrate the arrival of a Fallout game on the App Store.

Aside from the requirement that Dogmeat must make an appearance, we're flexible when it comes to what form a Fallout game would take on iPhone. A big 3D epic in the vein of Fallout 3 doesn't have to be done - why not a sequel to the tactical Brotherhood of Steel?

There's also the potential to simply release the original two isometric adventures for touch-enabled play. It's a structure that has been working well for other iPhone role-playing games like Dungeon Hunter, so porting over those classics or even drafting a new spin-off could definitely work.

Guitar Hero



If there's any series that screams iPhone, it has to be Guitar Hero. Precisely why the franchise has yet to land on the App Store is beyond logic, as it would be a perfect fit. iPhone and iPod touch are built for music making Guitar Hero a harmonious prospect.

Much in the way that the stylus is used to strum away on DS, an iPhone iteration of Guitar Hero would enable intuitive guitar and bass play. Pop a few drum heads on the screen (as Rock Band does) and you've got drums.

There's also an opening to deliver compelling vocal play. If the series can manage some form of vocal input such as singing into the microphone or humming it would be a real innovator in the portable music gaming space.

It would have to have cooperative multiplayer and a good mechanism for offering downaloadable tracks at a reasonable price. Tap Tap Revenge 3 is putting a lot of pressure on the genre with affordable track packs. Right now it doesn't look like Activision is eager to jump onto the App Store, but the drive to compete with Guitar Hero could prompt a move.

Soul Calibur



With Namco Bandai being among the first gaming publishers to jump aboard the iPhone gravy train, it's not much of a stretch to ask for a touch-enabled version of Soul Calibur.

The recent release of Broken Destiny on PSP was a hard-hitting replica of the fighting mechanics of Soul Calibur IV, which means the team responsible for the series definitely knows how to leverage portable hardware to make great fighting games.

Reconfiguring that solid fighting system for touch control would be a challenge, though one that no doubt can be met head-on. Gameloft's eerily similar Blades of Fury proves that.

If there's one thing we wouldn't have to worry about, it's graphics: Soul Calibur games always push the limit and we'd expect nothing less of an iPhone version.

Star Wars Battlefront



We haven't really seen a big, bold Star Wars game hit the App Store. While The Force Unleashed was decent enough, we know a lot more can be done. Star Wars Battlefront is more along the lines of what we want: in-depth action, character customisation, and online play.

Renegade Squadron on PSP proved a compelling campaign and robust multiplayer can be done on handheld, which is exactly what we want on iPhone and iPod touch. The ability to connect online via the network makes Star Wars Battlefront an interesting prospect on iPhone.

Make sure that a single player campaign is there, though, at least as a measure to prep for multiplayer battles. Even if there are hurdles to overcome with regard to control, if LucasArts is able to make the series work on DS it can definitely be done on iPhone and iPod touch.

Midnight Club



Real Racing brought us realism, Need for Speed: Undercover brought us great drift handling, and Asphalt 5 promises network multiplayer - what we need now is a dose of Midnight Club cool. The App Store has its fair share of racing games, but none has the cache of Rockstar's seminal series.

There's plenty of room for another racer, particularly given the opening left by those aforementioned games. None offers compelling vehicle customisation - something for which Midnight Club has established a good reputation.

Combine tuning options with the franchise's unparallelled style and all of the elements that have made the above racers a success and an iPhone iteration of Midnight Club could leave competitors in the dust.

Considering that Rockstar is coming to the App Store in a big way with Beaterator and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars before year's end, it's not a stretch to ask for its racer, too.

Ninja Gaiden



God of War redefined handheld hack 'n' slash action when it anointed the PSP in Chains of Olympus, though Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series was among the forefathers of the style.

Way back in the days of 8-bit gaming, the franchise was just breaking open the genre with hard-as-nails combat. It would be fitting for an iPhone version to appear in which you could literally use your nails in combat. (Quite - ed).

Of course, the series has made a recent handheld appearance on DS with Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, which proved that touch-enabled ninjutsu most certainly has potential. Even a simple port of that game with graphics optimised for the more powerful iPhone and iPod touch would be sharper than a shuriken.

Toning the excessive difficult down for an App Store release would be a must, however, as it's long been a sticking point for this well-regarded franchise. We don't want to be tempted to chuck our handset against the wall because we have nine other big franchises to play on our iPhone.

Prince of Persia



Only Mario holds more authority on matters of platforming, Prince of Persia having long been the standard bearer for platform-action gameplay. It's a franchise that has seen release on nearly every platform, so why not add iPhone and iPod touch to the list?

The recent re-imagining of the series would look gorgeous on iPhone, the painterly graphics shining on the touchscreen. Touch controls would make sense, too - if done properly. A swipe to scale walls, a tap to jump, a slide to level a sword attack.

A 2D perspective would be preferable to avoid camera problems, though an iPhone version could still pump out 3D graphics for use in side-scrolling gameplay.

Tales



While Namco's Tales series is nowhere near as popular or well-known as Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, it has gained notoriety for action-packed battles and robust gameplay. This is the role-player's role-playing game, an acquired taste for those who consider themselves aficionados of the genre.

So why would we want it on iPhone? The real-time action-oriented battle systems iterated within the franchise would translate well to touchscreen. Directing lavish melee combos and magical attacks with taps and swipes of a finger sounds fun.

Combined with in-depth character development and an engaging story, an iPhone-specific version of Tales could help position the device as prime for quality role-playing much in the way a Final Fantasy game could.

Even if Namco wishes to test the waters by fixing up Tales of Innocence from its original DS release for play on iPhone and iPod touch, we could live with that.

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