MMObilized!

News, information, and discussions on the MMO Games market for iPhones, Smartphones, and other mobile devices.

Author: jtclark48

So among other things, I've been poking around the iTunes App Store, looking for a few MMO jewels to feature here on MMObilized!  Without further ado, here is brief look at five iPhone/iPod Touch MMOs to seriously watch out for (and in no particular order):

1. Outer Empires

Image courtesy: TouchArcade.com

There are tons of games for the iPhone that take place in space, or some sort of 'outworld' environment, and I image that it's because things like detailed terrain, trees, and shadows are hard to pull off on a platform like the iPhone (that's not to say that it hasn't been done).  Well in this case, Outer Empires is not only set in a galaxy, persistent galaxy I might add, but also incorporates the establishment of colonies and factions.  The game is also browser based, which means you can also use your typical web browser to play the game as well.  Currently in Beta, look for Outer Empires....

2. Watchmen: Justice is Coming

Image courtesy:  mobiletor.com

This title was created by Last Legion Games in inspiration of the movie 'The Watchmen' released back in March of this year.  Customizing your own avatars that rid the crime filled streets of New York is the basis of this title.  They've been updating the game on a regular basis, most recently with it's May update that fixes the costume editor and accounts issues.    All in all, a pretty good MMO set in a real-time 3D environment for the iPhone.  On the surface, it's very loosely compared to City of Heroes, but that's a bit of a stretch.

3. Parallel Kingdom

Image courtesy: parallelkingdom.com

Parallel Kingdom is an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) moreso than an MMORPG, since it uses the real world as it's gameplay environment.  They basically overlay the real world with their world, and players can potentially run into each other in person.  I knew that it wouldn't be long before a viable ARG/location-based MMO would hit the AppStore.  George Roush from IGN.com captures the essence of Parallel Kingdoms in his First Look article, where he states that  "Using the GPS capability of the iPhone, Parallel Kingdom offers a real world twist to the RPG, creating an MMO that casts the entire country as a potential battlefield."

4. Graal Zone

For those that can remember, Graal Zone reminds me of the old Ikari Warriors arcade game, with scrolling backgrounds, and commando-style battles.  Graal Online,  the web-based version, is now supplemented with this mobile version of the game that's a futuristic 2D remake of the classic 'capture the flag'.  Additional weapons are available to your characters through their in-game currency, and so is guilding up with players from around the world for team play.

5. World of Warcraft Mobile Armory

Image courtesy: wow.com

I was hesitant to include this one in the list, but dammit it's WoW- so I had to mention it. This is World of Warcraft Mobile Armory, which gives WoW players access to the in-game WoW information database. This means that you login with your WoW account, and you gain access to character info, teams, guilds, and items.  Although it is not a MMO itself, it is a viable extension of WoW- where raiders fiending for their WoW fix when away from their computers can log in and check things out on the go.  Character profiles, armory database info, talent specs, achievements, and etc. are all available to you.  If you're a WoW person, and own an iPhone, it's a must.

TibiaME is one of the first (if not THE first) massively multiplayer online role playing games made available for the mobile device community. Now when many of us think of MMOs, we think about vast and immersive worlds like the Eastern Kingdoms in World of Warcraft, or the awesome visuals in games like Lineage II.  I am guilty of thinking of modern MMOs in this way, so an MMO like TibiaME at first glance doesn't strike me as something I'd actually play.  But remember two things folks- it's not about how vivid the graphics are, and it's not about how cool the special effects are.  In the end, it's about gameplay., and bringing the MMO genre to a mobile device is not only viable, but with the right gameplay, I could see gamers playing these kinds of games on mobile devices more often than they do in front of a PC or gaming console.

TibiaME reminds me of the early versions of the Legend of Zelda and the Final Fantasy series.  I 'm sure many of you remember how exciting those titles were at the time.  Given the fact that mobile devices currently have limited screen space and client hardware to push these titles to the limits, Mobile MMOs like TibiaME have an opportunity to captivate it's core audience with awesome gameplay.

Now that defending the mobile MMO market is out of the way, let's talk more about TibiaME. TibiaME uses the 'freemium' model- meaning that main client is F2P, but you can also purchase the gold client which offers a few more features, such as the automatically drawn maps, and a list of live players.  You can also score a subscription service that take your characters to the 'premium' level, which allows you to gain full XP points on opponents defeated past level 10, board ships to premium only areas, priority access to the game servers, etc.

TibiaME runs on Java-enabled and Series 60 mobile devices, making it available to many of the phones out there, but I'm guessing that there are a few phones out there that this game is not currently supported.  However, if you are one of the lucky ones, there are literally hundereds of players to meet, and plenty of quests to keep those fingers busy!  Their website is tied directly into the world, which gives you 'off the device' stats that can be accessed from the site.

I started my blog off with a post about TibiaME so that readers can get a small glimpse of where mobile MMO games have started.  I think TibiaME is a great example.  As you might have noticed, games like TibiaME that bring a new genre of mobile gaming to the table have an interestingly similar start to the way the MMORPG genre itself started as far as look and feel.  As the devices become more advanced, so will the UI, gameplay, and communication mechanisms of mobile MMO titles.

When you get a chance, check out TibiaME.  No really, check it out.

Welcome to the MMObilized Blog!

Good Morning Gamers, and welcome to MMObilized blog here on MMORPG.com.  This blog is dedicated to discussing the news, events, and information about the world of MMO Games developed for iPhones, Smartphones, and other mobile devices.  The genre of MMO is relatively new, but there are already great advances within this market, and this blog attempts to discuss them as they are all revealed!

This is of course the introductory blog post, so I look forward to following up this post with a few others in the very near future.  So grab your iPhones, "Crack"-berrys, Smartphones and Sidekicks, and stay tuned to MMObilized!