By Indraneel Purohit - updated Sep, 8th, 2010
When Apple first previewed iOS 4 back in April, one of the many features touted was Game Center, a social gaming network akin to Xbox Live. Game Center is a standalone app, but Apple also provides APIs so developers can hook their apps into the service. The release of iOS 4 came and went, and there was no sign of Game Center. But in their press event yesterday, Apple announced that Game Center will be available when iOS 4.1 is available sometime next week. Users will be able to keep track of high scores and challenge their friends in games that have multiplayer functionality.
Representatives from Epic games were given the opportunity to demo their upcoming game, tentatively titled “Project Sword.” In its current state, the game is sort of a one-on-one sword fighting game. Gameplay wasn’t the focus here, however, because the game was made using the Unreal 3 engine, and the graphics looked sinfully gorgeous for a device that is supposed to be used for making phone calls. There is a demo version of the app available that lets the player walk around an empty level, with no actual swordplay. It is available as a free download.
With a polished game management hub on the way, as well as robust games that push the limits of the iOS platform, the landscape for games on iOS certainly looks incredibly exciting.