Rage explodes on to iPhone and iPad with shower of fabulous gore
Move over Angry Birds -- there's a brutal new game on the iPhone that might even give console gamers something to gasp at.
Infinity Blade gave us a gory glimpse of what the iPhone 4 was capable of when it came to graphically intense gaming. But that's some way off: Rage, on the other hand, has blasted its way into the App Store and is ready to rock right now.
The much anticipated first-person shooter from iD Software, the creators of Doom and Quake, is competitively priced, at 59p for a version designed to run on older iOS devices, and £1.19 for Rage HD, which is built to run on the more powerful iPhone 4 and iPad. It's an on-rails shooter, meaning the in-game character moves for you, while you control his field of view, pointing and blasting enemies with your epic arsenal of huge weapons.
The game's premise is that you are competing in a game show called Mutant Bash TV, where you earn cash for blasting as many poor old muties as you can. Tilting controls the camera and your aim, while you have buttons to shoot, dodge, switch your weapon and reload. Check out the video below -- we think you'll agree it looks fab, like a cross between Smash TV and House of the Dead.
The mobile gaming world has been eagerly awaiting Rage for some time, because like Infinity Blade it shows what the iPhone 4 is truly capable of when it comes to game visuals. iD has already released iPhone games such as Doom Resurrection and Wolfenstein 3D, but this is the first truly next-generation iOS game it has developed.
A word of warning: these games are absolutely enormous. The 59p Rage takes up 536MB of space, while Rage HD is a honking 743MB. This may be something we have to get used to with these graphical heavyweights, with developers cramming in as much as they possibly can.
It's certainly an exciting time to be an iPhone gamer. Android owners may be feeling a little neglected, but with high-powered tablets and phones expected next year, they may well be seeing some stunning games soon. In the meantime, here are some Android alternatives to the most popular iPhone games. Enjoy!