Gaming on the iPad: What works, what doesn't

Macworld - If you still don't think Apple has designs on the gaming market with its mobile devices, you haven't been paying attention. The early April release of the Wi-Fi iPad followed at the end of the month with the arrival of the 3G version could have been mistaken for the arrival of a new gaming console, given all the high-profile games available for the new device.

Many of the game makers offering iPad titles include some very familiar faces --Electronic Arts, Activision, and Square Enix. They aren't merely players in the mobile market, they're some of the biggest names in gaming.

It's certainly great to see major developers support your platform of choice. That said, during my month of iPad gaming, I've found the quality of games to be a bit of a mixed bag. Simply put, developers have not had enough time with Apple's new device to understand how to create games for the platform.

Of the top ten best-selling iPad games--at least as of this writing--there's only one that was arguably built for the platform specifically and is not just a port. (GameProm's The Pinball, which, in itself, is an iPad-optimized collection of three pinball games already available on the iPhone.) So I'm hesitant to judge the iPad on the games that are available at this point, simply because I'd just be judging iPhone apps in "HD."

But a month's worth of game playing has given me an idea of what's working and what's not. It comes down to a matter of control--a gaming platform is ultimately tethered by its control system. I've found the iPad's to be suited for certain games, but not others. Here's a rundown of which control schemes are suited for which games on the iPad.

D-Pad gets a D-minus

So far, the clunky virtual d-pad system inherited from the iPhone hasn't been improved enough for shooter games on the iPad to be worth much. On the iPhone, a dual d-pad setup has been serviceable, but on the iPad, I want a more intuitive, console-like playing experience to match the iPad's better graphics and higher game prices.

Take Call of Duty: World at War Zombies HD. Apart from possessing one of the worst names ever, the game is still as clunky to play and as short on content as the iPhone version. On the new platform, that just isn't acceptable. Despite the iPad's promise of less cluttered interfaces and more interactive controls, I've found other shooters don't play any better on the device. Resident Evil 4 is now a high-definition subpar knock-off of the original console offering instead of a good game in its own right. Instead of being something between mobile gaming and console gaming, a lot of these iPad offerings play like mobile games--only they cost more.