iBreakout hurls balls at iBrick in the iWall
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Aug 1st 2008 at 5:00AM }
Zecil Software is jumping into the fray with iBreakout, now available for $4.99 in the iPhone App Store, and it promises "75 meticulously crafted levels, with striking graphics, featuring 50 different backgrounds!" Striking graphics? Well, if by striking they mean you can make the ball hit the bricks, then okay. However, you can submit your high scores to leaderboard right from your phone, which is fairly nifty. Try breaking out of it at your own risk.
Gallery: iBreakout
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Aug 1st 2008 6:11AM
Looks crap.I'd rather have BlockBreaker Deluxe than this.
Bauer22 @ Aug 1st 2008 6:24AM
"It's an iHouse!"
"But it has no windows!"
"Exactly!"
Nate @ Aug 1st 2008 7:55AM
iHate it when they iPut "i" in front of iEverything.
Also, the iPhone is not going to take off as a gaming platform for any serious gamer. Casuals, sure. But with no physical buttons, and no way to use a stylus, it just doesn't have a good enough interface... you'd have to put buttons on the edges of the screen, which would be uncomfortable to reach and reduce visual real estate. But I think we all know that here anyway.
Mike @ Aug 1st 2008 8:53AM
Ah see, you're assuming that buttons are the only way to play games. When hardcore games start appearing, I guarantee you they will either use a gesture-based system like the one in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, or they will use an RTS-style control system where you tap the screen and your player runs there (which will both free up your time to focus on other aspects of the gameplay, and free up the screen from your fingers).
Most game genres can be adapted to the iPhone very intuitively with the correct combination of gestures and taps implemented using the touch screen.
baby sea tuna @ Aug 1st 2008 9:12AM
Also, don't forget that it has waggle.
trotskylite @ Aug 1st 2008 11:37AM
uh buttons aren't the only way to play, no. yes the iphone has motion detection and a touch screen. however neither of these inputs is ideal for gaming purposes. one, using the motion detection involves tilting the screen itself. this limits your amount of tilt because at some point you're not going to be able to see the screen without craning your neck with the tilt, and with that confined range of motion the sensitivity and accuracy of tilt control has to suffer. second the touch screen only responds to skin, you cannot use your fingernail and you cannot use a stylus. you bring up the ds ninja gaiden, try playing that with wide, inaccurate fingertips instead of a much more precise input like a stylus.
there's only so much that can be pulled off for gaming with the iphone. and no buttons is still the biggest problem it has.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Aug 2nd 2008 5:26AM
It's a bit hard to take a touchscreen seriously as a gaming platform since your fingers are always in the way. A stylus is much better for gaming. Hint: the DS has actual buttons, too. Several of them!
As for tilt, well, you don't really *need* to look at the screen to play, do you?
ant @ Aug 1st 2008 8:03AM
there are couple of more or less striking breaking games
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=286136632&mt=8
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=285549513&mt=8
Bootes @ Aug 1st 2008 3:08PM
Break has been free on the App Store since the store opened. I see no reason to pay for these other Breakout clones.
WiNG [Life in a Game] @ Aug 1st 2008 9:31AM
Considering a similar game came free on iPods, this seems dumb.
Let's see more of those cool 3D games like Monkey Ball.
Also, iHate this iFad in naming iProducts.
tc @ Aug 1st 2008 9:35AM
well it used to be adding "e" before everything, so i think they're just cycling through vowels really.
Bauer22 @ Aug 1st 2008 10:02AM
@tc
oRly?
Dovi @ Aug 1st 2008 9:56AM
Shouldn't it be be iball?
captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 1st 2008 10:16AM
Steve jobs invented breakout.
Steve jobs invented the iPhone
Steve jobs invented Mac OS X
steve Jobs therefoer should be treated as a god.
All hail steve jobs master and creator of the universe!
John Z @ Aug 1st 2008 11:30AM
All hail The Jobs!
Ia! Ia! W'oz ftagn!
The_Punisher @ Aug 1st 2008 10:23AM
Just got my iPhone. Any REAL games to play?
John Z @ Aug 1st 2008 11:31AM
Cube Runner is fun for some cheap thrills (as in free). Same for iPint.
I'm personally waiting for ports of Song Summoner and Phase.
The_Punisher @ Aug 1st 2008 11:42AM
In other words, no. Thx, lol
Player1 @ Aug 1st 2008 12:17PM
I'd suggest Crash Nitro Kart Racing--it's as close as you'll get to Mario Kart on the iPhone, and Monkey Ball. They are both pretty polished, and Crash Nitro isn't even at it's 1.0 version yet. Critter Crunch is supposed to be an awesome puzzle game, but I don't have it yet.
Lhasapso @ Aug 1st 2008 2:59PM
I've tried most of the breakout games, and Ikanoid is still the best. Some other good smaller games are Muddled and Quordy (if you like word games), Starsmasher, Trism, Labyrinth, and of course Tap Tap (free!).
jkendric @ Aug 1st 2008 11:43AM
I am unsure why this game is getting coverage on this site. This is one of a slew of breakout clones for the iphone, and there are many other games that are more deserving of coverage. Any reason why this one gets its own post?
ogvor @ Aug 1st 2008 1:52PM
I'd would have to agree. If your going to start giving coverage to iPhone/iPod Touch games (which I am not opposed to) why are you giving coverage to this game? Trism is an iPhone original and a pretty good game as well. This looks like just another Breakout clone.
Zecil @ Aug 2nd 2008 2:59PM
Just want to point everyone to the screenshots attached to the article instead of the horribly scaled one that the author used to make his point. If you take a screenshot that is highly compressed then zoom in on it, its gonna look bad. I appreciate the coverage though!
To the guy who asked why this was getting coverage on Joystiq, I'm unsure, but as a gamer myself I made sure there were quite a few easter eggs in the game for the hardcore gamer to enjoy.
To the guy asking for any "real" games, I assume that means non casual, and I would recommend Tap Tap Revenge and Super Monkey Ball... Currently there is a pretty strong leaning towards casual games because that is what is a natural for the platform. I think later in the year we will start to see the non casual games trickle out.