Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus
Posted October 8, 2010
The online shooter genre has been incredibly tough to roll out on the Apple platforms, namely due to the control scheme issues. That hasn’t stopped plenty of developers from trying and Gameloft is going at it again with the release of Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus for the iPhone / iPod Touch platforms. Their first effort on the iPhone, Modern Combat: Sandstorm was well received, but lacked a level of customization and robust online mode for taking on mobile users around the world. Black Pegasus puts the player into the role of three different soldiers across the twelve missions in the game. If you have ever played the Modern Warfare series on the consoles, you will immediately notice the jumpy style of storytelling that ultimately wraps everything together in one giant, terrorist filled arc.
If you played the original game on the iPhone, you will be right at home in Black Pegasus. The player has the ability to customize the control layout via the menu and you can turn on the gyroscope controls if you have one of the recently released iPod Touchs or the iPhone 4. Similar to the first game, there’s also an aim assist mode that will help you target those pesky roaming enemies. It’s turned on by default in the normal mode of play, so you may want to turn it off for a greater challenge. It also makes good practice for the multiplayer mode.
The enemy A.I. seems to have improved a bit from the previous game due to a broader range of possible enemy reactions to your presence. Enemies seem to roll out of the way and take position behind cover objects faster. If you have played Spider-Man: Total Mayhem (one of Gameloft’s other titles), you will notice the instanced quick action button popping up on the screen from time to time to avoid enemy attacks or save teammates. These work well to bring more story elements into the narrative, but can be distracting when concentrating on moving safely through enemy territory.
After completing the 12 missions within the single player, you can turn your attention to the much more expansive multiplayer component (compared to the previous title). Multiplayer matches can be played over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for local connections as well as over Wi-Fi for online matches. There’s already a ton of people playing online and the community is certainly thriving with less a week since the release. You can play matches with up to ten players (an increase from 4 players in the previous game) in deathmatch, team deathmatch, diffuse the bomb and capture the flag. Unfortunately, there’s no Game Center support included yet as Gameloft is still hoping their own online network will become wildly popular. That being said, there’s an excellent online leveling system in place to rank up your character and gain access to better equipment as you play match after match online.
Gameloft has finally pulled off a competent touch screen shooter that has a thriving and very entertaining multiplayer component. Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus has a solid single player campaign that’s really worth the entry fee all by itself. Add the addictive leveling of building up your online solider and there’s a ton of replay value to be had in this $7 IPhone / iPod Touch FPS. If you are a fan of the Modern Warfare series or are simply looking for a new first person shooter to play, don’t hesitate to download Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus and hop online for a 5 on 5 team deathmatch. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for future GameCenter support in an upcoming update. iPad support would be nice as well, but Gameloft probably wants to keep those separate for higher profits.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum
If you played the original game on the iPhone, you will be right at home in Black Pegasus. The player has the ability to customize the control layout via the menu and you can turn on the gyroscope controls if you have one of the recently released iPod Touchs or the iPhone 4. Similar to the first game, there’s also an aim assist mode that will help you target those pesky roaming enemies. It’s turned on by default in the normal mode of play, so you may want to turn it off for a greater challenge. It also makes good practice for the multiplayer mode.
The enemy A.I. seems to have improved a bit from the previous game due to a broader range of possible enemy reactions to your presence. Enemies seem to roll out of the way and take position behind cover objects faster. If you have played Spider-Man: Total Mayhem (one of Gameloft’s other titles), you will notice the instanced quick action button popping up on the screen from time to time to avoid enemy attacks or save teammates. These work well to bring more story elements into the narrative, but can be distracting when concentrating on moving safely through enemy territory.
After completing the 12 missions within the single player, you can turn your attention to the much more expansive multiplayer component (compared to the previous title). Multiplayer matches can be played over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for local connections as well as over Wi-Fi for online matches. There’s already a ton of people playing online and the community is certainly thriving with less a week since the release. You can play matches with up to ten players (an increase from 4 players in the previous game) in deathmatch, team deathmatch, diffuse the bomb and capture the flag. Unfortunately, there’s no Game Center support included yet as Gameloft is still hoping their own online network will become wildly popular. That being said, there’s an excellent online leveling system in place to rank up your character and gain access to better equipment as you play match after match online.
Graphics
- Visually, the graphics engine is really quite excellent on the iPhone 4’s Retina display, but lacks the slick punch of the console versions. You will notice a bit of repetition in some of the game environments from the first game, but the locales all look fairly detailed. Character models have slightly better animation from the first game and move more quickly when in a tense situation. The GUI is particularly slick though and the visual indicators allow you to keep track of your ammo and weapon fire modes. On the negative side, there are collision detection issues that harm the gameplay occasionally, specifically the ability for enemies to shoot through a wall.
Audio
- The voicework in Black Pegasus is fantastic and keeps the story moving at a steady pace. Teammates will talk among themselves while moving through enemy territory and the banter can be entertaining. The musical score is a step up from the last game as well; very tense, bombastic tracks that set the mood for each attack. The sound effects seem unchanged from the first title, but do a decent job of variety among the 15 different weapons.
Conclusion
Gameloft has finally pulled off a competent touch screen shooter that has a thriving and very entertaining multiplayer component. Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus has a solid single player campaign that’s really worth the entry fee all by itself. Add the addictive leveling of building up your online solider and there’s a ton of replay value to be had in this $7 IPhone / iPod Touch FPS. If you are a fan of the Modern Warfare series or are simply looking for a new first person shooter to play, don’t hesitate to download Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus and hop online for a 5 on 5 team deathmatch. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for future GameCenter support in an upcoming update. iPad support would be nice as well, but Gameloft probably wants to keep those separate for higher profits.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum