Apple iArcade - Launch Weekend
(AN: Good to be back. Sorry I kept everyone waiting for so long, but the Apple iArcade launch is here and I've finally gotten to the seventh generation of games. Enjoy!)
Apple iArcade
Appearance: Physically, the Apple iArcade is rectangular in shape, but with rounded corners and edges that make it slightly similar in appearance to OTL's Wii U. In terms of measurements, it has a height of 3.6 inches (91.44 mm), a width of 12.5 inches (317.5 mm), and a depth of 10.9 inches (276.86 mm). The console itself is colored black, with a silver Apple logo on the top of the console. Like OTL's Xbox 360, the Apple iArcade uses a tray with its disc drive instead of automatically retracting the disc. The system's controller is built like OTL's DualSense controller, having both of the analogue sticks positioned near the bottom of the controller, with the d-pad and the face buttons on the top of the controller's face. The controller itself is also colored black for the shell, and grey/silver for the buttons, with the face buttons being (counter-clockwise from bottom), A, Ω, Θ, and Σ.
The Hardware: The Apple iArcade, being the first HD console ITTL, boasts technical specifications that easily dwarf the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X in terms of power, with Apple consulting and working with the other two members of the AIM Alliance, IBM and Motorola, to develop components and figure out the system's architecture. It has 5.1 surround sound for its audio, and is capable of reading both CDs and DVD discs. The CPU for the Apple iArcade is named "Mirror", which runs on three cores clocked at 3.2 GHz (like OTL's Xenon for the Xbox 360, which was also developed by IBM), an L1 cache of 32/32 mb, and an L2 cache of 1 mb. The GPU, which is custom-built by Apple, IBM, and Motorola, is named "Glass", and has a frequency of 512 MHz. For resolution, the Apple iArcade can output up to 720p in high definition, though that depends on the formats used for displaying the resolution. The Apple iArcade's internal hard drive for storage was developed by Motorola, and can store up to 35 GB of content, with the iArcade also being capable of supporting external storage.
Infrastructure: Like the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X, the Apple iArcade supports online multiplayer for its games, as well as other forms of online functionality. The main digital storefront for the Apple iArcade is an offshoot of iTunes called "iTunes Virtual", where players can buy and download games digitally onto their consoles, as well as downloadable content, applications like an internet browser and a music player, and updates for the system. iTunes Virtual is also accessible via computers, with players being able to buy content from their other devices and download them onto their console later. Unlike OTL's PS3 or Xbox 360, however, the iArcade does not have any kind of achievements system in place for its games. Voice chat is supported via various games or through the player's Apple account, allowing for more direct interaction between players in massively-multiplayer titles.
The Software: The Apple iArcade launched with eleven games in total, with six of them being console exclusives, three of which are published by Apple's publishing label for video games, Apple Virtual Entertainment. All six of these console exclusives would also see ports to macOS computers in the following months. The titles are as follows:
Tomb Raider Arisen
Tomb Raider Arisen is an action-adventure game developed by Eidos and published by Apple. It is the first Tomb Raider title to be developed under Apple's ownership, and it is the marquee exclusive for the Apple iArcade. The gameplay remains close to the first three Tomb Raider games, featuring an emphasis on dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving, and features a stance system for Lara; one stance allows her to brawl barehanded with punches and kicks, while the other allows her to use weapons such as a hunting knife, her dual pistols, etc. The setting of the game is mainly Greece, with eight of the nine levels/dungeons in total all being set in various cities and ruins across the country, with one exception. The nine locations are Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene (the only location not in Greece, rather instead being in Libya), Delphi, Mount Olympus, Sparta, and Troy.
Arisen, from a storyline standpoint, is a complete continuity reboot of the series, though it keeps Lara's background as an archaeologist who is a member of the British aristocracy. Lara Croft is now voiced by Jo Wyatt, taking the place of OTL’s Keeley Hawes. Arisen’s story starts with Lara being approached by Milos Galanis (voiced by Daniel Brühl), a Greek historian and archaeologist who hires her to find and assemble the original manuscript of Homer’s Iliad, with the manuscript having been split into eight different components scattered across Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene, Delphi, Sparta, and Troy. As she searches for the Iliad’s original draft, she is attacked and accosted by the Cult of Delphi, a religious order devoting themselves to worshipping the Greek Gods of old. While they try to steal the manuscript from her at various points, she manages to shake them off and assemble the manuscript. When the manuscript is assembled, it depicts more than what the final version had shown; the original draft depicts all ten years of the war, rather than the last few weeks of it, and more specifically, it reveals that Paris hadn’t garnered the attention of the Greek Gods by himself, but rather used a summoning ritual to summon them, promising them human sacrifice if they help him begin a war in Troy.
When Lara finishes reading, she is kidnapped by the Cult of Delphi, and finds herself on Mount Olympus. After breaking free of her bonds and traversing it, she finds Milos Galanis waiting for her at the top along with the rest of the Cult of Delphi. Milos reveals that he is the Greek deity Apollo, and that the final version of the Iliad had been written by him; the Greek Gods had him kill and replace the original Homer, and he had written the final version of the Iliad in order to cover up the crimes of the Greek Gods. However, Apollo had also been exiled from Olympus centuries prior, and because the original manuscript detailed the summoning spell for the Olympians, he needed to assemble it in order to return to Olympus. As he begins the summoning spell, Lara fights off the Cult of Delphi, and then fights Apollo. While she is unable to defeat Apollo herself, he is killed by his twin sister Artemis, who descended from Olympus to end his bloodshed. She apologizes to Lara Croft for the actions of her brother and her extended family, and gives Lara her blessing, giving her an enchanted Drachma coin that Lara can use to summon Artemis whenever she needs her help. She then transports Lara back to England, and Lara stores the coin deep inside Croft Manor, hiding it from the outside world.
Tomb Raider Arisen receives mostly-positive reviews. While the story is considered to be weak, the gameplay and exploration is very well-liked, and the game is praised as being a comeback for the series after the disastrous Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness from 2002. The game is bundled alongside some Apple iArcade consoles, and manages to sell around three million units in total during the launch period, and would go on to sell more across the iArcade’s lifespan. Arisen cements Apple’s confidence in their decision to acquire Eidos, and they put the Tomb Raider brand at the front and center, immediately commissioning a sequel for the iArcade.
Veloce
Veloce is a racing simulation game akin to Sonty’s Gran Turismo series and OTL’s Forza games. Developed by AVE Florence (an internal division of Apple Virtual Entertainment based in Florence, Italy), the game features upwards of 275+ cars with an emphasis on European automobile manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Aston-Martin, Fiat, Lamborghini, Masserati, Volvo, Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bentley, and more. The game has twenty-four different tracks based off of real-world locations, which are:
ESPN NBA 2k6
ESPN NBA 2k6 remains mostly the same from its OTL counterpart, using Shaquille O’Neal as the main basketball player on the cover art and in promotions. However, because of Apple now owning the 2K Sports brand, they also elect to use Shaquille O’Neal to help them advertise the Apple iArcade in America, creating and airing a series of commercials where he promotes it to audiences. The game’s graphics are also enhanced at Apple’s behest, wanting it to be an early benchmark of the iArcade’s power. It ends up receiving slightly more positive reviews than OTL’s game, but it still ends up being criticized for the controls, UI, and lack of any solid improvements compared to previous games in the series, though it being a sports game means it was always going to sell well regardless.
Soulcalibur III
Soulcalibur III is a 3D weapon-based fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by SNK Namco. It is the long-awaited sequel to the incredibly popular Soulcalibur II, and Apple, knowing this game was anticipated by audiences and remembering how the original Soulcalibur was a system seller for the Dreamcast, paid for the game to be a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade. As a result of this, SNK Namco worked to make Soulcalibur III much more visually appealing than previous games in the series, while also adding in an online mode and OTL’s create-a-soul mode.
Gameplay-wise, it plays much faster than the previous games in the series, and is closer to OTL’s Soulcalibur V in terms of speed and mechanics. The game features most of the same roster from OTL’s game (Astaroth, Cassandra, Cervantes, Ivy, Kilik, Lizardman, Maxi, Mitsurugi, Nightmare, Raphael, Rock, Seong Mi-na, Siegfried, Sophitia, Taki, Talim, Voldo, Xianghua, Yoshimitsu, and Yun-seong as the returning characters, and Abyss, Olcadan, Setsuka, Tira, and Zasalamel as newcomers), but with some additions:
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 remains the same as OTL’s game, but due to the Xbox 360 being butterfield away, it is now a launch title and a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade instead. It is also the only launch title to have a simultaneous release on macOS, with the iArcade version being the port instead of the original version. It receives the same reception as OTL’s game, and sells just as well - WWII shooters are a genre that appeal easily to the casual audience, just like ESPN NBA and racing simulators.
Far Cry
Ubisoft and Crytek’s Far Cry, originally a Windows exclusive IOTL, now comes to the Apple iArcade as a console exclusive, with the macOS version coming a month afterwards. As a result of the original game being directly ported to the Apple iArcade, Far Cry Instincts ends up being butterflied, as the Apple iArcade’s processing power is far superior to that of OTL’s Xbox. Not only does Far Cry still get positive reviews and sell well on the iArcade, but the game’s added success ITTL causes Ubisoft to work out a deal with Crytek for the latter to develop more sequels for Far Cry, rather than having Ubisoft Montreal work on the series, something that will greatly change the course of the series going forward.
Other Games:
In addition to the six console exclusives listed above, five other multiplatform games are all available on the Apple iArcade from day one, those being Civilization IV, Crash Tag Team Racing, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater all being ported to the iArcade. These ports are enhanced from their original versions to have cleaner textures, faster loading speeds, and enhanced graphics all meant to take advantage of the Apple iArcade’s power. They receive about the same reception as their counterparts on other platforms, though many note the various enhancements and QOL features that make them more enjoyable to play over the other versions.
Launch Weekend:
The Apple iArcade launches on November 19th, 2005, with a standard bundle for $499.99, and a deluxe bundle featuring Tomb Raider Arisen plus an extra 25 GB of internal storage for $549.99. Sales of the new console are high, despite being much more expensive than the Nintendo X and PlayStation 2, as Apple had advertised the system to the wazoo, putting emphasis on the iArcade’s raw power, and also airing commercials featuring celebrities such as the aforementioned Shaquille O’Neal (for ESPN NBA 2K6), Angelina Jolie (parodying her role as Lara Croft in the live-action Tomb Raider movies), and Riccardo Patrese (for Veloce) advertising the console and specific games for it.
The Apple iArcade managed to sell over 3.5 million units in the launch month alone, thanks to being released one week before Black Friday and being seen as a desirable item for the holiday season, with many fights breaking out over console units in stores (though that’s just normal for Black Friday). As for the games that sold the most, Tomb Raider Arisen is the highest-selling due to it being bundled with consoles, though the raw numbers are:
Apple iArcade
Appearance: Physically, the Apple iArcade is rectangular in shape, but with rounded corners and edges that make it slightly similar in appearance to OTL's Wii U. In terms of measurements, it has a height of 3.6 inches (91.44 mm), a width of 12.5 inches (317.5 mm), and a depth of 10.9 inches (276.86 mm). The console itself is colored black, with a silver Apple logo on the top of the console. Like OTL's Xbox 360, the Apple iArcade uses a tray with its disc drive instead of automatically retracting the disc. The system's controller is built like OTL's DualSense controller, having both of the analogue sticks positioned near the bottom of the controller, with the d-pad and the face buttons on the top of the controller's face. The controller itself is also colored black for the shell, and grey/silver for the buttons, with the face buttons being (counter-clockwise from bottom), A, Ω, Θ, and Σ.
The Hardware: The Apple iArcade, being the first HD console ITTL, boasts technical specifications that easily dwarf the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X in terms of power, with Apple consulting and working with the other two members of the AIM Alliance, IBM and Motorola, to develop components and figure out the system's architecture. It has 5.1 surround sound for its audio, and is capable of reading both CDs and DVD discs. The CPU for the Apple iArcade is named "Mirror", which runs on three cores clocked at 3.2 GHz (like OTL's Xenon for the Xbox 360, which was also developed by IBM), an L1 cache of 32/32 mb, and an L2 cache of 1 mb. The GPU, which is custom-built by Apple, IBM, and Motorola, is named "Glass", and has a frequency of 512 MHz. For resolution, the Apple iArcade can output up to 720p in high definition, though that depends on the formats used for displaying the resolution. The Apple iArcade's internal hard drive for storage was developed by Motorola, and can store up to 35 GB of content, with the iArcade also being capable of supporting external storage.
Infrastructure: Like the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X, the Apple iArcade supports online multiplayer for its games, as well as other forms of online functionality. The main digital storefront for the Apple iArcade is an offshoot of iTunes called "iTunes Virtual", where players can buy and download games digitally onto their consoles, as well as downloadable content, applications like an internet browser and a music player, and updates for the system. iTunes Virtual is also accessible via computers, with players being able to buy content from their other devices and download them onto their console later. Unlike OTL's PS3 or Xbox 360, however, the iArcade does not have any kind of achievements system in place for its games. Voice chat is supported via various games or through the player's Apple account, allowing for more direct interaction between players in massively-multiplayer titles.
The Software: The Apple iArcade launched with eleven games in total, with six of them being console exclusives, three of which are published by Apple's publishing label for video games, Apple Virtual Entertainment. All six of these console exclusives would also see ports to macOS computers in the following months. The titles are as follows:
Tomb Raider Arisen
Tomb Raider Arisen is an action-adventure game developed by Eidos and published by Apple. It is the first Tomb Raider title to be developed under Apple's ownership, and it is the marquee exclusive for the Apple iArcade. The gameplay remains close to the first three Tomb Raider games, featuring an emphasis on dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving, and features a stance system for Lara; one stance allows her to brawl barehanded with punches and kicks, while the other allows her to use weapons such as a hunting knife, her dual pistols, etc. The setting of the game is mainly Greece, with eight of the nine levels/dungeons in total all being set in various cities and ruins across the country, with one exception. The nine locations are Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene (the only location not in Greece, rather instead being in Libya), Delphi, Mount Olympus, Sparta, and Troy.
Arisen, from a storyline standpoint, is a complete continuity reboot of the series, though it keeps Lara's background as an archaeologist who is a member of the British aristocracy. Lara Croft is now voiced by Jo Wyatt, taking the place of OTL’s Keeley Hawes. Arisen’s story starts with Lara being approached by Milos Galanis (voiced by Daniel Brühl), a Greek historian and archaeologist who hires her to find and assemble the original manuscript of Homer’s Iliad, with the manuscript having been split into eight different components scattered across Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene, Delphi, Sparta, and Troy. As she searches for the Iliad’s original draft, she is attacked and accosted by the Cult of Delphi, a religious order devoting themselves to worshipping the Greek Gods of old. While they try to steal the manuscript from her at various points, she manages to shake them off and assemble the manuscript. When the manuscript is assembled, it depicts more than what the final version had shown; the original draft depicts all ten years of the war, rather than the last few weeks of it, and more specifically, it reveals that Paris hadn’t garnered the attention of the Greek Gods by himself, but rather used a summoning ritual to summon them, promising them human sacrifice if they help him begin a war in Troy.
When Lara finishes reading, she is kidnapped by the Cult of Delphi, and finds herself on Mount Olympus. After breaking free of her bonds and traversing it, she finds Milos Galanis waiting for her at the top along with the rest of the Cult of Delphi. Milos reveals that he is the Greek deity Apollo, and that the final version of the Iliad had been written by him; the Greek Gods had him kill and replace the original Homer, and he had written the final version of the Iliad in order to cover up the crimes of the Greek Gods. However, Apollo had also been exiled from Olympus centuries prior, and because the original manuscript detailed the summoning spell for the Olympians, he needed to assemble it in order to return to Olympus. As he begins the summoning spell, Lara fights off the Cult of Delphi, and then fights Apollo. While she is unable to defeat Apollo herself, he is killed by his twin sister Artemis, who descended from Olympus to end his bloodshed. She apologizes to Lara Croft for the actions of her brother and her extended family, and gives Lara her blessing, giving her an enchanted Drachma coin that Lara can use to summon Artemis whenever she needs her help. She then transports Lara back to England, and Lara stores the coin deep inside Croft Manor, hiding it from the outside world.
Tomb Raider Arisen receives mostly-positive reviews. While the story is considered to be weak, the gameplay and exploration is very well-liked, and the game is praised as being a comeback for the series after the disastrous Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness from 2002. The game is bundled alongside some Apple iArcade consoles, and manages to sell around three million units in total during the launch period, and would go on to sell more across the iArcade’s lifespan. Arisen cements Apple’s confidence in their decision to acquire Eidos, and they put the Tomb Raider brand at the front and center, immediately commissioning a sequel for the iArcade.
Veloce
Veloce is a racing simulation game akin to Sonty’s Gran Turismo series and OTL’s Forza games. Developed by AVE Florence (an internal division of Apple Virtual Entertainment based in Florence, Italy), the game features upwards of 275+ cars with an emphasis on European automobile manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Aston-Martin, Fiat, Lamborghini, Masserati, Volvo, Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bentley, and more. The game has twenty-four different tracks based off of real-world locations, which are:
- Barcelona, Spain
- Beijing, China
- Berlin, Germany
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cairo, Egypt
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Lima, Peru
- London, United Kingdom
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Monte Carlo
- Moscow, Russia
- Paris, France
- Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Rome, Italy
- San Francisco, United States
- Seoul, South Korea
- Singapore
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Sydney, Australia
- Tokyo, Japan
- Vancouver, Canada
- Vienna, Austria
ESPN NBA 2k6
ESPN NBA 2k6 remains mostly the same from its OTL counterpart, using Shaquille O’Neal as the main basketball player on the cover art and in promotions. However, because of Apple now owning the 2K Sports brand, they also elect to use Shaquille O’Neal to help them advertise the Apple iArcade in America, creating and airing a series of commercials where he promotes it to audiences. The game’s graphics are also enhanced at Apple’s behest, wanting it to be an early benchmark of the iArcade’s power. It ends up receiving slightly more positive reviews than OTL’s game, but it still ends up being criticized for the controls, UI, and lack of any solid improvements compared to previous games in the series, though it being a sports game means it was always going to sell well regardless.
Soulcalibur III
Soulcalibur III is a 3D weapon-based fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by SNK Namco. It is the long-awaited sequel to the incredibly popular Soulcalibur II, and Apple, knowing this game was anticipated by audiences and remembering how the original Soulcalibur was a system seller for the Dreamcast, paid for the game to be a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade. As a result of this, SNK Namco worked to make Soulcalibur III much more visually appealing than previous games in the series, while also adding in an online mode and OTL’s create-a-soul mode.
Gameplay-wise, it plays much faster than the previous games in the series, and is closer to OTL’s Soulcalibur V in terms of speed and mechanics. The game features most of the same roster from OTL’s game (Astaroth, Cassandra, Cervantes, Ivy, Kilik, Lizardman, Maxi, Mitsurugi, Nightmare, Raphael, Rock, Seong Mi-na, Siegfried, Sophitia, Taki, Talim, Voldo, Xianghua, Yoshimitsu, and Yun-seong as the returning characters, and Abyss, Olcadan, Setsuka, Tira, and Zasalamel as newcomers), but with some additions:
- Aria - A Maori girl whose father is the Chieftain of their tribe, and who seeks the Soul Edge in order to fight off invading colonizers from her tribe’s lands.
- Erik - A Viking lord who was deposed by his people for his cruel and tyrannical rule, he seeks to marshall forces to help him retake his kingdom.
- Inferno - The only veteran in the game that wasn’t in OTL’s Soulcalibur III, who is now playable again instead of being removed after three appearances.
- Lara Croft - One of the two guest characters, and the one advertised in promotional materials for the game. She was added in after the game was determined to be an iArcade exclusive (what with Tomb Raider now being owned by Apple), and uses a variety of weapons and hand-to-hand techniques from her home series.
- Misako - A songstress from Japan, she fights with an odd combination of dancing techniques and magic, prioritizing grace and elegance while in combat over power, being something of a glass cannon.
- Scorpion - The second of two guest characters and the more surprising one, Scorpion from Mortal Kombat was added as promotion for the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Carnage, which is also an iArcade exclusive. His moveset is taken from his home series (albeit sanitized to remove the gore), but adapted into a 3D environment, similar to Akuma in OTL’s Tekken 7.
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 remains the same as OTL’s game, but due to the Xbox 360 being butterfield away, it is now a launch title and a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade instead. It is also the only launch title to have a simultaneous release on macOS, with the iArcade version being the port instead of the original version. It receives the same reception as OTL’s game, and sells just as well - WWII shooters are a genre that appeal easily to the casual audience, just like ESPN NBA and racing simulators.
Far Cry
Ubisoft and Crytek’s Far Cry, originally a Windows exclusive IOTL, now comes to the Apple iArcade as a console exclusive, with the macOS version coming a month afterwards. As a result of the original game being directly ported to the Apple iArcade, Far Cry Instincts ends up being butterflied, as the Apple iArcade’s processing power is far superior to that of OTL’s Xbox. Not only does Far Cry still get positive reviews and sell well on the iArcade, but the game’s added success ITTL causes Ubisoft to work out a deal with Crytek for the latter to develop more sequels for Far Cry, rather than having Ubisoft Montreal work on the series, something that will greatly change the course of the series going forward.
Other Games:
In addition to the six console exclusives listed above, five other multiplatform games are all available on the Apple iArcade from day one, those being Civilization IV, Crash Tag Team Racing, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater all being ported to the iArcade. These ports are enhanced from their original versions to have cleaner textures, faster loading speeds, and enhanced graphics all meant to take advantage of the Apple iArcade’s power. They receive about the same reception as their counterparts on other platforms, though many note the various enhancements and QOL features that make them more enjoyable to play over the other versions.
Launch Weekend:
The Apple iArcade launches on November 19th, 2005, with a standard bundle for $499.99, and a deluxe bundle featuring Tomb Raider Arisen plus an extra 25 GB of internal storage for $549.99. Sales of the new console are high, despite being much more expensive than the Nintendo X and PlayStation 2, as Apple had advertised the system to the wazoo, putting emphasis on the iArcade’s raw power, and also airing commercials featuring celebrities such as the aforementioned Shaquille O’Neal (for ESPN NBA 2K6), Angelina Jolie (parodying her role as Lara Croft in the live-action Tomb Raider movies), and Riccardo Patrese (for Veloce) advertising the console and specific games for it.
The Apple iArcade managed to sell over 3.5 million units in the launch month alone, thanks to being released one week before Black Friday and being seen as a desirable item for the holiday season, with many fights breaking out over console units in stores (though that’s just normal for Black Friday). As for the games that sold the most, Tomb Raider Arisen is the highest-selling due to it being bundled with consoles, though the raw numbers are:
- Tomb Raider Arisen - 3,043,052
- ESPN NBA 2K6 - 2,955,390
- Veloce - 2,914,229
- Call of Duty 2 - 2,512,334
- Def Jam: Fight for NY - 2,243,787
- Civilization IV - 2,061,549
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 1,653,984
- Soulcalibur III - 1,439,003
- Far Cry - 1,372,118
- Crash Tag Team Racing - 943,298
- Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - 720,102
