The mobile gaming industry began its more rapid development from the moment when the first official port of a famous game from a PC to smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS appeared. Fortunately, hardware, optimization and the colossal work of developers made it possible to achieve unprecedented heights in this.

In this article, we have selected for you the best ports in the history of the gaming industry. Each of them became a breakthrough and brought players a lot of joy, nostalgia and desire to see new, cooler works.

And here are our immortal hits:

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Quake port for Android

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Port of Max Payne for Android

Port of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for Android

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Port

Port of Alien Shooter for Android

Port of Petka and Vasily Ivanovich on Android

When Java ruled the mobile world, everything was very simple: developers created an exciting toy for those times that worked on all the abundance of supported devices. Things are different now, with the mobile ecosystem split into platforms like iOS, Android and Windows Phone, each offering their own games. However, some bestsellers like Angry Birds are available on leading mobile operating systems, but it is unlikely that they have a built-in mode for multiplayer battles between owners of competing smartphones and tablets.

The problem is obvious: not only is it a burden for mobile app developers to release the same games for different platforms, but it is much more difficult to ensure that they interact seamlessly with each other. Yes, there are a lot of cross-platform development tools that, in theory, suggest that you only need to write the game code once, so that its subsequent transfer to several platforms is a simple matter. An alternative approach is to use HTML5 concepts that exploit web standards supported by any modern browser. In any case, two swords hang over the software developer: on the one hand, games in their own codes turn out to be of higher quality, but require constant support for the entire range of platforms with the slightest change in the code, on the other hand, the creation of web games, due to their versatility, turns out to be a more labor-intensive process and requires high programmer skill, although the performance of the resulting applications will be far from ideal.

So, cross-platform gaming actually runs into a number of barriers that require a fair investment of time and effort so that the resulting toy, for example for the Samsung Galaxy S II, is no different from that for the iPhone 4S and Lumia 900, and allows players to fight each other against a friend.

We will not delve into the nuances of the problem being sought - this is the task of a separate material, but we will talk about cross-platform mobile games already available on the market. Let us immediately note that our review may well turn out to be incomplete, because there is no tool that could be used to automatically collect a list of such games - we searched for them manually.

Introducing the first three entertainment titles designed to unite users from rival mobile universes.

Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave

Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Xbox, PS3, PS Vita

Games in the style of “tower defense” have proliferated immeasurably, but very few of them are enriched with some kind of “zest” that distinguishes them favorably from the abundance of their peers. The uniqueness of Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave lies in the introduction of action elements and role-playing character development into the popular genre.

Up to four players simultaneously work together to protect a magic crystal from destruction by bloodthirsty monsters. Participants develop their own strategy, relying on the help of allies. Each game level is divided into two stages - construction and defense. Thanks to multiplayer confrontation with the enemy, you can go through the same level several times without any boredom, because the game action will never be repeated.

From a videographic point of view, “Tower Defenders: Second Wave” is richly and voluminously designed, with colorful landscapes and a variety of color schemes - visually the toy did not disappoint. The gameplay flows smoothly, and the controls are thought out almost perfectly, which is very important, especially when, being in the thick of battle, you need to immediately restore a tower that is being destroyed by the villains.

You can play as one of four character classes: squire, monk, huntress or mage - each of the heroes can build defense towers of their own type, have specific skills and wield certain weapons. Obviously, different combinations of classes give rise to nuances of joint strategy, while all the characters are balanced without going too far in any direction.

Thus, the squire is convenient in close combat, his towers cause a lot of damage, and strong barricades stop monsters. The monk is good at melee and ranged combat; instead of towers, he uses auras that support allies or deal damage to enemies. The mage is focused on long-range combat, his towers appeal to various elements. The Huntress is also useful in war at a distance, she can create traps with a limited number of charges and become invisible for a while.

It should be understood that Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave is actually not suitable for playing alone: ​​the lack of allied support literally after a couple of levels will lead to defeat, and it does not matter what lines of defense and attack style are chosen - loss is inevitable. If you are a lone wolf, this is not the place for you: this is a game with different mechanics. But in any case, it is clear that such an unusual joint entertainment will be something new and stimulating for many.

Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles

Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux

Dedicated to all fans of multiplayer online games is a space saga about the search for adventure, fame and fortune on distant planets.

The background is this. In the 41st century, in deep space, there is a fierce war between four races: the ruthless Skorn, unknown gods endowed with dark power; necrocyborg Rivens, in alliance with the Skornas, who called them to life; people from the defense forces of the united colonies; supporters of people represented by robot mods. There were rumors that the presence of aliens from a completely different race had been discovered on a neighboring colony. People and robots, trying to pull the blanket of the battle in their direction, risk everything, going to the unknown, where crowds of enemies, hostile environments and the same pilgrims await them.

Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles replaced the no less popular Pocket Legends - both gaming titles managed to gather a huge audience around them thanks to cross-platform support that connected iOS, Android, as well as personal computers via the Google Chrome browser. However, being mobile, Star Legends has lost some of the functionality in terms of things like combat, clan formation, mastery use, questing, etc. - it's hard to replicate the complexity of full-fledged online multiplayer games on PC.

Impressions from Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles are positive: the game is addictive from the very first steps. Creating a character is very simple: just select the gender and class of the hero - paratrooper, agent or engineer, and then adjust his appearance.

The controls are implemented as follows: a virtual analog stick or “tap to go” is responsible for the player’s movement, a separate fire button triggers the automatic destruction of a nearby target, which can also be manually specified by double-tapping. Each hero has skills that are acquired through completing levels and are activated again by touch. Automatic attack and quick selection of special abilities make combat as simple as possible, which anyone can do, even without a quick reaction.

The Star Legends universe is divided into zones, each of which is a map with a certain number of players playing simultaneously. If the number of such zones exceeds quotas, a duplicate of this zone is created. Moving between zones is instantaneous, without any tedious real-time animations, which are completely unnecessary on mobile devices like tablets.

Quests in massively multiplayer online games are always a subject of debate: there is a wide variety of opinions on how quests should be completed, what types of quests should be used, and how they can be implemented in the game. My impressions of quests in Star Legends are mixed. Their positiveness lies in their speed: tablet users, who often while away time in transport, are not going to spend a lot of time on a certain gaming period. Quests can be easily obtained from various characters and by accessing system terminals - in any case, the player will be instantly teleported to the desired area to complete the quest. The other side of the coin is obvious: completing quests is put on a conveyor belt, and the effect of immersion in the game plot disappears - dialogues usually take up only a few lines, and seem to have no effect on the main thread. However, if you like the sweetness of action and robbery, and not the feeling of belonging to the character, everything is in order.

The procedure for combining into groups is made in accordance with the mobility of Star Legends - without any complex or subtle settings. The first type of grouping is implemented by automatically adding to the clan the moment you enter a certain zone. Game experience and loot are distributed among group members. This system is very good because it not only makes it easier for players to unite, but also encourages the creation of guilds. The second type of grouping is carried out through a list of friends that you will gradually acquire in the game. Each quest is actually done collaboratively, which gives it an extra edge of life. But the chat in the game is implemented problematically: it’s not easy to start a conversation with one of the players or respond to someone’s whisper, and it’s generally impossible to replay negotiations.

Raising a player's level in Star Legends is standard: experience increases as tasks are completed and according to the number of mobs killed (computer-controlled characters) - as soon as the experience is sufficient, the hero moves to a new level. This is accompanied by an increase in points and skills: points can be distributed between strength, dexterity and intelligence, skills are given to improve skills that are individual for each of the three classes of heroes - either they improve or new ones become available. With each level upgrade, the player feels a little different, and this development helps counteract any boredom.

The Star Legends economy is based on two types of in-game currency - credits and platinum. Credits are used most often, as they are used to buy equipment, packages and other objects. Platinum can be acquired in two ways: either for real money or through free offers in the game menu - it is spent on increasing skills, purchasing some equipment and purchasing credits. The player can get rid of unnecessary property in the blink of an eye, and it doesn’t matter where and in what condition it is now: merchants will buy everything. The game has an auction offering everything the hero wants - and, most importantly, the catalog of goods is presented in an excellent, convenient form.

There are two main disadvantages of Star Legends: poor development of the plot (a player busy with quests and battles simply loses the thread of the narrative, since the background of all this is not very clear) and some problems with combat control (in fierce battles, attempts to select a target may fail) .

UniWar

Platforms: iOS, Android, Symbian

UniWar is an intelligent turn-based strategy that is rightfully considered by many to be one of the best in the world. It is so addictive that it can easily take away years of your life. Anyone can handle the toy, but learning all the nuances of its tactics and strategy can take an infinitely long time. UniWar's gameplay is thought out to the smallest detail, and the balance is almost perfect - fans of the cult "Starcraft" will be immensely happy. In terms of complexity, UniWar can be compared to chess of the 21st century, especially since the battlefield is represented by hexagonal cells.

Hundreds of maps with a built-in editor, three races with unique units, thousands of players, campaign mode, online team and individual battles, adding bots, tournaments including for real money, built-in chat, selecting the required time for the course (from three minutes to three days). Finally, the amazing combination of the vastness of chess, the emotions of Starcraft and the logic of Civilization is all UniWar.

The main goal of the game is to capture all the bases on the map, and the more there are, the faster the money accumulates, with which you can build more troops. It will not work to act blindly, since the balance of power for all three races and their units is carefully worked out. In battles, you need to take into account not only the enemy’s arsenal, but also the cartography of the area: forests, mountains and rivers can either play into your hands or give advantages to the enemy.

UniWar features three races: Humans, Titans and Hraleans. People are similar to the Terrans from StarCraft, they have soldiers, tanks, helicopters, and ships at their disposal. Titans, or cyborgs, resemble protoss, they use super technologies: robots, flying cars, rocket carriers. The Khraleans, or aliens, who act as an analogue of the zerg, bet on living nature: worms, dragons, beetles, flies. Races are characterized by specific features, strengths and weaknesses.

Each race has eight types of combat units (units), divided into four classes: infantry, heavy ground, aviation and navy. Their properties are described by cost, mobility, attack range, attack ability and strength against each type of unit, defense strength and viewing range. Some units have additional capabilities: they can capture bases, are able to attack immediately after moving, can teleport, and move underground.

UniWar maps feature nine types of terrain: plains, bases, forests, mountains, swamps, deserts, seas, harbors and medical stations. Directly dependent on the type of terrain is its cross-country ability, which determines the consumption of mobility points for units when moving. The terrain affects the units located on it: for example, land can increase the attack range of certain units, and mountains, on the contrary, can reduce defense. Bases and harbors are needed to create combat units; medical centers speed up the repair and recovery of troops threefold.

Players take turns performing certain actions with the units and bases at their disposal. Once all possible operations such as moving, attacking, stopping, capturing or restoring have been completed with a unit, it cannot be used until the next turn. At the beginning of the player's turn, the credits generated by the bases are allocated. Loans can be used to build new military units, including stronger ones, if you wait for time and save up money.

Each UniWar race has one special unit that can turn the simplest combat unit of another race into its supporter. Thus, a human engineer can reprogram a titan robot, a titan assimilator is trained to transform Chralian beetles, and a Chralian infector can infect a human marine.

In addition, these same special units have additional powers that affect certain races within range: the engineer's electromagnetic radiation disables all titans for an entire round, the ultraviolet effect of the assimilator deals one point of damage to all human and Chralean units, the infector plague will poison human units to the end games - they must be transported to a medical center or placed next to an engineer.

We talked about the most basic rules of UniWar: all its tricks and secrets will be revealed only to the most persistent in mastering combat skills. UniWar battles can last for months, because it is not at all necessary to be in the game all the time: just go in and make moves in all open games (maximum twenty), and then continue to do your own thing. It’s easy to find an opponent for a UniWar battle, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to win right away.

UniWar is an excellent turn-based strategy, everyone will like it, although its ardent fans will only be connoisseurs of this game genre, who are not embarrassed by all the immense complexity in studying the features of races, units, areas, and maps.

At a time when games for consoles were mostly written by console manufacturers themselves, there was no such thing as cross-platform gaming. Of course, the main games of that time like Super Mario and Mortal Kombat came straight to the players' homes straight from the arcade, but otherwise even the very idea that you could play the same game on different consoles seemed crazy. After all, it was the era of the famous “console wars”, which gave the world many great games, powerful consoles and funny memes.

Games in those days were written specifically for specific console models. And vice versa, special devices and even entire consoles were produced, adapted for specific games. For example, those over 25 remember the famous light gun with, which essentially was only needed for two games (and no, it did not damage the picture tube!).

The situation began to change as the personal computer ceased to be an exclusive attribute of office plankton and began to appear in every home. Games that only work on PCs have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Moreover, I usually wrote them after a couple of bespectacled people in my dad’s garage.

With great surprise to themselves, the gaming monsters discovered that consoles were selling worse and worse, and the treasured money was beginning to flow into the pockets of small studios. And as you know, when you can’t win something, you need to lead it. This is exactly what they managed to do, buying the rights to the then exclusively computer Tetris and re-releasing it for their GameBoy. This is how the Japanese managed to overcome the crisis, and Tetris became one of the first cross-platform games.

Many years have passed since then, but no clear answer has emerged as to what is better – exclusives or multi-platform games. On the one hand, game development has long been carried out mainly by studios not associated with hardware manufacturers, for which it is simply not profitable to limit the circle of potential buyers to any one ecosystem. On the other hand, exclusivity brings studios easy money from console manufacturers, gives the player a sense of elitism, and allows developers to optimize the game for a specific platform configuration.

In addition, the quality and release date of the game often varies from platform to platform (remember the epic porting of GTA 4 to PC), and the need to take into account the interests of console players when writing computer games often leads to simplified gameplay (hello to the TES series) and an inconvenient interface when playing on PC (TES was also affected again).

But in the case of online games, cross-platform is a huge advantage. After all, the number of players in itself is an asset of an online game, so it is important to attract the widest possible audience. It is not surprising that recently more and more cross-platform online games have been released, in which console players and PC fans can finally fight each other. The most striking examples are Sea of ​​Thieves, and, of course, Rocket League. Therefore, we decided to compile a list of games that you can play online both on a computer and on a console, and sometimes even with or.

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV is an action JRPG with cross-platform multiplayer, available on PS 4, Xbox One and PC with Microsoft Windows. As in the rest of the “finals”, its plot is in no way connected with the rest of the series. And the entire gameplay of this game is reoriented towards dynamic action, in which the player controls not a whole party, but one single character.

In general, only the name and general style remain from Final Fantasy. It seems that even the developers themselves were not ready for such significant changes, because they had to wait a whole 10 years for the game to be released. But in the end, we got a huge, dynamic hack instead of half-hour cutscenes and four main characters with whom you really empathize.

World of Tanks

If all Wargaming’s plans to exploit the popular franchise come true, then in the morning, after drinking coffee from a mug with the WoT logo, you will go to work in a car with a WoT sticker. In traffic jams you will play World of Tanks Blitz on a smart phone. Constantly looking at your watch in the form of a tank, you will finish your work day and rush home to play WoT on your PC.

In a couple of hours, your son will drag you into platoon tanks with him on PS4. Then your friends will call you and you will go to the pub to play the board game Rush. Having gotten a little tipsy, you will return home, fall asleep and cover yourself with a blanket with a huge Mouse print.

Jokes aside, World of Tanks is an excellent example of how an initially exclusive game can become cross-platform and only benefit from this.

Smite

Smite is one of the few cross-platform MOBA games with a rather unusual setting. After all, it’s not just heroes who are fighting here, but real gods, moreover, borrowed from different cultures.

There are a total of 92 gods in the game, belonging to the Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Scandinavian, Indian and Celtic pantheons. An important difference between the game and many other “Dota killers” is that the camera here does not hang above the arena, but is tied to the game character. This gives a greater effect of presence and increases the challenge, because the situation in other areas of the field can only be judged by the mini-map.

You can play this original game on PS 4 and Xbox One consoles, as well as on a PC with Windows.

War Thunder

By the time the “tundra” finally “kills WoT”, we will all be telling our grandchildren how we walked hundreds of kilometers through the snow to the gaming halls. However, it is worth admitting the obvious - there is no better online flying game in the world right now. And even the emphasis placed by the developers on historicity does not spoil the drive of fierce air battles.

A special bonus of this game is that it was released not only on PS4 and PC with Windows, but also for Android devices and PCs with OS X and Linux.

Diablo III

Gone are the days when the pleasure of racing Diablo was available only to PC owners. The continuation of the cult slasher was released immediately on PC, a little later on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and then visited PS4 and Xbox One. It took a long five years to wait for this game from the moment of its announcement (and if you count from the previous part, it’s all 12), but in this case the wait paid off many times over with excellent quality.

Everything that was loved in the previous parts migrated to the sequel. We will meet again the brutal Barbarian, the mysterious Sorcerer, the pious Monk and other long-loved heroes. And they will be opposed by old, unkind acquaintances in the form of hordes of demons and undead. Even more Mochilov, bright and cheerful - that’s the motto of this sequel.

DC Universe Online

DC Universe Online is DC Comics' asymmetrical response to total dominance in movie theaters. The MMORPG released by Sony turned out to be surprisingly solid and dynamic for a franchise game.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is an online collectible card game with cross-platform multiplayer, set in the World of Warcraft. They rarely throw money down the drain, but in this case even they hardly expected such stunning success.

Since its release, Hearthstone has regularly been included in lists of the best online games, collecting prestigious gaming awards and attracting thousands of spectators to tournaments. And not without reason, because here we are waiting for familiar heroes, perfect balance, simple and transparent game mechanics, dynamic battles and the ability to hack from almost any PC or smartphone.

Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V is a furious game in which both PC players and lucky PS4 owners will be able to compete. In the game, in addition to old friends like M. Bison and Ryu, we will find several colorful new characters such as the poison lover Feng and the friendly Arab technophile Rashid.

The gameplay has also been slightly reworked - in addition to the usual energy scale (which gives access to special moves) and the stun scale, a special V-Gauge has been added, which grows from the damage received and the use of special abilities. Filling the V-Gauge gives you access to powerful bonuses and skills that can turn the tide of battle (and sometimes the enemy's body) on its head.

We have no doubt that PS4 is the modern king of gaming. With a wide range of great games across all genres such as FPS, JRPG, Battle Royal and more, now is the best time to own the best Sony Playstation console.

Despite this, many have friends who do not agree that PS4 is the best console, so they prefer Xbox, PC or Nintendo. Despite this, they remain our friends and we will still be able to play some games with them. We are lucky that there are now cross-platform games on the market on PS4 that we can enjoy together with our friends, regardless of their device.

Fortnite

Fortnite is an online massive brawl where 100 players jump out of a flying craft onto a small island and then fight each other until only one remains. Weapons and items are hidden throughout the island: rifles, traps, grenade launchers and more. Players need to equip themselves in the best way possible while exploring buildings. It is also possible to collect resources that will allow you to create structures in which you can hide or protect yourself. As the match continues, the available area of ​​land continually decreases, so the competitors get closer and closer to each other. The last one standing is the winner. Due to the fact that the game has multiplayer, this is one of the best cross-platform PS4 games.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

It's fair to say that Rainbow Six Siege had a disastrous launch in December 2015, with mixed reviews and lackluster sales. Common complaints were a lack of content and a host of technical issues that plagued the game's early days, while poor sales can largely be attributed to the launch after Call of Duty Black Ops 3 and Star Wars Battlefront overshadowed the title.

Two years later, Rainbow Six Siege eclipses both of those games combined. Instead of abandoning the project, Ubisoft redoubled its efforts and remained committed to the idea of ​​Siege, turning it into one of the most popular shooters on the market.

The main reason for this success is Siege's strong foundation. Two teams of five players face off in a match where three rounds must be won to win the match. There are no respawns during a round, and teams alternate between attackers and defenders.

Diablo III

The latest game in a series considered one of the best in gaming history, Diablo III is another amazing game that almost failed. Diablo III, riddled with bugs when it launched in 2012, has grown into one of the best RPGs on the market. When creating the game, the developers implemented a control scheme that is simple, responsive and effective no matter what platform you play on. With Blizzard's Battle.net service, players can quickly and easily jump in and out of co-op sessions, allowing you to play with friends in challenging environments if you so choose. The only downside is that, regardless of system, Diablo III requires you to be online at all times, even for its single-player playthrough. Despite this, Diablo 3 is the best multi-platform RPG game on PS4.

Grand Theft Auto Online

If the fact that it's the best-selling entertainment product in history doesn't tell you anything, there's nothing more I can say to convince you. With over $6 billion in revenue, GTAV is one of the best games in the GTA series. Offering the ability to switch between three distinct and unforgettable heroes, as well as the ability to shoot, punch, explode, drive, swim and fly through any obstacles in your path, GTAV offers you an absolutely insane open world gameplay experience. The game's online mode allows players to share this chaos with others around the world and is constantly updated with new content.