The iPhone App store launched friday with 41 games available for it. As MTV Multiplayer notes, the DS launched with 11 games, and the PSP with 24. The hardware is no slouch when it comes to gaming, either. As roughly drafted puts it:

The iPhone is in a significantly different class of performance, has far more internal resources for games, and is equipped with a variety of other hardware–from its camera to its ubiquitous (if slow) mobile network to its multitouch high resolution display and accelerometers–all of which have to power to unlock entirely new classes of games and other more serious applications.

The iPhone launch games include offerings from Sega (Super Monkey Ball) and EA (Tetris, Scrabble). And there are already even more games than at launch – it’s hard to find an exact number, but over a hundred easily.

But how do they really stack up? There are 16 different sudoku games, some old school arcade ports, some racers, many card and puzzle. Even a text adventure. But not one RPG, not one strategy title. For sure, the hardware is idiosyncratic; shooters may not work too well. But if the DS’ touch screen is any indication, it’s still possible, and genres like RPG, strategy and even RTS can work very well.

You can’t blame developers for going casual when it comes to games on a phone, but all the same, Orcs and Elves on this thing would kill. And when we start seeing the games that take advantage of the networking and even GPS, we’ll start seeing some crazy things.

Fascinating argument over at Tale of Tales: all games including pre-videogames (chess, cards etc.) are casual, computer-based games have the potential to move beyond casual gameplay into artistic experiences but are bogged down by casual elements – “Get the keycard, kill the boss monster, solve the puzzle”, etc. Give ‘er a read.

Wow, it seems like Endless Ocean is already on the shortlist for Most Polarizing Game, 2008. It’s a Nintendo Wii title that allows you to swim around deep-sea diving style and pet the odd fish. It has very little in the goal department, and people either love it or hate it. Tale of Tales’ Michaël Samyn says he enjoys it “more than any game that has been published in the last few years.” Over at MTV Multiplayer, if you can stomach the tired “What We’re Not Playing” chat transcript, you’ll see that Jason Cipriano thinks “you need a conflict in order for [a game] to be enjoyable” and thus hates Endless Ocean.

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We recorded this yesterday after a nice Rock Band session; it’s Mags Nadine and D and we discuss that very same band-rocking game, party games, casual games, genre in games, and more about Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade games. Plus, many tangents! And a botched opening.

Angry Robot Sounds 10 (22MB mp3, 24mins)

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