Developer: Wode Mobile
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPod Touch
Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Shadow Runner is one of those games with an incredibly simple concept that draws its appeal from slowly upping the challenge level until you’re pulling out your hair in frustration, but in a good way. Still, it’s the sort of game which may not manage to appeal to every type of gamer. Ultimately, the amount of fun you have with Shadow Runner will likely be directly proportional to how much you enjoyed the Shadow Mario stages in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
The premise of Shadow Runner couldn’t be simpler, you must get your character from the black door to the white one without touching one of the shadow versions of yourself which pops out every few seconds from the level’s start point. These copies will replicate all your movements exactly, so in some stages you’ll see every jump, turn and step you’ve taken repeated a dozen times by your doppelgangers. The tricks in the game are twofold; first, the exit door opens slowly, requiring you to sometimes move about the level for a long while before you can make your escape. Second, while your first objective is merely to survive, you earn more stars by staying in a stage after the door has opened, so maxing out your score requires careful planning and a nearly suicidal willingness to keep putting yourself in harm’s way in spite of the fact that failure is constantly nipping at your heels.
Thankfully, you are given ample time to strategize due to the fact that shadows stop whenever you do, so there’s no need to be in a constant state of motion. The game also helpfully maps out each shadow’s next few steps so you can see where they’re going to be in the hopes of avoiding them. While this makes the game a far less white knuckle experience, it also removes several layers of frustration.
One area which does still manage to create frustration is the control scheme, which is simple yet inelegant. Three giant arrows (left, right and up) control all movement, and they also take up a large chunk of space on the screen. While the oversize controls make it easy to change direction or quickly jump, they don’t ease the pain of one of Shadow Runner’s biggest hurdles, the wall jump. In a game which allows players to stop at any time and plan ahead the wall jump still requires quick movements and good dexterity in order to prevent your character from falling. Long wall jump sequences can be especially trying, and it’s extremely frustrating to near the top of a long series of jumps only to fall and land square in the lap of a waiting shadow.
Shadow Runner is a great game for folks who crave a challenge and revel in the precision platforming of titles like Bit.Trip Runner, but it may turn off those who prefer a more casual experience. There’s a degree of niche appeal here, but that niche will likely have a great time running through levels over and over in an attempt to max out their score.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars
As hinted at by the title, Blue Hole 3D is an endless, high score game that has you falling down a blue, watery hole. The object of the game is to guide your submarine down the hole, collecting all the coins and shield enhancements that you can without running into any mines, sea critters, or walls along the way.
You start the game with a basic submarine — it only takes two hits to kill. The directional controls are all accelerometer based, with basic, limited braking available via screen tap. The coins that you collect typically follow the path that you should be following so you won’t hit any walls, but there are some moments where the coins will lead you astray. Along the way there are mines positioned in easy to hit spots, vortices that will suck you in, and huge sea creatures that will do all sorts of bad things to you. All you have to do, though, is not get hit.
Once you collect enough coins, you can earn two stronger, more powerful ships that control better, brake better, and take more damage. The game obviously gets easier and easier as the ships get stronger, but their is a consistent challenge throughout. Fancy brakes and shields will only get you so far as the game gets much faster with many more enemies the deeper you go.
Fans of the endless score genre (made popular by Doodle Jump) will definitely like the consistent challenge presented by Blue Hole. It’s a nice looking, fun game that will keep you playing for some time with the addition of unlockable ships. For the the same price as a burger on a dollar menu, this one’s a no brainer.
Developer: I-play
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.99 out of 5 stars
As far as casual gaming goes, Vikings Row! is about as simple as it gets. It’s not bogged down with weapons and ammo and such; it’s just about collecting gold while steering a viking ship.
What makes Vikings Row! special is the way that the app goes about letting you control the ship. Instead of some kind of arbitrary accelerometer system, the game uses a control system that mirrors the way the vikings would actually be rowing. You have to continuously use two thumbs in a rowing motion to go forward, and then you have to alternate forward rowing to steer. The resulting rowing motion makes for an entertaining play session, and keeps the game somewhat challenging.
The real problem is that the game doesn’t give you enough to do. The way that the game is set up is that you have to get X amount of gold coins per level to reach different levels of victory, with gold being the highest. There are a few obstacles in the way, such as rapids and harmful objects, but without really trying that hard I was able to get gold on almost every level. Vikings Row! will appeal to extreme completionists, but the average gamer will be bored after a single play through. There just isn’t enough variation in play to entertain you for more than one go.
For a buck, it’s hard to criticize a game for lack of replay value, but the fact is that most people will play Vikings Row! all the way through once and then never play again. It’s a solid game, and it looks better than the majority of the casual games out there, but it doesn’t offer enough of a challenge to be played through a second time.
Developer: EA
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 2.9 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.81 out of 5 stars
Major EA Sports iOS releases always bring up the same questions for me. Will I be able to enjoy the iPhone version even a quarter as much as the console version? Will I fall into the harrowing pit of virtual joystick hell? The question that most people want to know though, deep down, is, “Should I buy it?”
On the console, and if you’re a soccer fan, buying FIFA 11 is a no brainer. The game will undoubtedly be beautiful, have all the players that you want to emulate, and typically has a presentation that is heads above the rest of the sports game competition (the decision to replace Martin Tyler with FIFA 06 commentator Clive Tyldesley irks me a bit, but I’m sure he’ll grow on me).
Like the rest of the iOS sports games that the world enthusiastically bought and then almost as quickly stopped playing, deciding whether or not FIFA 11 is a worthy buy is tough. At first look, FIFA 11 is beautiful looking soccer sim that that has everything that you’d want in an iOS game. It has slick commentary, fluid movements, and an easily navigable menu system. It takes a few minutes of playing though to really capture the essence of the game.
As expected, the control system will be what ultimately makes FIFA 11 a winner or a loser. FIFA 11 has a fairly standard virtual joystick setup (either fixed or floating) with three buttons situated on the right side. The buttons instantly change when you go from defense to offense, so one moment you could be trying to shoot and the next you could inadvertently be sliding into a hapless opponent. Other controls are all performed on the screen, such as a double tap for skill moves and a tap on a player to pass. These on screen controls are definitely where sports apps need to be heading, but having to alternate between virtual buttons and seamless screen tapping can be a bit overwhelming. Other than a few missed buttons, there’s really not too much to complain about with the controls, other than the fact that my left thumb has been rubbed raw from trying to do precision movements.
The gameplay itself is a bit of an adventure at times. Most of the game plays fairly smooth, with particularly good runs and goalie decisions, but there are a few hiccups. There were many instances in my play that the offsides penalty was called incorrectly or not called at all, but worst of all was the odd officiating by the main official. Every once in a while, I would do a dirty slide on a player and only get a foul, but a few times I had my goalie come out to dive on the ball on someones foot and get a red card. There were other various flaws, but most of them (like many of the ridiculous goals) didn’t really detract from the experience all that much. They just gave it, well, personality.
Oddly enough, my biggest complaint with the game was the stadium sound, something that the typical FIFA game nails right on the head. The commentary is spot on and made far less mistakes then I was expecting (my expectations were extremely low), but the stadium sound was far too quiet. Even with headphones the crowd was considerably more quiet than the commentators, leaving you with many moments of next to silence. Not to say that silence is bad, but I’d really like to experience a roar when I score a goal as the home team.
In the end, FIFA 11 will probably hold your attention longer than most other iOS sports sims, but it won’t keep you playing season after season. The game itself, for what it is, isn’t bad but the virtual joystick does become grating after long plays. It’s just not accurate or responsive enough to really capture the fluidity of soccer, and the game suffers for it. Unfortunately, FIFA 11 is one of those games that will be heavily played for a day or two and then will be lost somewhere around page 4 on your iDevice. You’ll look at it and know that you’ll probably never play it again, but you’ll never delete it because you know you’ll feel guilty. It’s really not a bad game, but it’s just not quite good enough to play time and time again.
It’s really quite amazing how powerful the iPhone has become since the original model came out. In many respects it is a more powerful handheld game device than the current generation of dedicated gaming handhelds, even outdoing the specs of Nintendo’s latest incarnation, the DSi 3D (albeit not with the awesome 3D tech).
Spacetime Studios (Pocket Legends), realizing the vast gaming potential of the iOS, is expanding (and soon licensing) the Spacetime 3D MMO game engine to support different devices interacting on the same server. The devices aren’t limited to the iPhone/Android sphere though – they plan to make it possible for mobile users to play simultaneously with PC users.
“The Spacetime Engine offers seamless global multiplayer gameplay to anyone with an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch over 3G, Edge, and wireless networks. We plan to add Android and PC users to the mix.” said Anthony L. Sommers, co-founder and CTO of Spacetime Studios. “In the near future, it will be possible to be on the bus in California with your iPhone, playing with someone in a park in France on their Android device, and both be playing in the same server set with someone in South Korea on their PC.”
The Spacetime 3D Engine should be available for developers sometime in 2011, and Pocket Legends should be getting the multi platform treatment soon. Beware though, the world is now one day closer to being able to play World of Warcraft-like games on the go. Our collective productivity is in trouble.
The premise of Shadow Runner couldn’t be simpler, you must get your character from the black door to the white one without touching one of the shadow versions of yourself which pops out every few seconds from the level’s start point. These copies will replicate all your movements exactly, so in some stages you’ll see every jump, turn and step you’ve taken repeated a dozen times by your doppelgangers. The tricks in the game are twofold; first, the exit door opens slowly, requiring you to sometimes move about the level for a long while before you can make your escape. Second, while your first objective is merely to survive, you earn more stars by staying in a stage after the door has opened, so maxing out your score requires careful planning and a nearly suicidal willingness to keep putting yourself in harm’s way in spite of the fact that failure is constantly nipping at your heels.
You start the game with a basic submarine — it only takes two hits to kill. The directional controls are all accelerometer based, with basic, limited braking available via screen tap. The coins that you collect typically follow the path that you should be following so you won’t hit any walls, but there are some moments where the coins will lead you astray. Along the way there are mines positioned in easy to hit spots, vortices that will suck you in, and huge sea creatures that will do all sorts of bad things to you. All you have to do, though, is not get hit.
What makes Vikings Row! special is the way that the app goes about letting you control the ship. Instead of some kind of arbitrary accelerometer system, the game uses a control system that mirrors the way the vikings would actually be rowing. You have to continuously use two thumbs in a rowing motion to go forward, and then you have to alternate forward rowing to steer. The resulting rowing motion makes for an entertaining play session, and keeps the game somewhat challenging.
On the console, and if you’re a soccer fan, buying FIFA 11 is a no brainer. The game will undoubtedly be beautiful, have all the players that you want to emulate, and typically has a presentation that is heads above the rest of the sports game competition (the decision to replace Martin Tyler with FIFA 06 commentator Clive Tyldesley irks me a bit, but I’m sure he’ll grow on me). 
The gameplay itself is a bit of an adventure at times. Most of the game plays fairly smooth, with particularly good runs and goalie decisions, but there are a few hiccups. There were many instances in my play that the offsides penalty was called incorrectly or not called at all, but worst of all was the odd officiating by the main official. Every once in a while, I would do a dirty slide on a player and only get a foul, but a few times I had my goalie come out to dive on the ball on someones foot and get a red card. There were other various flaws, but most of them (like many of the ridiculous goals) didn’t really detract from the experience all that much. They just gave it, well, personality.
It’s really quite amazing how powerful the iPhone has become since the original model came out. In many respects it is a more powerful handheld game device than the current generation of dedicated gaming handhelds, even outdoing the specs of Nintendo’s latest incarnation, the DSi 3D (albeit not with the awesome 3D tech).
:: AWESOME
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