MVMG For iPhone Provides An Interesting Distraction in Small Bursts

MVMG [rating: 2.5/5]

Another first time developer has released their first game in the App Store and this time it’s Killerstorm Studios with their shooter MVMG which in its full form stands for Machine vs Machine Gun. In MVMG you take the role of Sargent Jackson as you attempt to save the human race against 8 onslaughts of alien robots in various forms.

The game is played in first person perspective from the seat of a machine gun turret and your task is to shoot down wave after wave of the enemy robots as they swarm toward you. Controlling the machine gun is done via the touch screen and as you more your finger around the screen the machine gun will move up, down and around shoot as you do. These controls take a little getting used to and getting the precise angle to kill the robots, some of which can only be killed by hitting specific areas, can be tricky too. The thing I struggled with most though is the fact that because the game uses this simple single finger control that requires constant touching of the touch screen my finger would start to hurt very quickly!

mvmgThe style of the game reminded me of a metallic Tron, albeit with a lesser emphasis on the Neon lights and a dark, moody atmosphere. The repetitive sound of the machine gun, while realistic, can become tiresome especially if you are using head-phones to play the game.

Starting the game launches the first of 8 ferocious levels and you will soon find your self under siege from a range of robots, some humanoid, some animal like, while some will fly towards you. All of the robots will fire at you with a variety of intensity and power and it will be up to you to prioritize which should be shot first, sometimes you will find it necessary to take an attack from one of the lesser robots so that you can take out one of the more aggressive, stronger robots.

In addition to your single machine gun you do have a shield that can be utilized at times. The shield is limited though and should only be used when definitely required otherwise you will find yourself becoming the victim rather than the victor! Power-ups are available within the game but even these are limited and must be used wisely. My favorite is the lazer which for a short amount of time when enabled will rip through any enemy that it comes into contact with.

The major differences between the eight levels are slight tweaks in the environments and the addition of more and more enemies to kill which can make the game a little repetitive. Progress on each level can be tracked by the number of enemies left to come rather than an amount of time that you have to survive with the last robot of each level being a big boss that will take accuracy and skill to defeat.

For 99c MVMG will provide an interesting distraction in small bursts especially if you are a fan of shoot-em ups, for some though their money will be better spent elsewhere as the repetitive nature of the action could become boring very quickly and with no multi-player option or online/local leader boards the longevity of the game is going to be limited.

The Good

  • Relentless action
  • Simple controls

The Not So Good

  • Control can be painful
  • Repetitive game-play
  • No ability to pause the game
  • No high score tables

Price: $.99 as of Jan 07, 2010 (iTunes Store Link)
Version reviewed: 1.1
Size: 29.5 MB
Seller: Killerstorm Studios

Reviewed by: Craig Willis

MVMG (Machine VS Machine Gun the iPhone Game)

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