It’s that time of year again when EA Sports come out with their annual upgrade to their FIFA franchise and this year is no difference as they release FIFA 13, their 13th iteration of the world wide soccer game. (Yes I’m calling it soccer, the whole world plays the game now and it’s just easier this way).
While previous versions of the FIFA franchise on iOS have sometimes seen minimal improvements outside of improved graphics and/or new features FIFA 13 has brought something to their iOS offering that people have been asking for for a long time and that’s the ability to play against other players over the Internet and not just those based locally.
While the old rivalries will continue to rage between the FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer fans, you generally either love or hate one or the other, the competition is clearly good for the players of each as they continue to push and innovate the graphics, gameplay and features and this continues to be the case.
Graphics ones again receive a boost that defies the size of the devices that you can play these games on. Player likenesses improve as FIFA continues to enjoy fully licensed players, teams and leagues from all around the world and the smoothness of the gameplay remains unaffected especially on the iPhone 5 that this was reviewed on and which is fully supported in full screen mode.
Controls have been tweaked in this release quite significantly however the new features don’t affect the core controls and instead the add and enhance what is an already well established control system.
A virtual d-pad on the left of the screen continues to provide directional control of your players while action buttons on the right side of the screen control the specific action that your chosen player will attempt, (I say attempt as based on your your skill and timing they don’t always come off), to complete.
It’s these action buttons that now include new features, firstly the ‘skill move’ button has been improved to provide more skill moves using a nine point grid around the button. Tapping the skill button and then making gestures up, down, left, right and around the skill move button will produce a variety of skill moves. And based on how you make the gesture will control whether you complete the skill to the left or two the right of the oncoming player.
While most players will be happy just to jump in a test the controls for themselves I would highly recommend reviewing the inbuilt help videos that will show you what all the gestures are and how they are activated to make the full benefit of them.
You can also control you whole teams gameplay via in game gestures too, want to make your team play more defensively? Then swipe two fingers towards the end you are defending. Want to play a more attacking style? Then swipe two fingers toward the goal you are attacking. The ability to do this without having to stop the game and make the selections in the options menu makes for a much more fluid gaming experience.
Another new feature is the ability to call in a 2nd defender when we feel that you need it. While holding down the tackle button will automatically make your selected player attempted to tackle the opposing player pressing the ‘call 2nd defender’ button will automatically bring over additional help should you find yourself trying to defend Messi, Ronaldo or any other tricky player.
These additional features add confirm able depth to the playing options for players to take advantage of while still ensuring that the game is easy to pickup and play for the newcomer to the franchise. And it needs to be said again that there are two many of these options to list here and you should view the in game help to learn them all.
The four game modes are still present, you can jump into a quick match, complete a league or cup from around the world in tournament mode, test your hand at club management in manager mode or play online.
Tournament mode continues to provide great value with even lower leagues from around the world being available, so if you want to play as lowly Southend United in the nPower League 2 in England you can. In total there are 67 trophies to be won in tournament mode and so to get a full trophy cabinet you’re going to have to play a lot of games.
Manager Mode adds additional depth to the game as you now have the ability to not only control the players but manager the whole club. From players contracts and club finances to keeping the board and supporters happy you are going to be juggling a lot of balls.
While this level of depth isn’t for everyone it does work well and provides a valid alternative to the management style games of Football Manager while providing the ability it take control of matters on the pitch too.
It also has to be said that EA have provided the ability to sync both Manager and Tournament modes using iCloud. This means that if you have this universal app running on multiple devices you can pick up on one device where you left off on another, that’s awesome.
We then come to the newly added online mode which has the potential of providing endless hours of game-play if done right. There are two ways to play online, 1 is in a quick match against a random opponent, the other is in a friendly against one of your friends.
Game-play is the same for both but if you play against a friend you win, draw, loss stats will be recorded against them so that you can prove who has the bragging rights.
I’ve played numerous times online and for the most part it’s been a great experience. I’ve never failed to be matched up with an opponent which suggests that there are a lot of people playing the game and while there have been a couple of disconnected games there is no way of telling whether that’s due to my opponent, network issues or a problem with the game itself.
The graphics appear a little toned down when playing online but it’s not something you notice in the thick of the action and games can be decided based on both players agreeing on the outcome. For example, it the game ends in a tie then you get to choose between ending the game in tie, extra-time or going straight to penalties.
Many hours could be lost in this mode especially if you have lots of friends who play the game too. It would be nice to have online leagues or tournaments to compete in but at this point that’s not available.
Both on and offline games provide a whole plethora of achievements, 79 to be exact, and they range from receiving no bookings during a match and scoring from long range to scoring a goal with your goal keeper and having a player score both an own goal and a goal in the correct goal!
While it’s great to have this number of achievements in the game it’s disappointing that EA continue not to link to Apples Game Centre achievements, continuing it use their own Origin network instead. Other games offer the option to link to both their own social gaming network as well as Game Centre and it would be nice to see EA do the same.
The daily challenges are a nice addition though were you get the opportunity to relive real matches, earn XP points to climb the social leader-boards.
FIFA 13 also enables you to share your greatest moments of skill and goals with the world via in-game integration with YouTube. Anytime you view a replay you will also get the opportunity to upload it to YouTube and given that the video is limited to just 9 seconds once you’ve authenticated your account once the sharing happens really quickly.
While some people may balk at the $6.99/4.99 price, this monster franchise continues to set the standard that other titles must aspire too and it’s worth every penny.
[rating: 4.5/5]
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If you’ve been watching the Olympics which just recently finished you may be familiar to the excitement that took place on the BMX track. If so then Mad Skills BMX could be just the game you are looking for as it recreates the experience on your iPhone or iPad in a universal app that is available in the App Store right now for just 99 cents.
If you’ve already played turborilla’s other title Mad Skills Motocross then you will be pretty familiar with the game-play here although it’s a slimmed down version, both in the fact that you are using pedal power and in some of the features.
The game includes 40 different tracks and the first 11 will provide you with all you need to know about how to power and control your BMX. Controls are simple touch screen controls which you control using just two fingers via the left and right side of the screen.
With these controls you get to manage the pedalling and the positioning on the bike which will enable you to wheelie, flip and ride the bumps at the fastest pace you can, and speed is of the essence as each race is against another competitor and it’s winner takes all.
The tracks are set across a variety of environments including the concrete of inner city, the desert and the forest and while the graphics are good it’s the physics of the game-play which really makes this game what it is.
I can’t begin to imagine what it takes to translate the physics of riding a bike in real life to the small screen and it’s obviously not easy as many have tried and failed, however, whatever it is Turborilla have found it as it feels great to ride and even crash in Mad Skills BMX.
The art to winning the game is to keep your momentum up, hit the jump to early, or too late will result in giving your opponent all they need to take advantage and disappear off of the side scrolling screen. If you take a considerable lead over your opponent or find yourself behind you can see how far you are in-front or behind them via the gauge in the top left corner. You’ll have to respond quickly though if you are going to catch up.
Completing tracks will ultimately unlock the subsequent Intermediate, Expert and Pro levels through the single player mode of the game, you can upload your scores to compare them against your Facebook friends and post your scores to Twitter also. The Facebook leaderboards do add a degree of competitiveness but the promised GameCenter integration with the next update should improve that even further.
If you are looking for the tournament features that are available in this games big brother title Mad Skills Motocross then you are going to be disappointed as they haven’t found there way into this title yet but that doesn’t take away from the fun that can be had playing with yourself!
More tracks are promised via future updates and if you don’t want to have to win your way through the existing tracks to unlock them you can unlock them via inapp purchase. You can also purchase custom bikes and riders should it take your fancy.
Mad Skills BMX {App Store, $.99} is an enjoyable game and while the addition of ghost riders to compete against would make the game even more addictive it’s still pretty addictive without it.
[rating: 4/5]What we like
What to know
A game that’s been floating around the top of the charts for a while now is Ski Safari so we thought it was about time that we took a look at what’s making this 99 cent universal app so popular.
In Ski Safari you are faced with controlling Sven down a steep snow covered mountain side in a desperate attempt to avoid being swallowed up by the avalanche that is tearing down behind him.
From a controls point of view this task is easy, tapping the screen will cause sven to jump while tapping and holding either side of the screen will enable sven to perform forward and backward somersaults. The actions are all helpful for avoiding obstacles such as piles of rocks but also to help boost your speed by grabbing and riding with penguins, birds and the odd abominable snowman!
The action comes at you very fast as your speed down the mountain side attempting to keep out of the clutches of the foreboding avalanche that is chasing you, so quick reactions are a must if you are going to keep yourself alive.
If you are familiar with games like Jetpack Joyride and Subway Surfers you’ll also be familiar with the process of having mini goals set each time you take to the slopes. This can range from performing a double backflip or picking up 3 penguins to flying with a bird for X distance to tumbling for a given amount of time.
All this adds to the basic game premise of travelling as far as you can before you get swallowed up in a cloud of snow. These goals keep the game interesting and while all this is going on you also pick up coins which you can then spend on purchasing items such as coin magnets, costumes and rockets which will boost the distance you travel.
The key to a successful run is using the variety of animals that frequent the mountain side to boost the distance you travel and your ability to survive hitting the obstacles. If you manage to fly with the the bird, ride the abominable snowman and tame the wild wolves you should be on to a good score and even open.
The cartoon graphics lend themselves well to the snowy environment and even though you won’t have time to appreciate it as you speed down the slope the background detail of having other mountains with animals running down them is a nice detail.
If you haven’t joined the Ski Safari party {$.99, App Store} yet then there is no time like the present. It’s a fun game which you can use as a quick pick up and play title when you have a spare five minutes only to find that 3 hours later you are still playing it!
[rating: 5/5]What we like
What to know
As a child I spent many hours playing a game called Subbuteo, a soccer game where you flicked little plastic soccer players around a fabric pitch to score goals, other people played foosball where the aim of the game was the same although this time your man spun on wooden rods.
Soctics League is a hybrid of these two games and while the aim remains the same, to score more goals than your opponent, you control your players by pointing them in the direction you wish them to go in before launching them all at once to push the ball into your opponents net.
To begin with the process felt a little alien, you can play the game with either 3 or 4 ‘players’ and they are placed on either side of the pitch. Before the game starts you have the opportunity to place your ‘players’ anywhere on your half of the pitch, after that however control moves to directing power and direction by placing arrows out of each of them.
While you’ll be predicting the direction of the ball most of the times you do also get a limited number of binoculars that will give you a visible line of where the ball is going to go, this doesn’t take into account you opponents moves though so it’s path is not guarenteed.
While your doing this your opponent, either iPhone AI, a friend or an online player are doing the same and once you’ve all set your moves all the players will move at the same time and the ball will hopefully move towards you opponents goal.
While there is a basic training mode you can really perfect your skills playing against the iPhone AI player before taking the online challenge which is where the real fun begins as you pit your wits against a real player. The online game moves along quickly as you are limited to how long you ponder your next move, and ponder you must as you have to consider both attacking your opponents goal and defending your own.
You can play friendly games online but also play league games. The league games will enter you into the Soctics League which is won by the player with the most points each week.
Each game is a best of three so you may fine things over pretty quickly, however it can turn into a mind bending game of chess if you find a defensive opponent. This is where it gets fun though and the game shows its strength as a real brain teasing challenge.
Soctics League is not going to win any awards for its sound and graphics, it’s pretty basic where both those items are concerned but that’s also not a problem as the game is more about the mental challenge than its great looks.
It’s also a little rough around the edges still, the app crashes at times for no apparent reason and sometimes menu’s don’t work either but Soctics League does have the underlying gameplay that could keep this on your iPhone for some time to come. The developers seem to be active too so who knows what updates they have up their sleeves.
Soctics League is available in the App Store now for $1.99 and if you are looking for something a little different this could be the game for you.
[rating: 3/5]What we like
What to know
Par Out Golf is a unique and addictive golf game for the iPhone. The game uses a unique control system that differs from most golf games that makes it easier to pick up and play. The focus is on ease of gameplay and a great multiplayer experience make this game even more appealing. The game focuses on making the game more fun than an exact simulation of golf and this is what I find intriguing.
The control system that Par Out Golf utilizes is my favorite aspect of this highly addictive game. The control system is very simple and easy to use. You use your finger to guide the ball through the course. I know this sounds too easy but with the obstacles such as sand, rocks, canyon walls, etc. this isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are two other main complications that they throw in the mix and that is wind and when you are ready to hit your shot, you can’t see the course. Let me explain the second factor. At first, you see the course, the wind and what club you are using. You then are prompted to tap and hold on the tee box, when you do this, clouds cover the entire hole and you must remember where the obstacles are and avoid them by drawing a line to the hole. Once you tap, you can release and look at the course again but when you are ready to hit, you cannot see the 
course. This makes the very simple and easy to use control system much more complicated. I love this feature though because you do not constantly find yourself struggling to “swing your club” just the right percentage to get the ball on the green as you are in most games. I was able to pick up the game and get pretty good, pretty quick.
The scoring system, unlocks and rewards only further enhance the unique style of play found in this game. The scoring system for the actual play is very simple as it uses the normal method of scoring from golf. However, for each hole, you can collect badges that are rewards for getting par, birdie or pro which is eagle or better. These badges can be used to unlock more courses and as a method of showing how well you do on a particular hole or course. The way they use the badges as a reward and a way to unlock more courses keeps the concept of the game simple and keeps you from having to keep track of yet another thing.
The social and multiplayer options in this game are what puts it over the top as one of the best golf games I’ve played. The game has Game Center integrated so you have leaderboards and that method of bragging and showing off your scores as well as a rich multiplayer set up. You have the option of “Local Play” and “Network Play” when it comes to the multiplayer. Local Play allows for up to four people on one device in a sort of pass the phone style which is a fun way to get friends involved when you don’t have a network connection or don’t both have an iPhone. Network play allows you to play one on one over the internet which I can see being very fun in this game as it is so easy to pick up and play. This game truly seems to have all the social and multiplayer options I would like to see in a game.
Finally, the presentation of this game is great. It is more cartoony than real but with the gameplay and all its features, it’s a perfect fit. The visuals look great and I love 
the sounds of this game. The music is very fitting and the sound effects seem to be spot on. I never saw a hitch in the game play and have been overall very impressed with this game.
Pros
Cons
$1.99
Category: Games
Released: Apr 20, 2011
Version: 1.0
1.0
Size: 78.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Endless Wave Software LLC
© Copyright 2011 Endless Wave Software LLC
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
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[rating: 4.5/5]
The annual rendition of Tiger Woods PGA Tour is back and it rocks! For those that don’t know, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 is the most realistic golf game for your iPhone and iPad. See how you stack up against pros on real golf courses. The game sports several different game types that keep you coming back for more.
The controls make the game challenging but are very easy to pick up. I am an avid Tiger Woods PGA Tour player on the XBOX 360 and this game for your iPhone has all the controls of the console version. You have a power meter that you use your finger to swipe down and back up to hit the ball. Your ability to go straight back and straight forward controls the line that the ball takes. Power is dictated by how far back on the power meter you go before you swipe forward. You have the ability to line up shot with an intuitive interface that tells you the percentage you will need to hit the ball to that location. The controls have stayed pretty much the same as previous versions of this game so you are able to pick it up and play it right away.
This game does a great job of having real pros and real course. Some of the players that you have to opportunity to go up against are: Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Paul Casey, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, and Camilo Villegas. You even have the option to create your own male or female golfer and customize him/her. The courses are amazing. They look like the real courses and this is something that EA has gotten right for quite some time. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 sports 8 astonishing courses: Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, TPC Sawgrass, Hazeltine, Doral, Greenbrier, TPC Boston, and the ALL-NEW PREDATOR – a true fantasy course come to life! I won’t ruin the new course for you but it is pretty awesome! The real life golfers and the stunning real life courses this game does a great job of taking a game and making it seem more realistic.
The vast number of game modes may be one of the best feature of this game aside from its stellar game play and presentation. The first game mode I tried out was the solo round that gave me a good feel of how my custom golfer would stack up. Trust me it takes a little time to enhance your player so be patient at first, your custom golfer doesn’t start out with Tiger Woods’ ability but he is still formidable. There is also a head-to-head mode that you can play via WiFi or Bluetooth. As always there is the popular Tour Mode which is my favorite. It allows you lace up your spikes and compete with some of the best golfers on the PGA tour. It is what you might call the Story Mode for a sports game and EA does a great with this. I highly recommend you giving it a try. There is also the Tiger Challenge where you can “casually hone your skills with over 20 mini-games and unlock special prizes! Then, shoot it out with Facebook friends in the innovative “Closest to the Pin” challenges featured on selected holes throughout the game.” These different game modes make Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 a very diverse game that has a ton of replay value.
The presentation of this game is stunning. The graphics are great, all the way from the courses to the details of the golfers. The sounds are as realistic as they usually are and the music isn’t too shabby either. Perhaps one of the best features that flies under the radar in this game is the ability to play to the music that you have on your phone. I have a ton of music on my phone and the fact that I can grab my phone and listen to my tunes while I go shoot 18 holes at Pebble Beach from my office chair during a break is awesome. I really enjoyed this games crisp gameplay that never lagged and went off without a hitch. The presentation of this game was amazing and what I have come to expect from EA. They set the standard for sports games.
Pros
Cons
$6.99
Category: Games
Released: Mar 29, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0
Size: 250 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller: Electronic Arts Inc.
© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
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Backbreaker 2 has just smashed it’s way into the App Store, with bigger hits, improved graphics and a new game mode everything points to another great way to imagine yourself playing in the NFL, but is it a big enough improvement over the original to demand its purchase?
The graphics have certainly been improved which is quite a stretch considering the great looks of the original game but on the retina display of the iPhone 4 there is additional polish and glitz that make the stadiums and players pop off the screen.
If you’ve played the original you should be able to pick up and play the game right away. You can customize your player to be like you and then get onto the field and start to chase the dream of scoring a touch down. Controls are a combination of the accelerometer to control your speed and six virtual buttons in the bottom left and right corners of the screen to control your players moves.
The game has been broken into two modes, the classic Tackle Alley and the new mode Vengeance where the tables are turned and you become the hunter as you attempt to stop the opposing player reaching the end zone. While the game play in Tackle Alley remains the same, play though 10 levels of increasing difficulty by defeating a range of challenges but three new moves have been added.
In addition to the Juke and Spin you can now jump your tacklers by clicking anywhere on the screen. There are also obstacles place around the field that you will need to jump over too or it will be game over. Then there is Trucking, a new term to me, but it will let you get through high tackles by putting your head down and running through them. Again there are also Trucking obstacles for you to contend with, there is definitely a lot more happening in Backbreaker 2 compared to the original.
Finally there is the super showboat that you can engage after initiating the original show boat. It’s more flashy and will earn you more points but it will slow you down allowing the defenders to potentially catch you up and stop your run.
After playing a few of the 10 challenges the new mode named Vengeance will become available for you to play. The game is played on the same field with all the same actions other than the showboat button becomes a tackle but allowing you to hunt down the ball carrier and take them down.
While this is fun and adds an additional challenge to the overall game it’s no substitute for the fun and bone crunching of the original and it seems to have made way for the Endurance mode which has been dropped from Backbreaker 2.
At just 99 cents you can’t really go wrong with Backbreaker 2, however, it feels like these editions could have been part of an update to the original Backbreaker or the additional mode could have been an in-app purchase.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Updated: Dec 08, 2010
Current Version: 1.1
1.1
18.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: NaturalMotion Games Limited
© NaturalMotion Games Limited
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 2.2.1 or later
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Adding the word flick to an iPhone/iPod or iPad app these days seems to be almost as popular as adding the letter i to a word, but an app needs more than a good name to be successfully and luckily Full Fat Productions know just how to do that with two previous games that we’ve reviewed here at touchreviews.net in the form of Deadball Specialist and Zombie Flick.
Next up for them though is Flick Golf as they attempt to beat Tiger Woods at his own game in this flicking fun game.
Flick Golf
Do be warned though, if you are expecting a full round of 18 holes you are not going to get that, instead you are going to get perfect control of the power, spin and swerve of a golf bull as you attempt to get as near to each whole as possible. It’s not about the number of strokes and more about your touch!
There are two ways to play Flick Golf, you can choose between Quick Shot or World Tour which both offer a slightly different take on the same game. Quick Start challenges you to score as many points as you can on a single hole in a given amount of time whereas World Tour challenges you to do the same over a range of 9 holes across four course and difficulty levels.
The fun part of the game though comes from the intuitive controls when striking and controlling the movement of the golf ball. From the initial swipe up the screen that sets power and direction to the repeated stroking of the screen to initiate curve and spin you have complete control over the ball until it finally comes to rest.
Flick Golf iPhone Game Review
And it’s this level of control that makes Flick Golf such fun. As mentioned previously the game isn’t about the number of strokes you complete a hole in, instead each hole has a target set around it and the nearer to the hole you get the more points you get, including 1,000 points for a hole in one.
The big points come from the spin and curve you can put on the ball so taking advantage of the variable wind and initially aiming off target an provide big, BIG rewards.
And you’ll need the big points too as completing the higher levels will require a lot of skill to reach the maximum points required to progress. It doesn’t feel like an effort though as the game is such a pleasure to play.
The graphics look great and the back ground music and sound effects won’t put you off your game either so while at $2.99 it’s a little more expensive than Full Fat’s other titles it’s well worth the money and will keep you coming back for more again and again.
Reviewed on an iPhone 4
$2.99 (View in iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 23, 2010
Version: 1.0
1.0
31.1 MB
Language: English
Seller: Full Fat Productions Ltd
© 2010 Full Fat
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later
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Only a week into the 2010/2011 NBA season EA Sports have released the latest in their sports range of games to coincide with it, enabling you to recreate the excitement of one of America’s most popular professional sports.
As you would expect with EA the game is fully licensed and so you’ll get to play along with over 450 of your favorite players, 30 NBA teams and unlockable legends from years gone by. These all look great on the iPhone 4’s retina display too, from the polish of the courts to the life-like players you are in for a visual delight when playing NBA Elite.
When launching the game a tutorial is launched to show you the basic controls of the game. This is all done in game and shows you how to move and sprint using the virtual, floating d-pad on the left hand side of the screen and the two action buttons on the right.
The buttons change based on whether you are on offence or defence, stealing & blocking on defence and passing & shooting on offense. A simple tap activates these moves and will suffice for most when playing on the easiest of the three levels.
However, if you want to play a more entertaining game, and/or wish to play at a higher difficulty level you’ll need to learn the more advanced moves. These advanced techniques are shown via an optional tutorial and it shows how double taps and swiping of the action buttons enable special turns, skill dunks and other moves that enable you to add a little flash to your average game.
The tutorials are short and effective and before long you’ll be starting to put your skills to use in anger. You can jump straight into an Exhibition game, Full Season or take your team straight to the playoffs and see how you play in the post-season.
Choosing Full Season or Playoff mode doesn’t take too long to set up and you will soon be taking your 5 players onto the court. As mentioned previously the graphics look great and the players pop off of the screen. From tip-off to buzzer the game play is fast and smooth even when all 10 players are jostling for position on the screen at the same time.
The skills learnt in the tutorial are easily put to use and it was extremely satisfying to find myself spinning, shooting 3pts, steeling and dunking in my first game. This was on easy difficulty though and as I tried the other difficulty levels things became increasingly difficult, which I guess, is the point!
There are a lot of games in a NBA season and so if you want to speed things along a little you can simulate individual games or whole seasons, not that you’ll want to as playing each game is a real pleasure.
Getting your team to post season, and then winning the NBA finals will not only be rewarded with glory and satisfaction but also by unlocking an NBA legend which you can then draft into your team for your next game.
All this is done to a great soundtrack which pumps up the atmosphere, this can be easily changed to your own tracks from your iPod if you so wish. Also customizable is the choice of camera angle, TV mode moves the camera about attempting to show the best angle while baseline and corner fixes the camera in those positions.
An additional mini-game is also included in NBA Elite 11 and that is the famous 3-Point Shootout which puts you up against other NBA All-Stars in a fast paced shootout from the 3 point line. This is a fun addition to the game and requires fast fingers and quick reactions.
If basketball is your game then NBA Elite will be $5 well spent especially with it’s in game roster updates that will provide you with the latest roster changes throughout the season. The lack of a multi-player mode for either the main game or the 3pts shoot out is disappointing but shouldn’t stop you from buying this quality game that sets the standard in basketball games.
$4.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Nov 04, 2010
Version: 1.0.1
1.0.1
184 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
There has been a constant struggle between the beauty of FIFA and the slick controls of Pro Evolution Soccer across all gaming platforms and to be honest I have also fallen on the side of PES.
However, with FIFA 11 just being released including a version for the iPhone my love of PES may be about to be challenged. So how does FIFA 11 for the iPhone shape up?
Well it comes as no surprise that the game looks spectacular. The menu system is sleek and sharp and then you get into the in-game graphics and the players which take the graphics for soccer games to a whole new level. The stadium, pitches and weather effects all look great, esp. on the retina display of the iPhone 4 and the player animations are the best I’ve ever seen on a handheld device.
The kits are accurate, including sponsorship logo’s, names and the player likeness is spot on with most of them being easily identifiable even before seeing their names on the back of the shirts. This attention to detail makes the whole game much more enjoyable.
There are over 500 teams in FIFA 11 and because it’s FIFA they are all officially licensed so there are no issues of having to play matches between such teams as West London Blues vs Man Red, instead it’s Chelsea vs Manchester United. This also applies to the player names.
As we all know though beauty is only skin deep, and as good as a game looks if it doesn’t play well those looks will mean nothing.
There are currently 3 modes to FIFA 11, a quick one off game takes the form of Kick-Off or Practice Arena, while for those looking for a long term challenge there are the league and cup modes. The are over 30 leagues to choose from in league mode including all the major leagues from all over the world and all four of the English leads. In the cup mode all the major cup competions are also covered. Needless to say there is a lot of depth to FIFA 11 and something for everyone, whether you call the beautiful game Football, Soccer or Futbal.
The one mode that is missing is a multi-player option and while this is disappointing the good news is that there is a multi-player option in the navigation menu with a ‘coming soon’ notice. Whether this multi-player option is going to be just local or online remains to be seen and while it’s a disappointment that it’s not available at launch but the is good news is that it’s on its way.
So we’ve established that FIFA 11 has both beauty and depth, so what about the controls and the overall gameplay?
I don’t know why this has never been thought of before but FIFA 11 has introduced the most simplest of features to the control system that I have never seen before, so simple in fact that it makes playing the game much more intuitive than any other football game, on any system, that I’ve ever played.
Firstly there is the floating d-pad that positions itself wherever you place your left thumb meaning that there is no risk of accidentally missing the d-pad and subsequently missing that vital turn or mis-directing that defense cutting pass. That being said that has been done before, what is new though is the fact that the three virtual action buttons all have there corresponding action written directly on them.
Where as previous versions of FIFA and other games including PES have utilized different color or A, B and C buttons to control passing, tackling and shooting FIFA 11 actually have the actions written on the buttons themselves. On attack the buttons are named Pass, Through and Shoot and as soon as your team looses possession they automatically change to Tackle, Slide and Switch.
This simple use of actually naming the buttons has made the learning curve of FIFA 11 very short indeed. Of course there are more advanced controls that can be used to break down the more stubborn defenses. For example double tapping the screen will make your player complete a special move. These special moves can be spectacular, but can also leave you sitting on your back side.
The action is slick and fluid, players respond quickly to your controls and the ball flows smoothly across the screen. It has to be said though on occasion where I had multiple applications running on my iPhone 4 there was occasional slow down, not enough to spoil the game though.
The sound effects are good with the crowd cheering at all the appropritate times and the commentary by football stalwarts Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray is the best I’ve heard, especially on a hand-held device.
While FIFA 11 has the quickest pick up and play game play that I’ve ever come across it’s no light weight when it comes to configurations, options and team management. From multiple games settings such as radar on/off, camera control and player switching sensitivity to team management control including formation settings, kick takers and tactics there is enough depth for even the most serious player.
If you like football/soccer games there is now only one choice for you and that is FIFA 11. Not only is it overflowing with quality throughout but at only $4.99 it offers great value for money.
Reviewed on an iPhone 4
$4.99 (view in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 30, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0.0
Size: 858 MB
Languages:English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Seller:Electronic Arts
© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
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If you are a tennis fan and you want to play a realistic game of it on your iPhone 4 then Gyro Tennis by PersonalApplets is a game to try.
Using the built in gyroscope within the iPhone 4 you can control your racket and ball just like the real thing. The game is designed to make you feel like you are actually there playing, with the applauding and cheering audience down to the actual game play.
There is a section for help on how to play the game which I suggest you read first. If you know the game play for tennis it will seem slightly clearer but if you are new to the game then going through the hep section is recommended.
To play the game, you use your finger to control the racket by moving it along the bottom of the screen. The racket lines itself up as well making it slightly better to control and less for you to do! You are in control of the direction and height it will go in. The gyroscope will of course detect where you are trying to aim.
To use the gyroscope controls you use it the same as any other game with gyroscope controls by moving from left to right and also backward and forward. You will be able to see where the ball is going to go as it shows a line for you.
There are four difficulty levels within the game and this gives you the option to move the racket faster.
There is also the option to play two player via Bluetooth. To do this you simply change it in the settings mode and then tap a game to play with another player and the device will then search for a player. There are lots of settings available to change things like grunting noises and just how much the audience cheers and if you want any background music. There is also an option to change the court type from clay, hard, grass and carpet.
The game play took a bit to get used to. After reading the instructions I still couldn’t keep an actual game going for a long period of time. There are lots of confusing settings to change and buttons to tap and that at times was a little too much and difficult to master. After many attempts though and getting used to the controls it did work very well and was lots of fun. It is worth sticking with it and figuring it out.
It is probably one of the most realistic tennis games I have played on my iPhone. It is a must for all tennis fans and anyone who wants to try a real tennis experience on their gyroscope enabled iPhone 4.
Price: $0.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 07, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.00
Size: 16.3 MB
Language:English
Seller:Personal Applets Corporation
© Copyright 2010 Personal Applets Corporation
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th generation). Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
It used to be the case that you knew that the start of the new NFL season was just around the corner based on the fact that the pre-season games of your favorite team had started. However more often than not the start of the new NFL season is introduced with the new release of Madden X.
When I say Madden X I’m not coming over all Roman on you suggesting that the latest Madden game is Madden 10, on no, that was last year, for the 2010/2011 season the quint essential football game has reached Madden 11.
After last years introduction to the iPhone Madden 11 goes beyond the hand-held device and makes its way onto it’s bigger brother, the iPad, and along with it come new features, updated graphics and more options.
When first launching Madden 11 you will immediately notice the improvement in the games graphics and navigation menus which look much sharper and crisper than last years release and while the game looks great on the iPad it’s nothing compared to how it looks on the Retina display of the iPhone 4 where the graphics pop off the screen. That’s not to say that the graphics don’t look great on the iPad, they do and with the extra real estate that the iPad offers you get to see so much more of it!
After selecting your favorite team that will also skin the game with their colors and images you are ready to start the game.
Initially you may be disappointed to see that there are no new additional game modes,you’ll soon forget that once you start playing the game, but EA do tease us with the prospect of two additional game modes in a future update or updates. The potentially game changing Multiplayer mode and the intriguingly titled Vintage Voltage, however,back to the current game.
For those of you that have played the previous version of Madden on the iPhone you will quickly pick up the controls on both offense and defense and even those who haven’t won’t find it two difficult thanks to the intuitive nature and the all so important Action Control button the slows the gameplay down on both offense and defense allowing you the time to make the game changing decisions that can be the difference between winning and loosing.
Control of the defense has been maximized to allow you the detail of control in the defense as you have been used to in previous versions on offense. While it’s a great addition to the game and will appeal to many for me the game is still all about the offense and luckily for me there have been improvements there too.
Taking to the field with Madden 11 on the iPad presents you with a plethora of options and the view of the field that looks great surrounded by the authentic stadia from all the NFL Teams. From the line of scrimmage you have your standard options including snapping the ball, calling audibles, choosing plays from the play book and now even directly drawing your own routes by simply dragging your finger from your receivers to where you want them to run.
Drawing your own routes is simple and you can save your favorites to call as audibles at any time in the future and there is nothing more satisfying than scoring a touch down on one of your own designed routes.
Most of the player moves are controlled via virtual buttons on the right side of the screen while control of their movement is via the virtual d-pad on the left of the screen. The controls placement is good to for the iPad with them being placed a little way up from the bottom of the screen making them sit naturally beneath your fingers. However there were times that the buttons did not respond to my touch resulting in missed passes and sacks which was a little frustrating.
In addition to the button controls you can pass to your receivers by touching their icons on the screen. These icons also change color depending on how open the receiver is meaning that if chosen correctly you can make some great passes.
The running game suffers form the button responsiveness more than the passing game though and while there is great satisfaction from bursting through a tight defense into the secondary I often found that dukes and spins required to make up the extra yardage often failed to materialize.
The players all look great as you play the game, even when all the players are on the screen at the same time their is no slow down although some of the collisions aren’t always 100% accurate.
The two negatives of the sometimes unresponsive controls and the player collisions are still relatively small in the big scheme of things and it certainly didn’t make me want to stop playing the game, if they can be addressed in a future update though the game will gain back the half a mark I’ve taken off for them at present.
While I was disappointed to not see the multi-player option available at the launch of the game the fact that it’s not only been mentioned by EA but also listed in the game itself gives me great hope that it will be seen sooner rather than later. And when it is introduced Madden 11 will be played even more especially while watching the game with your mates attempting to reenact the on field heroics.
They’re aren’t too many differences between the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch versions of Madden 11 although if I was pushed I would go for the iPad version as although at $12.99 it’s $5 more than it’s smaller counterpart it makes playing the game just that little but more pleasurable.
Price: $7.99 (App Store) $12.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released: Aug 10, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0.0
Size: 326 MB
Language:English
Seller: Electronic Arts
© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
It appears that there is a war going on, a war between zombies and vampires in an attempt to take over all forms of entertainment, from games and books to movies there doesn’t appear to be a platform or genre that hasn’t had the zombie or vampire treatment. In this case though we can notch one up for the zombies as it is the undead that have infiltrated the soccer field in Pro Zombie Soccer.
As the title would suggest this is no ordinary soccer game, you aren’t going to find yourself taking a team of rotting human flesh to the world cup final, instead you take the role of Jax a talented soccer player who has fallen on hard times and finds himself getting bitten by a zombie, not any old zombie though, this is Julinho the world famous zombie soccer star and this starts Jax’s fight against the undead.
The story is told in a graphic comic book style and it’s well written and beautifully illustrated with a humorous storyline which continues between all the 9 worlds.
As with most successful games the control system needs to be easy and that is certainly the case for Pro Zombie Soccer where you control the aim and the kicking of your primary weapon, a.k.a. a soccer ball, fire the control button on the left side of the screen. With your thumb held down on the button you can set the direction of your shot while letting go will kick the ball.
To begin, a simple kick is all that’s required to decapitate the living dead that are after your blood. However, within a couple of levels new bloodthirsty zombies are introduced to the game-play that will either require multiple kicks or the use of one of the power-ups that are available to you.
The simple power-up is activated by holding down your thumb on the action button for a couple of seconds before you shoot, however killing multiple zombies will fill up your power bar and once it’s filled you can activate one of the special power-up that will enable you to kill multiple un-dead in one go. My favourite of these is the satellite power-up which activates a laser beam from outer-space which you can aim at multiple zombies via the accelerometer and kill them all.
As Jax makes his progress through the game he’ll go through multiple locations some of which he will stand staionary while the zombies attack him from the right, much like Plant’s Vs Zombies, while other levels will see Jax running through the levels killing the oncoming zombies as he does. Even on these levels though you don’t need to worry about speed or direction, just the shooting.
Pro Zombie Soccer for iPhone is also integrated with their own gaming network named Crystal which provides online leader boards and multiple achievements which add extra value to the game even once you’ve complete the game.
There are also 3 difficulty levels, Normal, Hardcore and Zombie mode although while I was able to complete the game on Normal I’m yet to complete it on Hardcore let alone Zombie mode.
Pro Zombie Soccer is nothing like you would expect from a game with soccer in the title but that’s no bad thing and is the perfect antidote to those of you that have had your fill of the World Cup! If you are quick you should still be able to grab Pro Zombie Soccer at the sale price of just 99 cents.
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: Jun 28, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 82.6 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Seller: Chillingo Ltd
© Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Swipe Soccer HD brings a whole new approach to soccer games on the iPad. Gone are the high quality 3D graphics, gone are the d-pad controls and actions buttons, instead Swipe Soccer HD combines the line drawing techniques made famous by Flight Control, Harbour Master and Fare City and combines it with the worlds most popular sport.
As the game is a pretty unique concept the game includes a detailed tutorial ranging from the seemingly obvious tasks of running, chasing, passing and shooting to the more advanced techniques of first-time passing and shooting and the highly technical two finger kick.
While it may seem irrelevant to view such basic instruction it is highly recommended and once viewed and practiced the basics at least become second nature.
The games use five aside rules for play so there’s no need to worry about offside or thrown-ins as the ball is always active bouncing off of the sides of the pitch should a pass go astray.
Moving your players is as simple touching the relevant player that you wish to move and draw the path that you wish them to run along. This will need to be done with all five players as not only do you have to contend with getting the ball but also positioning your players to move into space to be available for a pass.
When your player has the ball, drawing a line from them will either shoot the ball towards the goal or pass to another player. You can also draw a line to the ball or a specific player and your player will follow it until they get the ball.
You can play the game through 6 different levels of difficulty with each level becoming unlocked as you complete the previous difficulty. This helps you build up your skills without getting hammered 10-0 every time. The main difference between the difficulty levels is the speed and AI intelligence of the opposition.
Rather than an alternative to any one of the full on soccer simulators that are available such as Pro Evolution, Fifa or X2 Soccer, Swipe Soccer HD is a more appropriate alternative to Foosball apps especially when you take on the two player challenge.
The two player mode works on a single app where you will intertwine your fingers with you opponent on a single iPad. The two player game can be set to be decided based on a time limit or the first to a given number of goals.
It works really well and other than the risk of a fractured finger as you and your opponent attempt to draw lines on the iPad at the same time it provides a lot of line drawing soccer fun.
The only thing missing from this fun game would be the ability to change the theme including the pitch style, player colors and the ability to track your game history especially the two player mode so your wins can be retained for the ultimate in bragging rights.
While Swipe Soccer HD may not have the depth of the full soccer sims it makes up for it in pick up and play fun and the craziness of the two player mode. It may not be a game that you play everyday but when you have friends over it’s the perfect app to load up for some crazy soccer action.
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: Jul 05, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.2
9.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Markus Halttunen
© 2010 Essentia Solutions
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
Com2Us have been producing quality games for the whole range of iDevices for some time now and none more so than the slug fest that is Homerun Battle 3D. While their latest title (9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 for iPhone) is another baseball game it’s a simulation of the full game rather than just focusing on home runs.
The other noticeable difference between the two games is the graphics, where Homerun Battle 3D included high quality 3D graphics which lit up the screen of whichever iDevice you were playing the game on 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 used a more toned down cartoon style graphics in an almost Manga style even though real player photo’s are used through the rest of the game.
You could think that due to the cartoon style graphics that the game play is light weight too, that couldn’t be further from the truth as the game play is deep and detailed although it is also easy to pick up and play, which is the perfect combination.
The game has three modes, Exhibition, League and Homerun mode. Exhibition and League Mode allow you to play either a single full game or a full season of baseball respectively while the Homerun mode is like a game of Homerun Derby where you get 5 pitches to achieve a set number of points from homeruns.
The main part of the game though is the League Mode where you get the opportunity to take your selected team as far as you can through multiple seasons and this is where I spent the majority of my time during my review of 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011.
After selecting your team and confirming your line up you are taken to the first week of games and are immediately thrown into the game. There are two methods of help built into the application, the first is a video tutorial that takes you outside of the application and the other is the text based help.
In all honesty neither of these help options are particularly helpful, the video concentrates on the card trading aspect of the game, more of which later, while the text based help is extremely wordy without the help of screenshots. With all that said though the controls are very intuitive and it didn’t take too many games before I had the controls down even if I did lose my first game 18-2!
I’ve split the controls into three areas batting, pitching and fielding. Batting couldn’t be easier with two options available, a normal hit and a bunt. For the normal hit you can tap the screen anywhere on the screen while there are two bunt buttons to bunt the ball to either the left or right hand side of the field. With controls this simple the main aspect of hitting the ball for a homerun is all based on your timing and works very well.
Once you have hit the ball you can then control the batters run. He’ll automatically run to first base but from then on you can either chose to advance the player or leave him to stay where he is. This again is both simple and effective and gives you complete control over your success and/or failure!
Finally there is the pitching, here you have a few more options but again its been implemented really well and is very straight forward. Firstly each pitcher has between 3 and 5 pitching skills and so the first task is to select your specific pitch, then you can drag the ball to the area you wish to pitch the ball too.
At that point timing is again the key as a blue circle will grow and shrink around around the ball and tapping the screen when the ring is at it’s smallest point will produce the best pitch possible. Obviously despite your best efforts the opposing team will hit the ball at that point you will need to field the ball.
Your players will automatically attempt to catch the ball and as the players run around the bases you can tap on the base images that pop up on the screen to choose where you wish to throw the ball.
The game moves along at a good pace and I found both the pitching and the batting enjoyable. As you play you also earn achievements which in turn earn you points that can then be combined with the various cards that you pick up to increase your player stats.
There are over 100 achievements to unlock during game play and they can also be achieved multiple times enabling you to earn the points associated to them in each and every game.
That brings me on to the card collecting part of the game. Depending on the team you choose you will automatically be given a selection of cards from that team. As you play you will gain other cards and then have the opportunity to draw, combine and level up you cards and subsequently your player statistics.
The basics of the card trading part of the game is pretty straight forward, selecting your player cards gives you the opportunity to level them up. This will cost you points that you will have gained from unlocking the achievements, however it’s not guaranteed that you will level up even if you have enough money as for some reason occasionally you will get a response that the level up has failed for no apparent reason and you’ll have still spent your money!
As points are the currency of the game you can also purchase points for real money. However as I was playing this final version of the game prior to its official release no prices as to how much purchasing, rather than winning, these points would cost.
Obviously the game would be even better if had a multi-player option and had a better help system but it only takes a little away from what is a great game.
Overall 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 has both the depth and simple controls that will keep you coming back for more and more over and over again. Com2Us have another hit on their hands, I have to go now, I have a season of baseball to finish!
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: Jul 08, 2010
Version: 1.0.0
1.0.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 18.6 MB
Languages: English, Korean
Seller: Com2us USA, Inc.
© 2010 Com2uS
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
It seems that the World Cup has inspired a plethora of soccer related titles from full scale soccer games to skill based games where certain aspects of soccer are recreated and that is what we have in Volley Soccer for iPhone where you get to practice scoring goals in one of the most popular and spectacular ways.
In Volley Soccer your task is to score as many impressive goals on the volley as you can to score as many points as you can. Points are awarded for scoring each goal and additional bonus points can be achieved by scoring overhead kicks, chest volleys and hat-tricks.
The graphics are in the style of the Roy of the Rovers comic strip and you can choose to represent 8 of the top nations including England, Brazil, France and Argentina although unfortunately your selection is not remembered so each time you start a new game you have to re-select your team. There are also three levels to play through from Easy, Normal and Hard where the timing of your shooting becomes more and more sensitive and more accuracy is required to score goals.
Playing the game is simple as are the controls, too simple in my opinion and you’ll find yourself scoring goals certainly at the easy and normal levels with relative ease. Your player starts at the edge of the penalty area and the location where you need to strike the ball from is shown somewhere in the penalty box. Once the count down has completed you can move your player to the target area using the d-pad on the left side of the screen, the movement is rather slow but there is plenty of time to get to the target area before the ball is crossed into you.
As you wait the ball will appear for the right, it always appears from the right, and as it approaches you then hit the volley button on the right hand side of the screen to volley the ball into the back of the net. Your player will automatically position and address the ball as appropriate for the particular shot so there is no need for you to worry about whether you are about to to a bicycle kick, overhead kick or normal volley as this is will be handle be the game, your timing simply determines whether the ball flies into the top corner or goes wide.
These limited options minimize the sense of achievement when you do score a goal as it feels that most of the work is being carried out by the game itself rather than any skill on your part. Scoring three goals in a row will also add additional bonus balls enabling you to score additional goals and ultimately score more points.
Each new type of goal also earns you achievements as part of the OpenFeint integration where there are a total of 27 to be unlocked, although many of these are the same achievement just scored on a different difficulty level. Online leader boards are also provided via OpenFeint while there is also a local high score table too.
While other simple games are addictive and have the can’t put down factor that keeps you coming back for more the same cannot be said for Volley Soccer. The lack of control in scoring the volleys ultimately leaves you feeling more World Chump than World Cup.
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: Jun 30, 2010
Current Version: 1.1
Size: 59.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: White Room Games Limited
© 2010 White Room Games Limited
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks you may not be aware that there is a major sporting event taking place in South Africa called the World Cup. The chances are though that you have heard about it and some of the star players, Messi, Ronaldo and Drogba. What these three players also have in common is their unique talent at bending the football up, over, around the wall and past the goal keeper into the net from a free kick.
This unique skill takes hours and hours of practice and now with Kick Flick Soccer 2010 you can practice your free kick technique over and over again on your iPhone/iPod Touch.
That is as simple as Kick Flick Soccer 2010 gets but it’s done so well that it’s become my latest addiction. The graphics are part soccer field, part Tron with the goal, lines, goalkeeper and the players in the wall all lit up in neon lights. It’s a great mix of styles and is really effective. The sounds are simple and effective too with crowds noises acting as a backdrop to your free kick taking.
The game starts with a simple tutorial taking you through the techniques of power, direction and most importantly swerve. This is all down with a flick of the finger across the touch screen relative to the soccer ball.
Once you’ve completed the tutorial you are then thrown in to the game and you can choose from either a normal game or a game of sudden death.
Both games use the same technique, swerve the ball around the wall and into the goal to keep going. In the normal game you’ll score points for scoring goals and earn extra points for getting the ball into the top corner of in off the woodwork.
Extra points are also awarded for scoring combo’s with the multiplier raising from 2x through to 8x when you score goals without missing.
The ball physics feel great with the swerve and power of the ball reacting perfectly to your finger swipe and the satisfaction from curling a free kick into the top corner of the goal is almost as satisfying as do the same out on the pitch.
Sudden Death mode is a simple case of scoring the most goals in a row with your score being reset automatically when you miss the goal.
The game is OpenFeint enabled with both leader boards and achievements to be climbed and won and these just add to the addictive nature of the game where the sound of your mind saying ‘just one more try’ on a loop becomes a constant sound in your head.
I would like to see some more game modes such as the crossbar challenge where the aim is to hit the woodwork rather score a goal or a penalty challenge where you take penalties rather than free kicks.
That being said there’s no reason to wait on the possibility of these additional game types being added as Kick Flick Soccer 2010 is a fun, addictive soccer game that is just perfect for you and you friends to play while watching the World Cup.
What’s even better about about Kick Flick Soccer 2010 is that during the initial launch profits from the sale of the game will go to “Street Child Africa” so not only will you feel good playing it but will also feel good about doing your small bit towards heing children in need.
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: Jun 22, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.3
Size: 7.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: Kevin Ng
© 2010 Kevin Ng
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 2.2.1 or later.
iBowl Deluxe by SGN is a realistic virtual bowling game you can play any time, any where. Practice your skills like you would when playing the real thing. If you have ever played the free version of iBowl then this is the revamped updated version with tons of new features and a redesign.
To play you simply do what you would at a bowling alley, you use your iPhone and swing your arm. Of course this time you have no ball to let go of so just make sure you keep a grip of your iPhone! Once you are ready to play you hold your thumb on the screen and then to throw the ball you then let go of your thumb on the screen and the ball then throws itself down the alley.
It takes a little time getting used to because you have to make sure you are gripping your iPhone otherwise it is just going to go flying out of your hand. Luckily I have a rubber case that is easy to grip so I had a firm hold. If you don’t have any casing I imagine it could easily slip out of your hand if you are not careful.
You get rewarded for strikes and spares and you earn what are called pippins. You use these pippins to customise your character. You can kit him or her out with all different outfits and colors and even change the color of the bowling ball. There is also several great alleys to unlock like a cowboy one or retro and my favorite a dazzling disco one. To add to the enjoyment of the bowling you can play your own music to blast out of your iPhone and really dance the game away.
The graphics are very good. The alley itself is 3D and lots of details are put in. Even down to other lanes being used next to you, you can actually see them bowling and the pins getting knocked down. Great attention to detail! When you do knock the pins down it honestly sounds like you are in a real bowling alley. The developers have got the sound effects perfect!
Another great added feature within the game is the chance to play with your friends via bluetooth, wifi or over your data connection. For this type of game I thnk it is a great idea to have this option. The game also connects to facebook and twitter so you can find your friends that way and challenge them. This then enables you to get your name on the leader board and win achievements and trophies.
There is also the option to buy in-app packages. These are basically new themes for your character. There is Polar, Egyptian and Volcano and each offer new outfits, balls and an alley. It is not essential that you buy these though, there are still lots of options to enable you to customise your gameplay, it is just giving you the option to change if you want to.
iBowl Deluxe for iPhone is an excellent game. You will be amazed by the graphics and sound effects. Yes there are many bowling games available in the app store but this one offers so much in features and customising your chararcter. It is a fun game and I enjoy playing it with my family and the children love it!
Pros
Cons
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: May 19, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
1.1 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested)
Size: 12.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: SGN
© SGN
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 2.0 or later.
X2 Soccer 2010 [rating: 4.5/5]
I’ve played many, many soccer games on multiple platforms but the two that I regularly come back to are the the Fifa games from EA and Pro Evo from Konami. While Fifa has already produced a great soccer game in the form of Fifa 10 we must wait a little while longer to see what Konami bring to the iPhone and iPod Touch when they release their version later this year. While we are waiting though we can spend our time checking our X2 Soccer 2010, the follow up to last years X2 Soccer 2009.
X2 Soccer 2010 is an arcade soccer game that not only has more options than you can shake a stick at has quality oozing through it too. To begin with there are 150 club teams to choose from all the top leagues and the national sides too. Licensing on such games is extremely complicated so while some of the team and player names are accurate some are just slightly off, such as Manchester Red instead of Manchester Utd. However all these details can be edited and not only that they can also be exported or imported so that you can share your changes with your friends.
The single player game plays great, you can play a quick game, start a league or cup competition and bring your soccer fantasies to life. In addition to the normal game modes there is also the Dream Team mode where you aim to take a team of no-hopers to the top of the world by earning tokens as you play your games. These tokens can then be used to improve you players and your team and it can really prove a rewarding challenge.
In addition to the multitude of single player options you can also play in one of the three multi-player options. The multi-player option is where the game comes to life as not only can you play a local multi-player game over either Bluetooth or Wifi but you can also play over the internet against a random opponent or against a friend. Both options play really well and playing a friend is as easy as you both entering the same code regardless of where you are in world. There has been some lag on some of the online games that I played but nothing that stopped my enjoyment of the game.
So how does the game play and how does it look and feel? The graphics aren’t going to win any awards but they are good enough and the player animations flow well across the screen as you play the game. The controls are three action buttons on the bottom right corner of the screen and a floating virtual d-pad on the left. The floating virtual d-pad works excellently, as it locates itself where ever you touch the screen in the bottom left corner meaning that you’ll never miss it at a a crucial moment.
The three action buttons take control of pass, shoot and through ball and take advantage of single taps and holds to enable a wide range of options and more importantly they are all very intuitive meaning that it will only take you a couple of games before you are good enough score a few goals and hold your own while playing online.
Despite all the goodness that has already been delivered there is more to come. In addition to the trophy room which shows all of your achievements there are also Feats which are X2 Soccer 2010’s version of achievements. There are 18 in all and again they add even more value to the game. As does the RSS feed that supplies real time soccer news as a ticker to the bottom of the screen through out the game. By default the RSS feed uses the BBC Soccer news feed but this can also be edited to stream any news feed to the game.
With all that has been packed into X2 Soccer 2010 it’s well worth the jump. It may not have the pedigree of Fifa or PES but until PES comes out later in the year to challenge X2 Soccer 2010 it’s the best soccer game on your iPhone or iPod touch. Snap it up now and get yourself ready for the World Cup in style.
Pros
Cons
Price: $6.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: May 17, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
Size: 158 MB
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Seller: Exient Ltd.
© Exient Ltd.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
Skate It by EA [rating: 4/5]
Skateboarding has transferred form the real world to the virtual gaming world very well. The user base for both activities is very similar, predominately young males that will play games and skateboard too, so put the two together and you’ve got a pre-built demographic for any skateboard game of which there have been a few.
Touchgrind, Vans SK8: Pool Service and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 and just a couple of the skateboarding games that have proven there success so is there room for another skateboarding game and if there is does it deserve your hard earned cash? As we know EA have produced many quality iPhone/iPod Touch apps already so seeing them bring their Skateboading franchise to the iDevice’s I was excited to see how it handled.
Not surprisingly for a game from EA Mobile the navigation and menu system is nicely polished and provides a simple method to access all of the different areas if the game. From the main menu you’ll be able to select from the 3 main areas of the game including Freeskating, Career, My Spot and My Skate and it ‘s My Skate that I would recommend you head off to before you do anything else despite your eagerness to jump straight into the Freeskating option.
You’ll want to come back to the My Skate area through-out the game but so that you can track your progress, customize your boarder and manage your profiles but the reason for heading over here first are the two tutorials that cover the basic and advanced techniques of which will help you get up and skating quicker than if you just head for the tracks. Each tutorial takes you through a specific style of trick and you have to complete them to move on to the next.
Controlling your boarder is via a variety of virtual buttons, gestures and the accelerometer. The combinations work well and while I initially missed being able to use a virtual Dpad I soon found myself not missing it at all. You can also go through a tutorial that shows where all the keys and buttons are an what they do.
The two main game options are Freeskate and Career Mode and as you would expect the Freeskate allows you to play for fun while career mode is where the fun really begins as you complete a wide range of challenges that help you to unlock new features including new kit for the ‘My Spot’ section. More on that to come later!
There are a great range of challenges in each level and depending on your area of expertise you will find some easier to complete than the others. However repeating them is easy especially if you stay in the challenge area. The graphics aren’t going to blow you away but they do look good and each of the 20 unique skate parks look completely unique with each of them offering them something different and offers plenty of variety to keep you playing Skate It again and again.
Unlocking the challenges will unlock the different locations that you can then move on to play, however as mentioned previously they also unlock different pieces that you can use to create your own unique skate parks in the ‘My Spot’ area which you can then go and skate around. This offers limitless possibilities with your own creativity being your only limitations and while being able to share your creations with other players either locally between iDevices or over the internet would make things even better it’s still a lot of fun to skate around your own creations.
The only downside to Skate It by EA is the lack of any multi-player or sharing options. For example you do have the option to record your best, and worst, tricks for viewing later but there’s no option to share or upload the the video’s to show them off. Equally disappointing is the lack of any multi-player option especially considering that in real life skateboarding is such a community based sport. What is included though are multiple profiles so if you and others want to play the game on a single device you can keep your progress separate.
Overall ‘Skate It by EA’ is another great addition to the skateboarding genre, had it included an option to use a virtual d-pad and multi-player options it may have reached the heady heights of 5/5, for now though it will fall just short.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $6.99 (iTunes Store)
Released: May 10, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.70
1.0.70 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested)
Size: 102 MB
Language: English
Seller: Electronic Arts
Skate It © 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved. EA, the EA logo and SKATE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All sponsored products and company names, brand names, logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.
MyTP Freeskiing HD [rating: 1/5]
I’ve always been a fan of the winter sports, in a gaming sense at least, and so when I received MyTP Freeskiing HD for my new iPad I was excited to see what it had to offer to my new device.
Taking a look at the numbers, things looked promising. 3 different resorts each with 3 different slopes offers a nice set of options for you to show your skills on while 7 different characters and 6 different sets of ski’s mix things up even more.
However, numbers don’t tell the whole story and you will soon see that as soon as you start the app things start to go downhill, and not in a good way!
From a distance or at a glimpse the graphics may pass as HD but in reality they don’t push the boundaries of the iPad in the slightest and while the developers admit in their App Store description that the lack of collisions is by design to help the game flow and be more fun instead it makes the game feel fake and takes away any real challenge.
Talking of challenges this is how you progress through the career mode. Each track has three challenges to complete to enable you to unlock new challenges and new locations. You are rather left to your own devices on the challenges with the requirements of each challenge not made clear at any point.
The controls have been updated for the iPad and they are probably the best part about the game. They are described before each race and they are well set out across the left and right side of the iPad’s screen.
They are pretty responsive too and the sensitivity can also be controlled to provide even better responsiveness which I found very useful for the accelerometer controls for the steering of your chosen skier.
Unfortunately the ease of the controls soon get forgotten when they are transferred to the poor animations of your skier as they make their way down the slopes. Unfortunately your skier looks and feels more like a robot as they float down the slopes and when they do any jump or grind they are just as rigid. There is little or nothing that feels natural about this game.
The 9 challenges across the three resorts does offer a fair amount of content but the problem with that is there is minimal enjoyment in working your way through them. At just $1.99 you could argue that you get what you pay for, however if that’s the case don’t sell it as an all singing all dancing skiing app for the iPad as it’s far from it.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Released: May 07, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 17.0 MB
Language: English
Seller: randerline gmbh
© 2010 randerline gmbh
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
We recenty published more details about this new title here. X2 Football 2010 will feature the all new ‘Dream Team Mode’, over 150 national teams, 10 national leagures and online mutliplayer features. In the Dream Team Mode your objective is to create your own dream team by selecting initial players, abilities and then compete in tournaments and quick match modes to earn tokens. Tokens can be spent to scout for quality players to strengthen your ‘Dream Team’
Trailer
]]> https://touchreviews.net/x2-football-2010-iphone-teaser-video/feed/ 0X2 Football 2010 will feature the all new ‘Dream Team Mode’, over 150 national teams, 10 national leagures and online mutliplayer features. In the Dream Team Mode your objective is to create your own dream team by selecting initial players, abilities and then compete in tournaments and quick match modes to earn tokens. Tokens can be spent to scout for quality players to strengthen your ‘Dream Team’
Key Features
Charles Chapman, Technical Director, Said
we were always confident that X2 Football 2009 would be successful, our entire development team are football fans and this, in turn, lead to the creation of a game that met with world-wide acclaim. But we never, ever want to rest on our laurels.
We’ve taken on board a lot of feedback from users and have rewritten large parts of the game from the ground up as well as adding more features. Our aim is to ensure that X2 Football 2010 continues in the same tradition that its predecessor set upon first release.
Des Gayle, Producer, further added
with X2 Football 2010 our fans will have to play smarter against improved AI, they will be able to play faster with our 3GS optimizations and they can play more with club teams, online multiplayer, and the all new ‘Dream Team’ mode.
X2 Games Football 2010 Screenshots
Are you a fan of sports simulation genre? Are you excited about X2 Football 2010 for iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.
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Homerun Battle 3D for iPad [rating: 4/5]
Back in June 2009 we reviewed a game that at the time was called Baseball Slugger (click here to read our original review), it is now called Homerun Battle 3D and it’s is now available in an iPad version. At the time we raved about it’s great graphics, intuitive controls and amazing online integration and with the iPad version all of this is still valid.
Since it’s original release new features have been added to the Homerun Battle 3D and this is mainly around the addition of the ability to purchase uniforms to customize both the look and statistics of your character via in game purchases. This is a quick way to boost your characters stats for those that don’t want to earn them the hard way by hitting golden baseballs for home runs. The good thing about these uniforms is that not only do they boost your power and control but they look great too.
The uniforms will set you back between 99c and $20, (yes $20!), so whether you feel that they are all worth the price is another matter, but they do allow you to fast track your character progression and for those players that have already built up there character on their iPhone or iPod Touch this may be a necessity, all be it one that shouldn’t be required!
So as previously mentioned if you’ve played Homerun Battle 3D on your iPhone or iPod Touch and have built your character up with maximum stats on your baseball player there is no way to transfer that progress from one device to the other. This means that not only are you buying the application again but you are going to have to start over or pay up additional $’s on top of the price of the iPad version of the app itself to quickly get back up to your previous level. In releasing a version for the iPad the fact that you can’t transfer your progress is a huge item to omit.
The games graphics have been tweaked slightly but not significantly enough that you can notice without comparing the two application side by side and there are no additional features, game styles or options in this new iPad version.
All that being said Homerun Battle 3D for iPad is a great game, just read the original review here to see how good it is. The game play is addictive, the satisfaction of hitting a home run is still a pleasure and the online play is second to know in it’s integration, smoothness and speed.
If you already have Homerun Battle 3D for you iPhone/iPod Touch you may want to stick with what you have, although you’ll still lose all your progress if you install that app on a new device too, if you haven’t played this game before it will be one of the best $5 you’ve spent on an app.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Mar 09, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.3.5
Size: 18.4 MB
Languages: English, French, Japanese
Seller: Com2uS Corp.
© 2009 Com2uS
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
There are some games that can take over peoples lives, cause sleepless nights and take up all of your though of all your waking hours. One of those games for many people are sports management simulations and for fans of football, or soccer as it’s know here in the USA, there have been to versions of the genre that have dominated the market and they are Football Manager and Championship Manager. This two titles have dominated the PC football management genres for years and years and now Championship Manager are looking to take the obsession one step further with the release of Championship Manager 2010 Express the iPhone/iPod touch version of their football management simulator.
For those of you unfamiliar with this genre of game you take the role of the manager of your chosen club and manage everything from team selection, transfers, press conferences not to mention your relationship with your players, media, fans and the board. If you’ve ever shouted at your team on TV claiming that you could do a better job then this is your chance to step up to the plate and prove yourself.
You’ll need to set up your manager profile including name, age and 3 attributes/qualities that will aid you in your quest for success. While you may only start with 3 attributes the others can be gained throughout your managerial career which adds a nice side line to the main concept of taking your team to the top of their respective league and various cups that they will participate in.
Teams available are the English, Italian and French leagues, however, you can only select a team based on the language that you select on, so you can only select an Italian team if you select to play the game in Italian which is a flaw as many people would love to have played as one of the big Italian clubs.
Once you’ve selected the team to manage, I selected Chelsea as my team, you are thrown right in at the deep and and immediately have to start making decisions on your playing squad and transfers.
Navigating the numerous different screens isn’t the easiest thing. There are so many options and choices to make that sometimes it’s difficult to know where you have to go next. However, once you’ve played the game for a few weeks, (that’s game weeks not literal weeks!), you soon learn your way around the various screens to get to where you want to go. You also don’t go anywhere fast however as the loading times and screen navigation can sometimes seem to take quite a while. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has played these games on other platforms but for anyone looking for a quick pick up and play experience should look elsewhere. If some games are the equivalent of soda pop, quick, fast burst of fun then Championship Manager 2010 is more like a good quality wine, something that you savour over time and gets better with age.
While all of the details of the game are very important especially if you want your team to succeed. The most fun part is selecting your squad and actually playing each game itself. The nice addition to this game is the introduction of a 2D view of the match while playing the game. This feature was added to the football management genre a few years ago it’s nice to see it included in this hand-held version of the game. This enables you to not only read what is happening in the match but also see it for yourself. It may for be the graphics of Fifa but it is surprisingly effective. The only slight problem is the fact that the text and match engine are a little out of sync which can be a little off putting.
The learning curve for new comers to this genre is going to be pretty steep but the rewards are high as winning your first game, your first cup and ultimately the league title will bring rewards rarely felt in gaming, although the frustrations of losing your fifth game on the bounce and being fired feels pretty bad too! For those familiar with the genre will be up and playing in no time and will be pleasantly surprised with the depth of the game.
While it may have its flaws they are forgiveable given the rewards that are on offer, give this game 5 minutes and it will take over you life!
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Jan 13, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0.1
Size: 8.1 MB
Language: English
Seller: Eidos Interactive Ltd
© Eidos Interactive Limited 2009. Developed by Dynamo Games. Championship Manager, Eidos and the Eidos Logo, BGS and the BGS Logo, are registered trade marks of the Eidos Global Group of Companies. All rights reserved.
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
