9mm Review: Gameloft have released a high end action shooter onto the App Store in the form of 9mm, a universal app for both the iPhone and iPad. At $6.99 it’s not the cheapest game but is it worth it?

The game starts as it means to go on as you are thrown straight into the action, along with a tutorial to help you get accustomed to controls. Not that it takes to get too long to get used to them.

A floating D-pad controls your movement and you can drag your finger over your device’s screen to look around your environment and aim your weapon. You can choose to use the inbuilt gyroscope to control your sight and aim if you are using one of the devices with that available to you but I preferred the more subtle control of using my fingers.

As mentioned before though it doesn’t take long to pick all of this up and you’ll soon be shooting your first, of many, victims. During the tutorial you are also introduced to the slow motion mode where your can launch your character, Kannon, backwards, forwards or sideways in slow motion, shooting and dodging bullets as you do. This is a vital skill to learn and you a duly rewarded with certain achievements when you successfully kill multiple opponents in this mode.

Wi these skills learned you take you character, Kannon, on to the wrong side of town where violence, and gun shots are around every corner. It’s a drug war out there and you find yourself in the thick of it. The story is told via the usual cut screen movies but they are nicely balanced and while they keep the story moving along they don’t make you feel like you are watching a movie.

Talking of movies the game does have a great cinematic look to it and you could be fooled into thinking that you are playing the game on one of the latest consoles. The voice acting is well done too, all be a little cheesy at times, and along with a thumping soundtrack from some established artist of the hip-hop and rap seen the overall experience is one that keeps you coming back for more.

The action never let’s up either, whether you are defending your child from an apparent pedophile, clearing out a strip club or rescuing your family from a firefight in a restaurant the gun fire just keeps raining down on you. Luckily for Detective Kannon you have a large armory at your disposal and you can also pick up the weapons and ammo from your fallen enemies.

While shooting is the mainstay of the game you’ll also find yourself have to tap and swipe across the screen in any given pattern to complete certain takes. This can be simple taps to open doors, more complex combinations to interrogate suspects and swipes up and down the screen fight dogs, dodge bullets and leap fences. It’s a dirty world in the world of 9mm and you’ll be fighting for your life all the way through it.

On successful completion of each of the 12 levels you will be rewarded with coins which you can then spend in the in game store to purchase extra protection, extra weapons or more powerful ammo. You can also purchase more in game coins with your real money should you really want to rampage through the game with a full set of armour. However I was able to complete the whole game without the need for any additional purchases meaning the game doesn’t need to cost you any more than the original $6.99.

One downside to this great game is how quickly it can be completed, especially on the easy level where I was able to complete it with only a couple of hours of gameplay. On the plus side though the game includes a multi-player mode that is not only enabled for local play but also over the Internet. This addition means that you’ll be playing 9mm long after you’ve completed the single player game.

You will need to create an account with Gameloft to play online but this is simple enough and can be done in game, once that is done you can join a existing game or create one yourself. There are 4 maps to choose from a couple of games modes to including a simple free for all where it’s a case of hunt or be hunted.

Online you’ll start off with some basic weapons but you can again use the coins that you have earnt from the single player game to by the better guns. This you will certainly need to do if you are to stand a fighting chance at survival given the skills of some of the people hat you will meet online. The online game is simple to setup though and very intense to play making it something that you’ll certainly want to come back to.

Overall 9mm is a great additional to the App Store and if you can overcome the strong language that litters the game you are in for an enjoyable romp through the mean streets as you look to clean them up!

Pros

• Fast & Furious Action
• Amazing graphics and environments
• Pumping soundtrack
• Great online mode

Cons

• Short single player mode

Glu Mobile has been on a roll recently with many successful  game launches on the App Store. After ngmoco, Glu seems to be the next established game publisher to take the freemium game model by storm.

Gun Bros is the latest 3D action shooter from Glu which is available for free for iPhone and iPod touch. The game is based on an interesting back story and integrates with Game Center.

You are a part of The Freakishly Rugged Advanced Genetics Galactic Enforcement Division (AKA F.R.A.G.G.E.D.) and your task is to protect the universe from the Tyrannical Oppressors of Life known as T.O.O.L.

The game features two characters to choose from (Percy Gun or Francis Gun) and then you are ready to eliminate the baddies using dual stick controls. It’s great to see that Glu Mobile has invested a lot of time in paying attention to details. The 3D graphics are outstanding and I really liked the level design as it stays true to the overall galactic theme.

You always enter the battlefield with two players, you control your chosen Bro and the other is controlled by the AI which helps you in clearing waves after waves of enemies. As you continue to annihilate the Tyrannical Oppressors of Life you can earn Xplodium (an unstable ore) which you must convert in the chambers to get coins which are used to buy weapons and power-ups. The game offers different chambers which increase the conversion rate of Xplodium so that you can earn more coins.

Gun Bros offers Game Center integration so you can fight with your friends character and take advantage of their upgraded Bro with powerful weapons.

The game offers a lot of content with many powerful upgrades and also allows you to buy coins and war bucks via in app purchase so that you can quickly upgrade and advance to new levels. You don’t necessarily need to buy any coins unless you are impatient to get the more powerful weapons or facing difficulty in clearing certain levels.

Overall, Gun Bros is one of the best freemium titles on the App Store (View in iTunes), get it today and be prepared to get addicted!

Gun Bros Gameplay Footage

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