Portable Gaming…

iPhone Roundup

More iPhone offerings, reviewed by Jennifer Allen.

This time we’ve got skiiing, shooting, puzzling and loquaciousness.  All in a day’s work, eh?

Doodle Ski

Flaming Mitten Studios – £0.59p

A very brief personal history lesson to start. When I was a kid and we had our first family PC, I rather enjoyed a game called SkiFree. It was asimple little game. You had to ski down an endless slope avoiding the obstacles. Simple yet fun, a concept that the iPhone is rather good at achieving. Doodle Ski is SkiFree, iPhone style.

All you have to do is ski for as long as possible while dodging all the obstacles, ranging from trees to angry yetis. Controls are simple but a little awkward. They’re tilt based which is a fantastic idea in theory, but one that isn’t implemented quite so well. As someone who regularly plays iPhone games while commuting and in bed, tilt controls aren’t ideal. A virtual d-pad would have perhaps been better. Seated in a better and less volatile position though, the controls are quite responsive and Doodle Ski does make for some enjoyment. It’s a shame though that there’s no way of comparing high scores online, a feature which would have given more reason to keep playing.

Doodle Ski isn’t a bad game by any means. As a fan of SkiFree, I particularly enjoyed the nostalgia it offers. That said, it doesn’t really feel worth 59p, not when the likes of Flight Control and Doodle Jump are the same price. Harsh perhaps, as 59p is hardly an extravagance, but Doodle Ski really is the kind of game you’ll almost certainly play avidly for only the first day and never again. It’s an entirely disposable game. 4/10

Future Fight

Bloober Team – £2.99

Future Fight’s quite an ambitious game for the iPhone. It’s a turn based warfare game at heart, but one that’s rather confusing to get to grips with. You take control of four or more ships at a time as they fight against a team of mercenaries. There’s a fair few options for what you can do each turn, from moving to a new position to firing at your opponent.

Throw in an array of different ways of playing, with Quick play and Career modes available as well as local multiplayer, there’s a lot on offer here. The problem is it doesn’t really explain what to do very clearly. There’s a steep learning curve here which is off putting on a system which typically has very accessible titles. It’s a pity as, once you figure everything out, Future Fight is quite satisfying. The upgrade system is excellent to see and the visuals are wholly appropriate for such a title. Being able to bribe your enemy is also a lovely touch, although nothing quite beats just blowing them up.

It’s a great concept but one that doesn’t quite work as well as it’d like to. Tutorials feel too vague and the game’s whole appearance is intimidating. As a PC game it’d be fine but on the iPhone it feels a little out of place. Still, if you fancy something with a bit more depth, you could do a lot worse than this. 6/10

Pinch

Coatsink Software – £1.19 (on offer at 59p at the moment)

Pinch is easily the pick of the bunch this time round. You take control of Norbs, coloured blobs basically. You have to manoeuvre these Norbsthrough a maze, collecting up as many of the other Norbs as possible. The Norbs can change in size and colour depending on how you merge them. This is all done by pinching the screen, hence the name.

The controls are perfect for this sort of game and consistently responsive. This is the sort of game where careful thinking is more useful than fast reactions anyhow. With 72 levels available, there’s plenty to do here, although I found many of the early levels very easy to complete. Fortunately they’re consistently enjoyable too. Latter levels provide a decent challenge with plenty of lateral thinking needed.

Pinch’s developers have done an excellent job of figuring out how to create a puzzle game that feels both familiar yet unique. The addition of Openfeint leaderboards and achievements is a shallow but welcome bonus. There’s even a colour blind mode which is good to see (that’s almost a pun, Jen -ed.).

Pinch is relatively inexpensive for an App store game but offers an immensely enjoyable experience. What else do you need? 9/10

Word Champion

Javier M. Chavez – £0.59p

Word Champion makes me feel a little inadequate.

It’s a quiz game all about the English language. I’ve always considered myself reasonably knowledgeable of my native language. It turns out that I’m not. While I can easily define juxtaposition and bane, I didn’t have a clue when it came to uxorious or querulousness. So thanks, Word Champion, you’ve educated me. This can only be a good thing.

With over 750 different word definitions here, Word Champion is rather informative to say the least. Is it fun though? Well yes and no. It’s fun for a little while. I like learning things. Having said that though, when surrounded by so many other games, I didn’t really feel any urge to return to it.

If you’re a student though, or in need of improving your vocabulary, this is a pretty good bet. It’s like having a set of flashcards in your hand. 5/10