iPhone Games: iShoot Review
Posted: Friday, May 15, 2009
by Dan Fletcher
Dan Fletcher
It has been 13 years since a game called Worms was released on Personal Computers. This game, developed by Team 17, became a smash hit and led to many sequels. Naughty Bits Software has developed iShoot for iPhone/ iPod and this game closely resembles the core idea of Worms.
Make no mistake, this game is not a copy of Worm. Rather, the basic concept of tank warfare is common for both these games. What makes these games even more similar is that both have 2D environment that can be affected and even destroyed by the gameplay. This game has been aggressively marketed and this has led to high hopes from this $2.99 game.
The gameplay itself is turn-based with each player controlling their own tank. The objective of iShoot is to launch whatever weapon you choose and have that shot hit the other tank. Most weapons not only do damage to your opponent, but also destroy the terrain. That means that every hit you take will require you to adjust the angle and speed of your shot accordingly. The relative balancing of weapons makes for some nail-biting matches. Youll often find yourself at the end against an opponent, both at very low health, trying to get that last hit to win the game. The most valuable aspect of this game is its weapons. There is a lot of choice available as far as weapons are concerned.
Before the start of each stage, you are given funds to purchase weapons. You should choose your weapons wisely. Going in for the expensive Shiva bomb will leave you with very little money for any other weapon. Using the weapon is a tactical decision and should be taken accordingly. To use the nuke to create a crater and restrict the opponent or to use it to finish off the opponent is a million dollar question. If you want some space, you can opt for the terrain modifying weapons to create mounds or walls to block the access routes of your enemy. The weapons form the most interesting aspect of this game and this game would never had been very popular had it not been for the wonderful choices available as far as weapons are concerned. Weapons apart, the maps available in this game constitute its second plus point.
You can play this game on a simple hill where it is not very difficult to get the angle of the attack right. Or you could opt to play this game on Mount Rushmore where aiming accurately is the most important thing. This game would have been even better had the players been permitted to choose the map of their choice. Right now, they have no option but to play on the map assigned to them.
As far as graphics of this game is concerned, the presence of a periodic frame rate slowdown is inexcusable for a game that is rendered in 2D. This does not affect actual performance as the game is not dependent on a good frame rate. However, this error is indicative of poor programming on the part of the developers.
Apart from this issue, the graphics are par for the course. The tanks are not designed in detail but the environment has been rendered very well. The frame rate issue needs to be sorted out before the next version is released. The sound is also lacking on iShoot. There is no background music - simply the sounds made during the firing of and explosions by the various weapons in the game. If this game was only a dollar, then this point would seem less poignant, but for a three dollar app, the inclusion of some sort of a background track is a no brainer.
Overall, this game can safely be described as a fun game. The only drawback is its price which seems a bit high considering what it offers to the gamers. The absence of other gaming modes, music and a real menu design negates the wonderful work done by the developers as far as the weapons and maps are concerned. It is as if the developers simply ignored the menu, background music and the gaming modes. Its high price brings its rating down. If you are ready to ignore its high cost, you certainly shall have a lot of fun playing this game. This will definitely be a good addition to your gaming library. Score: 7.5 / 10
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