iPhone Game Reviews ---- Pocket Viewz ----

Review: Flick Fishing

2009-04-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Overview
Flick Fishing is, as you probably guessed, a fishing game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is made by the same company that brought you the rest of the 'Flick Sports' series. Now first thing I'm going to say is I don't like fishing games. They're boring to me, to say the least. Cast the line, wait, reel the fish in, repeat. However, Flick Fishing seems to bring a bit more to the table. For whatever reason, this game makes me want to come back for more, and here's why:

First of all, as you can see in the image above, the game has lots of levels and locations (each float represents a different fishing spot). And the great thing about each level is that it's different from the rest. Rather than just having each level just look different and leave it at that, each level is unique in its own ways. The harder, deeper sea levels offers bigger fish, but they are much harder to reel in without the lines snapping. The different species of fish also varies from fishing spot to fishing spot. And I don't know if I'm crazy, but it seems that you unlock more special levels as you complete tasks in the game (the night fishing level appeared for me after doing a mission for the old man).

During the game, you are approached by a very creepy (and oddly nice) lighthouse keeper who gives you certain tasks to fulfill in order to fill up the new aquarium. And that's another great thing about this game: there's always something to keep you busy. Between catching fish for the old man, the two types of tournaments you can play and just regular fishing, you'll always have something to do (until you beat the game, that is).

Another great thing about this game is the graphics really add to the relaxing atmosphere. Between the nature sounds, and the quality rod effects, you really get the sense like you're actually out fishing in the wilderness. And unlike other fishing games, where you just cast and catch, Flick Fishing actually makes you think about your fishing. For example, different lures attract different fish, so you have to know what you're catching and what to use to attract them.

Final Thoughts
Although I'm not a huge fishing fan (I've never really been in my life, haha), I really enjoyed Flick Fishing. I think it just really felt like a well built, well put together game. I never encountered any bugs, or any frustration whatsoever, and that's a good thing. I'd have to say that this goes up there in my top iPhone games.

Final Review

Graphics - 5/5 - The game really does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of nature. The graphics are great for an iPhone game, and there aren't any graphical bugs that I encountered. Not to mention the little touches are nice (Seagulls flying around, birds walking right in front of the beach, etc.). Also, the game has good water reflections.

Gameplay- 3.5/5 - The gameplay is pretty solid, but on the harder levels I don't see how it's possible to catch any fish. Honestly, my line breaks before I can even react to start reeling it in. If there's some kind of trick to this, somebody please fill me in xD
Also, it does get a bit repetitive after a while.

Audio- 5/5 - The sound is great. Good music, good ambient sound effects, good everything. I don't see how any improvement could be made to the audio in any way.

Price- 5/5 - The fact that this game is only $0.99 is pretty awesome. It's really a great game and a steal at that price.

Overall Impression- 4/5 - The game is really fun, and for 99 cents you really don't have much to lose by getting it. Solid gameplay, solid graphics, solid audio and a great price seems like a no-brainer to me.

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More reviews on the way, guys.
I'm trying to make at least one a day.
Leave comments if you like them!
Thanks!

Review: Metal Gear Solid Touch

2009-03-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Overview
Metal Gear Solid was one of the games that I was actually looking quite forward to being released this year. However, it didn't really meet up to my full expectations, and here's why:

The one thing I always loved about the Metal Gear series was the stealth elements and stealth-required gameplay. It always kind of reminded me of Splinter Cell (another series which I loved). However, this version of Metal Gear involves no stealth at all. It doesn't even involve moving. Rather than just point out the flaws, however, I'll jump right into the review.

The home menu screen is very polished. It actually looks real nice. Unfortunately, that's about all that looks nice in this game xD

The first thing you'll notice when you select a level is that it doesn't have actual cutscenes. Rather, the game uses text with a picture in the background to explain the story and what's going on in the game in the current time. Now I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm faced with small text in the middle of a game, I tend to not be that patient as to read the whole thing. I typically just skip right through it to start playing the game again. Now with a cutscene, I usually pay a bit more attention, and take in the whole story. However annoying this may be, it's still rather forgivable, because the gameplay is still pretty good, right?

The gameplay is not Metal Gear at all. Basically, the game consists of 3d enemy sprites on a 2d picture background. Not only does this make for horrible looking gameplay, but it also means that enemies spawn in the exact same places over and over. This makes Metal Gear Solid: Touch feel like an easier, more advanced version of Nintendo's Duck Hunt. Other than the fact that your player model is 'Old Snake' and there are some written stories along the way, there is hardly any Metal Gear element to this game.

Another pretty lame thing is that there are only three weapons for you to use (including the special RPG you only get as a one shot powerup): a semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic sniper rifle (feels like the same gun, only scoped), and a special RPG that you only get to shoot once.

One exciting twist they decided to add into the game was to place hostages at random intervals who are rescued if you don't shoot them long enough for some weird reason.
Also, there are some powerups which you must shoot to attain. One of them gives you an RPG which you can only shoot once, while the other activates 'stealth mode' (makes Snake invisible to enemies; the name tries to give the game some illusion that it resembles the classic MGS in the least).

All in all, the game's dull. The unlockables don't really make you want to play the whole game through just to unlock them. It's all artwork. I mean, if you like game artwork that much, that's fine, but I'd prefer cooler things: maybe new weapons, new backgrounds to play on, new outfits for Snake, etc.

Final Thoughts
Metal Gear Solid: Touch is a huge dissapointment to any Metal Gear fan, as well as anybody who paid $8 for this forgetful game. The fact of the matter is, it doesn't feel like Metal Gear Solid, because it isn't Metal Gear Solid. The game actually feels like more of a homebrew game that a fan had made. Futuristic Duck Hunt sums it up nicely.

Final Review

Graphics- 2/5 - This is a game produced by a huge company, not some independant developer trying to earn a bit more cash for those new shoes he wants. For a game this big, I would have expected some actual 3d scenery, and maybe a moving camera, at least. And Snake, the biggest thing on the screen other than the background is just a 2d sprite that rotates different angles as you move him. I mean, I've seen a guy come out with a Halo mod for this game, and it looks just as good as the actual game itself. When a homebrew mod of your handheld game looks just as good, if not better as your original, then you know the graphics are crap to begin with.

Gameplay- 3.5/5 - Although the game isn't Metal Gear at all, the gameplay isn't all that horrible in itself. Boring? Yes. Repetitive? Yes. But unplayable? Not quite. It's less than amazing, to say the least. Finding yourself quitting halfway through the game because you can't shoot 2d enemies with your 2d character on a 2d backdrop any longer wouldn't be surprising in the least.

Audio- 4.5/5 - I'm not going to lie, the audio for the game is great. They got great marks in the easiest field. The audio sounds smooth and it suits the game. Nothing else to say there. Other than a lack of talking and cutscenes, the audio is near-flawless.

Price- 2.5/5 - I rate price by how fair I feel the price is for the type of game you're getting. And honestly, this game isn't worth $8 at all, maybe about half that. There are better games in the appstore for cheaper.

Overall Impression- 2.5/5 - The game isn't at all what I expected when I first heard about 'Metal Gear Solid: Touch" a few months ago. It's lacking in several areas especially the 'fun factor'.

Review: Bike or Die 2

2009-03-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a review for the game Bike or Die 2.
This is my first review, so I hope you guys like it!

Overview
Alright, Bike or Die 2 is supposed to be a "bike physics simulator".
The graphics for the game aren't amazing, but for this type of game they suit it quite well.

There are settings in the game that allow some graphical changes. One of them turns the 3d effects off, and another even turns on a high contrast mode that lets you see the track a lot better.

The levels are pretty tricky. There are tons of levels that the game comes default with, plus you have the option to download more from their website.
All of this put together would equal a pretty good game, however one of the things that the game doesn't do well is simulating bike physics. Your bike in this game acts as if it's made of rubber. Sometimes when you go over an edge, the chasis of your bike will stretch and then slingshot back to the bike when you're loose. However, while frustrating at times, this can actually seem to work out for the best during the game.

All of the levels have pretty good variety. Not only that, they're really hard. Despite the frustrating difficulty, that makes the payoff for beating a level so much more rewarding.

The game also has character customization options, where you can change to colors of your character's outfits and bike.

Final Thoughts
Although the physics are absolute rubbish, this game is really fun to just pick up and play. Lately I've just been picking it up to play when I'm bored and I feel like I need to play something. Although it is very pricey ($6.99), I think that it is one of the more fun games I've played for the iPod touch. It's just something that's great to pick up and play for a little bit and work on the level you're stuck on.

Final Review

Graphics- 4/5 - The reason I rated this so high was because the graphics work for this game. The graphics are actually pretty good for this type of game. I think that if they made it a bit more 3d, like maybe added some 3d features to your rider, then that would make it better.

Gameplay- 3/5 - Although the game is actually very addicting and fun, the physics is horrible, and for a 'bike physics simulator', that shouldn't be happening.

Sound- 2/5 - The soundtrack in this game consists of basically the same crappy NES sounding song repeating over and over. Some actual music would be better. However, the in-game sound effects are adequate.

Price- 1/5 - Although it's a great game, it's really not worth its $6.99 price tag. I think the game, although fun, deserves a price of about $0.99-$2.00 range. Because it really is just a port of a free computer game.

Overall Impression- 3.5/5 - Although I have played this game more than most of the other games on my iPod, it still has some issues that I don't like. Especially the fact that you can't skip ahead to levels. Also, the high price tag really drops down the rating in my books. Other than that, it's a great game worth buying. I would totally recommend this game, but I would just advise people to wait for a price drop before buying it.

That's my first review.
Please give me some feedback.

Also, if you ever want a review that I haven't posted, just let me know and I'd be happy to do it for you.