I’ve never been much into previews, preferring to wait until a game was finally released so I could do a full report on it.  The more I get involved in reviewing, however, the more it seems that developers actually like this whole preview concept, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to talk about a couple of the games that have graced my device recently.

First off comes the sequel to what is probably one of the best platform games on the iPhone, Bounce On 2.  Now I realize there’s already a lite version on the App Store, but since I don’t review lite versions of software, I decided to do a preview of this one instead.

Bounce On 2

I figured Team Phobic would do everything they could to top their wonderful game Bounce On.  After all, anyone willing to add 3 entire worlds to their original game over time, in addition to updating the two initial ones, obviously cares about the quality of their products.  Now I’ll admit that it’s been a while since I’ve played the first one, but from what I’ve seen so far of part 2, they’ve certainly outdone themselves.  The game is visually stunning, with great attention paid to little details.  I love the leaves falling in the first couple of levels and the light reflecting off the characters in the space level.  Your ball even gets a little bandana when you get the ninja power up.  The sound effects are also a step above the first game, but even more notable is the music.  I’m feeling a bit mesmerized just listening to the tune that’s playing on the “coming soon” screen, and it’s not even that long of a segment.

Well, Enter!

As for the game play, well, let’s just say it’s everything you’ve come to expect from the Bounce On series.  In just the brief demo there were pools to float across, propeller platforms, platforms suspended by ropes that would sway when you landed on them, and one of my favorite things, light bulbs that you could temporarily turn off by bumping into them.  Why was that so cool?  Because it does nothing for the game other than adding a little detail that makes the world seem a bit more vibrant and interactive.  The one down side to the demo is that it is very short, and you only get to see two power ups.  The ninja power up is really cool, though, and I’m sure if the others are of the same stature than we have some nifty things to look forward to.  Oh, and did I mention that the level selection screen itself is almost like a mini-level?  I hope this makes it into the final game.

This is definitely one to look for, and should be arriving in the App Store on March 29th.

Zombie Duck Hunt

This little gem comes to us from Broken Thumbs Apps, and it should bring a collective sigh of relief from all those who remember the good old days of a game a lot like this (minus the first word in this game’s title).  You’ll tilt the device to guide your crosshairs as you hunt down undead ducks, geese and quail.  Dispatching the fowl requires a simple tap of a button, as does reloading your weapon.  You start off with a simple shotgun that holds few bullets and takes some time to reload, but as you progress through the levels you’ll unlock more weapons, and you can even buy some extra special ones using the money you earn while hunting.

The Undead Can Fly!

Graphically, Zombie Duck Hunt feels like a modern update to that game that I don’t want to mention.  Of course there’s no laughing dog, because that would be a lawyer magnet, but instead we get treated to undead ducks with buck teeth.  Sounds like a fair trade-off to me!  The best fowl sound effects come from the geese, and each of the weapons sounds slightly different so there’s some nice variety there.  The game actually sports some cool background noises as well, which in their own sort of way can be kind of ominous.  Granted crickets and howling dogs aren’t spine-tingling scary, but it all works well.  I just wish there were some music to go along with it all.  Maybe that will come in the next release.

Either way, the hunt will hopefully begin some time next week, so get ready for some undead duck stew.

180

Tiki Guy Says 'Flip Some Coins!'

I originally had something else planned for this slot, but since that game will probably be out by the time this is posted, I’m going to talk about 180 instead.  I’m not sure what the real source of inspiration for this game is, but it reminds me of another iPhone game called DynoGems.  In 180 you have coins falling from the sky, and your job is to make matches of three or more to make the coins go away.  You do this by firing the coin you have at the bottom of the screen up into the descending mob.  The matching coins have to be lined up horizontally or vertically, but any coins of the same style that are adjacent to the match will also disappear.  What makes this game so fun is that each coin has two sides, and you can flip any coin at any time, including the one you have to fire.  Basically, you can create your own groups to match, and if you’re skillful enough you can create your own chains!  The game also has three different play modes – endless, time attack and drop attack – so there’s plenty to keep you busy.  Sadly there are no achievements right now, but hopefully that’s coming some day (I can’t believe how addicted I’ve become to the concept of achievements).

The graphics are pretty slick.  They fall somewhere between the simple you’ve come to expect from most puzzle games and the snazzy allure of the better iPhone games.  There are a few nifty effects thrown in, and you have a choice between 4 animated characters that will react to your every move down at the bottom of the screen.  The sound effects are fairly typical for puzzle games, but at least they don’t get annoying like they tend to in many games with repetitive actions.  I really like the song that plays in the background, as it is calm and relaxing.  Of course, that might be a bad thing when the onslaught of coins is almost at the bottom of the screen, but it still sounds good!

I’m not sure what the intended release on this one is, but for your sake I hope it’s soon.

Conclusion

First of all, I think this is going to be a bigger year for iPhone gaming than last year, and I think the “big names” are going to try to steal the spotlight.  If this crop of games (along with a couple I can’t talk about yet – grrr) is any indication, though, it’s not time to count the indie developers out yet.  Let’s hear it for the little guys!