Review
Compatibility backwards
by RevStu (November 11th, 2010 at 10:46 am)
Bless ‘em, the coders of Stun Shots (currently half-price at 59p/€0,79/99¢) – the fantastically named T&H Clean Oy – don’t seem to have quite grasped that games should run better on newer hardware than older hardware, rather than the other way round. Theirs plays beautifully on my 3rd-gen iPod Touch, but on my iPhone 4 it has a framerate like a Amstrad CPC464 trying to run Call Of Duty Black Ops.
Still, if you’ve got hardware bad enough to cope with it, this is a gobsmackingly fantastic puzzle game – despite what you’re almost certainly thinking, it’s not any sort of pool sim. Each level presents you with an image like the one on the right. Your task is to pick one of the circled balls for the CPU to pot, and the objective is to select in such a way that it’ll then be able to clear the entire table using only straight-line shots. It’s a lot easier to experience than describe, so go download the substantial Lite version and we’ll meet back here in a few minutes, okay?
[Mm, a nice cup of fruit tea and a bowl of porridge. Breakfast of champions.]
Isn’t it GREAT? Assuming you’re not being hideously distracted by an awful framerate, watching the iPod spang all the balls into the pockets in two seconds if you made the right choice is fantastically rewarding, and the scoring structure is excellent. You can take as long as you like over a screen without losing any lives for it and you can use the handy aiming guide to painstakingly check your plan before making a selection, but the simple act of including a bonus-points timer (and the sheer joy of watching a successful outcome) constantly tempts you to pick hastily in your rush for the next endorphin hit, and there’s the heart and soul of a brilliant arcade game right there.
I’m torn between whether to give Stun Shots a PG Recommended badge or not, because it’s glorious on iPod, but precisely because of that I’m disproportionately upset I can’t enjoy it on my i4, which is the thing I take out with me. It’s the same game either way, of course, but the thing that makes it so hugely enjoyable is the payoff of the clearance sequence, and you just don’t get that with the horrible iPhone framerate. An associate reports it’s fine on an iPhone 3GS, and either way you can check for yourself with the Lite, so ultimately it’s your own decision. Our job’s to lead you to the water.
Posted by RevStu on November 11th, 2010 at 10:46 am
in Reviews, iPod Touch and iPhone
Podgamer Postscript RevStu adds:
I just checked the game on my 2nd-gen iPod Touch and it doesn’t run at all, with both the full and Lite versions crashing out after the title screen even with a full reboot. I guess we know exactly which sort of machine the coders tested it on, then.
An Amstrad version of Call of Duty Black Ops would be great, and surely far more entertaining than the Xbox 360 version I’ve been playing. More cut-scenes than a Metal Gear Solid blooper reel. I realise this article isn’t actually about COD Black Ops but gnngh, I had to vent.
Anyway, this looks great, I’ll have to get it for my iPhone 4 ohhhhh. This week is awful for games.
not the place to ask probably, but if you think CoD6:MW2 (or whatever its called) is quite okayish, but not world shocking, CotD:BC probably isn’t worth buyiong, is it?
I remember playing Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2 with you, sir. Black Ops is effectively more of the same but – in these eyes – considerably worse in single-player. Unless you LOVE cut-scenes and think Metal Gear Solid on the PS3 is too much like an old-school arcade game to play.
Haven’t tried yet in multi-player, but I’m told it’s not as good, which doesn’t surprise me. There IS a mode where you can play as JFK, Nixon or Fidel Castro, defending the White House from zombies, which I have also yet to try, but I’d be shocked if it made the game worth buying for that alone. Recommendation to avoid unless you want something to watch while playing on your iThing.
For something similar, last month’s Medal of Honour game had I thought very good but VERY short single-player, but crappy multi-player.
I’ll now stop before the PodGamer Posse murder me.