‘2.5 stars’ Category Articles

Official 'Pang Mobile' Arrives for iPhone

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

570328_4Pang (or Buster Bros.) was a popular 1989 arcade game that was subsequently ported to a number of home computer platforms. The basic gameplay has already spawned a number of App Store clones including Chippy [$1.99], Buster Boy [$0.99], LaserBug [$1.99], Bubble Pang Free [Free].

Player X, however, has brought an official Pang port to the iPhone with Pang Mobile [$2.99]. The gameplay is rather simple by today's standards, and also pretty unforgiving. The game involves popping balloons bouncing on the screen with one of several possible weapons. The standard weapon is a harpoon that fires upward. If a balloon contacts the harpoon, it splits into smaller pieces. This repeats until your eliminate all the bouncing balloons. Smaller balloons, however, bounce at lower heights, making them harder to hit. Power-ups allow for a double shot, machine gun, and shield, while in-level obstacles can help or hurt your chances.

For long time fans, the mobile version seems to deliver on the Pang experience. Pang Mobile offers two modes: World Tour and Infinite Challenge. The game is controlled using a "touch area" that allows you to slide back and forth to move left/right. This avoids the imprecision of virtual buttons. Options include adjustments for difficulty and control sensitivity.

Video shows the game in World Tour and Infinite modes:

The game offers a local high score board only and only single player mode.

Not being a Pang player back in the day, it's hard to speak as to how accurate a port this is, but early adopters seem to be enjoying it. Any fans of classic arcade action may also want to consider it.

App Store Link: Pang Mobile, $2.99

TouchArcade Rating:

Posted in $2.99, 2.5 stars, Action, Retro, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games | 17 Comments »

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'Aves' – An Intriguing Tech Demo

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Action = Reaction Games has caused quite a stir in our forums with their latest release, Aves [App Store]. Openly branding it as a "tech demo," even in the iTunes description, the developers have packed some impressive features in to this game.

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Aves uses GHOST binaural audio, which requires headphones, but creates an eerily realistic three dimensional effect to all the in-game music and sound. The animation technology in the game is called "BioReplicants," and has no preset animations for the birds flying around in the game. Instead, the physics model is built around a virtual muscular-skeleton system to create a bird rag doll that moves and flies identical to how a bird would fly in the real world.

It sounds like a whole boat load of marketing hype, but the sound is impressive and the animations are actually extremely realistic looking for an iPhone game. The actual premise of the game is far less exciting, and revolves around shooting a bow and arrow at these birds that fly around the screen. Aiming is very difficult, and beating any more than the first few levels is easier said than done. The developer is even offering $1,500 to the first person who can record a video of themselves beating level 25. (Which leads me to believe it's impossible or close to it.)


[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

At 99¢, Aves is worth picking up if you've never experienced binaural audio or want another technically impressive title to show off the power of your device. If you're looking for anything more than a tech demo mini game, you're better off waiting for whatever next game the developers produce utilizing this technology.

App Store Link: Aves, 99¢

TouchArcade Rating:

Posted in $0.99, 2.5 stars, Games, Reviews, Shooter, iPhone games, iPod touch games | 16 Comments »

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