The Online Magazine Focused on App Design, Branding & Marketing

“Freemium” is the latest buzzword in mobile gaming, used to describe a game that’s free in the store, but loaded with items and power-ups within the game ‘s in-app store, to get you to part with your dollar once you start to play. It’s the “first taste is free” idea, used by many a back alley dealer, applied to the world of gaming. It’s easier to get an initial download when a game is free (and I’ve written in the past about our reluctance to impulsively spend 99-cents on an app). But what happens when a game’s paid content is so negligible that you never even consider spending a buck or two on in-app goodies? This brings us to Beeline’s official Ghostbusters game, which, depending on how you look at it, is either the worst or the best example of “freemium.”

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My relationship with iPhone games goes as such: I play the living hell out of it for about a week, then never play it again. Case in point, SongPop, which is honestly a delightful riff on the old TV show Name that Tune, mixed with the gameplay of Draw Something. For exactly two weeks, I was a SongPop addict. But there’s only so many times a guy can recognize the opening chords of “Losing My Religion” in under two seconds before the gameplay starts to get a little stale. I’m sure I’ll return to it someday, but for now, there are other games dominating my attention span.

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The Game: Death Worm

The Device: Droid X

The Price: $0.99 for Android or iOS

The Basics: Tremors: The Game. That’s pretty much all Death Worm is, an arcade-style game that sees you sending a giant worm hurtling through the ground only to pop out and devour unsuspecting people in bloody fashion. This is the mobile version of the popular internet game and its visceral fun should be immediately obvious, but the lasting appeal of it is questionable.

The Review: YOU ARE THE DEATH WORM.

There’s an on-screen joystick that you use to maneuver the giant beast through the ground, trying to angle up and come flying out of the ground to take down the unwary humans, animals, cars and planes living on the surface. Each level you’re given an objective that’s simple stuff like “Get 30 Kills” or “Get 50 Kills in 60 seconds” or “Get 10 Kills without getting hurt” and- well actually, those are the only objectives you’ll ever have. Just keep killing, you graboid!
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One day, we were approached by someone with a connection to Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquaio who was interested in creating a simple boxing game with the notion that Pacquiao was actively looking to enter the mobile space. The idea here was to sell Pacquaio on the idea with just an image and a pitch. Now. I’m not the most skilled artist ever, but I do work fast. We decided to spend a few hours of our time on a concept piece, with the hope that it would open a dialogue with Pacquaio’s camp to choose us as their app design company.

We were told the game needed to be gritty, with more of an underground feel than an HBO or EA Fight Night feel, but still respectful of the sport. With a time crunch hanging over my head, I got to work.

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The Game: Jetpack Joyride

The Device: iPad

The Price: Free for for iOS

The Basics: You steal a jetpack and go on a joyride. You’ll ride it for a while and then are killed, horribly.

That’s it.

The Review: Since I’ve been playing games on a borrowed iPad, I’ve been making my way through what’s considered the best of the bunch, and Jetpack Joyride might be the most addictive one yet. I simply can’t stop playing this game.

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The Game: Grand Theft Auto 3: Ten Year Anniversary Edition

The Device: iPad

The Price: $4.99 for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad and Android.

The Basics: This is it, the one that started it all. There are very few games that can be legitimately called trendsetters, but Grand Theft Auto 3 is certainly one of them. A massive open sandbox world the likes of which had never been seen before, with all the guns, car chases and adult themes one could hope for. It’s sold well over 15 million copies, became this generation’s Doom to both overly concerned parents and senators looking for votes, and defined a genre that developers are still trying to emulate it to this day.

Despite all the controversy over the adult themes and the multitudes of easily murdered hookers (hey, they took your money!), people fell in love with Grand Theft Auto due to its irreverent sense of humor, fun missions and over-the-top characters, and now, ten years later, the full experience is available to be downloaded straight to your phone.

The only question is- should it be?

The Review: Sometimes memories are best left alone.

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The Game: Age of Zombies

The Device: HTC Android Incredible

The Price: $2.99

The Basics: A silly, arcade-y shooting game that finds you facing down (and mowing down) thousands upon thousands of zombies across time and space.

The Details: There is certainly no dearth of zombie related games floating around (there is certainly no dearth of zombie related anything floating around right now), so if you want to make a game that involves the player taking on a legion of the undead, you’ve got to do something to make it stand out from the pack. Age of Zombie takes the kitchen sink approach: there’s zombies and a wisecracking hero and time travel and dinosaurs and gangsters and mummies and robots and just about anything else that can be shot, blown up or torn apart with an edged weapon.

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Are you ready for the comic book sci-fi action event of the Summer – Green Lantern?  The DC superhero isn’t just flying into theaters; you can get two brand new Green Lantern apps right on your iPhone.  Is either one worth the green?  Read on…

First up is Green Lantern Comics, free from DC Comics, which uses the familiar ComiXology interface for an easy way to read Green Lantern comics on the go.  This is basically a themed version of their existing DC Comics reader, containing a couple of short freebies to read, with most full issues costing $1.99.  I was really surprised at the amount of vintage material available through the app until I realized that the app is completely bug-ridden, mis-matching Silver Age covers from the 50s with modern day content.  Bugs aside, readers aren’t totally limited to just the most recent issues of Green Lantern — the app also contains key series related to the character, like the stand-alone DC cross-over Final Night or Green Lantern John Stewart’s short-lived solo series Mosiac.  Be warned, the only comics you can read through this buggy application are Green Lantern books, so you might be better off getting the broader, more polished DC Comics app, that way you can still access Green Lantern issues, but you aren’t limited to that specific corner of the DC Universe.

Also arriving this week is Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, developed by Other Ocean, an action game that ties-in to Warner Brothers’ blockbuster film.  In the iPhone version, players assume the mantle of Green Lantern Hal Jordan (another Green Lantern can be unlocked for play later) as he flies through space, destroying the berserk robots known as Manhunters.  The camera follows behind Green Lantern in a way that’s somewhat reminiscent of Sega’s arcade classics like Afterburner or Space Harrier.  Players use different finger motions to control Green Lantern’s attacks, which all comes from his ring, and the action does get pretty intense right away.  You have to keep an eye on the ring’s charge as well, or you could quickly find yourself outgunned by enemies.  For a $1.99 movie tie-in game, it’s not bad, delivering authentic visuals and frantic gameplay, but Green Lantern’s body too often obscures oncoming attacks, giving the game a much steeper difficulty curve than necessary.

Have you reached the point where slingshotting surly birds through brick walls simply isn’t doing it for you anymore?  Whether you’re looking for a work day diversion or killing time on the commode, the iTunes store offers several retro alternatives to all of the mad fowl and fruit-slicing ninjas out there.  Let’s take a look at some of the most recognizable gaming collections on the market to determine which ones are actually worth your quarters…

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