Thursday, October 15, 2009

iPhone Football Games Reviewed with Surprising Champion

By Eric Meister

Football season is here and iPhone gamers are scouring the App Store for the best NFL video games available for their device. Three of the best apps in this genre are included in our round this week. The titles which made the cut are EA's Madden 10, Gameloft's NFL2010, and Chillingo's Super Shock Football.

Madden 10, the 20-year-old king of football games, has finally been released by EA and is now available in the app store. As you might expect, though Gameloft's NFL2010 was the first on the iPhone and iPod touch, Madden 10 is a solid addition that leaves gamers with a dilemma.

From a visual standpoint, Madden delivers, but not exactly with the precision we had hoped for. Everything looks a bit old-school like the graphics of consoles of days gone by. Yet, for the iPhone they look standard. You'll quickly recognize that the original John Madden comments and helmet-to-helmet crash audio effects are all included in this iPhone version of the game. If you don't like the included music tracks, you can play your own selection from your iPod library. All the controls in Madden 10 work great and a variety of options are available on demand.

Hopefully, we the game will obtain multiplayer and roster updates as the title gets successive updates in the App Store. Where it stands today, Madden 10 offers tons of replay ability. Don't forget, this is a Madden football title. Gamers will be playing this feverously until the next Madden title is unleashed. Comparing it to NFL2010, it's a close draw as both offer a slightly different experience. If you like, you may choose to buy both and determine which options you like the best. Madden appears in the App Store at a $9.99 price point. We believe it will remain there for the rest of the season. We give Madden 10 a 4-Star rating that puts it neck and neck with NFL2010.

Being released as the first full-featured football game for the iPhone, NFL2010 by Gamloft is designed to deliver. Of course, Madden 10 will be the title all comparisons are made by. Yet, in our reviewing NFL2010, we were excited to see it holds up and stands tall against its 20-year-old rival.

We really were shocked by the stunning visuals in NFL2020. Madden 10 better watch our as this smaller competitor is racking up to be a huge success. All the audio sounds are pleasing. Controls are well honed and respond appropriately to our commands. Some functionality does feel absent as the plays come off as preplanned. We felt like we just set them up and then watch them unfold in front of us. However, we did like the Kicking plays as we felt these offered the most control with aiming and power. This was probably our favorite aspect of the gameplay.

For what it's worth, NFL 2010 looks great and plays well for a first effort. We expect to play this one for some time. While a little pricey at $7.99, it seems downright cheap when you consider that any similar console version will likely start around $50. NFL 2010 is a solid 4-Dimple touchdown celebration of a game.

With Super Shock Football, iPhone app publisher Chillingo brings a different style to the football genre. Based on the electric football games of the past, Super Shock Football will grant a satisfying experience to iPhone gamers, even if it doesn't replace Madden 10 or NFL2010.

Super Shock Football is a visual masterpiece - we loved the 2D players all zigzagging around the 3D environment. The game presents a top-down view when setting up your players but then it rotates to an on-field angle for play watching. Audio effects are very enjoyable as you can hear the little men humming as they vibrate around the field. Crowd noise and whistling add to the entire effect of being in a virtual stadium. Every game control mechanism can be accomplished with a single finger. At the bottom of the screen you'll see the usual stats like scores, time remaining, etc. These are a tad difficult to read, but they are not distracting from the game itself. A few options can be set like length of the quarter, and the number of players on each team.

Super Shock Football, although not on the same level as its more serious contenders, brings a lot of nostalgia and humorous gameplay to the App Store. Don't take it too seriously and you'll have a ball. Since the outcomes are so random in this title, no two games will ever be the same. Replay ability is very high as a result. At $1.99, Super Shock Football is positioned by Chillingo to be a winner. Surprisingly, we have settled on a 5-Star rating for this little gem of a football game.

The iPhone and iPod touch have skyrocketed to true gaming platforms in little over a year. We wanted to put together this NFL video games review for your benefit, but had no idea each would perform so well. All the titles: Madden 10, NFL2010, and Super Shock Football prove they are a few of the best apps available in the App Store at present. - 16887

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