Quick Look: Hockey Allstar Shootout for iPhone
I’m all for mini-games. For example, Skyworks has several that pretty fun, including some in the sports category. Unfortunately, there’s a point at which mini becomes too mini. I suppose for each person that line is different, so it does end up being somewhat of a judgment call. For me, Hockey Allstar Shootout crosses that line. It almost gets to the point where it’s addictive until you realize there’s really no point, and then there really is no point to playing any more.
Score!
The whole point to the game is to try and score as many goals as you can before either you miss or the goalie successfully blocks a shot. You drag the puck around the screen to “fake out” the goalie, who will eventually move towards wherever the puck is. While you are dragging the puck a power meter fluctuates between full and empty. When the meter is finally where you want it and the goalie is in the proper position, you flick the puck to throw it. You’ll either miss if you were too ambitious with your flick or the goalie blocks it, or you’ll score. As long as you keep scoring your total goes up. As soon as you don’t score your total goes back to zero and you start over again. There are 9 countries to choose from, but as of yet I don’t see that any of them makes any difference in game play.
I’m pretty sure it took me longer to write that and it will take you longer to read that last paragraph than it would take anyone to actually play the game. The problem is that there are no variations to the game. Why not have something like “how many shots can you make in X seconds?” or “can you get X number of shots before one gets blocked?” If nothing else, this game really needs achievements. Right now there is absolutely no incentive to come back and play the game once you’ve tried it a couple of times.
The graphics are good, though it kind of looks like the goalie has to go to the bathroom. You’re zoomed in on the goal, so there is no audience to look at or to react physically to what’s going on. The sound effects sound pretty realistic, complete with a murmuring audience. There is no music, though, and the audience can get a bit dull rather quickly. Maybe it would have been better to have stronger reactions from the audience when a shot was blocked or the player scores. Make it seem like someone cares about what’s going on, because chances are after a while you won’t.
Up until the last time I played I was considering giving this an “on the fence” rating. There’s not much to the game, but oddly enough I find myself wanting to try and beat my highest score, at least for a few minutes until I get bored. However, there’s one issue that keeps me from being on the fence: the inability for the game to load. If I play a few other games first, I have to reboot before I can play this one. I might expect that from a full 3D game or something written in Unity, but for a game as simplistic as this that’s unacceptable.
Final Verdict: Not Recommended
App Store Link
App Shopper Link
Tags: Big Blue Bubble, Eric Pankoke, Hockey Allstar Shootout, iPhone, Quick Look, review, technobrains
