QuickLook.Technobrains

Here we are again, with yet another Skyworks casual sports game.  This time around it’s Air Hockey, and as with most of their sports titles it’s pretty well constructed.  I’m just not sure that it has enough to offer that other Air Hockey games don’t.  There is a head to head mode playable on the same device, and global leader boards are nice if you care about that sort of thing.  Overall, though, it feels more like a “me too” than an “I’m better”.

It's A Close Game

As you would imagine, World Cup Air Hockey is a standard Air Hockey simulator.  Don’t get me wrong, it does a good job at its task.  The physics seem pretty realistic, and the game is fun.  There are three play modes: Tournament, Head To Head and Practice.  Practice is basically a one-off of Tournament mode, so I don’t really see the purpose of that one.  At least in World Cup Ping Pong they managed to make practice mode feel different than a regular ping pong match.  Head To Head is nice because you can play against a human opponent, but it’s limited to same device play.  If nothing else a wifi version of this mode would have been nice, but even better would have been a wifi version of the actual psuedo-3D version of the air hockey table.  Tournament mode is enjoyable, but needs to be longer.  They need to either add more competitors or give the option of “best out of” matches.

The game looks good, especially when you’re not playing head to head.  I realize the surface of the table and the paddles use the same images in both modes, but the full view of the table looks much nicer than the plain top down view presented in head to head.  The best part of the graphics is that the paddles are wrapped with the colors of whatever country you’re playing as, which is both respectful and a nice effect.  The sound effects are just as you’d expect for an Air Hockey game, and the audience is quick to cheer or “awww” depending on whether or not you score (at least they are always on your side).  One thing I did appreciate was the fact that the game actually had three musical tracks.  I’m pretty sure that ties or beats any other Skyworks game, and it’s pretty impressive given that we are just talking about air hockey here.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with World Cup Air Hockey.  The real problem is that there’s nothing that particularly stands out either.  Maybe it would be enough just to strengthen each of the current modes a bit, but I really think there’s something missing to put this one over the top.  I just can’t quite put my finger on what.  Of course, if you’re looking for a solid air hockey game with a decent (if short) tournament mode and the ability to play two players, World Cup Air Hockey is still a pretty good choice.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link
App Store Link – Lite Version
App Shopper Link

[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]

World Cup Ping Pong is solid proof that Skyworks is as capable of making a full fledged game as they are at making mini-games like Batter Up Baseball and 3 Point Hoops.  The game is polished, fun, and has enough variety that it should suit everyone’s needs.  Besides, who doesn’t love a quick game of ping pong every now and again?

The thing that strikes me the most about WCPP is the variety of game modes.  You can play against the computer in practice mode or tournament mode.  Practice mode is a one off game against a computer opponent (being able to play a “best of X” set in this mode would have been nice).  Tournament mode is single game elimination until you’ve beaten every opponent you’re paired up against or you lose a game.  In addition you can play against another human on the same device.  Personally, I would have preferred some sort of online mode where you could play using the 3D perspective table instead of the flat overhead view that’s required to accommodate same-device game play, but the option is still cool.  Finally there is Arcade mode, which actually allows you to play on your own and provides you with a series of targets to try and hit for points.  This was a rather unique and enjoyable mode for a ping pong game.

Nice Little Volley

I felt like controlling the paddle took a bit of getting used to – and I’m not sure I’ve completely got it yet.  I do like the fact that you can choose between three different paddle types, each with their own power and spin ratings.  Even better, you can actually tell a difference when using each of them.  It would have been cool to have a custom option that lets you specify your own combination of power and spin based on a maximum number, but the choices they provide seem to work well for the most part.  I did find it frustrating sometimes that my finger was basically covering the paddle, which made it hard to judge where the ball was in relation to the paddle.

Visually the game looks alright, but it’s certainly not as stunning as some of the other Skyworks offerings.  The biggest disappointment is that the audience has been replaced but some weird underground ping pong darkness backdrop.  I know the audience is there, though, because they applaud and whistle after a long volley (regardless of who actually gets the score).  The sound effects are just what you’d expect from a ping pong game, and the music is good, though it suffers from the same “two tracks that have to be switched in the settings” syndrome that many of the Skyworks games have.

At first controlling the paddle was frustrating enough that I considered rating this “on the fence”, but after getting a few games under my belt I realized that the control issues were mostly my problem.  I can’t say that I’m overly familiar with ping pong offerings on the iPhone, but I do believe that World Cup Ping Pong is a good offering for those looking for a ping pong fix.

Final Verdict: Recommended
App Store Link
App Store Link – Lite Version
App Shopper Link

[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]

Over the years I have made various attempts at playing basketball, and truthfully I’ve never been very good at it.  Sadly, this trait seems to carry over to the electronic world as well.  I’m not really a fan of electronic basketball, with the exception of the more outrageous titles like NBA Jam (who doesn’t want to make a full court dunk?), but I thought 3 Point Hoops might be worth checking out.  It’s not really basketball so much as it’s simply making 3 point shots from various positions around the court, much like the name implies.  There’s no opposition – it’s just you, the ball and the hoop.  Well, that and the fans that have come out to watch you.

There are two game modes: Classic and Sudden Death.  The difference between the modes is that in Sudden Death your game is over the first time you miss a shot.  In both modes you get the opportunity to make 45 baskets – 5 shots from each of 5 different locations (3 locations are repeated during the process).  You get 3 points for each of the first 4 shots in a given location, and 5 points for the last, or bonus, shot.  All the while you have a nice announcer detailing your finer – and not so great – moments.  The comments remind me a lot of NBA Jam, and I’m constantly waiting for a “he’s on fire” or “that’s the nail in the coffin”.  You also get a nice rousing cheer from the audience when you make a shout, but surprisingly no boo when you miss.  It wouldn’t necessarily be appropriate every time, but I could see the audience getting upset if you miss several shots in a row.

Ready To Shoot

Controlling the game is actually pretty easy.  You simply tap on the ball and swipe towards the basket.  The direction and speed of your swipe will determine where the ball goes and how quickly it gets there.  It may not always seem like there is a difference in your throws, but if you’re having trouble making shots in a particular position try angling your swipes a bit differently.  I’m by no means a perfect shot now, but the mechanic is easy to get used to and it just feels right.

Graphically, 3 Point Hoops looks pretty good.  The crowd almost appears to be a pixelated photo of a real crowd, but there is actually animation in the crowd after you make a shot, which is a nice effect.  The camera also zooms in on the basket after you’ve thrown the ball, which is nice.  There’s even a shadow when the ball comes back down after the shot (though interestingly enough no shadow while the ball is going up), though I think there’s a bit of a problem there since you’ll often see 3 or four shadows instead of just one.  Overall the visuals look pretty slick.

From the vibration of the hoop when the ball is “walking the rim” to the bouncing of the ball on the floor after a shot, the sounds are well done and quite authentic.  The roaring of the crowd sounds good, and they actually got a decent voice over for the announcer.  There are two musical tracks that can be played during the game.  Neither of them are outstanding, but they aren’t bad either.  The nice thing is that you can swap them out during play, though realistically a single game probably won’t last long enough for you to care.

3 Point Hoops is a nice little package.  It’s easy to learn and surprisingly addictive, even for someone like me who’s not much into sports related electronic games.  The visual and audio elements are well done, making this a well rounded, professional looking game.  My only hesitation on flat out recommending this game is the price point.  This is sadly just a reflection of the currently volatile state of the App Store, but I’ve paid 99 cents for games with a lot more substance, so $2.99 seems a bit high of a price tag.  For die hard basketball fans this is probably a good purchase.  For everyone else, I highly recommend checking out the lite version first.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link – Full Version
App Store Link – Lite version
App Shopper Link