Game: Pac-Chomp!
Price: $0.99/£0.59
Size: 9.5MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store:US/UK
It's an amusing and truly solid take on a fairly well worn genre, and while we wouldn't call it innovative or essential, we're admittedly pretty excited that Namco has cranked out another sharp Pac-Man offshoot that's playable on both iPad and iPhone. While Pac-Chomp! didn't make the same kind of impression as Pac'n-Jump – which surprisingly remains one of our favorite iPad games so far this year – it's another affordable and worthwhile entry in what we honestly hope will be a continuing line of Pac-Man-ized iOS entries.
Game: Ricky Carmichael's Motocross Matchup
Price: Free
Size: 141MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store:US/UK
Strictly within the realm of free-to-play iOS games, Ricky Carmichael's Motocross Matchup seems like a definite standout release. It includes easily found one-on-one online battles, is universally playable across compatible iOS devices, features seven total tracks, and even supports HDMI video output for iPad 2, letting you link up with your television to play the game on a bigger screen. And on top of all that, it looks and plays pretty decently, considering the lack of a price tag. But as is often the case with these "freemium" releases, you'll ultimately getting a pretty restricted experience that can be significantly enhanced by dropping some real coin.
Motocross Matchup is built upon a currency system of wrenches, which are found sporadically on the tracks but more easily purchased in bunches – 100 wrenches for a buck, 750 for $4.99, etc. Unfortunately, much of the game experience is held behind this wrench-based pay wall, making it hard to dig in for more than a couple races at a time without spending actual cash. We understand keeping character customization features, extra bikes, and XP boosts under lock and key to some extent, but things get ugly with a "gas can" feature that restricts you to one race every eight hours for a max of three per day. You can refill the can with 100 wrenches, but good luck grabbing that many over the course of just three races. Ultimately, you'd probably spend more cash trying to play this game consistently than a fully featured premium app would ever set you back.
It's a sad state of affairs, since Ricky Carmichael's Motocross Matchup is otherwise a pretty impressive free option, though aside from the online races, the game only includes a practice mode. While it may stand atop the free pile for racing entries, it's hard to justify spending actual money on such a straightforward entry bearing this kind of structure. With luck, developer 2XL Games will rethink that restriction and find better ways to summon players' wallets, but if not, Motocross Matchup's solid online races are still worth popping into occasionally – but only for three or fewer races in a row.
May 7, 2011
PopCap & Make-a-Wish Help 9-year-old produce iOS game
Allied Star Police is the product of great minds, compassion
32 of gaming's least-beloved characters square off for our entertainment
Fill up your tablet with last year's awesomeness!
