Saturday, October 24, 2009

Football Games on the iPhone - Who Rules the Arena?

By Eric Meister

With the iPhone and iPod touch gaining popularity by the day and the football season upon us, we thought it would be appropriate to review some NFL video games. As we put together this iPhone Football game roundup, we found three that could just be some of the best apps out there. Let's take a look at EA's Madden 10, Gameloft's NFL2010, and Chillingo's Super Shock Football.

For the past 20 years, Madden has been the king of football games. It is now available in the App Store by game production house EA. iPhone and iPod touch gamers now face a dilemma as to choose between Madden 10 and the earlier released NFL2010 by Gameloft.

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.

We're looking forward to multiplayer and roster updates coming in a future software update. As it is, replay ability is exceptional. This IS a Madden football game. Expect to be engulfed in it until the next one is released. Gameloft's NFL2010 is right up there with Madden yet each offers a few things the other lacks. So, go ahead and buy both if you can pull it off. At $9.99, Madden enters the App Store at an expected price point and should stay there for the entire season. As anticipated, Madden 10 brings a 4-Star experience to the table and shoves its closest rival NFL2010 into OT.

Being released as the first full-featured football game for the iPhone, NFL2010 by Gameloft 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.

Graphically, the game looks gorgeous. This is the closest thing to Madden that we've seen. Sounds are good, with all of the expected football sound effects. Controls work well and are responsive. It just seems that it is lacking some of the functionality necessary to make us feel as if we have control over the plays. Often, it feels like we are simply watching them unfold as we've set them up. In fact, the plays where we felt like we had the most control were kicking plays, which utilize two gauges, one for aiming and one for power. This scheme works especially well.

Gameloft really impresses with NFL2010, their first effort at iPhone football gaming. This will be on our most-played list for some time to come. The $7.99 price is a bit steep, but it is lower than Madden 10 and it's a huge savings when compared to console games. We have to give NFL2010 a 4-Star rating as well.

Super Shock Football, Chillingo's new sports game based on the classic electric football game, has been released in the app store. Combining the random exhilaration of vibrating players with some exciting new additions, Super Shock Football won't replace Madden or NFL2010, but it creates a whole new experience unto itself that many may find just as satisfying.

Graphically, the game looks terrific, with 2D men darting around in a 3D world. The view shifts back and forth between top down for setup and on field for close ups of the action during plays. Sounds are great, with the soft hum of vibrating players in the background and football sound effects (like crowd noise, whistles, etc.) in the foreground. Controls are simple touches and can be accomplished with a single finger. Game information (scores, time remaining, etc.) are in tiny print along the screen bottom. While these are a bit difficult to read, they won't detract from the overall gameplay. Several options exist, including quarter length (up to 15 minutes each) and number of men per side (as many as 11, but you can play with far fewer).

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.

In just over a year, iPhone and iPod touch gaming has soared to new levels. As we planned these NFL video games for review, we had no idea they would all perform so well. Madden 10, NFL2010, and Super Shock Football all bring exceptional aspects to the table with the result being a major winner for mobile gamers the world over. These truly are some of the best apps we've come across.

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