Remember back to the days of the original, gray, boxy-looking Gameboy? When the Sega Game Gear came out, I remember thinking it was the absolute best. Now here we are, only a few years down the road, and I am reviewing a first-person shooter for the iPhone that is an intense 3D graphic experience — no more side-scrollers! If you enjoy any of the common FPS for the Xbox 360 or the PS3, you will certainly enjoy Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus by Gameloft ($6.99).
The game gets off to a great start from the beginning. Tap the app and for starters, you will find yourself impressed with the Gamesoft logo. They weren’t kidding when they said this app utilizes the Retina display. Next, you get to watch the intro video. It felt just like the intros for any of the games — for any of the consoles — that we have come to know and love. Then, you will land on the main menu.
Here, the user experience is exactly as you would hope. The sound effects are great, the music feels right, and the buttons are very responsive and enjoyable. You can start a new game, choose a multi-player game, select a level, or check out the options. At the bottom, there is a button to push if you would like to expand your repertoire of games by Gameloft. After you have started a game already, you will have a “continue” button at the top to proceed with your current progress.
The storyline kicks off with a quick cut scene of you in an interrogation room in an undisclosed location. You get knocked around a bit and when you wake up again, you have a companion who’s bustin’ you out. In a very casual manner, he runs you through some of the basics on the fly. Don’t worry, you’ll end up in the action soon enough. If you decided, like me, to try this out on “normal” mode to start, you may find yourself on your back in a bloody heap. It’s certainly not a game you’re going to walk through, and yes, they are shooting real bullets (I checked).
The coolest thing about this app is the gyroscope. When you begin playing, you will probably find that you are looking at your shoes a lot and again, if you are like me, it will take you a few minutes to realize that your avatar in the game will look in relation to where your device is. Pick it up and point it at the wall and your avatar will look up at his companion. Stand in the middle of the room and turn to the right with your device, and yes, your avatar looks to the right. Essentially, you are playing in 3D space with your avatar. The only thing about this functionality is that it’s really hard to get down at first is aiming — but definitely try it.
The only downside that I saw to the app was that there wasn’t a “free play” mode, or a shooting range of some kind. I would have loved to practice a bit before heading in and getting my — well, you know. Overall, the game was impressive. This app is a full, first-person shooter. To me, that is well worth the $6.99.
