Contrary to the relatively high rating Tapulous’ Riddim Ribbon ($2.99) iPhone app boasts in the iTunes App Store, I found The Black Eyed Peas-focused iPhone app to be a dud. In fact, my disappointment is so strong it borders on hate. (If you disagree, be sure to tell us why in the comments section below.)
Despite a truly awful name, Riddim Ribbon does have a good concept. The object is to keep the beat going by keeping a rolling ball in line with a curving ribbon while avoiding obstacles. When your ball hits an obstacle or veers too far away from the ribbon, the song slows until you either get back on course or fail. The iPhone app relies solely on tilting and flicking, and unfortunately, I found the controls lacked responsiveness. On sharp curves, I felt like I was fighting the iPhone app, rather than playing with it. Also, because you don’t need to touch the screen, my iPhone went to sleep on several occasions during my test.
Riddim Ribbon includes only three songs by the Black Eyed Peas; “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling” and “Meet Me Halfway,” which makes its $2.99 purchase price pretty expensive. There are currently three additional tracks—two by Tiësto and one by Benny Benassi—available for download for an extra $1 each. Users also have to create a user name and input an email address just to play, even on your own device.
