It’s Winter folks and what does that mean? Snowboarding and hunting Bambi in scenic snow covered terrains, naturally. That’s why VG Tribune is reviewing both Big Buck Hunter Pro and Snowboard Tilt and Twist for the iPhone and iPod Touch in this wintry double feature.
Does the duo provide enough bang for your (purchasing, not hunting) buck? Find out after the jump!
Big Buck Hunter Pro
If you’ve ever stepped foot into an arcade (yes, we had to link you to the Wikipedia article since they are becoming such a rarity these days), you’ve undoubtedly heard the shots coming from the Buck Hunter machine coming from somewhere inside. In the arcade version, as well as in this one, your goal is easy; pick up your rifle and shoot as many deer as possible.
Gameplay
Although the iTouch platforms can’t deliver the same feeling of immersion without the gun peripheral, the experience does translate well. See a buck? Tap to shoot it and tap the bottom of the screen to reload. Once the buck has been shot, an orange dot will be displayed exactly where it was hit. The number of shots required to bring down a buck depends on where they are hit. Obviously, shots in the head and chest will kill a buck quicker than ones further away from such sweet spots.
In most hunting games players would be able to zoom in or look through their scope to take a closer look at their prey, but Big Buck Hunter Pro lacks this feature. Zooming in and out would be natural with the iTouch platform’s pinching gesture, but the developers didn’t include it to keep the gameplay simple. Although the addition of a scope feature would have been nice, it doesn’t necessarily take away from the game. In fact, it may actually make the Buck Hunter a bit more challenging. Instead of being able to take shots calmly and with extreme care, players are forced to make quick decisions and make sure they aim carefully.
Players can choose between single treks or a 3 trek “hunting adventure.” From there, one can choose between 3 different areas (West Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota) and once the area is chosen several different spots within them compose the level. Shoot as many bucks (and other small game for bonuses) all while avoiding the does, to rack up as many points as possible. When players beat a level, their score is recorded and placed on a leader board. Buck Hunter‘s replay value not only lies in the stress relieving power of shooting bucks, but in the drive to beat your personal best score.
Graphics
Buck Hunter Pro shines in the graphics department. Although it’s not as polished as Hero of Sparta for the iPhone/iPod Touch, it practically brings the arcade graphics right to your iPhone.
Other Features
Feeling the itch to get your hands on the arcade version of Buck Hunter? Great! Just launch the arcade game finder and your iPhone will use your zip code or current location to find the arcade kiosk nearest to you. What?! You want online leader boards too?! Well, you got ‘em. Big Buck Hunter Pro doesn’t only record your scores locally, but submits them to an online database to see how you compare to your fellow buck huntin’ peers as well.
The included minigame is essentially whack-a-mole . . . with a shotgun. Great fun if you ask us!
Verdict:
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and, like any respectable gamer, has the uncontrollable urge to shoot virtual game animals, Buck Hunter Pro is the game for you. Those who enjoy the arcade version will love this one. It’s the hunting experience shrunk down to fit in your pocket, it doesn’t lose any of its fun and for $2.99 you couldn’t ask any more.
Snowboarding TnT
What’s better than going down the side of a mountain on skis during the Wintertime? Some may argue that it’s skiing in the middle of a desert, but we’d say it’s snowboarding. Snowboarding TnT that is. Since we’re based in Florida where it’s currently a balmy 83 degrees in the middle of December, we don’t get much in the way of snowboarding action, but Snowboarding TNT has remedied that problem.
Snowboarding Tilt n Twist’s gameplay is exactly what you’d think it would be. Tilt and twist your iPhone to control where your snowboarder goes and tap the screen to jump. Hold your finger on the screen to crouch and let go when you’re ready to have your character jump even higher. While in the air, players can tilt their iPhone or iPod Touch in any direction to perform over 30 different tricks to boost their score. Controlling your snowboarder feels very natural and is only limited by the players skill, not the design of the controls.
Snowboarding TnT contains seven slopes of increasing difficulty. While many snowboarding, skateboarding or other similar time trial-like games have difficulty levels that skyrocket after a few levels, Snowboarding TnT‘s difficulty scales appropriately. After conquering all 7 levels the player’s goal becomes that of beating his or her own score by doing more tricks and getting down the slopes faster than before.
Snowboarding TnT’s graphics are pretty impressive when taking into account that it only has the graphical power of the iPhone/iPod Touch behind it. It’s not the most realistic snowboarding environment, but we’d venture to say that it’s one of the best looking snowboarding experiences on the iPhone.
Verdict
With intuitive controls and entertaining gameplay for only 99 cents, it’s hard to pass up this snowboarding title.
