Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
First Look: Shooter
I happened to try iSniper Lite [iTunes link] the same week I was offered a chance to preview Shooter [iTunes link]. If you've played iSniper, you get a sense of what the basic gameplay in Shooter is like: use the accelerometer to move a sniper's scope around a board and shoot bad guys. But Shooter (from Paramount) improves upon the basic iSniper game in several important ways... and yes, it's based on the movie of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg. The game just hit the store and is currently being sold for $.99.
Shooter adds a "hold your breath" mode that is designed to slow the moving view down a bit. Like the "focus" mode from the Matrix videogames, you can only hold your breath for so long. While in this mode the view did slow down, but I found it hard to move the sight as well. It's as if your actions are muted instead of throttled, forcing you to move the iPhone really far in one direction to move the view. Update: Peter notes in the comments that you're supposed to use your finger to move the sight when in this mode. Still, that's a bit tricky while holding the iPhone and holding a breath button and needing to push the fire button...
One other complaint: reloading. iSniper features autoloading, which makes it easier to pick up and play and gets the gameplay moving a lot faster. I realize the designers likely chose to use manual loading because it does add to the challenge, but I wish there was an option to turn on autoloading. Still, that's a minor quibble. This is a game you'll be playing for some time. Read on for an explanation why, or check out the gallery.
Gallery: Shooter for iPhone and iPod touch
Whereas iSniper is like a shallow arcade game (point and shoot the baddies), there's a full story mode in Shooter that comes with several missions and great gameplay. Plus, there are medals to win, further challenging your skills. Just mastering shoot/reload/breathe is a challenge, but the basics can be grasped quite fast. I found myself having more fun with it than Saturday Night Fever: Dance [iTunes link], if only because Shooter was easier to play.
Even aside from Story mode, which is a good amount of gameplay, Shooter's Arcade mode isn't just point-and-shoot. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mini game waiting for me on a "mission" level in Arcade. Before I could begin the mission, I was prompted to build a silencer for my rifle. Unfortunately, I spent too long figuring out the interface and not playing so I lost that round, but starting over is easy enough.
There's just a ton of polish on this game, which makes sense coming from the publisher. It's great to see such attention to detail, as menus make noises and animate. Unfortunately there's a bit of lag and loading time to deal with, but this is something we're all used to when you cram complex games or apps into small devices.
Shooter is a steal at $0.99US; I think you'll play it more often than you would many of the other 99-cent apps out there.
Below is a video from Paramount for the game.
Even aside from Story mode, which is a good amount of gameplay, Shooter's Arcade mode isn't just point-and-shoot. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mini game waiting for me on a "mission" level in Arcade. Before I could begin the mission, I was prompted to build a silencer for my rifle. Unfortunately, I spent too long figuring out the interface and not playing so I lost that round, but starting over is easy enough.
There's just a ton of polish on this game, which makes sense coming from the publisher. It's great to see such attention to detail, as menus make noises and animate. Unfortunately there's a bit of lag and loading time to deal with, but this is something we're all used to when you cram complex games or apps into small devices.
Shooter is a steal at $0.99US; I think you'll play it more often than you would many of the other 99-cent apps out there.
Below is a video from Paramount for the game.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter Schaufuss said 4:15PM on 2-20-2009
In the "hold your breath" mode, you actually use your finger to aim:
When you move the finger you are holding down over the "hold your breath" button, you move the scope - it even tells you to do it in the tutorial!
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Victor Agreda, Jr. said 4:30PM on 2-20-2009
Weird, I missed that in the tutorial, and tilting does work, just not that well... I'll update the post though, as that's an important distinction, thanks!
Luigi193 said 4:18PM on 2-20-2009
Shooter the Movie the Game!!!
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Luigi193 said 4:19PM on 2-20-2009
Oh and nice touch with the speech bubble ;)
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Tommy said 6:55PM on 2-20-2009
iSniper has a mode similar to "hold your breath" in shooter. When you hold the button (in the bottom left of the screen), it slows down your movements and helps steady the gun.
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Victor Agreda, Jr. said 7:33PM on 2-20-2009
Is that in the Lite version as well? I didn't try the full version. Still, there's no where near the depth or polish in iSniper as in Shooter. I enjoy iSniper, but felt Shooter has more replay value.
Unknown said 9:56PM on 2-20-2009
Yes, I have only used the Free version of iSniper as well. I do agree that iSniper (at least the lite version) has no story development. Its just the same thing over and over.
brian said 8:54PM on 2-20-2009
Call me offtopic if you want, but I just wanted to mention that I thought the book (Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter) was a million times better than the movie. That said, this game looks cool. I like games that try to be somewhat realistic.
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Ryan said 11:55AM on 2-21-2009
"Still, that's a bit tricky while holding the iPhone and holding a breath button and needing to push the fire button..."
The fact that you still think this is "tricky" is indicative of a lack of understanding or familiarity with the mechanism. I found it to be perfectly intuitive and natural to use the Hold Your Breath button as a virtual thumb pad when pressed to fine-tune the aim. You seem to imply a lack of appendages for the number of tasks to carry out (what, then, does holding the iPhone have to do with hampering the control). In fact, you just need both thumbs - one for the Breath button (which is really more of a thumb pad as soon as you press it) and one for the fire button. There's nothing tricky about that.
I also found the reload mechanism to be very satisfying, "lock-n-load" feel before you take your next shot. If I wanted auto-reloading, it seems there are plenty of other arcade-like options that would satisfy - Shooter, though, attempts to be a more realistic outing.
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Victor Agreda, Jr. said 2:59PM on 2-21-2009
What I'm saying is that if you need one finger to hold your breath, another finger to help aim (as the commenter above pointed out) and one finger to fire, that's a lot to handle with the iPhone in you hand.
The reloading gets better after a while, I agree.
Ryan said 5:00PM on 2-21-2009
That's precisely what I'm saying, though - you DON'T need three fingers. The left thumb that presses the "hold your breath" button simply slides around without lifting up in order to aim (think of the breath button not as a button, but rather as a virtual analog stick in the vein of Drop Ship or iDracula for the fine-tuning of your aim).
That's a total of two thumbs that you need: left thumb for the hold breath + precision aiming, right thumb to fire.
Play it again with that in mind, and I think you'll find it's not tricky or awkward at all - just leave your fingers out of it! ;)
rob said 1:36PM on 2-21-2009
Here's another review on Shooter:
http://www.iphonecommunity.org/2009/02/shooter-the-official-movie-game-takes-a-shot-at-the-others/
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