Review: 'Geometry Wars Touch' iPad Shooting Game

May

2010

Robert Workman, iPadNewsDaily Contributor
01:07 PM ET

It’s funny how something so small could grow into a huge gaming phenomenon. “Geometry Wars” got its start as a hidden mini-game in the Xbox racing game Project Gotham Racing 2. Since then, it’s developed quite a fan base, and Bizarre Creations, the game’s developer, answered back with a new Retro Evolved edition for Xbox Live Arcade. After a successful release on Wii and a highly successful XBLA sequel, the game now shifts to iPad, although many of you might question how it could work with a touch screen.

The game operates with two basic control sticks. The first moves your character, a V-shaped ship, across the screen in multiple directions. The other controls what direction you’re firing, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the same direction you’re moving. Previous iterations of the game have worked because you actually hold a controller in your hands, using sticks for these functions. With the iPad, you actually need to place your thumbs across two on-screen pads, and slide them for ship movement and directional shooting.

Does it work? Sort of. We don’t have any genuine complaints about how the iPad reacts to your touch when it comes to firing and movement. However, there is an interesting quirk. Whenever you move your thumb off of the iPad, even for a second, you’ll put it back and automatically re-center the stick to where it was before. Granted, it’s just a matter of lifting it and putting it back where it was if you prefer. It just takes some getting used to, especially if you’ve played a previous version of the game. (We’re also not fans of activating bombs by touching the center of the screen … but we have gotten used to it, so it’s not a deal-breaker.)

But by no means should that sway you from buying it. This is retro shooter heaven, a fine combination of Smash TV’s dual-stick control mechanism and the graphic style of such 80’s favorites as Tempest and Asteroids. Enemies explode onto the screen in a fine display of firework-like vector graphics, whether it’s swirling purple bow ties, deadly green diamonds or glowing orange space worms with blue heads. The screen constantly fills up with enemies, and watching them explode is a lot of fun.

Along with eye-popping visuals and a decent control set-up, “Geometry Wars Touch” also provides a variety of modes. Fans of the series will want to start out with Evolved, which is a no-rules, shoot-or-be-destroyed festival of enemy swarms. The other modes have certain limits to abide by, such as a three-minute limit (Deadline), protection circles where you can’t fire (Pacifism) and onslaughts of flying waves (the appropriately titled Waves).

New to the iPad edition is Titans, a mode where larger enemies come at you from all directions, requiring more firepower than the traditional baddies. It’s a great assortment overall, and it’ll keep you playing, even long after you think you’ve gotten the high scores. (Trust us, you haven’t.)

The quirky control mechanism and lack of new music (it’s still the same background stuff we heard in Retro Evolved 2) fail to put “Geometry Wars Touch” to the top of the App list . That said, if you adore classic shooters of any kind, you should definitely give this one a download.

Price: $9.99

File Size: 40.0 MB

Developer: Activision

Platform: iPad

iPadNewsDaily Rating (out of 4): ★★★