Rec and Sports

Which iPhone Football Game Reigns Supreme?

With the iPhone and iPod touch gaining popularity by the day and the football season upon us, we thought it would be appropriate to review some NFL video games. As we put together this iPhone Football game roundup, we found three that could just be some of the best apps out there. Let’s take a look at EA’s Madden 10, Gameloft’s NFL2010, and Chillingo’s Super Shock Football.

Madden 10, the 20-year-old king of football games, has finally been released by EA and is now available in the app store. As you might expect, though Gameloft’s NFL2010 was the first on the iPhone and iPod touch, Madden 10 is a solid addition that leaves gamers with a dilemma.

Visually, Madden looks good, but maybe not up to our initial expectations. The graphics are similar to yesteryear’s console performance but don’t compare to what is available today. For the iPhone though, they are adequate. The famous helmet-to-helmet effects and John Madden comments are all present. Additionally, all your iPod library tracks are available to override the built-in music score. Madden 10’s controls all work well and all the options are quickly accessible.

Multiplayer should be included in a future update, as well as roster updates, which will add a lot to the game. Replay value is huge. After all, it’s a Madden football game. You know you’ll be playing it until the next one comes out. It is comparable to Gameloft’s NFL2010, though each offers a great gaming experience and some attributes that the other lacks. If you can afford it, you might want to go ahead and get both. Madden 10 rolls into the app store at the expected $9.99 and will likely remain that way for most of the season. Madden hauls in a solid 4-Star touchdown pass, taking this grudge match against rival NFL2010 into OT.

NFL 2010, the first full-featured football game specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch, was released earlier than expected by Gameloft. With a graphic style similar to Madden, it is hard not to compare NFL 2010 to the king of all that is football. Fortunately for mobile gamers, NFL 2010 holds up quite well.

We really were shocked by the stunning visuals in NFL2020. Madden 10 better watch our as this smaller competitor is racking up to be a huge success. All the audio sounds are pleasing. Controls are well honed and respond appropriately to our commands. Some functionality does feel absent as the plays come off as preplanned. We felt like we just set them up and then watch them unfold in front of us. However, we did like the Kicking plays as we felt these offered the most control with aiming and power. This was probably our favorite aspect of the gameplay.

If this is the first effort Gameloft has made with iPhone football gaming, we’d say NFL2010 is a glimpse of absolute success. We won’t be putting down this title any time soon. When viewed in relation to Madden 10 and pricey console football games, the $7.99 price tag is cheap. A 4-Star rating is awarded this smash-hit title that impressed us through and through.

Chillingo has taken a different approach with Super Shock Football by basing it on the electric football gaming style. It won’t replace Madden 10 or NFL2010, but it does present some coolness with vibrating players and other additions that justify it as a worthy contender.

We really loved the graphics of the 2D players running around in a 3D world. A top down viewing angle is used for setups but switches to an on-field view when watching plays. Crowd noise, whistles, and vibrating players humming all adds up to some cool audio effects. All the controls can be met with a single finger. The bottom of the screen hosts game info like scores, time remaining, etc. These don’t distract from gaming but are a little hard to make out. Players can set the quarter length and the number of men on each team up to 11.

Nostalgia and humorous gameplay put Super Shock Football in a league of it’s own against more traditional football games in the App Store. You’ll have a blast if you don’t take the game too seriously. No two games will ever turn out the same as the outcomes are so random. This leads to high replay ability. At a price of $1.99 Chillingo gives Super Shock Football a huge advantage over its competition. In fact, we give it a 5-Star rating that will make its more mature rivals jealous.

The iPhone and iPod touch have skyrocketed to true gaming platforms in little over a year. We wanted to put together this NFL video games review for your benefit, but had no idea each would perform so well. All the titles: Madden 10, NFL2010, and Super Shock Football prove they are a few of the best apps available in the App Store at present.

Want to find out more about iPhone app reviews, then visit Eric Meister’s site on how to choose the best iPhone apps for your needs.

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