WRC Shakedown Edition brings the World Rally Championship to iOS driving players through dirt, mud and snow as they progress through two gameplay modes. As players progress through the WRC Experience mode, by completing challenges, they will earn enough points to unlock better and faster rally vehicles. WRC Experience mode has a set list of challenges to accomplish in 60 different stages ranging from knocking over bowling pins, drifting for a set amount of time, collecting enough rally points and by not knocking over cones that are placed on the tracks.

Usually that type of skill testing gameplay can be a lot of fun, but that’s not the case with WRC Shakedown Edition. During WRC Experience mode, it feels like one very long extended tutorial. It easily gets players started and familiar with the process, but then it doesn’t get much more challenging after that. Most players will race through all 60 stages in close to an hour and will have no desire to play those obstacles ever again. There is only one or two that may actually put up a slight challenge while the rest are ridiculously easy. Even for players who enjoy racing, they’ll be left with the feeling of boredom and a hope that a possible greater challenge will come, though it never does.

The other mode featured in WRC Shakedown Edition is Time Attack mode which only has 14 courses and is, obviously, all about putting up the best times. Even though Time Attack mode begins with set times for players to beat, most of them are easy to surpass and it simply comes back to the player and their interest in beating their own time. However, there is an online leaderboard for all 14 tracks, but there seems to be a few issues or a number of glitches that have been exploited and need to be fixed. Once that happens, Time Attack mode can be a good source of replay-ability, but it won’t last for long.

Now, most importantly, the gameplay handles fairly well when dealing with the control of the vehicles. It’s fairly easy to move about and drift around corners and can actually be a decent amount of fun at times. Some of the tracks are also quite entertaining with sharp turns that overlook steep edges as well as a few bumps in the road that give players just enough airtime to smile. However, the entire experience is dragged down by frame rate issues and it’s not fun to see the background “chop” along while racing. The visuals really need a lot of polishing to make for a far more enjoyable experience.

WRC Shakedown Edition needs a lot of work and more depth if this title is going to be worth the purchase for anyone. Providing only 60 simple obstacles and 14 Time Attack courses with zero head-to-head racing sure doesn’t leave for a good enough racing experience.

I play games on my iPhone a lot, as I’m sure many of you reading this do. The thing is, while many iOS games are great in their own right and function well for gaming in small bursts or extended sessions, there aren’t a whole heck of a lot that can be picked up, played, and stopped at the drop of a hat. Oh sure most can be suspended but I’m talking about games that actually allow you to quit entirely and come right back to where you left off no matter how long that may take. Games that auto-save constantly, can be saved at any time with a single button press, stuff like that. Here are our picks for four of the best.

Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil
Most of Playdek’s card games fall into this category but I’ve chosen this one because it’s the most recent. And because I happen to really like it. Gamers vs. Evil tracks progress in each match, however many there might be at once spread out over single and multiplayer modes. This means you can play a single hand or even stop in the middle of one, quit for whatever reason, and then start it right back up again from wherever it left off. It’s as perfect for micro-gaming sessions as it is for lengthy ones.

$4.99

Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-12-19 :: Category: Games

Junk Jack
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this 2D Minecraft-like since its release for many reasons, but it’s the save system that’s always impressed me the most. Pausing the game at any point will save progress automatically, so stopping at a moment’s notice is never a problem. Even more impressive is the way Jack’s inventory can be saved and transferred between worlds, so even if you get tired of your current game you can always start a new one and keep all your cool stuff.

$2.99

Junk Jack

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-11-07 :: Category: Games

Game Dev Story
Kairosoft’s first iOS release continues to be their greatest as far as I’m concerned, but really all of their games are perfect for quick starts and stops of game time. That big Save button sitting on the main screen for every single one of their titles that saves progress instantly makes it incredibly easy to stop what you’re doing and get back to actual work. Not that I’m condoning that sort of behavior, of course.

$3.99

Game Dev Story

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-09 :: Category: Games

Zenonia 5
Much like Kairosoft, GAMEVIL also has the handy Save button down pat. Their action RPG series is plenty of fun and this most recent release is absolutely packed with features, and yet they’ve (thankfully) kept the one that makes it the easiest to play whenever and wherever. It’s comforting to know I can tap once to save and then bolt off of my train without having to worry about losing all that progress.

FREE!

ZENONIA® 5

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2013-01-10 :: Category: Games