I got the chance to sit down with NaturalMotion CEO, Torsten Reil for a cup of coffee and to discuss Bakcbreaker 2: Vengeance, the update to the best selling iOS football game, Backbreaker Football. Backbreaker 2 brings some of the most requested features to the game and raises the bar by giving the game full Retina display support for iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4th generation. The new features in the game came from culling through thousands of reviews and emails and include Vengance mode (being able to play as the defensive player), new moves, new stadiums, new levels, and Game Center support. Oh, and of course even more showboating!
The option to play as the defensive player in Vengeance Mode really adds an interesting angle to the game. While the gameplay is similar, there are new things to consider playing defense and it requires a slightly different method of play. It also includes a whole new set of challenges. When you are playing as defense you will see the path that the offensive player is taking — you’ll also see an on screen indicator showing you where your tackle target is. The trouble is intercepting or catching up to that offensive player. Depending on the level, you may need to dodge other players or obstacles before you get to your target.
The game has also been upgraded for Retina displays. Seeing the game on a Retina display is just mind blowing. The sweep of the stadium before the game looks more movie-like than anything we’ve ever seen. The players look better, move better; it’s an amazing visual upgrade all around.
Backbreaker 2: Vengeance is a great upgrade and I’m looking forward to it. Look for Backbreaker Football 2 before the end of the year.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted November 5th, 2010 by Carter Dotson Our Rating: :: GOOD BUT NOT SUPER
Baseball Superstars 2011 is largely the same game as its predecessor, with largely only graphical and gameplay tweaks to its credit, for better or for worse.
Ever since the start of the World Cup, we have seen a slew of soccer apps come out. Unfortunately, the majority of the apps are soccer simulations, leading to obvious limitations on the small iPhone screen. There’s just no good way to pack all of the complexities that soccer offers, from the moves to the different types of passes to the great shots… there just isn’t enough screen real estate for the needed buttons.
Instead of a traditional soccer game, Gamerizon has made a soccer game that looks like the iPhone version of Mario Strikers, just with simpler controls.
“There are no virtual pads or buttons. All that’s needed is one finger to control all offensive and defensive actions. To move, you just slide your finger on the screen. To pass, shoot or tackle, you just flick your finger in the direction you want your player or ball to go. That’s it! Those commands make Chop Chop Soccer™ the most intuitive soccer game ever created.”
Be sure to check out the video below, the game looks like a ton of fun.
Being a US based website, many of you probably have no idea what The Score is. The Score Television Network is a fairly large sports network that goes out to “6.8 million homes across Canada”, covering all sports from US Football to Association Football (soccer). While obviously lagging behind the readership/viewership of the likes of SI and ESPN, The Score is trying to pick up the pace by really hitting the mobile app audience.
With an iPhone app already doing quite well in the sports category, the iPad edition is looking to take the content a step further by adding original video content, video content from the network, and a slick new interface to pull it all together.
“theScore iPad Edition takes advantage of all the great features the iPad has to offer and leverages its native performance and flexible web views,” says Jeff Brenner, Co-Founder, NuLayer. “It’s an awesome app that provides a socially-integrated way to explore the sports world. Fans are going to love it.”
The best part about the app is that it’s free to all users, so pick it up and soak in the glory.
EA held their studio preview today and we were one of the few mobile sites there to take a look at their coming games. First up, and the most anticipated, is Madden NFL 11. This year is will be available on the iPhone and the iPad with the iPad getting a couple exclusive features.
The Hot Routes feature has been expanded and enhanced this year. Hot routes allow you to draw the path that the player takes on the screen pre-snap. You have greater control over them in both offense and new this year, defense. You can also save your custom routes as a custom offensive play.
Madden NFL 11 gets a few new features carried over from the console versions. This includes Total Defense Control — this year defense is given much more attention giving you most of the same control of players you have on offense. This includes the ability to program hot routes for defensive players. For defense you also can slow the play down while it is in action and adjust the routes.
On the offense, new this year, and carried from the console, is GameFlow. This is basically an automated play calling system created to speed up the play of the game. Instead of needing to run into one of the 30 playbooks to pick a play, the computer will pick one for you and it does so intelligently. It watches the game and how you play and will pick an appropriate play. You can of course override the play or turn off GameFlow at any time. GameFlow makes considerable sense on the more casual mobile device.
The game gets a little prettier this year too. Graphics both on field and off look much better. This includes higher definition players, fields, and even moving crowds that are unique to each stadium. Also included are different weather effects based on the stadium location and date of the game.
Some iPad specific features include on-screen optimizations for the larger screen like a passing wheel under your right thumb. The passing wheel shows you all receives on the play and their status in a single location letting you select them very quickly. One unexpected new game type is added as an exclusive for the iPad as well. Remember the old electric football games where you place the weighted player pieces on a large metal board that when turned on vibrated them around? Well a mid-season update to Madden NFL 11 will allow you to play this fun mini-game in the app — and even with voiceover from Gus Johnson.
If there’s one disappointment it’s the lack of online multiplayer. Still missing from EA’s in-house lineup, this feature will really take this game, and other EA games, to the next level. There is local Bluetooth multiplayer included in both the iPhone and iPad versions. But you may only play against another user on the same device type.
EA took some heat last year by charging for roster updates in Madden NFL 10 for the iPhone. They have seen the errors of their ways and the roster updates will be free this year!
If you’re a Madden fan, you won’t have to wait too long. Madden NFL 11 for the iPhone and iPad will launch alongside the console version on August 11th. Hit the jump for a few more screenshots.
When it was released in December, the tablet demo of Sports Illustrated (see below) set off a firestorm online. The new SI promised interactivity, live sports scores, and the great sports coverage readers have come to expect, all wrapped in a beautifully designed application. Since the video’s introduction, the iPad has been released and dozens of magazine properties have taken their brands and content to the App Store. Few have succeeded in matching the design or functionality promised by SI’s initial prototype. Now, with the official release of the Sports Illustrated app, the video has finally come to life.
Delivering on Old Promises
Fortunately, Sports Illustrated’s app includes most of the features that were promised in the initial tablet demonstration. It far outperforms the official Time Magazine app, also published by Time Inc. One of the coolest features of the app is the “wheel,” a feature that enables sharing, emailing, player stats, and related photos and articles to be accessed simply by holding a finger down on an article. This means, however, that there’s no traditional copying and pasting available in the app. The share feature luckily makes up for this shortcoming,
Live Scores and Articles
Like Time Magazine’s application, the Sports Illustrated app also integrates nicely with live content from SI’s website to ensure that articles and issues are never out of date. Individual articles can pull up “related articles” or “related stats” from the aforementioned wheel. Better yet, users can get live stats and articles from SI.com directly within the app.
One of the Few Standouts
The Sports Illustrated app is an all star in the App Store. That said, it’s not difficult with the lackluster efforts from the magazine industry thus far. The SI app has great navigation and doesn’t bother with any of the more bizarre vertical and horizontal reading schemes. Instead, it sticks to the basics, presenting great content and adding interactivity and new features only where they’re of use to the reader. The SI app should serve as a great example to publishers of what their magazines should be like when ported to the iPad.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted July 7th, 2010 by Brian Hudson Our Rating: :: EXPERIMENT UNSUCCESSFUL
This largely unsuccessful game just isn't imaginative enough to capitalize on its premise. Mischievous science experiments with monstrous looks need to do more than skate around and hit the puck.
It’s been 4 long years since Italy gloriously hoisted the FIFA World Cup and proclaimed themselves the kings of soccer (football, futbol, calcio, etc.). There’s a deep field of 32 teams who will be vying for the 2010 crown and, while you can never count out old stalwarts like Brazil, Italy, and Germany, many countries have a legitimate shot at the trophy and their place in soccer immortality.
What’s different this time around? Well, this is the first World Cup to take place in the continent of Africa. Many of the players and coaches have changed throughout the years. But, as far as my fellow iPhone enthusiasts are concerned, the biggest difference is that this is the first World Cup to take place since Apple’s miracle device was born. There are several cool apps for just about everything these days, and the World Cup is no exception. Here are 4+ apps that every soccer fan should have on their iPhones over the next month of soccer nirvana…
FIFA World Cup If you want a game that has all the pomp and circumstance of the tournament, EA’s FIFA World Cup does a good job of incorporating all those elements. As the only officially licensed game, FIFA World Cup lets you choose from 105 different countries on the quest to qualify for the competition and capture the trophy. There’s also a Captain Your Country Mode, where you become a virtual pro on your favorite team and try to guide them to victory. FIFA World Cup may not be the greatest game of soccer that you’ll play, but it has all of the official stadiums and requisite fanfare of the world’s greatest sporting event, including some amusingly blocky-looking fans. Soccer enthusiasts may also want to try X2 Soccer 2010 for perhaps a better simulation of the game, and Soccer Superstars for a more arcade-like approach. Neither have the spectacle of the World Cup license, but they are amongst the best soccer games in the app store at this time. Keep an eye out for Pro Evolution Soccer as well, as the legendary series will soon be making its debut on the iPhone.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-04-30 :: Category: Games :: Action
ESPN 2010 FIFA World Cup ESPN is the official home of the World Cup in the United States, and is offering an iPhone app that can be used to follow all of the latest happenings. Included in the free app is News, Live Scores, Schedules, Video, Stats, History, etc. For a robust $7.99 more, ESPN is promising Live Radio Streams of all the matches, timely in-game video highlights, expert analysis, premium alerts/notifications, and live play-by-play commentary. It remains to be seen if the upgrade is worth a purchase, but it is nice to have all this information included in a handy & attractive app. As an alternative, the Associated Press is offering a World Cup specific app for all of the latest soccer news, and Univision, the official Spanish language provider of the World Cup in the United States, is offering a comprehensive app of their own. It wasn’t that long ago when Univision was the only place to watch much of the best soccer, including the World Cup. Now where can I get a sweet Andres Cantor “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!” ring tone?
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-03 :: Category: Sports
World Cup Trivia Challenge Want to show off your stunning, yet normally useless amount of World Cup knowledge? World Cup Trivia Challenge lets you do just that in a surprisingly good game. Choose your side and play through a trivial facsimile of the World Cup including qualification, group stage, and the knock-out stage. Better yet, take on your friend at the bar in a head-to-head match of true fandom. Get 3 multiple choice questions right and you score a goal, but every wrong answer counts towards your opponent’s tally. Go back and forth in a timed match to see who scores the most goals, with a tie game going to a true/false penalty shootout. World Cup Trivia Challenge is a modest game, but it has some clever ideas and is just fun. It’s a great time-waster between matches, and an excellent way to score some hard-earned bragging rights.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-08-31 :: Category: Games
Vuvuzela 2010 The most important app for this World Cup, however, is hands-down Vuvuzela 2010. If you don’t know about vuvuzelas before this World Cup, you will very shortly. A vuvuzela is a type of horn used by soccer fans, and it is especially prominent in South Africa. The crowds in South Africa will be blaring these horns during every second of every match. It may very well end up being one of the most distinguishing and memorable characteristics of the tournament. The deep, droning sounds of hundreds of vuvuzelas is reminiscent of a swarm of bees, just louder and more obnoxious. There were calls to ban the horns for the World Cup, but they’ll be there and they’ll be ever-present. If you don’t get to pick one up for yourselves, Vuvuzela 2010 does a great job of replicating the experience. Just pick the color of your horn to match your favorite team, turn up the volume as high as it can go, and shake or tap your phone. The effect is pretty genuine, and quite amusing. You might not be able to be at the World Cup in person, but Vuvuzela 2010 brings you that much closer. I suggest blaring it when people least suspect it, for maximum effect.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-08-18 :: Category: Entertainment
So, now that you and your iPhone will be prepared for the 2010 World Cup, who’s going to win? European champions Spain may be the prohibitive favorites, but I’ll go out on a limb and say England takes out Argentina in the finals. Okay, I put like zero thought into that, but it would be an interesting final (remember the Falklands?). Besides, England has an Italian coach, so that can’t be bad. Who do you think will go all the way? Post a comment if you have an opinion, or if you’ve found some other useful apps that all World Cup lovers shouldn’t be without…
For all you sports lovers out there, Gamevil, the acclaimed developer that brought us the fantastic Baseball Superstars series, as well as Zenonia and Vanquish, have submitted Soccer Superstars to Apple and are waiting for approval.
Soccer Superstars is a full featured soccer app that seems to me like a blend of the original NES Soccer and Mario Strikers. From the hands on video (which you should watch), the app is extremely fast paced and looks to use special boosts to create those super dramatic special shots.
There are five different play modes, exhibition, My League, Season Mode, Cup Mode, and Dramatic Mode. From the looks of a few screens, it seems that My League and Dramatic Mode will be the most fun. My League looks like a full featured soccer management mode that may include such sim features as salary and fan involvement. Dramatic Mode, while not nearly as involved, puts you in high pressure situations and forces you to win to go on.
Soccer Superstars looks to be the perfect solution for the post World Cup match hangover, especially if your team loses. Check out the video below and see for yourself. Enjoy!
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted May 12th, 2010 by Ben Harvell Our Rating: :: DISAPPOINTING
With the World Cup in South Africa fast approaching, many will be hunting for a decent iPhone soccer game. Is EA’s latest international offering what sports fans are looking for?
Opening day is just a couple of days away. In honor of that, I thought we would dedicate this Favorite 4 to apps for the baseball fan. In addition, there’s another important event happening on Saturday. So each of the baseball app we chose also have available now, or will soon have, an iPad version. Batter up!
MLB At Bat 2010
If there’s one app that the true baseball fan has to have, it’s MLB At Bat. This every thing for the baseball fan app not only includes all of the stats that you could ever want, but also includes live scores, live game streaming audio and video, and pitch by pitch display and much more. And if you are lucky enough to be getting an iPad this weekend, there’s a version for the iPad that looks even better than the iPhone version.
Back at E3 I met up with Don Lim from Com2uS, who showed me a few of his upcoming games, one of which being Baseball Sluggers. At first glance, the game looked pretty fun, but certainly nothing groundbreaking. It looked like MLB Slugfest for the iPhone, except without an MLB license and limited only to the home run derby. Being the skeptical gamer that I am, I picked up the game with low expectations, thinking that the game would probably be average at best. But boy, was I wrong.
Instead of showing me all the different menu options and gameplay modes, Don had me just straight into the matchup mode, which is unlike anything else I had ever played on the iPhone. Within a minute of booting up the game, I was engaged in a matchup with one of the beta testers of the game in Korea. The game was easy enough to pick up instantly, but with a variety of pitches and speeds, had enough depth to satisfy my inner gamer. Surprisingly I ended up beating the beta tester, shocking Don… and myself. What can I say guys, I’m just good at sports games. Continue reading Casual Gaming Perfection? »
Every week, I have to go to a 12 step program designed to wean me off my addiction.* But, you know what? It’s not working. You see, to be cured of an addiction you have to want to be cured. I love my iPhone. It’s a part of my life. It’s never far from my grasp, and I use it many, many times throughout my day. I don’t want to be cured.
Paul Pelosi (look at his hands) is also an iPhone addict.
When I first got my iPhone, I was amazed – due to the superb implementation of the web, that I could actually use it to buy my wife’s Christmas presents… from the sofa… while she sat next to me. I would ask her what she wanted, she’d have a little think, then tell me, then I’d buy it, without her even realising her wishes were coming true within seconds of her uttering the words. She might as well have been saying abracadabra. It was magical, and exciting in a way only another iPhone-phile can understand.
This is how my iPhone and I spend the day.
Wake Up Call
Even before I awake, my iPhone is there for me, dragging me from my slumber with the sound of Marimba. Clock has become my Alarm Clock. I’ve even taught it not to wake me at all at the weekend – at those times my iPhone allows me to dream on (although my daughter does not respect the covenant me and the iPhone have made). Continue reading A Day In The Life »
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted June 17th, 2009 by Will Our Rating: :: DOUBLE FAULT
Gameloft's Real Tennis 2009 may be the best looking Tennis game on the App Store, but it gets just about everything else wrong. Frustrating controls and horribly balanced gameplay make this one an app to miss.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted May 21st, 2009 by Kevin Stout Our Rating: :: PERFECTLY SIMPLE
GolfCard is the perfect companion for any casual or professional golfer. It's a little pricey at $7.99, but is worth it for it's stat-keeping, integration with Oobgolf.com, and course editor.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted May 15th, 2009 by Brendan Lutz Our Rating: :: ADDICTING
A solid golf game that will remain on your iPhone for as long as you have it. With bright graphics, quality controls, and fun multiplayer, this app is definitely a winner.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted May 6th, 2009 by Chris Hall Our Rating: :: SIMPLE FUN
Flick NBA Basketball is designed with the on-the-go gamer in mind. While the games do go by very quick, you will find that some of it is a bit too easy. Fortunately for you (and me for that matter), the game has a variety of play options which makes the overall experience a good one.
Brian Akaka, CEO and Founder of Appular just sent over a teaser for the latest game from Freeverse, Flick NBA Basketball. This is the third game in the Flick series (Bowling and Fishing with Baseball coming in the near future). The trailer doesn’t show much besides the court, with especially stunning reflection, but it’s enough to peak our interest so I dug a little deeper. Continue reading Flick NBA Basketball Teaser Trailer & Launch Date »
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted December 9th, 2008 by Jeff Scott Our Rating: :: ABOVE AVERAGE
Hit Tennis is a fun 1-2 player 3D tennis game. The controls are well done, fine grained, and the graphics very smooth. The real fun in the game is playing with 2 players on a split-screen.
:: GOOD BUT NOT SUPER
Being a US based website, many of you probably have no idea what The Score is. The Score Television Network is a fairly large sports network that goes out to “6.8 million homes across Canada”, covering all sports from US Football to Association Football (soccer). While obviously lagging behind the readership/viewership of the likes of SI and ESPN, The Score is trying to pick up the pace by really hitting the mobile app audience.
It’s been 4 long years since Italy gloriously hoisted the FIFA World Cup and proclaimed themselves the kings of soccer (football, futbol, calcio, etc.). There’s a deep field of 32 teams who will be vying for the 2010 crown and, while you can never count out old stalwarts like Brazil, Italy, and Germany, many countries have a legitimate shot at the trophy and their place in soccer immortality.
If you want a game that has all the pomp and circumstance of the tournament, EA’s FIFA World Cup does a good job of incorporating all those elements. As the only officially licensed game, FIFA World Cup lets you choose from 105 different countries on the quest to qualify for the competition and capture the trophy. There’s also a Captain Your Country Mode, where you become a virtual pro on your favorite team and try to guide them to victory. FIFA World Cup may not be the greatest game of soccer that you’ll play, but it has all of the official stadiums and requisite fanfare of the world’s greatest sporting event, including some amusingly blocky-looking fans. Soccer enthusiasts may also want to try 
ESPN is the official home of the World Cup in the United States, and is offering an iPhone app that can be used to follow all of the latest happenings. Included in the free app is News, Live Scores, Schedules, Video, Stats, History, etc. For a robust $7.99 more, ESPN is promising Live Radio Streams of all the matches, timely in-game video highlights, expert analysis, premium alerts/notifications, and live play-by-play commentary. It remains to be seen if the upgrade is worth a purchase, but it is nice to have all this information included in a handy & attractive app. As an alternative, the 
Want to show off your stunning, yet normally useless amount of World Cup knowledge? World Cup Trivia Challenge lets you do just that in a surprisingly good game. Choose your side and play through a trivial facsimile of the World Cup including qualification, group stage, and the knock-out stage. Better yet, take on your friend at the bar in a head-to-head match of true fandom. Get 3 multiple choice questions right and you score a goal, but every wrong answer counts towards your opponent’s tally. Go back and forth in a timed match to see who scores the most goals, with a tie game going to a true/false penalty shootout. World Cup Trivia Challenge is a modest game, but it has some clever ideas and is just fun. It’s a great time-waster between matches, and an excellent way to score some hard-earned bragging rights.
The most important app for this World Cup, however, is hands-down Vuvuzela 2010. If you don’t know about 
For all you sports lovers out there, Gamevil, the acclaimed developer that brought us the fantastic 
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