Danger! Dodgeball, Will Robinson [App Review]

(written by guest author Tim Giron. follow Tim on Twitter @timgiron)

I haven’t played dodgeball since gradeschool, but I still remember the feeling when those red rubber missiles strike. I am happy to report that Danger! Dodgeball for iPhone/iPod Touch [iTunes $0.99] and Danger! Dodgeball HD for iPad [iTunes $1.99] appear to leave no welts.

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The game has one of the better "training" modes that I have seen, taking you through all of the skills necessary to do well in the survival mode. And this ain’t no walk in the park, er playground. Your opponent is one tough schoolyard bully. He’s quick, he’s accurate and he’s not your friend.

The controls are simple and intuitive. Tilt left and right to move and dodge. Tilt forward to throw the ball. As you tilt forward, you can also affect the flight of the ball by adding a little side motion. It feels a little clunkier at first on the iPad, but once you find the range of tilt necessary to make the moves, it gets easier.

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There are a set of powerups available to give you either health or special shots: "giant ball" is just that, a huge ball to throw for extra points; "shotgun" gives you three balls to throw at once; "multiball" allows you to throw a succession of balls rapidly for maximum striking opportunities. The "shotgun" is also handy for hitting both the opponent and the occasionally appearing graffiti artist as he marks up the back wall.

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Not to be outdone, the bully gets some special shots of his own, including a fantastic to watch "matrix style" set of slow-motion balls that are particularly hard to dodge. The HD iPad version sports some additional power ups including a wicked curve ball and the ultimate defense, a force field.

The game is integrated with OpenFeint for global leaderboards. The game sports both music and sound effects that can be independently turned on or off. The authentic "poonk" sound when two balls collide in midair is especially hilarious.

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At 99 cents for the iPhone version [iTunes] and $1.99 for the iPad version [iTunes], you get more than your money’s worth. It’s a great action game to just pick up and play whenever the mood strikes you to relive childhood activities.

October 16, 2010 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Games, Guest Authors 

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