The Game & Watch series of portable gaming devices were one of the first experiences with handheld gaming for many of us. That?s why, when we have a chance to play them, they definitely offer up a feeling of nostalgia for many of us. This review will cover four Game & Watch titles launched separately for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
This developer has released Chef, Fire, Octopus, and Parachute to the app store in all of their original glory. Besides Octopus, each game essentially handles the same way. You need to move between one of three or four spaces to make contact with something that?s going to hit that space in an attempt to stop it from hitting the ground or the ocean. If the object hits the ground, you lose one of your three lives. Octopus differs from the other three games due to the fact that you have to avoid the objects coming towards you and you have even more spaces to move between.
The control scheme for these is definitely interesting. While the default tapping method does work, you?ll have to tap on the screen for the specific spot you want to move too. You can also control the game by tilting your device depending on which way you want to move. This is pretty clunky and would be great if you could turn it off as you may find yourself tapping and tilting at the same time, launching you one space past where you wanted to go. Using just tilt is difficult at times because it feels like you have to center your device then tilt it again to move each time.
While separate apps, these four games are all very similar and come from the same family. The quality and presentation is amazing and looks exactly like it use to on the Game & Watch units. Unfortunately, with so many new games coming out for competitive prices, it may be hard to justify purchasing one of these titles on it?s own, let alone all four of them. But if you?re a classic or a retro gamer with an iPhone and iPod Touch, these apps are a no brainer.