The third person action games I’ve played for iOS have been good as far as the graphics and gameplay go, but for the most part a majority of them have been a little shotty as far as controls go; that is until now. The third person action game SHADOWGUN from the developer MADFINGER Games, puts that all to rest. In SHADOWGUN you play as bounty hunter, John Slade with the help of S.A.R.A who provides guidance along the way. Your mission is to take down and stop Dr. Edgar Simon, leader of his own mutant army in the year 2520 where corrupt intergalactic corporations are the rule of law.
Gameplay
The gameplay in SHADOWGUN stacks up to some of the best third person action games on the app store such as Infinity Blade. Many people re saying SHADOWGUN is the Gears Of War of iOS. There are some comparisons with the two, obviously being that they’re both third person shooters, cover-based shooters, and that the enemies tend to work well together as they do in Gears Of War. Other that that, that’s where it stops. Not that SHADOWGUN can’t measure up. The gamplay is pretty easy to get used to no matter what difficulty you’re on. The A.I. is pretty smart for the most part. They’ll take cover, team up, and react as they normally should to your actions.
Controls
The controls in SHADOWGUN are spot on. You basically control John Slade with a left analog, move the camera on the right side of the screen, reload with the smaller right button, shot and interact with objects with the lower right button, and change weapons with the top right icon. The controls are well laid out and it helps, especially during gameplay. In my opinion the controls are fine, but you can change them to your liking, such as the aim, invert vertical look, and change between static and free move analog.
Graphics
The graphics are some of the best on any third person shooter or any game, for that matter on the App Store. It’s really crisp and fluid, especially on the iPhone 4 on a retina display. Some users have noticed that the game lags and slows down or crashes, but MADFINGER Games released an update which should solve those problems. The environments and characters look great. There’s a lot of detail and the graphics in SHADOWGUN really shine in texture and lighting environments.
Verdict
SHADOWGUN is a really fun shooter. If you like N.O.V.A. or any other shooter on the App Store, don’t pass this game up. This game is console quality. There are shades of Gears of War here. It’s inspired by the game, but don’t think of SHADOWGUN as Gears Of War for mobile devices. SHADOWGUN has it’s own identity and MADFINGER Games did a great job to make it shine as one of the best iOS shooters out there.SHADOWGUN is a universal app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
$7.99 (App Store Link)
Pros:
- Great graphics
- Good storyline
- Tight Controls
Cons:
- No online multiplayer
