A Summer Games app for the ages. StickSports: Summer Games brings us another game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. While the free version of the game is home to only three summer sports, it still has it’s moments. Except when you’re tapping away during the 1500 meter race. Just try to imagine how many steps you’d take in an actual 1500 meter race and then multiply that by five to get the amount of finger taps you’ll need to finish this race with even a decent score.
What You Can Expect
You can definitely get your money out of this free app, and use it over and over. This lite app features three Olympic track and field sports: the javelin throw, the 1500 meter race, as well as the 100 meter race. Every event in the game utilizes a finger tap in order to sprint and the javelin throw requires an extra tap to launch. You’ll probably never complain more about a game until you try the 1500 race on your iPhone. This isne hell of a way to work on your dexterity! The amount of tapping on the screen seems kind of pointless, but the entire game is quite simple, and they hit on the point they were shooting for.
The Better Parts About the Game
While the game could get on the nerves of some, it does have it’s lighter moments. The javelin throw and 100 meter race are actually quite enjoyable, especially if you’re hanging out with some friends and want to try to beat each others scores. The game really has no ease or hard difficulty, it’s based primarily on how much you’re willing to tap wildly at your gadget’s screen. The 100 meter race isn’t as time consuming (or dreadful) as the 1500 meter race is, and can turn out to be enjoyable as you try to beat your score each and every time.
Looking to the Future
As this is a very small game (even the full version is) I would really recommend improving some of the features. I know it’s your “thing” by using stick figures as the playable character. But adding in features to help improve the mechanics, like a better aiming feature to the javelin throw. Right now you’re distance is measured only by the amount of speed you have as you approach the fault line. If you were to add in a depth cue or maybe a power meter to the throw, things would be a little bit better. I think it would also be cool to buy upgrades for your stick figure. Turn this in to a comical event instead a realistic stick figure game. Let me add some rockets to the javelin and hit over 1500 feet with a throw. It would be really cool to see a point system added as well. That way, I can build up points to make upgrade purchases to help out later on.
The Just of It
Overall, I did enjoy the game. I found myself playing it in the movie theater waiting for the show to start, and while I was stuck in traffic. It definitely passed the time and I didn’t get any more bored than I already was. For a free app, it is definitely worth the quick download and addition to any iPhone. There is definitely room for improvement, but I’d recommend acquiring this app now for that “just in case” moment that you’re stuck behind somebody slow at the Starbucks drive-thru, or if you arrive a little too early for your movie. If I had to throw a score on the app, I’d easily place it darn close to three and a half stars out of five.
[You can read more about StickSports: Summer Games by going directly to the creator’s website here.]
