Game Reviews

NFL Kicker 13

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| NFL Kicker 13
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NFL Kicker 13
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| NFL Kicker 13

Rather than being an exciting and unfamiliar freshman, NFL Kicker 13 is the sophomore entry in the casual sports series.

And so, while it's still cracking fun to punt your way into the American Football Hall of Fame, grinding through the same four mini-games a second time around feels like a blot on the game's otherwise excellent playbook.

Alongside the obligatory updated official team uniforms there are now use power-ups to boost your score and even the option to deck out your stadium, but it's not nearly enough for a touchdown.

It's still good

Veterans of the series will find the gameplay and structure of NFL Kicker 13 very familiar, though even the most jaded player couldn't fail to be impressed by the sharper graphics - especially on the new iPad's Retina display (you can actually see the dimples on the pigskin).

The standard flick-through-the-ball and swipe-to-add-spin controls are still an intuitive joy to use, even if the after-touch remains a little weak compared to the arcade-style curves of the likes of Flick Kick Football.

If you missed out on the debut NFL Kicker!, mastering the basics and then climbing the Game Center leaderboards is undoubtedly a compulsive experience.

Old hands like me, however, might balk at having to doggedly play through identical mini-games with slightly shinier presentation.

Still, it doesn't take long to unlock them all using XP earned during each gameplay session, and then you can stick to your favourite from the three-ball sudden death of In the Zone, the bounce-focused Coffin Corner, and the time attack of, erm, Time Attack.

The price of Friday Night Lights

Full Fat's biggest change this season is the inclusion of a Credits-based currency to help hike your score.

Every time you play you'll earn a smattering of Credits to put towards one off power-ups like Slowmo for extra accuracy and a 12x Combo booster that give you an edge in your next turn. Meanwhile, you can use the same virtual dough to deck out your own stadium with lights, TV screens, and an obligatory squad of cheerleaders.

You don't need any of these bells and whistles to enjoy the core game, but every tweak to your stadium gives bonuses to your score and helps you climb the leaderboards.

It still feels like a token addition, mind, when what we really want are some fresh modes or network play to have a kick around with. Fingers crossed for next season, then.

NFL Kicker 13

Gorgeous looking and a joy to play for flick gamers and NFL fans alike, it's just a shame so little has been added to the sequel beyond IAP-heavy bonuses
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Paul Devlin
Paul Devlin
A newspaper reporter turned games journo, Paul's first ever console was an original white Game Boy (still in working order, albeit with a yellowing tinge and 30 second battery life). Now he writes about Android with a style positively dripping in Honeycomb, stuffed with Gingerbread and coated with Froyo