Features

The Trawler Report: The nets are heaving with freebies like Gomi, Monster Pinball and Nano Rally

21st September 2009

The Trawler Report: The nets are heaving with freebies like Gomi, Monster Pinball and Nano Rally
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Now that even the iPod touch is getting the high-powered internals of the iPhone 3GS, we may well start seeing a good few even higher-end experiences coming to the iPhone. Will this change the freebie status quo?

Well, with budgets going up along with quality, you can expect that Lite versions of games will start to be used even more strategically than they are at the moment.

Coordinating with price drops and updates, tailored not to dissuade the ultra-early adopters and - probably - even more particular about their length, the Lite version’s set to become something of an iPhone art form.

Is this a bad thing? Well, not really, since the big boy publishers, who are the most likely to make use of the new hardware in the near future, already have the Lite version nailed down fairly well. Just check out Gameloft and Digital Chocolate’s roster of games to see what we mean.

This week, the freebies have been coming in as thick as ever, though, leading to a bumper selection.

The best free iPhone games on the App Store

Monster Pinball
By
Matmi
What is it? It’s next gen pinball
Type Demo

Pinball games aren’t the first sort to jump into your head when you think of high-flying award winners, but Monster Pinball is one of the few games to win one of our Gold awards. Although it may look like a traditional pinball flipper, Monster Pinball stitches several tables together, making it a more dynamic experience than you might expect.

The ball behaves just as you’d imagine, though, with decent enough physics to keep you believing in its bounces. The Lite version only gives you a single ball to play with, so unless you’re a, yes, you knew it was coming, pinball wizard you may find yourself not getting very far. This version also doesn’t feature the whole platter of tables.

Still, since it’s the highest-scoring pinball game released yet on iPhone, it remains well worth a download.

Nano Rally Lite
By
Sauce Digital
What is it? It’s Micro Machines, basically
Type Demo

If you’re a seasoned gamer, Nano Rally’s inspiration should be pretty clear from the off. A top-down racer with cartoony graphics and high-speed racing? Yep, Nano Rally is quite a bit like Micro Machines.

You race around domestic courses, weaving between knives and pots of jam in your tiny little supercar. Although it may look friendly enough, Nano Rally’s no easy ride. You’ll need fast fingers to get a podium place in this game.

The Lite version features a generous six tracks for you to race around, set in the kitchen and bathroom of the house that’s the game’s world.

iPingPong 3D FREE
By
Octane Technologies
What is it? It’s ping pong
Type Full

Ping Pong may not be taken all that seriously by some, but it’s a fast-paced game that’s become its own subgenre on the App Store. iPingPong may not be the very best example you can get your hands on, but it’s one of the most free, and that’s what we like on the Trawler.

Although this version labels itself with the FREE tag that tells you it’s limited in some way, it includes a full Tournament mode and Quick mode - enough to cement iPingPong Free’s status as a ‘full’ game. All you get extra in the paid-for version is multiplayer - although admittedly it’s a great addition.

You control your bat with your finger, dragging it directly across the screen. Other than that, iPingPong Free is just as you’d expect any game of ping pong to be - packed with balls flying all over the place.

Rope ‘n’ Fly 2
By
HiB
What is it? It’s Spiderman’s favourite casual game
Type Demo

If you’ve got friends with iPhones, they’ll probably put a game in front of you every now and then, challenging you to beat their high score with a smug look on their face. There’s a good chance that one day they’ll do so with Rope ‘n’ Fly 2.

You play the game as a plainclothes Spider-Man, flying from building to building using a line that you attach to oncoming buildings. As the title suggests, this is a sequel, and offers better graphics and seemingly better physics than its predecessor.

You only get a 30-second trial mode in the free version, but if you’re anything like us it’ll last you a while. Addictive and frustrating in equal measure, Rope ‘n’ Fly 2 is a worryingly compulsive little iPhone nugget.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition Lite
By
LucasArts
What is it? A point and click adventure game from the Golden Age
Type Demo

Editor Rob loves The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition more than as much as is strictly healthy correct, but if his Platinum review and the recent weekend sale haven’t been enough to convince you that it’s a must-have, you can now try it out for free.

It’s an adventure game where you play as Guybrush Threepwood, a rather weedy chap who dreams of becoming a mighty pirate. What ensues is one gaming’s great adventures.

This iPhone version has been reworked for the noughties, too, with new visuals and a speech track that wasn’t in the original - although it’s done by actors that featured in the later games in the series, making it all seem thoroughly legit.

If your virtual coins are held in a vice-like penny-pinching grip, give this Lite version a download to loosen them a bit.

Volkswagen Scirocco R 24H Challenge
By
Fishlabs
What is it? It’s an e-test drive in the latest VW
Type Full

Fishlabs is becoming as much known for its advergames as its own titles these days, and thankfully because they’re generally a cut above rather than just because they’re tied-in with big brands like Volkswagen and Barclaycard. This game’s helping out the rather snazzy-looking new VW Scirocco.

Predictably, then, it’s a racer - one bearing Fishlabs’s trademark full-3D visuals. You get to drive the car across a five mile track, either as a time trial or against other racers. You can also go head-to-head with your friends in the multiplayer mode, although you’ll all be behind the wheel of a Scirocco.

We do miss the number of tracks featured in the last Volkswagen-Fishlabs collaboration, Polo Challenge 3D, but as far as racing freebies go Scirocco R 24H Challenge is one of the best out there.

Pick of the Week

Gomi Lite
By
Kevin Calderone
What is it? It’s Sola Katamari Galaxy
Type Demo

Things can be wonderful even if they are largely derivative. Mobile game SolaRola, for example, was widely hailed as a rip-off of the PSP’s LocoRoco, but it’s one of the best mobile games ever made. Gomi takes a few cues from SolaRola, with a main character that looks virtually identical to the blobs of SolaRola and roll-a-thon gameplay.

It’s quite different in other respects, though. You roll across little planetoids, all of which have their own centres of gravity, sucking up objects as you go. You can only consume small objects to start with, but after a while you’ll be guzzling people, cars and houses.

The Lite version features the first wave of levels - or perhaps solar system would be more apt. The full version won one of our Silver awards, so it’s well worth checking Gomi Lite out.

Does Your Hairstyle Say Something?
By
Trippert Labs
What is it? It’s an app for those fascinated with follicles
Type Full

It may seem like we’re just bullying Trippert Labs - this is the third time they’ve ended up in the Crap Apps Box of Shame - but those folks have only got themselves to blame.

If there were to be relevant apps added to the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, then Does Your Hairstyle Say Something? would be a good candidate for the ‘banality’ entry. It asks you a few questions about your haircare routine, and then extrapolates what sort of person you are from your answers.

To make it even worse, the game title doesn’t even really make sense. Of course, your hairstyle doesn’t say anything - it’s hair. And if this app’s anything to go by, it doesn’t have anything to say ‘about you’ either. Ugh.