The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch
Top Shelf Apps for week of July 27, 2010New apps added every Tuesday! |
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Reviews
Review: Ramp Champ - An Addictive Arcade Bowling App
Price: $1.99
App Store Link: Full / No Lite Version
Verdict: Love it!
Replay Value: Very High
Pros: Quick, simple, and fun with tons of prizes, achievements, and replay value.
Cons: Prizes could be more interactive.
Bottom Line: Ramp Champ might just be the best arcade bowling / ski ball app on the App Store.
There are have been many attempts to bring Arcade Bowling to the iPhone OS, and while some of the apps are quite a bit of fun, Ramp Champ definitely gets the gold medal. Instead of the traditional ski ball setup, Ramp Champ uses 4 different themed scenarios to keep the game fresh and interesting, with 4 more scenarios downloadable via in-app purchasing. Some of the themes involve clowns, ninjas, sharks, space-invaders, just to name a few. Each scenario also comes with it’s own unique set of achievements specific to that level.
To add in a little extra incentive, players earn tickets based on their score and can cash them in for various prizes. The prizes don’t’ do much, but they’re fun to collect on your prize shelf along with achievement trophies.
The controls are very fine-tuned—difficult enough to make earning achievements challenging, but accurate enough that your score still relies upon skill. The themes add an element of variety and fun to the game that similar apps are missing, and the prizes and achievements give you incentive to keep replaying and save up your tickets.
It’s hard too find many negatives about Ramp Champ. Personally, I think I’d like to see the developers do more with the prizes, such as adding sounds and animation to some. I also hope the developers continue to add new scenarios for in-app purchasing.
Overall, I think Ramp Champ has all the essential elements necessary to make it a winner. Fun gameplay, multiple scenarios, lots of rewards, downloadable content, and all with an easy pick up and play style. If you’ve ever been a fan of ski ball, you’ll probably enjoy Ramp Champ.
