Smash Cops - (by Hutch) - Universal App (+POLL about controls)

[farjo08]

I finished all the missions so here's my impressions:

Game Length : In terms of completing all the missions, I'd say 30 minutes it the most is should take, most likely less. More missions would certainly expand the value.

Controls : I'm still mixed on these. I have similar issues to others in regard to a lot of crashing, but overall I don't think the controls are as bad as most people think. In fact, I'm not sure what control scheme would really make them better (see next section for more).

Missions : The cone mission (only one) and the mission where you have major damage and need to reach the end of the freeway were the hardest ones. They are not overly difficult to complete, but in terms of 5 stars, seem almost impossible. Although I haven't replayed them after getting the 3 stars (but just doing that took awhile)

Star Ranking : It would be nice if prior to the mission you knew what the requirements were. Going back to the cones and damage, knowing what time you need to compelte them in, the max damage, etc. would help. Also some missions while you're not pursuing a suspect, appear to require suspect arrests and it's not clear you need to do that or how many you need.

Replayability : If going for 5 stars on all missions, this most likely will consume a lot of time. After my initial playthrough (I did replay several missions, several times) I am missing 5 stars on 8 missions. 4 of them I think shouldn't be that hard, particularly with upgraded vehicles / super cop, but the cones and damage one not so sure.

Overall : I did like the game, the graphics are amazing, but the combination of controls / requirements for 5 stars do make it a bit frustrating.

Recommendation : I'd still say pick it up, it's pretty cheap and enjoyable, but refer to others reactions before making a decision. I really did like the game and will go back trying to 5 star everything, but again, seeing as controls were the main complaint, I'm not sure changing them will make the game that much easier - probably more of reducing the requirements for level completion / stars would help a lot more than changing the control scheme.

Just my 2 cents...

[eAdvisory]

Is the 2.99 price worth 30-60 minutes of gameplay?

[Johnny101]

I think this is a cool game. Easily worth 2.99. For the price of a Starbucks Cappuccino, it's a no brainer. This is not the most in depth game but is just plain entertaining. For me it's the type of game that doesn't require a lot of strategy but is a lot of fun.

[backtothis]

Congrats on getting GOTW from Apple here in the US guys. Looks like the minor setback last week won't be affecting sales after all. Really looking forward to more content in the future. A exploration/endless mode would be great. Like the game a lot, but there's really just no content. Can't say I'm compelled to replay levels after beating them all in around 30 minutes.

[farjo08]

Originally Posted by eAdvisory

Is the 2.99 price worth 30-60 minutes of gameplay?

Hard to say. You pay $8 - $10 to see a movie in the theater, 1.5 - 2 hours? You need to determine what your time / money worth is. Personally I'd recommend it, but everyone has different opinions and expectations. If there were a lite version, that would probably make it easier for most to decide.

While the gameplay to completion is short, if you're the type that wants to complete a game 100% / get all achievements, it will take a lot longer than the 30 to 60 minutes. Just food for thought.

[eAdvisory]

Originally Posted by farjo08

Hard to say. You pay $8 - $10 to see a movie in the theater, 1.5 - 2 hours? You need to determine what your time / money worth is. Personally I'd recommend it, but everyone has different opinions and expectations. If there were a lite version, that would probably make it easier for most to decide.

While the gameplay to completion is short, if you're the type that wants to complete a game 100% / get all achievements, it will take a lot longer than the 30 to 60 minutes. Just food for thought.

yeah i wish there was a lite version. i dont go to the theatre because of the 8-10 dollar fee rofl. but im just gonna buy this game now and support the devs, it looks like they worked hard on this game.

[VirtualBoyFreak]

Originally Posted by eAdvisory

yeah i wish there was a lite version. i dont go to the theatre because of the 8-10 dollar fee rofl. but im just gonna buy this game now and support the devs, it looks like they worked hard on this game.

Okay, I've played half of the missions, got 5-stars in all of them (cones & highway included) and I must say that this game DEFINITELY needs an endless mode... What about "survival" and "catch the thieves"? The problem I see is the game AI is not as random as a true free roaming game as GTA. For example, let's take the highway level where your car is nearly broken. You just have to learn where traffic is to finally get to the end. I don't know if an endless mode would be difficult to implement or not, but the AI would need to be heavily modified for an endless mode ("randomized" traffic & enemies), and I'm sure that is difficult.

Anyway, great game for 3 bucks if you go for a 5-star rating in all the levels, but be aware that there is not truly "a whole city for you to explore" as the official video states.

[GoofyJmaster.]

Originally Posted by helriser

I don't think you understand my issue with this game. The way the cop car moves and is very sensitive is absolutely terrible. I'm not looking for rr2 handling here, I know this is an arcade racer and so are Reckless Getaway and MMR. But the cars in the latter games moves and controls appropriately. I don't know what control scheme you use in MMR but as far as I'm concerned, the wheel gives me dead on accuracy and control. If anyone uses the Big Rig however things may be a little tough, but that's only because all the cars in MMR have individual stats which is reflected in how they handle.

This game however, I can't stress enough how bad the movement of the vehicle is. It simply doesn't move like a car but rather like a retangle box I'm just dragging around the screen. And don't get me started on those physics. Besides the slow-mo ramming of criminals, drifts are scripted and not conclusive to how you take a corner. Hitting other cars in traffic (not on purpose) slows you down but not the criminals. And this whole grinding for more star very early in the game is a huge turn off. $3 wasted for sure.

I do wich an update for MMR comes out soon with more content and multiplayer. While its not perfect, it way better than this game for sure. But SC does have SUPERB graphics. Then again so does MMR!

I really don't understand because MMR was the most sensitive racing game I've ever played. Maybe I just sucked at it, but I was doing a million little shifts to get go straight again. I played with all the controls and found them all equally bad.

And what is with the MMR physics feel real? I've never raced or drifted myself, but I've been a passenger before. And it doesn't seem like MMR emulates my experience at all...maybe if we were on ice at the time.

The slo-mo helps because the game is busy and you're on a touchscreen device. If it wasn't for the slo-mo drifts I wouldn't be doing so well. Also, I haven't had a problem keeping up with criminals, and you're the first person I've seen express this issue. The game always slows the criminal down and you can catch back up in a matter of a couple of seconds.

I'm also looking back at my console days with playing as a cop and it wasn't this super easy, I'm always on his bumper playing...that's not even fun. It's sorta lame IMHO.

Grinding?

To compare this game to MMR in terms of aesthetics is meh--they both look good, but I think SC looks better and is more dynamic. I haven't had this much fun with a top down arcade racer since Death Rally. To be fair, DR was one of the very, very few arcade racers I could get into anyways.

Hell, I'd throw down an extra 2 dollars just because a game that looks this good hasn't crashed once and there's been no drop in frame rate either. It's definitely the best looking arcade racer and one of the best looking racers over all. It has dynamic crashing that brings a smile to face every time I send a car flying. Personally, I think it has a fair amount of replay value when you throw in getting achievements and collecting all the stars.

Edit
I re-downloaded MMR and I have to say the controls are a sh*t ton better than what they were when I first downloaded the game. I bought it on day one and the controls and frame rate were horrendous, but it seems as if they improved them tremendously. No more "slip slidin' away". (anybody catch that)

[cabdog]

Being that this is Universal, shouldn't this game support iCloud saving?
Any plans too PLEASE??

[iago]

It's like your high school prom date, pretty to look at, but ultimately kind of dull.