Count To A Billion iPhone Review

Over the past 30 years, we've seen our fair share of button mashers, from the old fighting games to the 90's side-scrolling beat-em-ups and, more infamously, Nintendo's Mario Party series that is guaranteed to transform players into masochists or their money back. RAWR! Interactive's Count to a Billion, however, takes button mashing to a whole other galaxy. This iPhone game is so intense that it's a borderline workout. In fact, we think our biceps just grew a few inches playing it. Suck on that, Wii Fit.

Available for a measly $0.99, this fast-paced, crazy and undeniably thrilling title challenges you to post a high score (Remember when those actually mattered?) by rapidly tapping the screen, but there's a method to the madness. The developers throw a series of widgets onto the screen containing yellowish blocks, some of which contain numbers, and you need to mash those suckers as if your life depended on it. Oh yeah, and you only have 90 seconds.

As expected, this is tougher than it sounds. Widgets fall into one of three categories. You have Mashers that stay put; all you have to do is press them to death. Then there are Sequentials; you need to press these in specific order. Finally, we come to the Sliders. We'll give you one guess what you're supposed to do with them.

It doesn't take long to get the hang of things. Keeping your multiplier active, though, will take a keen eye, quick fingers and tons of patience. Lose it, and you might as well grab a big fat red marker and write the word "FAIL" onto your forehead. Nothing sucks worse than screwing up during a key moment in the game. Conversely, you'll be on cloud nine if you're able to hang onto the multiplier, watching as your score quickly soars from the millions into the billions.

It's quite an adrenaline rush, and the fact that each game lasts 90 seconds means Count to a Billion benefits from that "just one more go" kind of appeal. The presentation also makes this app appealing, thanks to the announcer that proudly reveals accomplishments and awards won. The neon graphics aren't too shabby, either, and the pulse-pounding music from DJ Santiago Nino will keep you in the mood.

On top of that, you can watch replays, post high scores to Facebook and even upload your greatest triumphs to YouTube; there's also Game Center leaderboards. Taking all of this into account, Count to a Billion is one of the coolest games we've seen on the App Store, and we also feel it's safe to proclaim it king of the button mashers. Now how about full-screen iPad support, RAWR?

Download Count To A Billion (iOS)