Streetbike: Full Blast iPhone Review
Missed opportunity. That perfectly describes Chillingo's latest iPhone release, Streetbike: Full Blast. The publisher had a chance to create one of the coolest motorcycle games on the App Store, thus satisfying the need for such a game within the racing genre. Instead, it looks and plays like something from 15 years ago.
Visually, the game struggles to compete with PlayStation One. Bikes look the same, aside from color swaps, traffic consists of boxy cars and trucks, while the environments suffer from pixelated images that bring us back to the 90s. Not exactly impressive, considering Streetbike sits among graphical powerhouses like Real Racing 2.
What's more, there's a significant lack of content. No multiplayer to speak of or a satisfying career mode. Instead, you compete in a series of race types (against the A.I., Time Attack) in the hopes of earning cash to purchase new bikes with superior speed and handling.
On top of that, Chillingo included a handful of in-app purchases, from unlocking all the bikes ($1.99) to putting $100,000 into your virtual bank account ($0.99). This, after you've already spent a buck to download the game.
The action, sadly, is quite pedestrian. The developers offer touch and tilt controls, both of which work well enough, but none of the bikes move especially fast, and the computer is at times relentless, where one slight mistake costs you a race.
Factor in a lack of retina display and universal support, and Streetbike: Full Blast disappoints on just about every level. A shame, considering Chillingo's impressive lineup of iOS games.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
What's Hot: Touch and tilt controls.
What's Not: No retina display or universal support, unappealing in-app purchases, subpar graphics, not enough bike variety, lackluster modes.
2/5
