I Hate Guns! Review

Anannya Sen ’s Review

Well, I may hate guns but I don't hate this game, in fact it's great!

Sometimes you wonder about the state of the mobile phone games industry. The big players are getting bigger and better and the quality of the games is improving at an almost exponential rate. So how do the smaller fish cope in the huge pond they're in? Well, every once in a while they show us that there are still some gems which can be unearthed and I Hate Guns! is a prime example!

The game has a lot to offer, the graphics, while not polished, have a really nice look about them and are actually very decent. The gameplay is very enjoyable and simple to pick up and the sound is really excellent. Onto the detail then.

I played the beta version (see the review), and while it's a good game, there were plenty of flaws. I'm happy to say that these have all been resolved and the game now plays great. It's basically a side scrolling action adventure where you have to kick and punch your way through some baddies while collecting things and finding out about the plot. The plot itself is pretty interesting and well paced. Information comes through in drips but at the right times to have you intrigued about what's going on, although the twist is kinda given away a little in the manufacturers description. So if you want to play it through and have the surprise, then don't read it!! But, you play the role of McGrady, a Chuck Norris type character who gets roped in to save the life of his daughter who'd been kidnapped after the person who she was placed into care with was killed. Got that? Well, McGrady gets contacted by a mysterious character and after some thought he sets off to kick some ass.

The game plays really well as there are three levels of difficulty. Even on easy you may find yourself replaying some areas as there can be some congested spots. The levels are set in the Middle East (sorry, "Near East"!) so those are the people you have to face off against, although to make it more politically correct later on there are plenty of Arabs going about their business as usual. The action takes place on many levels with plenty of things to collect (there's even an explanation for the treasure that you pick up in the game!) as you progress. The treasure and diamonds help increase your score so you don't have to go around collecting them. What's fun about the game is actually the moves and jumps that you can do. McGrady has punches, kicks, roundhouses, flying kicks and combos. The execution of these is really well done and will have you coming back to play the game again and again.

Thankfully, the controls have been radically improved. Now there are buttons for diagonal jumps so you can easily get around the game environment. It makes the game flow a hell of a lot better and allows you to pull off some nice moves. Also, the reaction time for button inputs has decreased greatly so when you press the buttons, the character is very responsive. This allows you to pull of nice combos and even a few juggles and is a HUGE improvement over the beta version. The punches and kicks look and sound really nice and can be pulled off with the 7 and # button respectively. You can also duck and see what's below you if you are trying to collect all the treasure.

The graphics haven't improved as far as I can see, but they were really nice to begin with and like the beta, the sound is really excellent. There are loads of sound effects in there like whistles, sounds for the punches and kicks, your opponents getting beaten and even McGrady sighing when he gets his health renewed. The sounds really make the game a whole lot of fun to play and there's even an intro tune and little tune when you get messages or finish levels. You have to play it with the sound on!

Unlike the beta version we had all six levels to play and the game does save your progress at the end of each level. You start off with four hearts and you can get little test tubes which replenish them (what are in these?!), but if you lose a heart fully, then it's gone and you're down to three and so on. When you restart each level though, you start off again with four hearts which makes things a bit easier. The levels get a bit more frantic later on with guys with sticks and even swordsman riding camels! If I was to have any gripes about the game, I would say that there wasn't really a clear indication of where each level ended coupled with the fact that the levels all looked a bit too similar. This meant that if you were trying to collect everything, unless you spent a good while not progressing forward too much and exploring every area, you may well finish the level before you realised and have missed out on getting some treasure (which translates into points).

The storyline was a nice element and not all was revealed in this initial opener so I am looking forward to finding out more facts about our hero after the "non Holllywood" ending of the film.

A huge improvement over the beta and a game that everyone should check out, I Hate Guns! is a worthy recipient of our Gold award! A great first offering from Fun and Mobile.