iTuesday Review: WWE Superstar Slingshot for iPhone

Just a look at a couple of screen shots of WWE Superstar Slingshot and It’s easy to describe the game – it’s Angry Birds with wrestlers. This is actually a pretty accurate description. With that being said, this game faces a couple of series challenges. First, it’s a WWE game, but it’s not a fighting game so it may be hard to win over the usual type of person to play a WWE game. Second, it’s a game that’s like Angry Birds…. But it isn’t Angry Birds, which may make it hard to win over fans of the three incarnations of Angry Birds (and there are a lot of Angry Birds fans out there).

With that being said, the game does a good job recreating what made Angry Birds so fun, while still being it’s own game.  There are a few key differences between WWE Superstar Slingshot and Angry Birds. Perhaps the biggest is the difference in character abilities. In angry birds, there are a variety of birds, with different powers. You get different combinations of birds for different levels. In WWE Superstar Slingshot you play as one wrestler with three lives each round. You get the choice of which superstar you want to use at the main menu.

You would think each superstar would have different abilities. Rey Mysterio can fly higher, The Big Show does more damage but doesn’t get much air, Kane could maybe… I don’t know… shoot fire balls, The Miz could just stand around talking about how awesome he is. This is not the case. Instead each superstar has the same special ability. Basically you can tap the screen to turbo charge your superstar towards the obstacles in the ring. You can only use this special move one time during your three lives though.

Your opposition in the game are the other 9 superstars that you can play as. Each round features a random superstar. Seems like with the large roster the WWE has these could have been wrestlers other than the playable characters. Of course, I’m just being nit-picky here as this in no way changes the game play.

The game takes you through Raw, Smackdown, and 13 Pay-per-views. Each event has 9 levels, making there a total of 135 “matches”. This results in hours of entertainment and challenges. As you reach new events you face new obstacles in your way. Many of these obstacles are unlike anything you’ll find in Angry Birds such as bouncing tires and falling structures.

When you reach the fatal 4 way Pay-per-view you face the challenge of giant fours in the ring. Really WWE? Giant fours? Really? Really?

When you make it to the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania, some of your matches contain an extra challenge. There is a man in a suit outside of the ring. I have no idea who this guy is suppose to be. Seriously, WWE, you couldn’t have put someone we could recognize out there? I guess, to quote the rock, “It doesn’t matter what his name is” because all that matters is if any flying debris hits him, before you destroy the opposing superstar, you lose the match. This was a difficult challenge and added a fun twist to the last few rounds of the game.

Anyone have any clue who this guy is suppose to be?

The bottom line is if you like Angry Birds, you’ll enjoy WWE Superstar Slingshot. It’s challenging, has plenty of levels and there’s just something fun about watching the Undertaker fly through the air towards a pile of dumpsters. It’s available for 1.99 in the app store, so you don’t get quite as much bang for your buck as you do with Angry Birds but it’s still a good price for a fun game.

Final Rating: 8/10

CBR Break Down:
Console Played On: iPhone 4
Approximate Time to Completion: 4 – 6 hours
Price Bought at: $1.99
Recommend Purchase Price: $1.99 is a good price, but if it ever drops to $.99 don’t pass it up!