iTuesday Review: Bop It for iPhone
Bop It for iPhone brings the classic quick reflex game from the mid 90’s onto a touch screen. Bop It for iPhone is very similar to its 90’s counterpart. If you’re unfamiliar with the game, check out the video below. It’s actually a commercial for a later version of the game that added a “shout it” feature, but you get the idea.
The obvious difference between the original Bop It game and it’s iOS counterpart is that in the original Bop It the player would actually interact with physical controls. For example, you would actually pull a lever when the game says “pull it”. The iPhone adds these physical buttons from the classic game onto the screen but even on the touch screen, you’ll have to treat some of the commands differently. For example, when it says, “pull it” you have to slide your finger across the “pull it” lever.
There are several gameplay modes to choose from. “Classic” is basically what you’ll remember from childhood. “Basic” is a rhythm challenge. I personally had a hard time of getting the hang of this. I think my mind has just been conditioned to “bop it” as quickly as I can when I hear the command “bop it!” “Extreme” features 6 “bobjects” (seriously?) on the screen at once. Finally there is “Blitz” which challenges you to complete 20 moves as fast as you can. All the versions of gameplay, even ones not included on the original Bop It game have a great nostalgic feel to it. I think It’s because it includes the original music and original sound effects.
“Classic” features “Bop it”, “pull it” and “twist it” commands
Bop It on iPhone can be played individually or with a group. The original Bop It was a social game. Part of the fun of the game was holding the strange device and trying to act quick then passing it to a friend. The phone doesn’t have the same feel to it. You’ll probably end up playing Bop It for iPhone by yourself, as the iPhone really isn’t a social gaming device.
Another unfortunate downfall is that Bop It is an audio game so you’ll be unable to play it in some situations that you would ordinarily play games on your iPhone (such as a bus ride). Of course, headphones are the simple solution to that problem. One weird thing is that even if your iPhone is muted the game will not be, so make sure you have your headphones in before you start the game (I’m looking at you, guy in the back of a crowded lecture hall).
There are a couple of nice things playing it on an iPhone brings to the table though. For example, you’ll easily be able to navigate through different gameplay modes. You also have the ability to keep score and try to beat your high score.
I actually really like the idea of bringing a Bop It style game to the iPhone. In fact I even talked about that idea before Bop It for iPhone was released. However, what I had envisioned was something that made use of some of features that make the iPhone so cool. To some degree it does do that. When it says, “Twist it” you have to use two fingers and make a twist motion. This makes use of the multi-touch feature. Also, in certain gameplay modes you twist the phone when it says “twist it”. I still think it could go further though by making better use of the accelerometer. Wouldn’t it be cool to hear “shake it” and shake your iPhone? Or “turn it” and have to rotate your phone upside down? These are things that I wish would have been incorporated into the game. It would have made it a unique version of Bop It, instead of just Bop It on a screen. All though, to be fair, the game does exactly what it says it’s going to.
Bop It for iPhone is priced at $.99 in the app store. It’s not going to be the type of game you’ll spend hours playing, but it’s worth the $.99 price tag. It’s a fun and well-designed quick reflex game that is also a great throwback to childhood for 90s kids.
Final Rating: 6.8/10
CBR Break Down:
Console Played On: iPhone 4
Approximate Time to Completion: N/A
Price Bought at: $.99
Current Price: $.99
Recommend Purchase Price: $.99