Over the past few years, one of the most popular flash based games has been Line Rider. A physics based entertainment game were users create “courses” for the Line Rider character “Bosh”.

By drawing lines and establishing paths, a player takes Bosh trough hills and valleys, loops and cliffs, and anything else that the creator may want to take them. Create a course and then see how friendly it is to Bosh by sending him through it. Because of the unique game play, Line Rider has been a huge success on the internet and is now available on your iPhone.

Gameplay

Line Rider is fun. It was fun on the internet and it is fun on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Like any game on a mobile platform, I gage its success on how re-playable it is. Line Rider passes the test. It is a game I can see myself playing randomly while waiting in lines, before bed, or just for kicks.

Controls

Line Rider on the iPhone has a unique interface compared to the flash based version of the game found on the internet. Instead of using a mouse to design the course, the iPhone version of the game was designed with touch controls. You literally create your course by dragging your finger around the screen.

The interface is fun at first as you see yourself drawing lines every which way you move your finger (I let me 3rd old son “draw” on line rider when he wants a turn). The interface shows its weaknesses when you’re working on precise setup for your course. The slightest miss step during course creation leads Bosh to destruction. This is difficult to correct with Line Rider for the iPhone.

Other Features

Line Rider includes save game features. This makes it easy to work on a course over a number of short periods of time. Without this feature Line Rider would be extremely frustrating as you’d have to “Master” the controls each time you decided to spend some time on a course.

Luckily, Line Rider does include the save feature. An Additional feature that Line Rider for the iPhone includes is the ability to share your courses with others. Create a linerider.com account and send off your courses to your friends.

Conclusion

Although Line Rider’s interface isn’t perfected for the iPhone, it is still a very enjoyable game. It has great re-playable, strong extra features, and is social. The combination of those three make it an easy buy if you have $2.99 to spare and you’re looking to add to your iPhone Game Collection.

One of the biggest disadvantages that Apple computers has is its less than stellar game catalog. While it is true that many of the best games eventually make their way to the Mac platform, it is usually months if not years after most gamers originally had interest in the title.

The lack of gaming options on Apple computers has been reason enough for many potential buyers to stick with their PCs. Intel Based Macs combined with Boot Camp has allowed for many gamers to get their fix of entertainment by running Windows as a second OS but plenty of gamers still prefer to just manage one Operating System.

Although Apple hasn’t announced anything recently that suggests they’ll start bringing popular games to the Mac at release, they seem to be approaching mobile games with a much more aggressive plan.

Mobile Gaming with the iPhone & iPod Touch

The iPhone and iPod Touch have become the gaming focus for Apple. They recently updated the iPod Touch to include an external speaker and volume controls. This hardware adjustment appears to be specifically for games and other entertainment medias. It allows users to enjoy the experience without a headset and prompts the interest of others sitting by watching the Apple Gamers enjoy their product.

Apple is marketing their latest iPod Touch as “The Funnest iPod Ever” and the iPhone/iPod Touch application category with the most apps is Games.

Its clear that Apple is starting to understand the value of games. Many believe that with the hardware volume of sales that Apple has with the iPhone and iPod Touch that they soon will be a strong competitor to Nintendo and Sony in the Mobile Gaming market.

Game Prices

One great aspect of the mobile games for the iPhone is their price point. Often, the most popular titles on the platform cost only $9.99. Lets hope that price sticks if the device does become a true competitor in the Mobile Gaming market. Games for the DS and Sony PSP are priced considerably higher.

I believe that part of the reason that games are being priced as low as they are for the iPhone is that many developers are offering their games for Free. This automatically makes higher priced games seem, well, that much more expensive. Also, the ability for users to purchase their games anywhere, while on the go, may help bring the price down. If you’re targeting “spontaneous” purchases it often helps for the prices to be as low as possible. This helps eliminate consumers questioning the purchase because of price.

Game Reviews

As Apple continues to push into the Mobile Gaming market and more and more games are developed for their mobile platform people will want to know more about what games they should try out next. We here at Maciverse will be writing reviews of the iPhone & iPod Touch games we play. Be sure to check back here often to get the latest game and application reviews as well as information on other Mobile Apps for the iPhone & iPod Touch.

Lets hope that Apple sees the benefit of games on the iPhone and iPod Touch and starts to push for more game development for the Mac.

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