iPhone Review | Hoopster
by Carter Dotson
Developer/Publisher: Red Knight Games
Verdict: An incredibly fun and addictive arcade basketball game, buy it!
Pros: Great controls, allows you to get into a good rhythm while playing, impressive physics engine.
Cons: Issues with high score leaderboards
Arcade sports games are plentiful on the iPhone, and Hoopster is another entry into the genre. Hoopster, however, has a unique twist, in that it uses a true 3D engine and a realistic physics system to power the game. However, plenty of games have had impressive graphics and physics and have fallen into obscurity, but thankfully Hoopster has the elements to make it a great arcade basketball game for the iPhone.
You may be hot now, but remember, Hoopster giveth...
The game’s primary mode, Quick Shots, gives you 90 seconds to score as many points as you can, and you move to different stations around the court as time advances. You shoot by dragging your finger on the power bar on the right side and letting go, and can adjust the angle of your shot by tilting your device to the left or right. The shooting mechanic functions superbly, and it really works in a great way to help you get that rhythm that the great arcade-style sports games let you achieve. Developing that rhythm and learning the power levels that you have to set for your shots is the key to success in this game, particularly as you can only get the powerups to raise your score if you keep making consecutive shots. If you don’t develop a rhythm and learn the controls, then you likely won’t score very high in the game. But once you do get it down, then the game will start to become more fun as you start to master it. To help you attain this mastery, the game also has a Shootaround mode, which lets you practice shots from anywhere on the court, and it really helps with getting the hang of playing the game in a low-stress environment. There are 3 different difficulty modes: Rookie, Intermediate, and Pro. The difference between each level of difficulty appears to be how many lines appear on the shot power bar and just how much the accelerometer affects the shots.
...and Hoopster taketh away. You must improve your skills, son.
Now, I have to focus on the game’s graphics and presentation, because they are what really pushes the game over the top. The gameplay is entirely 3D, and uses a physics engine to make the balls behave realistically. This is one of the neater tricks of the game – you’ll see balls occasionally bouncing around on the rim, and if you shoot another one, it is possible for the balls to interact, so you can knock shots in, or more often, out. It’s very neat, and unique for the arcade sports games on the iPhone, many of which are not capable of neat 3D physics effects like that. The game also will light the net on fire when you’re on a hot streak, freeze the nets (with falling snow) when you’re on a cold streak, and occasionally when you miss, the game will spawn a brick that hits the rim and falls to the floor. I don’t know whether it’s more shameful or hilarious. Even the powerup icons are rendered in 3D. It’s not necessarily that making everything in 3D necessarily improves the game, it’s that it shows that the developers put effort into making the game work, and making it a high-quality package. When you make a shot by having your shot bounce off a missed shot that’s still in the air and it banks in, that’s just a cool little moment that really makes the work that the developer put into the game. Add in the fact that the game runs very smoothly, and what you get is just an all-around, well-done package. The game also features a personal favorite feature of mine, online leaderboards. The only problems with these are that the custom keyboard they use for typing in your name isn’t very responsive, and if you get a high score while disconnected from the internet (or if there’s an error in score submission), then it will not show up in the leaderboards at all. However, caching of high scores is likely to be added in an update to the game according to the developers, so keep an eye out for that sometime in the future.
In conclusion, I have to recommend Hoopster. It’s a fun and addictive take on the arcade basketball genre, and it has that crucial element of flow and rhythm that the last game I played in the genre, 3 Point Hoops, notably lacked. The game is $2.99, and is worth it if you want a fun arcade basketball game, especially because of the work put into the 3D graphics and physics effects that makes an already fun game stand out amongst its competitors.
