Let’s be honest, the average 99 cent game on the Appstore is generally a casual timewaster. Fun and frothy; but once played, soon forgotten. Enter MVMG, a title that admirably eschews this trend to deliver a compelling hardcore experience that’ll truly test your gaming mettle.
The game puts you in the heroic boots of Sgt. Jackson, the sole survivor of a devastating attack by the machines on a research facility, who must man a gun turret and do battle with these rampaging robots. Viewed from a fixed perspective, gameplay boils down to spraying attackers with hot lead as they mercilessly march toward you.
The initial skirmish throws you in at the deep end, instantly bombarding Jackson with a dizzying array of different enemy types, which range from scurrying mechanical spiders to larger, thus tougher, twin gun toting ‘bots that recall Robocop‘s ED- 209. The unforgiving difficulty level perfectly reflecting the last-man-standing, up against insurmountable odds type scenario.
From the outset then it’s obvious MVMG isn’t going to be a walk in the park, but persevere, get the hang of it, and the game soon becomes enjoyable and gets quite addictive. Controls are well implemented: one thumb aims the machine gun while the other controls the shield. Quick reflexes, nerves of steel and split-second timing are a must as you juggle the twin priorities of protecting your puny human body from the robot’s lasers and returning fire.
As the war rages on power-ups and extra cash are thrown your direction, which can be used to upgrade the titular weapon, purchase a lethal laser gun, or expand your health bar. Boss battles are epic with a capital E, these end of level sections pitting you against towering foes that take a helluva lot of beating.
While the game isn’t without it’s flaws – the extreme difficulty may alienate some, environments soon seem a little drab after prolonged play, and it’d be nice to have damage meters for bosses – MVMG is still a solid shooter that represents superb value for money. The Terminator inspired rise of the machines storyline and sci-fi graphical style may be the hook, but it’s the challenging gameplay and sheer volume of content that means the game will stay on your iDevice well into the future.
iFanzine Verdict: Casual kids need not apply as this is one title aimed squarely at the hardcore player, but if you’re up for the challenge MVMG is a tonne of fun.
7 out of 10
*The kind folks at Killerstorm Studios have provided 2 promo codes for the game to give away! To be in with a shot of winning simply tell us “why you want to kill robots…” in the comments section below! (following iFanzine on twitter couldn’t hurt your chances of winning either!)*
Best iPhone apps at AppStoreHQ