Remember back in September when I promised an iPod Touch 4 review the week after its announcement? Well, sadly there were financial issues but Xmas has just passed and I knew I had to keep my promise. So here it goes, iGG will review the iPod Touch 4G and a bunch of games on the device.
It’s easy to say this is the best iPod Touch ever. (It is.) As expected, each new iPod Touch has improved upon the others. Increased RAM, new features, longer battery life, you name it. The most notable addition to this iPod Touch is the dual-cameras. Both rumoured and highly-requested from Apple’s consumers. Another thing you may notice is how unbelievably slim this iPod is. I spent 5 minutes just looking at it because it’s just that slim. I compared it to my broken iPod Touch 2G (Poddie was his name) and it made that look like a chinese knockoff. Let’s get down to the meat about each of these new additions in greater detail, shall we?
When I was getting ready to try out the camera, I had to remind myself. This is not the iPhone 4. The rear-camera is somewhat disappointing even if it was a necessary sacrifice for the thinness. The photos don’t even measure up to a megapixel.
Your iPod Touch won’t making your digital camera envious, but if you have no camera, then the iPod is good for you because its more than just a camera. The video camera is pretty with 720p HD recording. I decided to check this out yesterday when the clincally insane lady on the corner was disturbing the peace.
The touch’s biggest limitation: Connectivity. Or rather, the lack thereof. There isn’t a big wifi hotspot covering the entire earth, so the touch seems to be begging to be connected to wifi. Once you’re untethered, no Safari. No FaceTime. No GodFinger. No Maps. No Pandora. There’s no 3G plan like there is on the iPad.
But again, this is no iPhone 4.
No wonder Apple pushed gaming as the primary use for the iPod Touch. Besides listening to music, it’s basically the only thing you can do while not connected to the internet.
At the end of the day, the iPod Touch is still the best portable media device on the market. There is no question that it is the most full-featured, high performance iPod to date.
The Good
Sleek design
Retina Display
Camera with 720p HD Recording
256 RAM
FaceTime
The Bad
Still photos have sucky quality
Microphone may get in the way while playing music games like Tap Tap
8.75/10
Infinity Blade Semi-Review*
Remember that game that Epic Games preview during Apple’s Live Conference in September? Well that beautiful, Unreal Engine 3 running game is Infinity Blade and it’s the best looking game you’ll find on the App Store today. Fact. This game stripped Rage HD of the game-that-looks-so-good-I-can’t-believe-it’s-on-the-iPhone title. Infinity Blade has beautiful 3D graphics and compelling gameplay behind it. Let it be known that this is a point-and-click game so don’t expect to be running through the map freely. You point to where you want to move. You point at who you want to attack. You point to the treasure chest you want to open.
The story isn’t so impressive. You’re a knight who wants to kill the God King for some reason and each time you die, your son will come 20 something years later and attempt to kill him. There is also an alternative ending to the game, but if you choose that one, you will be forced to your latest checkpoint so you can attempt to defeat the God King once and for all. Each time you die, enemies get more and more difficult. I took me until Bloodline 6 to defeat the God King. The end of the game leaves way for Infinity Blade 2, hopefully we’ll see that before the end of 2011. An update this month will be available that will include multiplayer. But from what we’ve been given, Infinity Blade is the best iPhone game of the year.
10/10
*Semi-reviews are games that aren’t reviewed totally because some parts of the game were unaccessible at the time of the review. We promise to try our hardest to review other missing parts as soon as possible.
Real Racing 2 Review
I’m not a big fan of racing games. I get extremely aggravated when I get to first place but the first hiccup I do will send me to 5th place for the rest of the race. The same thing happens in Real Racing 2, to my luck, but there’s something about this racing game that just doesn’t make me upset. It’s so fun. The iPod Touch 4 and the iPhone 4 take serious advantage of this game. The car models look extraordinary and they’re truly identical to their real-life counterparts. The tilt controls are spot on for this game but you may get a little frustrated during your first few races because you may spin-out on those strict corners that require you turn correctly.
Real Racing 2′s excellence is in its ability to make every vehicle upgrade count. At first, I didn’t care if I came in at fourth place because it’s a hell of a lot better than 10th place. After upgrading my brakes and my exhaust pipes, I’ve managed to get in first place in a tournament so I can afford new cars (hello, 370Z) which were more aggressive beasts.
Real Racing 2 offers online multiplayer via Game Center. Up to 16 players can be in a race and there’s something about trading paint with other players that just psychs me out. Some of the framerate issues from the singleplayer pop up a little more online, but it’s not something that takes out of the thrill of the experience. I was originally going to review Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, but instead I downloaded Real Racing 2 and I knew that is the best racing game on the App Store and is well worth your $9.99.
9.0/10
Tap Tap Revenge 4 Review
Sitting in my uncomfortable computer chair with a cell phone full of New Years text messages, with my iPod Touch listening to IGN’s Podcast Beyond, with my arms feeling like nothing more than air, I sit back pulling myself to write my last article which includes the game I’ve played the least on my iPod, yet disliked the most. Last year when Tap Tap 3 came out, I loved it. It was the greatest game since sliced bread. It improved so much upon Tap Tap 2 and it showed.
I don’t know what happened to Tap Tap 4. For starters, it takes a ridiculously long time to load compared to Tap Tap 3 and there aren’t many songs to choose from from the start. There are only 5 free downloadable songs and everything else is free. You can transfer your purchases songs from Tap Tap 3, but you may as well play Tap Tap 3 because it’s better.
Tap Tap 4 glitches way too much. It can freeze while loading, force close randomly and sometimes the layout won’t load properly and can be very distracting. They, unfortunately, took away high scores in the music selection and grouped difficulty. Thank goodness this game is free. If you want a music game you can enjoy, allow me to direct you to Rock Band Reloaded.
When I was getting ready to try out the camera, I had to remind myself. This is not the iPhone 4. The rear-camera is somewhat disappointing even if it was a necessary sacrifice for the thinness. The photos don’t even measure up to a megapixel.
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