Mad Wheels
SCORE: 72
Mad Wheels reminds me of the first
iteration of the Cars online browser based video game. It advanced by
leaps and bounds before Disney Interactive Studios pushed it. Mad Wheels
has that sort of sky viewpoint. Players race their vehicles around
tracks trying to get first place. Health items can be picked up. Wait,
why would your vehicle need some health? Because Mad Wheels has weapons.
You shoot the other vehicles while trying to beat them to the finish
line. At times being in first place is not the best place to be.
The violent content in Mad Wheels is somewhere between Mario Kart and
Twisted Metal. I would say more on the Mario Kart side, but vehicles
will smoke when they are damaged. The details of the tracks are okay,
especially considering the size of the graphics. Everything looks pretty
small, but if it was any bigger it would be difficult to make the turns.
The car sounds in Mad Wheels fit the theme of this game flawlessly. The
special effect sounds are okay, and also enhance Mad Wheels. The
shooting sounds got old for me - quickly. I could turn the sounds
completely off or hear them as well. It was a toss up for me at times. I
kept the music on more often than not though.
What does any racing game need these days? Online. Mad Wheels delivers
in this regard. I am surprised that it includes an online mode, but am
very thankful. There are enough levels to warrant the ninety-nine cent
price. Be sure to read my game play paragraph though. Might as well go
into that next.
The control in Mad Wheels gave me fits. There is a ball on the left that
is inside a larger circle. We moved that around to control the direction
the vehicle was going. On the right side of the screen is the button to
fire the weapon. Trying to do both at once can be problematic at times.
I also noticed the controls are very sensitive. I got myself stuck on
more than one occasion. That led to frustration. That led to unhappiness
in this reviewer. This is the main area of Mad Wheels that fails, and
this game would have been a lot better if the controls had been better.
Racing games generally teach one thing - get there first. It makes me
think of one of the teachings from Jesus. Matthew 20:16 “So the last
will be first, and the first will be last.” I have learned to be patient
in my life, and feel that makes our world a better place than trying to
be first all the time. The concept of destroying whatever is in your way
is also in Mad Wheels. I must say that I am not very fond of that
concept either. A sequel to Mad Wheels would work if the violent content
is taken out, and the controls are tweaked.
- Frank
Graphics: 70%
Sound: 78%
Replay/Extras: 83%
Gameplay: 60%
Family Friendly Factor: 71%
System: iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch
Publisher: Chillingo
ESRB Rating: '9+' - 9+
{Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence}
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