All Pro Crash Off Road Review for iPhone and iPod Touch

Making its debut on the iPhone and iPod Touch App Store, All Pro Crash Off Road, developed by mmmJuice Inc., dabbles in the off road racing genre. Sure, there are plenty of racing games out there right now, but some would be hard pressed to match the physics and destructibility of their motor vehicles. While still a far cry from a perfect game, All Pro Crash Off Road delivers in several aspects of the genre that have, as of yet, not been utilized.

Review

Gameplay for All Pro Crash Off Road keeps true to the genre with simple controls and a straight forward premise. There are four potential vehicles to drive, yet three must be unlocked through feats achieved during races. Successfully nabbing Best Lap on the second through fourth tracks will unlock every car. There are five standard tracks, and again, the last four must be unlocked with a certain amount of silver and gold trophies, accomplished by coming in 1st or 2nd in the earlier races.

While there is no tutorial to speak of, the loading screen before a race labels and explains each button needed for gameplay. The steering wheel is located on the bottom left of the screen, and is shown as only a quarter of the wheel. You tap either the L or R buttons to turn the car left or right, respectively. There is a gas pedal and brake located on the bottom right, and a stick shift directly to the left of the brake, which, when toggled, switches between Drive and Reverse.

The controls are accessible, and I had no trouble understanding and mastering the control scheme. There was, however, one major issue that could not be left undiscussed. The steering controls seemed very touchy, and often times not responsive to my touch. Holding either direction for more than an instant seemed to rocket my car in an unintended direction, and left me flabbergasted as to the cause of said action. I have played this game both before and after the recent update, which did attempt to fix the steering. But unfortunately I still felt the update did not entirely solve the issue, merely stifle it.

The graphics for All Pro Crash Off Road were decent, and the 3D arenas and tracks were fun to navigate through. The car models were well crafted and blended well with the style of game. The physics were rather bothersome, due both in part to the cars and the environment. The physics seemed to throw the car in all manner of directions even when glancing off of a small bump. Sometimes, there would be no visible obstruction, yet the car would still act erratically.

The game’s most redeeming feature was the car damage. This is something many racing titles have not yet covered, and if so, have not covered it well. Bounce into a wall too many times, you might lose a bumper. Land on a car and watch the pieces fly. Personally, the destruction available was my favorite part. There was a small diagram in the top left corner of the screen to show current damage to the car, and driving over a repair icon on the track would fix any damages.

There are many items that could be improved and/or fixed as well. The controls need work, at least the steering. I feel that the accelerometer was greatly underestimated during the creation of this game, and would definitely have helped more people find a positive response. The level designs themselves felt repetitive at times, and a drastic change of scenery would help keep gamers’ interests up.

Overall, All Pro Crash Off Road is an alright racing sim that lacks the tight controls and proper physics engine to really distinguish the game from all the other racing games. While the price tag isn’t steep set at only $1.99, the quality of the game felt like it should have been either $.99 or a free app.

Tips

1. To help make those hard turns, sometimes its easier to tap the steering wheel, rather than holding the button down.

2. Keep wondering why you spin out and hit those bumps so often? Take that finger off the gas and hit the brakes. They are there for more than show.

Recommendation

I would recommend All Pro Crash Off Road to a select audience of gamers who love the off road racing genre, and are willing to wait for some upgrades to the game mechanics.

Photos

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