Another day and another game available for the BlackBerry PlayBook, and this one is for all those cops and robbers fans out there. The team over at Union is no stranger to the PlayBook with hit games like Burn the City, Kona’s Crate, Roboto and many others. So when I heard they had released yet another game onto the platform, my expectations were high. Smash Cops is a high speed, high impact game of cops and robbers that should keep you gaming for hours on end. Continue reading for the full review of Smash Cops for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Smash Cops for the BlackBerry PlayBook is undoubtedly an intriguing take on the cops and robbers game, right down to the controls. The game features three modes called Pursue, Escape, and Challenge. All of which provide various alterations in game play that should keep you playing for hours. Smash Cops also features a fairly large drivable city that contains rich environments, some of which are destructible as you pave a path of mayhem to capture the outlaw.

 

Game Modes

Something I stated above is that Smash Cops features three modes of gameplay, Pursue, Escape, and Challenge. The crucial question would be, do these added modes increase the stickiness of the game? Do they make you come back and play in the various modes and in effect help you get more gameplay out of the game? The answer, for me at least is most certainly they do.
 

Modes

  • PURSUE! Take down runaway felons whilst avoiding civilian traffic and buddy police as you chase and weave through traffic.
  • ESCAPE! Escape under time pressure from felon attack and get to a call out location as quickly as possible.
  • CHALLENGE! 4 different mini games: smash a load of cars illegally parked in a car park, weave through a course laid out by cones, dodge traffic on a highway and collect evidence throughout the city.

While currently the three modes offer more gameplay, I would hope that new and exciting levels and modes are on their way via an update.

Controls

While I won't agree with the developer that the controls for Smash Cops are “GROUND BREAKING CONTROLS!”, I will say that they are certainly interesting and are a cause for some creative gameplay. Essentially when you’re controlling the cop car you place your finger on the car and pull back on the screen to go forward, then swipe left and right to turn your car. This style of controls is drastically different from your typical touch screen game where the developer would place two virtual joysticks, one on each side of the screen. I've found that in this game, these particular the controls work well. I just hope that in general developers of first person shooters don’t try to pick this style up, because, it just will not work. Within the menu page, you are also able to turn on joystick controls, and you will have the option of placing it on the left or right side of the screen, but I recommend trying the “push” controls before you decide to make the switch.

Graphics

Game graphics are probably one of the harder topics to cover in a review, and the reason being is that everyone has a different opinion on what looks good and what doesn’t. But, I guess this review is based on my expertise so I’ll give it a go. The graphics in Smash Cops for the BlackBerry PlayBook are actually quite enjoyable. Now if you’re looking for the most realistic environments and the best looking vehicles, you won’t find that in this game. Union has taken the real world/cartoon approach to this game giving the game a more fun and entertaining appeal to it.

Game Replay Value

Whether you’re spending .99 Cents or $4.99 on an application, something that may cross your mind when you’re about to hit the “buy now” button is if this game offers much replay value. The game may be fun, and help kill time at the beginning, but what about when you finish the main story line and objectives. What has the developer done to expand the value of their game. I don't feel that Union has done the best job at maximizing replay value for their customers, they've added a few things to increase the stickiness of Smash Cops, but there could be more. As you play the game, you are able to rank up and unlock things like new cars and new missions. Unlockable items are often a reason to play more, and get better scores because it's human nature to want to be the best. Something I hope that the developer does, is add more worlds and more game modes through updates in the future.

In game settings

Getting into the settings screen is quite easy. Once you’re in the main game screen you can tap on the gear icon (also has the word options), and you will then be taken into the settings page. On this screen, you have the ability to turn on/off sound, change the game controls from the “push” control to the joystick controls, you will also have the option to turn off the directional arrows. The one thing I recommend is to leave the “push” controls on first and give it a try before you switch. As well, you may want to leave the directional arrows on as it will help you if you et flipped around and forget which way you are going.

The Good

  • Addictive gameplay
  • Attractive graphics
  • Adaptive controls
  • Unlockable content

The Bad

  • Low replay value
  • No leader boards
  • No online gameplay
Conclusion

I’ll have to say, I’m quite impressed with smash Cops for the BlackBerry PlayBook. While it doesn’t offer too much replay value, the cost of the game is inline with what it does currently offer. I’ve been playing it for the past week and just can’t put it down. With the attractive graphics, interesting controls, and immersive environments, I know for sure that I’ll be playing it for a few more weeks as I unlock new cars and levels.

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