There’s a really good sniper game hiding inside Shooter ($1.99, iTunes link). Unfortunately, it’s surrounded by so much bloat, it’s not really worth the time to discover it. Shooter is based on a movie of the same name, which was, in turn, based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. It’s a popular game in the App Store, and the appeal is obvious once you play through a few sniper levels. There are some interesting controls for aiming that make use of the iPhone’s accelerometers. Unfortunately, it will take the patience of a real sniper to suffer through the pointless cut scenes and boring mini games. If you can, there is a fun game with an interesting story and impressive depth hidden beneath. We are rating it a 6.9 out 10, average.

Shooter has two modes: Story and Arcade. Arcade initially offers one level of play, and you must unlock other levels by playing the story mode. To us, that defeats the purpose of having an “Arcade mode.”

Story mode is much like the story/novel, where you control Bob Lee Swagger, an expert sniper and marksman who gets framed for the assassination of the President. Shooter comprises the entire story, from a botched mission that causes Swagger to retire, to the assassination setup, to Swagger clearing his name. It’s a large game with an estimated 15-20 hours of game play. Not bad for it’s current $1.99 price tag.

Take note of the wind direction while aiming.

The bulk of the game play is using your sniper rifle to take out targets. With iPhone games so far, it’s been tough for developers to find a way to utilize the iPhone’s controls for precise aiming that wasn’t frustrating. But with Shooter, they’ve done it.

Shooting works like this: tilt the iPhone to aim the scope toward a general area. For precise aiming, tap a button to hold your breath. This, in turn, steadies the rifle. Finally, slide your finger to fine tune your aiming. Adjust for the wind, then fire.

The shooting stages are the best aspect, and if they stood alone, it’d be a pretty fun game. However, the designers decided to surround them with a lot of pointless chaff. Take, for example, the cut scenes. They are the vehicle to tell the story of Bob Lee Swagger, but they feature some of the worst voice action I have heard in an iPhone game. It’s almost if the developers didn’t have to money to hire actors so they did it themselves.

The cut scenes feature bad voice acting.

In addition to the cut scenes, there are several steps you must go through before the shooting even starts. For example, to find your target, you must pointlessly scan a landscape then tap a picture of binoculars to zoom in. That leads to another mini game where you must tilt the iPhone until two red dots line up, which zooms in on your target even further. But wait, the action doesn’t start quite yet. Next you are treated to an examination of your weapon, which you must tap buttons several times to navigate through and select different types of ammunition and body armor.

And then…the game still doesn’t start. Next comes a tip about how to win the particular stage of the game. Then, and only then, do you get to play the game. There are also other mini games, such as one where you must find and disarm landmines buried in the sand, or another where, in a MacGyver fashion, create a IV drip out of items you find in a convenience store. Some of the mini games are interesting, but they just serve to add more distance between the better the aspects of the game.

Shooter is a fairly large game, with 30 levels in all, but you’ll need a lot of patience to endure it all. The story is kind of interesting too, but I’d recommend skipping the game and the movie and reading the novel instead, which I thought was excellent.

Conclusion

Shooter is a well-designed sniper game marred by a way too slow pace. It will require some fortitude to survive the bad voice acting and tedious menu system and mini games in order to enjoy it.6.9 out of 10, average.

Name: Shooter
Developer: Paramount Digital Entertaiment
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $1.99
iTunes Link: Click here