Zadzooks: Shadowgun review (iPad)

The next generation of a third-person shooter for Apple’s mobile phone and tablet operating systems arrives and is ready to appeal to any Gears of War fan.

A gritty futuristic story tethers the action in Shadowgun (Mad Finger Games, reviewed for the iPad 2, rated 12+, $7.99) and stars infamous lone-wolf bounty hunter John Slade, who offers his best imitation of Bruce Willis (anybody remember Bruce in the PS1 classic Apocalypse?) in both look and attitude.

The action takes place in the year 2350. A player controls Slade as he sets out on a mission sponsored by Toltech Enterprises to retrieve alive the renowned geneticist Dr. Edgar Simon.

Problem is, the demented doctor has no intention of coming peacefully, and his mountain fortress is loaded with weapons-wielding mutants, exploding bots, Predator-like creatures and mechanical monsters to get in Slade’s way.

Throughout the lengthy, 10-chapter adventure, the game’s controls are an intuitive joy using the iPad’s touch screen. Use the left thumb to handle the virtual directional pad to get Slade moving; use the other thumb to get him in the right direction and target enemies. Two more on-screen virtual buttons control reloading and shooting, while a handy drop-down menu swaps weapons.

Our hero also loves to take cover and will stick to most barriers, ducking while the bad guys attack. Just walk toward an obvious place of protection, such as a slab of concrete, corner wall or cargo box. He easily can return fire and duck back down or jump over with little work from the player.

And, just like characters in other third-person shooters, Slade gets weapons such as a shotgun, assault rifle and rocket launcher; can resupply with enemy-dropped ammo; has health regeneration; can open plenty of doors; must solve environmental puzzles (from shooting a target to opening a ladder to collecting key cards to shut down a deadly laser) and fights off bosses such as a cyberlobster or massive below-ground excavator.

Players can also hack into areas by using an old pattern-memory game that slightly entertains and balances the occasional bloody firefights.

It all sounds great, but the familiarity of the over-the-shoulder, run-and-gun action and predictability of enemies won’t win any awards.

What will dazzle, especially in the iPad 2 format, is the character and location design. It stands out next to any Xbox 360 release (just squint a little) thanks to the use of the 3-D software gaming engine Unity.

This development tool kit certainly gives the Unreal Engine (a standard for blockbuster game development these days) a run for its money in this platform.

Visual highlights include scenes with a female robot sidekick (who gives Slade tips from his ship above) who looks ripped right from the classic movie “Metropolis,” some wispy and angry clouds living over a gorgeous mountain range, tattered flags hanging high above ground rolling in the wind, creepy giant video screens of evil Dr. Simon and a claustrophobic subterranean mine.

The lack of any multiplayer element obviously hurts the replay experience, but Slade’s persistent, fluid firefights won’t disappoint.

Although the deja vu runs thick, the slick Shadowgun is still well worth the price of admission. I’m betting Mad Finger Games has plenty of new mission downloads in John Slade’s future.