Line-drawing apps and the iPhone and iPod touch are a match made in technological heaven. “Fare City: First Shift” is yet another title hoping to crack the top elite class of line-drawing apps like “Draw Race”, “Flight Control” and “Harbor Master”. Does “Fare City” have a shot at being the top dog against such tough competition? Does this app deserve your fare? Come along with me and let’s give this app a fair shake, hop in the cab and take a ride downtown and see where we end up.
Gameplay:
Like other line-drawing games, it’s not too different in this game. If you’re new to this genre, you simply drag your finger over the cab you want to manipulate and slide it to your destination.
In this app, you get your points/money from the fares you get from picking people up and taking them to their desired location. If you’ve ever played Crazy Taxi, it’s the same concept of picking people up for money but using the line-drawing as navigation.
The game looks beautiful and runs just as smooth as you would expect a game of this genre would. The graphics mixed with the music and color scheme, the game just feels cool and really sets the mood of a late night dining hour in New York and people are ready to call their cabs and go home. The developers have set up the game to look and feel like you are there in the atmosphere and it’s intoxicating.
Although it’s pleasing on the eyes and ears, that doesn’t mean this game is all looks and no substance. It takes the best essences of the top line-drawing apps and combines them to make one heck of a game. Things do get pretty hectic though, as New York life often does, as you can have more than 5 taxis on screen at the same time. If I’m not mistaken, I believe you can have up to 10, but I haven’t gotten up to that point so if someone can correct me on that that’d be swell.
Controls:
As I mentioned earlier, the game uses the line-drawing mechanics and you simply drag your finger over the taxi and swing it on over to your destination.
What’s nice is that the movements with your finger don’t have to be exact as the app sort of has an automated response so your finger movements don’t have to be exact.
What’s also nice is the wrap around route which means that if you take your taxi and drag him all the way to the right off the screen, it will reappear on the left of the screen (like Pac-Man). This works wonders when trying to avoid collisions and getting to the destination that much faster.
Not only that but if you tap your taxi, it has the “Emergency Brake” feature which allows your taxi to slam on the brakes for 5 seconds. It’s not clear how many times gamers will actually use this feature when there are multiple taxis on screen and things get chaotic. Nonetheless, it’s a handy dandy asset to have just in case of, well, emergencies.
What We Liked:
- The color schemed worked into the gameplay
- Sound effects and jazzy soundtrack
- Spot-on controls
- Flight Control + Harbor Master + Draw Race with a dash of Crazy Taxi
- Two-way streets and wrap around routes
- Global leaderboard
- Emergency brake
What We Disliked:
- Not for a non multi-tasker
- Difficulty increases considerably without sound
- Taxis might multiply a bit fast for some people
Final Verdict:
What to say about Fare City: First Shift. The game developers have worked extremely hard and it’s clear to see that it’s paid off. The game just has the look and feel of a New York city night and it plays beautifully and smoothly.
It’s simple, innovative and challenging and combines all the great elements of Flight Control, Harbor Master, and Traffic Rush into a remarkable taxi driving app that’s a thrill to play. If you’re one of the gamers who haven’t gotten into these kinds of games, you should definitely give “Fare City: First Shift” a fair shake. And for those who love Flight Control and Harbor Master, well it’s time to usher in Fare City into your iPhone/iPod touch. It’s here to stay.
 [xrrgroup][xrr label="Audio:" rating="4/5" group="s1" ] [xrr label="Video:" rating="5/5" group="s1"] [xrr label="Controls:" rating="5/5" group="s1"] [xrr label="Enjoyment:" rating="5/5" group="s1"] [xrr label="Replay Value:" rating="4/5" group="s1"] [/xrrgroup] |
Related posts:
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just to let people know, we have released a lite version of the game if anyone wants to try before they buy: iTunes link
I enjoyed Taxi Jam and this looks suspiciously like it. The darkness of the city seems to help pick out the fares and cabs more easily than Taxi Jam, which was one of my biggest complaints. I think the E Brake function is an interesting idea. Might be worth looking into at some point.
This game is a lot of fun to play and it sure does get very hectic very fast. I’d forgotten all about the emergency brake feature. Maybe I need to start using it? Could it be the key to a higher score when things get frantic? As for up to 10 taxis at a time, I’ve only ever managed to play with 5 on the screen at once. And that was most frantic (and fun) indeed!
All I can say is that this is currently one of my most played games and most addicting games I own.
It rightfully deserves a spot in the Editor’s Choice category!
Top notch game!!!
How does it compare to Taxi Jam? Is it worth getting if you already have that one? Thanks!
Yeah Joe it’s a bit different but I feel its overall better and a must have. It’s quite hectic as well!