Suspect In Sight Review
PROS
- Smooth accelerometer based controls; easy calibration and alternative virtual-stick setup.
- Extra stages and alternative modes keep the tongue-in-cheek humor rolling.
CONS
- Expects the player to involve themselves in a tedious grind for new content; unlocking provides some incentive, but only when the goal feels realistically in reach.
- Interface optimization needed; map is rather small and lacks local feature detail, while the power-up wheel is extremely tiny on iPhone/iPod devices.
VERDICT
Suspect In Sight comes out of the gate swinging as a fun, explosive and speedy parody of Cop shows, but quickly becomes bogged in by repetition as the player grinds for new experiences.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
I have to admit, there's something distinctly amusing about a game that takes a wide-swipe at the American culture - while TV shows and comedians are generally more than capable at fulfilling this task, there's something visceral about being able to partake in the joke directly. Suspect In Sight by Jujubee is a fun Arcade spin on shows like Cops and game modes like Vigilante from Grand Theft Auto, putting you in the seat of a police chopper as you tag-and-bag a never-ending series of suspects throughout your precious city.
Initially all you'll be presented with is the basic chase mode, with each wave introducing more and more cars that attempt to evade your helicopter's spotlight of justice. If you can keep the light on them long enough you'll increase your score combo, while power-ups litter the city, providing handy boosts to keep you in play.
Eventually you'll run out of time, at which point you'll earn experience that goes towards a new level. Levels unlock additional content, including new helicopters, new game modes and even new cities to explore. Each area looks splendid on the Retina display, but you'll be too busy chasing cars to notice all of its smaller details, which is a shame.
Sadly the grind required to unlock these modes is a tedious one. The experience you earn feels disproportionate to the amount of time spent completing a single run, which is especially frustrating considering you've already paid to play the game; it's one thing for content to be unlockable over time, but the game is one advertisement and IAP away from feeling like a freemium game.
Suspect In Sight contains a game that is a lot of fun and packed with tongue-in-cheek humor that could easily keep you coming back for more, but as it stands the game almost slaps your hand away in protest if you seek anything outside the drizzle of new experiences it doles out.
Screenshots
$2.99
