Update
Ngmoco finally updated Eliminate, but nothing included is a game changer. There’s a new map, “Knox,” which is relatively small just like the rest. New armor upgrade options are included, so you can buy pre-upgraded armor, but one problem is that they only last for four matches. Also there are more paint jobs for the armor. New player ranks to reach beyond level 50, and new ways to customize your abilities.
Overall nothing much, and doesn’t change the initial review. It’s nice to see ngmoco updating the game, and they promise more to come. Eliminate Pro is still free with the same in-app energy purchase, so you should download it, and give it a try.
Overview
Eliminate is a first person shooter that is composed exclusively of live online mutliplayer death matches. You can compete online anytime anywhere as long as you have 3G or wifi connection. When you play you earn credits, and increase your skill level. The credits can be used to buy upgrades to weapons and armor.
You can only only earn credits when your suit has enough energy. Every day you get 30 energy cells which lasts for about 3-4 games. Any more energy cells you want, you will have to buy from in-app purchases. You can still play live online games you just won’t earn any credits.
Features
The main aspect of Eliminate is the in-app purchasing that is causing a major stir. Right now there are a few different bundles of power cells to purchase. You can pick up 20 for $1 or 210 for $8, with quite a few other intervals.
You can play online any time even if you don’t have any energy. You can also play against your friends, or just practice with some bots. The are five different arenas to battle in each providing very different layouts. Once you earn enough credits you can buy new weapons, armor, and other special items.
The controls are a little awkward at first, but there’s a wonderful video tutorial to teach you the basics. You move by using the virtual stick on the left side, and you aim and fire using the right hand virtual control stick. Tap the bottom to jump, and the top to pause, and the upper right corner to switch weapons or manually reload. In the options you can turn on auto fire so you don’t have to tap with your right finger as well as move to aim. when you aim it automatically fires when you’re aiming on someone.
The Good
The online mutliplayer death matches are simply amazing especially for a portable device. Now you don’t have to sit at your computer or be right by your game console. You can play online FPS anywhere anytime. The games load extremely quick for how much data is being transfered, and connecting multiple people.
Once you’re in the game it plays so smoothly over 3G or wifi, that you feel like it’s all isolated on the device, and not over the internet. It’s just such an enjoyable experience blasting away people whenever you feel like it.
The game looks simply amazing. It is completely smooth, and the entire game is just so slick with a futuristic theme intertwined into everything. The firing of your weapon, and the blood squirting from the players are great animations. Each of the five areas are very futuristic, plain, but still wonderfully designed. It’s weird, but wonderful to see the bullet impacts on the walls, or blood splatter on the ground in the pristine environments.
The sounds are completely authentic from the firing of the weapons to the sounds of people getting hit. It does get a bit excessive with “uuhh” every time a player is hit. There are light techno backgrounds that for the most part you can’t hear with all the other overpowering sounds.
The game is free, and it’s the best deal you can find in the App Store. If you never spend one cent you get to play 3-4 online death matches every single day, and you will definitely want to. The game is an extremely fun experience, and you will enjoy ever minute of it. The games go by quickly, and will keep you coming back for more. The average round length is about 3 minutes which is a perfect size for portable.
The Bad
Not much to dislike with Eliminate Pro. The thing everyone seems to complain about is in-app purchases. I have no problem with the payment plan. It’s very comparable to printers. Many printers you can get for free, and that’s because the companies know you will have to buy ink. That’s where they make most of their money, on a consumable.
Energy cells work the same way, they’re consumable items that you can continue to buy rather than paying one price up front. The best aspect is that you get 30 energy cells to use each day, and then if you purchase some energy cells, you can use them once you run out one day, but will have 30 more the next day. It depends how much you’re using it on a particular day.
I would just spend a certain amount based upon how much I would realistically pay for the game, and then have that many energy cells to use. Ngmoco is one of the few that could pull this off, and we will wait and see if they will. They’re letting their product speak for itself rather than charging first, and then letting you see the game.
Another concern is the controls. They’re easy to understand, it just takes a little while to get used to. I found that it was hard to stop the aiming movement to be able to lock onto an opponent, and fire away. Also just so you know there is only online mutliplayer FPS deathmatches. There is no other type of gameplay.
One major problem is that if you never buy any energy you will be at a disadvantage. People who spend money will earn more credits and therefore have better weapons and armor that you won’t be able to get because you didn’t spend money. Skill is taken out of the matches, and instead it’s dependent upon money spent which is the biggest problem with the game.
The Verdict
Eliminate Pro is Free, so every owner of an idevice should download this game, and give it a try. The game is easily worth $4.99, and I believe it still would have been a good seller at $9.99. I don’t find it that much of a stretch to pay for energy to continue to play this wonderful game. It’s the best FPS in the App Store without even having a story mode.
This is one of the best designed games in the App Store that is smooth and slick in execution especially in the quickness to connect and the online gameplay.
The controls take awhile to get used to, and the payment system is definitely a change (though that’s not necessarily bad), and online death matches are all you get. The game is a really fun experience, and do yourself a favor, and buy some energy to keep the action going. It’s an absolute must for free, and a must buy even if you spend all the way up to $8.
Our Rating
Eliminate Pro
- Developer: ngmoco, Inc.
- Category: Games
- Released: November 2nd, 2009
(currently 2.0)
(currently free)
What I see people complain the most besides the microtransaction deal (which is stupid because it’s not like they stabbed anybody in the back, it was in the know long before the app was released) are the movement controls. I myself find them incredibly sluggish compared to most other dual stick sets. In particular, Sandstorm has a similar control scheme but it feels much more fluid, you move much faster, don’t get stuck as often and don’t have the feel that it’s not your fault it’s happening.
A calibration for this aspect would IMO be quite welcome.
The “30 Power Cells” a day bit is wrong. You only get 30 power cells when you first download the game as a “Thank You for downloading” offer, but it’s a one-time deal. Every 240 min. (4 hours) your energy bar charges 1/3, that’s a FULL charge in 12 hours (and EACH game depletes 1/3 energy, that means 1 “energized” game every 4 hours). If you already have a full charge, you stop accumulating energy (you don’t ration it into extra power cells). Basically, aside from the starting 30, you can only get power cells via in-app purchases (it takes 12 cells for a full charge). Though there are some reports that you get SOME as a reward when reaching certain levels (12 or 13 for example), but it hasn’t been confirmed and it may just be a bug in some cases… With that said, Eliminate is an awesome game!
Anyway, just thought I should clarify that part,
Peace.
The controls suck!………But the game is really good. If this game would have followed Sandstorms controls and fluid movements it would be the best game to date on any mobile device. Outstanding first try but needs work. The in game energy purchase isn’t that annoying it’s free for gods sake. Very fun but the controls knock it down a little. The upgade system is a huge bonus and fun to customize your dude. Copy Sandstorms controls and I’ll delete every other game off my phone.
The game is great, the only downside is the long wait for power cells, i understand that its so people dont get to the highest level in 3 hours but…still. maybe 1 hour for 1/3 and as for the buying cells part, how else would they support themselves. I have a itouch 1st gen and it runs fine, they say in the app store that it isn’t recommended… but like i said, it runs fine
The thing that makes me mad is that I can’t seem to buy 1350 power cells. I check all the time, and it never gives me the option to. I have sent comments to ngmoco, and all they keep saying is it should. I also don’t like how you regain energy very slow, and can’t retain any more once it’s full. Other then these problems I think the game is good.
Accualy paying doesn’t make you any better.
When you get credits you leval up so you just leval up faster and play with other people that payed and around your leval.
If you don’t pay you’ll only be leval 13 and play with other leval 13 players.
So accualy your wrong guy that wrote the article.
Because also I never payed and I win almost every game it places me in.
Plus I have 20 friends.
Justinsean
add me
Um, I think you’re all wrong…
You can actually spend credits to buy energy cells, with you use for energy, which let’s you earn credits. So as long as you’re decent enough to earn more credits than you spent (should be easy) you don’t need to pay anything.
You could also just play and not earn credits, but why would you just not use credits to earn credits.
Also, the game matches players by “skill” which you get for doing well, especially vs skilled players, and lose by losing, especially vs less skilled players. Level doesn’t matter. But players with better equipment are likely to do better. But if you are very good even early on, you’ll end up playing people who have a big advantage in equipment.
Can’t bny power cells how do I get them
If you are looking for somewhere for tips, tricks and discussion on Eliminate Pro, check out eliminatepro.com. I saw the GetSatisfaction boards with questions and NGMoco doesn’t have anywhere to discuss so someone setup this site. Hope to see you there.