Hands-On Preview Of Foosball HD, Illusion Labs' Upcoming iPad Game
June 10, 2010
During our stay in San Francisco this week, we did more than just gawk at Apple's sexy iPhone 4 -- even though it may not have appeared that way -- we also took the opportunity to meet with a handful of iPhone and iPad app developers. One of those developers was the talented Illusion Labs, whose upcoming iPad-only game, Foosball HD, looks to continue their trend of hit games.
Foosball HD brings everyone's favorite bar game to the iPad. The game sports remarkably clean graphics, with players that look just as shiny and textured as they do in real life, and a table that makes you feel as if you are actually playing with a pint resting on the edge. The only real difference you will notice is that there are a couple less bars/players on the table to avoid over-crowding the iPad's screen.
Foosball HD plays as great as it looks. The controls do take a bit of getting used to, as with most of Illusion Labs' games, but it's well worth your time. Each person is able to control their players by simply touching and dragging in the general area of each bar. Players can be spun by swiping left or right, and the bar can be moved by swiping up or down.
The controls are intuitive and felt extremely responsive during our limited time playing the game. It feels fairly natural frantically moving your two fingers from each bar, just as you would your hands on a real table.
The game features a single-player mode where you can play against the AI, but the real fun is had taking on a friend on the same device in two-player mode. It also features a nifty easter egg, activated by flipping your iPad upside down and shaking violently, that adds bar sounds so you feel right at home.
Foosball HD should be launching any day now for the introductory price of $2.99. You can expect to see an in-depth review shortly after its launch.
Embedded below is the most recent AppAdvice Daily Appisode, which shows off Foosball HD's gameplay. You can skip right to footage of me playing the game around the 2:25 mark if you wish. Otherwise, just watch the whole Appisode, you know you are going to enjoy it.
