Android App Review: Gameloft's 9mm

Over the weekend, I jumped on the Gameloft bandwagon and decided to take 9mm for a spin.  I've had some hands on time with it over the latest couple of days.  And I have to say that I am very impressed with the game.  I'm glad we are starting to see some fully fledged games show up on mobile devices.  Granted a lot of these larger mobile games aren't the greatest looking (when compared to console's where these types of games regularly appear).  This game is a third person shooter and has a lot to offer.

However, for a mobile device; the graphics are amazing.  Before I jump into the full review let me go on record to say that 9mm is not a game for kids.  It is full of mature language, drug use, and some other stuff that shouldn't be experienced by children.

I've mentioned Gameloft before, and the fact that a lot of their games tend to gather inspiration from other larger titles.  Whether it be from an artistic perspective with it's design or gameplay that flashes you back to a very similar title.  And 9mm is no different.  In many ways it plays a lot like the Max Payne franchise.  The game sports side jumping in slow motion, bullet time and all.  But it does it extremely well, especially for a mobile game.

Let's start with the graphics.  The graphics are easily some of the best from a game on an Android device, period.  The character models look good ans sharp, the textures are pretty nice for the characters.  Some of the environment textures get a little bland.  Noticeably, the one's outside seem to be a little plain.  While the interiors are littered with torn wallpaper and crap cluttering up the place to give it some atmosphere.  And it works pretty freakin' well.

The sound is pretty good as well.  You get all of the action game fanfare you'd expect from gunfire from all directions to the music in the background.  Once again, the soundtrack can get pretty rough from the language standpoint.  But overall, it's exactly what you'd expect.

Controls is one of the factors that will make or break any game.  Mobile or console, a game has to have good controls.  There is a slight learning curve when first picking up this app.  If you press and hold your thumb on the screen a virtual joystick appears and you move by sliding your left thumb up or down to move forward and back.  And slide your thumb left to right to strafe.  Aiming and looking around can be accomplished one of two ways: using the gyroscope or sliding your right thumb around to aim.

While your aiming and moving, a couple more buttons make some screen time.  You get a small clock icon that activates and deactivates your 'bullet time' or 'slo-mo' camera.  If you tap and slide your thumb either to the right or left of the clock icon you will activate slo-mo time and execute a sideways jump.  While falling aim around the screen to take out bad guys while shooting.  Sounds confusing at first, but trust me you'll pick it up pretty quick.

I do find myself accidentally activating bullet time, but that is due to a wandering thumb.  The other button onscreen is your shoot button.  By default aim-assist is turned on.  I'd recommend leaving it on, without it the game would be near impossible.

The interface is pretty slim and offers only what you need to get around.  Which is nice, no clutter taking up treasured screen real estate.  In the top right corner of the screen you get your weapon indicator which doubles as a weapon selector by sliding the gun icon either left or right to switch guns.  To reload, tap the gun icon of the weapon you currently have equipped.  The bottom of the screen gives you two controls that enable squatting, sprinting, and an 'at-ease' stance after fire fights.

Game content is another place this app shines (except for your characters name, it's a little cheesy).  Okay, you're character's name is really cheesy.  You play as John "Loose" Kannon.  But that is where the goofiness stops.  Kannon is a tough cop in a bad part of town who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty to get the job done. And he is thrust into the middle of a new drug hitting the streets and he will stop and nothing to stop it from happening.  Between fire fights you'll be doing some context based minigames that involve roughing up drug dealers during interrogations and interacting with the environment.

Other features include a multiplayer option as well.  I haven't actually tested it yet.  But I will update as soon as I do.

In review, if you are looking for an awesome game for your mobile device I'd highly recommend 9mm (but only for the mature audiences).  With great graphics and gameplay, you'll not be sorry.  If you have played any of the older Max Payne titles for game consoles, you'll feel right at home here.

Get the Game: Gameloft's 9mm from the Android Market at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.Gloft9MHM&feature=search_result

The app sells for $6.99 (and it's worth every penny)

I'd rate 9mm: 5 out of 5 stars

View the trailer here (mature language ensues): http://youtu.be/wE7RwLR2MdQ






Pro's: Great gameplay and graphics.  And awesome experience for a mobile device.
Con's: The controls can be a little weird at first, but you get used to them after a few minutes.  The game is really targeted towards the older crowd.

Other Thoughts: I'd love to see Gameloft adopt the compatibility that Honeycomb tablets offer to game pads. That would elevate the game experience even more in my opinion.