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iOSReview

Mass Effect: Infiltrator Review

Developer: IronMonkey Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Review Platform: iOS
Review Copy Provided By: Electronic Arts
Release Date: March 6, 2012

Developed by IronMonkey Studios in association with BioWare, Mass Effect: Infiltrator brings all that is Mass Effect to the iOS platform. Can IronMonkey bring a worthwhile experience to iOS without losing everything we love about the series?

In Mass Effect Infiltrator, you take the role of Randall Enzo, a gruff Cerberus operative whos return to base after a mission is torn by chaos. Upon arriving home to the Ceberus facility, alien prisoners somehow begin escaping all around you without reason. Your first instinct is to find your adviser, Inali Reneta, but as you fight your way to her office you’re instead greeted by a mysterious voice speaking to you as your eyes witness Inali strapped to a table with various robotic arms poking and prodding her. The mysterious voice assures you he is working with the Alliance and if you cooperate, both you and Inali can be saved.

You control Randall with on-screen twin-stick movement. Your left “stick” moves Randall’s body, as well as controling sprint, mount, and vault. The right “stick” is your weapon; to shoot an enemy simply tap the enemy, Randall will auto move from cover and fire. To control aiming drag the right stick while in firing mode. This twin-stick movement makes it easy to explore the world, but watch out if you have bigger fingers as they can take up almost half of the screen in intense battles.

The top left icon on-screen contains your biotic skills, with the top right being your ammo indicator and weapon swap. Luckily enough the game will auto-reload once you run out in intense battles, but the war-hardened will know to reload manually as soon as you retreat into cover.

Finishing combat while exploring yields a combat analysis which ranks you on your style, time, and health throughout the combat section of the level. Style can be earned by using different combinations of biotics and weapons to destroy the enemy as well as linking kills together in rapid succession. Depending on stars earned during combat, credits can be earned to purchase upgrades. Speaking of upgrades, you can purchase a whole pleatora of upgrades. Weapons, biotics, abilities, mmelee, helmets, armor, you name it, you can upgrade it! Each item to upgrade has four levels that each adds additional speed, damage, or other specials.

Also strewn about the game are intel devices which are usually dropped by higher-level enemies. These intel devices can be used one of two ways, if you pair your copy of Mass Effect 3 to your Origin account, you can use the intel you find in Infiltrator to impriove your Mass Effect 3 Galactic Readiness Rating or you can convert the intel to in-game credits in Infiltrator to upgrade your various equipement. The cross-platform tie-in is a nice addition from EA’s Origin gaming platform.

Upon completion of the checkpoint, level, or game, you can replay certain aspects to try and get a higher star rating. Receiving a full rating on levels will not only net your extra intel and credits, but even War Assets for the full version of Mass Effect 3. You can earn up to 120 War Assets from Infiltrator, 40 for completion of the game, 40 for completion of the bonus Turian missions, and 40 for completing all of the main storyline checkpoints with three stars.

Infiltrator is hands down of the best looking and sounding games on the iOS platform. The levels have amazing color, clarity, and depth as your explore the different areas. The sound is fantastic, with gun noises, enemy chatter, and Randall’s grunts all crystal clear. Hint: If you follow the in-game prompts and opt for headphone use, the sound gets even better.

Review Overview

Score:

4/5

With a price tag currently at $6.99 from the iTunes App Store, Mass Effect Infiltrator may be one of the pricier games available, but the amazing sound and graphics completely justify the cost. Add in cross-platform abilities to have your actions affect your retail copy of Mass Effect 3 and you have yourself a must-have title for fans of the Mass Effect series.

Kanji Prearms

Kanji has been holding a controller since he could walk, and loves nothing more than talking about his latest conquest with friends.

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