GAME CASA .NET

I originally saw Canabalt listed as one of the best indie games of 2009 and fell in love with the browser version.  I’d been toying around with picking up the iPhone version and finally convinced myself to spend the $2.99–I know, I’m a cheap bastard.  Here’s the low-down:

Giant robots are destroying the city, so you gotta get the fuck outa dodge!  You tap the screen to make your character jump, avoiding obstacles (which slow you down) and bounding across rooftops–light taps = little jumps, long/hard taps = far jumps.  Certain doom is nipping at your heals, as you continually accelerate across the screen, trying to run as far as possible.  Besides falling off the buildings, random hazards, like collapsing buildings and mines, plague you at every turn.  As if that isn’t bad enough, you get a lovely eulogy when after you fail: “you ran 171m before hitting a wall and plummeting to your death.”  Lightning quick reaction time is a must if you want to get far in Canabalt, as the randomly generated content makes memorization futile.

Is it me, or does it look like he just farted out a rock?

The best thing about this game is that you only need one finger to play, making it perfect for driving in the car or pretending like you’re paying attention to your girlfriend.  Speaking of friends–not that you’ll have any after playing this for weeks at a time–, you can create a profile and upload your high scores to the central server, as well as your Twitter account, so you can brag about running 4860 meters before “hitting a window again.”

Show the world how bad you suck

My only issue with the game is the occasional missed screen touch.  I doubt it’s a software problem, more likely a dexterity problem…  It can be very frustrating though, especially when you’re doing well and your touch doesn’t register.

I can’t say enough about this game.  It’s simple, fun and incredibly addictive.  Stir in a phenomenal soundtrack, killer retro graphics and giant robots destroying the city, bake in the oven for 45 minutes on 350º and you’ve got a delicious and nutritious treat!  As of right now, this is my FAVORITE game on the iPhone and one of the best games I’ve played in a long time.

That said, you can check out the guys at Semi Secret Software, test out the browser version and if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch, BUY THIS GAME!!!

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