Shufflepuck

I'm always trying this kind of game since Palm days. I never played it in the real world but it fascinates me due the precision (power plus direction) it requires. So as soon as I got my iPhone I saw this game and even without reading one single review I purchased it (well, the price is more than fair and it is a lot less than I used to pay for a Palm game). The graphics are simple but well presented. I mean, everything is well put together: score board, playing field and top view field. This interface makes the gameplay easy, fast and accurate (you always know where to throw the puck). And the throw engine itself is perfect because I always have the feeling that I'm applying the right power to any of my throws. It's precise in that matter and it makes it playable and competitive because you don't even need a power bar or something to tell you the strength. Finally, the top view camera, that follows the puck, is a nice touch. However, the game could bring a bit more: - Sound - Statistics - winnings/losses (when playing against CPU is always nice to keep track of the performance) - Tournament or a career mode The first two items would make this game a 5/5 stars IMO (statistics is a must in any sport, board or dice game).

I'm not a shuffleboard person, but this succeeds at being a fun time waster. Pros: The physics seem realistic. The puck slides like it's on a slick hardwood surface. One can play against the CPU or a friend on the same device. I'm not sure if it's possible to program Wi-Fi multiplayer...but that would be a nice addition in a future update. And, I definitely like the 3D graphics compared to a top-down version. Three difficulties are offered, which is nice for a casual player like myself. Cons: The sliding feels a little sensitive. It could be my skill, but I feel like I either barely slide the puck enough while landing within the 1 point range, or I over slide the puck and it falls off the back edge. This happens while making the most minute adjustment with my finger power. (Heh.) Like I said, the 3D is nice but is it possible to add something rather than black space? Obviously, it shouldn't be overpowering. Maybe add a back to the shuffleboard with an electronic scoreboard? It could have a space between that and the scoreboard so the pucks still fall off the edge, or an out of bounds line. Again, I don't play shuffleboard, but it would be nice to get rid of the black space.

It would be good if there was a counter on my device that said how many times I've played this little game. It's such a good "quick play" and I've caught myself several times thinking that I've got five minutes to kill and then ended up playing this or wurdle. The graphics and execution are very nice for a game under $3 and I would guess that I'm already at about a 1 cent per game... how's that for cost effectiveness? It took me a little while to figure out how to best "flick" the pucks down the board but once I had that I was on my way. Sure I still miss fire a few times, but I've done my share of that on the real boards. The game is also great for my kids when they need something to keep them quiet on car rides or at Church. As a note for improvement... It would be nice to throw in a "story mode" where you move up in ranks and face the tougher computer players that way. I don't mind the black background but you could have background change as you move up... like the Texas Hold'em games out there. But that's just an idea and I'm sure it would push the price up... which I'd pay. Thanks for a fun game!

Shufflepuck uses a swipe to launch the puck down the board. This game does it right! Different swipe techniques yield significantly different results. It all works because I feel I'm actually in control of where the puck goes. Lots of fun. I'm becoming very impressed with Giraffe Lab as a quality app developer. The app has all sorts of nice polish on it. If you don't to wait for the puck to stop moving, simply tap the screen again to see the final location. The app is silent so it could benefit by adding sound effects for the pucks sliding and colliding. Overall a recommended buy!

Too many apps are fun for 5 minutes and then leave you bored. This game requires finesse to get good at, but isn't broken or insanely hard. I do think that it'd be nice to have an easier mode for playing quick games with friends when you don't want to spend time on it, perhaps adding bouncing rails on the sides to avoid falling off the edges (which you will do a lot at first).