iPad Games: Ultraviolet Dawn HD Blazes Onto iPad
Oh my goodness how I love this game! Ultraviolet Dawn HD was released last week on the iPad, following its successful run on the iPhone. This is not a simple migration: playability is up, graphics are improved and the universe is enormous. Ultraviolet Dawn is a space-age RPG par excellence, and shows just how capable the iPad is as a gaming platform. Fight, trade or explore your way through the star systems in this brilliant offering from Sad Cat Software, and you’ll soon discover why Ultraviolet Dawn has bagged the number one spot as the US’ favorite RPG on the iPad.
The graphics and the visual effects on this game explode out of the screen in a dazzling deep-space display. This is particularly evident if you choose to launch yourself into a fight, with gun-blasts and enemy ships streaming across the sky. The animation is flawless and as smooth as polished silver. Larger cargo ships are fantastically rendered in complex detail, and look every bit as good as something you might see in a sci-fi movie.
Alongside the visuals is the intoxicating soundtrack and effects, which especially in fight mode offer a deafening pounding of guns and explosions, taking you ever deeper into the action. The whole experience is truly mesmerising.
Fighting in Ultraviolet Dawn HD is only one way to play; you can also trade and explore your way through the universe. A combination of tactics gets the best results, choosing your battles carefully, and deciding that a trade is more beneficial than a fight. There is also no reason to stay above the galactic law – be a smuggler of contraband, or even run legal or illegal missions for a handsome reward. There are 8 ships to pilot, 1,000 stars to explore, fully upgradable weapons systems and a host of other goodies to keep you interested for hours.
A couple of teething problems that need sorting means that a perfect score isn’t possible for this game. For example: there is the occasional crashiness whilst in play which can be annoying (mine’s crashed twice, requiring a reboot). The missions can be a bit samey, so some more storyline creativity would improve this type of gameplay. Overall Ultraviolet Dawn is immense in scale and immense in gaming fun.
Ultraviolet Dawn HD is available for $3.99 from iTunes
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