App Review: Arcade Hoops Basketball by Skyworks

Today we are reviewing the ArcadeHoops App by Skyworks and if the name doesn’t give the premise of this app away let me bring you into my world. When I originally took a peek at this app in the app store I thought to myself “Ok, here’s a ‘shoot a lame ball at the lame hoop’ game.” But brace yourself because what I am about to say only happens once or twice a year, I was wrong. Yes, I said it, I was wrong. Upon opening this app and starting to play it brought me back to younger days. I was transported to one of two places, the first was the old arcade where we would shoot those cantaloupe sized basketballs up at that seemingly dime sized hoop for hours on end. The second was my local college pub where you could grab a pitcher and a pizza for less than $20 and challenge your buddies to the long 3 point shooting contests and it was all in the palm of my hand on my iPhone. Arcade Hoops transports you to the arcade version of this great game.

With 2 game options, the “Classic” mode gives you a stationary hoop and 45 seconds to sink as many 2 point shots as you can with the flick of your finger. The “Progressive” mode gives you 99 seconds to pop some shots as the basket moves farther and farther away from you every 33 seconds. The first 66 seconds shots are worth 2 points while the last 33 seconds puts you in 3-point range. Now it would have been very easy for the developers to just automatically make another ball show up in your hand after each shot you throw towards the hoop but they went the extra step, remember playing the game in the arcade? You got in such a groove that you didn’t want to take your eyes off the basket and you did everything in your power to grab the balls without looking. Remember there was inevitably the moment of panic when you couldn’t find a ball because it was a little bit to you’re right or left? Guess what my friends, that happens here too and you get that same feeling of panic. That’s when you know you have captured the feel of the real game on a video screen, when you get the same feeling you did when you play it “live”. Now with that you would think “what a great game” but it gets even better, the scoreboard actually praises and ridicules you during play. “Air ball, “Brick”, “Swish” and “Hot Shot” appear on the scoreboard at the appropriate times during the game. It’s just like having your buddy talking trash in your ear when trying to snap the net. In conclusion, “Arcade Hoops” by Skyworks gets a 10 for realism and affordability at $2.99, a small price to pay for the nostalgic feel you get when playing this classic game. I can only hope Skyworks develops more of my childhood favorites for the iPhone.