In this installment, we evaluate basketball title Flick Hoops and cargo-loading game Ship It.

Flick Hoops (iPhone): Flick Hoops is a free throw shooting game that combines changing wind patterns with a simple game of hoops. How many shots in a row can you hit? The normal and hard modes of the game feature an industrial fan that is constantly changing wind direction and strength. 

Your goal is to see how many shots in a row you can make. Miss a shot, and your counter goes back to zero. In addition to the changing wind, you can tilt your device to alter gravity and impact the course of the ball. Flick Hoops also features a Challenge mode with 15 levels that have you race against the clock to make a certain number of shots while also introducing obstacles.

Flick Hoops has a pretty steep learning curve that will frustrate many people. The Challenge mode is also quite difficult until you learn how to control gravity. While it was available for free it was worth checking out, but the current price makes it a little difficult to recommend for such a shallow gaming experience.  3/5

Ship It (iPhone): Ship It puts you in charge of coordinating the loading and departure of cargo ships at a busy dock. A conveyor belt moves 4 different types of cargo out for your to load; oil, grains, containers, and cars/people. Each of the cargo types match the color of the ships they belong to. To load the cargo you just slide over to the respective ship and drag the cargo to the ship. Each cargo type has a different amount of time it takes to load. Once the cargo is loaded the icon above the ship turns green and you can click it dispatching the ship. Don’t drag the cargo to the wrong ship or let it roll off the edge of the conveyor belt or that cargo is gone.

Each level is timed and there is a certain number of points you must earn to pass the level. As the clock counts down, so do your points. Dispatching ships awards you points toward your goal. At the end of the level your points are tallied up and you either advance or have to repeat the level. Early levels are slow and relatively easy, but the game quickly ramps up the speed and difficulty. Loading cargo ships may not sound like a lot of fun, but Ship It is one of the more enjoyable iOS games I’ve played in recent weeks. With it being currently available for free, this is a no-brainer. 4/5

Is there an iOS game you’d like us to take a look at? Let us know at editors[at]snackbar-games.com.