Swing Pong is a new casual ping pong game from developer Head First Communications. You might remember their first iOS game, Super Twario, which was a quirky side scrolling twitter mashup. Swing Pong follows that quirkiness to bring you a brilliant ping pong game that is based on more on sound than on sight. In this ping pong game, you’ll be listening to the way the balls bounce in order to know when to hit the ball back. Instead of pressing a button however to return the ball, you swing your iPhone like a paddle to hit it back. It’s a very different approach for an iOS game as this is something you would normally do on consoles games, not mobile games.
The game is easy to pick up and play, but requires that you be able to hear what is going on in the game. If you can’t hear the ball bouncing, you won’t be able to know when you’re suppose to hit the swing your device. It’s best to play this game with your speakers turned all the way up. To swing at incoming balls, hold down the screen with your thumb and then swing your device as if you weer holding a paddle. It can be a forehand or backhand swing, the game will react the same to either. You have to time your swing just right to hit the ball back, otherwise you will miss.
You don’t even really need to swing your device very hard to register as a hit, but according to the instructions, harder swings result in harder hits which will most likely give you the win in that round. Of course I would only play this game alone with no one watching me as I’d feel a bit silly waving my arms around swinging at an imaginary ball, but that’s just me.
Swing Pong is a very creative take on ping pong. It doesn’t have much going for it in the graphics department, but the gameplay is very solid and different from other ping pong games. It’s a very fun casual game that you can pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, just make sure you have plenty of space to play it as to not accidentally slap someone around you. What’s also good about Swing Pong are the multiplayer functions where you can either play a random player, or invite a friend from your Game Center list to play.
Swing Pong is available now in the App Store for $0.99. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
Description
It’s Ping Pong For Your Ears!
From our quick-wristed testers:
“Love the new effects on the paddle when you lose a game – again it looks stunning on Retina display.”“It’s pretty much perfect – music included.”
“Loved the keepy-upy bonus game.”
“The game is very polished and the presentation values are top notch. Particularly enjoy the Rare-esque comments on the text messages.”
Listen… wait… listen… wait a bit longer… now SWING! Once you hear the ball bounce on your side of the table it’s time to judge your swing and return the server to make for the game of your life. We’re freeing ping pong from the table so you can play anywhere and everywhere.
Single player is awesome but MULTIPLAYER WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! Whether you play face to face or pick a friend on the other side of the planet, Multiplayer Swing Pong is a whole new… dare we say it… BALL GAME (groan).
Get your serve perfect against the wickedly agile opponents in single player mode and then challenge a friend in multiplayer.
SWING PONG FEATURES
– Audio and motion based ping pong gameplay
– Swing to hit
– Special attack/defence moves
– Multiplayer mode for play anywhere functionality
– 10 AI Opponents
– In-App Text Chat function
– Brilliant Tutorial mode
– Special bonus game
– Ping-ponging soundtrackPlug in the ‘phones or turn up the speaker and get ready to Swing Pong for all you’re worth.
[via App Store]
The Gamer With Kids 
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