While I myself am guilty of never having seen The Naked Gun, it seems as if the consensus believe that the movie is amazing. Now, DNA Interactive has reincarnated the movie into a new game for iOS, named The Naked Gun: I.C.U.P., featuring the one and only Lieutenant Drebin. And trust me — you will not be disappointed. Learn more after the break.
The Lead
This app is based of the movie The Naked Gun. You play as Lt. Frank Drebin, a member of the special I.C.U.P. detective unit, who is notorious for slacking off on his work. For whatever reason, Drebin finally gets the kick to start up his detective work again, and it is up to you to help him solve the load of cases that he has stacked up for him.
Controls are highly tap-based and use a system of icons to perform different actions
Controls are relatively straightforward. As explained as you just start playing, the controls are centered around a tap-based system. To move, you tap where you’d like to go, and to perform certain tasks, you tap on one of the options that appear in the popup menus on interactive objects. The only real annoyance when it comes to controls is the inability to queue actions, which can make simple tasks, such as collecting bucks from items, take much longer than they need to be.
The Case
Sure we have seen movies that have been reincarnated into applications, but usually they are just some marketing scheme to get you to go and see the movie. The Naked Gun is different because it tries to relive the movie experience from within the app. And boy, does it do that well.
The Naked Gun comes packed with tons of cases to solve
You will notice that there is only one episode, or campaign, to go through. However, episodes do take awhile to go through due to the fact that there are so many elements to the game itself. Besides solving cases, which are either backlogged or random and on the spot, you will need to collect missing paperwork and tin cans and squash the cockroaches that ate your father’s retirement watch — among other things. You can also find quite a bit of money hiding in unconventional places. That being said, it does truly take a while to complete the game itself. Plus, it is safe to assume that more episodes are coming out in the future.
Cases can take quite awhile to complete, as you usually have to find one piece of the puzzle before continuing onto the next. A little bit of logic and the ability to remember where things are will definitely help you out as you are playing this game.
The game itself feels like a movie. Dialogue is a huge element of this game, and that is where most of the humor comes from. The Naked Gun is perhaps one of the funniest games I have ever played; random aside comments, remarks and pop culture references add the perfect amount of rather satirical humor. These light-hearted comments are balanced with a touch of gore and shooting to suit those who like a little bit of a violent edge to their games.
Your eco-friendly Pious is just one example of the satirical humor that the game provides
Perhaps the largest and coolest thing that sets The Naked Gun apart from other applications is the fact that it is 100% fully voice acted. That’s right—each character will speak every word they say in their own unique voice. This detail itself is something that I haven’t seen in any app before and is quite cool. With the voice acting, the game actually feels like you are playing inside a movie, which is an experience that is unique to this application.
Still, the game is not 100% perfect. I have experienced quite a bit of crashing. Data has never been lost, but it is quite an annoyance. I’d also only recommend playing this game if you have a little bit of time on your hands, as the process can be quite time-consuming between loading pages and the like.
The Bucks
Those hard earned bucks don’t go to waste. The bucks that you find hiding throughout the levels will go towards buying some essential stuff for cases as well as some nice new things for Frank himself. Some cases are reliant on you purchasing some important items or leads from the neighborhood know-it-all. Some of these things may not end up being important, but they are necessary in order to progress.
Who said you can't spend your hard earned cash on yourself?
Of course, Frank is able to spend his cash on some nice things for himself. You are able to purchase new outfits for Frank as well as new furniture for his apartment (which is originally decorated with cardboard boxes). Purchasing new furniture will generate Frank even more bucks than he had before, and new clothing will make his friends stop ridiculing him for his wardrobe.
You’re able to purchase extra bucks in packages, too. Packages of 10-200 bucks will run you anywhere from $0.99 to $6.99. You are also able to earn free bucks by completing offers.
The Evidence
The artwork in The Naked Gun is very well done. The cartoonish style only adds to the movie feel of the application itself. Everything is super detailed and textures stick out very well. So yes, it does look very nice.
The artwork is detailed but still maintains that awesome cartoonish feel
Nevertheless, there are a few areas where graphics can look a little bit better (like the map on the Pious screen) but the majority of the application is pixel-perfect.
The Verdict
At the end of the day, The Naked Gun: I.C.U.P. is a really good game. Boasting both challenging, long gameplay with just the right amount of humor, The Naked Gun is perfect for just about everyone. Still, the game does have its fair share of problems; however, the two largest (crashing and only one episode) can easily be fixed in an update. For $4.99, The Naked Gun will cost you a bit, but is worth the investment in the end.