For this particular game, you don’t need a whole lot of graphics to make the game good, in fact it’s pretty simple. You have your basic character model, the stadium, etc.

NFL Kicker 13 (Universal: $0.99) iTunes

“Addicting gameplay that is easy to learn but hard to master. Kick field goals with ultimate accuracy and compete with facebook friends across three different game modes. Play to unlock classic and alternate team uniforms, cheerleaders and official equipment. Upgrade your stadium from a limited capacity starter stadium to a high tech temple to football!”

Presentation

Overall the whole game has a very arcade feel to it, which I think is what the developer was aiming for with the game. The visuals also make it very clear where you’re supposed to be kicking the ball to for the most points, which is very important. Just as important is the fact that the devices we played on were able to keep up with the game – the frames were rock solid.

Controls

The controls are pretty simple, you simply flick up (which can be a bit tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it) to kick the ball. While the ball is in the air, you can swipe left or right to move the ball while in air.

Gameplay

More than anything, the game is a simple pick up and play game. Whether you want to spend some time with it, or just want to play it for 5 minutes to pass time, the game suits your needs. There are tree modes in the game: field goal mode, punting mode, and time attack mode, with each being slightly different. In field goal mode you’ll be kicking the ball for, you guessed, it, a field goal.

You’ll want to build up goals for the combo. In punting mode, you’ll want to punt the 10 balls they give you as close to the end zone as you can get, without actually going into the end zone. And finally, there’s time attack mode, where speed and accuracy are of the essence. As you play you can choose to upgrade your stadium as well as give your player new equipment.

Conclusion

NFL Kicker 13 is a perfect example of a cheap, fun game that you can play for a long time or just for 5 minutes. Sure, you’ll only be kicking, but with the wind speeds, it varies. Think of it as extreme sporty paper toss. And at the price, I can’t see how you could go wrong with this game. 7/10