The free iPhone game Trawler Report: Pig Shot, Finger Physics, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Snooker

It’s a strong week for the FreeAppADay initiative, with three games making our list. Each is a polished example of a familiar genre, offering a worthy free alternative to pricier rivals.

Elsewhere we have excellent 3D sports game Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Snooker, on the market to celebrate its developer’s independence. If you haven’t got it already, download it post haste.

Then there’s this week’s crap app, which manages to fail spectacularly in at least three ways.

Have a good weekend, and enjoy your free apps.

Pig Shot
By Nexx Studio
Type Full

Yes, it’s another variation on the see-how-far-you-can-get genre. But Pig Shot is definitely worth a look, given that it’s free (courtesy of FreeAppADay).

The idea is to catapult a pig along the ground, tilting your handset left and right to avoid obstacles and pick up stars. Piggy is quick to lose momentum, though, which could stop you from reaching the next catapult.

It’s not particularly original, but Pig Shot is attractive enough and fun enough to hold its own in a competitive genre. OpenFeint integration provides that all-important competitive factor, too.

Download Pig Shot here.

Finger Physics: Thumb Wars
By PressOK Entertainment
Type Full

Another FreeAppADay addition from another overpopulated genre, Finger Physics: Thumb Wars is nevertheless a fine example of physics-based puzzling.

You have to knock an orange ball into a swirling… thingy. It’s a bit like a series of pool shots, if the cue was replaced with an elaborate domino rally-style series of blocks and cantilevers.

It’s up to you to set these mechanisms off, breaking glass blocks, moving blocks that can be moved, and generally making full use of natural forces like gravity and magnetism. It can feel a little random at times, but it’s never less than good solid fun.

Download Finger Physics: Thumb Wars here.

FaceFighter
By Appy Entertainment
Type Full

FaceFighter is a deeply silly proposition, as you face up to a range of punch-worthy mugs and unleash your full rage on them. There’s more to it than meets the eye, though (but only a bit).

It’s actually a pretty fun little first-person brawler. Okay, it’s no Super KO Boxing, but the principle of timing your blocks and hitting with a flurry of varied strikes on the counter is the same.

To top it all off, you get to upload your photo and take on your friends via Bluetooth. If ever there was a way to settle a dispute and let off a bit of steam without sustaining a bloody nose, this is it.

Download FaceFighter here. Pick of the week

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Snooker
By P1 Sports
Type Full

P1 Sports has made this splendid take on the gentleman’s game free for one week only. It’s been done to celebrate the developer striking out into the world of iPhone self-publishing. Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Snooker is a fitting tribute to the mercurial man himself – slick and easy on the eye, if a little inconsistent. It follows Ronnie’s career at a number of key points, putting you into actual scenarios that he faced and tasking you with matching his achievements.

It’s all backed by a splendid 3D graphics engine that swoops and pans over the action convincingly, and a convincing ball-physics system that’ll have you playing beautiful positional shots in no time.

Download Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Snooker here.

Crap apps

Christmas Games Lite
By Pocket Books
Type Demo

We have a triple-whammy of crap this week. Christmas Games Lite fails on several counts - it isn’t timely, useful, or complete.

A glance around the App Store will tell you that the key upcoming pagan festival is Halloween, yet here’s Pocket Books flogging a free Christmas-themed app. Genius.

Add to that the fact that it’s about as useful as a used advent calendar, with a list of painfully obvious game instructions. For example, Guess the Christmas Song helpfully tells you you’ll need 1. Some friends 2. Christmas music 3. Speakers. Then it embarks on a five step explanation of this staggeringly self-explanatory game.

To top it all off, it’s not even the complete version. The developer expects you to pay actual money for the full version, which comes “with outstanding and new game plan and idea.”

Bah, humbug.