Twin-stick shooters are problematic on devices that don't have any sticks. There's always the danger that your excitable thumbs will move that little bit too far across the screen and you'll stop shooting at the worst possible time.
Of course, if the game in question isn't actually that much fun to start off with, you're not going to be too upset when your thumb wanders away from the control portion of the screen and starts gently caressing evil alien invaders.
So, in a roundabout way, it's good that Star Blitz is a big slice of average, otherwise you might be disappointed when your digits tickled a floating hive brain instead of blasting it to kingdom come.
Blitz and piecesAs you might expect from that introduction, Star Blitz is a top-down, twin-stick shooter. And at first glance it's a pretty impressive addition to the genre.
The left- and right-hand sides of the screen are sectioned off into two obvious and clearly defined sticks.
The left one flies your swanky looking spaceship around and the right one fires your massive space weapon. Much like its stablemate Gun Bros, Star Blitz is split up into a series of waves. Shoot everything in one wave and you get to move on to the next.
As well as space destruction, you have to collect the green Iridium deposits that the despatched crafts drop. More Iridium equals more money to spend on upgrading your ship and weapons. There's also an in-game shop, where you can spend real-life money to get the upgrades without lifting a finger.
Blitz a letdownThere are vast stretches of universe to explore, and loads of laser cannons, hull parts, and special weapons to purchase and unlock. The controls are a weak link, with finger slippage a real danger in the middle of a frantic mission.
Co-operative gameplay is included, with matchmaking performed via Facebook. You log in to the social network through the game and send out invites, as well as earning extra credits to spend on in game items.
In terms of content and innovative ideas, Star Blitz is overflowing. It's no slouch in the looks department, either, with impressive graphics and a nice menu system that's easy to navigate.
In spite of all of this, though, the game falls down in one major department: fun.
Star boresShooting your way through hordes of rent-a-baddy spaceships should be joyous. You should let rip with your ionising death ray with a grin on your face, but instead the whole thing feels pedestrian and routine.
There's no spark, none of the energising, arcade fulfilment that you get from the best shooters on the market. Sure, all the components needed for fun are there, but when they come together it's with a bit of a whimper rather than a bang.
You've done this all before - shot the same aliens and collected the same flashing green blobs. This is space warfare by the numbers, and unfortunately those numbers just don't add up.