Review ::The Price Is Right:: Version 1.0.5 $.99 - iPhone Game of the Day.com

One of the ways that iPhone game publishers can get away with releasing free games is by implementing in-game advertising to offset what would otherwise be the total absence of income. Executed properly, it’s a great trade-off. Everybody wins, as they say. Ads within paid games however, are a rarity. Sometimes all it takes is a tiny, unobtrusive banner at the bottom of the screen, so wouldn’t you expect a game that’s saturated with advertising to be a freebie? I would.

And advertising isn’t even the right word for it. The sort of product placement that occurs on The Price Is Right is unlike any other. To be successful, players have to pay very close attention to product descriptions and analyze their value. Talk about a captive audience. Forgive this rant, but this game should be free. Either they’re raking it in from both advertisers and downloaders, or they’re doing it wrong.

Free or otherwise, the iPhone version of America’s most beloved afternoon game show lets you play the role of babbling, ecstatic maniac, all the way from Contestant’s Row to any of 16 pricing games, and then from the Big Wheel to the Showcase Showdown. You have your choice of the traditional rules, a more forgiving 3 strikes mode, or a party mode that allows up to four players to compete on the same device.

I’d trade the graphics, which are admittedly impressive, for quicker load times – seems like a lot of waiting on my 3G. The music’s spot on, but there’s no host – just an announcer.

It’s fun to watch The Price Is Right like, three times a year. Any more often is too often. I’m sure if it taped in my neighborhood I’d be over there every chance I got, not because it’d be fun but because I’d have a shot at winning all that cash and those fabulous prizes. This game doesn’t present that opportunity, so only weirdos are going to enjoy themselves more than a few times.