Mad Transporter is a Windows Phone game that will test your skills at traveling down some rather treacherous roadways without losing your load.
The game, as you might guess from the title, has you operating a cargo transport truck with the goal of reaching the finish line as fast as possible without a) running out of gas and b) having all (or most) of your cargo intact. Graphics are nice and game play challenging enough to keep things mildly interesting.
Available for low-memory devices, Mad Transporter may not rate as a "go to" game; it's not a bad choice to have to fall back on from time to time. Plus, being a universal app, you can always take things to the larger screens of Windows 8.
An uncomplicated menu
Mad Transporter has a very basic, uncomplicated main menu. You have one button to play the game and another to access the game's settings. Even the settings are basic with options to adjust the sound and music levels.
Game play is spread out across twenty levels, each progressively unlocked and more challenging. To help give the game a little variety, Mad Transporter has three different truck colors to choose from before you hit the road and start game play.
East bound and down, load 'em up and truck it
The game screen for Mad Transporter has your fuel gauge, score and timer laid out across the top of the screen. Your accelerator is in the lower right corner of the screen and the brake pedal is in the lower left corner.
You begin the level with a full load of cargo and a full tank of gas. You'll need to hit the gas rather quickly because once the level loads, the timer starts. Your cargo, which isn't very secure, consists of two cars and as you go up and down the hills they will roll around the cargo bed.
You use your Windows Phone tilt sensors, the truck's accelerator and brake to keep your transport truck as level as possible. Tilt your phone to the right to keep the cab of your truck down, tilt to the keep the back bumper down.
To help make the trip more challenging, your truck gets about 5 miles per gallon and sucks gas down quickly. To help you make it to the finish line, spare gas re-fills are scattered along the road.
Levels are pass/fail style with losing both cars, running out of gas or time resulting in a failure.
Overall Impression
Mad Transporter is one of those Windows Phone games that really doesn't knock your socks off but isn't a bore to play either. In small doses, Mad Transporter can be a fun game. I don't see it holding up to marathon gaming sessions but as a title in your gaming library, it can add a little variety to your gaming choices.
The game performed all right but the accelerator could be temperamental at times. I found pressing on the top of the pedal seemed to work the best.
While Mad Transporter isn't a bad game it does need a little more "something, something" to give it a little more pop. While a little on the plain side, the biggest downside to Mad Transporter is the lack of a trial version. The game was free but has since jumped in price to $2.99 with no trial.
Not sure if the game is at the right pricing point but it definitely needs a trial version to let Windows Phone users kick the tires and take the game out for a test drive. On the plus side, Mad Transporter is a universal app so if you buy it for your Windows Phone, you can pick it up at no extra cost for Windows 8.
- Mad Transporter - Windows Phone 8 - $2.99 - Store Link
- Mad Transporter - Windows 8 - $2.99 - Store Link
