Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen lends his name to new freemium iOS racer

Kimi Raikkonen ICEONE Racing is a new driving game for iOS devices, developed by 24MAS International. The game was released on the App Store on February 2, 2012 as a free Universal download and, according to our tracking service AppData, is currently placed at No. 14 in Top Free Apps for iPhone, No. 10 in Top Free iPhone Games and No. 301 in Top Free iPad Apps. At the time of writing, the game has a spotlight appearance in the Featured Apps section of the App Store, which will doubtless help its user figures. Kimi Raikkonen ICEONE Racing gives players the opportunity to try their hand at four different racing disciplines which Raikkonen has been known for over the years. These include rallying, karting, tuner cars and stock truck. The championships represented by these different vehicles do not carry the official licenses, which may also explain why arguably Raikkonen's best-known racing discipline -- Formula One -- is not included. There are three gameplay modes on offer to players: Quick Race, which allows the selection of any vehicle and a choice of tracks on which to race; Career, which sees players working through several championships with each vehicle; and multiplayer, in which players can use their Game Center ID to log on and compete against the world. Racing takes place from a third-person perspective with a combination of on-screen acceleration and braking controls along with tilt steering. Controls can be adjusted between right- and left-handed modes, but there is no easy way to adjust the sensitivity of the tilt steering, nor is there the option to switch to a first-person view for those who prefer to race that way. The handling of the vehicles errs on the side of "realistic" rather than "arcade", meaning that driving effectively is a challenge, particularly on the icy rally circuit. The game monetizes through the sale of a variety of optional add-ons, and is also ad-supported. The free version of the game allows players to race any of the four disciplines on one track each. A 99-cent purchase for each type of vehicle adds performance upgrades, and an additional 99-cent purchase per discipline unlocks the facility to select a different appearance for the vehicle in question. On top of this, a one-off payment of $1.99 unlocks all of the additional tracks in the game, bringing the total on offer from four to 20, though a number of these are simply the same tracks raced in the opposite direction. Kimi Raikkonen ICEONE Racing offers enough content in its free version for players to figure out whether the realistic driving and gameplay is for them. It's possible to try out all of the racing disciplines on offer and even jump into multiplayer games. However, the game's menu interface does not make it clear to players what is available for free, instead placing a "lock" icon over the option to proceed, and highlighting a nondescript icon with a dollar sign over it. It's only by tapping on this that players learn they have to buy the option. The facility to purchase the game's content from a "Store" option on the main menu would perhaps have been a little more transparent to players as opposed to this piecemeal approach. There also does not appear to be the facility to restore past purchases if the game has been reinstalled -- or if there is, it's not presented in a very prominent location. You can track Kimi Raikkonen ICEONE Racing's progress through the App Store charts using AppData, our tracking service for social and iOS games and developers.

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Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen lends his name to new freemium iOS racer

Pete Davison

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