ReviewMendation: Tiny Tower (iOS)

What's a "ReviewMendation?" It's not quite a review and not quite a recommendation; it's a combination of the two, put together in a single word that is far more stupid than it is clever.

One of my favorite Sim games is SimTower, but with the lack of a SimTower 2 or SimTower 3000 or even a SimTower: Elevator Action Edition, I am probably in the minority. Tiny Tower is essentially a brand new SimTower, simplified for its platforms—iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The simplification works well on smaller devices, but seems out of place and not nearly as appealing on the iPad. The real accomplishment of Tiny Tower, however, is its freemium model that actually allows one to never have the need to spend a single penny.

If you're easily addicted and don't mind a little—or a lot—of debt, you could easily blow countless paychecks like the current leaderboard champ, who already has over one thousand floors. A thousand floors isn't possible without paying, but my very humble forty-nine floors is well in one's free grasp. I have been playing this game since release and check it numerous times throughout the day to restock and build the occasional new floor. The game isn't intended for long periods of play, but its addictive nature has everything to do with the fact one must wait to be rewarded, unless one chooses to pay.

There's no real point in calling this a review when Tiny Tower is free and you have no reason not to give it a chance, but anyone straddling the fence should at least know the game is capable of being played without ever paying—something I cannot say for most freemium games. I also must say the art style is awfully charming and I will continue my addiction between rounds of Hard Lines—like Michael Jackson, I just can't get enough. Last thought, I hope future updates add a more elaborate form of integrating and sharing between friends through Game Center and a tad more options when it comes to customizing your residents—I'd love the ability to rename all my little bitizens.