Price: $1.99    Rating: 5/10    By: Sarah Parker

The game application, iDrop Dead, developed by ttursas, Ltd., is a slight twist on the traditional rag-doll game. At first I was unfamiliar with this type of game so I did a little research on the subject. Rag-doll physics is a type of computer animation and programming that is used to animate death sequences in video games. Rag-doll games are based on this method of computer animation physics. The name rag-doll refers to the computer character’s floppy movements that resemble a rag-doll.

Animated rag-dolls can be simple stick figures or fully fleshed human beings, but all display interesting physics of movement that can be pretty entertaining. This type of computer animation technique has generated its own unique genre of games. In many, you can throw around an animated rag-doll to see how it bends and moves in different settings. There are tons of games out there that use rag-dolls animation, such as rag-doll kung fu and skiing (among numerous others) that are really fun. However, some of these games have developed into torture games that are extremely violent.

iDrop Dead is a rag-doll game for the iPhone or iPod Touch. The game itself is well developed, with 18 levels, 5 worlds, 9 characters, and 4 game modes, with some extras that can be unlocked during game play. However, this game not only tosses the rag-doll characters around, it also dismembers and decapitates them. You can unlock different blood colors (there is plenty of “blood” in this game) and you get extra points for the most body damage, complete dismemberment, and decapitation. iDrop Dead would probably be a 5 on a violence scale of 1 to 10.

Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I really did not like this game. There is too much violence and dismemberment for me. To top it off, the music accompanying the game is annoying at best. If you want to try this game, I would recommend not using your headphones or muting the music.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy rag-doll games, you might like iDrop Dead. It all comes down to personal preference with this type of game, and there are people who absolutely love this game. But if you prefer traditional games without the blood and bones (like I do), this game probably isn’t for you.

iDrop Dead requires the iPhone OS 2.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.