Embrace a lack of productivity by scoring big in Nerf Hoops
Nerf Hoops is a free game for iPhone and iPad geared around getting a basketball in a hoop despite all obstacles. Perhaps that's an oversimplification, but that's not a bad thing because as Flappy Bird once demonstrated the simplest games can be the most addictive. Indeed, Nerf Hoops is one of those games you take out in a waiting room or just when you need to keep yourself occupied as the clock keeps ticking.
Your objective in Nerf Hoops is simple: score. The game places your basketball toward the bottom of the screen and you have to flick with your finger to get it into the distant hoop. The easiest level sets you in a messy college dorm room with the hoop pretty close in proximity to you. The hardest - or as Nerf Hoops exaggerates, "Impossible!" - is on the streets where you face a number of additional challenges outside the realm of college life.
The three obstacles you face in Nerf Hoops are wind, zombies and cars. The laws of physics clearly don't apply to this game as the wind somehow manages to blow a full-sized basketball in a completely different direction while it's in mid-air. Wind is the only challenge you're up against in the first two levels of the game, but it requires you to strategically flick your finger so that the ball still lands in the hoop despite interference from Mother Nature. In this regard, Nerf Hoops plays very similar to Paper Toss.
With each shot, the wind varies in strength and direction. A number generally between one and six indicates the force of the wind while the arrow underneath points in its corresponding direction. I found that it's a bit difficult to score with any number past five because with the design of the iPhone and the angle you need to flick your finger, it doesn't leave much room. The iPad version remedies this situation a bit though.
Moving forward to level three, you start to encounter wind plus zombies. In level four, zombies are out of the streets and cars are in, moving by quickly as you try to aim. Neither of these affect the ball in any way, they just serve as mere visual distractions. It's not like a car will drive by and block the basketball from entering the hoop. The graphics are at least nice enough though.
The game also features a Challenge mode to send a friend your high score and let them try and beat it. Obtain high scores by scoring as many times as you can until you miss. Then the score drops to zero and it's time to begin again. This format is what makes the game so addictive and truly fun, too.
All minor criticisms aside, Nerf Hoops for iOS is a free and worthy alternative to Paper Toss. It's not so challenging that you get frustrated with it, but it's just challenging enough to keep you wanting more when you fail. I imagine Nerf Hoops probably springs to life mostly in a waiting room or on a subway, but hey, as long as you aren't being productive you might as well have fun with your time.
