A Gaming Diary
Archive for July, 2009
Resident Evil 4 (iPhone)
Jul 28th
So, Resident Evil 4 finally appeared on the App Store, after its little adventure a couple of weeks ago. (For those that don’t know, it briefly appeared on the Japanese store before being pulled.)
As I enjoyed the demo of Resident Evil: Degeneration, I decided to take the plunge. I’m glad I did. For the first minute or two I was all over the place, but the controls become surprisingly workable in a short space of time. There’s some nice functions based on double-tapping and, though clunky, it’s honestly not that bad.
Of course, you’re not getting the full Resident Evil 4 game on your iPhone. Only a fool would think that. (Or, indeed, someone who read Capcom’s somewhat misleading description on the App Store.) You get some small levels linked by bizarre little storybook pages that make no sense, even to someone who’s played through Resident Evil 4 a couple of times.
As you go through the story, you unlock levels in Mercenaries mode, which allows you to build up reserves of much-needed cash. I’m only level three of the story so far – I keep spending all my money on ammo then dying, forcing me to go back to Mercenaries mode to build up cash. I don’t mind, though. I’m throughly enjoying it every time – and I’ve even found myself shouting “No, no, get away!” as I fumble to reload my shotgun as the chainsaw man advances.
It’s a genuinely fun little game. No, really. I’m sure some people will hate it because of the controls, but then that’s the story of Resident Evil’s life. (For the record, I find the early Resident Evil games pretty unplayable, due to the controls and save system. I’m no rabid fan of the series.)
Anyway, whatever other people think, I’m glad I got it and I like playing it – so stuff ‘em.
Rope’n'Fly (iPhone)
Jul 28th
The 1.4 update for Rope’n'Fly finally came out last night. I’ve been waiting for what seems like months, but I’ve had my iPhone about three weeks, so it’s probably less. With the update have come a couple of obvious changes.
The first is that – hooray! – it now saves your personal best score, so I can play it properly now. I wish the global leaderboards worked a bit better – it doesn’t seem possible to view your own position and it shuts down the game and loads a web page when you want to see them – but just being able to compete against myself is enough.
It also seems that the blue and red guy from the previous version was a bit too much like Spider-Man, as the colour scheme has changed. I reckon they just should have put him in a black suit and pretended it was angry emo Spidey, but what do I know?
Animal Crossing: Let’s Go To The City (Wii)
Jul 28th
Last night I shot a present down out of the sky; it was an iris table.
Racer (iPhone)
Jul 28th
I’ve still being playing this. A game here, a game there. If I’ve only got a minute to play a game, this is the one I’m currently going for.
I’m still not very good.
My Brute (iPhone)
Jul 28th
I play web version of My Brute every day, so was interested in the iPhone version. There were two problems, though.
1) The iPhone version locks a lot of its content unless you recruit pupils – i.e. persuade other people with the game to type in your code, rather than anyone else’s. As I wasn’t planning on spamming any forums begging for pupils, I knew that I’d never get the most out of the game.
2) It cost £2.99.
Yesterday, the price came down to 59p, so I took the plunge. (And in the unlikely event that anyone reading this does want to be my pupil, my code is CHEAAIFE.)
I have actually got one pupil already, as shown in the screenshot above.
Anyway, My Brute is barely a game – you create a character, watch them fight and get random bonuses when they level up. It limits you to a few fights a day, so you can only play it for a few minutes and it’s hardly even interactive, with your decision-making being limited to a choice of who to fight. Despite all that, though, I find seeing my little brute fight and get stronger to be, well, “interesting” is probably the best word. I’ve been playing it on the web for months, off and on, so I expect I’ll be fighting every day on the iPhone, too.
Star Shower (iPhone)
Jul 27th
I believe this is based on a mini game from one of the DS Mario games. You’d think if you were going to do that, you might try and hide the inspiration. Not so. Look at those stars.
Hmm. Still, it’s free, but I believe they plan to start charging for it sooner or later.
Anyway, it’s quite good fun in short bursts, I suppose.
Indiana Jones Sound Board (iPhone)
Jul 27th
Not a game, but I thought I might as well mention it. I might write something about other non-game apps in the future, too.
Indiana Jones Sound Board is the equivalent of those “…In My Pocket” key chain devices you can find on the counter in HMV and dotted around toy shops.
Paying 59p for a small collection of low quality samples from Indiana Jones films, many of which aren’t even dialogue, might sound stupid, but when compared to the key chains, which cost about a fiver, it starts to look like a bit of a bargain.
Really, though, I only bought it for the giddy thrill of hearing my iPhone say, “Fortune and glory, kid, fortune and glory.” It’s a bit of a catchphrase for my wife and me, so that’s what made me purchase. Without that sound bite I’d have been disappointed, but as it’s actually there the app has taken up a position on the first page of apps on my iPhone.
Also: “Chilled monkey brains.”
Shame it doesn’t have “He chose… poorly.” I guess you can’t have everything.
Racer (iPhone)
Jul 27th
One of those incredibly simple games that packs a hugely addictive punch.
Cars scroll down the screen, you slide your finger left and right so your car avoids them. That’s it.
It’s very polished, has online leaderboards (I was 535th in the world for Normal mode, last I checked) and I keep going back to it.
I really think you should go and buy it now. I was very sceptical when I read about it, thinking it looked a bit too simplistic to be worth even 59p, but it’s great. Take my word for it.
Air Coaster (iPhone)
Jul 27th
Generate a random roller coaster or build one in the simple-but-powerful editior. Then go into the 3D view and ride it. It’s not really a game, just a toy, but it’s a very, very good one it you like roller coasters. I’ve been building very silly coasters and then been showing them off to my wife so she can ride them. It’s that type of app.
It’s impressive, fun and well worth the bargain price of 59p. I’m very pleased with it.
(Oh, and there is a basic game mode, shown in the screenshot above, but don’t worry about it, it’s not worth even a passing thought. I’ve also just noticed how rubbish that screen shot looks. Don’t worry, the game itself runs very well and looks a lot nicer in motion.)
Harbour Master (iPhone)
Jul 27th
It’s very much like Flight Control, but I think I prefer it. The main difference, apart from the visual difference between planes and boats, is that the ships carry cargo and, one unloaded in a harbour, you have to get them back out to sea. It’s an interesting twist and one that improves the game for me, as does just the general feel of the thing. Flight Control alternates between dull and frantic, Harbour Master seems better tuned and doesn’t have the same periods where nothing much is happening.
I’m not going to delete Flight Control from my iPhone, but I doubt I’ll be playing it much any more. Mind you, I wasn’t before.
