A Gaming Diary
Archive for July, 2009
Railroad Madness (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Just downloaded this as it’s free today. Just today. If you’re reading this a day or more after I post this entry, you’ll have missed out.
Should you care?
Well, I’m not sure. I’ve not played it much – only three or four games. Seems like a fun, fast-paced little puzzle game, but it takes too long to get going and the control scheme, though as simple as possible and completely logical, can be very annoying. Oh, and sometimes the trains are so short that the smoke from the chimney obscures its colour, making it very hard to tell if it’s a cargo train (which has to be directed to the stations on the left) or a passenger train (which needs to go to the right).
Which sounds like a lot of complaining, but it’s still pretty fun, I think. If you’re reading this when it’s still free, go grab it, if it’s back up to 59p, well, it might be worth a go, but it’s too early to tell. Watch this space.
Big Top Ten (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
I just got a new high score of 2639! I won’t show a picture of the game over screen again, though. So here’s a nice picture of how the game looked fairly near the end.
Hang on… how did I manage to only get another fifty-points when I had thirty-six seconds left? That’s rubbish.
geoDefense (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Apologies if this post is a bit weird – I'm testing out emailing entries to my blog from my iPhone. Not sure how to do labels – I guess I'll have to edit the post to add them later.
Anyway, I've been playing a bit of geoDefense – it gets a bit hectic at times.
Well, that was poorly formatted, but it worked after a fashion. I’ve edited it now. Probably best just to go through the browser and save drafts, then add the images and publish the posts later, when I’m at a computer.
Zombies Vs. Sheep (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Yesterday, I posted about this game and said I couldn’t offer a full recommendation. Well, now I can. It’s fantastic and you should go and buy it right now. It’s 59p. That’s a can of Coke or a loaf of bread that you’ll have to eat by tomorrow.
I’ve got to the boss a few times now. He only killed me the first time I faced him, so my concerns about the bosses killing the game seem to be unfounded. Yes, a later boss might be a game killer – but it’s going to be a long time before I meet them and the game seems so be well-paced in terms of difficulty. It might be a bit too slow, actually. I wish the game would get going a bit faster, but that’s my only criticism and it’s only minor.
I’m afraid the only picture I’ve got is of another game over screen. Let’s just call it the theme for today, shall we?
That screen shows me dying just after killing the first boss. Again. I keep dying after he does. I don’t think it’s the game getting silly, I think I just relax when I really, really shouldn’t.
So, yes, if I had a little image file that said “INVERTY.COM RECOMMENDED BUY” or something, I’d put it here. I don’t, but I still think you should buy the game. It won’t change your life, it won’t be the most fun you’ve ever had with your iPhone, it might not even be the best game you’ll play today, but it’s charming and fun and well worth the low, low price if you’re after some tapping shooting action.
Unblock Me Free (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Sitting in the doctor’s office this morning, ignoring the constantly ringing phones with people calling in about swine flu, I needed to play something. I played a bit of geoDefense, because I was early, but when it got close to my appointment time, I needed something to play that I could stop playing instantly with no penalty. So I decided to play Unblock Me.
It’s calm, sedate, puzzling and satisfying and easy to put down when you need to. It’s obviously not something I play often, but in that situation it was perfect.
Doom Resurrection (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Finally played this again last night. You may have noticed that I’ve not been playing it, despite paying the huge price of £5.99 for the game. There’s a reason for that. It’s not that it’s a bad game. It’s not that there are better games on my iPhone – there may be, but Doom Resurrection’s up there near the top even if it’s not the absolute best.
No, the reason I’ve not been playing it is because I want to do it justice. I want to be sitting in the right position and be able to have sound on – and loud. (For the record, I mostly play iPhone games without sound, or just on the quietest setting, which is why you’ll normally hear me talking about graphics and gameplay a lot more than I mention the sound.) Doom seems to deserve the best treatment I can give it, short of actually using headphones – though I may do that some time.
So, last night I played through what I think was the third level. It was brilliant. Great controls, great presentation, shooting of maximum fun and, well, it’s got that lovely Doomness about it. I love Doom. Even Doom 3, yes. A new enemy type was introduced, along with a favourite old weapon…
Er, that’s a chainsaw, by the way. You probably can’t tell from that picture.
Come get some!
Glandarius Wing Strike Lite (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
I was very good. I only played this twice last night. Self discipline, that’s what that is. My opinion hasn’t changed at all – it’s still a fantastic shooter that’s very iPhone-friendly. Anyway, here’s a screenshot of the game over screen. (Yeah, I’ve got a few of those today, I know.)
I’m just curious about what the “Honor” is. I assume the Class is based on score, but Honor? I’m not sure. Being called a Hasty Man amused me, though, so I think I approve of it, whatever it is.
Big Top Ten (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
I’m starting to develop a bit of an addiction here. This does seem to be my default game at the moment, above things like Baseball Superstars and Zombies Vs. Sheep. It’s very compelling and games are quick enough to create a very dangerous “one more go” loop.
That’s me getting a new high score. It would have been higher, but I finished a huge, board-snaking sequence just as the time ran out. My finger was just lifting from the touch screen when the game over screen appeared. So very, very annoying.
And, yes, I do have lots of room for improvement. That score isn’t especially good, I know.
Baseball Superstars 2009 (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
A tale of great loss and woe. Not about my fifth season, specifically. That went very well. My batting average went up, my team won the league and the post-season stuff, my popularity went over 150 so I could buy new shoes. That was all really good.
No, the loss and woe came when I hit my first home run. Yes, in four seasons I’d not hit a homer, but then near the beginning of the fifth season I sent the ball sailing out of the park. Unfortunately, in my rush to try and take a screenshot I managed to quit the game – and the game only saves at the end of each game. So when I restarted the game my home run was lost. I’ve not scored another one since. Sigh.
There’s a screenshot I did manage to take. I suppose it’s quite exciting in its way. Will the ball be caught? Will I reach base safely?
It’s still not as exciting as a picture of a home run would have been, though.
Radial 50 Lite (iPhone)
Jul 23rd
Downloaded the Lite version of this after someone recommended it to me. It’s a Breakout game, but you rotate the paddle around a circle, with the block arranges inside that circle. A picture should help you visualise it.
It actually works in a similar way to Vortex, which comes pre-installed on some iPod Nanos. Radial 50 looks better, is faster and is generally the better the game… except when it comes to controls. The Nano’s click wheel is perfect to control a game like this, as you can just move you thumb around in a circle along with the bat. In contrast, Radial 50 uses an up/down slider on the right of the screen. It would probably work fine for most people, but I can’t get my head around it. When I need to react quickly I often can’t work out whether my thumb needs to move up or down and I die.
It’s rather like the problem I have in top-down racers where left and right are relative to the car, not the screen, so when the car’s moving down the screen I get flustered and confused and move the wrong way.
So Radial 50 is probably a decent game for most people, but it’s just not for me.
