A Gaming Diary
iPhone
Big Buck Hunter Pro (iPhone)
Feb 10th
Imagine my surprise when I saw a screen shot of this game appear in iPhoto this morning. You see, I’d bought it last night when I couldn’t sleep and then had completely forgotten about it by this morning.
That's a big buck!
Still, it was a pleasant surprise, because it’s a fun game. It’s a quick, arcade shooting gallery game that just happens to feature bucks and does instead of terrorists and hostages, or whatever. You get points for killing bucks, fail if you kill a doe and get bonus points for killing little critters.
Heh heh heh. Your mom's a big buck hunter.
Having to reload after every shot means you really have to be accurate and it all appears to be rather good. The speed of the whole thing means it’s less creepy than games where you stalk your prey, so might even be worth a look for people who aren’t interested in other hunting games.
If you’ve got real issues with shooting innocent animals in the throat, though, it still won’t be for you.
Doodle Jump (iPhone)
Feb 10th
So, that whole “not liking Doodle Jump” thing seems to be over, huh? Commercial breaks, toilet breaks and, er, probably some other breaks I’m forgetting – they’re all Doodle Jump time.
I still don’t like the bits where you have to touch the screen much, but I’m getting better at them and they don’t spoil the experience as I used to think they did.
There's no time to take screens when I'm actually playing.
I always get a bit grumpy when I change my mind about a game, because I don’t like to have been a Mister Wrongface, but on the plus side, it shows the benefits of a gaming diary like this over traditional review sites. People may like numbers and “definitive” verdicts, but games aren’t really like that – especially score attack games without a beginning, middle and end.
On the other hand, there’s not a lot to say about some games, so when I keep playing them I start to struggle for something to say. Which leads to nonsense about cats and getting all meta about the point of this blog.
Orbital (iPhone)
Feb 10th
Orbital is, as I’ve mentioned before, something of a harsh mistress. Mistakes are punished with instant death. Sometimes I’m tempted to feel like I’ve been unlucky, but, of course, luck doesn’t have anything to do with it. The rules are there and the only reason to die is that the human thumb and the human eye simply aren’t capable of judging the angles in sufficient detail.
Buggeration.
The game’s not at fault; it’s just us…
…and sometimes a cat, if it decides to head-butt the iPhone just as you’re taking a shot.
You know, that’s probably how wasps were invented. God was making a nice, friendly insect and just as he pressed the button a cat wandered over and nudged his hand.
Universe creating deities: make cats last.
Flick Kick Field Goal (iPhone)
Feb 10th
Hmpf. This is one of those games where I beat my own high score, feel very proud of myself, then go to check the global leaderboards and cry.
Hooray! I'm great!
I’ve tried all the game modes now and they all offer something different and worthwhile. I think Sudden Death is my favourite – there’s no stopping or starting, just kick after kick after kick. You kick the ball and if you make the kick your score goes up. If you don’t, it resets to zero. There’s no downtime at all.
Flick Kick Field Goal (iPhone)
Feb 9th
This was free to celebrate the Super Bowl – hooray for the Saints! – and is one of the best freebies in a while. It’s basically Paper Toss Evolved, or something, where you, well, flick the screen to kick the ball over the field and into the goal. Hence, you know, the name.
Watch out for that wind!
It feels just right, it varies the angle and wind nicely, has a good number of game modes, OpenFeint integration and is very polished indeed. If you missed it for free, bad luck, but I don’t think you’ll regret buying it. A great little quick game – it’s almost worth a spot in the dock.
GT Racing: Motor Academy (iPhone)
Feb 9th
The framerate seems much better in the Career mode than in the quick races I did. I suspect that’s because I was racing against three cars instead of nine, or possibly because the game starts you off with slower cars than are available for quick races. Maybe a little of both. The pop up isn’t any better, mind you.
Montreal, I believe. Looks like everyone's on strike except for us racers.
I’ve found another minor complaint, though. The career races I’ve done so far have all been four laps, which is a little long. Two or three laps would have been a better fit for an iPhone game, I think. The AI cars always seem to be just behind me, too, so I’m a bit concerned that there’s some rubber-banding going on. That’s fine in an arcade racer, but it something a little more simulation-based it seems wrong.
Still, whatever complaints I have got do have to be weighed against the important thing: the cars feel good to drive. That’s what really counts and Gameloft have – somewhat to my surprise, I have to admit – nailed it.
Doodle Jump (iPhone)
Feb 9th
I died for your sins... well, screen shots.
This seems to be my “commercial break” game of the moment. As soon as, for example, Glee went to the ads, Doodle Jump came out. It’s a good thing that I’m not good enough to play for long. Didn’t get a new high score last night, but came close enough to get into my local top ten.
Let’s not mention the times that I got distracted while starting a game and fell to my death with a score of zero, eh?
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Feb 9th
Performance lately has been woeful, with it taking a couple of minutes or so to send turns. It hasn’t stopped me playing, but it’s been very annoying – and given the lack of turns coming in, I’m guessing other people are having problems, too.
Hail the power of the sea cow!
That and the “Performance improvements coming soon” message at the bottom of the screen. That also gave me a clue. I’m up there with Batman as the world’s greatest detective, me.
GT Racing: Motor Academy (iPhone)
Feb 8th
First impressions of Gameloft’s new “serious” racer.
I got this for Laguna Seca, which thankfully is unlocked for quick racing from the start. (In fact, there are a good amount of cars and tracks unlocked in that mode at the beginning. I’m not sure if it’s all of them, but it’s a good selection.) I need Laguna Seca with me at all times, so I’ve been waiting for this game with baited breath.
First off, it’s a bit of a mess technically. It’s all a little “bitty” and sometimes hard to read at distance, not helped by some amazing (in a bad way) pop up. Opponents often seem to be floating above the track a bit. The framerate ducks and dives like a featherweight boxer, too. And either Laguna Seca is hillier in this version than in other games, or there’s some oddness with the view point, because you can definitely see less of the track ahead of you. (Possibly done on purpose to minimise the pop up?)
Yes, it has replays. I assume from the icon you can upload them to YouTube.
There’s all sorts of settings and driving aids. I turned stability management down to half and braking assist off entirely, stuck with the tilt controls and found a surprisingly good driving model. It’s not as simulation-based as I expected, but it’s no Ridge Racer and it’s really rather exciting and satisfying.
I didn’t get a good look at any opponent AI that may or may not exist, but there doesn’t seem to be any damage model at all.
After a few races of Laguna Seca in a couple of different cars I went into Career mode. If the game wasn’t an obvious rip-off of Gran Turismo before, it certainly is here.
I've rarely seen anything more blatant.
You have to pass tests to get your licence, then buy a car, all that malarky. I’ve only got by C licence and had a look at the available cars so far.
Based on half an hour or so, then, this is a horrible rip-off, fairly ugly and a technical mess, but seems to be saved by the amount of licensed content and a genuinely decent driving model. It’s definitely more than good enough for what I want – which, to remind you, is Laguna Seca in my pocket – but playing it when I’ve actually got my PSP with me would be idiocy.
Terminator Salvation (iPhone)
Feb 8th
Excellent shooter. I’d played the demo a lot, then bought the game ages ago for 59p in a sale, but hadn’t got around to playing it.
Look! It's a real Terminator! Not Generic Enemy Robot #63.
Started it up yesterday afternoon, didn’t stop until I’d finished the game. So, yes, it’s short. I’m not sure how short, but at a guess it took three or four family guys to get to through. Maybe five. Over an hour, I reckon, but less than two. (These Family Guys were on the BBC, so no commercials.)
It’s got a nice cover mechanic, the licence helps the atmosphere enormously and there are even some decent vehicle levels. It’s very easy on Normal, yes, but I didn’t feel like that was a bad thing.
You get to ride a Terminator motorcycle over the Golden Gate bridge. Awesome.
The only bad point I can think of is the reliance on laser beams that turn on and off to slow things down. It’s a bit of a lame way to try and make the game a bit longer.
Still, I enjoyed my run through the game enormously and consider it to be 59p well spent.
I have to wonder why Gameloft took the “tilt to aim” option out of their more recent shooters. It’s definitely the best way to play and lack of that option in Modern Combat really hurts the game. Strange.
