A Gaming Diary
iPhone
Puzzle Quest (iPhone)
Sep 24th
Puzzle Quest is a great game. I’ve only played the DS version before, but it’s been ported to just about every platform under the sun. It’s an RPG with match-three battles, basically, but I doubt there’s anyone reading this blog who doesn’t know it.
Anyway, I love the game, but had heard both good and bad things about the iPhone version, so decided to try out the Lite. It seemed fine, if a bit cramped on the iPhone screen, so I played until the end of the demo and then wanted to play more. Unfortunately, the Lite version doesn’t let you restart after you finish it, so I had to buy the full version. Yes, I had to. If you’ve played Puzzle Quest, you’ll understand.
Buying the full version isn’t that simple. You can buy Chapter One for £1.19 or Chapters One & Two for £2.99. Um, right. You can’t seem to buy Chapter Two on its own, though, so if I just bought Chapter One I’d then have to buy both Chapters One and Two at later date. Unless you can update from within the app, but I think Puzzle Quest predates in-app purchases. So I played it safe and bought the Chapters One and Two bundle.
I’ve played it quite a bit now. It’s still the same great game, but the text is quite hard to read and buttons seem to be quite hard to push at times, as if the actual area you can press is smaller than the graphic of the button, or something. After playing for half an hour or so without a break I’d realised I’d been staring so hard at the screen that I’d given myself that fuzzy head feeling that’s one step away from a headache, like when you’ve been trying to force your eyes to see a Magic Eye picture.
I really think the developers should have put their RPG font away and just gone with a less atmospheric but more readable normal font for this version of the game. It’s a successful port, then, but not an unqualified success.
Squareball (iPhone)
Sep 24th
I completed level one! Hooray!
And level two! Hooray!
And I’ve almost completed level three many times, but just can’t quite do it.
This game is hard. But it’s good hard. It makes you make a determined face like a Muppet and fills you with the desire to beat it into the ground.
One odd thing, though. I was quite happily playing it with the sound off, like I do all my games, when it suddenly started beeping at me. All of a sudden the sound effects decided to use to the ringer volume, not the game volume. Deeply strange. Was still happening after I quit out and came back in. I guess the iPhone might need a reboot, or something.
iDrop Dead (iPhone)
Sep 24th
I forgot to take a screen shot for this post, but I’ve now finished all the goals in Normal and Time Attack modes. The other modes don’t have goals, so although I could run through the “single swipe” mode to get high scores, without anything to measure them against it feels a bit empty. I think I might be done with this until it gets updated, but I’ve already got great value for my 59p.
Against The Fire! (iPhone)
Sep 24th
This is getting really quite tricky now. Several runs are needed to learn the layout of the level and where the power-ups are, so I can find the citizens and enough oxygen to make it through the level without dying.
It did initially seem like a game I’d polish off quite quickly, but I’m only up to level twenty-four of fifty, so I dread to think what later levels are like.
It’s good stuff.
iDrop Dead (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
I didn’t intend for my lunchtime to be eaten by this game again, but it was.
I finished off all the goals in Normal Mode, now I’m doing the timed goals. They were all very easy – once I’d figured out the right character to use for each one – until I hit one that asks me to get 20,000 points in five seconds on a level and I can’t see how to do it. I’ve tried all the characters and none seem to work. The puny ones don’t give enough points for complete destruction, the ones with high points are too tough. I’ve had best luck with a mid-range character, but that’s only got me 17,000 points at most and I normally get around 10,000.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
Still playing this.
And still getting some good words now and again.
Squareball (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
I don’t know why this game is so hard. It shouldn’t be. It’s not unfair or complicated or anything.
The ball bounces up and down in the middle of the screen and you swipe the level to scroll it. You pick up coloured blocks and try to avoid bouncing off the top and bottom of the screen.
It’s very clever idea and it’s implemented very well. I just don’t know why I can’t get off level one. It’s baffling, but I keep trying.
Way of the Samurai 3 (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
This is interesting.
It’s a free promo game for Way of the Samurai 3 on the 360 and PS3. I never played the second game, but very much enjoyed the first one on the PS2, back in the day.
This little app consists of a very basic game – swipe up to block attacks, swipe down to attack – and combines it with videos of the “proper” game.
It’s not really very good, but it’s an interesting promotional device nonetheless.
iTubes (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
I wish I could stop playing this, but it’s just too good.
I noticed last night that it’s done me out of two achievements.
I should the “score over 10,000 in Time Attack” one and, I assume, the one for completing level one – unless that’s only triggered on Normal mode, or something. (I’ve only played Easy and Hard.)
Another little oddity to round things off, though. Look here.
Yep, I’ve apparently played that mode twice, but don’t have a score for one of my goes. Hmm.
iDrop Dead (iPhone)
Sep 23rd
Wow, this is fantastic. I’ve opened all the worlds now, I think, and completed almost every goal of every level in Normal mode. It’s been really good fun, but I guess I’m getting to the end of it now. The remaining goals shouldn’t take so long to polish off.
I’ll have to see if any of the other modes offer as much fun, or whether they’ll just be extras I tire of quickly. Regardless, I don’t think it’s going to be the longest game in the world, but 59p for the amount of fun I’ve had makes it a great buy.
