A Gaming Diary
iPhone
Str8ts (iPhone)
Sep 7th
The cat woke me up early on Sunday morning, then we had a bit of a poo-related incident that it’s probably best not to go into detail about. Suffice to say, after wrestling a yowling cat and then getting out the carpet cleaner I was fully awake.
So I lay in bed for a while and played Str8ts. Turns out Sunday morning is a good time to play, because I was completing puzzles in no time.
Orbital (iPhone)
Sep 7th
Did get anywhere near my high scores of 44 in Gravity and 25 (or is it 26?) in Pure.
Generally, I play Pure when I’m playing properly and Gravity when I’m not really concentrating. I don’t know which I prefer, but Pure definitely feels more skillful.
Mr. Driller (iPhone)
Sep 7th
Played a bit of this over the weekend during Eastenders and The X-Factor. I’ve still not managed much above 600m in the 1000m arcade mode.
Not having any trouble with the controls, though – apart from the odd times where my thumb seems to forget where the d-pad is – I’m just being an idiot.
Deer Hunter 3D (iPhone)
Sep 3rd
Lying in bed at 5:30 this morning, wishing I was asleep, I was thinking about this game and hunting games in general.
I can kill people with gay abandon, spraying bullets into crowds, dropping chandeliers on the innocent and guilty alike, etc. So why do hunting games sometimes make me feel like I’m doing something wrong? Why are polygons in the shape of deer different from polygons in the shape of people?
I wondered if it was something to do with being out of danger and being removed from the action, but I’m quite happy to grab a sniper rifle in GTA games and take shots at people with no consequence. I wondered if I just don’t like hunting animals… and I think there’s something there. I say I don’t have a problem with other people hunting animals, that it’s just not for me – but I think that’s probably an intellectual position, not an emotional one. As a meat eater, I don’t think it makes sense, but it’s there and I’m just going to have to deal with.
And I am going to have to deal with it, because Deer Hunter 3D is an absolutely excellent game. Ignore the fact you’re hunting innocent animals and you’ve got a great shooting game. I like tramping round the map looking for animals. I like scanning the environment for them. And, yes, I like lining up a shot and killing them with a single bullet.
It’s just a bit of a problem that I hate it when I don’t kill them in one hit. The yelp of surprise, fear and pain as they buck when the bullet hits. The way they run in terror. The way the tracks on the map become red once they’ve disappeared from view. That I don’t like at all.
Yet I still play, because there’s nothing quite as rewarding as a good kill.
Does this screen shot make me feel a bit horrible?
Why, yes, it does. But, at the same time, I can admire the kill.
I bought this game last night because I couldn’t stop playing the demo. I’m glad I did. In a way, I even like the way it challenges me emotionally.
It’s not making me want to hunt for real, but, man, I want to going hunting on my iPhone again soon.
Hunting Unlimited 2010 (iPhone)
Sep 3rd
Went to Hawaii last night. I was hoping for, I dunno, volcanos or something, but it doesn’t look awfully different from most of the other states.
I really think I’d enjoy this game more if it looked better. There’s also the whole “killing innocent animals” thing, but more on that my next post.
Mr. Driller (iPhone)
Sep 3rd
Didn’t play a lot last night, but when I do play, I try the 1000m arcade mode.
My current best is 632m, which is almost respectable. This is still using the virtual pad controls, by the way.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Sep 3rd
Sometimes games go very, very wrong.
And sometimes you make a move that’s so good you break the little score bubble over your word.
Swings and roundabouts.
Samurai: Way of the Warrior (iPhone)
Sep 2nd
Today’s choice for lunchtime game was Samurai: Way of the Warrior. I didn’t manage to progress in the story, so I decided to try and sharpen my skills in Dojo mode, where you’re in a small arena facing wave after wave of enemies. It’s a good place to be.
And, as it should, it keeps a record of your high score.
There’s few things as cathartic as slicing off some heads while you digest a bacon sandwich.
Samurai: Way of the Warrior (iPhone)
Sep 2nd
There are two types of nice suprise on the App Store. The first is when a game you know you want suddenly appears on the store without fanfare, like Mr Driller. The second is when a developer you’ve never heard of, who hasn’t hyped their game, quietly releases an excellent game.
Saumrai: Way of the Warrior, is one of those.
It’s an incredibly stylish, lovingly polished hack and slash game, perfectly suited to the iPhone hardware.
You’ve got gorgeous comic book cut scenes told in slightly broken English.
You’ve got a top-down view of the world, where you tap to move around and swipe to perform slashes and combos, which slice enemies up into pieces in an incredibly satisfying manner. It starts off easy, letting you get used to the game, but soon ramps up the challenge. I didn’t die in levels one and two, but level three is proving to be a challenge, in a good way, with enemies that can do you a great deal of harm if you’re not careful.
It took me a couple of levels to get used to the timing of combos, but my skills developed in the time I needed them to. So far, it’s all been very well judged and has been a great surprise. The £1.79 price tag seems very fair, maybe even a bit of a bargain.
Very, very impressive, especially for a game which was apparently put together in the developers’ spare time.
Mr. Driller (iPhone)
Sep 2nd
Mr Driller!
On the iPhone!
For a mere 59p!
That should be all you need to know.
If you want more information, well, it’s not packed with modes, but it’s got quite a few. It doesn’t have any characters in it apart from Susumu, at least not unlocked at the start.
The controls are where some people are having trouble, but I find the virtual pad works fine. Sometimes I drill in the wrong direction, but I’d say it probably works better than the 360 controller for me, though there’s not much in it. I’ve done the 500m challenge with only one life lost, to give you an idea.
Anyway, I love Mr Driller, so I love this.
