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A Gaming Diary
Angry Birds (iPhone)
Feb 12th
It’s back! A huge update came out last night adding achievements, leaderboards and – best of all – twenty new levels. (Actually, I have a feeling it’s twenty-two new levels, I’ll have to check.)
That's a terrible shot. Don't copy it.
However many there are, I’ve completed them all now, but I need to go back and get three stars on them all and get all the achievements. Then maybe I can check out some leaderboard scores for some levels and see if I can get to the top of one of them.
If you’ve not got this game yet then there’s no excuse not to grab this, assuming you’ve got an iPhone or an iPod Touch. (Obviously.)
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies (iPhone)
Feb 12th
So, a big update to CoD: Zombies (I’m not typing out the full name again) came out yesterday. While I was waiting, I practiced on the old version. I’m not really very good, finding headshots tricky, but I do love it. And the flamethrower is just mmmmmmm.
They crawl!
Soon enough, though, the update arrived, which added a whole new map. Okay, it costs £2.99, but it’s much bigger than the existing map and, I think, rather good value given the quality of the game.
I hate these guys... but I do love to shoot them.
The map’s called Zombie Verrückt and I’m meant to be looking for a power switch somewhere. It seems quite important, but I’ve not found it yet. This is mainly due to this map being a lot harder than the old one – I’m dying before I’ve had a good look round.
I know this game won’t be for everyone – dragging the iron sights around either will either feel appropriately weighty or inappropriately annoying, given your point of view – but I reckon this is a fine, fine game.
Treasure Madness (Web)
Feb 12th
Still clicking away. I have no idea what to say about it. I just click squares until I run out of hit points, wait for a while, then go back and click some more.
Sometimes I find nothing.
Sometimes I find money, which means I can buy items that let me click more squares.
Sometimes I find fruit, which gives me hit points so I can click more squares.
Sometimes I play a mini game and then find some treasure, which gives me MU$, which I can spend on health kits to restore my hit points so I can click more squares.
Look! A strangely familiar mini game!
Sometimes I level up, which means I get more hit points and can click more squares.
Sometimes I click all the squares I can on a map and go to a different one.
Sometimes I wonder what the hell I’m doing, but most of the time I just go with it. For some reason I can’t begin to fathom I enjoy it. I’m not sure what it says about me that I can be happy with a drip-feed of little virtual pellets, but it seems to reach something in my brain, somewhere.
Alpine Crawler (iPhone)
Feb 12th
Oh, yes, it’s one of those games. You know, the ones that frustrate you to the point of giving up, then pull you back again two minutes later for another go.
Huge jumps are fun, landing is not.
It’s all very simple. You’ve got a truck, there’s some uneven terrain. You accelerate and brake and try to get to the end of the level without running out of time or wrecking your truck.
It’s simple, compulsive, utterly devilish – oh, and completely free. Just don’t download it if you have a low tolerance for frustration.
Doodle Jump (iPhone)
Feb 12th
I'm not thing they think I am at home, I'm a rocket thing.
Got a new high score last night. Not amazingly higher than the one I’d had before, but I’ll take any improvement.
The thing is, there’s no reason for me to die. It’s not like the game suddenly gets really, really difficult. Of course it gets harder the further you go, but I’ve not reached a height where things seem to be impossible. (Though I always – always! – die if flying saucers turn up.) I guess I can only concentrate for a certain amount of time.
Doodle Jump, less a game, more a concentration span measuring app.
GT Racing: Motor Academy (iPhone)
Feb 11th
Didn’t have much of a lunchtime today, but managed to play a few minutes of GT Racing. Tried out a drag race, but my Ford Focus couldn’t even seem to beat a Toyota Corolla.
Apologies for another dull screenshot, but there's no time to take them when exciting things are happening.
So I went and did a two-race series. First race round some French track was fine, then it was on to the Montreal track. It’s a really nicely-designed track, with some excellent corners. I was robbed of victory, though, when I hit a barrier on the penultimate corner and the car in second place came zooming past. Horribly annoying, especially as I have a feeling it was only rubber-banding that kept him so close behind me.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Feb 11th
Didn’t play anything last night because I was up in London celebrating my Dad’s sixtieth birthday with soft drinks and tapas. (I’m on antibiotics. Terrible timing.) A very good time was had by all, even though my train home was cancelled and I had to get on a different one and change at Tonbridge. Bit of a palaver. Could, of course, have played games on the train, but it was cramped and horrible and I didn’t feel like it.
Not a very exciting move. Sorry.
Anyway, the update to Words With Friends came out, but it’s still nearly impossible to actually send turns during the evening. Boo.
Doom II RPG (iPhone)
Feb 10th
The first Doom RPG was my favourite mobile phone game, so this has got to be great, right? Or have things moved on since I was sat on the bus squinting at the screen of a K800i?
One step closer...
I’m undecided. I’ve done the first level and, yes, I’ve very much enjoyed myself, but I’m a bit worried that it’s going to suffer from the same fault as Wolfenstein RPG – too many fights where you can’t help but take damage, so are constantly given health packs to make up for it. It’s fun and all, but I can’t help but feel that it would be nicer if combat was a bit more skillful and tactical than it seems to be.
We’ll see.
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.
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Demo (360)
Feb 10th
Another two or three races last night. I do love this game. I can see where the complaints come from, but they’re either about technical issues that we’ve been assured have been fixed for the full game or they’re about things that are features of the whole genre. It would be very interesting to see if there’s a mode without weapons, where it’s all about the racing, but I’m happy with the knockabout, infuriating fun of the power-up-fueled battling.
And, whatever else, it’s still the sunniest game I’ve played in ages.
