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A Gaming Diary
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Nov 25th
Enjoying this more now, even though some of the games I’m playing have nowhere to go at all. Using all my letters in one go helps.
Ravensword: The Fallen King (iPhone)
Nov 25th
So, I had to go to Sytheria to kill some demon or something. I wasn’t sure where in Sytheria to go, so after trekking all the way there I went into some caves and wandered through them until I found myself out in the mountains area, miles away. I turned to go back, but the door I’d just come through was now locked and I needed an item I didn’t have to open it again. So I made my way through the mountains, past the cliffs, back into town, through the forest, through the dungeon, back to Sytheria, to the tower I should have found first time, up the stairs, found the demon, wasn’t quite sure what to do, the controls, which are normally fine, failed me completely and I died, finding myself back in town again.
I haven’t played it since. Mind you, although it sounds awful, the part where I got lost was actually brilliant. Real exploration, not knowing what was around the next corner, fighting off enemies and making my way through unknown lands. Great stuff; it made me fall in love with the game all over again.
And then it all fell apart fighting the demon and I got all pouty. When it’s good, it’s great, but sometimes it’s the most exceptionally annoying gaming I’ve played in… well, days, probably. Maybe even weeks, but that’s pushing it.
Canabalt (iPhone)
Nov 25th
What’s there so say about Canabalt that’s not already been said? Nothing, until the first update hits.
To recap, though, Canabalt is a superb game that offers seemingly endless amounts of fun and excitement in a simple package and is therefore more than worth its relatively high price.
Krazy Kart Racing Lite (iPhone)
Nov 25th
Finally, a decent single player kart racer! I know Cocoto Kart has its fans, but it was far too difficult for me. The full version of Krazy Kart is currently 59p, so I thought I’d give the Lite a go.
Did some quick races on Easy and Medium settings and had a good time. It looks a bit rough and the Konami-theming means nothing to me, but it’s fast, the controls work well and the two courses included in the Lite seem to be nicely designed. I’m quite impressed, but I’ve not bought the full version yet. It’s just lacking a little extra spark to push me over the edge.
Star Wars Trench Run (iPhone)
Nov 24th
For Star Wars fans only, this one. Which isn’t to say it’s bad, but that without any emotional attachment to the content it definitely won’t be worth three quid. In many ways an update to the original arcade game, you start out dogfighting above the surface of the Death Star, then fly down the trench, avoiding obstacles (and Darth Vader’s TIE fighter) before blowing the whole thing up. That’s about it for mission mode, but there are also a couple of arcade modes, where you can fly down an infinitely long trench or fend off endless waves of TIE Fighters.
It’s a bit shoddy here and there – in the trenches the gun emplacements don’t actually fire at you, instead the game just animates laser bolts flying at you from miles away. (And they’re laser bolts that can fly through solid obstacles, at that.) More importantly, there are no tilt calibration options, so you have to hunch over the game in exactly the position it wants you to be in. Fine for playing at your desk, not so good for playing in bed.
Still, the core dogfighting and, er, trench-running sections work really, really well and it does capture the feeling of being in Star Wars. I can’t see it something I’d sit down with for hours, but I expect I’ll start it up for a quick go an awful lot over the life of my iPhone.
Put it this way, if you’re tempted to get proudly misty-eyed when Han Solo congratulates you on a great shot, this is probably worth getting, Otherwise, I’d probably give it a miss.
Ground Effect (iPhone)
Nov 24th
Managed to scrape a third on level eleven yesterday while on the toilet. As I approached the finish line I was neck and neck with an AI ship and really didn’t know if I’d come third or fourth until the results screen appeared.
So, later, on the sofa, I tried level twelve. It’s very difficult, with some nasty twists and turns, but I’m getting there. After a couple of stop-start races where I got lapped I managed to get a solid fifth place. Shouldn’t be too much longer before I get in the top three.
Fantastic game, really it is.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Nov 24th
Terrible frustration yesterday. I just couldn’t seem to make any words at all. Looking back at my old games I seem to be winning and losing in equal measure, but right now it feels like I’m slogging through a series of beatings.
Ten Best iPhone Games, November 2009
Nov 23rd
I’m often asked for iPhone game recommendations, so I’ve decided to post my list of the ten best games available for the platform. The plan is to post a list every few weeks, so please click the “top ten lists” label below to make sure you’re looking at the latest version if you’ve come to this post through a search engine. This list is in alphabetical order and consists of my own personal choice of games, based purely on how much I enjoy them.
33rd Division
A line-drawing game in the tradition of Flight Control and Harbor Master, but with a stealthy twist. Your job is direct soldiers to safe spots on the map, but without them being seen by the enemies. You can’t just draw a path, but must adjust it as the enemies patrol and lie down to stay out of sight. It’s tough, rewarding and incredibly exciting, distilling the essence of stealth into a fast-paced arcade rush.
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies
A direct port of the Zombies game mode from World At War on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, CoD: Zombies really shouldn’t work. A game designed for high-definition hardware and a fully-featured controller – on the iPhone? Incredibly, it’s a total success. There are three different control schemes, all of which work well. The graphics are astounding, with the zombie animations especially noteworthy. And the wave-based survival gameplay simply never gets old. Even without considering the online cooperative multiplayer, this is one of the ten best games on the iPhone. At the time of writing only one map is available, as more are added this game will only get better.
Canabalt
Superb conversion of the web-based Flash game, Canabalt is a pure rush, controlled simply by tapping the screen when you want to jump. It’s wonderfully presented, perfectly simple and hugely addictive, with the randomly-generated levels meaning you can never be sure quite what’s ahead.
Civilization Revolution
Civilization Revolution was a great game on the Xbox 360. The core of the game was the same in the DS conversion, but an awkward interface made it difficult to enjoy. The iPhone version of the game, though, is a triumph. It may not be as pretty as the 360 version or have the AI tweaks that top players want, but it’s much easier to control than the DS version. It’s more of a game than the the more simulation based PC Civilization games, but that doesn’t stop it being a great way to build an empire.
Doom Classic
It may seem to be overkill to have two first-person shooters in this list when no tower defence or racing games have made the cut, but it’s not my fault that both CoD: Zombies and Doom Classic are deserving of a place in this list. Arguably the best game ever made, Doom has never really translated well to handheld consoles due to control difficulties. The iPhone version, however, controls beautifully and makes this the third-best version of this classic game (after the PC and Xbox 360 versions). The level design, weapons and enemies are still as wonderful as ever. If you’ve ever loved Doom, this is the version to carry around in your pocket. If you’ve never played, now’s the time to start.
iDrop Dead: Flower Edition
A physics-based puzzler where your job is to inflict as much damage as possible to cute cartoon characters. Tear their limbs off, expose their skulls and blow them up. This is a game, though, not an animated joke and the level goals are well-judged and careful consideration and well-timed flicking is needed to get them all. Forget Ragdoll Blaster and Max Injury, iDrop Dead is the pinnacle of the ragdoll genre and the Flower Edition contains the most content and is well worth paying for over the free versions.
Minigore
There are a lot twin-stick shooters on the App Store, but Minigore is the best. It may not have the RPG-like aspects of Alive-4-ever or the maze-like levels of Against The Fire, but it surpasses all other examples of the genre in pure frantic shooting fun. It’s fast, furious, relentless and tuned to perfection.
Orbital
Fantastic game that tests your aim and your brain. The mechanics are hard to explain, but obvious when you play. It’s a brutally hard game, but never unfair. Like many great games, you may develop a love-hate relationship with it – but you’ll keep going back.
Soosiz
The sound-bite description is Mario Galaxy in 2D, but with its cute visuals and small, but increasingly challenging, levels Soosiz soon leaves its inspiration behind and proves itself to be its own master. It controls perfectly, features a surprising amount of variety and has a enough levels to keep you going for a long, long time. It’s a joyous, bouncy experience, reminiscent of the best 16-bit platformers while being completely modern.
Str8ts
Sometimes you need to kick back and feed your brain, not your reactions, and there are a number of grid-based number puzzles for such occasions. There’s Sudoku, obviously, and KenKen, but the best of them is Str8ts. It’s impossible to say why, but Str8ts is simply the most satisfying puzzle game there is. It’s always logical and if you’re stuck, it’s only ever because you’ve missed something. The ratio between baffled staring and eureka moments is just right and when things flow, it’s glorious.
Ravensword: The Fallen King (iPhone)
Nov 23rd
Oh, for pity’s sake. I trekked all the back to Sytheria to kill that ogre. This time I managed it with ease, felling the big idiot with a few blast arrows to the chest. I grabbed the item he was guarding, then took it back to one guy in town, who told me to go see another chap.
So I went through the graveyard (killing a zombie on the way), talked to this other chap, who told me to go back to Sytheria to kill someone else. Now, maybe I’ve missed a fast travel option somewhere, but this is getting beyond a joke.
It’s a great game in many – most – ways, but it doesn’t half feel like a slog sometimes. Of course, it should be noted that getting back to Sytheria would probably only take somewhere between five and ten minutes, but that doesn’t stop it feeling like a chore.
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies (iPhone)
Nov 23rd
I keep dying early. I’ve worked out why, though. When I first started playing I was only about bare survival. Now I try to push things by saving my money, using the knife, going for headshots, etc. Inevitably, when you’re living on the edge, you sometimes fall off.
