InvertY.com
A Gaming Diary
Aera (iPhone)
Sep 29th
Heh.
Well, I tried and tried and tried and finally finished the Easy Solo level under Quick Game. Well, all right, it took me about three goes, it wasn’t that hard. (And one of those times I may have finished if I’d not distracted myself by taking a screen shot.)
Anyway, I then decided to bite the bullet and went into Campaign. Did the tutorial again, grumbling all the while, then found that the first level of the campaign is, yes, the Easy Solo level I’d just done. D’oh. Aced it first time, though. This is, as I suspected, a game you do get a lot better at very quickly.
Aera (iPhone)
Sep 29th
Not sure about this one yet, but I think it’s looking good, especially given the current price of 59p.
It looks lovely, all right, using 3D graphics for movement on a 2D plane. (No pun intended.) It’s a bit like NiGHTS, basically. Shame I managed to take the single most boring screen shot possible.
I went to Quick Game, chose School and found myself in detailed and helpful tutorial. Once I inverted the controls it seemed to control well and it felt like it was something special.
However, then I tried a game mode where you have to collect floating balls without hitting mines and I just couldn’t get to some of them. It was quite strange. I think I probably just need more practice, to work out what the plane can do.
Then I tried a combat mission, where you have to destroy enemy planes. That was really rather fun, but, again, I found myself unable to actually get to some of the power ups the enemy planes dropped.
It’ll probably come with practice and I reckon I’m just missing some subtleties right now.
My main complaint is that after those Quick Game modes I went to Campaign and it tried to make me do the the tutorial again. It was useful first time, but I really don’t want to sit through it again, but I couldn’t find any way to skip it.
Puzzle Quest (iPhone)
Sep 29th
Haven’t been bothering with the story much at the moment. If I remember the DS version correctly, leveling up is a must, so I’ve been wandering around the map doing repeatable side quests and random encounters.
I think I’m going to try and learn the Hide spell from my captured goblin, but I’m not sure how useful it will be.
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Sep 29th
Yes, yes, I know.
I may have the beard and hair of an ancient wild man, but in my head I’m still about twelve years old.
Trials HD Demo (360)
Sep 29th
Tried this on my netbook a while back – about the same time as Defense Grid, funnily enough – and didn’t really get on with the controls, so it took me a long time to get round to trying the Xbox demo.
But, yeah, wow. I can see why the game is getting so much praise. Somehow, between PC and 360 the game has been absolutely transformed, from a fiddly physics-based key-tapper into a joystick-wrestling, white-knuckle thrillfest.
If there’s any way I can afford some Microsoft points then this is going to get bought. It’s amazing.
Red Faction: Guerilla (360)
Sep 29th
We’re getting there, we really are.
It’s all coming together.
Last night I was more careful, I died less (though not infrequently) and I had a grand old time. I’m really growing to love the missions that involve other characters, though the “defend a certain area” missions seem to be incredibly tough, with the EDF coming and coming and coming, seemingly without end. I need more rocket launcher ammo, I think.
The only real problem with the game is that driving between missions is all a bit dull. I do my best to enliven it by doing jumps where I can, but that normally ends up just meaning I take longer to get anywhere. Unlike GTA IV, where the driving between missions is probably the best part of the game, Mars is just a bit dull so far.
Still, it’s worth it. Leading raids on chemical plants, bringing down wind farms, killing a courier and making an escape in the martian equivalent of a milk float, these are all great moments.
Defender Chronicles (iPhone)
Sep 28th
Yeah, it’s another tower defense game.
But! Wait! It’s different!
First off, is the most obvious difference, which is that it’s played from a side-on perspective. Enemies walk up (or down) the ledges to your base, you place towers (referred “guilds” in this game) to stop them. You’ve got archers, soldiers, mages, etc. That sort of thing.
Another wrinkle is that your hero character stands at the end of the level. He’s very powerful and a good last line of defense – but he can’t kill flying enemies and can only handle one character at a time, which isn’t very a useful when a whole swarm breaks through. (I did unlock another hero when I finished the sixth story level, though, so I might try her.)
Unfortunately, the game starts off with some errors in the text and a lack of real guidance leaving a bad impression, but it soon gets its hooks into you and you find yourself compelled to play to perfect a level, to level up your hero or to earn cash to unlock extras and equipment.
It’s much better than it first seems.
However, what I didn’t know before buying is that it’s not finished. It’s my fault entirely, I should have done more research. But I saw the big map in the game and was very excited about what I’d find after the first few levels. I was looking forward to more units, more maps and a huge, expansive adventure to play. One day, it probably will be all that. Right now, though, you just get six story levels (and a secret level) which, when finished, just give you a “to be continued” screen.
It was crushingly disappointing. The thing is, it’s not like there’s not enough game for your money already. I’ve barely touched the higher difficulty levels, there’s loads of stuff to unlock and I’ve not even tried any gameplay modes outside of the quest. The trouble is that I’d built up this idea in my head of what the game would be and it’s just not there yet.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy it – even in its current state it’s well worth £2.39 of your money – but you need to know going in that this is an episodic game. If they can keep the updates coming in timely fashion, I can see this having a long, long lifespan on my phone.
Hi, How Are You (iPhone)
Sep 28th
Here’s an oddity.
It’s a platform game based on the artwork and music of indie icon Daniel Johnston. I’ve heard of him before, but have no familiarity with his work.
Anyway, it’s a gorgeous game. It looks great, it sounds great – I may have to track down his greatest hits album and have a listen – and it’s fairly basic but well-implemented and fun.
A successful oddity, then, and well worth a look.
Puzzle Quest (iPhone)
Sep 28th
I’m not playing this for long sessions, but I am playing it for a lot of short sessions. I’ll start up, do a fight or two, then put it down. Ten minutes later, I’ll be back.
Here’s a screen shot showing how the text looks on the small screen.
(Don’t forget to click it to see the full size version.)
Words With Friends (iPhone)
Sep 28th
It’s the game that keeps on giving.
I must have sunk hours into this by now, even though each turn only takes a couple of minutes.
Great value for 59p.
