iPhone Gaming and Apps

NaBloPoMo, day 16. Enjoying the relative peace of the folks' house while they spend time with my kids, it seemed like a good time to talk about the iPhone games I've tested out so far.

Having gotten a bit of sleep after what felt like a day on the road (actually only 6 hours, but long enough), I took the opportunity to try out some of the many games which have found their way onto the iPhone over the past few days, today included. This is just a simple list of the games I've tried so far, and my initial impressions of each one. Included after the title of the game, in parentheses, is the price I paid for it, if any.

Flight Control ($0.99) - A 'line drawing' game where you trace the path for planes to take to land at an airport. Planes can't run into each other or the game will end. There are red planes, yellow planes and helicopters, and each type has a specific place to land. It's a test of your ability to monitor and control multiple moving objects at the same time, while trying to plan out the most efficient routes for each. I'm not very good at it yet, but it's definitely something I play at least once a day. Well worth the $0.99 price tag.

Mass Effect Galaxy ($1.99) - An interesting use of characters and setting, basically a tie-in game for the franchise. You control a soldier fighting enemies using the tilt controls of the iPhone, tapping the screen to use special abilities at times. The game itself, including the random control mechanic is ok, but I enjoy it for the story, since Bioware did such a fantastic job creating the Mass Effect universe. There also appears to be unlockable bonus content for Mass Effect 2 if I complete this game and log into my EA.com account. Overall, I'm not sure if it was really worth $1.99, but I'll keep playing, if only to feel that I got my money's worth out of it.

Kapowie (free) - Tap the screen to 'shoot' a certain amount of targets in a certain time. Longer streaks of hitting targets without missing increases your score. I picked it up because it was free, so it's worth at least that much, though I'm quite sure I wouldn't pay for something like this.

Mr. Aah Lite (free) - A stick figure swinging from platform to platform, trying to hit a target on each platform. Your control is limited to tapping when you want the stick figure to let go of the rope he's swinging on. There are added wind and gravity effects to change the rate and distance of the figure's drop, which creates the challenge. It's fun, and I keep going back to it, but I don't think I see myself upgrading to the full version.

Poker Quest Lite (free) - A dice rolling game where you use dice to create poker hands and try to beat an AI opponent. It reminds me of Yahtzee in a way, set in Egyptian pyramids. It's fun as a short diversion, as the match structure allows for play in short bursts. Right now, I wouldn't pay to unlock the full game, but I do play it a fair amount, so we'll see.

DoodleJump ($0.99) - This game gets the most play for me right now. A simple game where you control what looks like a hand drawn sketch (a doodle, get it?) jumping up platforms on a piece of graph paper, avoiding obstacles and trying not to fall. Tilt the iPhone left or right to steer and tap the screen to shoot. It's the most addictive game I've found on the system so far, and one I would highly recommend to anyone.

Star Hogs Lite (free) - Feels like a more advanced version of the old Scorched Earth game and its many clones. You have a ship that has a certain amount of action points to spend each round, which can be used to shoot or move. You use up your points, then your opponent does the same. The objective is to destroy your opponent before they destroy you. Not having played a lot of it, I think you earn points or money you can spend to upgrade your ship, for different weapons and abilities. There's also online multiplayer. The verdict is out on this one, as I've played it a couple of times and it just hasn't grabbed me yet.

Dark Nebula (free) - A fun little game I picked up on sale, the object is to guide a ball through an obstacle course and pick up canister like objects, while avoiding traps and ledges. The control is achieved through the tilt of the iPhone, with right and left movement, plus tilting forward to accelerate and back to decelerate. I've only played two or three levels, but it's a game I will spend more time with. The premise is simple, the graphics are clean and fit the game, the challenges are fun, and the control is intuitive.

Swords & Poker ($0.99) - Picked up on sale after reading a glowing review and noticing that all reviews submitted to iTunes were 5-stars, I've yet to really get into it. It's a Puzzle Quest meets Texas Hold 'em game, where instead of gems to match, you use cards to generate hands to damage your enemy. I tried 3-4 battles and will play more, as I didn't get the hang of the system yet. It appears to have an RPG skin over what could be a simple but addictive game mechanic, and anyone who reads this blog knows I love that type of thing.

Paper Toss (free) - It's really a silly physics demonstration as you try to throw wads of paper into a trash can, where the trajectory of the paper is affected by a fan. Useless time waster and nothing more.