About this time last year, I was caught up playing Planet Zoo, the zoological simulation game that has taken the world by storm. Well, it took me by storm anyway. The end of my review stated: “This may be the last game review I ever write, as I’m going to be playing Planet Zoo a lot and for a long time.” I was not wrong. There have been other game reviews since then, but I can’t lie - if I have enough time to sit down and play something, you’re going to find me managing a zoo.
Hooray, a new section has appeared on this website and it’s dedicated to games and gaming! I’m a fair-weather gamer, usually dipping in and out of iPhone apps until the next Tomb Raider adventure is released. Tomb Raider and Spider-Man have been the two most recent games I’ve been obsessed with and they were a while ago now (haven’t started the new Spider-Man yet!)
Apple have released a comprehensive round up of their 2022 entertainment and services - inevitably happy about how successful they have been - with wisdom from VP of the sector, Eddy Cue. There are lots of facts and figures, as you might imagine, but I do like the summary from Mr Cue:
When Apple Arcade launched, I was very excited and blogged about it a couple of times. I intended to try ALLLLL the games, even though there were over 100 at launch and the collection was only going to grow. If I’m honest, I tried out a handful, mostly the ones mentioned in those prior blog posts and realised the rest didn’t really appeal.
And now, for the moment, I’ve cancelled my Arcade subscription. The weird thing I found was that having the subscription meant I felt pressure not to try out any other apps until I had exhausted those that I was definitely paying for. And I didn’t want to play all of those apps. In fact, of the twenty or so that I tried, only two stuck with me, and only one of those had long-term playability.
Just a quick update on my previous post about the launch of Apple Arcade. I listed five games that I played when they first came out but since then I’ve tried a couple more that are worth a mention.
We also investigated the new ability to pair a Playstation controller to the Apple TV and play games on the big screen - which can make a big difference depending which game you’re playing.
You know how people often say that technology can fix problems they didn’t even know they had? Well, Apple have fixed a problem that I definitely didn’t have – not enough access to games. Their recent launch of Apple Arcade is interesting and exciting for many reasons, but more than anything, when am I going to find time to play all of these titles?
On the one hand, I never really thought the app gaming world needed a revolution or a boost – there was plenty out there to play, free games, paid games, lots of choice, lots of variety. But on the other hand, if Apple can help put a bit of a spanner in the free-to-start-with-but-then-pay-to-actually-get-any-enjoyment-out-of-the-game model that has taken the app world by storm, then I’m probably glad to see it.
A while back I stumbled across the YouTube channel of Call Me Kevin, a gamer who posts ten minute videos of how brilliant he is at doing badly. The commentary makes it all, of course, hilarious thoughts as he manages to create sprawling Sims houses with grumpy adults bumping into each other, or horrifying zoos with enclosures stuffed to the brim with hippos and the occasional keeper trying to keep a lid on the madness.
It took just over a month, but we finished Spider-Man on the PS4 and what an adventure it was. Those early days were brilliant, working our way through the main mission, the side challenges and generally just swinging through the city. The game got gradually harder, as you might expect, but it was also more rewarding.
There were three things, however, that really dipped our love of the game and now I can’t decide whether I overall really liked it or not. (Spoilers from here on in.) Firstly, we took a two week break from playing which was partly to do with being ill but also quite a lot to do with knowing that the next bit we had to do was play as MJ. Those scenes playing as Miles or MJ were so frustrating. Slow and sneaky was the aim and constantly being spotted and captured and starting over again, it wasn’t fun.
When we purchased Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we opted for the season pass to include a handful of future downloadable content releases. Two additional tombs were available by the time we settled down for our Christmas break, and it was 100% our plan to raid them over the festive period.
Except, then, Sony had a sale and we bought Spiderman and now it’s like Lara who?
I had heard people raving about this game and was interested to see what it was like, but I am really so very fussy when it comes to Playstation Games, there’s not a lot that holds my interest.
I was all ready to write a glowing post about how much I love the Apple Design Awards that take place during WWDC week, but it turns out I have already done this, two years ago! Back then, I was looking for more from the Apple crew in terms of discoverability of the best apps out there and their update to the app store to include a great Today tab has done just that. Featuring stories, lists, behind the scenes videos and more, it’s a nice way to find new content, or learn more about apps you already use.
There was quite a lot of excitement surrounding the recent release of a new Harry Potter game on iOS. It was your chance to attend Hogwarts, learn lessons, immerse yourself in the magical world that we’ve grown to love. It was even touted as Harry Potter meets The Sims, which, as you can imagine, immediately got my attention.
Early reviews of the game weren’t so positive though, suggesting that whilst the story is interesting enough, it’s really just one of those ‘gouge-as-much-money-from-the-user-as-possible’ games which is free to play but perhaps not so free to fully indulge in.
About eighteen months ago, I talked briefly of my obsession with Asphalt 8 on the Apple TV, a game that combined third party controllers with Apple TV accessibility to make a brilliant and captivating racing game.
For a few months, this game was everything – I wanted to get all the stars for all the events in all the seasons, I wanted to upgrade all the cars and collect as many as possible, and essentially do all the things. My obsession lessened as other entertainments distracted me, but it was always there in the back of my mind – Asphalt 8 is brilliant, don’t forget to go back and play!
Up until this year, when a certain motorsport game came out that replicates the 2016 F1 season, I called our Playstation 4 “the Tomb Raider box” because that’s pretty much all it was good for. I’m not a big console gamer but Tomb Raider has always been a huge love of both mine and Mr C’s, so it was only natural we grabbed the new Rise of the Tomb Raider game as soon as it became available (which was a year later than on the Xbox, thanks peeps).
I was browsing through the App Store recently and found a new app called Stride & Prejudice - an endless running game with a difference. Instead of traversing through jungle lands collecting coins, or jumping across rooftops to escape the cops, this one is far more simple. You’re a lady in a nice frock, running and jumping across the text of Pride & Prejudice. Makes sense, right?
It’s primitive in its design, and could certainly do with a polish around the edges, but it only aims to do one job and it does that pretty well. The real question is: who is going to play a game like this?
In the previous post I wrote about third-party games on the Apple TV, I talked of how brilliant it was that Just Dance can be played without having to dash about the shops in a fruitless search for the correct controller for the job. That’s not the full story though. Whilst the Apple TV remote can be used for all the games that are available, it’s not always the ideal tool for the task at hand. The swiping motion is a step up from most remotes, although it takes some getting used to. However, for more involved games, the ubiquitous Playstation-style controller is ideal.
The long-awaited update to the Apple TV that allowed third-party apps has been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there are lots of new apps to play with and some of them are fan-flippin-tastic! On the other hand, usability and simplicity has taken a big knock, and there were some pretty serious niggles that are, thankfully, gradually being ironed out.
Better to dwell on the good, though, and I’ve found the apps to be a breath of fresh air. The Apple TV has always been a pretty big part of our TV/film watching experience, but now it’s added a whole new level with games. There are two easy comparisons to make with the new gaming functionality, and that’s to put it up against the Wii (casual gaming, less of a focus on graphics) and the Playstation (top of the range graphics, more expensive games).
Recently, we’ve been playing Tomb Raider, the definitive edition on the PS4. It’s the game that actually made us interested in the new generation consoles in the first place, and it’s a highlight in what has been a very quiet early market for this new Playstation.
I was intrigued by the game trailer when we saw it so very long ago, it looked good but I was concerned about the level of screeching and pained noises that Lara was making. It seemed to show a level of realism that I’m not really looking for when it comes to an hour or two of Playstation time.
I wrote about our difficult initiation with the Playstation 4, but once it finally started working, there is no question that it’s a great bit of kit. We’ve played a couple of games and been pretty impressed with what we’ve seen, but most of our attention has been on Need for Speed Rivals.
I am the first to admit that my virtual driving skills are practically non-existent, and racing games don’t really do it for me. I crash, I lose, I prefer to just press X for go and to hell with the braking consequences.
Console gaming is a slow moving beast, particularly when compared with the fast moving online and app world. But after twenty years in the business, and with a desperate need to distinguish themselves from Microsoft’s offerings, Sony should know better, try harder, get the digital side working seamlessly.
Santa brought us an incredible gift this Christmas, in the shape of a Playstation 4. It’s been well documented that we don’t really do gifts, but this was something we wanted and would have bought ourselves as soon as we could have found stock, so it was really the perfect present.
The chaps in charge of Tomb Raider these days, Square Enix, have in their infinite wisdom released the first installment of the game for iOS devices for just 69p.
I was always more of a fan of Tomb Raider 2, but getting access to any of the early games has been tricky of late. Now, the game that made Lara Croft famous has been released for next to nothing and it looks great!
Since I’ve been catching up with my news and views on Feedly, I’ve been making good use of the “Save for Later” feature - particularly when I stumble across things I might want to blog about. I managed to scrawl out something on that New York swimming pool, but the rest just isn’t inspiring me for a full post. With that and the fact I’m struggling with the heat, I thought it might be better to round up some of the things I’ve saved recently in brief, rather than leave them languishing forever!
ITV have brought the exceedingly popular quiz show Catchphrase back to its screen, with updated graphics and a snazzy new host. I haven’t seen the new show, except for a brief stint where they got Ant & Dec to play against each other a week or so ago. I’d imagine that it’s still fun, but nowhere near as good as the original - these remakes never are. And Roy Walker was such an integral part of the whole thing, what could it possibly be like without him?
Normally, I would call this kind of post my “early thoughts” on something. Kindles, phones, games, they all get the same kind of treatment. The Sims 3, however, was first released in 2009 and I have just managed to get my hands on it now… the year 2013.
Part of it was reluctance. I loved The Sims 2 and had no particular desire to replace it. Part of it was time. I barely have time to play games as it is, if I was going to play anything, it would be the aforementioned second edition of the game. And, I suppose, part of it was that thing where, when everyone else loves something, you sort of don’t want to.
I know I am very far behind to have only just discovered Temple Run. In fact, I saw the Brave tie-in before I saw the actual game, and because I haven’t seen Brave, I instantly dismissed it. I can’t remember why I suddenly decided to download it, but I was reading through some news feeds and they talked of other games of a similar nature to Temple Run. I opted to head back to the original and download it to see what all the fuss was about.
I just recently finished playing a new, actually old, game on the iPad called The Island: Castaway. I can’t remember why I bought it, except that I love islands and the concept of being cast away on one. That’ll probably do it.
There’s a video ad for the game that explains it better than I could.
It’s really very simple, you just run around picking things up, and interacting with other characters. They tend to send you on missions to go and pick other things up or talk to different characters. It’s not hard and you can’t die, and that makes it pretty much perfect for a lazily playing when you don’t have time to fully concentrate.
That E3 stuff is going on right now, and with it comes a bumper crop of Tomb Raider goodies. Except, I’m not finding them so good. Watch this trailer for the actual gameplay (I watched the trailer, and then muted the rest to ogle the goodness without the commentary).
Is it me or is this just too realistic? I don’t get how you can play it. I was watching the scenes thinking: “Yea, I want to see this movie.” But it’s not a movie, it’s a thing that you have to get involved with. It’s so loud and there’s so much movement, and she seems to be feeling a lot more pain than ever before… can that be right?
It’s been a while since Baby Panda Thursday ceased to be updated on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped looking at all things cute and panda shaped. Lots of people tweet me panda related items and I love it!
I also particularly love apps and games that involve pandas. If your app has a cute panda as the icon, then you’re very likely to make a sale.
Oh, how I have so loved having Back to the Future back in my life. Not that it ever went anywhere, but fresh material, and most importantly good fresh material has been brilliant.
I have already blogged every episode of the TellTale Game revival, and whilst I do not have much more to add now I have completed episode five, it seemed only fair to have a farewell post to complete the set.
I’ve just started playing Monopoly on the iPad and I’m enjoying it. Actually that’s not true, I’m hating it because I’ve played twice - both on the easy setting - and I’ve lost both times. I swear the AI is cheating. However, if you ignore my uselessness at Monopoly, the app is really cool.
There are animations that make the dice rolling and piece moving fun, but you can fast forward them if you’re not interested in watching the dog gallop forward. Not having to calculate the money is brilliant and I think it is that part that makes playing Monopoly electronically a lot quicker than the board version.
Lukeh alerted me to the breaking news that Michael J Fox will be making a cameo voiceover appearance in the final part of this five-part game series, and that made me realise that I hadn’t checked for new episodes on the iPad for a while. Imagine my surprise, then, to find out that both 3 and 4 had arrived without me noticing.
I got right on and started playing - I’ve got no major spoilers in here, but don’t read on if you’re saving yourself.
There’s a new trailer out for the next Tomb Raider game and I have to say, at first glance, I thought it was real. Even if this is not gameplay, it’s not live action and I was somewhat flabbergasted!
Of course, all the comments I’ve seen everywhere focus on the most important thing - whether this Lara is more attractive than any of her predecessors. I’m gonna have to say no, because that voice is just not powerful enough. Lets her down a little bit.
Last time I discussed the Back to the Future game, I was only mildly impressed and mostly happy that they hadn’t ruined everything.
I wrote that first post after playing the game for about twenty minutes, and I may have judged it a bit harshly. After the post went up, I picked up the game again and played it right through to the end. I loved it! I couldn’t wait for the second episode to appear.
A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a new iPod game called Land-a-panda. The premise is simple, but it gets complicated quickly. You have a panda on one side of the course and he is keen to get to his lady friend on the other side of the course (they must be in that magical 12 hours of a 365 period when they’re attracted to each other).
I remember watching some Back to the Future extra features where a guy was going around the set finding answers to viewer questions. The final question was from a little kid who went: “Is there ever going to be a Back to the Future 4?” And the guy said no, but Back to the Future would live on in the ride at Universal studios.
I was always very disappointed at that answer.
I had a few minutes to spare, so I browsed to the App Store on the iPad for a new game to play, and there was iPad Jenga - a featured game just pleading for me to buy it. So I did.
It’s brilliant. For £2.99, you get to play Jenga without having to stack up the bricks every time, without the noisy clatter when they fall down, without having to have the patience to try and fit them all back in the box at the end of the game.
I’ve become a little bit obsessed with a new game on the iPod/iPad, and it’s called Train Conductor. The premise is quite simple - trains appear on the tracks and you have to direct them to the correct destination. Sounds like a million other Flight Control/Traffic Control style games.
There are lots of extras, though. There are two kinds of levels - the daytime shift has you steering trains to avoid each other, whilst the nighttime shift has ghost trains that can pass through each other, but require other attention. The developers made a video to better show off the game.
Just a quick note to say that the game I previously recommended to you I Love Traffic is now available on the iPhone/iPod Touch.
I commandeered Mr C’s Touch to purchase and play the game and it’s as brilliant as ever. It’s exactly the same concept as the online game, only this time there are 40 levels instead of 20. Considering I am technically still stuck on the last level of the original, I wonder how far I will get on this new adventure.
People, I have found a new game! It’s been a while since I subjected you all to the addictiveness of I Love Traffic, and the wackiness of Skywire, so I thought it was time I shared another gem with you.
This time we’re talking about Meeblings.
At first it looks like a lot of random coloured blobs on the screen, and actually… that’s exactly what it is. It ever so slightly resembles the addictive Lemmings, in that you have to save the Meeblings by getting them to the Way Out sign. The non-orange Meeblings provide you with ways and means to do this. Click and hold on the yellow ones to drag all the blobs towards that particular Meebling. Click on the pink ones to reverse gravity. A grey one switches any electrical items on or off (normally fans). The green ones in the above picture, well, they grow into trees. I haven’t really figured out why yet.
Eidos are taking a leaf out of Radiohead’s book, and charging only a processing fee for their new game. Users are requested to pay what they think the game is worth. The Championship Manager 2010 game is available until September 10th, when the full game hits the shops and the price rises to £29.99.
There’s a rather snazzy video of the press conference, and Eidos say:
We’re keen to see as many people as possible playing Championship Manager, and think this is a great way to get people playing. There is a small transaction fee to cover costs encountered in delivering you the game and a 1p minimum charge, but the cost for the full version of Championship Manager 2010 is yours to choose…
Apparently, the Sims 3 is breaking all kinds of records, and I don’t own it yet. Grr.
According to this CNET story, EA are reporting that the game sold 1.4 million copies in the first week, is topping the PC gaming chart, and the iPhone app chart, plus it has been EA’s best game launch ever.
Now, CNET suggest that whilst this is something of a surprise, it does fly in the face of criticism levelled at EA that they rely too much on long-term game franchises. So what if the Sims has been around for almost a decade? If the fans still want it, then EA would be foolish not to keep producing it.
Over the past couple of days, Mr C and I have found ourselves at a loose end whilst waiting for a call on Skype. This is new territory for us, we’re normally in a constant state of disarray rather than relaxed anticipation.
Mr C, who has experience of such things, says that a lot of working in the media industry is like this. You wait for hours for your small part in proceedings, but you have to be there just in case. I couldn’t comprehend how one would fill the time, and suggested the Shopping Cart game. Apparently, this is not what happens normally, but we thought it would be fun away.
A while ago, I pointed out one of the few online flash games that grabbed my attention, which was no doubt due to it’s bright colours and crazy ideas.
I’ve found another one, and this redeems me as it is much more sensible: You have to control the flow of traffic. It sounds kinda dull, but it’s really quite fun - the game is called I Love Traffic, after all. The cars zoom past and you’re in control of one or more traffic lights. The only goal is to get the required number of cars through the traffic light checkpoint without causing an accident.
I’m not really a big gamer.
I’m obsessed with The Sims franchise, but have no time to play. I steer clear of driving games because I am beyond useless. Occasionally, we play games over on Sidepodcast and they are fun little flash games on the web. I am even worse at those.
However, I recently found a game I both love and am pretty good at. It’s called Skywire. You may have heard of it, I know it’s quite popular on Miniclip. I played it relentlessly for a couple of days. I’ve completed all but the last level on the original game and the sequel.
One of the things I regret from my lack of time these days is not attempting to play the piano anymore. I can’t honestly say that it’s all down to being busy, as I did hike a keyboard around with me through a couple of flats and it didn’t get much use. I don’t know where the motivation went but I do miss it.
Playing music is great fun, and there’s nothing like jamming with anyone you can find who can also lay their hands on an instrument.
It’s hula-hooping, right?
Who knew that hula-hooping was actually hard work? Okay, so you’ve probably guessed it: I am now the proud owner of a Wii Fit.
And it’s brilliant. At the moment, I’m still suffering the effects of a cold and wintry three-day stay in a tent, and can’t put the maximum effort into a routine.
However, from what I know already, it’s brilliant. I’m not entirely sure how it does it, but the Wii Board knows everything about me! It knows that I have poor balance, and even made a joke about falling over when I walk. This put other members of the household into hysterics, so already the Wii Fit has brought joy to our lives.
Vine to take over Points of View
An interesting choice.
BBC NEWS | Technology | BBC announces Nintendo Wii deal
Coooool.
Podcasting News » New Adobe Media Player Could Change Internet Television
Looks very swish. I’m an Adobe Air fan, so interested to see how this goes down.
Showbiz - News - Elton signs up for ‘Phantom’ sequel - Digital Spy
No, don’t do it.
We’ve managed to come into possession of a Nintendo DS Lite, and we cannot stop playing it. Or maybe that should read “I” cannot stop playing it. We fight over it like people fight custody battles.
“I want to take it to work today.” “You won’t have time to play it.” “Lunchtime.” “I want it. Give it to me.” “It’s half mine.” “It’s half mine.”
There’s no easy answer and we’re just going to have to draw up a schedule to share it. Those silly Super Mario Bros. have a lot to answer for.
Today we got up feeling a little bit tired. The reason for this is a little thing, it’s called Tomb Raider. That’s right. Another game we’re obsessed with.
It came out on Friday, and whilst I was at work, Mr C purchased it, played it and sent me an email saying how it was. It went something along the lines of “Controls a bit better, but not great. Graphics a bit better, but not great. Puzzles good, shooting people bad.”
As usual, when I proclaim that this weekend we will spend no money at all, we go out and find something to buy. Perhaps one day I will say “You know what? Spend all the money you can,” and I will not come home with anything new. (This is not a good idea.)
Thankfully, I didn’t buy the bulk of it, and merely adopted the toy as my own: A PSP.
