The iOS gaming thread

[Rudderless]

IGN say it controls alright, but I've been stung too many times by reviews saying the latest touchscreen port of a controller orientated game is fine only to find playing it is like trying to have a wank wearing boxing gloves.

Julian Rignall just said on Twitter that the poorly thought-out control scheme spoils it. Not saying he's right, but it's a potentially useful note of caution.

[Mike1812]

Wait for the inevitable 69p sale then maybe?

[Flub]

My mate who's not Rignall says the controls are really good. My internet is shite so my copy is still downloading

[Cosmic_Guru]

Wait a few days and the download will be much faster - I still can't believe it took over 3 hours for me to pull down BGEE over a cafe wiifi on the first Friday.

Warhammer is yummy, although it probably helps to have been playing a few board games of this general type like Descent recently, just to have experience of the mechanics and pace of the game. I don't know anything about the Warhammer universe (space marines?) but so far this seems pretty generic in terms of enemy types and Germanic Villages with the usual facilities for travellers. There is a nice attention to detail and attratctive presentation throughout thus far.

Also, dead is dead mode for those seeking a greater challenge.

[Count Buffalos]

Well I'm enjoying Warhammer, but 3 hours in it all seems a bit easy, not to mention rinse-repeat in gameplay. I'm hoping that it'll start to put up a bit more of a fight sooner rather than later. Perhaps I've been playing too much Wazhack recently...

[Jim]

Just tried Phoenix Wright HD trilogy on my ipad, first few cases are free.

Never played these games before, although have been trying for a while to get a DS one cheap on ebay.

Very impressed so far, was a great feeling exposing the lies in the first case. Going to try the next free one and will almost definitely buy the trilogy.

[Flub]

I played a bit of KOTOR last night (Just up until the first fight outside the apartment on Tarsis. The controls aren't perfect but they don't seem to be hindering my enjoyment. I think I just need to adjust a little bit. Very nice to be playing it again

[gospvg]

Swipe to move? Surprised they did not go for a virtual joystick approach

[Jim]

Thanks for the info on the controls guys. Might well d/l this today

[Flub]

I've played more on the train to work. It's fine. It's not an action game to the extent that you'd need a virtual stick and the UI is already pretty crowded. You can just stick your finger on top of the active character and it pretty much works like a stick anyway.

[Tangent]

I already have the first on IOS. Does this mean I have to buy that again if I want to get 2 and 3?

In case anyone was wondering about this, the new Phoenix Wright collection checks your previous purchases so you don’t have to re-purchase PW1 if you already have it on IOS.

[Tangent]

I played a bit of KOTOR last night (Just up until the first fight outside the apartment on Tarsis. The controls aren't perfect but they don't seem to be hindering my enjoyment. I think I just need to adjust a little bit. Very nice to be playing it again

So many good memories of that game.

Seem to remember the first quarter is rock solid, whereas the last quarter is a breeze. Dat’s what being a badass Jedi is all about I guess

[Jammy]

Wow, KOTOR ? Will download. In other news, I played through Star Command whilst on holiday. Once I'd got a tactic sorted it was quite easy, but I was dismayed to find that after the first run-through it

just repeats with bigger ships. Was hoping it would just carry on with new story.

[Eighthours]

Oooh. Maybe I will FINALLY get to play KOTOR properly after so many years!

[CGMF]

I cant believe I am going to recomend this, but anyone tried Antique Road trip 2? Was free the other day and its like Say What You See only you need to find antiques by either following descriptions or direct requests. There are some little sub games too like finding all the stamps before you can collect the stamp collecting book.

Philately will get you nowhere.

[Cosmic_Guru]

Well I'm enjoying Warhammer, but 3 hours in it all seems a bit easy, not to mention rinse-repeat in gameplay. I'm hoping that it'll start to put up a bit more of a fight sooner rather than later. Perhaps I've been playing too much Wazhack recently...

That hasn't been my experience so far. I did the first white dungeon after the tutorial with no problems, but after that had two wipeouts in the final stages of white dungeons when healing items had been exhausted and the mana god is against you. Multiple ambushes by spiders, bats (LOL) and spear men did the damage, and the bosses hit damn hard. After that, chastening, experience and with a few other mishaps such as falling into a quagmire encountered on my travels, I actually completed the minstrel quest in the first red dungeon pretty easily, probably by simply choosing the right fork in the path for a change. I have only just got the marauder up a level and have bought one or two items of gear.

I really like the design and the flip-over-for-the-inventory. You can see the board game origin but I feel they have made a good effort to customise and adapt it.

I just wish the wood elf could actually hit something with her ultra posh bow.

[SaintM]

I really like the design and the flip-over-for-the-inventory. You can see the board game origin but I feel they have made a good effort to customise and adapt it.

I think it's pretty rubbish to be honest. I don't mind it as an option, but it means playing in bed is a pain as it's constantly moving from landscape to upright, which when laying down and looking at it isn't ideal.

[Count Buffalos]

I've deleted it today, far too easy, not enough variety. I kept expecting a ramp up in the challenge which never appeared unfortunately.

[Paulando]

Scrabble has had a massive update adding asynchronous play. Only like, 4 years late. But yeah, a really good update that syncs games across devices too.

[Sledge]

I've deleted it today, far too easy, not enough variety. I kept expecting a ramp up in the challenge which never appeared unfortunately.

I'm finding the main challenge is getting it to not crash. Most unimpressive and the game itself looks dull as dishwater.

[Verdigris Murder]

WHQ revolves too much around taaanks, shitty inventory design and luck.

Luck takes away strategy and turns it into poker. If I wanted a that kind of game I'd have really appreciated a caveat emptor regarding the way that its not as good as Hunters 2.

Boom. Nolan'd it.

[Cosmic_Guru]

It's got much easier now, more mana available, better equipment, it all adds up (level 2/3). It helps to realise that wood elf and Mage can both pack a useful melee punch a well as their ranged attack, so it doesn't always pay to have them hang back. And (note to self) select white dungeons where the main reward is some armour or weapon you might actually find useful (and as an aside it's also great to see armour correctly spelt).

Dice rolls are an integral part of the game for sure, again I like the little pause where the system tests against your party attributes and finally spits out the result.

[Stejay]

Scrabble has had a massive update adding asynchronous play. Only like, 4 years late. But yeah, a really good update that syncs games across devices too.

I wish they'd make the tile rack app available again too.

[Cosmic_Guru]

Wood elf is now a mean killing machine with 1 melee and 3 ranged hits per turn.. Problem is, I now have to pony up more cash to unlock the western part of the map or alternatively do a fair bit of tedious grinding to reach level 6 and access the first black dungeon. I'm a bit in two minds about this now - on the one hand I really like the presentation and attention to detail,on the other hand I also feel a bit shortchanged - everyone has decent armour and weapons, so I don't really want to go back to more white dungeons. Ho hum.

It's a tough game.

It's an easy game.

Both statements are true.

Perhaps I should download KOTOR.

[Jammy]

Is this live action or turn based ? And is it playable on iphone ?

[Cosmic_Guru]

Turn based and yes playable on the phone.

The combat in this reminds me a bit of the Avernum games - the bum rushing at the boss etc.

[Jammy]

Hmm, I may give it a go then, cheers Guru. I prefer this to the live action dungeon crawlers on the phone as my giant hands can't control them properly.

On another note, Scrabble has at last got an English dictionary and I've never heard of half the words the smug teacher rolls out after I've managed another 8 point four letter effort !

[Cosmic_Guru]

Turn based is much better suited to this format IMO.

[Padlocked]

Warhammer Quest is a fantastic conversion of a mid-90s Games Workshop boardgame. The inherent easiness or harshness of any dungeon exploring all comes down to chance, as dice rolls occur in the background of every turn.

It's hugely loyal to the game itself but, as a result of explaining itself poorly, you don't actually know what is going on unless you pay very close attention or have played the original tabletop game.

At the start of every turn the wizard rolls to set what magic power he has for his turn. If he rolls a 2-5 that's what he has - I'm yet to figure out how you change his spells but that may be one change. If he rolls a 1 you get an encounter - this is either an event on the section you're on or it's an ambush. This is how a previous corridor fills up.

Play then changes to party movement. If you have the marauder, he rolls to see if he gets extra attacks. If he rolls a one he goes mental, injures all party characters adjacent and can't do anything for the rest of the turn.

If those two things happen regularly it can really stitch you up. The wizard roll in particular adds an element of chance to hanging back to heal your party. I've had entire dungeons where nothing happens and others where I get hit every round. It mimicks the boardgame perfectly, where the other week I got to the second tile before dying.

The only other thing worth remembering is that monsters are aways revealed when you find a room, but never in corridors except through encounters. This adds an element of risk to revealing new areas - though the marauder gets an automatic reflex swipe at anything next to him.

[toythatkills]

In case anyone was wondering about this, the new Phoenix Wright collection checks your previous purchases so you don’t have to re-purchase PW1 if you already have it on IOS.

This didn't seem to work for me