What We’re Playing

We figured it’d be fun to share what we’re both playing currently in our spare time. We play games on several platforms, but by and large I think it’s safe to say we’re both still very ‘traditional’ gamers spending most of our time on consoles or PC. As you’ll probably tell in a bit, Adam and I tend to spend our times in vastly different games/genres. I’m a multiplayer freak. He likes Mario. The end. Ok there’s more to it than that…

Mario Galaxy 2 [Wii]

I personally haven’t played Mario Galaxy 2, but from what I hear is that it’s more Mario. Which is usually a good thing. Adam’s been taking his sweet time in playing through this game and recently beat it. He’s now playing back through Mario Galaxy 1. Only Mr. Miyamoto knows why.

Solipskier [iPhone]

This game’s mechanic was really fun. My first exposure to it was on my iPhone 4. If you’re on a flash capable device you can play solipskier on Mikengreg’s site. The music is great and the sense of speed you experience in the game is awesome. The design of the game is very tight, laser focused and very polished. TA’s review was positive, but interestingly enough it stirred up some controversy in the comments thread. The all important ‘price point’ was the contentious issue for what was on offer. To me, this game was worth it. They even have a 100% free version for those to check out first, so I feel the price is right. Worth checking out!

Archetype [iPhone/iPad]

Alright, this is a weird one for me. I bought this on my iphone 4. Then I bought it on my iPad (Archetype HD). The game feels nice. I think it’s probably the best FPS experience you can get on the iphone or ipad right now. The game from a technical standpoint is nothing short of impressive. The ability to jump in and out of multiplayer matches so easily with no hassle is no small technical feat. I really wanted this game to be “it” for multiplayer experiences for me on the go. So much so that I even gave the iPad version a try. Again, TA’s review I think is spot on that it’s the best on the platform. But I think that’s just it. It’s only the best on the platform. That doesn’t say to much considering there’s only a handful of decent FPS’s on it. It’s early yet so I feel this will only get better. To get an idea of where I’m coming from you should know that I’m not a fan of FPS games on the console. I’ve made due and spent tons of time playing on the 360 because the games themselves are great. But give me keyboard and mouse any day. I actually have a lot to say on this topic from a game design perspective, but I won’t go into it right now. Just know that Archetype is good fun and definitely worth checking out.

Shot Shot Shoot [iPad]

I played this game with a friend over the past weekend. I absolutely love the design of this game. A very pure competitive game that despite it’s simplicity in it’s rules elevates to something much more complex when you add the human element. Shot Shot Shoot provided lots of enjoyment, and if you’re looking for a fun competitive iPad game then this is it.

Starcraft 2 [Mac]

My current “addiction”. I’m playing this game more than I need to be probably (just ask Adam). I was hooked on the first Starcraft over a decade ago. Games like Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War got me mildly back into RTS’s, but at the time I was very much into online team-based FPS’s. I didn’t think I’d still be playing Starcraft 2 after the first couple of weeks, but there’ something about this game that keeps me coming back. The sheer depth mixed with the almost twitch-like gameplay mechanics for controlling your armies is a great mix and something I can sink my teeth into. Warcraft 3 didn’t do it for me, but I appreciate the things they tried in that game to help push RTS’s forward. Starcraft 2 harkens back to a much “simpler” era before RPG’s and RTS’s started having children.