Terraria, Minecraft and now.. Blockheads

The block games continue as the latest game to release, called Blockheads, hits the app stores. The game is more similar to Terraria as it works off the 2D model and in a lot of ways, is much more casual and forgiving (I guess this is to be expected on a mobile device as this ensures maximum sales).

- You cannot fall to your death. You merely instruct your character where to go. If its possible to get to, your character will get there. If not, he/she will not move.

- Very little nighttime creatures. One of the first things I noticed at the end of the first day. I had built a shelter with doors, stored resources and created light. All in vein as no creatures came out at night to unleash an unholy attack on my little character. Disappointing in a way, but in another way, it makes it possible to explore through the night too.

- As with all casual games these days, the game is free. Free does not mean free though as everything you create, whether it be a weapon, tool or kiln, all requires time. You can pay £1.99 which will double the speed of creating such objects, which is a must, as otherwise it takes forever.

The game runs smoothly and this type of game fits well into the IPads touch screen controls. In some ways, this is a big advantage for this game over Terraria, but others may say that nothing beats the keyboard and mouse, each to their own!

So how does it stack up? Personally, if your looking for an in depth game with lots to do, or if your looking to just basically create something out of nothing, my personal opinion places Mineraft first, Terraria second and Blockheads third.

I wonder what may be next in this genre of block building RPG games and how they will adapt it into different games going forward, only time will tell. For the time being though, will it be Terraria, Minecraft or Blockheads..

App Thoughts: The Akinator

App: The Akinator

Price: Approximately £1.50

Type: Game

 

I recently purchased an app called 'Akinator' from the App Store in a moment of madness during a gathering.

The app did not disappoint and acts a lot like the classic game of 21 questions where you are tasked with guessing who the other person is thinking of. Although the classic game is always best enjoyed live; as part of a group. This app can have you messing around for hours on a solo mission to try and trick the clever genie by conjuring up a person who may not be within his thoughts (or database should that be).

Surprisingly addictive and very straight forward. If your fed up of the regular stream of apps such as farming games, this is a welcome change.

The question is, can you outsmart the Akinator?

Have You Ever Bought A Game Twice?

Maybe its just me, but once in a while, you come across a game that you have played before, but perhaps not played in quite a few years. This impulse then causes you to buy the game (now with a much cheaper price ofcourse) to play again. Personally, I can think of many games that come under this category, such as:

Broken Sword

A game I have played so many times, I could probably tell you the story from start to end. The reason this game has been bought more than once, is mainly because I've lost it somewhere over the last few years, and then it was released onto a different format many years after. I originally played Broken Sword on the Playstation One, then on the PC, and then on the perfectly suited Nintendo DS.

SimCity 4

SimCity 4 is a game that fits itself very well into no bracket whatsoever, it is not too complicated to be cumbersome to a casual gamer. Yet not too casual to put off die hard micro management/city building fans. Simcity is a game which is intriguing. Even if you've already played it, the gameplay functionality is different across varying platforms. For instance, this game can now be played (with little differences in each) on the PC, Nintendo DS and Ipad respectively.

 

 

 

 

Too much money than sense? Well the games we tend to buy again are usually extremely cheap as its many years later when we find them again, and its good to re-visit an old past time and relive it all again; in some cases, with graphical improvements too.