Since I talked about this on the up and coming soon to be released, being edited RIGHT NOW podcast, here’s a list of the current games on my NEW phone.  All well worth giving a try:

-Zen Bound

-Fruit Ninja

-Street Fighter IV

-Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

-Spider

-Peggle

-Squareball

-Flight Control

-Drop7

-DoodleJump

-Angry Birds

-Osmos

-Fifa World Cup

-Dark Nubula 2

-Madness

-Plants vs Zombies

-Tiger Woods

-Need for Speed: Shift

-Monster Dash

AccelGolf is not a game.

After about 10 minutes of ‘playing’ this iphone application I realised it’s not a game but a golf utility.

I went to the trouble of creating the avatar Jehs13 Yeah (kick ass name huh?) and played several shots on a ‘virtual golf course’ (selected from a real course nearby).

It wasn’t until I actually selected ‘penalty’ (twice, mind you) I thought… “hang on, why would I choose to hit a penalty?” and cracked up, laughing at myself.

I’m sure it’s a fine tool if you actually go outside and play golf but it is terribly bad, as a game, on the iphone.    4/10  -  LOL

Field Goal $1.19

Field Goal is a quick pick up and play game, where you just kick field goals. The direction, distance and wind variables are enough to keep you entertained for several minutes and the added bonus of a FIRE BALL if you kick enough goals in a row.

The feature doesn’t appear in the actual game but I enjoy this as a pass and play game to see who will miss the goal first.

If you are not into American Football you can purchase alternate versions including soccer, rugby and AFL. There also appears to be a Bird Strike game that I believe would have the same mechanics but you kick or hurl a bird at rockets. Maybe it was to compete with angry birds??

Heavy Gunner + is Free and Heavy Gunner 3D is $3.99

Now this is a pretty popular game, apparently, but I don’t follow trends, I hate being told you HAVE to play THIS game. This game has been on my phone for a while. (I am synced to the same computer as Troy  so whatever he downloads I get and vice versa) So, I came to play this game accidentally. I have to admit my own stupidity though, I didn’t know it was tilt controlled when I started playing it and actually almost put it away with the belief it was ‘the most poorly developed game I’d ever played’ however… after dropping the phone down slightly to talk to someone, mid game, I noticed the screen move so I could now SEE the ships coming at me from above.

The penny dropped and I finished the level tilting and shooting like crazy. It actually reminds me of how I first starting playing car racing games with controllers without tilt controls. Turning the controller, with outstretched arms, and sticking my tongue way out to the side felt like it would actually help my car make the turns, but alas it just made me look silly. So, using the same movements (and tongue action) to now shoot down ships, in Heavy Gunner, I am finally justified to look so stupid whilst playing… right?

Osmos - $3.99 (And not Osmosis like I’ve been calling it)

This one looks beautiful and it has addictive game play.  You are a ball of matter in a galaxy of more balls of matter, basically you manoeuvrer around attempting to absorb any smaller balls and prevent being absorbed by bigger ones. There are lots of different level objectives and it just plain hilarious, especially if you are impatient like me, and don’t heed the games advice that ‘a wise player taps less often’ and tap fiercely and frequently to try and pass levels quickly. I’m just plain stubborn like that, however I think if you played this game patiently it might not be as fun ; )

You can also slow down and speed up time, which is helpful (I don’t’ use it much) but I really like how the soundtrack speeds up and slows down when you use the function, it’s actually quite eerie.

You’re In the Movies on XBOX 360 – Released 2009

This physical interactive game allows you to play mini games with up to four people using action and motion gestures to progress through 4 rounds. The games in themselves are pretty fun as you are the main star and they keep your heart rate up. The games are broken up with individual screening tests where you get direction for particular actions and expressions. After 4 long rounds a movie preview is created using your acting from the mini games and screening tests. It is hilarious. The more exaggerated your performance the funnier the preview becomes. The game also keeps score over the rounds and awards the Best Actor at a mock ceremony, so have your acceptance speech ready.  I can’t see this game having a long life span in the rotation of games I play but as it was rescued from a bargain bin for $4 it’s been worth every penny.

I hate Fieldrunners. (See previous article titled as such) I was playing it very frequently and it made me extremely frustrated. I actually passed Grasslands on Extended Hard (finally). After all my heartache and social isolation, I finally passed it, without losing a life in the process. You would think I would take satisfaction in that. Celebrate my Victory for a while? I didn’t, I moved straight onto Crossroads where I have found myself inevitably stuck again.

I don’t hate Fieldrunners. I LOVE to hate Fieldrunners.

To distract me from my torment I have briefly switched to Plants Vs Zombies on the iphone. This tower defence game has kept me busy AND happy while playing it. You strategically defend your house from Zombies equipped with a variety of Plants. As you progress through the game you unlock a myriad of plants but only have a select number you can take into each level.

I really liked that as it was fun trialling different combinations to combat the different Zombies. You also have a ridiculous number of lawn mowers, as a fall back defence, however if they reach your house the Zombies WILL eat your brains.

It’s actually very comedic and challenging and it has enough variety to keep me wanting more. The final boss battle is hard and worth persisting to defeat to see a catchy and humorous song, about the ordeal, in the credits.

There was no ‘fast’ option which I normally take liberty of in these games. I guess it did give me a chance to practice being patient (something I’m NOT good at). Maybe that’s a good thing.

So I have finished all 3 levels of Field Runners on Medium including Classic and Extended, without letting any of those little buggers though.  I’m not saying it was easy, I got a whole lot of satisfaction from the VICTORY at the end of each level however it only gave me confidence to move on and begin on Hard. I thought I won’t bother with Hard Classic so I’ve moved straight onto Extended.

I only play Grasslands Extended on Hard and as soon as ONE guy gets through I restart the level.  I have been stuck on it for over 3 months now and the updated social games have not distracted me.

Up until very recently I have only been getting to level 20-30, using various methods. Some borderline cheating I’d say but today I’ve had a break through, a new technique where I can get to level 60 no problems.

I got to level 63, no sweat, 65 no worries. I even got to level 75!

But alas I have not even reached the seemingly impossible 100. Oh what a day when I do. I imagine there will be confetti and trumpets and people cheering at my victory. Then and only then can I put the game away for good. I hope that day comes soon.

Yes, if your a listener of our podcast you may have suspected this for some time. Today however I can confirm it, i’m an idiot.

How did this news come to light? After finishing Mass Effect 2 (a quick 36 Hour investment on my behalf) I went ahead and deleted the Mass Effect 2 folder on my 360. To ensure that the idiot test came back positive I proceeded to install Guitar Hero Greatest Hits onto my HDD.

Days later when I realised that the save game was in the folder I deleted I jumped onto my nearest computer & did a quick Google for “Recover xbox 360 save game”. I found that for $25 AUD I could purchase a HDD data transfer cable for PC, combined with either XPort360 or Xplorer360, I would be able to restore deleted data.

Upon receiving the cable & trying multiple times to restore my data, only to have both programs continually crash, another quick Google soon relieved I would only be able to recover my save game if nothing had been overwritten. Yup, you guessed it, I sacrificed 36 hours of game play (& i’m guessing a few achievement points once I complete Mass Effect 3 with the one character) for a few seconds less loading time when playing GH-GH!

After 4 years, many toons & countless quests I no longer have an active World Of Warcraft account.

Once I dinged 80 for the 4th time the magic left. Having been through all the high level content numerous times I could no longer justify the $15 per month price tag. It’s amazing how much time it has freed up for me. Not just the time spent in front of the keyboard, my listening time for podcasts has increased as I no longer consume 3 hours per week for keeping up with all things WoW.

It’s been a wonderful experience & I have learnt a lot, not just about RPGs but also the importance of team work. I will definitely be picking up Cataclysm when it comes out (this November?), however I doubt my presence in Azeroth beyond the 30 days subscription included with the purchase.

As mentioned in the upcoming podcast episode, Trials HS is a game I just can’t put down at the moment.

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YouTube Direkt

It’s been over 2 years since ‘The Orange Box’ was released, proof the Source engine works on the platform. In that time they have been able to publish Portal as a standalone title on XBLA with a few additional levels. CS:S is still a game I have an hour a week for on my PC, the game just has a unique style that doesn’t tire. Aside from a terrible port on the original xbox we are yet to have a genuine showing of the franchise for console gamers. They have the ability, tools & concept to bring this great title into the hands of millions of additional gamers & for the life of me I have no idea what could possibly be holding them back.