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iOS Gaming November 2014: GLORIOUS!™

Candy Crush Saga is a really good game that elevated the genre at the time with new ideas around progression and usability in a way that was very well executed.

I haven't played Candy Crush Soda Saga, but I'm not going to dismiss a 5 star review out of hand or question the credibility of a website just because "OMG King! OMG freemium!". Has everybody slamming Eli for his opinion even played the game?

Seriously, the reaction here is just like uberGAF dismissing smartphone gaming in general.
I'd disagree. I'm not dismissing the game because it's freemium. I've played fantastic F2P games; you've even worked on some of them. I have played (or at least tried to play) some of King's games. And really they come across as copy-paste experiences, with some tweaks and changes here and there, or a different visual aesthetic, but nothing groundbreaking or truly incredible
 

awp69

Member
I'm familiar with Eli. Our company corresponds with him, we advertise on TouchArcade, and we interact with the community there.

And you have no idea how he "interacts" with the community when they don't agree with his or his site's opinions.
 

awp69

Member
Let's not derail this thread with that discussion. If anything, that's better suited for PMs

Agreed. I wasn't planning to get into details. Just wanted to let people know that there's more than what's at the surface here.

Consider that subject dropped....
 

heringer

Member
Everyone is entitled to think what they want, but seriously, can anyone realistically say that King cares about their customers? Freemium may not have the bad name it has today if it wasn't for devs like King. There are many devs that have used freemium responsibly, including PikPok.

Devs like you are about creativity and giving gamers an experience. King, to me, is no better than casinos, hoping people lose so they can win more.

I'm not anti-F2P. I'm anti- abuse of the power and taking advantage of people while doing so.

Actually, PikPok has at least a couple of games that I feel are greedier than Candy Crush. My mother and a few friends of mine actually finished Candy Crush without spending a dime. I think King claimed 70% of the people on the last level never paid anything. Given anedoctal evidence, I don't doubt it. Not defending their practices, just saying.

But yeah, it's Eli. Why do we even care about how he reviews a game at this point?
 

JCho133

Member
I'm familiar with Eli. Our company corresponds with him, we advertise on TouchArcade, and we interact with the community there.

Oh, wow, just noticed the Pikpok title under your name. Sorry for the oversight.

But yeah, Bronxsta's right, let's not derail.

So uh, that Giant Boulder of Death game is pretty good, right guys?
 

awp69

Member
So does anyone know what time Enemy Within actually will come out? IGN's timeline isn't right. They said 6 a.m. PST today, the 12th. Actually, if they got the am mixed up with pm. That would mean it'd be out in 40 minutes.
 

awp69

Member
Actually, PikPok has at least a couple of games that I feel are greedier than Candy Crush. My mother and a few friends of mine actually finished Candy Crush without spending a dime. I think King claimed 70% of the people on the last level never paid anything. Given anedoctal evidence, I don't doubt it. Not defending their practices, just saying.

But yeah, it's Eli. Why do we even care about how he reviews a game at this point?

Guess that goes back to the F2P South Park episode that was quite accurate. Regardless of how many people play without paying, there's still a percentage that get completely addicted to a game and those people are abused. It's not like IAPs where it unlocks all the content. It's IAPs for people who may not be good at a game but are hopelessly addicted and keep paying. Why else would these games continually sit atop the top grossing charts? If they weren't hoping for people to get sucked in and pay up over and over, they should have some kind of IAPS spending limit per game.

Just my 2 cents and why F2P gotten a bad name.

Totally agree with your last sentence;)
 

JCho133

Member
So does anyone know what time Enemy Within actually will come out? IGN's timeline isn't right. They said 6 a.m. PST today, the 12th. Actually, if they got the am mixed up with pm. That would mean it'd be out in 40 minutes.

6 am in NZ.

Should be out normal time.

Holy cow I am really itching to get this. Must buy an iPad.
 
The story about people 1-starring Monument Valley because expansion isn't free is really really sad.
For a freaking 2 dollars that I'm betting they won't even shrug if they lost said 2 dollars while walking.
On a over XXX dollars device,no less (if you have an iOS device, or even if someone gifted an ios device, chances are you aren't starving).

I feel I robbed ustwo instead...new levels are so well thought and clever and meticulously hand crafted....

Also, totem.

Totem totally rules.
Thank you! They really kicked the execution up a notch. <3 <3 <3 this game. I hope more devs will be able to prosper from creative, high quality NON F2P titles.

damn, really? That seems easy enough to make it longer. Not worth 4.99 then :(
I think every premium mobile dev in the world just let out a collective sigh.
 
Regarding Framed's length, from an early preview:
Developer Loveshack Entertainment intends to make Framed a “movie-length” experience, with somewhere in the ballpark of 50 levels.
Going by that, I'm hoping I get at least 90 minutes. $5 for an interactive noir film-inspired puzzle comic adventure? Sounds good to me.

Also from PAX preview
The attendee in front of me managed to play the game for 15 solid minutes and that was only after I got there. After playing the game, it’s easy to see how she got so engrossed.
Not only is the interactive comic book design unique, where the player has to arrange panels in order to successfully complete the story, it’s also much more difficult than it looks, with my thieving anti-hero getting shot by cops multiple times while trying to cross the exterior of a building.
 

Dalek

Member
Nice night for iOS gaming. In for Space Age for sure.

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Whoops. Didn't mean to spark another Internet vs. Hodapp thing.
Oh, don't worry, it wasn't you. There was already some tension among certain members. To refocus on your original comment, I totally agree. Pocket Gamer and Pocket Tactics are really the only mobile game sites I read nowadays. There are a lot of other good sources for IOS releases and news, but those require a bit more effort to learn about the gems (SlideDB, TIGForum, r/indiegaming & r/iosgaming, Screenshot Saturday)
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
I'll leave this here... (props to Takao)
Excited! Hopefully it's not super infested with IAPs (doubt it tho, expect the worst)

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Decided to give Pocket Tactics a shot. Before now I'd only read their reviews, which are rather good, and then maybe a handful of articles. Only one I can remeber is the post talking about how bad the Bioshock port was and how TA will probably give it 4.5 stars. That was a good one.

So, to get on with it, I open up pocket tactics and start reading the first preview of the first article on that page, and I read this, and have lost 90% percent of my confidence in the site.

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Again, it is a site called Pocket Tactics, with a tight focus on tactical/strategy games, so yeah, not the site you go to for a round up on the latest games in every genre. But if you're into strategy games, best site around IMO
 

JCho133

Member
Again, it is a site called Pocket Tactics, with a tight focus on tactical/strategy games, so yeah, not the site you go to for a round up on the latest games in every genre. But if you're into strategy games, best site around IMO

Ohhh... A barren night in the strategy genre.


I redact my statement.
 

JCho133

Member
God damnit, the eyes on EW's icon are staring straight at me. Calling my name.

Someone loan me their ipad for the night.
 

JCho133

Member
XCOM Enemy Within priced at 99c on Google play right now grab it if you've got an android device.

Damnit I want an android
 

Heel

Member
Ohhh... A barren night in the strategy genre.


I redact my statement.

I've been championing this site for a while, and it even struck me as a bit of an odd title and post. They would normally cover something like Space Age, etc., at least in the footnotes.

A strange misstep of sorts, but don't let it to dissuade you. They're great for coverage of the more meaty games on iOS. Their comment and forum community is great, too, which mentioned Spage Age and Framed in the comments right off the bat.
 
I've been championing this site for a while, and it even struck me as a bit of an odd title and post. They would normally cover something like Space Age, etc., at least in the footnotes.

A strange misstep of sorts, but don't let it to dissuade you. They're great for coverage of the more meaty games on iOS. Their comment and forum community is great, too, which mentioned Spage Age and Framed in the comments right off the bat.
Well yeah, that was my comment ;)
 
Well Framed certainly isn't 30 minutes long, that's for sure

Edit: so the cool thing about Framed is that it's a puzzle game first. There's a wordless narrative and it's an engaging wonderfully artistic experience, but it's first and foremost a puzzle game. There are constants - ladders and stairway make you descend or ascend when you reach them, approach enemies from behind to avoid them or knock them out, etc. - and new elements are added periodically, like rotating panels. The puzzles seem to hinge more on trial and error and experimentation than hard logic, but the trial and error in Framed is fun, due to the seamless permutations that result from you shifting the panels.

Length wise, I'm 45-50 minutes in and just reached what seems to be the third chapter/act. I have no idea how much of the game is left, but it's definitely been enjoyable so far and tricky at times
 

awp69

Member
XCOM Enemy Within priced at 99c on Google play right now grab it if you've got an android device.

Damnit I want an android

I tried when I heard it and while it said $.99, when the pop-up came up to confirm your purchase, it came up with the $12.99 so they fixed it. Also, sadly, it wasn't even freakin compatible with my Shield Tablet! Of course, it probably really is but Nvidia has been lax in making sure devs load the device as compatible. The original Xcom, for instance, is "not" compatible but works if sideloaded. Android's fragmentation can be a bitch.

Anyway, back to iOS, I still keep getting that the item is no longer available when trying to purchase EW.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Totem? Like... the boardgame totem? You'd be the first person in this thread to mention that game (and I own and like it, but it's so under-the-radar). It's like Othello with animals and lands :lol super easy and short time killer.

Or what totem are you talking about

Sorry, I meant the Totem in Monunent Valley.
 

PittaGAF

Member
So if you guys pick up Space Age tonight ( and you should, it looks like day of the tentacle had a baby with an adventure game, as in non point and click) do put on headphones because it uses a kind of neat stereo system.

The game has so much potential. I'm not far enough into it but between the quality of the writing and the amzing 50+ songs, it can't be bad. And I know it will be pretty much ignored everywhere else so...

FRAMED's animations are out of this world and as good as Ghost Trick's. And the soundtrack is A-mazing. Oh boy, 3 scenes and I'm already in love...

I'm interested in both too...debating which to buy first.

Great week!!!
 
Bought so much today: monument valley, infinity blade 3, ice wind dale, helix, slayin, retro racing, ridiculous fishing, tower of fortune 2, kero blaster,... Good stuff.
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
So Ponos has discontinued Mr.Ahhhh! and Mr.Ninja (both great highscore-chasing games which you can't grab anymore and that's too bad) and also still not announced Mr.Ninja!! Fever for the west... I wonder if they'll even release it at this point.
What a stupid move (well, from my perspective of course, I'm sure there must be some logic behind the scenes that I'm not privy to)
 

Flunkie

Banned
Bought so much today: monument valley, infinity blade 3, ice wind dale, helix, slayin, retro racing, ridiculous fishing, tower of fortune 2, kero blaster,... Good stuff.

you go girl

not related, but if I don't have any of you on PS4/Xbox One, would you kindly add me: Flunkie44

I want to know if iOS GAF plays other things too. I have a feeling I will be consumed by DA: Inquisition that I'll put down all mobile devices forever.
 
Finished the Monument Valley expansion. I played on and off all day today so it felt like a solid hour even though I'm sure it was a little less. The length was perfect. Any more and I'd get bored. Any less and I'd be sad.

Now to give them a 5* review to offset the entitlement addled ones.

Tho to be fair, when I updated the app in the app store, I got a notice saying I got the update for free since "I owned a previous version of the app." Misleading notification from Apple?
 

PittaGAF

Member
I'm definitely going to ration MV for a while.

I wanted to to the same but it was impossibile.
Yesterday I replayed (on and off) the original levels...then yesterday night in bed I played the new levels (the first 6)...took me about 1-2 hours...
Part of me wanted to complete it...but I didn't want it to end so fast...so I managed to refrain myself to play the last 2.
Can't wait to go home and complete it now :)
 
you go girl

not related, but if I don't have any of you on PS4/Xbox One, would you kindly add me: Flunkie44

I want to know if iOS GAF plays other things too. I have a feeling I will be consumed by DA: Inquisition that I'll put down all mobile devices forever.
Oh definitely. Huge fan of indie games and PC gaming. My favorite PC games right now are Broforce, Binding of Isaac Rebirth, and NaissanceE. I'm very active in the Indie Games thread.
 

dock

Member
wd8vzkj.jpg


I just picked up Golfinity (free), and it's horrible.

It's Zany Golf (minigolf) mixed with Desert Golf. There's no limit on how many shots you may take per hole, but each hole has a 'par' rating which you can go over or under, much like real golf. The top-right corner shows your current par. At the end of each hole you can choose whether to move to the next hole, or to try the hole again for a better score. Each time you retry it shows a video advert.

It's a very simple design, and a really clever way to monetize Desert Golf, but it creeps me out. Deleted.
 

Matt Frost

Member
Did I just stumble into a Walking Dead spoiler?

Dammit.

Its not really a spoiler... of sorts... the spoiler would have been to tell you that
he could just be fainting. Or not. Or dead. Or alive... who knows? (aside from the ones who already seen the episode). xD
 

Hoggy110

Neo Member
I wanted to to the same but it was impossibile.
Yesterday I replayed (on and off) the original levels...then yesterday night in bed I played the new levels (the first 6)...took me about 1-2 hours...
Part of me wanted to complete it...but I didn't want it to end so fast...so I managed to refrain myself to play the last 2.
Can't wait to go home and complete it now :)

I sat down and played the original levels and the expansion in one 1.5-2 hour session earlier on today

Luckily (?), I managed to have forgotten quite a few of the level designs, so I was having my mind blown in amazement with older levels as well as with the new levels

Monument Valley has some of the best level design I've ever encountered in video games. Right around the level of Super Mario Galaxy 2. It's level design I could only wish to create
 

heringer

Member
What a GLORIOUS night for sci-fi nuts with Enemy Within and Space Age.
Are you guys happy? I'm happy.

I even found out about this little gem called Space Expedition. Now, I haven't played the game yet, but how can you resist this adorable
sci-fi pixel art? I'm at work right now so I can't test it, anyone
willing to take one for the team? It's only $2.99.

Space Expedition is an exciting oldschool platform game with a
colorful mixture of gameplay genres. This is a story of brave
astronaut who is to discover what really happened on a distant space
station.

Discover new locations, solve puzzles, evade the traps, fight
monsters, operate machines and pilot spaceships in a good old
pixel-art atmosphere! You'll have to be smart to complete quests,
witty to escape danger, attentive to overcome obstacles and brave to
fight the enemy in a open combat. The game for real heroes awaits you!

Get ready for the adventure, put on your space suit and charge your
jetpack - the quest begins ! Space Expedition, new sharp game from the
creators of Parking Mania and Dead Ahead.

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https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/space-expedition-classic-adventure/id930424778?mt=8
 
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