Ocean Catch Match is a fun, aquatic version of the game concentration. It is easy to learn and keeps your mind focused when you are trying to kill some time. It is great to play on a cell phone or PDA since you can play anywhere and everywhere. Just download it and roll.
The main character in the game is the guy referred to as "Crazy Uncle Ned." Now, Ned is a rare enough name so they probably didn't offend anyone by using it. Still, using "Ned" actually takes away from the game. You don't need to know that the symbols you are trying to match represent his collection from the ocean. It is simply extra, non-essential information that game designers these days feel compelled to add to every game.
Anyway, once you get past Uncle Ned, your job is to match all the odd symbols representing creatures and items from the deep. Of course, there are the usual sea shells and shark cards. Yet there are also some neat items that you may never have seen. Before playing, I had known what a sea urchin was (they make delicious sushi!), but I did not know what one looked like.
I did know what a jellyfish looked like because I have had the misfortune to be stung more than once. I wonder why the game designer felt the need to add such a horrid creature to what is a simple fun game? Personally, he could have used images of tasty fish like flounder instead of the big jellyfish. It may not seem like a big deal, but loading a game with images that you detest actually dampens the whole gaming experience.
Still, if you want to test your brain and kill some time, download Ocean Catch Match to your mobile device and play a few rounds.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Free Sonic
Many will remember a video game called "Sonic the Hedgehog" back when you had to play video games in arcades and they all cost a quarter. Now, a free mobile game called "Free Sonic" attempts to replicate the action and plot of the original "Sonic" series with surprising results.
What is remarkable is that the images are true to form. Sonic and Knuckles looks the same as they did back in the seventies, just with a few details updated for the new millennium. What is great is that even on a small cell phone or PDA display, the graphics are intense. The Sonic file is large since it contains multiple characters at multiple levels. Yet once you download the game, playing is as easy as making a call.
Even the soundtrack is based on the original. Of course, if you are in a busy office and killing time playing Sonic, you may not want people to know what you are doing. That is why there is a mute option. As far as anyone knows, you could be sending an e-mail or setting up a conference call, not controlling a hedge hog to total domination of the universe.
For those not familiar with Sonic and the game series based on the character, all you need to know is that Sonic and his friends are the good guys. The scorpions and spiders are bad. Jump over them and try to touch as many gold rings as possible. Every touch gives you more points. On the other hand, if you are bitten by a scorpion, you will lose one of your three lives, so be careful.
The game is structured around a multi-level universe which is full of jumps, drops, and loops. Always look ahead to see what obstacles are coming your way next and you will do fine.
What is remarkable is that the images are true to form. Sonic and Knuckles looks the same as they did back in the seventies, just with a few details updated for the new millennium. What is great is that even on a small cell phone or PDA display, the graphics are intense. The Sonic file is large since it contains multiple characters at multiple levels. Yet once you download the game, playing is as easy as making a call.
Even the soundtrack is based on the original. Of course, if you are in a busy office and killing time playing Sonic, you may not want people to know what you are doing. That is why there is a mute option. As far as anyone knows, you could be sending an e-mail or setting up a conference call, not controlling a hedge hog to total domination of the universe.
For those not familiar with Sonic and the game series based on the character, all you need to know is that Sonic and his friends are the good guys. The scorpions and spiders are bad. Jump over them and try to touch as many gold rings as possible. Every touch gives you more points. On the other hand, if you are bitten by a scorpion, you will lose one of your three lives, so be careful.
The game is structured around a multi-level universe which is full of jumps, drops, and loops. Always look ahead to see what obstacles are coming your way next and you will do fine.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Go Sudoku Crazy on your iPhone
I only recently discovered Sudoku when I was trying to kill some time between flight connections. I saw a Sudoku puzzle book at the airport gift shop next to the usual crossword puzzle and word search game books. I had heard about Sudoku but never tried it. I bought a bag of peanut M&Ms with it and settled down to play. I have to admit I was hooked from the beginning. I started with the easy puzzles just to get a feel for it. One hour into it, I realized that I was getting a little obsessive. I ran to the gift store and bought two more Sudoku books. I was ready for the challenging puzzles. This numbers game is very easy in concept, but quickly becomes difficult. The object of this game is to fill a 3x3 square with the number 1-9, but also horizontally and vertically, which are three, 3x3 squares up and down. I know it sounds confusing, but trust me when I say it's easy to catch on and get hooked.
When I discovered I could get free downloads of Sudoku on my cell phone, I was in heaven. Any time I'm standing in a line, I pull out my phone and play a few games. I can't carry a Sudoku notebook and pen on me everywhere I go, but my cell phone fits nicely in my pocket so I'm never without an opportunity to play. It challenges the brain, which is a nice change of pace from some of the mindless mobile games and iPhone games on the market. Give it a try. You won't regret it.
When I discovered I could get free downloads of Sudoku on my cell phone, I was in heaven. Any time I'm standing in a line, I pull out my phone and play a few games. I can't carry a Sudoku notebook and pen on me everywhere I go, but my cell phone fits nicely in my pocket so I'm never without an opportunity to play. It challenges the brain, which is a nice change of pace from some of the mindless mobile games and iPhone games on the market. Give it a try. You won't regret it.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Return of Space Invaders
There is a new version of the classic game Space Invaders that is now becoming very popular thanks to new technology that makes the whole game a free mobile game. That's right. Now you can play Space Invaders on any Internet equipped cell phone or PDA. Imagine waiting for a train or airplane while reliving your youth by playing this classic game.
Not sure if you remember Space Invaders? Let me jog your memory. You have a small space ship at the bottom of the screen. A relentless crowd of aliens slowly matches toward you. Blast them all the way before they make the way to the bottom of the screen to win.
Well, you never actually win. Every time you clear out all the rows of aliens, another whole field appears. The newer aliens are always faster and more threatening, firing their own missiles straight down at you. At the beginning, you have four bases to hides behind, but eventually the bases become destroyed by the rocket fire.
There is also a red space ship that is accompanied by a siren sound effect. It crosses the screen once firing randomly. If you kill, it you get a random number of points. Sometimes it is just worth thirty points, other times it is worth 300.
If you can manage to clear ten thousand points your first time out, you are not bad. But one look at the high scores on the Internet should make you humble. There are those who have scored over ten million points. By my estimates, these people would have had to play Space Invaders continuously for four days without a mistake. Now that kind of concentration is worthy of Tiger Woods! Yet for the rest of us, ten minutes makes a great game. Try it out!
Not sure if you remember Space Invaders? Let me jog your memory. You have a small space ship at the bottom of the screen. A relentless crowd of aliens slowly matches toward you. Blast them all the way before they make the way to the bottom of the screen to win.
Well, you never actually win. Every time you clear out all the rows of aliens, another whole field appears. The newer aliens are always faster and more threatening, firing their own missiles straight down at you. At the beginning, you have four bases to hides behind, but eventually the bases become destroyed by the rocket fire.
There is also a red space ship that is accompanied by a siren sound effect. It crosses the screen once firing randomly. If you kill, it you get a random number of points. Sometimes it is just worth thirty points, other times it is worth 300.
If you can manage to clear ten thousand points your first time out, you are not bad. But one look at the high scores on the Internet should make you humble. There are those who have scored over ten million points. By my estimates, these people would have had to play Space Invaders continuously for four days without a mistake. Now that kind of concentration is worthy of Tiger Woods! Yet for the rest of us, ten minutes makes a great game. Try it out!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Asteroids
In many ways, Asteroids is the classic video game. Long before the graphic rich environment of flash and java games were developed, this simple black and white, monoline plot game captivated a nation. Millions of people plunked down twenty-five cents to try and blast away at oblong, ameba like images that we were told to believe were killer asteroids. Our "star ship" was nothing more than a line drawing of the letter "A." The weapon? A space bar produced period.
Yet now that the game is available as a free mobile game, it is making a comeback. More and more people are reliving their youth by playing on their phone or PDA while waiting for a bus, a dentist appointment, or a boardroom meeting.
Yet Asteroids is not just for those over forty. Even twenty-something -- who have grown up in an age where you need three days to learn how to play the latest twenty gigabyte games -- are turning to Asteroids. Maybe it's the simplicity they crave. The game can be learned within ten seconds. Make that five. Yet it is challenging and addictive. I am waiting to finish this review so that I can give it one more shot.
Don't ever count a game out because of its age. Games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Star Gazer have a lot to offer. Think about it, if millions of people spent countless hours playing this game when it cost money, isn't a few rounds with a free mobile version worth your time? What they would have given in the seventies to carry a version of Asteroids with them on a cell phone. Now that to me speaks of the progress that gaming has made. Keep your Unreal Tournament, I will stick with the intergalactic battle of Asteroids!
Yet now that the game is available as a free mobile game, it is making a comeback. More and more people are reliving their youth by playing on their phone or PDA while waiting for a bus, a dentist appointment, or a boardroom meeting.
Yet Asteroids is not just for those over forty. Even twenty-something -- who have grown up in an age where you need three days to learn how to play the latest twenty gigabyte games -- are turning to Asteroids. Maybe it's the simplicity they crave. The game can be learned within ten seconds. Make that five. Yet it is challenging and addictive. I am waiting to finish this review so that I can give it one more shot.
Don't ever count a game out because of its age. Games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Star Gazer have a lot to offer. Think about it, if millions of people spent countless hours playing this game when it cost money, isn't a few rounds with a free mobile version worth your time? What they would have given in the seventies to carry a version of Asteroids with them on a cell phone. Now that to me speaks of the progress that gaming has made. Keep your Unreal Tournament, I will stick with the intergalactic battle of Asteroids!
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