iPad Games (and Apps) Catch All

Yeah, the iPad version does look pretty attractive on the bigger screen.

There's a huge update today for Civilization Revolution, including multiplayer and a bunch of new units and buildings, many specific to cultures. BUT apparently a lot of that content is not free, and requires $3 or $4 more. Has anyone tried and can tell us whether it's worth it?

Keithustus wrote:

There's a huge update today for Civilization Revolution, including multiplayer and a bunch of new units and buildings, many specific to cultures. BUT apparently a lot of that content is not free, and requires $3 or $4 more. Has anyone tried and can tell us whether it's worth it?

I just bought the iPad version, but I can't imagine that I'll spend any more money on it (having already bought the iPhone and now iPad versions) unless a real multiplayer community forms up. I agree with Tom Chick and Owen Faraday that at least the multiplayer should have been free.

Wish List Price Drop ($9.99 -> $6.99) for the “Battle of the Bulge” App.

Once I get home I'll probably jump on that!

Torq wrote:

Wish List Price Drop ($9.99 -> $6.99) for the “Battle of the Bulge” App.

Once I get home I'll probably jump on that!

That's really a no-brainer (at least for me) after all the amazing reviews. Thanks for posting.

Natus wrote:
Torq wrote:

Wish List Price Drop ($9.99 -> $6.99) for the “Battle of the Bulge” App.

Once I get home I'll probably jump on that!

That's really a no-brainer (at least for me) after all the amazing reviews. Thanks for posting.

I really need to win the employee of the month award so I can buy myself some itune cards There are so many board/card games I want.

Battle of The Bulge looks REALLY complicated. Is it?

Mex wrote:

Battle of The Bulge looks REALLY complicated. Is it?

Nope, not at all. It's a really easy game to get into, and everything you need to know (and it's pared down to the essentials) is obvious and visible. There's an intro game, and a glance at the in-game help will answer anything you might forget or miss.

I dont think Battle of the Bulge is as great as everyone says. Im a big strategy fan and I didnt dig it and I dont think anyone who isnt a big strategy fan COULD dig it, which slices it down to a very small audience that will really enjoy it. Those folks are verbose, but the game isnt amazing, and there isnt enough there to justify the price (even the sale price). Just 2 scenarios, both extremely short. It sounds like they added a sandboxy extension for the 2nd scenario.

Also the map is hard to read. The target river for Scenario 1 seems like its all the way on the west side of the map. I pushed at it for 5-10 games before I realized it bends way East on the north quarter of the map. I declare that the scenario is insanely difficult if you don't realize that, and then insanely easy when you do. After finally beating it once I realized that, and then seeing more of the same in the 2nd scenario made me set it aside, I havent gone back.

I just got back from a 28 hour trip to Austin (not a period of time I can recommend, if you wish to actually get some sleep), and Neuroshima Hex kept me sane on the flights. (Well, that and the Kindle.) It reminds me of a stripped-down Armageddon Empires, with an excellent set of mechanics that wrings the most interactions out of a few simple elements. I'm having fun figuring out the different factions.

Great fun.

Robear wrote:

I just got back from a 28 hour trip to Austin (not a period of time I can recommend, if you wish to actually get some sleep), and Neuroshima Hex kept me sane on the flights. (Well, that and the Kindle.) It reminds me of a stripped-down Armageddon Empires, with an excellent set of mechanics that wrings the most interactions out of a few simple elements. I'm having fun figuring out the different factions.

Great fun.

Totally agree. Neuroshima Hex kept me busy for quite a while. It's definitely a fun strategy game.

PWAlessi wrote:
Robear wrote:

I just got back from a 28 hour trip to Austin (not a period of time I can recommend, if you wish to actually get some sleep), and Neuroshima Hex kept me sane on the flights. (Well, that and the Kindle.) It reminds me of a stripped-down Armageddon Empires, with an excellent set of mechanics that wrings the most interactions out of a few simple elements. I'm having fun figuring out the different factions.

Great fun.

Totally agree. Neuroshima Hex kept me busy for quite a while. It's definitely a fun strategy game.

Cragmyre and I keep threatening to play this async, but between his EGADD and my lack of motivation to get into the tutorials and actually learn how to play the damn thing, it is yet to happen.

m0nk3yboy wrote:
PWAlessi wrote:
Robear wrote:

I just got back from a 28 hour trip to Austin (not a period of time I can recommend, if you wish to actually get some sleep), and Neuroshima Hex kept me sane on the flights. (Well, that and the Kindle.) It reminds me of a stripped-down Armageddon Empires, with an excellent set of mechanics that wrings the most interactions out of a few simple elements. I'm having fun figuring out the different factions.

Great fun.

Totally agree. Neuroshima Hex kept me busy for quite a while. It's definitely a fun strategy game.

Cragmyre and I keep threatening to play this async, but between his EGADD and my lack of motivation to get into the tutorials and actually learn how to play the damn thing, it is yet to happen.

EGADD not withstanding, this is one of the few games I've actually finished with others. Granted, the alert system isn't the best ( seems to be a trend on a lot of these games ) and though it doesn't state it, there is a time out period, which seems to be random

polypusher wrote:

I dont think Battle of the Bulge is as great as everyone says. Im a big strategy fan and I didnt dig it and I dont think anyone who isnt a big strategy fan COULD dig it, which slices it down to a very small audience that will really enjoy it. Those folks are verbose, but the game isnt amazing, and there isnt enough there to justify the price (even the sale price). Just 2 scenarios, both extremely short. It sounds like they added a sandboxy extension for the 2nd scenario.

Also the map is hard to read. The target river for Scenario 1 seems like its all the way on the west side of the map. I pushed at it for 5-10 games before I realized it bends way East on the north quarter of the map. I declare that the scenario is insanely difficult if you don't realize that, and then insanely easy when you do. After finally beating it once I realized that, and then seeing more of the same in the 2nd scenario made me set it aside, I havent gone back.

Battle of the Bulge is well worth it, but it depends on what you're looking for. It's a very targeted and polished experience set on one map, with only one main scenario. The intro scenario is mostly good for getting a feel of the rules, but there isn't all that much depth there since there is only one avenue of victory for the players to concentrate on.

If you're looking for a highly competitive experience and want to carefully plan out every move, then the AI alone will probably not provide enough for you to be satisfied. I know it doesn't for me at least. I think it would be fine when approached more casually though as there are a bunch of different things to try out against it. The UI is clearly a big draw too that I think most will appreciate.

The heart of the game for those seeking a crunchy experience lies with multiplayer. I've probably gotten 15 - 20 games in at this point, and I'm still discovering interesting and dynamic things I hadn't expected. In addition, against a opponent that has a bit of experience it is extremely rare to have a campaign scenario game end in sudden death on the 19th, so you will be pretty much guaranteed a nice and long experience. I know I didn't discover that aspect at all until I dived into MP. The sudden death option plays an important role though to keep the Allied player honest.

Cragmyre wrote:

Granted, the alert system isn't the best ( seems to be a trend on a lot of these games ) and though it doesn't state it, there is a time out period, which seems to be random :)

Pretty sure we two played a match that didn't send notifications and then timed out without warning. A few more of those with other forum members and I gave up on NH async, which makes me sad.
Oh I also played a couple games with randoms who resigned because I was too slow taking my moves (apparently they thought we were playing real time). Most random games are called things like "FAST TURNS!" so that should have been a clue...

Cragmyre wrote:

EGADD not withstanding, this is one of the few games I've actually finished with others. Granted, the alert system isn't the best ( seems to be a trend on a lot of these games ) and though it doesn't state it, there is a time out period, which seems to be random :)

il dottore wrote:

Pretty sure we two played a match that didn't send notifications and then timed out without warning. A few more of those with other forum members and I gave up on NH async, which makes me sad.

What do you mean by "Time out period"?

That you automatically lose if you don't make your move within a certain period of time. In most async games it's stated how long time you have left, and/or you can decide what the period is when you set up the match. Here you get neither, you just suddenly lose without warning (and it seemed to me like it happened pretty fast, like a day or two).

il dottore wrote:

That you automatically lose if you don't make your move within a certain period of time. In most async games it's stated how long time you have left, and/or you can decide what the period is when you set up the match. Here you get neither, you just suddenly lose without warning (and it seemed to me like it happened pretty fast, like a day or two).

Interesting. I've never actually had that happen to me. I usually take my turns within 48 hours though.

I'll try to run some info down. I remember there being a boatload of games created at first, and as soon as one side started losing, they never updated, and it never counted the loss.

Real Racing 3 comes out today. Yahoo!!!!!

Real Racing 3 comes out today. Yahoo!!!!!

With $500 worth of IAP if you want everything, I hear...

Robear wrote:
Real Racing 3 comes out today. Yahoo!!!!!

With $500 worth of IAP if you want everything, I hear... :-(

Well, only if you're impatient...and want to fix your cars...and...well...yes. Even TouchArcade hacked on it for that, which is saying a lot.

Coolbeans wrote:

Real Racing 3 comes out today. Yahoo!!!!!

Beautiful game, but sluggish even on my iPad 3.

I'm really intrigued to hear GWJer views on the IAP. I've read a fair few positive reviews, but one of them said that they had been given a bunch of spacebucks free.

Another suggested buying two of the vehicle packs, which is still less than the full price of the last game, and that way you can just swap when your car needs repairs instead of having to wait.

Anyone who likes creepy games really needs to play Year Walk immediately. It's based on Swedish mythology and an old practice of taking a vision-quest like midnight walk on New Year's Eve. I won't say anything else about the plot, because it's best experienced for yourself.

It's a standalone game, but there's also a free Year Walk Companion app. This has background information about some of the things you see in the game itself. The companion is separate, but very much part of the game, and downloading both is required.

I played this last night. I had headphones on, but the lights were on, and my fiancee was on the couch next to me watching a cop show on TV. This game still freaked me right the hell out, made me jump a few times, and gave me some seriously weird dreams last night. It's really good, and I'm not quite done with it yet.

Play this.

Slitherine launching 'Legion' for the Ipad at half price this first two weeks of launch: $4.99.

Any thoughts?

I just got Mechwarrior: Tactical Command for $1 instead of $10 because of its new sale. I vaguely recall that this was a great but flawed turn-based tactics game?
link

NightSky was really amazing on PC, now it's out for iOS (and super cheap).

IMAGE(http://a1099.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/105/Purple/v4/d3/99/92/d3999273-25d4-8cd6-df00-241234b83e90/mzl.tkpokzfp.320x480-75.jpg)

Keithustus wrote:

I just got Mechwarrior: Tactical Command for $1 instead of $10 because of its new sale. I vaguely recall that this was a great but flawed turn-based tactics game?
link

So, how is Mech Warrior? The reviews on iTunes are very mixed.

Picked up Slitherines Legion and Block Fortress.

Slitherines Legion is a good port. Graphics are lo-rez and there's no multiplayer (and no plans for MP as far as I can tell). Worth $5, I don't know if it'll be worth $10 - I've only gotten through the tutorial.

Block Fortress is a lot of fun. FPS + Minecraft + Tower Defense. The controls are a little floaty (I haven't messed with options yet) so it's pretty difficult. The whole package is pretty cool. There is IAP, an experience doubler and packs of the various rare ores (used to add permenant upgrades to the turrets). You can get the rare ores as you play, so I'm not too worried about it yet.

All in all, 2 good purchases for me.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I'm looking at PWN - Combat Hacking and Galactic Conflict RTS. Still haven't decided if I want either.

PWAlessi wrote:

So, how is Mech Warrior? The reviews on iTunes are very mixed.

I'll let you know once I get a chance to try, which will be after this weekend. Apparently no one else here can give it a thumbs up/down.