Temple Run 2

If you've been curious on what I've been playing (or doing for the majority of spare time) then this is it:

Yeah, I know: it's a basic game but it hits me in all the right places and I just can't stop playing it. The first Temple Run absorbed quite a bit of my time so it's only fitting that the sequel would do the same.

Number two is nearly identical to the first, but improved in every aspect: power ups, graphics, sound and course itself, which is drastically improved. The atmosphere - if this game can even hold one - is much improved. The major downside was performance, which I'm blaming on my now archaic iPhone 4. They released an update for the game earlier this week and performance is markedly increased. Random crashes have just about disappeared completely, although the game still lags every so often. This causes about 30% of my deaths: the game will either stop receiving input for a second (literally, a second) and I fly off an edge, or the game jumps ahead a few frames, and I don't have enough time to respond to an obstacle. In these cases, if I'm far enough along, I'll use a gem to continue the game. For the most part I just start again.

The above image has an impressive score - my highest to date - and I used a few gems to keep the game running. Typically I will continue four times before it becomes too expensive to do so.

Where does 27,713,170 points put somebody on the scoreboard: 30,260. Which apparently as of last night, was in the top 5% of all players (roughly 27 million). I feel good about this, but when I look at the top of the leader board there are impossibly high scores on there. I assume hacking/cheating, but I'm still happy with the top 5% anyway. Another interesting stat it keeps is your high score without using a "Save Me" (re: a continue). My top score puts me at 9,329 out of 10 million users with a score of 8,583,692 - top 5% again. All this, with a few power ups (including double coins, which definitely helps). And that seems to be the aim right now: to maximize all power ups. Once I do, it could be game over as I'll have nothing left to run for, or perhaps another game will come along that will just click.

Jetpack Joyride

There was a bit of a disaster earlier when Jetpack Joyride on my iPhone crashed. This happens from time to time, and usually I just relaunch the title. This time, when I did that, I noticed some weird things: I received a few achievements (from Game Center) and my level was reset to zero. My missions had changed, so I jumped into the game and played as normal. When I perished at around 1,800m the game was excited to tell me that was my personal best. In fact, my personal best is around 4,800m, but the game seems to have forgotten this. All my achievements and level progress was lost, but none of my purchased items were.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the game. It's an "infinite runner" style of game where the world is being automatically created as you go, and could theoretically last forever. The farther along you go, the harder it becomes, and death is inevitable. You play the character of Barry, who steals a jetpack from a lab and proceeds to make his escape - the actual joyride itself. But escape is impossible in this infinite world, as you bob up and down avoiding missiles, lasers and 'zappers' all the while scaring scientists and taking control of various vehicles. Tilt your iPhone into landscape, and the world zooms by horizontally: there is only one "button" which activates your jetpack. Let go of the screen and you begin descending, tap or hold the screen anywhere and you go back up. Perhaps a video will give you a better idea of the gameplay (not my video).

In your joyride, you collect coins, and use these coins to buy various items. You can get different types of jetpacks (they all handle the same though) and upgrade the different vehicles. You can buy costume changes, and different utilities to help you in your journey and to add to your final distance. All in all it's incredibly addictive. You're given three missions at a time to accomplish, which could include things such as flying past so many blinking lights in one go, collecting a number of coins, high-fiving scientists or more cumulative things, like getting so much distance in a vehicle, or even dying within a certain distance. Games are quick, and when you die, you can throw yourself right back into the mix. It's a time waster, for sure, a distraction from whatever is going on.

Initially, I played the game all the way through twice. That is to say, I hit the maximum level and ran out of missions, so the game lets you start over while giving you a badge whenever you do so. I lost all my badges. I put the game away for a while, but in the past few weeks I got into it again and must have double my hours, at the very least. The terrifying thing is that I put in ten hours of gameplay before my "second run" with the title. I figure at the time of the crash, I invested twenty hours easily, which again, is absolutely terrifying. This is all done in four or five minute chunks of time over the course of a few months. This is indeed a form of gaming that is taking over people's lives without them even knowing, and in some cases can be quite a financial burden. There are not many opportunities to spend real money in this game: I bought the utility that doubles my coins collected every run for 99 cents. The game itself was 99 cents and for a combined investment of less than two dollars, I would say 20 hours of gameplay makes this quite the bargain. A scary, addictive bargain.

The Fall of Tiny Tower

As you may recall, I was hardcore into Tiny Tower. One of the aspects of the game is shutting your bitizens up the tower to their requested floor; the more floors you have the longer this could take, as the elevator only moves so fast. So, you can upgrade your elevator by using tower bux. You can spend real money to buy bux, or you can earn them throughout the game: by delivering people and getting tips, fully stocking floors and fulfilling people's dream jobs.

I upgraded my elevators to a point where the next was the infini-lift, which was crazy fast, but also crazy expensive at 499 tower bux. It would take a long time to accumulate that many, but it was a goal I wanted to head towards.

Over the weeks I would take many opportunities to "play" the game. When I'm visiting my parents, when I'm watching television or movies, etc. Two weekends ago I hit 400. And I decided to go for it. I started around nine with a movie, and continued playing continuously until I hit 499, then I bought the elevator. By this time it was nearly one in the morning, and I was exhausted. The elevator was just as fast as promised, and suprisingly controllable.

The next day I had no urge to play the game: you see, there are no faster elevators. I have no urge to save up and accumulate tower bux, as the only thing I can really do with them is move floors around and buyout product to make quick cash. I don't want to find people anymore, as it's time consuming and a waste of time now. So my playing of the game has slowed considerably, and I just think to myself how thankful I am that I didn't invest any real money in the title - although it wouldn't be such a terrible thing as I spent so much time in the game.

Also of note is that I discovered there is a limit to your tower: around 130 floors. I guess they can add more floors with updates - more businesses. Will I reach it? There is no doubt, over time that I will, but my gusto to do this has fallen considerably. With no clear goal, and the time required to build floors, it's just not happening. It was fun while it lasted!