An RTS game redefined for the iPhone

For those of you who have not tried the original Galcon, what are you waiting for? If you don’t have the right gear, find yourself one of the many iphone deals out there, pick one up, and then download and start playing Galcon. It’s basically a simplified real time strategy game for the iPhone. As I have mentioned before, simplified yes, but rich with strategy and technique, and that will most definitely be even more true with the newest incarnation.

A tutorial for newbies

Galcon Labs has a Tutorial in the original game play mode against the AI. This is a great way to learn how to play Galcon in under 45 seconds.

Four new game modes

Billiards – not much different than regular Galcon except the planets move! I don’t know how many of you have accidentally hit the wrong planet during an otherwise perfect attack on your enemy, but that scenario just became a lot more likely to happen more often. This should really shake things up.

Stealth – so far I think this is my favourite mode. In stealth your ships disappear almost instantly as you leave your planet. For the hardcore Galcon players out there, you know that you can change the course of a moving fleet. This will allow you to keep a whole fleet moving around without anyone else seeing it. Just as you think you have won you realize that you forgot the other player had a massive stealthed fleet around you.

Crash – this mode has potential, but I personally think it needs tweaking. In crash you can engage in battle with other ships while en route to your destination. At first I thought this would mean other fleets of ships would be touchable / attackable objects like planets. This is not the case though, instead you will end up taking out your enemies ships if they cross paths, but you cannot plot a path directly towards your enemies ships, only near by planets. With time maybe I’ll get used to it and use the planets near by to my advantage.

Assassin – another great mode where each player has a target. The goal is to destroy your target first. This changes the whole dynamic as being the most powerful or accumulating the most planets is no longer as relevant.

What else is new?

Of course Galcon wouldn’t be the awesomeness that it is without multi-player, and this is all real-time. If you liked the first one, then no doubt you will like the second, and best of all it’s only 99¢.

I don’t think Galcon will ever be known for it’s sound effects or music, but it does have new music in this version and I think it’s better than the last. I usually play this game in public places, so the music is off, but every now and then it’s nice to hear the arcade type sound effects.

There are also all new back drops and the game just looks great. Check out the sceenshots below for yourself and Phil’s YouTube video.

Get it in the iTunes store now, or visit the Galcon Labs website for more information.

Need more screenshots? Visit the Galcon Labs asset library.

Perfectly adapted to the touch screen

In Flight Control you are an air traffic controller. You are charged with one task; land everything on the screen without crashing. The game is probably one of the most simplistic yet challenging games I’ve played on my iPhone.

There are different types of aircraft that you must land by drawing paths on the screen with your finger to the appropriate landing spots. Small planes land on the small runway. Medium and large sized planes land on the large runway. Helicopters land on the helipad. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well, it is, for the first 60 seconds. Remember that helicopters fly insanely slow while larger craft fly faster depending on their size. This makes for total chaos once you have more than 10 craft on the screen at once.

The game comes with a stats screen which is nice since this game is really always about beating your previous highest stats. It also keeps a tally of your total aircraft landed. I’ve put in a few hours of my work commute into this title including a bit of time on my couch. We need to see more games like this for the iPhone and iPod touch platform. Games that are designed with the touch screen in mind.

• Touch Arcade review and video
• Flight control App Store Download

Audience is asking about how different SimCity for iPhone than SimCity for PC. It’s the same!!!

I am a huge SimCity fan and was pretty excited when I saw the screenshots. The only SimCity that I’ve ever been really disappointed with was the Nintendo DS Lite version. I really hope this iPhone / iPod version can hold up to the PC versions. It’s also amazing to think that at one time a game like this could make the average PC chug and now it can run on a device as small as an iPhone. Suffice to say, I am seriously stoked about this release. The iPhone / iPod Touch is becoming a real contender in the hand held gaming arena.

Update December 16th: The official SimCity iPhone / iPod touch website has been launched tonight on EA Mobile. Still no sign of the game yet, but it should be any day now.

Update December 17th: You can now download SimCity for 10 dollars on iTunes. My first impressions are pretty good so far.

Galcon is probably one of the most simple games you can play on the iPhone. It’s basically a real time strategy, or better known to the gaming world as an RTS. Unlike traditional RTS games, this one is extremely simple, but rich with strategy and technique. This game has so much going for it. The games are super short, something that’s good for a phone based game. You can easily get off a few rounds while waiting for your streetcar or bus, especially if you live in Toronto. The best part is this game is multi-player even over 3G, and I think that’s what really makes it shine. You will probably tire of the AI quickly, it’s not very bright and every round feels the same, but even the AI in some of the greatest RTS games like StarCraft can be pretty flaky at times. Nothing beats real people, at least not yet, maybe someday.

So how do you play?

Basically the game has 2 to 4 game slots, but I really recommend having 3 or more players. The game does not always start off perfectly balanced for each player, which is actually pretty cool when there is more than 2 players, but when there are only two in the game, the victory will usually go to whoever has the most favourable starting position.

Galcon is a space RTS and the only goal is to claim as many planets as possible and annihilate your opponents, every last stinking one of them. When you start each player will have one large planet with 100 military units. Every unit is the same. You will be surrounded by different sized planets that are neutral each with a number on them. This number is the amount of neutral units you will have to conquer before you can lay claim to that planet. Obviously the first planets people go for are the ones with the lowest numbers and closest to them, but wait, there’s one caveat and that’s the planets size.

Size matters

The larger your planet, the faster your units will replenish. Tiny planets replenish very slowly, while large ones replenish very fast. The player needs to weight the size vs the amount of units they must conquer. A tiny planet with 1 to 5 units is worth taking over, while a tiny planet with 45 or more units might not as it would take several minutes to replenish those forces. Yes, minutes matter in this game. It’s all about tactics and speed of execution.

Describing the games crack like addiction is hard, but every game is unique. Just when you think you have the upper hand another player will begin to attack you while you attack your initial foe. It can be infuriating at times when another play does something that seems to not be in either of your best interests. Usually if one player becomes very powerful the other players sit tight and see what happens next. Attacking each other when one player is dominating is suicide, but you must also know when you take that big guy down these temporary unspoken alliances with weaker players will quickly break down once the main threat is gone.

This is the main player screen. You can start a round with two or more players, but I really recommend at least 3.

This is a typical starting match. My player is red. Although you can’t see the other players military units, they have a 102 just like me at this point. Once they start attacking other planets it can be hard to keep track of how powerful they are. The 50% at the bottom right corner is your attack percentage. It can be changed from 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. This is the percentage of units that will be deployed from a planet.

In this early stage of battle above white is already attacking blue. While you are playing you can double tap your planets to select all of them, and then single tap planets to deselect some.

The online play is what makes this a killer iPhone game, but there are also several other variations of game play against the AI. Oh did I mention there is also an online ranking system? I really hope the developer keeps updating this great app, and right now it’s only five dollars. If you are a gamer and looking for that killer iPhone game then look no further, I can’t recommend Galcon enough. If you don’t have an iPhone, there are also PC, Mac, and Linux version of this game. If I haven’t convinced you, try the demo.

iTunes App Store links

Full version
Demo version

The place is called “The Church of the Silver Ball” and if you live in the Toronto area it’s located in a desolate Missassauga industrial complex. Every month or so there is a tournament; you can also rent the place. It’s crammed full of Pinball tables and all kinds of other memorabilia from old Coke bottles to posters decorating every inch of the place. The machines range from very old to modern. Some of the older ones were a blast to play since they were a bit before my time. It’s amazing to hear your score go up with a tick tick tick sound as the flip numbers chug away.

Eventually the tournament started and that’s where it all went down hill. My friend and I had not played “real pinball” in years. Video game pinball is not a substitute for real pinball no matter how much fun you’re having. Suffice it to say, we were destroyed. For anyone who thinks that pinball is luck, think again. We would have our ball in play for 30 seconds to a minute while our competitors would have theirs in play for 5 minutes or more. Yes there are those annoying instant gutter balls, but some people have serious mad pinball skills. Maybe I’ll fair better at the next tournament. If you are in the Toronto area and like pinball, you should really check out The Church of the Silver Ball. They also sell and repair tables.

Beautiful art direction

Maybe it’s just my taste in art, but I think the art direction in this game is stunning, it’s very Tim Burton, only very vivid at times. Every level has a life of it’s own, and as I played I found myself wanting to see the next level and waiting with anticipation. The screenshots that follow are beautiful, but keep in mind these are static shots, in the game everything is animated and moving which makes the experience even more rich. 

The screenshot above is actually in game. Basically World of Goo is a puzzle game, but it’s like no puzzle game I have ever played before. The only games that I could sort of compare it too would be Lemmings or Enigmo, but make no mistake, World of Goo is about as original as you get.

World of Goo is a physics based puzzle / construction game. The millions of Goo Balls who live in the beautiful World of Goo don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious.

Addicted from the start

This game is extremely addictive and the demo comes with the entire first chapter of the game, which is quite a few levels. By the time you are done you should be itching for more, which is fine because there is a lot more to come if you buy the game. As I mentioned already the other great news is that this is a DRM free game. There is no serial or any kind of piracy protection on it, so do the developers a favour and buy the game if you do like it. Once you do it’s yours to install and play when ever and where ever you want. 

It’s raining Goo

Each level is set in a vibrant original World of Goo. There are different types of Goo and the way it reacts to the environment around will vary depending on the type and various other factors. My big question is where is an iPod Touch / iPhone version of this game. The whole concept screams for a touch based interface, but you will have no problems with a mouse either. 

Balloon Goo will help you hold up your bridge of Goo supports, but be careful of those spikes up top. 

Sometimes you have to build your Goo towers quit tall and it will begin to sway back and forth. If it sways too much the entire tower can come crashing down. 

Sign posts are in every level and they will either give witty humour or cryptic tips that will help you get through the level.

This is what the level selection screen looks like. You can go back to any level you have already completed to try and beat your records, which include time you took, number of moves and Goo balls collected. As you collect Goo in each level you get more and more Goo balls on the main screen of the game where you can do anything you want. The more of the game you play, the more Goo you have to play with in this sandbox mode. You can also see how tall other players have built their towers here.

Wind is also another element along with those wind mills which will actually destroy your Goo balls if they come in contact with them.

Scroll down to see the rest of the screenshots, or stop if you don’t want too many spoilers. These screenshots consist of chapter one and two. You can find out more about the game at 2D Boy where you can also download the demo of the first chapter. This is one of the most creative games I’ve played in years. 

So how good is this game? Well, it’s pretty fun for a few rounds, but you will quickly find the AI is bad, and I mean real bad. Enemy AI will do idiotic things like destroy their entire army against the next biggest army leaving you to dominate the board. There are even times when the AI could easily take out an opponent and score their cards but does not for some reason. After playing a few times I find it hard to lose now, which is disappointing. There are also no game options that I could find and only the classic map is included.

The great news is the developers over at Sillysoft have plans for a more full featured version called Lux DLX which will have Harder computer AI, more settings and options and lots of maps, all features it desperately needs. The only down side is that the updated version will not be free, but it’s a game I’m sure I will fork out a few bucks for once it’s ready, for now I suggest trying out the free version, it’s still quite fun.

Tonight I played Space Monkey for the first time for about 30 minutes and I must say this is a really fun iPhone game. It’s a unique take on the puzzle genre and the graphics are good, the sound is great, and right now the price can’t be beat, it’s free for a limited time. Get Space Monkey right now while you can and check out the screenshots below (Spoiler, I show one of the bosses).

Today I caved and bought Spore for my iPhone. I almost didn’t want to, given the outrage over the PC version of Spore and it’s draconian DRM protection, it’s just unacceptable and that’s no way to treat your paying customers. Again the legitimate users lose and the pirates get a DRM free version. Anyway, back to Spore for the iPhone.

So far I probably haven’t clocked over an hour of gameplay, but I did manage to take some screenshots. So far I really like it and it really is nice eye candy for your phone or touch. The game uses the iPhone/iTouch accelerometer for gameplay, and touch for editing your creature. To move, you basically tilt the device in four directions and try to eat anything smaller than you and avoid life forms larger than you. In the creation mode you squish and mold your creature along with sticking on appendages as you evolve.

This is the creation screen, you can squish and squeeze your little creature or you can just click the dice for a random one. When you touch your creature he/she will make funny little noises. 

This was hard to get a screenshot of since you have to be touching your creature and taking the shot at the same time. When you touch it you can see the vertebrae inside, a nice touch. 

As you progress new appendages will be unlocked. Here I have added two big spikes, you can add these anywhere on your creature. 

These guys will expode when you spike them, the explosion can hurt you, but if you swim away sometimes edible baby creatures smaller than you will be released when the bigger creature explodes. 

Above you can see a purple creature with it’s one big eye closed. This is an enemy. 

Quick run away, these are the guys you don’t want eating you.

This is zigging when you should have zagged. It happened quite a lot after passing the first couple of levels. 

The graphics throughout the game are pretty incredible, especially when seen them on the iPhone/iTouch screen. The animation is fantastic and the still shots really do lose some of the beauty that is Spore. The colours are also very vivid.

Even the loading screens look great. 

Final verdict

Having only played the iPhone version of Spore for an hour I may not be the best judge, but for ten dollars you can’t really can’t go wrong. It’s a bright colourful game, and it’s bound to give you at least a few hours of fun at the very least. I think it’s worth it on art direction alone, it’s very cool to see these little creatures swimming around on your iPhone.

Well, someone has finally taken the first step. A few days ago the Eee Stick was officially announced by Asus. These are Wii like controllers that you can hold in your hand and use as pointing devices. They are being marketed as gaming devices and Asus is hoping games will be designed with them in mind. I don’t know if they will satisfy my need for a wireless mouse pointing device, but one would hope that they should work at least as well as a the Wii remote does.

Eee Stick

There is no mainstream Wii type technology that i know of that that you can easily pick up at your local computer store and just plug in and go. Many have played with Wii remote hacks to get their remotes working on PCs, GlovePIE is one method some people are using to get their Wiimotes working on computers. The Wiimote Project is also an online community where people discuss Wiimote modding.

Wii Nunchuk

There are some gyroscopic mice and other alternatives out there, but they can be hard to come buy. The Gyration Air Mouse is one such mouse, but at the time of writing and every time I have ever checked their site, it always reports that the stand alone mouse is sold out.

Gyration Air Mouse

There are other companies working on wireless pointing devices, and I’m sure Asus won’t be the last to release one. I think the next few years will be very interesting as far as input devices go. There’s a lot of really interesting technology just around the corner and we are only just starting to see some of the really cool stuff like wireless pointing devices and multi-touch user interfaces. It will be really interesting to see how we interact with our computers in twenty years.