I’ve known Erick Garayblas since my “way back” days in the old MaPalad.org and Pinoy Windows Mobile forum groups. Back then, he was already rocking the mobile gaming scene with hits like Traffic Jam and the highly addicting Tower Mogul that ran on both the Palm OS and Windows Mobile, the top two “advanced” mobile platforms at that time.
Just yesterday, Erick released another home-grown game for iOS under his new development house, Kuyi Mobile. Streetfood Tycoon is a strangely addicting “Jolly Jeep” simulator where you have to fulfill orders from walk-in customers by combining ingredients in the right order. Other than the time limit given to complete each order, you have to deal with restocking your ingredients, upgrading your facilities and buying better ingredients.
Huge, huge realization about the PC gaming industry today. You see, I finally found the time to install Mass Effect 3 for the PC. Yup, you read it right. You actually need to dedicate time to installing it as if it were a chore. If the multiplayer wasn’t so epic, I would have thrown a fit.
Here’s why:
Installing Games Before:
1. Buy the retail box
2. Insert disc into PC
3. Install the game
4. Play the game
Installing Games Today:
1. Pre-order the game to get exclusive in-game bonuses
2. Buy the game (either from the retail store or via digital download)
3. Insert disc into PC (if retail copy)
4. Install Download Client (EA uses Origin) by downloading it (you NEED Internet)
5. Figure out if Origin carries over from previous EA Account
6. Retrieve old password from EA Account
7. Install the game
8. Download the patch fixes
9. Retrieve pre-order rewards via DLC
10. Purchase Day 1 DLC that DID NOT come free with the game, yet still very important because it contains a huge crux of the game’s lore
11. Download 500+ MB of data for update
12. Play the game
I mean, WTF right? I’m all for giving money to the gaming industry but I can really understand why people pirate games. It isn’t just about not being able to afford an original copy, but also about how bootleg versions don’t put you through such a tedious process.
I’ve been a loyal SMART subscriber for more than 8 long years and I’ve always seen them as the better network (which is also why I chose to work with them). This commercial finally captures their brand equity.
I wouldn’t have stuck with them for this long if their service was crap.
My geeky brain is exploding (like right now) because I can’t contain the excitement! This isn’t the first time Star Trek had a crossover series. But Dr. Who.. well that’s something else!
Last week, I met up with my staple group of high school friends who play board games semi-regularly. And one of them was really surprised to see me with an iPhone 4s when I swore by my Android-powered Galaxy S II last year (LOL!).
Well I still have my S II and would never trade it off. I feel that for PIM and multitasking, it’s hands-down Android. They have better means to help you stay productive on the cloud. Despite Apple’s iCloud, I don’t feel it as much (unless if you probably own several iDevices). But because Android is powered by Google and Google has just become so ubiquitous, you can’t go wrong.
There is ONE thing that Android doesn’t have though. And it’s a huge collection of board game ports into iOS. I’m not referring to Monopoly or Scrabble. Or Words with Friends. I’m talking about the geekier ones you can find on Board Game Geek which are so hard to come by locally. On iOS, a huge chunk of these titles are readily available for a fraction of the price. With multiplayer online support via GameCenter.
Here’s a roster of some of my growing collection above:
Hive Online – A hex based strategy game where you need to surround your opponent’s Queen Bee.It’s kinda like Chess.
Carcassone – A classic tile-based kingdom builder that has become one of the pillars of Euro-themed board games.
Ticket to Ride – Another classic. It’s fairly simple to play: each team has to build the longest railway system. You get points for completing train routes. It was free for some time.
Bang! The Bullet HD – This is one of my all-time favorite card games (featured back in 2010). One sheriff, two deputies, one renegade, and three outlaws. The twist is that the roles are hidden from all players except the identity of the sheriff. Game ends when the sheriff and his deputies kill the outlaws or vice versa. The “renegade” wild card wins if he’s the last man standing.
Kard Kombat – From Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. It’s Mortal Kombat .. with cards. Sort of.
Caylus – A popular Kingdom builder Euro-themed game, Caylus is a race to build and expand King Philip the Fair’s castle and make France strong!
Puerto Rico HD – Puerto Rico is still newly discovered and it’s your job to dominate the island. This is a popular role-playing board game that’s also kingdom-builder themed.
7 Wonders Scorer – This is a scoring app for 7 Wonders, a board game that is coming soon to iOS!
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Are any of you guys fond of board games? The experience of playing with cardboard vs digital is very different, but one thing’s for sure — the digital version beats cleaning up afterwards!
