61 Frames Per Second : newtonica

iPod Games, You're Doing It Wrong

Derrick Sanskrit — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Like it or not, the iPod/iPhone has become a gaming platform. There are tons of statistics out there and I'm not going to bore you with them, but the fact is a lot of people are making games for the iPod and a lot of people are downloading and playing them. This post is not about educating the blog-reading public so much as a friendly word of advice to the game developers out there.

iPod game developers, remember what your platform is. No matter how Apple dresses it up or the media hypes it, the iPod is first and foremost a portable music player. The iPhone is just an iPod that also happens to make phone calls. So please, when you want us to play your games on our personal music players, do take care when shutting off our music.

Just using the examples that are currently on my iPod Touch, the biggest offender is probably Scramble Live, Zynga's Boggle clone. There is no music in the game and very minimal sound effects, so why does clicking the icon automatically shut off my music? Are you worried that listening to Nas will distract me from finding words, and if so isn't that really more of my concern than yours? Scramble is clearly designed for short bursts of casual play, so every time I play a round on the train I have my music interrupted, then end the game and go back to start my music all over again. Not cool. The same goes for THQ's de Blob. The game does thankfully use the same wonderful music as the infinitely better Wii game (sans player interaction) but it asks you upon loading the game if you want sounds enabled AFTER it has already stopped the music. Why offer sound options after turning off the preexisting sounds? Just set sounds to "on" and I'll mute my iPod if I don't like them. Or better yet, let me paint the town red to the Replacements!

Some games get away with it because the music is so integral to the gameplay, as you'd think it should be on an iPod game. Newtonica, for example, has an incredibly simple gameplay mechanic in merely flicking a sphere around to catch crystals in the correctly colored quadrants, but without the bright and lively electronic soundtrack it would be dreary and impossible to play for more than ten seconds. Radio Flare plays like a 2D side scrolling Rez by targeting up to four obstacles or enemies at a time and blowing them all up in beat with the music. Neither game has a soundtrack I'd listen to on its own, nor particularly interesting gameplay, but the play and the audio element work perfectly together to make them compelling. Both games force my iPod to stop playing music, but they would be impossible to play set to any other music, so it's okay.

And then there are the games that simply get it right. The critically acclaimed RolandoEdge, a game that I've pretty much raved about on here before, is exactly the same story. Great original soundtrack, but no problem replacing it with your own mp3s. Aurora Feint, Sway, Adventure, all great games, fun for long stretches and short bursts alike, with wonderful sound effects and the ability to keep playing your own music while you play the game. has a fantastic original soundtrack, but it's more than happy to let you listen to your own tunes instead.

With OS 3.0 coming this summer - promising access to the iPod's media library within other apps - we can look forward to greater interaction between games and the user's existing music and photos (and hopefully a legit portable version of AudioSurf), so I ask you, iPod game developers, please, think twice before shutting off my tunes. If you have to interrupt Super Furry Animals, at least make the audio component an important part of the game.

Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 2

Derrick Sanskrit — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Missed part 1? Click here!

9 - Space Invaders Extreme (DS/PSP):
One of the most iconic arcade games of all time crossed its 30th anniversary this year, and to celebrate they reinvented the whole damn thing. We've seen this before, but Space Invaders Extreme was different. How? It was flippin' awesome this time. Bright colors and flashing lights, sound effects that sync with the club-ready music, new power-ups and new aggressive enemies, Space Invaders Extreme turned the arcade classic into an underground rave of interplanetary destruction. And, as I already said, its flippin' awesome. I prefer the DS version, but both are great, and for the bargain price of $19.99 there's really no reason not to pick up this addictive portable reimagining.

8 - newtonica (iPhone/iPod Touch):
Kenichi Nishi's debut game for Apple's "gaming device" multi-touch widescreen iPod is sheer casual bliss. There is a ball and you can spin it with a flick of your finger. Cubes fall toward the ball and you get points by lining up the ball so the blocks fall in the appropriately colored areas. Don't strain your brain too hard, there's only two colors. The first ten minutes of play are stress-free and easy, but soon enough the speed and frequency of falling blocks increases to the point of insanity and the slow relaxing game has turned vicious and intense. Charming. Addictive. Very easy to lose track of time and surroundings when played. Oh, and a soundtrack by Kenji Eno. That's an awesome game.

7 - Professor Layton & The Curious Village (DS):
Level 5's logic-puzzle festival was a truly unique gaming experience. It marked the first time ever that both my little sister and I completed the same game from start to finish within a week. This is not to say that the game is short, rather that the game is engrossing for players of all ages and paths. Solve one quaint puzzle after another, every now and then coming across one that truly adjusts the way you're thinking and fills you with a sense of wonder and excitement upon completion and eager to find the next puzzle. Couple that with a surprisingly deep narrative and absolutely gorgeous animated cutscenes and you have one of the shining gems of an already very impressive DS library. Now what's it gonna take to release the two sequels outside of Japan?

6 - Boom Blox (Wii):
Who would have thought that the debut game from Stephen Spielberg's development deal with Electronic Arts would turn out to be my go-to party game? Got a bunch of friends over? Pop Boom Blox in your Wii and fire up a few Wiimotes. Gamers and nongamers alike will pick up the controls in a matter of minutes and everyone in the room becomes captivated, watching blox fall and explode and crazy little critters jump and shout. Arms will be made sore and remotes will be passed to other people who were watching but not playing and the whole thing keeps going until everyone is worn out and needs a nap. This is what happened on my birthday, this is what happened at a friend's housewarming, this is what happened at Thanksgiving, and this is probably what will happen again at Christmas. Boom Blox, while fun enough as a single player game, is THE killer multi-player title for the Wii.

Part 1
Part 3

Related Articles:
Bob's Top Ten Games of 2008: Audiosurf, Braid
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008
Action Button's Top 25 Games Ever

Kenichi Nishi and Kenji Eno’s Newtonica Brings iPhone Gaming Into the Realm of Awesome

John Constantine — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

I have been, in general, pretty resistant to the iPhone mania that’s overtaken many hundreds of thousands of folks. They’re attractive little devices but, well, them things are expensive. Plus, it remains to be seen whether or not it will come into its own as a gaming platform. The version of Spore Maxis has cooked up looks like a neat diversion but not many other games seem particularly interesting. For example, a friend of mine downloaded Super Monkey Ball and told me that when the game wasn’t crashing his iPhone, it was a chore to actually control anything. Newtonica, a new game from the ever fertile mind of Kenichi Nishi, now has me chomping at the bit to actually hand over some cashey money to Steve Jobs. Why? For starters, Nishi was the field designer on Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger, the founder of Love-De-Lic, and the designer of Skip’s Chibi-Robo. That’s what you call a pedigree right there. Also? Newtonica’s soundtrack is by Kenji Eno. As I recently discovered, Kenji Eno rules. Looks like the actually gameplay, not dissimilar to the Bit Generations title Orbital which Nishi also had a hand in, will be a hoot too.

Core Gamers has an interview with Nishi that’s worth a read so go check it out already.

As always, much love to Eegra’s Patrick Alexander who alerted me to Newtonica’s awesome existence. That said, damn you for making me want an iPhone, Patrick.

Related links:

Kenji Eno is A Mule of Epic Proportions
Trailer Review - Captain Rainbow
Alternate Soundtrack: Orbital vs. The Notwist
Many Colors in the Hardcore Rainbow
WiiWare: Nintendo, Babe, It Just Isn’t Working Out