iPhone review: Vector Tanks

February 25th, 2009 •
Tags: iPhone games, iphone gaming, reviews, Vector Tanks

Vector Tanks is an iPhone game that seems to appeal to the nostalgia of former Battlezone players. I have very little connection to the source material here so I look at it through a different lens than would a player of the original Battlezone. It was released about three years before my birth, and, although Wikipedia says its popularity was enduring due to the innovative nature of the graphics and perspective, it had long since been retired into gaming lore by the time I began my illustrious career as a gamer. Vector graphics were a fad that didn’t endure (although the style was revived for the Geometry Wars series).

It has a look very authentic to that of it’s inspiration. In fact, the presentation is slightly improved. It is more colorful, and the lines have sort of a glow about them which is a pretty cool effect. Explosions are cool and feel large with the entire view shaking as an enemy tank explodes.

The control scheme has been well-adapted to the platform. I can’t imagine a better way to translate the controls of the original. The extreme left and right edges of the screen control movement of the left and right tracks. The middle of the screen on each edge is neutral—no movement is taking place. Slide either side to the top and that track will move forward; slide to the bottom and that side moves backward. It’s a pretty intuitive system. I have to say that, even though authenticity is not compromised, the controls are not entirely satisfying. It seems that sometimes the tracks do not move even though my fingers are tracing up and down the sides. This two-finger movement scheme is also problematic when it comes time to fire. Firing is accomplished by tapping the middle of the screen at the aiming reticule. In order to fire while moving, you must snake an extra finger (since your thumbs are occupied) around to the screen and tap on the center. Not only is this difficult to do, but it obscures much of the screen from view while firing is taking place. I guess this control setup was the best way to please the purists, but, on its own, the controls don’t hold up to much extended play.

Be prepared to see this screen quite a lot.

There is no narrative and no progression to the game that I can find. In the style of older games (and even still with newer arcade games) you are merely presented with a simple gameplay mechanic and given an opportunity to repeat it until you run out of patience (quarters being the arcade analog). This leaves a shallow gaming experience with no “carrot-on-a-stick” to keep me coming back.

I’m certainly glad I got to try this game. It has an undeniably cool and retro look. I imagine players of the original will enjoy the ability to play an old favorite on the go. Also, unlike many retro titles, Battlezone is a well that has not been tapped very often leaving the experience feeling fresh. It’s unfortunate that the controls seem to get in the way of enjoying the game. It’s doubly unfortunate that there seems to be no reason to continue playing unless you find the play mechanics themselves particularly satisfying. Some games are perfect for adaptation to the iPhone platform. Others like Vector Tanks are best left elsewhere.

Review: Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook

January 27th, 2009 •
Tags: Aspire One, Computers, Dell, Dell Inspiron Mini 9, Linux, netbooks, reviews, Solid-state drive, Ubuntu

I purchased the entry model of the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 for my daughter for Christmas. I am not among those hanging on every morsel of netbook news out there. I’m interested in the relatively new netbook market, but I don’t really think the form factor is for me. I did think it would be a perfect gift for my daughter, though, since she has small hands and needs a smaller notebook. Also, she is very young and this is a first computer.

I can compare the Dell only to the Acer Aspire One as it is the only other netbook I have first-hand experience with. A few of these have been purchased for colleagues by my employer. A notebook of this size is very pleasing to look at and to hold. Of course, the screen resolution makes it difficult to do much with it, but this could be expected from this type of product. The product is decked out in piano black and that faux-aluminum silver plasic that seems to be all the rage among notebook manufacturers. It’s really quite ugly, but I didn’t really expect much in that regard either.

My number one issue with this netbook is the battery placement. The battery is inside the lid of the computer just behind the keyboard. I would venture a guess that Dell placed the battery this way to maintain the form of the computer. The Aspire One has a battery that hangs a little off the back of the notebook. The problem with Dell’s placement is that it leaves very little room for the keyboard which would already have been cramped by nature of the fact the computer is so small. The major compromise is that the apostrophe (‘) is moved from directly to the right of the semicolon down to the bottom of the keyboard. Should you ever forget about this foul arrangement and attempt to place an apostrophe, you will instead press the “Enter” key. I just hope you weren’t typing in any sort of field that takes the “Enter” key as anything but a line break. If you’re typing an IM or entering text in a single-line web form, your data is already off to the races!

Another minor issue is the trackpad. I’m unsure if this problem may be a behavior of the OS (Ubuntu Linux) or an attempt at a hardware compensation for the trackpad’s diminutive height. The mouse pointer tracks much more quickly vertically than it does horizontally. The effect is very disorienting and really takes some adjustment.

My last complaint is that the 4GB SSD is really very small. I realize I chose the most basic hardware package, but I believe this notebook should not have been made available with less than 8GB of solid state memory.

On the up side, the OS is very snappy in spite of the system’s specs. Dell has even included some custom extra software to make the netbook experience more complete. Puzzling is the install of several applications designed for playing and burning CDs… by default… on a computer with no optical drive. Hmm.

I’m not very happy with this particular netbook. For my daughter’s part, she loves it, but I really wish I had chosen a different option for her. It should be good enough to get her started in computing and maybe provide her with some learning opportunities over the next couple of years, but I unfortunately cannot recommend it.

Gaming podcasts: What to do in the aftermath of the 1Up Show

January 23rd, 2009 •
Tags: 1Up, 1Up Show, Area 5, Bytejacker, EGM, games, Gameular, Jeff Gerstmann, podcast, Rebel FM, reviews, Totally Rad Show, video podcast

It’s still hard to believe the 1Up Show is gone. Its audio got me through many commutes; its video tantalized me into buying countless games I could not afford. But no more. What the hell am I doing getting sappy about a video podcast? Instead we’ll solve this little problem by finding some excellent substitutes to fill the gaping hole in my soul.

The first show I want to mention doesn’t really replace the content provided by the 1Up Show which only covered indie titles occasionally, but chances are if you enjoyed the 1Up Show, you may also enjoy a little show called Bytejacker. Episodes are short and present a few cool indie titles in rapid succession during the show’s cornerstone segment, the aptly named Free Indie Rapid-Fire. The show offers up two episodes weekly. The first presents three indie titles and asks users to return to the site after playing all of them to vote for their favorites; the second reveals the results. The host Anthony Carboni is great and the entire show is wonderfully produced with a quality not unlike the 1Up video podcast.

The immensely popular and often hilarious Totally Rad Show doesn’t cover the number of games covered by the 1Up Show. It’s probably because they also review movies, TV shows, and comic books. It makes up for the lack of breadth with wonderful style and offers a great time. Like 1Up, the totally rad hosts (Alex Albrecht, Jeff Cannata, and Dan Trachtenberg) cover major releases along with the occasional downloadable title or iPhone game. The hosts each seem to have differing opinions about what they like in a game. So, there’s a good chance you will find one of them whose taste will align more with your own.

If you were paying attention when the Jeff Gerstmann/GameSpot controversy broke and felt the outrage many of us felt, you may be interested in some truly independent gaming journalism. Most everyone from 1Up/EGM is now part of some smaller project which makes me more confident that they will not be pressured to compromise their journalistic integrity to grease the wheels of the ad revenue machine. However, nothing gets more independent than Gameular—a YouTube-like site for game reviews. Watch reviews by other members and post your own. The reviews you see here are less likely to have been bought, but they are also likely produced by someone who is not a professional. In fact, they are most likely far from it.

Last but definitely not least, the best way to approximate the experience of enjoying an hour-long episode of the 1Up Show is by following the makers to their next projects. So far we already have two excellent projects—one audio and one video—from the same tireless individuals that brought you an hour or more of gaming goodness weekly. Rebel FM is an audio podcast devoted to video games, as you might have guessed. The guys seem to have no problem talking about games that aren’t necessarily new releases which makes this feel more authentic in a way. You and I know that the games we play aren’t always those that have hit store shelves within the past two or three weeks. The shows have run about an hour each so far and will be very satisfying to fans of 1Up’s various podcasts. The video podcast, Area 5 will be wonderfully familiar to 1Up Show fans. It is really difficult to tell it from its predecessor. Much of the old gang is here, it is funny, informative, and entertaining. The first episode is currently available at the web site. The guys are also working on some way to make the gig sustainable so there may be money involved at some point, but, to be quite honest, I would much prefer a reviewer take money from me directly rather than from the entities that create the works which they are reviewing.

I hope these options will get you through all the sleepless nights, the boring drives to work or school, the seemingly endless flights with much the same joy as the gaming show we all loved. I think I can speak for most of the gaming community in saying we are glad to have our old show back so soon in some form—in many forms actually—although even the alternatives in this space are no slouches.