Category: iOS

Games of the Month – July 2016

I’m over a month deep into Pokemon GO and still enjoying it quite a bit. BUT: There were actually other games that came out in July! Granted, I may not have played as many of them as usual, but when a worldwide phenomenon is going on I think I can be excused. Just this once.

1. Pokemon GO

Duh. I’m not sure what else I need to say about this one. I’ve met so many cool people just from playing it, and my friends and I go out several times a week to hunt down virtual creatures. The hype has died down a bit, but I still see people playing every single day. It’s great!

2. Monster Hunter Generations

More of the same, but that same is still real, real neat. There’s a few quality of life changes here and there, but this is mostly more of what I loved so much about last year’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. This is my favorite series to zone out and watch TV shows to, which may not seem like the best compliment…but sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for. My only gripe is that all of the towns are unlocked from the beginning rather than being unlocked through progression like in last year’s game, but it makes sense since these are all places players of the rest of the series have seen before. And also that I’m not playing right now. (UPDATE: My internet has been out for two weeks so I’ve played so, so much more of this. I think I like it better than MH4U now. Just the added variety of environments and movesets early on have spiced this one up a lot. I’m not how to rate this up against wholly fresh experiences come GOTY time, but just know that this is one to play, even if you’re a series vet.)

3. SEUM: Speedrunners From Hell

I’ll be bringing this one up a lot during Game of the Year talk, I’m sure. I wrote about the free demo last month, and this is just a more polished, much more fleshed out version of that. A fast-paced, first-person speedrunning game about quickly solving a demon obstacle course? Uhhhhhh, yes please.

Honorable Mentions:

Kentucky Route Zero: Act IV – I kind of fell off the KRZ hype train halfway through the 3rd Act. This one’s good from what I played, but still doesn’t hit the highs that I felt as I drove through Kentucky back roads in the first couple of entries. The writing is still top notch, and those entries alone made such a huge impression on me that I’ll definitely play through the series again in time.

Furi – Seems super neat at first, but restarting long-ass fights a dozen times didn’t do a lot to keep me begging for more.

SKULL CHAINZ – THIS SHIT IS RAAAAAWWWWW.

Super Stickman Golf 3 – This game is out. It exists and I wanted you to know. It’s a sequel to the best multiplayer game of all time. Bye.

August 18, 2016
Peter Panic is The WarioWare Broadway Show I Didn’t Know I Wanted

A well-written musical mixed with some straight-up WarioWare mechanics? Alright, I’m in.

I rarely check the front page on the app store because I get tired of seeing either a dozen new Angry Birds / Flappy Bird / Happy Bird or whatever people are cloning anymore flooding the screen. I usually leave that job for the heroes at TouchArcade while I wait for them to weed out the chaff. But this time I made a risky click. I downloaded a game from the App Store, sight unseen.

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March 10, 2016
Games of the Month – January 2016

It’s back! After about a year long absence, I’m glad to say HippoChippies’ Games of the Month will be continuing EVERY MONTH through 2016. Thought some time commitment issues through parts of the site off track last year, this one’s actually happening. Like, for real. I’m going to hold myself to this as a promise.

How about this first month though? Pretty good!

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February 3, 2016
Game of the Year 2015: #10 – Her Story

Her Story manages to be something wholly original and incredibly accessible all at once. No, nobody’s ever made a game quite like this, but almost anyone can pick it up and understand it within minutes…and be totally hooked.

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January 3, 2016
Game of the Year 2014: #1 – Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a game I can’t stop coming back to. I’ve put a disgusting number of hours into this silly card game in the last year. No week has gone by where I haven’t played or at least thought about Hearthstone, or more likely found myself awake at 4am begrudgingly taking down another Handlock deck. Hearthstone is a very special game to me, and it brings back a genre I never thought I’d find myself interested in again.

Most card games are hard to get into, with hours of preparation needed before you can want to play competitively. In Hearthstone, once you’ve completed the 30 minutes tutorial, you know the rules. Sure, there’s way more to learn, but you can understand the basics. It’s digital, so all of the math and keeping track of card abilities is always done for you.

Everything you need to know is easily visible and comprehensible. Where something like Yu-Gi-Oh manages health in terms of 1000s, a game of Hearthstone uses only one and two-digit numbers. Magic players build 40 and 60 card decks, while all Hearthstone players use only 30 cards. While Hearthstone may seem more limited at a glance, there are seemingly infinite possibilities that can still come from this smaller set of rules.

You can play Hearthstone with a room full of friends, online against strangers, or anything in between, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time. Cracking open new packs with friends had led to some of my favorite gaming moments of 2014, and seeing the golden glow of a legendary card is exciting even when it’s not your own. I’m always a fan of local multiplayer, and Hearthstone has been there many times when friends come to visit.

The community is great as well. As with Dark Souls, the game is so substantial that it supports multiple discussion forums and podcasts, and I’ve spent a fair share of time with them as well. The Angry Chicken and Happy Hearthstone shows have become regular listens during my daily drive, and I look forward to new episodes each week. There’s just so much to discuss, and I’m happy to engage in Hearthstone as much as I possibly can.

I’ve spent more time with Hearthstone than any game in 2014, the year before, and possibly any other game ever. I’m still constantly having great experiences with it, and I can’t stay away. There’s so much personality in every card, every menu. Every card’s voice acting is just as memorable as the outstanding soundtrack. Hearthstone colorful, full of joy, and every piece of design has a reason to exist. Blizzard has poured a lot of love into Hearthstone, and I haven’t seen a better crafted game in a long time.

Hearthstone is a thing I didn’t see coming. I haven’t been into collectible card games since middle school, and have never been a Blizzard loyal. But it’s just so damn good. Hearthstone is a master at never getting old, and even when it feels like you’ve fallen into a groove, they announce a new expansion. Just in the first year, the game has grown by over 150 cards, and there’s no way they’ll be stopping anytime soon.

Hearthstone is an astounding success, and I’m glad to have had been able to play it all year long. Here’s to another.

January 13, 2015
Bitcoin Billionaire – Terminal Tapping

If you’re vulnerable to the Cookie Clicker disease and have an hour to kill, I’m really sorry for what I’m about to do.

Bitcoin Billionaire is FizzPow Games‘ take on the “click this thing a lot really fast” genre that sprung up a couple years ago. Except now it’s an App on your phone, it lives on your home screen now, and oops it’s midnight and I’m still tapping the screen please help. (more…)

November 15, 2014