A couple of days ago I finally succumbed to the allure of the iPhone 3G and took one home with me. Since I’d had an iPod Touch for a few months, I was already familiar with the Apple Applications Store, but I honestly hadn’t spent a lot of time (or money) downloading games. This has since changed. I’ve been trying out a few different games and I’ll probably mention them here from now on.

Today I want to talk about Topple.

Topple is a highly addictive, hella fun game developed by ngmoco. The game is sort of like Tetris in reverse. The purpose of the game is to stack randomly and oddly shaped blocks on top of each other and reach the goal line at the top before your tower crumbles. It’s truly fun times and an awesome way to kill time while waiting around.

The following video gives you a really good look at the game in action:

If this looks like something you might enjoy, you can currently get the game for FREE at the iTunes Store. However, this is a limited time offer and will eventually be going back to its regular price of $0.99 (which I think is well worth it).

So, so very true. I just ignored my fancy pants FPS titles for an hour and a half of frantic pizza-making action at Papa’s Pizzeria. You just. Can’t. Stop.

Sometimes focusing on something entirely inane and unimportant in the grand scheme of things can take the edge off of an otherwise nasty day. Take, for example, 5 Differences, and 6 Differences…two extremely frustrating, yet addictive browser games from a chap called Ivory.

It’s an old-school concept that goes back to kindergarten activity books, where you were told to circle the differences between two supposedly identical pictures. Same deal here, except that the art, the music, the feeeeel of these games is so phenomenal that it puts them into a league of their own. They’re…well, they’re pretty. It takes a lot of skill to take so simple a concept and apply it into a game that simultaneously makes you want to bash your head into the wall and marvel endlessly.

Check them out!

Just in case you’re not addicted enough to your computer, I thought I would pass along dangerous combo of two of the most soul-swallowing creatures out there: Flickr + Sudoku.

This handy dandy procrastination site allows you to search for any picture tags you like, meaning that you can play mix and match with any subsection of the Flickr universe you’d like. Like video games. Or cheese. Whatever floats your boat. You can register and save your game, making for quick escapes from snoopy bosses.

Just don’t expect to interact with your friends and family for a very long time…it’s near impossible to stop playing.

Written by experienced game designer Pascal Luban, there’s a very interesting article over at Gamasutra called “The Megatrends of Game Design”. The purpose of this series of articles isn’t speculation or hypothesis, but rather a look at some of the strongest trends in game design that are currently manifest in the industry. P art I has been published, and details three Megatrends, their driving forces, and their effect on the market. I highly recommend that you read the full article, which is insightful, interesting and very clearly written. But, for a quick snapshot:

1. Megatrend I - The necessity of increasing the commerial life span of games. Why? Devs need to recoup escalating development costs. How? Multiplayer gaming, downloadable content, merchandising, and online distribution are all methods used by companies to stretch the buzz of a game’s release and do better than break even.
2. Megatrend II - The emergence of fast gaming, and games relying on micropayments. What? Casual games, mobile games, games for instant gratification and not much investment on the part of the gamer.
3. Megatrend III - Increasingly believable universes. A direct cause of the “why” in megatrend 1, in my opinion. Luban outlines the development of outdoor environments, real-time impact of atmospheric effects, automatic integration of character animation with the environment and completely interactive environments as as components of this overall trend.

Via | Gamasutra

The little game that could, aka Bejeweled, was/is a phenomenon that nearly single-handedly brought office workers, non-traditional gamers, my grandmother, and most people with an internet connection, into the gaming fold. Just how many people you ask?

PopCap, the publisher, just announced that sales of Bejeweled has just crossed the 25 million mark across all platforms (online, mobile, etc, etc) since it was released in the year 2000. Yeah, 25 million, that’s a lot….but guess how many hours have been spent playing it…6 billion. That, says their press release, is the equivalent of 60 people playing the game 24/7 since “the last Ice Age 11,400 years ago.” Not bad for what began as a little browser game to kill some time. It wasn’t always so rosy however; PopCap CCO Jason Kapalka remembers:

“Considering we tried to sell Bejeweled outright to more than one industry giant back in the early days of our company, and got no takers even after reducing our asking price to $60,000, this little game has done all right for itself. I vividly recall prospective buyers telling us ‘It’s not even a game,’ while showing us the door,”

I bet those prospective buyers are kicking themselves. The casual games market has exploded, with games like Bejeweled and Cooking Mama leading the field. Their quick play nature and uncomplicated interface make them ideal for busy lifestyles and novice players, but their popularity spans al levels of gaming experience.

Image courtesy of PopCap Games

As a biology major in undergrad, you can imagine my glee when I found a fantastic infectious disease game at Kongregate called Pandemic II (implying that there was a Pandemic I at some point which I missed).

Basically you get to play an infectious disease, with the goal of strategically plotting infection, transmission and death across the entire globe. Chose Virus, Bacteria, or Parasite and do your best to ensure that you take special care to get Madagascar, that pesky island nation has a habit of shutting down its shipyards and ruining your chances of global domination.

Is it wrong when you’re trying to beat your own record for wiping out the whole of humanity? Other than being insanely fun, it’s also an educational look at how disease spreads through a population and across populations over time and the factors affecting the rate, lethality, and duration of infection. Strategists out there will love it, particularly the realistic mode, but you cowboy diseases out there can still get in on the game through a relaxed mode that isn’t quite as intensive.

Two thumbs up.

It’s funny how the simplest thing, when introduced to the concept of competition, can suddenly morph into an obsessed, teeth-clenching quest for glory. Take typing for example…what do you suppose would happen if someone were to create an browser game called Typeracer (hypothetically), and that game pulled quotes out of famous books and movies for a line-up of wannabe type stars to enter as fast as their fingers allow them. You’d end up with an addictive little game that actually improves typing speed and accuracy, while allowing you to also trumpet your superiority over slower folk for all the world to see.

Obviously I’m out of practice, but you don’t have to be! Flex those typing fingers and show your keyboarding might. Your high school teacher would be so proud. Coming soon are accounts that let you track your stats and a Facebook app, so you can combine two addictions into one easy fix.

I somehow missed this when it made circles this spring but I’m trying to make up for it with a concerted effort at returning to my former 100+ wpm glory. Looks like I have a hard R-O-A-D ahead of me.

Via | Wonderland

I’m a slowpoke!

Aiza over at Gamerlite tagged me for a meme about week and a half ago that pokes around in my gaming preferences and most embarrassing moments.

1. Name and Job/s (if you want to share it) - Erin, winemaker (no really!) and not-so-closet uber-nerd.
2. You’re currently playing? - Stuck with Call of Duty 2 after switching to Mac, waiting for CoD4. Singstar, Guitar Hero, Casual Games on the road at Kongregate.
3. Favorite game genre/s - FPS, RPG, some MMO, some racing
4. Favorite game/s of all time - Medal of Honor: Allied Assault; Mario Kart; Rogue Spear; Final Fantasy VIII (I know…); Street Fighter; Mortal Kombat
5. Favorite game character/s - Chun-Li, Rayden, Duke Nukem
6. Earliest and fondest memory of gaming? - Kicking ass in Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego and Family Feud…in six colours.
7. Most hated gaming moment/s? - screaming at that bloody dog in Duck Hunt; getting demolished at SingStar by a 5 year old who didn’t even know the words to the songs.
8. Gaming gadgets/consoles you own/owned -I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate my bank account. It started with a Commodore 64…
9. If you had a “gamer’s shirt” what would the color and design be? (or if you have a favorite gamer shirt, what does it look like?) - Okay, girlie time, I want this tee from ThinkGeek but before you think I’ve gone squirrelly and pink-like, even higher on my list is the Cowbell Hero tee.
10. Gaming stuff on your wish list? - devs cluing in and doing more concurrent releases for Macs. That’s all I want for Christmas!

Anyone else that wants to take part in the meme, please feel free to post it on your own site and link back to this post at Play-Girlz to add your answers to the compilation.

Image Courtesy of Splitreason.com

b5media’s Video Games Channel is proud to welcome a couple of new blogs in the last month and I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them quickly to our happy little gaming family, and to encourage you, our awesome readers, to hop over to their sites and lend them some support.

First up, for all you Sega fans, get all of the latest news, rumours, tips and information on everything Sega at SegaNerds.com. Headed by Super Sega Fan Chris Powell and joined by editors Graham Cookson and Nathan Tsui, you can bet this trio of dedicated gamers will keep you up-to-date and raring to go.

Also new this past month was Gamerlite, covering the hip, cool, and trendy in the world of casual gaming. As an explosively growing sector of the gaming market, casual games offer a different perspective, a different gaming experience, attract a broader audience and so require the unique talents of b5media’s Aiza Bautista. She’s a busy, busy gamer, but just for you she’ll squeeze in oodles of casual gaming gems.

Enjoy these new additions and keep your eyes peeled for even more new blogs in the coming weeks.