Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 7:02AM Macgirl's been playing Monopoly non-stop the last week to bring you this review. Find out how it stacks up against the board game original. And yes, it still takes a long time to play:
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 3:19PM 
June 9th 2008 is going to be a very important date for Apple. Not only is this the start of WWDC and the unveiling of third party iPhone and iPod Touch applications, but also the day Apple (hopefully) enters the gaming industry.
I'm expecting to see at least a few games that week. EA will probably show Spore, and SEGA should have Monkey Ball, but will Apple be showing anything? Being the platform holder, shouldn't Apple now be developing some kick ass games in house? Shouldn't they be using part of their billion dollar war chest to acquire a studio for internal game development? This is exactly what Microsoft did by acquiring Bungie and Rare during the beginning days of the Xbox. Sony and Nintendo have also done the same.
First party games have always determined the success of any gaming platform. Ten million Wii Sports owners are proof of that. And while the iPhone isn't a gaming device first and foremost, if they want to be taken seriously in that market Apple is going to have to get off its butt and start making some games. At the very least it would give the Apple Works team something to do :)
Games, iPhone, iPhone SDK, iPod Permalink Monday, May 5, 2008 at 3:01AM If you've been reading the blog for awhile, you know from time to time we'll post a new review of an iPod game. Well, at long last, and after many hours of fun (but also frustrating) gameplay, we have reviewed every single currently available game for the iPod. So, no need to buy a game to find out it's a dud, or wade through the hundreds of comments on the iTunes store. No, we've got everything you need, in reviews of 60 seconds or less.
Just head to theGames Page to check out the reviews. Or, if you just have a passing interest in the games, Here's our list, grouping the games into handy categories, with links to the reviews:
Great:
Zuma - Addictive fun, controls that work great... The only game that truly feels like it was made for the iPod. Zuma shows just what can be done on a mobile gaming platform.
Good:
Peggle - Falls just short of the "great" rating, simply because it's a little too easy to win. Otherwise it shares a lot of the same gameplay qualities.
Brain Challenge - It may or may not make you smarter, but you'll enjoy your commute a little better playing it.
Scrabble - Double word score for this version of scrabble. The board is surprisingly easy to navigate.
Bubble Bash - Kinda like Peggle for those with a shorter attention span. Longer levels would make it better.
Yahtzee - Yahtzee by yourself isn't much fun anywhere, but this is about as good as it'll get. There's a pass 'n play mode to play with a friend, which is much more fun.
Cubis 2 - Take Bejeweled and make it 3-d. Sequences of colored blocks just can't catch a break in this world...
Block Breaker - Imagine Breakout with lasers. And fur coats/bling. Oh, and cheesy dialog between levels.
Phase - Guitar Hero for the road. Fun, but it might be a little abusive on the iPod buttons.
Sudoku - If you can't get enough Sudoku, here you go. But you might find the puzzles a little easier than expected.
Ok:
Ms. PAC MAN - Get it for the nostalgia, and not the gameplay. The controls are frustratingly unresponsive.
Sims Pool - Imagine playing pool on a table smaller than a postage stamp.
Mahjong - Small tiles, and not much of a challenge.
Mini Golf - The gameplay is fine, but the cutscreens, music, and transitions are dull. Again, a tiny golf ball on a tiny screen,
going into a tiny cup.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Aegir's Fire - Ripoff of an old PC game, only made duller.
Naval Battle - You sunk my battleship! Some games just aren't made for one player.
Bejeweled - Controls are less intuitive than they should be on such a well-known game.
Chess - Chess is a lot better when you can easily make out the pieces. When the pieces are behind each other, it becomes a chore in this version.
PAC MAN - See Ms. PAC MAN above...
Texas Hold 'Em - Fun, but the computer opponents just don't seem that good. Raise the pot, and watch 'em fold.
Sonic The Hedgehog - Great game, brought down by tough combo moves with the control scheme.
Bad:
Sims Bowling - Maybe the Wii has spoiled us, but this feels like you're far too removed from actually bowling.
Bomberman - We just weren't feelin' the premise, graphics, and gameplay on this one.
Tetris - How do you screw up Tetris: Making the controls as counter-intuitive as possible is a great start.
Awful:
Pole Position Remix - Remixed to awful. Drive, drive, drive, all alone, group of cars, pass them, drive, drive, drive.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: Lost - Lost is the worst game made for the iPod. Fortunately, it's no longer available, so we won't subject you to a video review. Let's just say unless walking in a line, and reading a lot of pointless dialog is your thing, this game is a bust. Maybe it's all a DHARMA experiment...
Again, you can find all of our iPod game reviews on the Games page.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 2:08PM What happens when the popular tile game Mahjong comes to the iPod? Can you overcome the small screen? Does controlling/selecting tiles become tedious? Find out in macgirl's Mahjong iPod Game review video:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 2:03PM Our review of The Sims: Bowling left us less than satisfied with the first stab at bringing The Sims universe to the iPod. Did the The Sims Pool do any better? Watch below and find out!