Doodle Jump

Title: Doodle Jump

Developer: Lima Sky LLC

Seller: Igor Pusenjak

Platform: iPhone

Genre: Platform Jumping

Breakdown

Doodle Jump follows the stream of popular casual games currently flooding the iPhone platform. In this game the player controls a green 'doodle' as it jumps on platforms upwards. The theme is supposed to look hand-drawn and so the back ground is graph paper. Using the accelerometer, the player moves the 'doodle' left and right, catching platforms. Every platform the doodle jumper lands on propels them upwards. Some platforms are brown and will not support weight, instead making the doodle jumper fall right through them. Other platforms change from yellow to red, bursting so that the player can only use them once. Most platforms are green, regular platforms with no special abilities, and there are other colors with special meanings too.

It is not all jumping from platform to platform, there are enemies to fight and power-ups to use. Drawn in the same hand-drawn style of the platforms and 'doodle', the enemies are strange creatures who can be stationary or move. By tapping the screen, the 'doodle' will shoot upwards, removing them. If a doodle jumps into the enemy, they will fall, but if a doodle jumps on top of an enemy they will get a super tall jump. Springs are more common than the enemies and offer the same boost without the risks. They lie on top of the platform, and if they are jumped upon it will launch the 'doodle' upwards about twice as high as a regular jump. Included for extra height are also beanie hats which are found on platforms and launch the 'doodle' flying upwards for a while. Jet packs do the same things, but shoot even further than the beanie hat.

What makes this game popular is the many easter eggs, or hidden, unlockable content, that can be used. By setting the score name to a specific name. The most recently added one is 'boo' for a Halloween ghost instead of the traditional 'doodle'. These special easter eggs change the background, the 'doodle', can give a special ability like a higher jump, and more.

What other games is Doodle Jumper like?

Another game on the iPod which predates Doodle Jump is PapiJump. This game is mostly the same, but with a different theme. Doodle Jump takes this type of game which has been around and adds a new skin and some new ideas like incorporating the easter eggs and the power ups.

The Sims 2

Title: The Sims 2

Developer: Maxis

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Platform: PC, Mac

Genre: Life Simulation

Breakdown

The Sims 2 was the followup to the popular game The Sims. The Sims 2 gives the player the opportunity to control a family. The player controls their food intake, their jobs, their interests, and their relationships. There are several customizable aspects to the game. One of the most popular customizable features is the ability to create and customize houses. The player can build the house from its foundation all the way to its interior decoration. And the player can customize the family too. In the Sims Two, because the family grows based on a timed period, there are several stages which a Sim goes through. In the creation stage at the beginning of the family, a Sim can be a toddler, an adolescent, a teen, an adult, or an elderly individual. Its personalities can be custom created and so can its entire appearance. There is even a button that will take the features of both parents to create a baby which resembles them.

There are several ways to play this game. There is the goal-oriented play where the player lives out their lives, accomplishing the goals the Sims ask for, going to work and satisfying its needs. Another way is to let them live free and watch what happens. A player can set up a sticky situation and watch the Sims blow up on each other, or make as many friends as possible.

What other games is The Sims 2 like?

The Sims 2 is the Sims 1 but with more advanced features. Also similar to Black and White in that there is an element of playing god, but on a more specific level.

Bananagrams

Title: Bananagrams

Designer: Rena Nathanson

Publisher: Bananagrams

Platform: Tabletop, Tiles

Genre: Word

Breakdown
Bananagrams is a fast-paced game of making words out of individual letters before your opponent can. Designed for 2-8 players, though it can be played as a solitaire game, this game is designed to last about 15 minutes. There is 144 tiles with one letter on each one per game set. They are placed face down in the middle of the table. Each player is given a differing amount depending on the number of players currently playing. For 2-4 players, 21 tiles are taken each. Once everyone has their starting tiles, they can flip them to see what they picked. Each player must make their own connecting assemblance of their tiles, horizontal or vertical. Two-letter words are acceptable, but not proper nouns. The words can be rearranged as often as the player likes and everyone goes at once.
When a player wishes to get rid of a letter they do not want, they can choose to dump. Dumping involves saying, "Dump" and placing a tile in the center face down. They then take three to replace it. When a player has finished with their first set of letters, they say, "Peel" and everyone must take a new tile from the center. This continues until the remaining amount of tiles in the center is less than the number of people playing and one player has used all of their letters. They then shout, "Bananas" and their words are inspected. If a wrong word or a misspelling is found, that person is declared a 'rotten banana' and returns all letters to the center face down. The other players continue without them.
There are several ways to play the game. Alternative versions to the set rules are suggested. Best Of makes the winner the winner of the most of a set number of hands. Banana Smoothie has only the first 21 letters allowed to be used with no dumping or peeling, the winner being the one who either finishes their hand first or in the eventof a stalemate has the least number of tiles remaining. Banana Cafe allows dumping, but ends the game when a player uses up their letters. Banana Challenge bans two letter words but the other rules are the same. Banana Solitaire has a few variations, but encourages teh player to use all 144 letters, starting with 21 and dumping/peeling as usual
This game came about as a result of one family's love for word games. It started as a game for home, then evolved into a gift for friends. As it became more popular, they refined the game and its rules until they had a playable game. What makes this game interesting is its mass popularity because it's a single family in the UK that created it and made it what it is, not a big company. They had no previous game-making experience but managed to make a well-selling game.
What other games is Bananagrams like?
Bananagrams is most like Scrabble but without a board and two letter words are allowed.

The Path

Title: The Path

Developer: Tale of Tales

Publisher: Tale of Tales

Platform: Mac OS X/ Microsoft Windows

Genre: Horror

Rating: M

Breakdown

The Path isn't your normal game. It's a single player horror game that seeks to take the popular fairy tale Little Red Riding hood and allow the player to explore the vast forest. This game is what the player makes and interprets from it. The gameplay is simple. You play one of six sisters, different ages and reincarnations of childhood personalities. They each have a story and they each have a 'wolf' to encounter in the forest. One by one, the player chooses one of the sisters from the apartment and takes them from the gleaming city behind them to the path to Grandma's house. One instruction is given; the player is told to stay on the path. Yet if the player follows these instructions they lose. They have not confronted their wolf.

The Path is an art game, an example of a small trend of games setting out to push what a game means. They are often emotionally compelling and with little instruction, asking the player to discover their path. The path fits right into this. There are many things to do inside the game, from gathering 144 shining gold flowers to finding objects which give the player clues to the meaning behind their wolves. The girls are controlled by walking with the arrow keys, and can run if the shift key is held down. Though when running, the screen becomes more and more blurred and the gold flowers are no longer visible. This is a punishment for ignoring the etherial atmosphere of the game, rushing for completion instead of enjoyment. And that's what The Path is really about, reminding players why they should be playing games. They point to the fast paced and objective based games these days and show the player what they can gain by slowing down and thinking.

Each girl has a specific wolf and a specific area where that wolf is found. They connect to their personalities and the follies of youthful ideas. Much of this is left for interpretation through cryptic, poetic narration given by the girl in connection to each object and the look of the wolf itself. Carmen, age 17, is a good example of this. She is the rebellion and budding sexuality of being a child. Her wolf is a hunter who she meets at a campsite. After flirting behavior like taking his hat and then reckless behavior like getting drunk from the beer at the campsite, Carmen sits down by the fire. The hunter sits with her and the screen goes dark. This means she has encountered her wolf. Carmen wakes up in front of the gate at there Grandmother's house. This happens with each girl, each holding themselves in a way as to clue into the experience just before. Carmen is holding her head and her body language is one of shame. One interpretation may be that she is hungover. The game never tells you. Once inside the house, each girl finds themselves in a series of surreal rooms. Depending on how many objects found, up to three rooms may open for each girl. Carmen's rooms are filled with images of trees and giant buzzsaws. A bed with a tree growing out if it is featured in one otherwise empty room. All around are sounds cluing into the experience of the girl.

Once all of the girls have made it to Grandmas house, the player can play through with them again to discover all of their secrets.

What other games is The Path like?

The path is one in a number of art games coming from the indie community. Yet art games sometimes trickle into the mainstream. Ico for the PS2 is an example of this.

The Secret of Monkey Island

Title: The Secret of Monkey Island

Developer: Lucasfilm Games

Publisher: Lucasfilm Games

Platform: Mac OS

Genre: Adventure

Breakdown

The Secret of Monkey Island is a humorous adventure game taking place on the island of Mêlée. You play as Guybrush Threepwood, a young and spirited pirate wannabe. To become a pirate, you must pass the three trials. Along the way you'll meet interesting characters and poison a dog or two, all while collecting items and solving puzzles with them.

Made in 1990, The Secret of Monkey Island was a descendant of the early text-based adventures. Playing consists of selecting commands and interacting with the environment. Anyone familiar with text-based adventures will see the connection when the player commands Threepwood to "Walk to ..." or "Pick up ..." The controls are basic, and this point-and-click design is a staple in the adventure genre.

Puzzle solving in this game can be as simple as finding one item to as complex as searching high and low for several. As Threepwood explores the world, he collects items, which is a key component to gameplay. Finding the right item can be key in moving on in the game. Picking the correct words to say to someone can also be a key component of gameplay, especially when talking trash during one of the challenges.

One major aspect of the game's style is the humor. Every line is a humorous observation or a nod from Lucasfilms to say that the game shouldn't be taken too seriously. This game has a large fan-base mostly due to this fact.

What other games is The Secret of Monkey Island like?

The Secret of Monkey Island uses the SCUMM engine, and so is similar in design to other games that use the SCUMM engine like Sam & Max hit the road. Also, because its close relationship with early text-based adventures, the spirit of those games is very much at home within The Secret of Monkey Island.