Categories
App Review

App Review: Kingdoms Live

Kingdoms Live Logo
Kingdoms Live Logo

Kingdoms Live was one of the first games I downloaded from the App store and it’s one that I still play a couple of times a day.

It’s an MMORPG which follows a medieval theme. You choose your character type and their strengths then work to build them up using quests, battles and upgrades.

The first game of this type which I saw was the Facebook game “MobWars”  which I played for a few weeks before getting bored of it.

Mobwars on Facebook had 2 major problems:

  1. You could only add actual Facebook friends as “army” members, so recruitment was slow
  2. The barriers in certain parts of the game were ridiculous (having to upgrade 100 levels to acquire new property types)
Level Up
Level Up

Neither of these problems exist in Kingdoms Live.  You can easily add people and there’s no downside or privacy issue.  You can easily trawl other peoples comments looking for “friend codes” and grow your army to the necessary size.

The only problem I have with Kingdoms live is that it can only be played online – perfect if you have an iPhone, not so great if you’re reliant on WiFi, as I am.

It’s a familiar concept, and one that’s been duplicated by the company themselves several times, with rockstars, vampires and space traders all getting the same treatment.  Personally I couldn’t play more than one of these games but I like this one and I’ll be sticking with it (My army code is 4VRSU).

  • Price: Free
  • Rating: 8 shields
Categories
Rant

Rant: I want to control what I listen to!

Photo by flattop341
Photo by flattop341

While I’ve been experimenting with  lots of iPod applications I’ve come across what I think is going to be my number one bugbear. Some games handle it beautifully and some abuse their privileges completely.

You see I’m usually trying to review these apps while listening to something on the iPod.  I’d like to be cool and hip and be able to say it was the latest single from someone or other but the truth is, being me, it’s just as likely to be the Archers podcast.

SOme applications, when I start them, switch off my music and make me lsiten to theirs,  I’m sure they’re beautifully crafted (actually, often they’re not) but that’s not the point.  I wasn tot listen to what I want to lsiten to – that’s the main reason for having an iPod after all.

So this is my plea- don’t force me to listen to your music – let me listen to my own!

Categories
App Review

App Review: AirportMania

Airport Mania Screenshot
Airport Mania Screenshot

My name’s Brian and I’m an addict.  I can’t seem to stop playing Airport Mania. It’s a fairly simple game concept but it’s beautifully executed and highly addictive.

You are the controller of an airport and you have to land planes, disembark passengers, repair and refuel aircraft and send them on their way again.

You guide the aircraft around by touching their destinations in order.  In that way it’s possible to set up a series of movements, waypoints if you like. IT sounds very simple, and it is, but there’s a definite art to it and the scoring system encourages you to reach for airport handling perfection.

You can upgrade the airport, adding runways, gates and other facilities.  This makes life easier but every 6 levels or so  you move airports, which means starting from scratch, or close to it.

There are around 50 levels to play, and there is the challenge of re-playing difficult levels to aim for the “supreme score”. I’m on my second play through, trying to work win all of the trophies and awards, and trying to complete every level with the highest score level.

The graphics and sounds are perfect and make the gameplay so much more entertaining.

I bought  AirportMania on a whim, and I’m glad I did.  I hadn’t realised that there was a lite version which you can get to try it out.  This has fewer levels but will give a good taste of what is in the full version.

  • Price: 59p
  • Rating: 9/10 Shields
Categories
Film Review

Film Review: Star Trek (2009)

 

Star Trek Logo
Star Trek Logo

Last night I saw the latest Star Trek and I’d heartily recommend it.  

This new film is a fresh origin story for the original Star Trek series.  Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Uhuru, Chekov, even Captain Pike are all there, enough to keep fans going but not enough to put off anybody not in the know.

I’ve been a fan of JJ Abrams ever since I got into Alias (by the way, what is it with him and Big Red Balls Of Goo™)  and I enjoyed Lost until I lost track of it midway through season  2.  I haven’t seen Cloverfield but hadn’t heard good things about it so I wasn’t sure how this latest film would work out. 

I’m not easily impressed by big movies and  I’ve seen my fair share of stinkers (Superman Returns anyone?) but this one won me over.  I’m not really familiar with any of the cast, and maybe that helped. 

The cast is very strong, sticking to the important parts of the original crewmembers.  As a scotsman I have to say that Simon Pegg‘s Scottish accent didn’t grate as I was worried it might, and his scenes got good laughs in his local multiplex

The film even manages to make Kirk look cool.  He may have been one of the most action orientated captains of the Star Trek universe but I was never that impressed by him. 

The script is generally very strong and there is great scope for follow ons.  The film has a very clever conceit to get around fitting in with past Star Trek canon while still having all that rich background to draw on.

Shield Rating: 8/10

Categories
Personal

New Year, New Start

Okay so it’s exactly a year since i posted anything on here.  That’s impressive(ly bad.)  In my defence it’s been a pretty busy year:

  1. Got engaged in April
  2. Started a new Job at the end of April
  3. Got married and moved in together in October.
Those may only be 3 things but they’re 3 pretty time consuming things.
The one thing i regret slightly is that i missed the 5th Birthday of this Blog, also in April – comedychicken is no longer a “spring chicken”
So, new year, new start.  I’ll try to be better at posting things to keep myself (probably the only one who reads this) entertained.
Categories
Mhairi

Apparently heating plates is a good thing

Picture of a Heat Ringby Rob SurrealI have often mocked the heating of plates but this New York Times article says that it’s great, as well as giving a few other hints about the use of heat in the kitchen “the secret ingredient.”

Image by Rob Surreal 

Categories
Mhairi Music Personal Video

Hazel's got the music???

and who’s hazel?? i swear Rihanna’s singing “Hazel’s got the music”

  1. Who is Hazel
  2. Why does she have the music?
  3. What are her intentions with the music??

Mhairi thinks I’m nuts but the guys in the office agree.

UPDATE: I’m not alone!!!

Categories
Personal random

Random Image

Stop - HammertimeFollowing on my theme of randomness, I came across this image in my temporary files and felt the need to share.  I have always been a great fan of MC Hammer (who’s blogging now, by the way) and I still have a tape of one of his albums  My favourite Firefox useless extension is the “STOP! Hammertime!” extension.  Every time you use the stop button it plays an MC hammer clip.  I use it so rarely that when I do it scares the living daylights out of me.  But it’s still funny.  I also have a friend called MC who I occasionally say “hammertime” to.  At least I think i’m funny!

Categories
Fun Mhairi Personal

54 – 13

Victory CelebrationOkay, so I may not be quite right on the scoreline but I’m not far off.  In the world-famous game of Helensburgh Longball, my team (Sean, David, Toby and I) utterly squashed Mhairi’s team.  I will admit that the vast majority of the score is down to the others on my team, but that doesn’t stop me rubbing everybody’s nose in it.  I’m used to losing at sport, so I’m a good loser.  I’m a TERRIBLE winner!

Sorry All!

Categories
Internet Personal

Audio Books – from where?

Trial Run Front Cover ImageMy family was always about words and stories. I remember from a very early age having story tapes with songs and books to read along. The first “grown up” audiobook i remember hearing was Trial Run by one of my favourite authors, Dick Francis (maybe one of the reasons I like him so much is this early memory.) There were frankly bits of the story that I didn’t understand and references I missed but I was hooked.

I love stories but am often too busy or too lazy to read for myself. I’ve been through hundreds of audio books from my local library (and they’ve done pretty well out of my overdue fees) but I’ve found a way to save myself all those fees!

Seth Godin was talking about audio books on his blog today, mentioning the high cost, but didn’t mention podcast audiobooks.

I’ve discovered new worlds, new creatures and all sorts of adventures from free podcast audiobooks. Here’s a list of some of my Favourites:

The best place to start is Podiobooks.com – They have a huge selection and you can get it all for free. For the record I have contributed towards some of those authors who give their work for free, including taking part in Scott Sigler’s victory over Amazon!