Promiscuous Gamer

Goth Chris, learning the way of the tank and spates with Willow Pape

This guy will pl*y anything as long as it's free

Goth Chris, learning the way of the tank and spates with Willow Pape

As game executive Bing Gordon famously put it (about) in 2010, "This is the most promiscuous app audience in the history of mankind".

This is the diary of a promiscuous gamer....

1. Dungeon Keeper (EA)
[Spending to-date: $4.99]

I've spent nine months digging out a topnotch defensive architecture - basically an inverted moat that only has one point of attack - that no-one should be able to easily overcome.

My task now is to constantly upgrading it.

So it's a shame there's not more people playing the game. Still, I fended off Subtimus for the gain of 34 points.

2. Boom Beach (Supercell)

I'm still very unsure about the longterm point of Boom Beach, but I now have a submarine for finding treasure.

3. Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff (TinyCo)

There's been a lot going on in my Family Guy. I've unlocked Meg - maybe a boobie prize - as well as Long John Peter - aka Peter in the pirate costume; although having waited weeks to grind out enough in-game resources, I thought it was a bit mean to then have to wait another 12 hours to "make" him.

Oh, and I also unlocked Goth Chris.

There is one aspect of the game I've been pondered though. If you use Facebook Connect, you can visit your friends' Quahog and 'harvest' some resources from them.

It's a nice social mechanic a la FarmVille, but in the case of Family Guy, I have one much higher level friend, one about the same level and then half a dozen who obviously gave up playing after a week.

That not something that really encourages me to continue playing.

4. Trials Frontier (RedLynx/Ubisoft)

Not played much this week.

5. Dragons: Rise of Berk (Ludia/Dreamworks)

I don't really like Rise of Berk, but it only takes 30 seconds a session so I always set my dragons to collect fish and wood. Because that's obviously what dragons do...

6. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (Glu Mobile)
[Spending to-date: $4.99]

I'm starting to get a bit concerned about my Kim Kardashian: Hollywood habit.

I've started exclusively dating in the game, and despite the ridiculously aggressive monetisation gears, which require you to either pay money or constantly be playing if you want to make any progress, there's enough going on - even on the surface: I'm only an E grade celebrity - to keep you occupied.

I particularly like the rivalry the game automatically creates with NPC Willow Pape. What a bitch!

7. Super Battle Tactics (DeNA)

No change from my past report on the game: I can't see any way to unlock more powerful units without spending money.

8. Spellfall (Backflip)

The game's RPG elements - getting new weapons, armor, runes etc - sort of overcome the fact that the match-3 gameplay doesn't evolve much, but the pricing of items does seem rather unbalanced to me.

So while the presentation of Spellfall is lovely, it's game that doesn't appear to be going anywhere fast.

9. This Means War (TapZen)

As with all base-building games, the initial process of base building is very dull. I don't understand why we can't start these games with some sort of base already built.

Base-building and dull

Grind, grind, grind...

10. Crazy Taxi (Sega)

I seem to have lost the skill of getting my taxi to turn 90 degrees left or right, which is a problem.

As is the frequency with which the game loads automatically adverts, including video ads. That is not cool, Sega.

11: Star Wars Commander (Disney)

See 9.

12: Shadow Kings (Goodgame)

Unlike 9. and 11. Shadow Kings is a much deeper and core strategy game. Unfortunately, this means I don't yet understand how it works.

Base-building but more interesting

But I am far more engaged in it than with 9. and 11.

13: World of Tanks Blitz (Wargaming)

Given the speed with which I am getting killed in World of Tanks Blitz, it is perhaps fortunate that I'm enjoying working out its monetisation methods.

As well as a clear technology tree that you have to unlock to get to the best tanks, the game also has a neat way of encouraging you to sign up to a premium account - to progress faster - as well as splitting the experience you earn into Free and Combat flavours.

Very clever.

Uninstalled #1: League of War (MunkyFun/GREE)

As seems to happen a lot with hybridised card-battle mechanic games, League of War just became really, really dull.

The tanks were often generic copies of each with different names, there was little strategy evolution, and eventually the difficulty level increased to such a level that to progress you had to spend cash.

Rather disappoint as I quite enjoyed the first couple of months.

Uninstalled #2: Outernauts (Insomniac)

Given Insomniac's reputation, Outernauts was a bit of a mess, particularly surprising in terms of the weak graphics.

Uninstalled #3: Age of Wind 3 (Deemedya)

I really enjoyed parts of Age of Wind 3, but the progression was very odd and lumpy; effectively about 2 weeks in I hit a paywall.

Uninstalled #4: Godus (DeNA/22Cans)

Godus is another game that seemed to struggle with how it was going to combine F2P monetisation with gameplay creativity. Despite helping to kickstart development, I really couldn't get into this, despite the hype and the neat graphics.

Uninstalled #5: Pirate Bash (DeNA)

F2P Angry Birds with pirates. Meh!

Weekly recap
Installed: 0
Uninstalled: 5

In Play: 13

Spending: 0
To-date 2014 'Life Time' Value: $38.92

Contributing Editor

A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.