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TUAW Smackdown: iPhone time management games
Time Management games challenge you to run some kind of business operation while balancing your resources against the demands of customers. In the following write-up, I tested five popular time management App Store games to see how well they delivered the fun and strategy of challenging yourself against time. As you'll see, not every game delivered the same level of fun and overall gameplay. Here's how they stacked up. At $2.99, Sally's Spa is our absolute favorite of the time management games we tested for this write-up. In this game, you run a virtual spa, providing steam baths, massages, manicures, pedicures, and more. You aim to keep your customers happy and radiant (literally) by dragging them from one station to the next, applying spa services, and balancing their needs against your limited resources of time and equipment. As your salon earns money, you re-invest into improvements such as hiring employees to automate some of the stations and upgraded equipment to provide higher levels of satisfaction. The challenges grow more sophisticated over time (although I could have done without the whole eyebrow tweezing service that appears late in the game), as you attempt to perfect your spa-fu.
iPhone game review: Diner Dash
Diner Dash [iTunes Link], the popular and addicting time-management PC game by Playfirst has made its way to the iPhone. In this game, you play Flo, an entrepreneur who ditched her dayjob to fulfill her dream of restaurant ownership. The game begins with Flo working in a dumpy greasy spoon, but as you progress through the levels and earn more money, upgrades become available, leading Flo to her ultimate goal: Running a thriving restaurant empire. Here's an iPhone game overview and review of Diner Dash. Gameplay: As customers enter the cafe, Flo must arrange seating, take orders, serve food, drop off bills, and bus tables -- all while monitoring everyone's happiness. A simple premise, but as you progress through the levels, gameplay becomes more difficult -- more demanding customers, more tables, and higher daily financial goals. To pass a level, you must meet the cash goal. Earn cash when customers are seated, served, and given appetizers and desserts. At the end of their meal, customers tip Flo based on their happiness level, indicated by the heart meter. Like most time management games, chaining (completing the same action in a row) and color matching (matching a customer's clothing color to the seat) earns you extra cash. If you get bored with the levels, try your luck at the Endless Shift mode. Endless Shift has a nonstop stream of customers coming through the door and ends when too many people get angry and storm out. Controls: Diner Dash is an excellent fit for the iPhone's touchscreen interface. Dragging customers to their seats with your finger and tapping to queue Flo's actions is simple and intuitive. Trying to switch customer seating arrangements to activate the color-matching bonus is tricky and takes time to master, but otherwise, game control is easy. Graphics and music:For a cartoon game, the graphics, animations, and music are all well-done. Don't like the music? Select "iPod Music" option on the main menu to listen to your own tunes. Diner Dash fans might be disappointed to learn that the iPhone adaptation is the same as the PC game. However, priced at only $4.99 -- a bargain compared to the PC game's $19.99 price tag -- you might not mind replaying the game on a mobile device. Diner Dash is the perfect game to pick up when you have a few minutes to spare. Passing a level typically takes about three to five minutes, so there's not a lot of time commitment involved. But once you play one level, you'll think, "Just one more...", and the next thing you know, two hours have passed! Diner Dash is available for purchase in the iTunes store.
Betty Boop: Double Shift: new screens in color
In a shocking turn of events, DSI Games continues to work on a Betty Boop game despite the fact that linear time continues to move away from the 1930's. If time moved backwards, or perhaps in a cycle, such that we would some day approach the first half of the 20th century, we'd totally understand, but no. Betty Boop is continually losing relevance as we speak.As expected, Betty Boop: Double Shift features Betty dashing through a diner. For what it's worth, it includes ... a bunch of other cartoon characters we vaguely recognize but can't identify. But it's not all Diner Dash. There's an extraordinarily simple rhythm minigame as well!Keep in mind that DSI is also publishing Barnyard Blast, which more than balances out one or two projects like this.
Diner Dash, Oasis and other casual titles coming to console networks
PlayFirst, makers of many well-known casual titles, and Hudson entertainment are teaming up to bring those games to consoles for "digital download" in 2008. Although everyone received the awkwardly worded press release this morning, GamingTalkHQ bothered to put two and two together -- so kudos to them. Basically it means that games like Diner Dash, Oasis, Chocolatier, Mystery of Shark Island will all eventually be made available on either Xbox Marketplace or PSN, the press release kinda skips over that part.If we had to guess, we'd probably say XBLA, only because Hudson already has a relationship with Microsoft and just made available the enjoyable Bomberman Live. Then again, these are casual games and are designed for a solitary experience, putting it on any of the console services shouldn't be too hard. Although, don't ever think to mock these casual games, Diner Dash has made so much money we shudder at the mere utterance of that title. There's nothing stopping these games from being just as popular on XBLA or PSN at the right price.[Via X3F]
Oasis, Diner Dash coming to XBLA?
According to GamingTalkHQ, PlayFirst has announced a partnership with Hudson in which it will make some of its popular games available on "digital download services for console systems" starting next year. The first game planned in the deal is the very popular Diner Dash. Other games featured in the deal include Sandscript, Zenerchi, Mystery of Shark Island, Oasis, and Chocolatier. We can attest to the addictive nature of PlayFirst's games, as we've just wasted the last hour playing Oasis while "researching" this post. While Xbox Live Arcade is not specifically mentioned, it's a safe bet that we'll see these titles there next year. After all, we imagine that Bomberman Live is already giving Hudson a nice return.
Lifetime: Games for women
There are moments you just couldn't make up the story if you tried -- this is one of those times. Lifetime network, television for women, and RealNetworks (yup, they're still around) are joining up to make downloadable games for women. The first game will be Sally's Salon and releases July 25. The game has players "direct Sally through a virtual beauty salon by performing and customizing beauty services and hiring employees." Kind of sounds like Diner Dash and Cake Mania, but minus the entrepreneurial feminist ideals.The game will be promoted online and on Lifetime's television network between reruns of Unsolved Mysteries and Golden Girls (oh Rose, you still bring a smile to our face). Apparently Lifetime and RealNetworks have been collaborating since 2004 and the games section of Lifetime's website is its most popular with million of games played on topics such as "makeovers, prom dresses and cleaning." Ah yes, Lifetime casual games, doing its part to show women their place in the 21st century.
DS releases for the week of May 21st
Looks like it's pirates vs. ninja this week ... but we're pretty sure this time, it's gonna be alllll ninja. Pirates of the Caribbean may be all the rage when it comes to the theaters, but when it comes to gaming, our money's on Naruto. Of course, if you're looking to stay out of this particular conflict, there are plenty of other games for you to check out this week. Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Diner Dash Marvel Trading Card Game Naruto: Ninja Council 3 The New York Times Crosswords Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End For the rest of the globe, check out the lists after the jump.
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of May 20
Another week, and luckily another set of game releases. Every Sunday we give you the 411 on what's coming out for the PSP worldwide. If a game is listed as coming out in a different country from where you live, don't worry. Your PSP can play games from any region. That gives every game on this list the potential to be in your future game library. We have some interesting choices this week, so read on! US Games Brooktown High Senior Year Diner Dash Legend of the Dragon Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End EU Games Crush Heatseeker Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Winx Club Asian Games Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Juiced Eliminator Release dates may always change, so you may want to call before heading to your local game shop. I totally want Bleach, but do any of these games interest our readers?
Diner Dash doesn't look too appetizing
Games don't need to have good graphics--but they need to have fun. The upcoming Diner Dash seems to have neither. The competitive world of restauranting should make for an interesting gameplay experience, but this first video of the game looks utterly uninspired. 1UP recently previewed the game: "In Diner Dash, you show patrons to their seats, take their orders, serve them food, and clear the tables when they leave. Promptly serving people and working your way quickly through the increasing line of customers earns you points in the form of tips. The hardest part is managing your own stress levels as you serve impatient people. Sometimes your customers have screaming kids who need high chairs, and you're usually either urging that family of four to quickly finish their hamburgers, or scrambling to mop up the mess they left on the floor." Seating customers and moving food from one place to the next could provide some brief bursts of entertainment, but is that really enough to warrant a full-fledged game? Watch the video after the cut, and tell us what you think.
Diner Dash for PSP
Casual games are getting more popular than Pokemon porn lately and so it shouldn't be any surprise that Diner Dash is coming to the PSP. For those unfamiliar with the game, it involves seating customers, picking up orders, serving food, getting paid, cleaning tables and keeping customers happy. Diner Dash started out as a highly popular flash game, but has spawned mobile and downloadable versions as well. Judging from the few screens released, it looks simultaneously better and worse than its PC counterpart, which in of itself can be counted as a unique achievement. Plus, finally I can fulfill my desire to wait on annoying customers in a crowded restaurant and not get paid! But what's up with having to use a cursor on a PSP game? If I wanted to play Diner Dash on the PC, I'd already have upgraded from the Apple IIe I currently use. Some PSP owners and non-owners believe the system needs more quick-play experiences. Will Diner Dash satisfy these people? Let's pretend like we care and await their response, when Diner Dash hits store shelves in May. [Via Gamespot]
