I thought the last six iPad games I bought were going to keep me happy at least a month or so.

I still haven’t completed all of them and I still enjoy them. But App Store always manages to sneakily get into my line of sight. Seriously!

And App Store is to an iPad gamer what a candy store is to a kid. You want everything. You can’t have too many of everything.

That’s how I ended up with 24 games on my iPad at last count. (5 iPhone imports, 8 free/trial games, 11 bought.)

I want to talk about Vacation Mogul today and I’m quite long-winded about it so there will be two GGFs this week so I can cover more games.

Yay.

Vacation Mogul HD (US$6.99)

This was actually an accident. I was browsing iTunes when I acidentally bought Vacation Mogul for iPhone (US$2.99). I had just wanted to read the product description but clicked on the buy button, instead.

And the worse thing was that, a minute prior to that, I had thought to myself, “It’s so easy to accidentally buy apps in iTunes. Based on Murphy’s Law, it’s probably gonna happen to me one day.”

Talk about self-fulfilling prophecy.

(In iTunes, when you click on the price tag, it’s an instant purchase since they’ve got all your credit card details already. There’s no warning: “You’re buying this game. Accept? Decline?”

I mean, I like that cos it’s very convenient but it sure is risky for dodos like me.)

The good news is that the accident was a happy one. Vacation Mogul is so fun that, after doing the first few tutorial missions, I went and bought the iPad version.

Because of my doofusness, I ended up playing through the tutorial missions four times (that’s 20 missions in total).

First time was on the iPhone. It was fun, so I decided to see how it would feel on the iPad’s bigger screen, although I had to put up with slightly blurry graphics from the stretch.

Then I decided to download the free iPad version to compare the difference. That’s a third playthrough. The gameplay is still the same but HD graphics just can’t be beat. It really enhances gaming experience (for me, anyway).

That’s when I impulsively put down another US$6.99 for a game I already own which I had accidentally bought in the first place.

Since there’s no data porting between the free and paid version, I had to play the tute missions a fourth time.

Fortunately, the game is fun enough for that not to be a huge chore.

Vacation Mogul combines fun simulation gameplay with an interesting plot.

You inherit five islands from your recently-deceased uncle and are tasked to make thriving resorts out of them. Then, something happens to make you suspect that your uncle was murdered. So, in between being a future resort tycoon, you have to investigate your uncles’s death.

The game is mission-based, where you get a different goal to accomplish each level. Complete it faster to earn more money and experience points.

Experience points are needed to make blueprints for new resort amenities (to attract more tourists), as well as game bonuses that help you do your missions better.

It’s really addictive. I mean, I’d rather be playing it now than writing this review but I’m sensible like that and know when it’s crucial to do the right thing, lol.

There are also fun little surprises along the way. One part of the plot leads to a hidden objects mini game. An easier one than a proper hidden objects game, but still cool. You’re allowed to skip this, though. It’s just for fun and doesn’t add to game progress.

If you have an iPad, I’d totally recommend the iPad version over the iPhone one. Both are mostly the same, but why squint your eyes when you can enjoy beautiful HD colours and feel assured that you won’t mispress anything on the iPhone’s tiny real esate?

The main difference between both versions (quite neglible if you’re not the fussy sort) is that you can see all five islands on one screen on the iPad. On the iPhone, you have to scroll through them one by one. Not a big deal.

Likewise, on the research page where you buy new blueprints and bonuses, you can see the whole list on the iPad but only scrollable sections on the iPhone. This is slightly more important because you want to see at once what blueprints get unlocked next.

iPad:

iPhone:

The missions themselves are the same. No scrolling required. And that’s the crucial part. But it does help when it’s on a bigger screen. It always does.

There’s a free version for the iPad which you can download to try. I think you can play through the entire game on it (although I can’t be too sure cos I only played one main island before getting the paid version).

The catch is that a pop-up message will interrupt you after every mission to persuade you to buy the game so you can get rid of the annoying message.

Anyway, I’m not writing a full review of this game because it’s already been out for months. Just wanted to talk about it because I’m quite pleased that an accidental purchase became a pleasant surprise.

Will introduce more iPad games tomorrow!

I was going to blog about my Changlong Zoo trip. Lots of cute animals! Pandas, koalas, baby white tigers, baby elephants, obscene kangaroos!

Okay that last one is not cute, but it’s interesting.

Then I looked at my folder with 300+ photos and metaphorically fainted.

But since it was a metaphorical faint, I recovered with superhuman speed and proceeded to diligently go through all the photos to eliminate no-goods.

I managed to delete 100+ photos but that still leaves me with about 200.

It’s time for another metaphorical faint, perhaps a long one this time. I suddenly don’t feel like blogging about the zoo anymore.

It’s a good thing we arrived at the zoo late and had to hurry through everything before the 6.30pm closing time. Otherwise, I might have ended up with 600 photos.

I need to do this another day when I am more alive. Woke up prematurely this morning so am feeling half dead.

And hungry.

I’ll leave you with a video clip, instead. It only takes half an hour to upload and I can iPad game while it’s uploading. =D

(Don’t worry, I can feel the iPad obssesion slowly fading away… although I just downloaded like 10 more games in the last two days, lol. But I will get over it soon enough. )

Anyway, I took this video of a young panda eating bamboo leaves at the zoo. I love watching cute animals eat. It’s so cute! But I’m sad we didn’t get to see any baby pandas. Nothing in the world could be cuter than baby pandas, I think!

By the way, people have been asking me about my manga drawing course. Sorry, I stopped blogging about it because I skipped many weeks due to having events or being overseas on Saturdays. And also because our Japanese teacher quit after three lessons! LOL. Will blog about that soon.

Okay, here’s the video!

Advertorial

I found something to do online that is fun and addictive!

Now, I keep hearing people complain about being bored and having nothing to do, so I’m going to share this website, which should be able to keep you people occupied for hours and hours.

And here it is…

TinkrRoulette!

You know how you while away your hours online with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online games? You can now add TinkrRoulette to your list.

The first time I tried it, I couldn’t stop playing it. It’s quite unique. Each time you click on the SPIN button, the site churns out four entertaining or funny videos for your viewing pleasure. (These videos are pulled from various video sharing sites such as YouTube, MetaCafe and Break.)

I think all you YouTube junkies might like it.

Usually, I don’t spend a lot of time sitting around watching random videos online because I’d rather be playing my games, but TinkrRoulette changed that habit.

Watching videos now seems fun, haha. I find myself eagerly anticipating the next surprise vids, hoping to discover really good ones that I can share with friends.

Not all the videos that appear are good, you see, so it makes it all the more exciting when you find a good one!

Well, okay, there’s also another thing that keeps me spinning: The lure of the jackpot!

Sometimes, you will see a TinkrBox logo in place of a video. If you manage to spin out 2-4 logos at the same time, you’ll win a prize! (Note: The 2-logo prize has been fully claimed for now.)

The top prize is an iPad!!

Yeah, I know I already have an iPad, but you can’t have too many, you know? (Cos the Goonfather keeps stealing mine.)

Anyway, just give it a try. You might get lucky, right? And, in the meantime, you might also discover some gems of videos! I did discover some good ones, which I’ll share at the end of this post.

For now, let’s take a quick look at TinkrBox, a web community where you can organise, bookmark and share your favourite online things. (TinkrBox is the company that created TinkrRoulette.)

I made a box of my four favourite things (below)! =P

What’s cool is that you can lump together items of different media like in this example:

I think this is very useful because our favourite items are always scattered about everywhere on the Internet, so TinkrBox can help us collate and organise them!

I’m thinking you might need to use TinkrBox after playing TinkrRoulette, because you will be finding great videos from different video-sharing websites which you would want to “store” and organise at one place.

And since TinkrBox is also a web community, you can see other people’s collections and “like” them. This is a great way to share all your favourite videos with friends rather than sending them a zillion links!

Now, back to TinkrRoulette. Go spin and win something and let me know if you do so we can all share your joy, okay? ;)

Alright, I’ll stop yabbering and share some vids now. Here are the cool ones I found on TinkrRoulette (although I didn’t find a prize, boohoo. I think you’ll be luckier than me).

Enjoy!

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Very Funny Pepsi Commercial

I watched this before and really enjoyed it, so I was happy when TinkrRoulette showed it!

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Japanese String Movies

This performance is pretty awesome. I can’t really describe it; you have to watch it yourself. And see how many famous movies you can identify in there!

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Worst Audition Ever

A Popstars audition. It’s rather hilarious, although might be painful to watch for some people.

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Unusual Japanese Stage Act

Another unique Japanese stage show that I was quite amazed at. Comic lovers will especially appreciate this! You don’t need to know Japanese to enjoy this.

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iMouth

I saved the best for last! There’s this good-looking dude who combines music and video technology to create really outstanding, unique videos every week. (He’s very popular, has 1.3 million subscribers.) After watching this one, I spent the next hour or so watching all his other videos. His creativity and charisma are really amazing! Must watch, not just this one but all his vids!

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Epic Edit Choir

Okay, this last last vid came out of watching the last one… cos it’s by the same dude above (he calls himself Mystery Guitar Man). I just had to include this because it’s too epic not to share!

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Your turn! Go spin out some better videos than these and good luck at hitting the jackpot! =)

Play TinkrRoulette here.

I almost didn’t want to write this today because I couldn’t stop playing the new games I just bought for my iPad.

They are all amazing. Playing games on the iPad is amazing. I haven’t been so excited about a handheld gaming console since the DS, even though the iPad isn’t, strictly speaking, a gaming console.

But playing games on a 9.7″ full HD screen with multi-touchscreen capabilities is just ace. I’m all the more awed because I never intended to buy the iPad in the first place. When I finally did buy it, it was because I thought I needed an ebook reader to solve the space problem at home.

Well, so far, I have clocked maybe 60-80 hours on my iPad and I haven’t read a single book on it.

I would have clocked more hours on it had it not been frequently kidnapped by people around me (especially the Goonfather and Nanny Wen). Last I hear, they’re both gonna get their own. Good.

Anyway, people have been asking me (in Twitter/Plurk/Facebook) what games I bought, so I’ll provide a more comprehensive answer here.

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Plants vs Zombies HD (US$9.99)

This was the first game I bought. I wanted something fun to break in my iPad. I’ve already completed the PC version but this is the kind of game that you can play over and over for the rest of your life.

Now, if you haven’t played PvZ on the iPad, you haven’t experienced anything. I urge you to put this on your list of 10 (or 100) things to do before you die. (10 if you’re a gamer, 100 if you’re not.)

The main highlights are the amazing colours on the HD screen and the 11 touch points. (I don’t know who uses all 11 points at once, though. Anyone got a spare finger to lend me?)

But just think about it. You know how you go crazy juggling the need to plant more ammo with the need to collect much-needed suns (or coins) before they disappear? On the iPad, you can collect 10 suns at once with just one touch, leaving plenty of time left to plant a cob cannon to obliterate that annoying gargantuan.

My friends who borrow my iPad to play PvZ tend to use just one finger to play, as if playing on the PC. THIS IS WRONG, GUYS, THIS IS A MORTAL SIN.

If you’re playing PvZ on the iPad, you MUST train yourself to activate all your fingers for the ultimate gameplay experience.

Enough said.

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The Jim and Frank Mysteries – The Blood River Files HD (US$4.99)

This game is totally like Professor Layton on the DS, although it’s a smaller game, entirely linear, with fewer puzzles. I completed the game within 3-4 hours. But still fun. In fact, I enjoyed this a lot more than I did Professor Layton.

The gameplay is the same. There’s a storyline with small mysteries within a big mystery, which provides the frame for the game. As you go about unfolding the storyline, little puzzles pop out for you to solve before you can advance.

The puzzles are very similar to the Professor Layton ones, although I came across quite a number of unique ones. They’re also easier on the whole, although there were some rather tricky ones.

But I just love puzzles, and I like them not too hard so I can progress faster and play more games. I get bored if I get stuck at the same puzzle for, like, 20 minutes. (Not counting tough sudoku or crossword puzzles. Those are whole games by themselves.)

Anyway, this game makes pleasant use of the iPad’s touchscreen and the hand-drawn graphics are beautiful, so I had a really enjoyable time despite the main storyline being a bit juvenile.

Just enjoy the single puzzles. Don’t place too much hope on the main plot.

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Puzzler World US XL (US$4.99)

You can tell by now that I really love puzzles. I was playing this till 4:30 am last night. I had to make myself stop.

There are over 1,000 puzzles in this game. After a few hours of playing, I’m only at 5.9% of the Challenge Mode. In this mode, you need to successfully solve 560 + 560 assorted puzzles. (The +560 are mini puzzles. Each main puzzle is paired with a mini one.)

The puzzles get increasingly difficult. I’m now only at #33, so it’s rather easy, but still enough of a challenge to be fun. I don’t know what the later ones will be like!

You can also choose the Quickplay Mode to just play your favourite puzzles. (There are two types of puzzles I don’t enjoy in the Challenge Mode but I still have to play through them just to conquer the challenge, duh.)

List of puzzle types
Wordsearch (never really like this, but the iPad makes it quite pleasant)
Sudoku (fun, but the beginning ones are too easy)
Crossword (luckily, there’s a hint system using points)
Spot The Difference (nice break between tough puzzles)
Link-A-Pix (unique and very fun!)
Fitword (boring)
Codeword (tough, not so fun)
Silhouette (suitable for little kids, but also fun for adults)

Mini puzzles
Hangman (nice)
Picture Quiz (trains memory, ack)
Missing Piece (a bit tough and blah)
Jigsaw (fun)
Equate (simple math equations for now, dunno about later)
Chain Letters (not bad)

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Master of Alchemy HD ($2.99)

This reminds me of The Incredible Machine series I played a long time ago. It’s something like that, except you’re an alchemist and you’re working with elements, gases, liquids and solids, transforming them. You’re supposed to manage the flow of precious elements, collecting them and preventing wastage by using the tools provided at each stage.

I’ve only played about 10 minutes’ worth so far. It’s challenging from the start and I can see it getting harder and harder. I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly fun, but I enjoy the brainwork the game exacts.

The graphics, music and philosophical quotes make the experience quite immersive. You feel like a real alchemist!

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Supermarket Mania HD (US$4.99)

I caved in and bought this time management game even though time management games have a tendency to drive me crazy. It’s because the product screenshots has a page showing comics and I got curious.

The comics tell the story between missions. You’re a young girl starting work at a supermarket and your boss is supposedly competing against some robotic conglomerate that’s taking over the world by replacing human workers with robots.

But the main game is just like any other time management game. You stock shelves as fast as possible.

The frame of the game is appealing. I mean, I like the comics and the storyline. But the gameplay might need some work. Gets a bit repetitive after a while.

I played another time management game called Are You Alright? on the iPhone where you manage a hospital and patients, and that one seems a bit more fun, although it’s just as irritating.

But 9.7″ HD still beats everything.

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Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials (US$9.99)

I love this!!! I’ve only played 10 minutes of it and already I think it’s worth every bit of my S$15!

It’s like an adventure game combined with a hidden objects game. I love both genres so this is like, epic.

Mind-blowing, stunning graphics, good music, great special effects, intriguing storyline, fun touchscreen gameplay, etc, etc, etc.

I love how you never know what to expect next as the game unfolds. You could be asked to find 10 hidden objects, or you might need to pick up objects and combine them and use them to interact with other objects in the scene.

Or you might get to talk to ghosts.

Well, okay, since I’ve only played 10 minutes of it, I can’t for sure say the whole thing is going to be great, but it’s got good reviews all over the place so I know it won’t disappoint me!

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Um… that’s all the games for now.

I’m tempted to buy more (shopping in App Store has never been more fun) but I think I should finish up my current ones first. I have so many ongoing games at the moment I can’t decide what to play at any time!

I actually bought all these games without reading full reviews. I just saw the product descriptions, screenshots and user comments in the app store. I guess I just couldn’t resist the beautiful graphics. They really make a difference in gameplay.

Plus I feel that the prices are very affordable. Seriously, I spend a lot more money an evening at the arcade centre and I don’t think that’s as fun as cuddling the iPad. Haha.

Okay, enough talking about the iPad. I need to get back to my gaming. =P

Let me end with some photos I wanted to share last week but couldn’t because I was in China.

From the Rappelz launch party!

My three winners and one guest enjoyed a private gaming room with refreshments. Well, only two winners turned up because the third one couldn’t make it last minute, so I made Nanny Wen come, instead. Yes, it was very last minute so she came 1.5 hours late. Unker Kell was my guest!

Nanny Wen was playing Rappelz and she got a crab for a pet in her newbie gift pack. She named the crab after me. So mean!

So I took a photo of her eating in retaliation. Heheh!

I was guest-of-honour at the event. They made me play the PvP deathmatch against all other veteran players. T_T

But I think everyone had fun. There was quite a big crowd and I got to help draw the winners for the lucky draw at the end of the event.

One of the winners:

Great event! Thanks, Eaglegame, for organising it!

The best food can often be found at the dirtiest alleys.

Still in Changping, there’s an an alley full of little eating outlets about 8 minutes’ walk from our hotel (Hui Hua Hotel).

We went to this outlet called Ah Sheng BBQ (阿胜烧烤 something – their shop names are always so long that I don’t have time to read everything before stepping into the shop).

The Goonfather had eaten there before and couldn’t stop thinking about it afterwards. This place was the reason we extended our stay in Changping for two nights. I had a sore throat our first two nights there and couldn’t eat throat-unfriendly food. =P

They cook the food right out in the open and bring it into the dining area for you. There’s a huge array of food for your consideration: All kinds of vegetables, meats and seafoods on skewers. All the food is spiced with interesting Chinese spices including peppercorn and something salty and herby.

You can get Chinese BBQ in Geylang. Lots of little shops there, usually called 羊肉串 (mutton skewers) because that’s probably the main attraction. The ones in Singapore, however, are limited to a few kinds of meat and no veges save for corn.

Check out the stuff we ordered in Ah Sheng!

Mushrooms and mid-joint chicken wings:

Eggplant:

(Look like fish, doesn’t it? Haha.)

Prawns:

(They have the giant ones, like three or four times this size but I didn’t dare order them.)

Enoki mushrooms:

Below the mushrooms are chives:

Shishamo and Taiwanese sausages:

Corn:

Buns:

Quail:

(The item on the menu said Little Bird (小鸟) so I ordered it out of curiosity. It wasn’t so nice, though, and it looked a bit scary.)

The meal was just amazing. It was the first time in my four days in Changping that I overate. You definitely have to try this if you go to China. It’s not only in Changping. Many other cities and towns have them. You’ll find hawkers on the streets (main roads as well as alleys) BBQing in the open.

There was a pretty female singer in Ah Sheng carrying a guitar in her arms and an amp on her back (like a backpack) walking from table to table asking if people wanted a song. Of course, she would put the amp down when singing, but once done, she’d hoist it upon her back again. It’s quite cute!

She has a menu of Chinese song titles and each song costs 10RMB (S$2).

It’s like a mobile jukebox!

There was a table with, like, gangster boss types, that ordered 10 songs in a row, so we got to enjoy lots of free songs, heh.

After she was done there and came to our table, we ordered one song. (Because we only had one 10RMB note among us. The rest of our cash was in big notes.)

After our table no one else ordered anything.

By the way, this was the night we got accosted by the little girls I mentioned in Star Blog this week. It was after dinner while we were walking back to the hotel from this place.

(It didn’t happen in an alleyway, though. It happened out in the open by the main road, which made it more remarkable.)

Anyway, I’m loving Changping despite the pollution and scary little girl predators. Definitely gonna pay another visit soon. =)