I kind of totally forgot about Bradtastica.

I guess that that’s what happens with a disability, chronic pain, and very little time using the internet and writing. This website is really a WordPress testing ground for me, because I’ve been writing about apps and stuff elsewhere—my main blog. That reminds me… I’ve changed the name, and I’m consolidating! Superfloo.us is now SaysBrad, and soon, BradChin.com will be different as well.

I have started a few reviews (stored in Writing Kit) for iOS apps, so hopefully soon I can post new reviews.

Hopefully I can edit this site and make it more attractive as well.

Sorry for the sideways image. GI Joyride is a blast, though, and something that I downloaded for free, so I thought I’d share it.

The game is really simple, go fast and run people over, without landing upside-down. The farther and faster you travel, the more experience you receive. EXP is used to unlock new vehicles and paint jobs.

This iPhone/iPod touch game is played by tilting the device left and right, and touching the bottom of the screen for accelerating and braking.

Just get this game — it’s a stress-free, fun stunt ride with some dark humor and light comedy.

For the moment, Facebook integration seems to be down, but I’m sure that whatever is wrong, it’s only a temporary problem.

iOS users: many great apps are available at discounted prices (or free) for Father’s Day. Take advantage of this; I’ve seen some ten dollar apps for $0.99 USD, and you’ll find plenty of freebies.

Unfortunately, searching the App Store from the iPhone or iPad is a little tricky and very time-consuming. This can create a problem and a dilemma; are you going to find what you’re looking for, do you know what’s even available now, and is the discount really worth the time that it’ll take to scour the store page after page?

Fortunately, I have a solution for you. check out AppShopper, a free app that makes sifting through the plethora manageable — even fun! I’m so confident that the app will help you, it’s presently beyond “Bradtastic Approved,” and you’ll thank me later. (If you find some smoking hot deal, please share it with others. You could even list your favorite apps here… particularly games. If you save money you would’ve surely spent, please donate some time or money to wildlife conservation — or better still: gift an app, or send me something cool!) It would be VERY NICE if the App Store came with a shareable wish list feature; that doesn’t (yet) exist, but AppShopper can help. Make a free AppShopper account, and you can store items to a wish list that’ll keep track of favorites or potential future-purchases, and display (seemingly) realtime price fluctuations.

For more iOS info and other things, check out “(not) superfluous.” If you have an iOS device, definitely follow my upcoming posts — I’m going to try and reveal some strategies, usability tips, and other ways to save (or maximize) your money.

I’ve learned that changes are planned, a new interface is being designed and an iPad version is in the works. Soon enough, 9 Colonies will utilize Game Center, with scores, achievements and hopefully, multiplayer (someday).

9 Colonies isn’t a game developed by a massive studio with support from a publisher like EA. Instead, it’s a project created and developed by a few dedicated, “real” people — the kind of people you might’ve played games with after school. It’s really an amazing accomplishment, and I hope that some of my thoughts will shape the future of the game.

After you get 9 Colonies and play it for a few hours, you’ll want to thank me. You can do so by contacting XOR Gaming through Facebook (there’s a link inside the game) and leaving some feedback for Kevin, and then you can tell him to hire me.

If you have an iOS device, check out 9 Colonies ($1.99 USD). At present, it’s not universal, and it has some bugs and typos, but overall, it’s an interesting game for two dollars and it’d be nice to encourage more developers to try similar things. With all of the copycat apps out there, it’s nice to have something different — but now I want more… and better.

Though I gave the current state of the game a three-star review on iTunes, I do think that the game has potential, and I do like it. My biggest issue with the game is that it lacks polish; the basic gameplay is solid (though it could have more depth), the interface is usable and the mechanics work well on the iPhone.

The interface could be more colorful and less generic, and the colony themes and colors could be more vibrant as well. There’s a distinct contrast between the opening sequence and the game. The lack of modes is a negative; as is, the game only plays one way, with one main objective, and has only two difficulty options.

After fixing the (very annoying) typos and a few tweaks, 9 Colonies is a clear winner of a strategy game. With the goal of “uniting the solar system,” you set off to conquer each planet (colony). Gameplay feels like a mix between pen and paper, text-based RPG, tactics and turn-based strategy games. Another developer could’ve easily taken this game’s premise and butchered it by creating a crap real-time strategy game; “XOR Gaming LLC,” however, took the right approach, and I hope that they continue development of 9 Colonies. The addition of multiplayer would be fantastic.

Despite its flaws, 9 Colonies is a unique strategy game with tons of potential, well suited for portable play with a strong core concept. It’d be a solid, no-brainer at $0.99, but even at $1.99, tactics lovers won’t feel buyer’s remorse.

See that? CRYSIS 2 for Playstation 3 is presently $40 at Target — now there’s no reason to hold off on this grand game.

After you get Crysis 2 and realize that it’s amazing, you can thank me by sending me something from my wish list (super cool Amazon wishlist). You could use some of the cash you save getting the game for $20 less on a book or something for me. I’ve yet to receive a Kindle book as a gift; I’m curious about how the delivery process works.

Even though I recently got L.A. Noire and Brink, neither rests inside my PS3 for long. Crysis 2 is just that good.

(I have been playing some iOS games, however, including a strategy game called 9 Colonies.)

Have you seen Crysis 2? I’m not even going to bother specifying a system. I’ve heard that, between the two, the XBOX 360 version looks better than the Playstation 3 version — it’s not likely you’ll notice, though.

Bottom line, if you like first-person shooters, get Crysis. Gamestop is selling used copies for under $50 — that’s a steal for this game. Crysis 2 has some of the most amazing set-pieces I’ve ever seen; forget the next Michael Bay movie, it’s got nothing on Crysis. The world itself is amazing — it feels like nothing in the game exists as an afterthought.

I’m looking forward to other games, and to be honest, Crysis wasn’t even on my radar. I was looking forward to Brink, and Bethesda’s upcoming Rage. [BTW: if you have an iOS device, specifically the iPhone 4 or iPad 2, get Rage HD at the App Store.]

BRINK was extremely disappointing to me. I guess I was expecting more; and perhaps the lack of immediate online play was a factor, but I wasn’t impressed or immersed by the world and story of BRINK. As I was playing and leveling, I just thought of Team Fortress 2. Fortunately, L.A. Noire released seven days later, and took my mind off of the lackluster shooter.

I’ve played a lot of shooter games recently; some first-person, some third-person, and some iPhone games while waiting in the car. I played through the Call of Duty series, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots, Mass Effect 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and recently, some Red Dead Redemption and Vanquish. I even tried Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days! Gamestop really does have a phenomenal used game policy — I thought Kane & Lynch 2 was terrible.

That stated, Crysis 2 is my favorite, with Borderlands as a close second. I am excited about having all of the Playstation Network features back up, but I’ve had some fun with single-player games — even the shooters. Call of Duty 3 really surprised me with its incredibly long campaign; it felt somewhat nostalgic, I remembered what it was like marveling Goldeneye for Nintendo 64 over one-decade ago.

I suppose that, if games are about relaxation, entertainment, catharsis, and maybe “art,” then it’s reasonable to see Crysis 2 as the ultimate FPS game. While I like the idea of playing through a game like COD: World at War co-op, from start to finish with a friend, it’s unlikely to occur for me because of the hours I keep and play during. With so many new games releasing so quickly, I don’t have time to (and don’t want to) invest 2000 hours in a multiplayer mode. Years ago, when I cherished my SEGA Dreamcast, it surprised me when one great game released each month; that pace seemed to be too fast! With N64, we got a few good games each year — now, we get a great game each week.

I’d need a full-time job reviewing games to review just the good ones.

Since I don’t have that, if you haven’t already, play Crysis 2, add me at Game Center (bradtastic), and thank me later.

I just purchased a used copy of Homefront for PS3. I’d heard bad things about the game, but for me, the negatives seemed inconsequential.

First, Homefront has a short, uninspired single-player campaign mode, lacking in replayability.

I’ve read and have been told that the campaign lasts four or five hours. That’s fine with me; I’m only keeping the game for a few days, giving me (easily) enough time to beat the game and replay some of my favorite missions (if any). Some people state that the play is slow; probably Killzone/Call of Duty fans, and while they certainly have a right to their opinions, I like a slower, more thoughtful FPS. That’s probably why I’m drawn to games like Fallout 3 (New Vegas also) and Mass Effect. I like to collect every little thing, and I like to explore the maps fully — RPG-style — for glitches and secrets. Though I rarely fall through maps or find treasure chests, ever since backing up into the air ducts in Goldeneye‘s “The Facility” and walking around/falling through the world in Gears of War map glitches, I’ve been compelled to search.

Second, Homefront has a lackluster, generic multiplayer mode.

This also isn’t an issue for me. If I’m going to play multiplayer FPS, I want to seriously invest in it. Brink is right around the corner. Hopefully, Sony will sort out its Playstation Network issues (caused by Anonymous hackers, no doubt) by then, because at the moment, it’s all systems down. (I feel kinda bad for all those — five or six — people who’ve anticipated the release of SOCOM4 and can’t play together.)

The fact that PSN is down at the moment means that I can’t play Homefront online anyway. No loss.

Last, even if the game completely sucks — I can return it, with only some time spent… or lost. Either way, I’ll have more blog fodder and some new one-liners!

★

I also got a Sharpshooter for my Move controllers. When Homefront is done with, I can play Killzone 3 and Dead Space: Extraction demos with a really slick controller. The Sharpshooter is one of the best accessories I’ve seen — ever. It’s well-built, has smart button placement, and most important, it’s comfortable and ambidextrous. I’m putting my stamp of approval on Gamestop (some of the employees are cool, too) and the Sharpshooter.

I’ve been writing a lot more. Mostly on my iPad, but I’ve posted some of it at (not) superfluous. I’ve decided to use this blog to continue talking about cool things, but more specifically. Now it’s apps, video games, and the things behind ‘em… meaning some talk about developers, tools, technology, hardware, consoles, etc.

And there’ll be some hot tips and stories along the way as well.

For more on bradtastica…

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If you want, you can chat with me through Twitter.

I’ve been winning a fair amount of “Find the 9′s” scratchers recently, purchased in Lafayette, CA.