Is Newer Really Better? [Part 2]

THE GOLDEN DUBLOON: A small, casual place to hang out after a long day of game playing, pet training, and board chatting. What could be better than a cup of Grog… or something like that, after everything you've been through in the course of the day?

As FG and Fip enter the local restaurant, as usual - tired after a long day of doing nothing very much, the two are surprised to see that the usually empty place was quite full, and rather loud. They pushed through the large crowd of people until they spotted the reason of the commotion - a Pirate Bruce and Disco Aisha sat one across the other and seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion that involved yelling, spitting, and over all a lot of mayhem that attracted everyone in the place.

"Arr, I'm telling ye, tha ol' games be betta' than all them new games! In my days, we'd sit 'n enjoy a good game of [some game no one ever heard of in their life] with a cuppa Bomberry Grog and 'njoy the good days! Arr, today it all be new - new technology stuff, 'betta' graphics, arrr... all ye need is the good ol' games, not these flashy new ones!"

As the Bruce paused to take a sip of his Ergy Fruit Grog, the Aisha half-laughed and replied, "Oh really? Well, this better technology and graphics is the whole difference! No longer do we need to tolerate bad graphics, old technology, everything the old games had! Today there are easier and more enjoyable games that you can enjoy a lot more, without your eyes aching!"

Fip and FG both exchanged glances, knowing what this means. Part II of their series is underway.

Swarm: Ok, so the graphics aren't as nice, and the Wocky is a bit scary... But the bullets go a whole lot faster in this version than the newer one, making it a lot easier to shoot and destroy those evil desert bugs, and they're bigger too! Also, it's a lot harder to destroy the walls on the first version, rather then the second. Not to mention, that you get 5 points for each bug you kill, while on the newer one - it was a total of only 3 points per bug! And, of course, the fast bug up top comes less often and doesn't bombard you with fire like in Swarm II…

Swam – The Bugs Strike Back: I don't know about you, but considering the fact I never played - or liked - the first Swarm, yet I have played (a few times) the new Swarm, it can't be TOO bad... and if you ask me, it definitely isn't bad... I mean, a made over cute Wocky! C'mon! (The last one was scary...) And the Wocky Tank looks MUCH better... -nods- There's also this funky music, heh. However, if you look at the game itself, it's not much of an improvement - as you can see above (in the Swarm description) - Swarm II has many disadvantages in the game itself, making the graphics the only improvement.

Final Score:

Fip: 6

FG: 8

Kiko Match: The star trail cursor effect is rather nifty in the old version. Also, on each round you have an equal share of Kiko pairs to discover, and there is no time limit - so it's a lot easier to earn more NP without being stressed. With every click the points however go down from 100, by 10. And then, there's also the sound effects, that can quite possibly make your head hurt after not very long, and the usual graphics are less sophisticated than the new version.

Kiko Match II: First thing I can say is that Kiko Match II is very cute. C'mon, you agree with me! Look at the main page… with that cute little Green Kiko… yep, you have to agree. :o It's not as dramatic as Kiko Match I, though, which starts with a whole presentation with stars and stuff. Hah.

Anyhow, the game itself is very different than Kiko Match I. Here, in KM II, you first of all start with only 4 cards and each level you get. Second, here your points go up - meaning you start from 0 and go up, and you don't lose points if you mismatch - only time. Which game is preferred? It's depends on what style you prefer.

Final Score:

Fip: 7.5

FG: 8

Destruct-o-Match: This is a pretty basic start-up version of one of the many rock-destroyer games out there. There isn't a lot of special effects in this one, and all the rocks are pretty much the same except for the occasional color addition. Overall, after a while it might get a bit dull - but it's still a fun game to play if you like this type of puzzle games ;)

Destruct-o-Match II: I must say that this game is a major improvement because of a few reasons. First of all - as always - the better graphics make the game much more enjoyable. Second of all, instead of the horrid 'destructing' sound in DOM I, you can choose to load a soundtrack that's even cooler than NQ I's music! -gasp- Next, you can choose a game mode - Normal (which is the only mode DOM I has), Extreme (where you have to click once on the boulders to destroy them and you have to make sure they won't get to the top of the screen) and Zen, which is a 'calm' game style. Next, in DOM II, there are actually special boulders, like the Question Mark or Multiplier boulders, which help you get more points in the game as well as the bonus at the end of each level. And the last major advantage - you don't have the 'Tiles remaining' or 'Total Moves' counter to distract you! Yay for Destruct-O-Match II! All hail Destruct-O-Match II! Okay, let's not exaggerate, but I'd say that this game is definitely an improvement!

Final Score:

Fip: 8.5

FG: 7

    Final Final Score:

New: 22 (46 overall)

Old: 23 (42 overall)

As we share our opinions, criticism and ratings of the games to the duo in the Golden Dubloon (and the audience around us), they stare at us for a moment, and then the Pirate Bruce bursts out laughing, eventually swifting the rest of the audience (except the Disco Aisha, that is) with a rolling laugh.

"I told ye, didn't I? Told ye that the oldies are better!"

"Yeah, well, we'll see next time, 'Gramps'... wait, there will be a next time, right?" The Disco Aisha turned to Fip and FG, concerned - probably from losing to an old Bruce.

Fip and FG look at each other and say, "Oh yes, there will..."