Clash of Clans & Star Wars Commander: I’ve Sunk This Low

time-wasterclash-of-clansI’m in a gaming slump lately. All of the MMOS outright now fail to meet my standards of looking for a rich and deep virtual world experience like I had in all of the MMOs I played from 1999 to 2005.  I play Diablo 3 on the weekends, and I poke around occasionally in other games like Albion Online during the week. I’m actually starting to hate myself for playing 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there of games like Star Wars Commander.

Star Wars Commander, Clash of Clans, and Boom Beach are all sorta this same type of game where you spend real time waiting to build up a base or pay in gems or other currency you can buy to expedite things. Yeah, they are all pay to win in some form but capable of being played for several hours (at least in my experience) if you’re wiling to wait a while in-between sessions. These are all time-waster “games” yet I find myself playing.

star-wars-commanderI wish I could build up a base and play something like this without the pay-to-win elements. I wish I could build up my empire base and run attacks on other squads or make a clan in clash of clans and play on my desktop. I’m not a fan of the little phone screen (my iPhone 4 is kinda small now compared to the other iPhones out there).

I like the jump-in-jump-out nature. I’ve been saying this a lot lately, I know. If I can’t lose countless hours to a MMO then I want my games capable of being consumed in bite-sized pieces.

I’m hoping to see H1Z1 hit Steam soon. I’ll buy the early access out of sheer boredom.

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  • there is always dota2 for time killers. always my “main” in between games! Middle Earth, Shadows of Mordor, playing it now.. love it.. it’s a combo of Assassins creed and batman Arkham series but i think its better than both with the nemesis system.

  • My “jump in, jump out” game of late has been Hearthstone. I’m also thinking of buying into Albion’s alpha, anyone know how that is shaping up? I see that Keen posted some impressions in March, but surely it has changed a bit for better or worse since then…?

  • Apple is very sad you don’t have the latest phone. You are therefore ordered to an iPhone 6 ASAP. Failing to meet this request will results in your dreams being haunted by Barry Jobs, the little annoying unknown brother of Steve.

  • You don’t have to play Clash on a tiny phone, try an emulator like bluestacks on a PC. You can’t really pay to win with Clash, just pay to develop faster and be matched up against higher level opponents. Syncaine’s clan Supreme Cream! still has a few spots left !

  • I guess we all tried these sad pathetic shells of games.
    Or as I like to call them waiting games, because all you do is wait and wait some more.
    The moment you realize this you will never play these types of games again.

    Currently playing hearthstone and dived back into war thunder tanks.
    With some wasteland 2 every now and then.

    Currently not playing an mmo. There is currently nothing worth playing in the mmo scene in my opinion.

  • @Tristan: I quite enjoy Albion Online. I don’t know that I would spend money at this point, though. The testing ends on the 13th for a while. I’d say hold out but definitely give it a try. It’s like a modernized version of UO with a few limitations.

    @Romble: I suck too badly at Dota2 to really have fun. 😛

    @Maljjin: Yeah… I just can’t get into the idea of my phone not being a phone. I struggle with that.

    @Jho: Can you play the emulator on PC and still play with iPhone people?

    @Zyler: Yep. They are time wasters. Ditto to the nothing worth playing.

    @Quietwulf: Ugh, no. I want in so badly.

  • I’m in the same boat, what got me through was dipping into my back catalogue and replaying a classic, HL2 and Far Cry 3 keep me going

    currently id recommend Alien Isolation plays more like survival horror than FPS

  • Yes, android and ios are all together on clash and you can play the one account on numerous devices. If you are just farming for gold and elixir then it becomes very repetitive. If you are involved in clan wars there is a lot more strategy and depth of gameplay. If you aren’t already in a clan look up ‘Supreme Cream!’

  • If you play CoC as a time waster, you won’t really enjoy it. Building a base just to build it is pretty boring/pointless. It’s like playing an MMO solo. You’re playing, but your kinda missing the point.

    If you actually get into it and dig into the strategy aspects of it, it’s one of the better, deeper, and legit harder games out right now, especially when you toss in the social aspect of clan wars. Feel free to app if you want to get into that.

    Also yes it can be played via desktop, although I think Bluestack at this point is borderline malware. I think there is another emulator, but I haven’t looked into it. The game on the iPad looks and functions pretty great, especially when used to watch clan war attacks and chat about them while watching some Sunday football.

  • I want to get into CoC clan wars. It sounds like a lot of fun. I have a galaxy tablet around the house somewhere. I think I might try it on that. I don’t have an iPad of my own so that options is out. Just this older iPhone 4.

    I have a 4 day business trip coming up and I might see about getting everything all set up to play a lot of CoC while on the flights and for the hours spent in the hotel.

  • You will def like Heroes, a simpler, more casual DOTA 2.

    I’m jumping between Diablo 3, Heroes and Hearthstone, atm. Wow, holy cow, I’m like a super Blizz fan boy…

    Can’t even stomache the idea of an MMO with any sort of questing/level grinding.

    I too am looking forward to H1Z1.

    Almost bought a Wii U yesterday because the idea of playing Mario games, and then some Smash Bros and Kart, was intriguing. However, I think this could just because I’m not too interested in anything right now. Wii U investment will be like $400 at a minimum and just don’t want to drop that type of cash.

  • @Graev If I break down and decide to buy a Wii U today, so I get it Friday through AMZN Prime, what are your top 5 or 10 games? Open to any types of games.

  • @JJ Robinson: In no real particular order…

    Super Mario 3D World – Great Mario game. Plays more like a three-dimensional 2D Mario game rather than something like Mario 64 or Galaxy.

    Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – Great 2D platformer

    Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD – One of my favorite Zelda games made to look even better. There were also some really good additions to the game like a faster sail that makes traveling the ocean a lot easier.

    Hyrule Warriors – Basically a Dynasty Warriors game except it’s all Zelda themed. I’ve never actually played a DW game before but I’m really enjoying this. You run around hacking and slashing at tons of enemies and you get to play as a bunch of other cool characters like Darunia (a goron), Midna, Ganondorf, etc. There’s like a dozen different warriors that come from games like Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.

    Mario Kart 8 – It’s Mario Kart. Nothing more really needs to be said.

    Monster Hunter Ultimate 3 – I love Monster Hunter games but they can be polarizing. Tough at first but so rewarding once you start to do well. Plus online play is a lot of fun with other people. I must have spent 400 hours in this game alone and that’s on the low side compared to a lot of players.

    New Super Mario Bros. U – A pretty good 2D Mario game but honestly the NEW Super Mario Bros games are getting a little played out. We’ve already had something like 4 or 5 of them in a pretty short period of time. Still fun, though.

    Pikmin 3 – Great game. You guide your little plant buddies around solving environmental puzzles, collecting stuff, and battling the dangerous inhabitants of the planet you are on.

    Rayman Legends – Not an exclusive title but still a really great 2D platformer. What makes it special on the WIi U is the ability for some really interesting co-op where (for some levels) one player has to run through a level while the player with the gamepad has to clear traps out of the way, pull levers, raise platforms, etc. Needs some pretty good communication and teamwork and can lead to either some hiliarious or rage-inducing moments.

    Shovel Knight – Download title that is exclusive (at least for now I guess) to 3DS and Wii U. Great 2D action platformer that is retro inspired and reminds me of games like MegaMan and Duck Tales,

    The Wonderful 101 – Very interesting and unique game where you control a bunch of tiny little super heroes that all form together to create weapons and do battle. It looks like it would be similar to Pikmin but it is actually an action game, similar to olther Platinum Games titles. Plus the entire theme of the game is just really charming and reminiscent of old shows like Thunderbirds.

    Then you got Bayonetta 2 (which also includes the first game) coming out this month and Smash Bros. coming out in November. Plus Toad’s Treasure Tracker in December. So there’s a lot of cool stuff to play.

  • @Graev Thanks! Leaning towards pulling the trigger now. I’ll let ya know if or when that happens.

    Something about classic adventure games are calling me atm. Fun and simple, which I could really use in my life right now!

  • I’ve spent the last 5 days devouring Shadows of Mordor. Its a good game, great story but leaving me wanting more. I’m at a point where I’m so awesome I’m trying to just find more reasons to kill uruks and build an orc empire.

    It has some great difficulty spikes, and does a good job at pacing to get you just to that point where you are bored with one aspect to start bringing more into the game. Overall with a few number of mechanics they have polished the game quite well, and they effectively use the base mechanics superbly.

    It reminds me a lot of Batman, with AC elements. I really enjoy the Nemesis system. Getting yourself into a situation where you have to run away or from an orc that then remembers what you did is very fun. It can be infuriating when your killed for the 4th time by the same orc but man is it satisfying when you finally kill them. Overall a very good game that I would recommend. I’ll be back to D3, now that I’ve had a break, but I’ve already preordered Civilization: Beyond Earth. Which gets released in a couple of weeks.

  • @JJ Robinson: I’m really, really wanting into Heroes. 🙁

    @Graev: If I bought Smash Bros for 3DS can I play it with you via internet from anywhere?

    @Yotor: I’m looking forward to Civ: BE. I’m playing D3 still. My barb got the IK 2h’er last night but I don’t know if it’s any good. I need your expertise. I played around with my build a bit and I’m using WW. It’s interesting.

  • I have to agree with the guys recommending Shadows of Mordor. I been having a blast slicing and dicing orcs. Batman meets AC is an accurate description of the gameplay.

  • My first post got eaten I think because I provided a link –

    I pretty much only play CoC on my PC, I can’t stand it on my phone. I tried bluestacks and it wouldn’t work for me. I use Andy and I love it. The website is andyroid dot net.

  • what you need is fantasy life.
    im not sure if it has been released in US yet but is really really good. you will love it trust me.

  • @Graev, you should copy and paste your post into the blog page. There is a blog entry right there for you! Title.. well lets see.. top 10 wii u games!

    im so smart!!!

  • Second for Shadow of Mordor. That game has been my surprise hit of the year. Picked it up after a couple of positive reviews and was completely blown away by how much fun it was.

    Almost 100% it in a single week, I was so into it! Now I’m just hungry for more DLC. Such a solid foundation, can’t wait to see how they extend it.

  • I still play it for the story. The new Tokyo zone Kaidan has some of the best quests I’ve ever played. One of the things Ive always liked about TSW was that the story could be experienced by everyone, and there is virtually no content locked based on raiding gear.

    Wlad