I don’t know where you come down personally on the age old debate surrounding pirates vs ninjas. I think they’re both pretty swell, and they definitely have their pros and cons. It’s an interesting conversation I hope we can have some time, but for now I’m just going to come right out and say that I’ve always felt more comfortable around the campfire of the Koga Ninja clan than with soggy pirates. Now I can practice my slicing skills at home, or waiting for my coffee, or driving to work thanks to;

Get your Ninj-on. Sadly the game does not feature broccoli. Or lemons. I could go for slicing lemons.

I haven’t purchased many games on the iPhone, mainly because they don’t hold my interest for more than a few hours. Although I guess if you compare that to the cost of a movie, 99 cents for a few hours is a bargain. Fruit Ninja has kept me entertained for about a week now. The Critter Crunch game I was talking about a while ago still gets some daily play. There’s a free demo if you want to check it out. Around level 30 it gets to the point where it feels like work though. So I just restart and play through again, getting a little further each time with a little more ease. In the past, I’d have just kept trying and trying and trying to get through to the finish, driven by a tormented completionist mentality.

Mmm, strangely the iPhone game that’s kept me tied up the longest is one that’s free. I’ve been playing it pretty consistently since November of 09. It’s one of those deals where you can pay money to cut corners and earn bonuses if you want, but if you’re cheap and patient and lazy those paying folks subsidize your experience. The game is called World War, and the reason it’s still in rotation is that it’s a persistent ‘world’ filled with real people. Actually, it’s pretty much just text based with a simple economy of buying and selling elements, scuffling with folks. You get what you put into it. It’s at its best when I’m feeding some sort of dramatic struggle with a jerk out there or planning my strategies. I check in a few times a day to make sure things are on the right track. It’s not a particularly time consuming affair but I have spent up to an hour or so in-game at times when I’m trying to achieve something in particular. Anyway, if you’ve got an iPhone or Touch and that sounds interesting, try that jaunty. It’s free and we can ally up. My buddy Jeffrey B has been in the mix with me since nearly the beginning. I think it’s available on other platforms of choice as well, if that happens to be Droid or whatever but I’m not sure.