Chris takes a look at 2048. While there is no way to predict when this is likely to happen, every so often a game will come along that was created by a programmer who just had an idea that they thought would translate well in to the app gaming universe, and what you end up with is a game whose popularity spreads faster by word-of-mouth than it could any other way.
Last year's indie mobile smash Threes! has been deleted from the Google Play store in a spectacular display of incompetence. The reason for the puzzler's removal? The inclusion of rival title "2048" as a search keyword.
Jarrett at Irrational Passions writes: "There’s nothing incredibly new about many of gaming’s biggest ideas. We live in a time where iteration is more popular (and profitable) than innovation. In some ways, iteration becomes innovation. The gradual process of making little things like running, jumping, and climbing feel a little better with every game can lead to progressive design by inches. I assure you, none of the games on this list had that in mind."
From the article:
"Was there ever a game you hated? A game you loathed so much you wanted to break the controller? Something that made you angry? But despite all the flaws, you continued playing the game for some reason unknown?"
So, you gave Threes a 5 then, right? Because Threes isn't just the original game 2048 cloned, it's a fundamentally better game... Highly recommended if you haven't played it yet!