Angry Birds – iPad, iPhone, iPod
The birds are angry my friends and they’re on the various Apple i products. Don’t have an i product? Well, read this anyway because this is a game you’ll want to watch for if it comes to XBoxLiveArcade, the Wii/DS store, the PSP/PS3 store, or wherever else. The short of it is: Angry Birds is a POPCAP game that POPCAP didn’t make. It’s that good. Really, it is that good.
The folks at Rovio recently noticed my interest in iPad gaming so they sent me a couple codes. I’ll be talking about Dominion HD (a RISK clone) soon, because the one that’s entranced me is also the one that’s hit the number one spot for iPhone/Touch and has now been updated to an HD version for the iPad. Certainly, humor isn’t required for a simple strategy game but here it helps immeasureably. Here’s the skinny: some nice unassuming birds are distracted by evil green pigs intent on eating their eggs. The birds aren’t powerless however, each type can transform themselves into a slingshot ready projectile. A kind of avian fury not seen since that Alfred Hitchcock movie… um… Psycho? Is that the one?
Angry Birds plays like a sideways Boom Blox. The pigs hide behind walls, wooden beams, glass, metal plates, etc., It’s up to the birds to break these barriers using the birds available. This is easier said than done. The only weapon the birds have is themselves, and a giant slingshot. Touch to draw the bird back and fling it at the fortress, trying to hit the pigs within. Bird types consist of cardinals who function like rocks, tiny bluebirds who can transform into a threesome to hit the target like a scattershot, yellow birds who can speed like missiles, chickens that can bomb using their eggs, blackbirds who are essentially time bombs. One thing that helps a great deal is the sound effects. The noises the birds make as they fly are hilarious. Like any good strategy game it’s simple to learn, hard to master and when you’re stuck, you still try over and over and over again just because TRYING is fun. It’s especially fun to help a kid through it, see if they can figure out the best shot and help them as needed. I can’t think of better praise. Angry Birds might make you angry, but the charm, polish and overall genius should keep a smile on your face.
Fun stuff, hope they port it elsewhere too.
September 13th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
This is a great game, agreed. I have it on my iphone and my 4 year old son and I have played it together many times, watching the action, the little nuances of how pieces are affected, the physics of things falling, etc. Very addictive and trying again and again has never been this fun…….