Angry Birds
On a recent flight from Texas back to New Jersey, a woman a couple seats in front of me spent most of the five hour trip engaged with Angry Birds on her iPad. She was thoroughly immersed in the game, outwardly displaying frustration or elation with each puzzle. Seeing her play sparked my curiosity. A short time later, I got my chance to play the game when Google added it to it's Chrome Web Store.
There's not much in Angry Birds to describe. The game is a series of puzzles based on crude physics. Forget the fact that you're flinging birds at pigs; the stolen eggs premise is only a silly premise on which to base the puzzles. Puzzles are solved by using a slingshot to fire the birds at pigs surrounded by walls of glass, stone, or wood. The puzzle is solved when all the pigs have been crushed. The fewer shots taken, the higher your score.
The game is part of the casual gaming genre that has exploded with the popularity of the iPod Touch, iPad, and Android devices. I've played about a dozen of these types of games, and with the exception of classics like chess, they always fail to hold my attention. Some may argue the point of casual gaming is to fill time with a mindless activity; some would argue the puzzles in casual games help stimulate the brain; as for me, I find them silly or stupid.
Casual gaming aside, the biggest problem with Angry Birds is that it is too easy. Most of the puzzles can be quickly solved through trial and error. And since the game mechanics allow replaying levels, even the most challenging puzzles can be played over and over again until the optimum result is achieved. Quite frankly, if you are looking for cheap mindless entertainment, download the Kindle
app and read a book.
Geek Cred Um, none?
Geek Crud No story, plot, or point; Silly premise; Challenges are too easy.
There's not much in Angry Birds to describe. The game is a series of puzzles based on crude physics. Forget the fact that you're flinging birds at pigs; the stolen eggs premise is only a silly premise on which to base the puzzles. Puzzles are solved by using a slingshot to fire the birds at pigs surrounded by walls of glass, stone, or wood. The puzzle is solved when all the pigs have been crushed. The fewer shots taken, the higher your score.
The game is part of the casual gaming genre that has exploded with the popularity of the iPod Touch, iPad, and Android devices. I've played about a dozen of these types of games, and with the exception of classics like chess, they always fail to hold my attention. Some may argue the point of casual gaming is to fill time with a mindless activity; some would argue the puzzles in casual games help stimulate the brain; as for me, I find them silly or stupid.
Casual gaming aside, the biggest problem with Angry Birds is that it is too easy. Most of the puzzles can be quickly solved through trial and error. And since the game mechanics allow replaying levels, even the most challenging puzzles can be played over and over again until the optimum result is achieved. Quite frankly, if you are looking for cheap mindless entertainment, download the Kindle
app and read a book.Geek Cred Um, none?
Geek Crud No story, plot, or point; Silly premise; Challenges are too easy.
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