'Aves' – An Intriguing Tech Demo
posted by Eli Hodapp on September 23rd, 2009 4:08 PM EDT in $0.99, 2.5 stars, Games, Reviews, Shooter, iPhone games, iPod touch gamesAction = Reaction Games has caused quite a stir in our forums with their latest release, Aves [App Store]. Openly branding it as a "tech demo," even in the iTunes description, the developers have packed some impressive features in to this game.
Aves uses GHOST binaural audio, which requires headphones, but creates an eerily realistic three dimensional effect to all the in-game music and sound. The animation technology in the game is called "BioReplicants," and has no preset animations for the birds flying around in the game. Instead, the physics model is built around a virtual muscular-skeleton system to create a bird rag doll that moves and flies identical to how a bird would fly in the real world.
It sounds like a whole boat load of marketing hype, but the sound is impressive and the animations are actually extremely realistic looking for an iPhone game. The actual premise of the game is far less exciting, and revolves around shooting a bow and arrow at these birds that fly around the screen. Aiming is very difficult, and beating any more than the first few levels is easier said than done. The developer is even offering $1,500 to the first person who can record a video of themselves beating level 25. (Which leads me to believe it's impossible or close to it.)
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
At 99¢, Aves is worth picking up if you've never experienced binaural audio or want another technically impressive title to show off the power of your device. If you're looking for anything more than a tech demo mini game, you're better off waiting for whatever next game the developers produce utilizing this technology.
App Store Link: Aves, 99¢
TouchArcade Rating:
Very amazing game. The binaural is very cool and impressive.
The audio and visiuls in the game are top notch.
Be sure to check out the YouTube video with headphones on!
lol! oh plz, this game is a major FAIL. no one would even consider buying this.
Well, the game has 27 ratings with a 4.5 star average, so I guess there are some people who made this consideration and acted upon it.
No one? For $0.99, I was intrigued enough by the video to buy it. As a game, so far it's very difficult. As a tech demo, it's hard to believe it's running on an iPhone.
The developers explicitly said the more copies of Aves they can sell, the sooner they'll be able to use these technologies in a "real" game. So fine, I bought this rather than a Diet Coke. And I got the chance to laugh at you for FREE!
Well, I'm just checking out the comments while I seriously consider the purchase. So yeah, congratulations, you're wrong. Sounds more like you're just trolling though.
The game engine is nice, but the premise of the game is a bit distasteful. Shooting birds with a bow and arrow? The birdwatchers society will be in an uproar. What about if the flying animal was a pterosaur instead? Unless the paleontologists object…
Maybe the game should be re-titled "KFC" or "Spicy Buffalo Wings".
Shooting digital birds? {shrugs} Nothing wrong with that to me. I've got a ton of games where I've blowing up, slicing up, and otherwise killing humans, I've even got one where a kitten is regularly killed in bloody fashion. This sounds right up my alley. Gonna buy it.
Well, this has surprised me. I bought this on the premise of basically wasting 59p but low and behold it's actually quite enjoyable. When trying to shoot those pesky birds I find myself quite uptight and pushing my feet down hard on the ground, as a passenger in a car would do when the driver is braking hard.
Reminds me of the feeling I used to get playing Spectrum games. Frustration, but ultimately satisfaction when reaching the goal.
Pinning a bird to the wall by it's wing and then watching it trying to free itself before finishing it off with two more arrows did the trick.
it is enjoyable but should a tech demo cost money? and if the tech demo is 205mb at what will a full game weigh in?
Ryan, consider it a tech demo/fundraiser. Re: file size: There's a lot of audio packed into Aves, so full games won't be much bigger. That being said, this kind of immersive audio will always require more memory. I think it's a small compromise for such cool technology though.
Good to see that people think in more ways then "How to get the best Iphone graphics ever". Audio can be a very important! I cant waith to play something like silenthill/resident evil/doom with this new technology!
Folks, this kind of audio and physics will be put into many games in the future as long as you keep up the demand. Keep telling your friends!!! Post "Aves" on your Facebook and mySpace pages!! Your support has been excellent so far, but we need more to top the iTunes Charts! Thank you.
Absolutely both technologies will be in very involved and stunning games. See the BioReplicant video for a smallll taste:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJDmGD3yjd8
[youtube]AJDmGD3yjd8[/youtube]
I also thought that the idea of shooting a bird was distasteful but I downloaded this when it became a freebie to see the highly touted Bioreplicant technology. In very short order, I was HAPPY to shoot that annoying bird! Maybe it's just me, but I didn't find the technology all that impressive. The bird often flew upside down, which real birds never do except maybe very briefly during aerobatic moves. I thought the bird was just kinda floppy and dopey looking and it's calls annoying beyond words.