Alright, my desire to find out what all the fuss is about has finally overcome me. What the heck is supposed to be so great about Angry Birds? It's been sitting at the top of the sales charts forever, and people are constantly comparing new apps to it - "Is this the new Angry Birds?" I've downloaded the free demo at least four times and I still can't figure it out so clearly I'm missing something. There's a feature, or a control, or SOMETHING that I have failed to find and I want to know what it is. Here's what I see. I pull back the slingshot and shoot a bird at a structure. I have no good way to aim this bird precisely, which means that the effects of my shot are somewhat random. Sometimes I get a good shot that lands where I want it to and pigs die. Other times not so much. I could probably just flip a coin and have just as much fun. Heads I killed a pig, tails I didn't. Whee. Even if I COULD aim better with some sort of guide lines or something, I'm still not sure that would make it a great game - it still looks very trial and error oriented to me. Alright, bring it on. What's the totally obvious thing that I don't see here? Maybe the demo is just so gimped that it doesn't show the brilliance of the full app? I guess I don't *need* to like this game, I've got tons of other games I love, most of which I found out about here and many of which fit the "usual suspects" of games everyone seems to love. It's just this ONE game that isn't making sense to me for some reason.
I feel the exact same way about Crush the Castles (which has a similar game mechanic). Really don't see what all the fuss is about. It is totally boring to me.
You are not alone. I very rarely spend any time with physics games, which I refer to as trial-and-error games. They just are not fun to me. I dont really understand the appeal either. There are physics games I have played more, without what you describe as the random effect.
You've exaggerated the gameplay a little. After your first shot on any level you know quite well where your next shot will land. Part of the fun is trying to hit something you can't see. The thing that makes the game interesting is that there are tons of levels, so everytime you play you have a new challenge and no time pressure.
I really don't like games like Angry Birds but that one game really makes an exception. What you described there is in fact the very thing that makes the game that good. In games like Worms (the one with the worms shooting each other with guns) you need to hit your opponent and if you miss you've failed. With Angry Birds you might miss but suddenly you might notice your miss hits some other structure and the whole stage collapses and voila, you've just made a new record. The aiming is bit tough at times but it only takes a second or two to hit pause button and then restart the level to try again with a bit different ankle. Also worth noting is that you can pinch zoom to make targeting easier, but then it's harder to hit long distance targets since you can't see them. In short; in this game you need to practice a lot of trial and error. Btw, it would be cool to have an option to keep your last 3 flight paths on the screen for a while. Maybe even color code them so you can tell a difference between each bird type's flight paths.
I did discover the pinch zoom eventually, which helps some in that you can actually see what you're shooting at. I used to play Scorched Earth a lot long ago (forerunner to Worms) and loved it. I think some of the key differences there are that you could put in precise angle/velocity values instead of the vagueness of pulling back, the lack of emphasis on having to land perfectly on target with every single shot (the game was to kill the enemy, not to do as much damage as you could in 3 shots), and that you could see your target more clearly, being both onscreen at once without having to zoom out and make the aiming less precise.
Your not missing anything. Angry birds is like Doodle Jump - Nothing to get excited over. The reason they are top games is because people don't know what good is. So they take lame games and try to make them good because they can't tell a good game from a nongood game. This is why all of the good games are hard to find and random, lame games get pushed to the top.
i agree. i keep trying to like it. keep coming back to it, just to make sure. nothing. as stated above, i think it appeals to the masses but not so much to gamers. my girlfriends daughter loves it and constantly calls me out on how far she's gotten, so i think i'll probably have it on my phone forever...but it doesn't get a lot of PT. i think likening it to other physics-based games is a little unfair. a lot of the physics games are considerably more predictable, much more intuitive and require a certain kind of logic to succeed. with AB, i think you've hit the nail on the head with the coin flip. sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. oh well. in fairness, it is very polished, has a great community following and has regular updates that keep it fresh for those who enjoy the game. all of these things go a long way in extending the life of a PUAP type of game like this and the developers should be commended for the energy they put into their title. that being said, the gameplay doesn't suit my tastes.
Which would be OK except that you can't afford even one shot for rangefinding. Because of the large score bonus for unused birds, this pretty much spoils your score for the level. Anyway, at least I'm heartened that several others feel the same way. I think I'm going to delete the demo for the last time and get on with things. I just picked up Cut the Rope and I've got a lot of candy to feed this little guy
Well now that's just not true at all. Anyway, Angry Birds is a good game. It's not phenomenal, the only reason it's so popular is through luck and good advertising/update schemes. It's not stuck to the top of the charts because the game itself is amazing, it's there because the hype is amazing.
Of course you always get another round if you're alive and not all weapons/strategies involve hitting your opponent directly, but I think people still get the point.
Thank god I'm not alone on this! For months I've been trying to figure out what all the hype is about. I find this game bland, dull and extremely boring. There are tons of physics games by the truckload that are way better than this #*^~! I really hope "cut the rope" can finally knock it out of #1. Angry Birds = The most overated game in the history of iTunes!
It's this kind of attitude that makes me despise iOS gamers specifically. This arrogant, condescending attitude that everything they like is great and everything everyone else likes isn't, and that those who like games like Angry Birds somehow don't know what a good game is. It's infantile, moronic, and without merit. I've had more fun playing Angry Birds than I have most of the apps I've downloaded. Is it groundbreaking? No, but the damn thing is fun, and easily the best supported game on the market, with the exception of maybe Pocket God. I've been playing games for 30 years now and resent some snot nosed punk thinking they know everything about games and what's good or not. Take the stick out of youor butt, and realize not everyone shares your opinion. *Rant over* And get off my lawn!
Well said. There are really two reasons I dont generally like physics games, one being the trial and error, and two being control difficulties. Your right, not all suffer from both problems -- Angry Birds has both...unless you consider the randomness a feature, which many apparently do.
I think it comes down to the fact that most people that are buying iOS games are those that need a quick diversion while in line, at lunch, maybe on a bus or a train. Angry birds (and doodle jump and similar) are perfect for this. Quick bite sized portions that make you think for a bit then you go on your way. Plenty of levels to play and very casual friendly. Speaking personally, when I am sitting waiting for my food to be ready, or I have a few minutes waiting for anything, I whip out my ipod touch and play angry birds or something similar. (Skee-ball, fieldrunners, Skull Pogo are three free quick favorites. Fieldrunners I can keep coming back to for a few waves of creeps.) I really don't want to have to focus on a game for more than a few minutes if I only have a few minutes to spare. I don't want to get involved in a deep storyline then get pulled away and lose my place or goal. All those games have their time and place but so does Angry birds. Plus I love going back and tweaking my high scores just a bit higher....
Thank you for proving my point. Oh, so I am suppose to accept the fact that you don't even know what makes Angry Birds "fun" and agree with you that it is the greatest thing since sliced bread? Your "30 years of gaming" must have diluted your taste. Maybe you should get over yourself and come back when you when you can tell me what makes angry birds SOOOOOOO great, because it isn't, OLD MAN! I have merit in that it is proven that no one knows why Angry Birds is "good". You look like a casual non merited bandwagon jumper with your "market support" comment. Only casual gamers like Angry Birds which is why it is on top. Go ahead, try and PROVE ME WRONG!
The biggest complaint I have about it is the progression system. Sure they continue adding in copious amounts of levels, but those additions are useless to people that have gotten themselves stuck on a level, as there is no way to progress further past that. I supposed there is that new black eagle thingamadoogin, but they honestly should have thought of a better way to remedy this. The star system is a perfect candidate... unlock the next level using a certain number of stars, or something. And another problem I have with the eagle is that it is simply too little, too late. I've already abandoned the game after a few weeks of continual frustration on the same level, so I'm not going back to it anytime soon.* I can see why people love the game though. It's the perfect iPhone game: Colorful, accessible, fun (until you get stuck on a level for three weeks), quick to pick-up-and-play... and did I mention colorful? People love that stuff, so it's easy to see why so many people love it, and it lit the app store charts on fire. I, however, do not share a similar positive feeling, but that is stemming from the bias that came from me being stuck on the same level forever, and then immediately getting stuck right after I beat it. If I didn't suck so much at the game (I swear those physics are wonky as heck), I would probably be much more positive. But I do... so I'm not. *= And usually when I say something like that, I pull a sub-conscious inception on myself and actually end up getting hardcore addicted to it again.
