Angry Birds seems to be the first game that cheap people buy (People who normally just buy FREE games). They have probably never played any other games on the iphone, only free versions. They think back to the lite games they have tried out("That Angry Birds was fun") and go and buy it. They have never really played a good ios game because non of them are free.
I find it fun. After your first shot you can restart and get a good idea where to aim, then it's all about hitting the right spots to kill them. Obviously it's not for everyone, but more people like this game than any other so it must be doing something right.
No one is really missing anything the games that people like is all based on the personal preference of that person.
YOU are telling us what are those better games? I dare say that AB's 6.5 million sold copies are clearly stating there aren't any better games. Sure in my opinion there are better ones out there, for example Crimson Gem Saga and Battle for Wesnoth, but who am I to argue - they haven't sold that much. Of course there's the pricing issue. Cheaper games are easier to buy since you won't miss much if you don't like it, but imagine buying Chaos Rings (10+ $) and not liking it. Then again I might be a bit biased - not too many Finnish games are making big sales around the world but AB is one of them. EDIT: Liking this or any other game is just a matter of opinion and as we all know opinions are like a*holes - everyone's got one and they all stink.
So you're saying a game's worth is determined by sales, huh? The top 50 has been full of shitty games. Yet, they sold a lot, so by your logic they are better than Crimson Gem Saga and Battle for Wesnoth. So that fake mirror app that cracked the top 50 is apparently better than Jet Car Stunts and Hook Champ. So Angry Birds is better than every single Gameloft game ever produced, right? So I guess Lil Wayne is worth more than John Tesla, since he made more money. And yeah, Gilbert Arenas is a better basketball played than Chris Paul . The "everyone has an opinion" argument is tiring. I could use it right back on your post and so on. It's just an excuse to say what you want and run away.
Depends on how you determine "worth". Of course one could say Mona Lisa is the biggest/best work of art known to man, but more people are interested in seeing the Hollywood sign on the Hollywood hills. It all comes down to who appreciates what. With art it's a bit more complicated but I believe with games it's the sales that matters. AB is a great game and by searching for Gameloft games on AppStore I can say there's a lot of crap (in my opinion of course), but there are some good ones as well like Dungeon Hunter. In my personal opinion Wesnoth is better than AB but I can name a LOT of people who disagree with me. I'm not running anywhere, just saying that people like different things and no one's opinion is better than someone else's. Baseball, music and games can't all be compared since they have different goals. Music and games pretty much are there to keep people entertained and make money. This means it's the sales or playing times that count. Don't know John Tesla but I bet his music is played on radio more than Lil Wayne's. Not sure though. With baseball I think it's the achievements that matter. Who's been in the winning team the most, made the most homeruns etc. Sure one can say Nethack is the best game ever, and for me it pretty much is. If we believe in democracy and ask people which one would they more like to play - Nethack or AB, I believe the winner would be AB. With games you can't still blindly look at the numbers. The mirror app might have a lot of downloads but when asked about it people might not say it's the best app ever. The same might hold true for AB, but I'm pretty sure quite many would say it is. That's just my hunch though. Only time will tell if the AB will keep its top position on the charts but for now it really seems it's the messiah game for the masses. Just to repeat what I said before, AB is not the best game, Nethack is. EDIT: Cut the Rope was mentioned so many times that I went and bought it. So far I gotta say it's brilliant. Not as random as AB and allows some thinking.
i don't know how you can agree with him. there is a big difference between a bad game and a game that doesn't appeal to you. regardless of your preference towards a game, there is a level of quality that it possesses. while you may not like the game, it can, at the same time, be quality. or it could be crap. angry birds is not crap...it's not poorly made...it does not lack quality. you might not like it, but it is still a polished title. that's a fact. the whole 'people are stupid' argument is a little tired. EVERYONE thinks the masses are a bunch of idiots...but when did all these people separate themselves from everyone else? as far as i'm concerned, all of you are part of the masses. as far as you're concerned, all of us are. it's all a matter of perspective... people aren't stupid...most of them aren't hardcore iOS freaks like us and they buy a couple apps a year, if that. the game is at the top of the list because it's at the top of the list. it's simpily a case of momentum. it's really naive to make blanket statements like this. people know a lot more than you think. really, i guess i can't understand how anyone could agree with anything that someone who uses the word(?) 'nongood' says.
All this arguing leads me to believe I missed the memo that "I enjoy the game" is not enough reason for a game to be good for people. I also get a kick out of "casuals" being branded about as a bad thing. People enjoy games for various reasons, people have given the OP their reasoning why they like/dislike AB and that is pretty much that. Now we may commence to club the dead horse.
Gotta say my friend that you are delluding yourself if you think the reason you don't like AB is becuase you've got some special "gaming knowledge" or insight not shared by people who like the game. Sorry...I assure you you have no insight into the merits of games that I don't have. I've been playing videogames since the late seventies. I've betatested games and moded games and played games of all sorts from Pong to Call Of Duty and everything else you can think of. I've also played tons of iphone games - most of them not free - and I think Angry Birds is superb. Its popularity is partly related to its simplicity which appeals to a wide audience, but its fundamentally a good game too...
The thing that you are forgetting her is that ITS A FREAKING PHONE!!! When most people buy it they dont do so because they want an in depth, platform gaming experience. If they did they would get a psp. Instead, they want a smartphone which they will have with at any time and the games for that device are easy pick and play games, not games that take a long time to load and play. And people want to spend the least amount of money possible, so if theyre going to pay for an app, most of them will go for the cheaper one over the more expensive, despite depth. *disclaimer* if im wrong dont flame me.
I do like angry birds, i am just saying that there is a group of people who haven't played better games as they haven't bought iOS games before.
You have to remember that the Itouch is primarily turning into a gaming device (or at-least it's heading that way) and most people are picking the itouch up for gaming (All my friends).
Good point. I guess when i said its a freaking phone that rendered the rest of the post only applicable to iphones.
Her's what I see. You aren't very good at the game, and you are blaming the game for it. It only seems random to you because you haven't developed the skills to judge where the birds are going to go. Last weekend I watched my 7 year old son go through the 15 new levels, and only a few of them required more then one try. When he shot, generally the birds went exactly where he wanted them to go. On one of his misshots he pointed out as soon as he shot it that it was going to be too long. I suggest you practice a bit and see if it still feels random to you. Like I tell my kids, you shouldn't expect to have all the skills to do something the first time you try. You still might not like it, but at least you will have a better feel for why other do. I hope this helps.
dead on. I mean the OP asks what is so great about AB. A bunch of people respond with their reasons for liking the game and then the OP (or the AB haters in general) say "yeah well none of that stuff matters to me so I still hate the game." Its a bit of a strawman argument really. If you don't like the game thats fine, but don't try and suggest that the simple fact you don't like it means its not a good game. I don't necessarily think its the best game at all, in fact it might not be in my personal top ten. But its a good game no doubt and I can certainly understand the broad appeal.
Good to see reasonable arguments around here still. I waited a long while to pick this up and really only did out of curiosity, and found it to be a great time-waster. However, it is probably one of the first games that makes me want to chuck my iPod against the wall in frustration. Certainly not the best game of all time, but I see why it has the following it does. Pick up and play progressive gameplay, combined with far more content than really is expected for a .99 title. Combine that with the leader boards and achievements and you have a solid top-selling game. One thing I have learned is that I enjoy casual games for the most part on my iPod. Simply due to the fact that I prefer my 360 or PSP or DS for more serious gaming. I really can't get into eliminate or most shooters, probably because the controls aren't as tight as I would like. (although they are spectacular for what they are.) I also enjoy my games on the iPod to be more interactive. There is so much potential for the touchscreen to be utilized and most barely begin to use it. Spider is a great example of how to do it right. Flight Control is another. Sometimes I don't want to be necessarily tied to a D-Pad or virtual joystick to play something on the iPod. Granted I am a huge fan of games like Minigore, Meow Meow Happy Fight, Super quick Hook, Super Mega Worm, Zeonia and others that invalidate that point to the point of nothingness, but I find myself normally in the mood for a quick bite sized game due to my schedule, so those games are reserved for when I have more time on my hands.
