Angry Birds, Casual Games, Intel AppUp Center, Detailed Review
You have played this game on iPhone, you have experienced the thrill on Android but now, enjoy Angry Birds like never before on your Windows PC, thanks to Intel who have released a dedicated application store – Intel AppUp Store for Windows users.
Angry Birds was initially launched for Apple’s iOS and later made its way to Android Market, but since I didn’t had an “expensive” iPhone or a “multipurpose” Android at that point of time, I had to lock my urge for playing this game. Meanwhile, I had read a lot of reviews about this game and I was quite excited to try it out, I had played it once on friend’s iPhone but that was just not enough for “the beast in me.” Earlier in 2011, when I came to know that Angry Birds has been released for Windows, I knew, I had to get it for my “Shadow Bliss” right away. And this review is a result of my experiences with the game.
Basic Intro
Angry Birds is a casual game developed by Rovio Entertainment, it was initially launched for iOS devices but can now be played on various platforms viz. Windows, Chrome OS, Palm OS, and Symbian. The storyline of the game is simple, gameplay enjoyable, and overall it is a great pass time, you can enjoy it in multiplayer as well, it’s so competitive (discussed later in this review).
One-liner Ratings
- Storyline– Simple
- Gameplay– Interesting
- Graphics– Good
- Angry Birds– Awesome!
- Overall Performance – Fantastic, a must try
Storyline & Gameplay
The game begins with a cinematic video, the birds come to know that their eggs (future babies
) have been stolen by Pigs, naturally they are Angry! and that’s where the heat turns up. Your objective in the game is to help the birds (who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their children) in destroying Pigs, covered with strong fortifications. But remember, you are a warrior, and no fortification is strong enough for the the brave at heart.
You target 6 different birds (discussed later in this review) to destroy Pigs, covered with fortification made up of wood, glass and stone. Each bird has different ability, strength and weakness. It is important to hit each of the fortifications with the right bird, or else you won’t be able to destroy the Pigs, unless you get lucky.
As you start proceeding in the game, new birds start to join your pack and levels become difficult to clear as the fortification gets stronger & fatter, uglier and more difficult to kill Pigs join the enemy pack (like any other game, you would clear all the levels easily by trying again and again).
If you understand how nature works, the physical world, then you would be able to do well in this game because you need to experiment in the game by shooting birds with varied speeds and at different angles. I would not say the game is tough, but definitely, some levels are tougher than others. Moreover, you get limited number of birds to destroy fortification and that too arranged in a particular sequence, you have to strategize heavily in order to clear the level. If you clear the levels with some birds remaining on your deck, then you earn a bonus of 10,000 points/bird (cool, right?).
There are about 120 levels to clear in this game, on the whole, the gameplay of the game is interesting and addictive.
Bird Profile : Strengths & Weaknesses
There are six type of birds in total, I have nicknamed them for you, the real names are in brackets. I hope you like them.
- Red– Mr. All-Rounder (Wood Breaker)
- Blue– Glassy Triplets (Glass Jaw)
- Green– Boomeranging (Parabeak)
- Yellow– Speedy Woodpecker (Mocking Bird)
- Black– Blast `em All (Kamikaze Bird)
- White – E(d)ggy Lady (Egg Beater)
I had previously blogged about the strengths and weakness of Angry Birds, so you can read that [here].
My Favorite Bird
Um… that was a tough call, Glassy Triplets, Blast `em All and Speedy Woodpecker have helped me clear many levels but I would say my favorite Bird is the Yellow One (Speedy Woodpecker). Why? Because it is strong against breaking wood fortification and speeds up in air (when LMB is clicked), it makes terrific sounds as well.
In-Game Music & Sound Effects
The In-Game Music of Angry Birds is catchy, I had set it up as my phone’s ringer but later removed it, it drew a lot of eyeballs in Metro. One of the coolest features in Angry Birds, the real birds is their sound effects, each bird sounds differently and the noises they make is intriguing, they make you realize that they are really angry, the game would have been lifeless had Rovio not worked hard on the music.
In-Game Music & Sound Effects is superb, you would love it.
Angry Birds Music Video
Angry Birds Gameplay in Real Life
[T-Mobile]
The Multiplayer Angry Birds
Angry Birds is not a multiplayer game, you can’t play with your friends over the air, also you can’t compare your scores with the rest of the world using Game Center but if you have a close buddy as crazy as you are then you can have fun playing this game on your computer. I used to play this with my friend, We used to attempt each level of the game and enjoyed each other’s moves in the game. The game becomes quite interesting, because the feeling of performing well, even if it is in a game, is just wonderful. I know it sounds childish, but try it, it feels nice.
Pricing & System Requirements
Angry Birds for Windows PC can be download from Intel AppUp Store (download link) by paying a price of $4.99/- It would run fine on Windows XP, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit).
Conclusion a.k.a. The Verdict
This game is very popular around the globe, you would have heard of it from somewhere, whether you have played it or not is a different thing. The game is fun to play, addictive and has catchy graphics, you would love to play Angry Birds in your free time and I can bet that you would recommend it to your friends.
People in the blogosphere have a mixed opinion about this casual game, a few avid video gamers (born to play HD games like Call of Duty etc.) feel that Angry Birds is not a real game, it is just a waste of time but I differ, being an avid gamer myself, I can understand what they are saying, but this game was launched back in 2009, when not too many HD games were available for mobile platform, its graphics are relatively poor as compared to other iOS games like Rage HD, but then graphics is not one of USPs for this game, it is a great pass time, it is fun to play that’s why I like it and am recommending it to you guys.
I hope you play Angry Birds, after reading this review, at least once and then make your own opinion about the game. I hope you liked the review.
This blog is an entry to the “My Favorite PC App” contest. Check out numerous apps for PC/Netbooks available at the Intel AppUp Center. If you are looking for an opportunity to build and monetize your applications, check out the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program.
Sources: Angry Birds Website | Intel AppUp Store
