The highly popular mobile phone game application Angry Birds has made it to console format, after unbelievable success Rovio have converted it into an Xbox 360 title (and other platforms) with help on the publishing side from Activision. A combination of the Angry Birds themed games have been put together to form an Angry Birds Trilogy (Classic, Rio and Seasons) and was released on 25th September. With the added bonus of Kinect, can it be a sensation once more for a new market of gamers?
Just in case you aren’t familiar with Angry Birds, it’s a puzzle game where the task is to launch (from a catapult) various types of birds that are rather enraged at groups of pigs. Usually they are surrounded by structures created from wood, ice, concrete etc. Having only a certain amount of birds, there’s plenty of thought put into how to tackle each level and not only destroy the protective barriers but also eradicate those pigs.
Classic mode is as simple as the series gets; it uses pigs both small and large, even some with helmets for extra protection. The structures are the key to finishing a level, depending on the kind of structure it may suit certain species of birds. For example: Red bird is average against everything, whereas Yellow bird is strong against wood especially when you kick in its special power, a speed boost. I’ve played this classic version many times before on Android yet I still felt the levels were fresh and enjoyable. That’s how cleverly constructed each of the levels are through the whole of the game, it’s bordering on genius where sometimes one perfectly placed shot can win you the top mark (3 stars for a really high score) and there’s many ways to complete each one.
The Rio version becomes a little trickier whilst adding different targets like marmosets and caged birds to free up in more exotic locations such as jungles and beaches. Featuring Jewel & Blu from the popular animated film Rio as a bird to use and for the first time include boss battles where you must take on a larger target.
Then we have Seasons which bases itself around all the national holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day just to name a few. This is where I found they stepped it up to a whole new level of difficulty, once snow blocks were included they hung in mid-air even if you took out the structure beneath it. I really enjoyed the difference in scenery and the thought put into these newer levels which make them unique.
Within the 100s (literally, I’ve never seen so many in a video game) of levels throughout the trilogy there’s also the opportunity to unlock bonus levels and Golden Egg levels by hitting certain secret items. The Golden Egg levels are rather special as from my experience of them so far they are more geared up for the fun factor than being challenging. This is certainly a welcomed break from what can be a times a real mental task trying to overcome some levels where there’s just one target left and you cannot figure out where it’s going wrong.
Control-wise you can use Kinect but I’d strongly advise against it due to needing to use two hands to launch the birds it’s far too easy for the game to get confused with which hand is which. Imagine you’re one accurate shot away from defeating a tough level and it launches wrong, not worth it. Luckily the whole game is controller compatible as well and as soon as noticed this, the Kinect was unplugged for the real fun to begin.
I cannot stress how excellent this game is, especially when it’s suitable and easy to get to grips with for all the family no matter how young or old; it’s exciting, mentally stimulating (on some levels you really have to think it through or get lucky) and entertaining. Graphically it looks brilliantly bright which stands out beautifully and hasn’t felt out of place once on the console; in all honesty I prefer it. No more draining phone batteries, you can play for hours and hours with no worries and no hassle. The value for money is beyond worth it, despite only 19 exclusive levels there’s plenty more of the original ones to keep you busy. Just buy it, I really couldnt recommend a better game to occupy the whole family.
9/10