So I just played Angry Birds

[Enigmus]

Go have a talk with Zynga. They'd like to show you 60 Million Farmville players. They'd also like to show you numerous additional revenue streams in games like Mafia Wars, Frontierville, YoVille and the like. Their free games, coupled with additional seed monies from numerous sources (including EA) shows that this stuff is serious business.

I treat Zynga as a late "me too" company. Look at it this way:

FarmVille = toned-down SimFarm
CityVille = toned-down SimCity
Mafia Wars = toned-down Grand Theft Auto

To me, they're all just toned-down versions of said originals. As for playing them? Why would I when the original inspirers are still available?

And as for Angry Birds, it's too simple for me. The factor that things like Tetris were developed with mathematical attributes in mind may have something to do with this. I found AB to be "predict the trajectory angle" ala Human Cannonball for the VCS, while Tetris provokes me to think on multiple levels- "Do I fit the z-piece above the t-piece? Will the line piece mess up the balance of the buildup on the left? Will the high-speed mess up this l-piece landing onto the square, or should I interlock it with the other l-piece to score a double-line?"

All depends on time and thought process, IMO.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Mafia Wars = toned-down Grand Theft Auto

Wait WHAT?

Clearly you've never played either Mafia Wars, or Grand Theft Auto.

Other than the presence of "The Mafia" in both games, they're nothing alike.

Not even by a longshot.

[G-Boobie]

You know, I was going to come in here and agree with the OP, but I just realized I have the achievement for playing forty hours of Angry Birds on iPod touch. I guess I owned myself on that one.

[Rob2600]

Go have a talk with Zynga. They'd like to show you 60 Million Farmville players. ... Their free games, coupled with additional seed monies from numerous sources (including EA) shows that this stuff is serious business.

Yes, "casual" games are serious business. I'm not arguing that. My point is the "shallow casual games" market and the "deeper DS/PSP/3DS games" market are filling two different needs.

Yes there's some overlap, but for the most part, the two markets aren't competing with each other. That's my point.

Angry Birds is popular. Pokemon is popular. One isn't going to put the other out of business because they aren't competing for the same market. Again, YouTube videos haven't put movie theaters out of business, and vice versa.

[WanganRunner]

^^
Yeah, that.


MOST people I know who play Farmville haven't ever been big conventional videogame players.

A few have, but it doesn't seem to be the norm.

[megasdkirby]

I've played Angry Birds a few times...it's good, but I don't understand the fuss behind it either. I understand it's purpose, and it is fun, but it's not something I want to play constantly. In fact, I just deleted it from my iPad 2, and I will soon delete the other, free variations as well.

I prefer console games over these type of "quickie" games. Though the DS and Wii has it's full share of shitty shovel ware games, which I consider equal or worse than "quickie" games.

[QuickSciFi]

I dig it, but only as much as I dig Wii Sports, just above shovelware imo. I'd still play it, but it won't define "video games" in my household.

[APE992]

They're something simply, easy to pick up and have a very short learning curve.

Best to use while waiting on a prescription to be filled or in line at the DMV. I wouldn't want to play FF7 on a PSP while waiting in line.

[j_factor]

I don't really have anything against casual games per se, but I found Angry Birds really boring. It's too simplistic and repetitive.

[NaturalChemical]

My problem with AB isn't that it's not fun; it really is a neat game. What bothers me is that it's just like so many flash games that I've seen in the past, and yet it's becoming the defining puzzle game of this era. What am I missing here? What sets AB apart from any of those flash games?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

My problem with AB isn't that it's not fun; it really is a neat game. What bothers me is that it's just like so many flash games that I've seen in the past, and yet it's becoming the defining puzzle game of this era. What am I missing here? What sets AB apart from any of those flash games?

You can't run flash on an iOS device.

[megasdkirby]

You can't run flash on an iOS device.

You just reminded me...for some reason, while using another browser on the iPad, I was able to play a few flash games, though tediously slow.

Why is this?

[WanganRunner]

The lack of Flash on an iPad is why I don't yet own an iPad.

Totally obnoxious. Flash is the standard, Apple needs to suck it up.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

You just reminded me...for some reason, while using another browser on the iPad, I was able to play a few flash games, though tediously slow.

Why is this?

iSWiFTER

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iswif...388857173?mt=8

Some iPad browsers process the flash games/video on THEIR end (cloud servers) and convert it to iPad-compatible-code.

Fine for video, but from what I've read, very laggy for games ... kinda like playing PS3 via PSP over internet remote-play. The inherent latency of the internet is very apparent.

[alukado]

I'd never play it again , compare to most console games it really doesn't worth a shot .
But their cases for iphone are good .
Check this one : http://www.slickgate.com/angry-birds...olor_p996.html

[ella1216]

I like Angry Birds games, so i also buy a Angry Birds case:

*EDIT* I'm glad you like your Angry Birds case, but this link is spammy. Prove to me that you're not a spammer why don't you.*EDIT*

[swlovinist]

I have been playing alot of Angry Birds. It is a simple, addictive game that offers a crapload of game for a mere 99 cents.

While some others will disagree, I personally feel that this game is a game changer for the portable industry. While I agree that this game is not on par with some DS/PSP games in terms of depth, production qualities, etc...it is only 99 cents. I can honestly tell you that after I got an iphone, I started caring less about picking up DS and PSP games as much. While the iphone is not a substitute for a dedicated portable gaming device, it still can offer great portable gaming, at a significantly lower price per game. I have bought countless games for mere dollars and have had alot of fun with casual games, as well as played some really neat retro style games on the phone as well. Instead of spending $15 to $10 on a used DS or PSP game, I have been spending $0 to $3 per game on the iphone and getting more bang for the buck.

While I am a very active collector of physical media, I have to say that for current portable games I dont miss it at all. I love the fact that my iphone has all the games I want on the go built right in. Sure there is alot of crap games to sift though, but there are a TON of amazing great games of all different types. Best of all, I can purchase a game on the go, sample a game for free, and delete a game if I choose on a whim.

Angry Birds is an example of a different game strategy that has been widely popular with the public. I feel that the public in general is going to get real tired of purchasing a portable game at $30 to $40 per pop, physical game or not. It has and will affect portable games moving forward. The 3DS I feel will be the first example of "the smartphone effect" in which less people will care about getting a dedicated portable gaming device...espically with the high cost of the system and games. For the folks who do not want to pay the high price of the iphone per month, there is the ipod touch.

[QuickSciFi]

It was a dollar when I bought it and it's content has increased two-fold since then. I'm going with ==> Smart purchase.

I still think it's as casual as Wii sports and I shall play it as much. But it was still just one dollar.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The game was released for free to users of Google Chrome. Visit this link in Chrome to get it.

Honestly, I tried it... and it bored me. I'm sure people enjoy this game, but I don't get the appeal. Sorry.

[heybtbm]

I can honestly tell you that after I got an iphone, I started caring less about picking up DS and PSP games as much.

Same here.