In December 2009, mobile gaming history was made when the ever-recognizable red bird hit the scene (and a few other things) with force. What started as a simple, casual arcade game on the iPhone platforms has now grown into a multimedia empire: toys, shirts, cartoons, and even band-aids. Rovio's runaway success has seeped into nearly every facet of our culture...but is the game still as good as it was three years ago?
Whether on iPhone, PC, DS, or toaster, every Angry Birds iteration employs the same basic gameplay: slingshot various birds to knock down some mean piggies and their structures. More points are awarded for bigger destruction in fewer shots. The concept works so well on mobile devices because it follows the always underrated rule of keeping it simple. Any child or grandma can pick up an iPhone and shoot a few birds around as long as they have working fingers and thirty seconds to play.
But Angry Birds came about in mobile gaming's infancy, and it hasn't grown up with the times. The game turns from entertaining to frustrating as soon as the player wants to try to three-star a level. In order to achieve this triple feat of golden wonder, he/she must fire their birds absolutely perfect with a masterful consistency. Launched that red bird a degree too high? That wooden block wasn't destroyed. Blow up the bomb-bird a second too late? The tower is still standing.
While Angry Birds is still fun for the casual gamer, it hasn't aged gracefully. By still employing outdated mechanics and unnecessary tedium, it just no longer meets growing standards of quality. Angry Birds is by no means a bad game--and I certainly do love using the Force in the latest Star Wars edition--but it stopped being a great one long ago.
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