Tiny Wings is everything perfect about iPhone games


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http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2011/02/tiny-wings-is-everything-perfect-about-iphone-games.ars

The world is filled with people who take pride in never having played Angry Birds, or who turn their noses up at iPhone games in general. Let them. There was a legitimate case to be made for the possibility of Angry Birds winning game of the year from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, no matter how simple or limited the concept. Now, Tiny Wings is the latest gaming success on the iPhone: $1 can buy you a little drop of happy for your iPhone.

Tiny Wings is a download small enough that you don't need to be on WiFi, and the price tag is low enough that it's the easiest of impulse buys. The gameplay takes one finger, and the game is mostly a matter of timing. This is why it's so magical.

Tiny Wings

The game may be easy to understand and even simpler to play, but the up-and-down motion, use of color and sound, and rhythmic nature of play all come together to allow you to lose yourself in the kinetic motion of your bird. You touch your finger to the screen to get the bird to dip, trying to fit perfectly into the downward slope of hills and then let go after it gains speed, but that's enough.

You'll be forced to weigh each situation, making choices between speed and getting coins, and the game gives you a variety of tasks to accomplish in order to get a new nest. The goals and rewards are both humble, but they're enough to keep the player locked into the game, working towards those slight rewards. Nothing violent or dismaying happens when the round is over; the sun simply sets and the bird goes back to sleep.

This is a game you can get lost in—one you can spend 15 minutes playing and then walk away from, having already gotten your money's worth. If you're like me, you'll spend much more time than that playing Tiny Wings, and you'll be thinking about it when you're not playing. You can get a round in anytime you want, and at $1, there's little disappointment if you don't like it.

This is what people are talking about when they say their iOS devices mean they don't need a portable gaming system. Lower-priced, high-concept games are helping more games find a larger audience, and that's a good thing. After talking about the game online, I was deluged with messages from people who bought it and loved it—more evidence that there is less separation between the so-called "hardcore" and "casual" audiences than we like to think.

This is a keeper, go get it.

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I love this game. 6th island is my best, but still haven't gotten the 200 coins for an upgraded nest. :(

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Not to start an Android v. iOS flamewar, but it is stuff like this that people always underestimate.

We can talk specs all day long and how the iPhone 4 doesn't stack up.

But, honestly, I could care less about Ghz and Ram when it's the software that ultimately pushes to towards one product or another.

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Does look like a great game, I did want to see some actual gameplay before I passed judgement but now I've seen the video it looks simple and fun.

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It's okay so far, nothing that I am like wow, but nothing that I will immediately stop playing. It is okay. Perhaps because I only get to the 4th island I say this. :laugh:

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It's okay so far, nothing that I am like wow, but nothing that I will immediately stop playing. It is okay. Perhaps because I only get to the 4th island I say this. :laugh:

I played the game for a good hour yesterday, and can only get to the 5th island. I can see this picking at everyone's inner OCD, always trying to get the perfect jumps, perfect angles, and perfect speed

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Not to start an Android v. iOS flamewar, but it is stuff like this that people always underestimate.

We can talk specs all day long and how the iPhone 4 doesn't stack up.

But, honestly, I could care less about Ghz and Ram when it's the software that ultimately pushes to towards one product or another.

To me personally, the problem lies in that people seem to be unwilling to do this type of stuff on Android. Most Android phones are more than capable of handling a game such as Tiny Wings, but until people decide to open up and develop things on both platforms, or port it to Android, then Apple will continue to have the better developer backing.

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meh....it gets pretty boring pretty fast...press to speed up? wtf thats it? i mean seriously? that's addictive?. if this is immersive and addictive gaming, I feel for future of games

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meh....it gets pretty boring pretty fast...press to speed up? wtf thats it? i mean seriously? that's addictive?. if this is immersive and addictive gaming, I feel for future of games

Sometimes the most simplistic gameplay becomes the most innovative gameplay. I personally put more hours into Tiny Wings than I have Dead Space 2. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Example, look at the success of Pac Man Championship Edition. Pac Man has been a franchise for how long? Yet it is more fun that countless number of games that involve an immersive 3D environment, complex controls, etc.

Plus the game is one dollar. Think about it. ONE DOLLAR.

Designing a simple game that's accessible, fun, and addictive to the most people is by far more challenging than designing most current-gen games. Simple is not easy. Same goes for music, movies, graphic design, web design etc.

BTW, if it's too simple for you, which nest have you reached? ;)

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Sometimes the most simplistic gameplay becomes the most innovative gameplay. I personally put more hours into Tiny Wings than I have Dead Space 2. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Example, look at the success of Pac Man Championship Edition. Pac Man has been a franchise for how long? Yet it is more fun that countless number of games that involve an immersive 3D environment, complex controls, etc.

Plus the game is one dollar. Think about it. ONE DOLLAR.

Designing a simple game that's accessible, fun, and addictive to the most people is by far more challenging than designing most current-gen games. Simple is not easy. Same goes for music, movies, graphic design, web design etc.

BTW, if it's too simple for you, which nest have you reached? ;)

Pac Man Championship Edition is amazing. And hyper-addicting. As is Tiny Wings.

What I'm happy about is that we're finally getting score-attack games again. Look, Angry Birds is clever and a good way to waste time, but something like Doodle Jump, where I can go and say "I got xxx,xxx score, what did you get?" are infinitely better. All of the classic arcade games were built around that mechanic, and there's something inherently satisfying about getting a new high score.

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i can just get to the 10th island, but seems impossible from there :/

Damn, that is pretty darn impressive. I so far have only made it to island 7 and my nest is at x20.

The game has definitely grown on me. It is nice to just pick up and kill a few minutes here and there. Well worth a $1.

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Got to a point where the objectives seem a tad ridiculous, but a great game nonetheless

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When you go from one platform to another, you will always give up something, that's natural. The argument that this makes iOS inherently better however is laughable, it's all a matter of personal choice

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Sometimes the most simplistic gameplay becomes the most innovative gameplay. I personally put more hours into Tiny Wings than I have Dead Space 2. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Example, look at the success of Pac Man Championship Edition. Pac Man has been a franchise for how long? Yet it is more fun that countless number of games that involve an immersive 3D environment, complex controls, etc.

Plus the game is one dollar. Think about it. ONE DOLLAR.

Designing a simple game that's accessible, fun, and addictive to the most people is by far more challenging than designing most current-gen games. Simple is not easy. Same goes for music, movies, graphic design, web design etc.

BTW, if it's too simple for you, which nest have you reached? ;)

I have maxed out at level 4 currently. after my jump from level 1 to 2 and then realising i had to do the same thing, it got boring.

and yes I used to play pacman before but I prefer modern gaming concepts like limbo and super meat boy

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I have maxed out at level 4 currently. after my jump from level 1 to 2 and then realising i had to do the same thing, it got boring.

and yes I used to play pacman before but I prefer modern gaming concepts like limbo and super meat boy

how is super meat boy a "modern gaming concept?"

also, games like Limbo and super meat boy are designed to be played in a prolonged gaming experience (ie on your couch or behind a desk)

Mobile gaming experiences are meant for 5-15 minute intervals. That's why they are so successful.

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