Recent years have paid witness to the rise of mobile gaming. In today’s economy, mobile gaming has proved to be a low-cost venture for companies that can prove profitable. Those seeking entry into the industry have used this venue to make names for themselves. In 2009, the now widely popular Angry Birds title was released for Apple’s iOS. Recently, the title has been ported to both the PS3 and PSP. Generally speaking, ports are hit or miss opportunities. Could the mobile puzzle title succeed on a more �hardcore� platform?

BIRDS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

Simple Controls and Premise - As soon as Angry Birds started up, and I was pushed into the gameplay right away, I knew I was in for a good time. The premise is simple enough. Birds are angry at pigs for past transgressions. How do birds get even? They get angry! The player essentially hurls birds at pigs enclosed in some type of obstacle. This is accomplished by moving the left analog stick backward and then forward, while adjusting height on a slingshot. To clear any given stage, all the pigs must be defeated with only a specific number of birds allotted to the player. Points are scored based on the amount of damage done to the obstacles blocking access to the pigs, the defeat of the pigs themselves, and the amount of birds remaining.

Sounds Funny - A large portion of the fun factor for me while playing were the hilarious sound effects made by the birds while they are being thrown. For a game with little to no story, these sound effects give a certain amount of life to the birds that you cannot help adore after a while. Furthermore, the other sound effects such as the slingshot and the destruction of the surroundings are also crisp and clear.

Vibrant Colors - When playing, I could not help but notice the vivid colors used not only for the birds and pigs but also for the background environments. For a game that relies on simplicity, it can be quite important to maintain a fresh look to encourage prolonged playing time.

WHY SO ANGRY, BIRDS?

Slowdown - In a game that focuses heavily on establishing rhythm as the player completes puzzle after puzzle, I found an alarming amount of slowdown to the game. Oftentimes, it would take seconds upon seconds for the obstacles to slowly fall. Also, even after any number of pigs had been defeated, there would be further slowdown as the game transitioned back to the birds. I could hear the slingshot moving in the background, despite not having control over it yet because of the slowdown.

Lack of Multiplayer - While not all games demand multiplayer, being released on PSN, it would have been nice to see some multiplayer component involved in the game which would allow for players to complete puzzles together such as the co-op included with Ilomilo. Such a component could only add to an already addicting game.

Despite a few relatively small setbacks, Angry Birds delivers for those who want to turn their brains off for a while and relax. The game never pretends to be more than it is. It is a quirky title with a unique sense of humor that relies on factors such as sound effects and puzzle design to create the humor. With a cheap price, perhaps it is time for you to see why the title has gained such mass popularity and join in on the fun.

- Wayne