Ryan Jacobs . Org

Today, I’d like to tell you about an iPhone app which has consumed entirely too much of my life over the past two days. The app is called “Angry Birds.” It is a nifty little physics game, and it is incredibly addictive. Here’s the storyline: You are a flock of birds. Little green pigs stole eggs from your nest. You are ANGRY!!! I will now review this game by category on a 10-point scale.

• Gameplay: 10/10. The game is very intuitive: you launch birds out of a slingshot by “pulling” back the slingshot with your finger. Birds fly through the air and demolish the structures which house the pigs. There are different kinds of birds with unique abilities, like the bird that splits in midair or the bomb-bird. Some levels require multiple special-ability birds. The game is particularly addicting because it is neither too easy nor too hard – the levels are very well-planned, requiring a nice balance of thought and accuracy.
• Destruction: 10/10. The birds are super-angry. Really, they’re pissed. My favorite levels are the ones with dynamite.
• Storyline: 9/10. Simple but gets the job done. The game is developed by a Finnish company, and one thing I found particularly hilarious is that some of the pig structures on the higher levels have little Swedish flags sticking out of them. Subtle but effective patriotic humor.
• Price: 9/10. It’s not free. But it is 99¢, putting it in the same category as avocados. That category is “amazing things you can purchase for under one dollar.”

I was in the computer lab today killing pigs, and in no time several of my colleagues had inquired about and tried the game. My excuse was that “Angry Birds” is the #1 paid app on iTunes, and it made sense from a business perspective to stay on top of current technology trends. But mostly I was just wanted to see if I could send my kamikaze bird through three layers of wood.