Reviews Archive

1

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Nemesis Mode Exclusive to Xbox 360

By
kfemmel
– March 8, 2012

The highly anticipated spin-off of the Resident Evil series, Operation Raccoon City will arrive in stores on March 20th. Developed by the same people behind many of Sony’s Socom games, it is a departure for the series. Players will have to work together as a team to survive an endless amount of zombies, while trying to defeat famous characters from Resident Evil lore.

Nemesis mode is exclusive to the Xbox 360 version. In Nemesis mode, two teams compete to find the control unit for a Nemesis and when they do, they can unleash the pure havoc that Nemesis is known to bring to anyone standing in its path.

Read the rest of this entry »

1

What’s New in Windows 8

By
VisionCloud
– March 2, 2012

 

There is no doubt that Windows 8 will be great on new tablets and touch based computers, but what about the average user who already owns a normal PC and will face the decision of whether to upgrade or not. A lot of emphasis has been placed on touch interfaces in Windows 8 which leaves the average keyboard and mouse user feeling a little left out in the cold. So for you users of older versions of Windows, I have compiled a partial list of 10 new features in Windows 8 which can enhance your computer experience.

 

 

1. It Will Work with What You’ve Already Got

My first impression of Windows 8 came during the install process. It checked compatibility issues and then installed the OS over top of Windows 7. What was so remarkable about this was the fact that it kept all my applications, settings, favorites, passwords, files, it just kept everything. There was not a single program that I had to reinstall and I wasted no time transferring files from my old computer, or even from Windows. Installing Windows 8 on a PC currently running Windows couldn’t be easier.

Of course, the install gives you options to only keep files you choose, or to keep nothing at all from your old Windows install in case you should want a clean install, but having the ability, and defaulted at that, to keep everything how you already have it is absolutely revolutionary to Windows, the install was so easy, no one will ever need to hire a tech to come upgrade their OS again.

On top of keeping all files, programs and settings, Windows 8 is designed to work on the hardware you have. If you can run Windows Vista – 7, you can run Windows 8. If you can run XP, chances are you can still run Windows 8.

One topic I know is on everyone’s mind is “but my computer doesn’t have a touch screen, Windows 8 won’t work or will be hard to use on my computer.” Let me put those worries to rest by saying that a Mouse and Keyboard will work just fine on Windows 8. If we are to compare the usability of Win8 on touch screen vs. Win8 on mouse and keyboard, yes the touch is going to be way more fun, and in many ways easier to use. However, if we are to compare mouse and keyboard on Windows 8 vs. mouse and keyboard on Windows 7, Windows 8 is just as easy if not easier to maneuver with a mouse and keyboard than Windows 7. I’m not going to lie, there are a few things that take some getting used to, it may take a day or two of use before it feels 100% natural, but the experience getting there is still pretty fluid and once you are naturalized, you will be way more productive, connected and up to date on Windows 8 than you ever could be on Windows 7. And the touch on Win8 vs. the touch on Win7; not even a competition, that is where Win8 excels.

 

 

2. Split Screen

With the new Metro style apps, Windows 8 gives you the ability to split your screen. This allows you to view one metro app in a minimalist view and view the other in full screen. It is easy to switch apps in either of the two panes and this gives you a whole new level of Window-ability.

When writing apps for Metro, developers have the ability to define what content will show in the minimalist side and how it will be displayed. This often gives you quick access to what’s most important. For example, the chat app lets you maintain conversation while you go about your normal business on the computer.

It is important to mention that the desktop along with all running applications is treated as a single Metro application.

 

In the image above, the desktop is on the right side with a preview of all the running applications you can find on the desktop. Click any of those icons and it will open up to that program.

An example of the People App on the left side with the desktop on the right.

You mix that spit screen with Windows snap controls that is carried over from Windows 8 and you get the ability to quickly, effectively and easily split your screen into three working panes, making it easier than ever to get stuff done.

 

 

3. XBOX Integration and Control

Last night I was sitting on the couch in my living room doing homework. Generally, I like to listen to music or watch TV as I work through my classes each night. It used to be that I either had to sacrifice some of my laptop screen to a TV show and work in the remaining space or go into the living room and use Kinect gestures or voice to get a TV show running. With Windows 8, there are some new controls to help out with that.

The XBOX Companion app that was recently released on Windows Phone 7 and then followed on other devices has now come to Windows 8. This allows you to search for videos, music, games or applications that you can then broadcast to your connected XBOX. Combine that with the split screen mentioned above and you get to continue working on your computer while you control the XBOX quite literally on the side

 

4. New Multiple Monitor Support

Windows has always exceled at multi monitor support, but in Windows 8 it makes even more improvements. The most noticeable and for me the best improvement is the extension of the start bar (app bar) all the way across all screens. Windows 8 not only lets you see the app bar on all screens but lets you customize what shows up on the bar.

My configuration is set so that I see pinned applications only on the main screen, and each app bar only shows the applications that are open on that screen, but many other configurations are possible.

 

5. New Task Manager

The Task manager has always been for the more experienced of PC users. Most people don’t dare mess around inside of it because it all looks like something only a hacker on TV would understand. Windows 8 has revamped the task manager for the first time since it was released on Windows 95, and it looks great now. I won’t go into too many details of what you can do, but hopefully you get the point.

 

 

 

6. Cloud Integration

Windows 8 just like most mobile platforms has as strong emphasis on cloud storage. It comes installed with a SkyDrive app that allows you to copy to and copy from your Microsoft SkyDrive account as well as including SkyDrive albums in your photo app. Windows 8 doesn’t stop there, in the photos app, you’ll have access to several cloud storage options for photos including SkyDrive, Facebook and Flickr with more to come in the final release.

 

Windows 8 also pulls all your contact lists from any email addresses you add to your computer, Facebook, your live account and many other sources and gives you a complete list of all your contacts in one easy to use place, just like it does on Windows Phone.

 

 

7. It Goes Where You Go

One of most exciting aspects of Windows for me is the ability to take it with you, and this happens in two ways. First off, when you sign into Windows using your Microsoft Account, all your settings and favorites are synced to the cloud. When you log into a secondary computer, say your work computer, using the same account, all those settings are then synced between your two computers. This gets rid of the necessity to set up each computer just the way you like it, now you can set up once and have it sync to all of your computers. For me this is immeasurably useful as I currently have my laptop that I use for work, a laptop I leave at my house as a media center and soon will have a Windows 8 tablet. I want my experience on those three devices to be as uniform as possible, and with Windows 8, that is more possible than ever.

The other way that Windows goes with you is through Windows Go, the ability to install Windows 8 to a flash drive. With a flash drive version of Windows 8, you can carry around all your files, settings and programs on a flash drive, plug into any PC, boot up and be running on your familiar computer. The potential here for Professionals and Enterprise users is amazing, the ability to have your computer with you everywhere, without lugging around the actual physical hard drive.

 

These two options make Windows more portable than ever and help to unify the user experience across devices.

 

 

8. Built In Anti-Virus

When I installed Windows 8 yesterday morning, the only program that it could not carry over from Windows 7 was Microsoft Security Essentials. Why could Microsoft’s Windows not run Microsoft’s own security software? Because it already has it built into the OS.

With windows 8, Windows Defender has been (re-)upgraded into a full fledged security suite. The reason this is great for the end user is that it eliminates the need to buy high-priced security software to protect your PC. It now comes standard and for free. Also, Microsoft has a tendency to update their Security Definitions nightly which means your computer will never be more than 23 hours behind on how to combat the latest threats.

Windows Defender runs quietly in the background, taking up little to no system resources and best of all, it is highly non-invasive. Many security platforms have a tendency to pop up every 30 seconds and try to be in your way as much as possible. Windows Defender simply does not.

Pictured: Windows Defender not being annoying.

 

9. Live Tiles

If you’ve heard about Metro on Windows Phone, or Metro on XBOX or even Metro on Media Center then you’re familiar with the concept of live tiles. Live tiles are large tile icons that give you up-to-date information as well as acting as a shortcut to open apps. Metro on Windows 8 has got them now too.

Now you will always be up to date on what matters most to you.

 

 

10. New File Management

For the most part, the file system and the file structure are the same, what has changed is the way that Explorer handles some of the everyday tasks it has been tasked with.

The new Windows Explorer ribbon is one of the first things you’ll notice when browsing your files. This ribbon gives access to many quick command such as delete, copy, move and paste as well as many advanced features that only experienced users knew how to find in Windows 7, such as Mapping Network Drives, viewing or not viewing hidden files, hiding or showing known file extensions and many more.

 

It may be a while, but eventually you are going to try copying several files at once, we all do it eventually. In older versions of Windows, you used get multiple file transfer boxes popping up all over the place if you tried to transfer more than one thing at a time, in Windows 8, it all shows up together.

 

You’ll notice that you also now have the ability to pause and resume transfers as well as cancel them easily. If you click on more details, you’ll see graphs showing current transfer speed and history.

 

Windows 8 is different and that will definitely take some getting used to. I have also found a few things I don’t like about Windows 8, (hopefully things that will be fixed by the time it goes live later this year,) but overall Windows 8 is a refreshing change and has already begun to make my job and my life easier and more convenient.

If you’d like to test it for yourself, and determine whether Windows 8 is the right fit for you, you can get the Consumer Preview here.

Have you already been testing Windows 8? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

0

Toy Soldiers:Boot Camp out now on WP7

By
Cristian Reyes
– February 29, 2012

A new game has just hit the Windows Phone Marketplace complete with Xbox Live achievements. This week we are presented with Toy Soldiers Boot Camp a tower defense type of game. Toy Soldiers is a IP owned by Microsoft and has had several successful console releases on the Xbox Live Arcade. Toy Soldiers Boot Camp is based of the previous game in the series Toy Soldiers Cold War. The portable version of the game will mainly focus around the mini games from the Cold War title such as Fly Swatter,Thread the Needle, and Cardboard theater. To get a better understanding of the game modes take a look at the videos below. Get Toy Soldiers Boot Camp today for only 2.99

 

0

LG Miracle Reveals Itself… or Is It a Fantasy?

By
Cristian Reyes
– February 12, 2012

LG Miracle

Looking for a Miracle? Maybe this is one. Images are leaking around the internet of a new Windows Phone by LG. The LG Miracle pictured above is sporting a front-facing camera and five-megapixel camera in the rear. The phone itself looks like it was designed by HTC. The phone must still be in development because of the “not for sale” stamp on the device.

Also revealed a few days ago, wpcentral caught pictures of another Windows Phone called “Fantasy”. The Fantasy is equipped with NFC and a gyroscope. Could LG be planning to release to separate Windows Phones, or are they one and the same? We will let you be the judge of that.

LG Fantasy

 

3

I’m a Twit….

By
Brian Weston
– February 11, 2012

…a MetroTwit that is. We spend so much time on our mobile devices, often we neglect the need for really good native Windows apps. This is especially the case for Twitter. Like most people, I use the Twitter website which, for all intents and purposes, serves my needs. But then again does it? Actually not really and here is why: if I want to stoke my ego and see who is interacting with me or retweeting my posts, I have to click on @Connect and leave my primary feed. I like this not and neither do you which is why Tweetdeck was developed. But for some reason, it never really resonated with me. Well during my searches for the best Windows Phone Twitter app, I found the best Windows desktop app. It’s called MetroTwit and here is why it is so darn good.

  • It’s free
  • It has a simple and clean interface
  • It’s has a “Metro” feel to it
  • It supports infinite scrolling, URL shortening, previews, autocomplete for Usernames, notifications and multiple columns
  • It’s fastLists and multiple accounts are coming soon. So go ahead, be a Twit like me and check out MetroTwit. You won’t be sorry!
1

I Have “App ADD”

By
Brian Weston
– February 9, 2012

I have “app ADD.” What this means is I can never firmly choose which apps I wish to have permanently installed on my Windows Phone. You see friends, I am addicted to finding and trying new apps, deciding those new apps are better than my old apps and subsequently uninstalling my old apps in lieu of my new apps. I even have apps that find new apps that find new apps for me! This invariably leads to my eventually deciding that the new apps really are no better than the old apps. So I install new apps only to reinstall my old apps which, now, become my new apps. It’s a vicious circle of indecision and OCD. Yes, I have app ADD. So let’s take a look at a few of the gems I have located thus far during this obsession:

Mehdoh Twitter client. I have tried Birdsong, Seesmic, Rowi, Twitter, native Twitter, moTweets and a few others and I always come back to this app. It’s very good and it’s free.

Retweetly. I hate that Twitter ditched the option for people to see which of their Tweets have been retweeted. The lack of ability to clearly see this hurts my ego. This app solves this problem. All it does is exactly what it says, it shows you which of your tweets have been retweeted and by whom. It’s free.

My Starbucks Card. Dear Lord. Thank you for providing me with this .99 cent app that shows me my Starbucks card balance and generates a scannable barcode.

Untangle. This is a game whose goal is to untangle stuff. It’s stupid addictive and it is free.

RapDialer. This app fills the gap left by the default dialer. Basically it allows you to quickly do a realtimeT9 contact search. YAY! Oh yeah, it’s free.

Stop the Music. This app allows you remove the active song/podcast from the volume bar without rebooting your phone. Love it. Yup. It’s free too.

Please join me in celebrating app ADD! What gems have you found during your obsessive searching?

4

Xbox Live Weekly Update 2/7-2/13

By
kfemmel
– February 7, 2012

This week is a busy week for discounts for the Xbox enthusiast. Not only can you score major deals on a full year of Xbox Live, but two stellar games are releasing at retail, along with a huge sale by Square Enix. Ha, and you thought this was finally the year you were going to spend your savings on the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Sorry, not during an unusually strong first week of February.

Xbox Live Weekly Sale

Get a full 12 months of Xbox Live Gold for $20 off at various retailers this week.

 

The biggest Xbox Live related sale isn’t even on XBLA games this week. From February 5th until February 11th you can pick up a 12 month Xbox Live subscription card for $39.99 at multiple retailers. Head to your local Toys’r’Us, Best Buy or GameStop.

Go on a quest with Crimson Alliance for a third of the price you would normally pay.

As for the weekly Xbox Live sales, Crimson Alliance is your deal of the week. You can pick up this action-RPG with all character classes for 800 Microsoft points, or purchase each class individually (Assassin, Mercenary, Wizard) for 560 Microsoft points. All of these are on sale for roughly 30% off their normal price.

There is a lot of Square Enix content on sale, Seriously, a lot.

Not to be outdone, Square Enix is having a huge sale on content from various games. You can pick up Explosion Mission Pack for Deus Ex: Human Revolution for 140 Microsoft points, Tactical Enhancement Pack for 80 Microsoft points, and The Missing Link for 600 Microsoft points. All of these Deus Ex items are roughly half off.

Continuing with the publisher sale, you can score the Black Market Aerial and Boom packs for Just Cause 2 for just one dollar. You can grab A Hazardous Reunion Challenge Pack 3, All The Trappings Challenge Pack 1, and the Raziel & Kain Character Pack all for 200 Microsoft points. The DLC for Tomb Raider: Underworld is on sale for half off, with Beneath the Ashes, and Lara’s Shadow clocking in at 400 Microsoft points.

Xbox 360 Retail Game Releases

The Darkness II

The Darkness 2 wants to play with you.

Gamers everywhere have been raving about the demo for The Darkness II for the last few weeks and the wait for the game is finally over. The Darkness II takes place two years after the original, The Darkness, and Jackie Estacado is engulfed in an all-out mob war after an attempt is made on his life. He still can’t forget the brutal murder of his girlfriend during the first game, and the Darkness inside him is resurfacing.

Gamers can quad wield weapons (you read that right) by firing two separate weapons with Jackie’s human arms while using his demon arms at the same time. There is four player campaign co-op over Xbox Live and the story is helmed by the Paul Jenkins who not only wrote the story for The Darkness but for many famous comic books, like The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Kingdoms of Amalur is being praised as the Skyrim killer by some media outlets.

Fans of Western RPGs who were turned off by the distinctly Japanese flavor of Final Fantasy XIII-2 last week will be pleased to know they have quite the role playing game to delve into this week. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is being described in some circles as a deep RPG with the simplicity of combat found in Fable.

Some great minds collaborated to bring you Kingdoms of Amalur like best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane, and lead designer of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Ken Rolston.

Games on Demand

If you’re already planning for a future where all entertainment content is digitally distributed then this week’s additions to Microsoft’s Games on Demand service for Xbox Live should be of interest to you. This week you aren’t getting any notable additions to the service, instead you can get three older titles at a cheaper price.

Discounts on Games on Demand this week: Battlestations Pacific for $24.49 (25% off), Just Cause 2 for $24.49 (25% off), and Tomb Raider: Underworld for $14.99 (25% off)

Xbox Live Arcade releases

You can look forward to Shank 2, as well as some insane Batman inspired FPS action in Gotham City Impostors this week.

Game Demos

If you are the type of person who prefers to try a game before you buy it, but can’t find a copy of new releases to rent anywhere near you then you can look forward to demos for Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinectimals Now With Bears.

What games are you most eager to get your hands on? Let us know on the comment section below. Don’t forget to add us on Twitter and Facebook as well to keep up with all the Zunited.net news.

 

 

0

Must Have Games February

By
Cristian Reyes
– February 6, 2012
Need For Speed
Bullet Asylum
Chikens Cant fly
Splinter Cell
Toy Soldiers

Here are the Must Have Games for the month of February.

  • Need for Speed:Hot Pursuit- Available now – $4.99
  • Bullet Asylum-Feb 8 – $2.99
  • Chickens Can’t Fly-Feb 15– $2.99
  • Splinter Cell Conviction-Feb 22– $4.99
  • Toy Soldiers:Boot Camp-Feb 29– $2.99
0

Windows Phone App Showcase : Wheel of Wealth

By
Dario
– January 15, 2012

When Alpha Jax hit the Microsoft marketplace in the early stages of the mobile OS, people were smitten by its clean, friendly user interface, its ease of use, and the fact that it was a Scrabble clone with a heavy dose of quality thrown into it. Even though it borrowed heavily from the formula of that Hasbro classic board game, it made it into its own by creating a great feature set that elevated it above rip-off status. With that sort of pedigree established as something to strive for by other developers looking to create apps that mimic the game play of classic board games, it’s no wonder that a good app that can tap into that nostalgia and create a compelling gaming experience is an enticing proposition for devs out there.

With that in mind, Shantek Studios’ Wheel of Wealth is a perfect example of an app implementing that compelling experience based on a classic game show that most of us grew up with when watching prime time television.

The premise is simple, and for the most part, it sticks to the formula to a T. If you’ve never experienced the soothing tones of host Pat Sajak and the flipping acumen of Vanna White here is a brief recap. Playing with up to two other players, one must spin a wheel and hope to land on one of the numerical slots that will allow you to guess a letter that might be contained within the word, phrase or name on the board. Guess correctly and you’ll win the monetary value of that slot and allow you to continue guessing or try to solve the word puzzle. Win a round and advance to the next round with $30,000 and the extra winnings in hand. If you guess incorrectly or land on a ‘bankrupt’ or ‘lose a turn’ slot, the chance to guess goes to the next player. Player with the most money at the end of three rounds wins.

That’s the gist of it. It’s not overly complicated, but the fact that you have to slowly build up enough information through the letters gathered to obtain a feasible answer is the real draw here. It not only tests your deduction prowess but also your knowledge of different topics in current pop culture, entertainment and food to name a few.

Wheel of Wealth throws in some specific categories that you’d never find in the television program. Categories like video game titles and geek-centric puzzles (with plenty of eye-rolling Twilight references in the mix as well) you’ll find something in there that will have your inner geek squeaking with glee.

The game features a nice set of features to compliment the gameplay. Things like game chat, leaderboards, pass-the-phone play, and the ability to play against the computer really add the depth that places Wheel of Wealth above the true knock-offs of the marketplace world. One must compliment the developers for also updating the app consistently and with newer and richer features.

The app has already amassed 11,000+ downloads, and the newly established weekly and monthly leaderboards adds a competitive edge to the proceedings. The game is free with ad support, and it benefits from this as there are plenty of games to go around. Wheel of Wealth impresses and gives Windows Phone users a good game to test their trivial knowledge, as well as give a competitive game to challenge some of the more established players in the player pool.

You can download Wheel of Wealth in the Zune Marketplace now.

5

Angry Birds Review

By
Dario
– July 1, 2011

Angry Birds Review

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $2.99

It’s time for a little confession. I’ve never played Angry Birds before. In the two years since Rovio released it’s mobile juggernaut, I have not been the cause for one of the 250 million downloads that the series has achieved. Yet, I’ve not been spared the litany of media coverage and advertisements for the game. Truly, this is one of the first mega hits for a burgeoning mobile gaming platform that will undoubtedly be remembered as a classic in future years. It started on iOS, but its popularity has proliferated onto the Android, tablet, DS and PSP market.

But not on WP7 (and curiously enough, not on Xbox360 either)…that is, until now. It’s another title Microsoft can scratch off its list of missing apps on the Zune Marketplace, one that from the early stages of the OS’s existence, almost didn’t happen. Today, though, Angry Birds launched on a spanking new OS to ultimately increase its popularity once more.

So given the chance, I jumped on to see how well this two year old game stacks up with the hype behind it. Needless to say, this review isn’t for the gamers out there familiar with the game. Like I said, Angry Birds has spread its wings amongst everyone, it’s the Tetris of the new millennium. No, this review is for those of us that happened to miss the phenomenon on its first go around, or if you happened to live in North Korea for the past two years. But it’s also a review that pits what the game really is, and what it seems to be after all the adulation and blandishment it has received.

Windows Phone finally has Angry Birds, and now it’s time for the masses, once more, to revel in its wake.

Gameplay

Angry Birds is wickedly simple to learn, yet its not in the nuances of control that makes it a challenging and fun experience. Its addictiveness comes from its level design, and a heavy emphasis on chain reactions, and figuring which bird can do the job of starting said chain reaction to let the next bird take it from there. At the start of a level, one has a predetermined amount of birds at their disposal to try and destroy the green pig’s fortifications (I’ll spare you the reasoning behind this fowl and swine conflict, it’s all window dressing to give meaning to the proceedings). You also have a slingshot to fling the many variety of birds that you’ll have to use, but the caveat is that you can’t choose what bird goes in what order–you’ll have to use the birds given to you and the order that they provide. Which you’ll have to figure what part of the fortification you’ll go after first. Each fortified building or structure is made up of different elements. Some parts are made of stone, while others are made of ice and wood. The hodgepodge of materials to bust up present their own types of challenges to work around. In order to succeed, you must find a chink in the armor, and see where to fling your birds to exploit that deficiency. Ice and wood are easily breached, but the tougher stone slabs will take a couple of beatings before they fall, depending on the bird being thrown.

That said, this sort of gameplay can lead to a lot of trial-and-error, repetitive play. In order to get at all the green pigs in each level, you have to work through their fortified locations, but having that task can be tough considering the possibilities and options of your attack. It makes for some interesting situations, and it comes down to some small amount of planning if you want to avoid that sort of trial-and-error approach. Looking at the structure in front of you and assessing what part to attack first with the first bird in your hands will make it a more cerebral, and ultimately, satisfying experience. What adds more to the experience is the sheer inventive level designs that you’ll have to overcome to beat the game. I have to give props to Rovio in creating a magnificent, Rube Goldberg-esque, set of levels to play. The first initial levels are your basic forays to get you in-tune with the birds abilities. Those first levels wont impress you, and to be honest, pale greatly to the sort of mad scientist contraptions you’ll encounter in later stages. They’re fantastic, and really add to that element of surprise and eagerness to move on to the next level. Setting explosions in motion that create chain reactions of destruction is ultimately satisfying and never gets old. It brings the eight-year-old in all of us that loved to knock down the wood block castles of our own making.

In short, Angry Birds succeeds best when it’s about solving the puzzle of the structure to knock down. Taking an approach of discovery to find the right path of destruction is what really makes the game tick, and I can see why it’s such an instant favorite to gamers out there. It’s a simple formula that yields great challenges. In the grand scheme of gaming things, you can’t beat that.

Graphics, Music, Presentation

While Angry Birds’ level design is king, it’s complemented well by its visual appeal and presentation. Graphically, it’s not pushing the boundaries of the hardware, nor does it have to. Instead of flash and glamor, you have a cartoon style that borders on simplistic, and actually gives the visuals a Saturday morning cartoon feel. It certainly makes it easy to get in to, being so aesthetically friendly. It serves it well, though, as the visuals keep the framerate silky smooth with nary a slowdown. When the birds go crashing into walls and causing a ruckus, sending shrapnel of bits and pieces around, everything is presented so cleanly that it makes it even more enjoyable to replay some of the more, explosive levels.

What helps too is the quickness of load times. You can be in and playing within seconds, which is saying a lot considering some of the load times present in other games. One of the best things about playing this, is that you can literally start a level over in just a second if you happen to mess up. That swift restart helps to keep you engaged, and you don’t have to sit there and wait for a level to load to pull you out of the moment. Kudos to Rovio for achieving this.

Another layer that adds to the feel of the game is the sound effects. Birds cluck, screech, and chirp in flight and on impact, while the pigs oink in defiance. These little things add a small amount of humor, and just enough lively chatter to make the game experience complete.

Achievements, Extras, Etc.

The icing on the cake comes in the form of Golden Eggs. These are hidden eggs that must be found throughout the 165 levels available in the game. I won’t divulge what you get for these eggs, but it’s an added extra that makes it worth it for the watchful eye.

Achievements wise, definitely the hardest is the Episode – 3 Total Destruction achievement. To obtain this cheevo, you must have three stars in all the episode’s levels. Tough task to accomplish, but it will definitely add more replay value to the game.

In Closing…

As a first time player of Angry Birds, I can safely say that the hype is well deserved. Birds does a wonderful job of creating an addictive experience, and one that makes it hard to put the game away. Each new level gets better than the last, and each new bird you encounter wrinkles the formula just enough to add a new layer to the puzzle. And with over 160+ levels to try and obtain three stars on each level, you can have a huge amount of replay value and sink in plenty of hours. At this price, it can’t be beat.

Time will tell how Microsoft handles the other missing updates that were either free or at a low price for Angry Birds. However, for $2.99 and the amount of content available, this title is well worth the asking price, and another feather in Microsoft’s cap.

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