Originals September 27, 2011

Jessica's Appinion 'Hungry Chicks & Nine Heroes'

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Nine Heroes

Nine Heroes is an unexpected gem that totally kicks ass. The game naturally appealed to me because of my obsession with cats but the game has so much more to offer. The goal is simple: to defend your headquarters from enemies while attempting to destroy their home base. There are 4 lines to place the heroes on and each hero has a specific skill set that can help defeat the zombies. The most basic hero is the cat but you will be able to buy more heroes as you earn food. There is a wide array of heroes that are all represented by different animals. The heroes have three main varying attributes, their attack level, their armor and their attacking range. The objective of the game is to earn as much food as possible by completing levels so that you can buy the more powerful heroes and upgrade the ones you already have. You can also upgrade the last line of defense or as I like to call them “the guardians.” The trickiest part of the game rests in the structure of how you can deploy your heroes. There is a life potion that dictates when you can send out a hero. The more powerful heroes require more time to accumulate enough life potion to be released. Seconds feel like hours as you wait anxiously for the green light to send out your big guns.

The zombies come down the different lines and you have to strategically place and time your heroes so they are the most effective at stopping them. You have to play smart and save your stronger guys for when they are really needed. This is a high-anxiety game that requires you to use your brain more than your fingers.

The first few levels of the first world are pretty slow and boring. In the beginning it will just feel like you are watching all the action happen but that will quickly change. I strongly advise you to continue on because the game becomes more and more intense. The game starts to feel like a battle and you are forced to take on the role of the general, commanding your army to fight on your behalf. You have to make strategic decisions as you deploy your men on the lines against relentless opposition. Although the heroes are the ones doing all the fighting, it is the user who is the puppet-master. This game has even inspired me in my every-day life to deploy random people to run errands for me. Even though you have complete control over your minions, you will be rooting for them like you trained them yourself.

Nine Heroes is a game of strategy and it is a strategic way to spend your time.

BUY IT

Hungry Chicks

When I first heard of hungry chicks I thought it was a game about stoner girls on a quest to find food. As awesome as this sounded, the actual game definitely exceeded my previous notions. The concept isn't groundbreaking but the game has a unique flare that separates it from other "cutesy" games out there. The objective of the game is to gather worms and feed them to your chicks that are unable to leave the nest. The goal is to earn 3 stars per level in doing so. There are 36 levels that all pose different threats and challenges .The most basic level is comprised of just one bird and nest to feed but quickly you are faced with more obstacles. The more difficult levels present multiple birds that have their own corresponding nest of chicks. These birds are distinguished by their colors and they each have to accommodate the number of birds in their nest with the same number of worms, ensuring every chick gets a hearty meal. It’s not wise to overfeed the chicks either or else you will not earn all 3 stars; I wonder if the game developers spoke to my mom when adding that clause. This aspect of the game brings in a math component that is quite difficult for people like me who can’t do simple addition. There are also the standard life-threatening obstacles (electric fences, sharp spikes, etc.) that will make your quest that much more difficult.

The concept is gold but not executed as well as it could have been. The way the game is controlled is extremely frustrating. To move the birds, you tap the screen in the general area of the bird and then it moves in the opposite direction. There is not too much control over the bird’s movements which makes tight situations very hard to maneuver. Tapping isn’t precise enough to mirror the direction you actually want the bird to go in. The birds move in a sort of “rolling” motion and once they start the only way to keep them from falling is to relentlessly tap at the screen. This aspect adds some excitement but also gives your fingers quite the workout. It’s hard to say whether the game itself is challenging or it is just way too difficult to accurately navigate the birds.

The game has some pros and some cons. It can be fun to see your maternal instincts kick in as you fight ferociously to feed your chicks. However, the controls prove to be extremely annoying and take away from the entire experience.

SKIP IT

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