OK, here’s a bit of Friday lunchtime geekery: a computer game review. I’ve become a little addicted to a new iPhone game called Geo-Defense, which is basically a modern take on space invaders. Essentially, there are the baddies (‘creeps’) that come along these tracks and you have to position your gun towers at strategic points and knock the baddies out. There are different types of gun towers and various baddies, all with their own properties.
What makes the game so addictive is that, like Angry Birds, it’s simple to pick up, but is complex enough to exercise the grey matter and need quick fingers to decide where to place the towers when things get hectic.
A female colleague remarked that it was a “boys’ game” and looking at the screen grab below you can see why she said that. I reckon that the game’s publisher, Critical Thought, could double the success of the game by substituting baddies for balloons and hearts and gun towers for unicorns (ahem).
The other thing that’s struck me about the game – and games generally – is how they soon build up a community of fans that collaborate and provide each other with support. As well as the helpful tutorials on Critical Thought’s own website, there are dozens of YouTube ‘walkthroughs’ (I have to admit I’ve used these occasionally on when stuck on PS3 games like Assassins Creed and Unchartered) and forum threads on gaming sites.
So, what next for Critical Thought? Well, aside from releasing an iPad version and putting it on other platforms, perhaps even Facebook, I think they could do worse than take a leaf out of Angry Birds’ book on the merchandising front – the distinctive designs would go down very well on a geek’s t-shirt or could be the subject of a cartoon or movie tie-in.
This looks quite interesting, but I doubt anything can top Angry Birds.