{"id":19979,"date":"2013-09-07T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2013-09-07T15:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=19979"},"modified":"2014-05-22T13:23:49","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T18:23:49","slug":"birdies-with-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/19979-birdies-with-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Birdies With Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I think I\u2019ve mentioned quite a bit on this blog that my main cup of tea is a good solid hack and slash RPG. If its got tons of loot and bosses galore, I\u2019m in. But once in a while the sword gets dulled, the shield wrist strap breaks, and the quests are over. Typically at this point I\u2019ll either A) Try and find a new RPG, or B) Branch out, stretch my thumbs, and find a new game in a different genre to play. I don\u2019t understand golf. I mean I get the rules, and I understand there is a LOT of skill involved. I just don\u2019t get the draw of smashing a ball with a stick over and over till you get it into a tiny hole, then when you\u2019ve finally made it, you do it 17 more times. Boy, that gets my heart pounding. Golf video games are no exception. It blows my mind that a new one or two comes out every year, since the game hasn\u2019t really changed since the fifteenth\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

That being said, I can understand the game on a smaller scale – a miniature scale if you will. The game suddenly becomes less about chasing tiny balls in go karts and becomes a game of physics. Now that, I can get into. Mini Golf MatchUp<\/a> is a free mini golf game for iOS and Android. I figured what the heck, let\u2019s give it a go after my wife suggested I give it a whirl for the blog. So I did, and here are the results…<\/p>\n

To be fair, this is a mini golf game. It\u2019s not really the genre where I kick back in a lazy boy recliner, get two tall cans of Mountain Dew, dim the lights, and sink into the chair for three hours. It\u2019s a quick casual game and I can respect that. In fact the game plays very much like words with friends or that one where you draw pictures at each other. You watch your opponent take their shot, make yours, then make the next hole first and it swaps.<\/p>\n

\"Hey
Hey guy. Place your ball here. Right here. No where I\u2019m pointing. See it? See it yet?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The game starts you out with one area to play, and gives you a set of goals, sort of like achievements. Bounce the ball off a cactus, get eaten by a dinosaur, get a hole in one after a do-over while banking into a time rift causing your ball to land in King Henry\u2019s split pea soup. OK, that last one might not be in there but you get the idea.<\/p>\n

\"If
If I paid to unlock all these levels\u2026. This would be an expensive iOS game\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every time you complete one of these you earn a star, which you use to open and unlock new courses that have a handful of levels in each.\u00a0 Alternatively, you can also spend $2.99 or so to unlock a level. Personally, I like to earn things, and I\u2019m a scrooge when it comes to paid unlockable content.<\/p>\n

The physics in the game is spot on, It\u2019s rare I\u2019ve looked at the screen after hitting a ball and had my \u201cUmmmm\u2026. No.\u201d face<\/a> on. Though I swear, this stupid shark has it out for me. Either I get distracted, or I play the game when I\u2019m half asleep, but I constantly bounce off that stupid fin. $20 says below the water there\u2019s a guy with a stick connected to that fin, wearing a scuba suit, laughing hysterically at my folly.<\/p>\n

\"Swim
Swim away shark! You can not possibly compete with demonic Watermelons!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, while I wont be at the edge of my seat awaiting the next plot twist, or shouting into the air at no one in particular as some sort of mythical artifact golf putter with +12 to Hole-In-One\u2019s (Bind on Equip), I can definitely respect that this is a great mini golf game. It can hold me over until I can sink my teeth into something a bit meatier like Blizzards\u2019 new free to play card game<\/a>\u00a0that I am desperately trying to get into the BETA for. Hear that Blizz, toss one my way – please!<\/p>\n

\"Rating-Bar5\"Graphics:<\/h2>\n

D\u2019Awwww\u2026. This game is cute. It almost reminds me of Little Big Planet for some reason. I think the only thing that would make this better, is instead of having a picture for a golfer, some sort of customizable golfer, with unlockable avatar pieces.<\/p>\n

\"Rating-Bar4\"Gameplay:<\/h2>\n

Like I said, it\u2019s a mini golf game. Which is fine, but not my general cup of tea. That being said, this is a pretty solid game. While the game does have premium balls like a power ball or an off road ball (really??) that you can purchase, I understand that the creators would like to make a buck or two.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Rating-Bar3\"Audio:<\/h2>\n

That same dang ball-in-a-hole noise… every… time. Come on, record like 10 and play one at random. Same with the ball hits from the putter. This should be an easy category to score points in. Sadly, you dropped the ball, and it wasn\u2019t on the fairway. Other than that the audio quality is quite good.<\/p>\n

\"Rating-Bar1\"Innovation:<\/h2>\n

Well\u2026 I mean it\u2019s mini golf\u2026 Not sure we are reinventing it either. But hey! It\u2019s got avatar icons and off-road balls!<\/p>\n

\"Rating-Bar2\"Overall:<\/h2>\n

Alright! We made it through the article with out any obvious and overused jokes, and I\u2019ve just lost to my wife\u2019s amazing putting skills for the second time today. I think I\u2019ll lay down the putter for now. (Unless I decide to pick up a game of Gator Golf<\/a> for the office) The game\u2019s great. It’s fun in short bursts, which probably doesn\u2019t need to be said. Anyone expecting a novella of storyline out of a game called Mini Golf MatchUp, should probably see a professional. Bottom line; go download the game, it\u2019s a lot of fun. ‘Till next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think I\u2019ve mentioned quite a bit on this blog that my main cup of tea is a good solid hack and slash RPG. If its got tons of loot and bosses galore, I\u2019m in. But once in a while the sword gets dulled, the shield wrist strap breaks, and the quests are over. Typically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":19980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[932],"class_list":["post-19979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-app-review"],"yoast_head":"\nBirdies With Friends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"OWC Tony's review of Mini Golf MatchUp. 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