robshoy
07-12-2008, 06:09 PM
Hey everyone, this is my first review. A few hours ago I bought Big Bang Sudoku by Freeverse for the iPod Touch. The game costs $4.99, which is a pretty reasonable price in my opinion for what you get.
Sudoku of course is the popular logic-based number puzzle game originally introduced in the US in 1979, but it never really took off. Eventually it became a gigantic hit in Japan in 1986, where it was published and given the name "Sudoku", meaning "one number". Its' ever-growing popularity in the west has sold countless puzzle-books, magazines, and now video games.
The iTunes App Store has 16 different Sudoku games, ranging in price from 99 cents to $10. Big Bang Sudoku falls right in the middle at $4.99. For what you get with the game, that's not too bad at all. You get over 10,000 puzzles ranging in difficulty, absolutely beautiful graphics and animations, unobtrusive sounds, and a super easy-to-use interface. I'll break it down for you element-by-element.
When you tap the Sudoku icon on your iPod, the first thing you see after the company's logo is the menu. The features on the menu are pretty standard and predictable, not many surprises here. You can start a new game and chose between four difficulty levels (including the aptly-named "Diabolical"), resume a game you've already started, change around your options, see the credits for the game, and view your stats.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/41.pnghttp://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/42.png
The options screen is the next area I'd like to focus on. You have four options you can change. You can show incorrect moves as you make them if you'd like (though this feels a bit like cheating, doesn't it folks?), show or hide the Sun God (your call, I for one find him a bit annoying.), play or silence the sounds, and show or hide the timer. There aren't really any options I feel are missing. Everything you'd want is there. And I can't be thankful enough for Freeverse letting me hide the damned Sun God.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/43.png
The game screen itself is very attractive. Smooth gray and black pieces with yellow numbers seem to float on some sort of space-like plain, which slowly moves in the background. Apparently this is where the Sun God lives. No comment on that one, but hell if it doesn't look pretty. Playing is pretty straight-forward. Select the number you want and then the space you want to put it in. Freeverse also went the extra mile by including an option to write-in numbers, much like you would in an actual, physical game of Sudoku on paper. Very nice. If you choose to be a cheater and keep the "Show Errors" option on, your errors will automatically show up in red.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/44.pnghttp://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/45.png
Next thing I'd like to address is a personal concern I have with many games. Most games have their own music, which is fine and dandy, but let's be honest, we like our own music more than anyone else's, right? At least, I do! This is my iPod, and I'd like to listen to my music. Luckily, Big Bang Sudoku lets you do just that. The only sounds the game makes are little notifications for when you place a number in its spot, finish a row or column, and finish the game itself. Otherwise, it's pretty darn silent. You can even go into the Music application and pick a song before you start, and then control it from inside the game using the iPod Touch's double-click on the home button feature to bring up the quick controls for volume, play/pause, and previous/next song. Any game that lets me listen to Beck while I play is a great game in my book!
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/46.png
Over all, Big Bang Sudoku is a fantastic game. The interface is gorgeous and very easy to use, even with one hang. The sounds are very unobtrusive to the point where you can even listen to your own jams. The only downfall of the game in my book is that damned Sun God, who appears when you finish a game even if you've already disabled him in the options. Oh well.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/47.png
Congratulations to you, Freeverse, for making a fantastic game! Big Bang Sudoku is well worth your value. A perfect 5/5 from me, since I can't bring myself to take points off for the stupid Sung God. He's not THAT bad I suppose...
If you're looking to buy a Sudoku app, this is the one in my opinion!
Sudoku of course is the popular logic-based number puzzle game originally introduced in the US in 1979, but it never really took off. Eventually it became a gigantic hit in Japan in 1986, where it was published and given the name "Sudoku", meaning "one number". Its' ever-growing popularity in the west has sold countless puzzle-books, magazines, and now video games.
The iTunes App Store has 16 different Sudoku games, ranging in price from 99 cents to $10. Big Bang Sudoku falls right in the middle at $4.99. For what you get with the game, that's not too bad at all. You get over 10,000 puzzles ranging in difficulty, absolutely beautiful graphics and animations, unobtrusive sounds, and a super easy-to-use interface. I'll break it down for you element-by-element.
When you tap the Sudoku icon on your iPod, the first thing you see after the company's logo is the menu. The features on the menu are pretty standard and predictable, not many surprises here. You can start a new game and chose between four difficulty levels (including the aptly-named "Diabolical"), resume a game you've already started, change around your options, see the credits for the game, and view your stats.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/41.pnghttp://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/42.png
The options screen is the next area I'd like to focus on. You have four options you can change. You can show incorrect moves as you make them if you'd like (though this feels a bit like cheating, doesn't it folks?), show or hide the Sun God (your call, I for one find him a bit annoying.), play or silence the sounds, and show or hide the timer. There aren't really any options I feel are missing. Everything you'd want is there. And I can't be thankful enough for Freeverse letting me hide the damned Sun God.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/43.png
The game screen itself is very attractive. Smooth gray and black pieces with yellow numbers seem to float on some sort of space-like plain, which slowly moves in the background. Apparently this is where the Sun God lives. No comment on that one, but hell if it doesn't look pretty. Playing is pretty straight-forward. Select the number you want and then the space you want to put it in. Freeverse also went the extra mile by including an option to write-in numbers, much like you would in an actual, physical game of Sudoku on paper. Very nice. If you choose to be a cheater and keep the "Show Errors" option on, your errors will automatically show up in red.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/44.pnghttp://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/45.png
Next thing I'd like to address is a personal concern I have with many games. Most games have their own music, which is fine and dandy, but let's be honest, we like our own music more than anyone else's, right? At least, I do! This is my iPod, and I'd like to listen to my music. Luckily, Big Bang Sudoku lets you do just that. The only sounds the game makes are little notifications for when you place a number in its spot, finish a row or column, and finish the game itself. Otherwise, it's pretty darn silent. You can even go into the Music application and pick a song before you start, and then control it from inside the game using the iPod Touch's double-click on the home button feature to bring up the quick controls for volume, play/pause, and previous/next song. Any game that lets me listen to Beck while I play is a great game in my book!
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/46.png
Over all, Big Bang Sudoku is a fantastic game. The interface is gorgeous and very easy to use, even with one hang. The sounds are very unobtrusive to the point where you can even listen to your own jams. The only downfall of the game in my book is that damned Sun God, who appears when you finish a game even if you've already disabled him in the options. Oh well.
http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/imgcache/47.png
Congratulations to you, Freeverse, for making a fantastic game! Big Bang Sudoku is well worth your value. A perfect 5/5 from me, since I can't bring myself to take points off for the stupid Sung God. He's not THAT bad I suppose...
If you're looking to buy a Sudoku app, this is the one in my opinion!
