Hive Iphone Review
Hive is one of the most highly praised board games of all time, and now board game junkies are rejoicing at what is probably one of the intellectually fun games that has been made for the Iphone. No other game, that I am aware of, has done anything quite like this. This is the way all touch screen games should play out, it’s a absolute relief to see a game that doesn’t give me a joystick that takes up half of the screen. Iphone game developers can learn a thing or two from the boys and girls down at Lotusland Studios. Needless to say I’m still having fun with this game and to me it is definitely worth the low price of 3.19 pounds, or 5 dollars in the U.S.
For those who do not understand the concept of Hive let me fill you in. In Hive the main objective is to totally surround your opponent’s Queen Bee while at the same time trying to restrain your enemy from doing the same to you. The pieces that surround the Queen Bee can be made of a blend of your opponents pieces and yours. The first player to completely surround the Queen Bee wins. A play begins with one player placing a piece from their hand on the board, or screen in this case. Then the next player joining one of their own pieces to it, edge to edge. Each player then takes turns to either place or move one of the other pieces that have already been placed on the board. A new piece from either your opponent or you can be introduced into the game at any given time. With the exception of the first piece placed by the first player. Then once a piece is placed it cannot be removed. Yet all pieces must touch one another. If a piece is the only connection between two parts it may not be removed. Luckily during all this controlled mayhem you can move your Queen Bee, but the Queen can only be moved one space per a turn. Even though it is restricted in that way it can piss off a lot of your opponents if moved at the right time, and there is no other feeling that is quite as satisfying as when the opposing player has thinks he has you surrounded then realizes you just ruined his entire scheme.
There is both single player and multiplayer in the game and each has their own benefits. In the single player it is the best way to teach yourself how to play the game for those who have never played Hive before. There is an exceptionally long learning curve to get used to this game and the single player is the best way to start. The AI is not challenging at all, even on the hardest difficulty, I found myself winning this first time I played the game on normal. Which is a disappointment to the people who don’t have friends who haven’t purchased Hive or own an Iphone for that matter. Where the game truly shines is in the multiplayer components of the game playing with another human being is fun, challenging, and overall better. As I mentioned earlier there is no greater feeling than moving your Queen Bee at that moment where your opponent thought he had you cornered then realized you lured him into an open trap where you surrounded his or her Queen Bee instead. Yet there are a lot of variables to be able to play multiplayer your friend will also need to have dropped the money on an iphone and the game to be able to challenge you to a game of Hive. There is a local multiplayer but you can see what your opponent is planning, and then your passing your own phone back and forth, then you get a phone call or a text message and your friend hits the wrong button, and see’s that your girlfriend wants you to pick up steak for dinner, then your friend ask if he can come over for dinner, and then you have to tell him no it’s Valentine’s Day. Well I believe you get the picture that it can be a mess if you played local multiplayer.
A unique and staregic camera angle for the game
The overall look and graphics of the game is good for an Iphone game. The set pieces are really decorative and the way you can change your camera angles to suit your needs for your upcoming move is great. Yet if you did get tired of the way your spider or mosquito looked your can select from a vast arrays of other display options for your pieces. The customization of the game is enjoyable to mess around with, and may take up a lot of your Hive experience. The sound effects for Hive are less than great most of them sound similar to one another. The music was alright, and probably the only redeeming quality to the games overall audio.
Hive is a game that any iphone owner should pick up. The positives to the game outweigh the negatives and will challenge the intellectual gamer that is inside of you. The Ai needs improvement, but at least the option is there for you if you would like to practice your Hive skills or learn the strategies to the game. I encourage everyone to pick it up it’s a great mobile game for your phone if you’re looking to kill time.
Short URL: http://thegamershub.net/?p=3851
Posted by Quinn Sullivan
on Feb 15 2010. Filed under Mobile Gaming, Reviews.
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