Review: Birdie Shoot

Reviewed By: Bill Stiteler

Review Date: November 27, 2002

Genre: Arcade shooter

Format: CD

Developer: e.p.i.c.

Mac Publisher: MacPlay

System Requirements: 300MHz G3, Mac OS 8.6 or Mac OS X x10.2, 128MB RAM, 3D video card with 8 MB RAM, 400 MB disk space

Network Feature: No

3D Support: Required

Mac OS X Compatible: Carbon

Retail Price: $19.95

Availability: Out Now

Rating: T for Teen (violence)

This is a funny game about shooting birds.

I have no problem with that. But, what makes it a funny game about shooting birds is not what the marketing department intended. Consider this ad copy, taken from the game box:

Crazy Birds are on the run. They have all been infected by the ASE (Avis-Spongiforme-Enzephalopathy) virus and now threaten to infect other birds all over the world.

Use your anaesthetization gun to bring down as many birds as possible so they can be inoculated and save the world from those crazy birds.

Your "anaesthetization gun" uses shotgun shells, makes a loud "boom" when it goes off, and drops the birds into the water, and you can "sedate" the birds multiple times for extra points. Having spent a lot of time with avian vets (sad, I know), I say with authority that shotguns are not an effective method of sedating birds. Not an effective temporary method, anyway.

Oh, I almost forgot this additional feature, taken from the box copy directly underneath the text referenced above:

Kill-O-Meter for additional bonus points.

That's comedy, kids.

In Birdie Shoot, you shoot birds. Rotating on a limited axis in one of four different locales (jungle, sea, forest, and the ever popular arctic hunting season), birds that look like they just escaped from Loony Tunes flap by, and you plug 'em using your mouse to direct your crosshairs. The game is so cartoonish that I'm surprised they bothered to come up with this lame justification. The birds' eyes are bigger than an anime schoolgirl's, and when shot they strike awkward poses akin to the Go-Gos in the "Our Lips Are Sealed" video.

Birdie Shoot is an enjoyable enough game. The birds can sense when your crosshairs pass over them and will try to dodge, so you have to learn to lead them just a bit. You get extra points for shooting them as they fall, which is difficult. And best of all, unlike the venerable Duck Hunt, there's no damn dog to mock you when you fail.

And, as part of MacPlay's "Value Series," that's who this game is for; casual gamers who want an easy way to kill a few hours, and who don't want to devote the hours/days necessary to learning games like Rainbow Six or even Soldier of Fortune 2. You can pick it up instantly, and put it down just as quickly. Any kind of serious gamer will quickly lose interest in the game, but, well, it ain't for serious gamers, kids. For the same $20, you can pick up Unreal Tournament or Fallout.

The backgrounds are nifty, the birds are funny, it never crashed, and it was beyond simple to learn. The ad copy is a desperate plea to Concerned Mothers to "please not sue us," but I can get around that. For some retro arcade action with modern graphics, or if your dad needs a game to play, this is the box you want.

Just don't try to administer your own anesthetics with a shotgun, 'kay?

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