Angry Birds and Doodle Jump Have Brand New Games And This Time Kids Rule!

Well this has been a banner week for fans of two of the most beloved franchises in iOS history and both have movie tie-in so these new versions are aimed at kids more than ever before.

The biggest news is that Rovio/Chillingo launched Angry Birds Rio (.99 for iPhone 1.99 for HD) and it’s cool, Pump loves it, all angry bords fans will love it.

The game forget evil pigs this time and instead has you freeing fellow birds from cages, presumably in Rio.I find this premise much more appealing than killing evil pigs who ate their babies, to this parent anyway, and connects the game, however loosely, to the Upcoming Fox Film.

Also there is no question the gameplay is easier. Pump found me playing with it for a review minutes after he woke up. Before he had rubbed the saned from his eyes, he had completed the first four levels.

But I covered Angry Birds at such length the other day (Click Here to read post) I don’t want to go on and on about it. If you like Angry Birds, you’ll like Angry Birds Rio, it’s really that simple.

I want to focus today on Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie. I submitted my QuickAdvice review to AppAdvice.com, but I always cover the kid-angles on my own dear SAHGeekmom.com.It finally brings the iPhone classic Doodle Jump to the iPad (and iPhone, it’s universal.) Well almost…

What the game really is, is an advertisement for the upcoming Easter animated kid-flick from Universal, HOP.

Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie  is similar to the original Doodle Jump. You still tilt the device to have the hero, E.B. star of the film, jump from platform to platform, avoiding obstacles, shooting invaders and aiming for the sky.

It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not really the fulfilment of Lima Sky’s promise of an iPad version of the game that just saw its 10,000th paid download.

Instead of controlling The Doodler you control E.B., and instead of endless gameplay, there are levels to clear, but otherwise expect the familiar.

It plays beautifully and looks good enough to eat. I even found it easier to control E.B. on the iPad than on the iPhone version of this universal game. The interface is vibrant, the execution excellent, and best of all the game is free. Which seems only fair since it is basically an add-supported game.

Angry Birds Rio does charge, and I don’t think it far (see post here) but they give you a very full game.

This game is very winnable, it won’t be a keeper for anyone over 10, but it should help tide fans over while the always ‘coming soon” iPad Doodle Jump finally hits the App Store.

But for young kids, repetition is fun and  the best way to learn, so you actually get a lot for nothing more than a link to the movie trailer your kids have already seen unless you ban the big box in your home (oh how I wish…)

The game has you bouncing off gummies and falling through candy-string platforms. There are no monsters or aliens to shoot; instead E.B. takes out baby chicks taking no prisoners in his candy-quest. But’s it’s not gory, it’s silly.

Check yesterday appisode of AppAdvice.com’s AppApdvice Daily, with Robin Rhys:

The famous and subject of recent controversy, The Doodler (google Doodlegate! I won’t explain, but if you want to see how some devs are just big kids, for better and especially for worse, it’s a very interesting story of trademark law, flaming, poor journalism and hurt feelings) does make a cameo appearance: E.B. follows his lead for a few seconds and then he’s off to loftier vistas.

Just as the Doodler pops in to this new Lima Sky offering, E.B. is no stranger to the Doodle Jump world.

Since the last update of classic Doodle Jump you have been able to change the player name to HOP, which activates an Easter theme, and replaces the Doodler with E.B, but it’s a skin, not a new game, and not on iPad.

One certainty is the game’s appeal to kids. The Easier theme, E.B., and candy-coated levels, target the youngest players, the market for whom the movie is intended.

Pump loves Doodle Jump on his iPod touch, and loves all the themes especially, of course, the scary ones.  And as usual he is better at this game we both enjoy than I am. But neither of us can really get very far so the games is great, but only a few minutes distraction.

Doodle Jump: Hop the Movie, however, on both iPhone and iPad is really much easier to control.

If you have played Doodle Jump before, you know that as you jump up, the board also keeps scrolling up. What I mean is you can’t just wait on a platform, you must keep moving. Everyone I have seen play it, at some points, falls because a platform they remembered being there, fell out of view mid-leap.

This doesn’t happen on Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie. The board only moves up when you do, so it’s much easier to plan your moves. You can play for much longer. Also the levels help. Having short attainable goals is a better idea no what your kid is doing, than giving them an open-ended job.

In Doodle Jump losing is the most common occurrence. This makes the game addictive, replayable and beloved, but it frustrates Pump that he has not really improved his score in months ofplay. But he loves all the Angry Birds games, because he is rewarded for completely small tasks, often.

And of course the bright colors, adorable Easter Bunny offspring and the fact that kids have been bombarded with ads for the movie all make this a game they will want to go back to.

For me, the original is still the kind go doodle games, but for Pump, Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie has become an instant fave.

Mom’s you HAVE to check out this amazing new calendar app for iPhone and iPad, called MommyCal. I reviewed it yesterday and everyone I know who grabbed one has been have too much fun getting organized! You can read all about it here.

OK, I have to do a review for Appadvice now, but be sure to check back often for more great games for everyone.

Happy App Hunting,

The