New Software To Be Reviewed Review

Farm Frenzy 3, from Alawar games. The game itself has a cool idea. As each level goes by, more and more gameplay mechanics are introduced, and you're forced to think about how you're going to do things this time around. The game starts off simple. You have some birds. You have to lay down grass for them to eat, and they will in turn produce eggs. It costs money to lay down grass and buy more birds. Sometimes, lions will appear and try to reduce your products. You can cage and sell them. If you have too many eggs or birds, you can sell them, as well.

The game presents a unique twist on an old idea. At first it was cool, but as I reached the onward levels, my opinion did change a bit. The game started to feel a bit repetitive. While the game tries to stop that by introducing the gameplay mechanics previously mentioned with each new level, the core gameplay remains the same. However, if you like the gameplay, this won't be a problem.

For $10, you have to wonder if it is worth it. In the one hour demo, you can pretty much see how the game will play out. For this reason and this reason only, I think it should've either been a 30 minute demo, or been a $5 game. I think that what you can experience in the demo is a little too close to the entire game for it to be worth $10. On the flip side, if you are a fan of the genre and know you will like the game before even trying the demo, $10 is a steal.

The graphics are good for what it's worth. You can't set your standards too high for a $10 game. I was surprised at the animations of the animals though, they were smooth and good looking. Props to the development team on that one, I wasn't expecting such good animation. Sound is good, as well. Nothing stands out, so it's typical sound.

At the start, there is a cutscene that somewhat dives into a story, but besides that, it's basically you and the game. The story is really not necessary though as the gameplay is the main focus here. That's not bad though, as with these types of games either cutscenes work or they don't, and Alawar played it safe by not including them and it turned out to be a smart decision.

The gameplay mechanics remain unchanged for the main part of the game. New pieces are introduced with increasing levels, but rather than making the game a whole lot more challenging or making you re-think your strategy entirely, they provide minimal strategic thinking and seem to serve little other purpose than to lengthen gameplay time.