Guess the News in Review – Today’s Headlines can be your Game Today!
We gamers are a fickle flock – on a perpetual quest for a game that that will always be new, exciting and unpredictable to us, yet paradoxically which offers a satisfying conclusion: closure to cap our efforts to conquer it.
FingerArts may have found gaming’s proverbial ‘fountain of youth.’ Now, Guess The News comes along, giving us a unique word puzzle game which draws upon a vast storehouse of information for its content – news articles!
You need to connect to internet at least once to be able to download news articles so you can play offline. There are a variety of topics to choose from: entertainment, science, technology, global news, odd topics, and the like.
A puzzle is generated based on the articles, and all you have to do is fill in the missing letters of the news headline. The jumbled letters are highlighted for each word. Drag or tap the letters for the appropriate blanks, taking care to do it when the bull’s eye icon appears over them. Poor timing means misplaced letters and fewer points. You can opt to read the news article that was used before moving on to the next puzzle. Take your time to finish all the saved articles if you like, or you can update the content to reflect newer items. Updating the articles in one section will automatically update all sections.
There are three levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard; as well as different game modes: classic and timed. Solving a minimum of five puzzles in each section unlocks achievements. You can also challenge a friend via email to try out the game and beat your score.
How does Guess The News fare with its counterparts? First of all, the inherent unpredictability and endless variety of its content works in its favor, as well as its contextual approach to solving the puzzle. In that sense, it takes word puzzles to a whole new level. Providing the source articles on which the puzzles are based is also a unique component of the game, making it educational and informative. Who says you can’t have fun while reading today’s headlines?The user interface is top-notch – so far I have not encountered issues with downloading news and loading the game itself. I like the graphics, too – crisp and clear with a punch of bright color.
Gameplay is very easy – it reminds me of Wheel of Fortune – minus the wheel and the vowel buying – but then again, it’s too easy, even on medium and hard levels. Once it determines that you’re stumped, it gently pushes you in the right direction by providing unsolicited hints.
Guess The News could use a bit more sophistication. Throwing in a few twists will make it even more fun and challenging – customizable skins, power ups and obstacles, just to name a few. Seasoned players should also have an option to customize the level of difficulty in the game – turning off the auto-hints, for example. Finally, integration with an online global leaderboard will definitely build a bigger community of players/news enthusiasts.
More than just a novelty, Guess the News is a great word puzzle game with a unique concept and an educational component. A steal at $0.99, it offers unlimited game content, informative news and an enjoyable game experience that makes it stand out from the rest. It’s a game for all ages and discriminating game tastes.
| App Summary | |||
| Title: | Guess The News | Developer: | FingerArts |
| Reviewed Ver: | 1.5.2 | Min OS Req: | 2.2.1 |
| Price: | $0.99 | App Size: | 7.1 MB |
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Isabella | Dec 26, 2009 | Reply
Hi Enuh,
Thank you for such a great review! We greatly appreciate your interest and suggestions. By the way, some of them you will find integrated in the upcoming new version
Many Thanks,
Isabella & the team at Finger Arts
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