Review: Star Defense 1.2 Update (with 3.0 functionality)

Overview

The 1.2 update for Star defense was just released, and it now includes 3.0 features, also check out the original review. The 1.2 update integrates push notification to allow you to send a challenge to anyone's iPhone as long as they have a star defense profile. The push notification pops up like a text message, and you just slide to play, and boot directly into star Defense. Ngmoco has implemented their new plus network which makes this all possible. This is an expensive tower Defense, so do all of the features finally make it worth the price of admission?

Features

All of the new features are based on the ngmoco plus+ network which they compare to xbob live. In the plus network you create a profile, which will keep track of your achievements, your friends’ stats, your challenge history, and global high scores. The main feature from the plus network is the ability to send and receive challenges via push notification. Challenging is easy enough once you and your friends set up profiles. Once you finish a challenge you click on the direct challenge button, which will bring up your friends. You tap a friend, it brings up their profile, and you press challenge. The challenge is then sent directly to your friend’s phone, and there is a pop-up notification on their lock screen similar to a text message. Also the app icon shows a badge of how many challenges you have. With the 1.2 update there is also a new planet for challenges, which is definitely a welcome addition.

The Good

The new plus network has a lot of promise, and adds more features to a feature laden game. With the two challenge planets and direct access to any of your friends who have star defense you truly can have a more social gaming experience. The new push system is so early that is extremely finicky, when you have a wifi connection though, your challenge has a much better chance of making it through. Late in the evening all of the challenges made it through, so it's getting there. The push challenges show a lot of potential, and as soon as the system is completely figured out, I think this could become very popular. Setting up the profile is extremely easy, and the system is set up very well to search for your friends, and then keep track of their statistics. Once you get a challenge via push, all you do is slide to play, and your iPhone boots into Star Defense to get you playing immediately.

The Bad

In tests of the actual push notification it wasn't working that well. It is still very early, but with 5 attempts only once did the push notification show up on my phone. Also I'm not a fan of having in app micro purchases for more levels. Especially in this case where you can buy another planet for $0.99. Despite the new features, there is still the problem of the gameplay which hasn’t changed since my last review. It is just very simple for tower defense, and pretty bland.

The Verdict

The 3.0 features are implemented well, and Star Defense may be the most advanced title in that regard. Star Defense didn’t need more features though; it has plenty. The problems of the past review still exist with no improvement on the core of the game. Being able to buy new planets with in-app micro purchases can add a lot to a game, but if you don’t like playing the seven planets that are included, who wants more? There’s no question it’s great to challenge anyone directly or to be able to keep track of you and your friends stats. The question is whether or not people want to even accept a challenge for this game. Ngmoco has put a lot into this title, but the basic gameplay is still lacking compared to other titles in the app store. This game is a should have, but still not recommended as a must have.

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