I think it’s far to say that Glu have released some gems into the App Store including, but not limited to the stunning Glyder and the more recent sequel Glyder 2. Well, they’re back, and their most recent release was something I simply couldn’t resist, 1000: Find ”˜em All!
Update: Saturday, 13th February 2010
A few day’s ago saw an update released for 1000: Find ’em All! This included bug fixes, and more importantly, Online Leaderboards and Facebook Connect. That’s right, the one aspect that I felt was missing from the game has been included in this update, now you can compare your progress against your friends, and the world. Now you can finally get the answer to the question, can you be the first to Find ’em All?
As a result I have upgraded it’s status as promised and this game is now Highly Recommended.
Original Article
1000: Find ”˜em all! Is like nothing I’ve come across in the App Store to date, a global GPS adventure game in which you’re task is to collect 1000 unique items making use of three game modes.
The first mode is the in game world, it starts out in black and white but as you explore you bring colour to this world. This is completely free roaming and you’ll come across various objects that can be interacted with, you’ll know (for the most part) what can be interacted with by the glowing stars. You can only interact with an object once a day and there’s no guarantee the results will yield a new gift, you’ll need to come back tomorrow and try your luck again. This will certainly add to the longevity of the game, you certainly shouldn’t expect to explore the world once and have that be the end of the game. The graphics in game are cartoony, but the bright vivid colours give the game an almost irresistible charm that makes you want to carry on playing.
The second game mode makes use of the GPS signal available in the later iPhone models and is a great way to add to your collection. Simply fire it up by clicking on the bottom right icon and by making use of Google Maps it will randomly place gifts to collect in your local area. I’ve found myself making use of this when commuting to and from work. I’ve been able to add around 15 ”“ 20 items a day to my collection. One word of caution on this though, it does require you to walk around with your precious iPhone on display so maybe best not to use this mode if the area you are in is, how should i put it? Less than desirable?!
The third and final mode is the ability to look for gifters in the local area. The gifters are in fact local wifi hotspots so most likely they will be McDonalds or Starbuck coffee shops. Again, you can only make use of a local wifi spot once a day, but if you move to new locations who knows how many you’ll find.
I’ve been playing this game for a few days now and have been really enjoying it. The gifts you collect are whimsical and are often accompanied by amusing comments. With 1000 items to collect this game will take some time to complete, and you’ll find everything from The Golden Gates Bridge to a cardboard umbrella. Aside from the actual gifts to collect, there are achievements to unlock for collecting certain groups of gifts, for the number of in-game interactions and for bringing colour to the in game world.
However, despite all the treasure hunting goodness, not all is well within this game. There appears to be a bug that causes the game to crash (at least on my iPhone) if you venture into the corners of the in game map. Glu are aware of this and a patch should be coming soon, you really shouldn’t let this put you off, the in game world is massive, and you can view your location by selecting the map in the bottom left of the screen.
Perhaps the biggest let down is a lack of any online leader boards. Part of me wonders where i stand with my collection, and Glu ask the question in the iTunes description “will you be the first to find ”˜em all?” Well, erm, how will we know? I don’t know what Glu’s stance is on the likes of plus+ or openfeint, but if any game would be suited to social networking, it’s this one. I for one, really hope they add this in the future.
Overall, I’m really enjoying my time with this game and can see myself playing it for some time to come in my attempt to find ”˜em all. Whilst it goes without saying, iPod Touch owner’s need to note that they will not have access to the GPS Mode (and presumably the same will apply to 1st Generation iPhone owners as well). But if you fancy playing something a bit different then you should definitely check this one out, and if it ever gets online leader boards it will get upgraded to Highly Recommended.
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