I can already hear what you are saying, the Ouya has been out for a heck of a long time!
Yeah it sure has, a year actually! What better time to tell you what the Ouya is really like.
I have noticed ever since its existence the mainstream media has tried to kill the little console off, initially it wasn't great but as you will read it has gotten a whole lot better.
How it began
Unlike pretty much every review I've ever read I am not going to go on and on about the amazing success on Kickstarter Ouya had as surely you know all the back story by now.
In a nutshell Ouya made an amazing amount on Kickstarter, far more then they asked for, fast forward past that and we had issues with shipping which was a big shame and annoyed a lot of people, not the best start, but people need to remember Ouya is a company in it's infancy with no previous experience of doing half of the things they promised, even though it is not an excuse it is worth considering.
Again worth a mention, people who suffered with the shipping fiasco got $13.37 as a nice little L33T reference. $13.37 doesn't sound a lot but most games are around the $5 mark or less.
Hardware
The Ouya has a Tegra 3 with 1 gb of ram which unfortunately has made it a bit dated in the performance department, this is were you need to decide what you want from a console I think, if you want to play Call of Duty and other high end games go get an Xbox or Playstation, if however you like the originality that independent games bring then Ouya is still for you.
Don't get me wrong it still runs some nice looking games like Shadow Gun, Neon Shadow and Riptide 2 if you sideload it, also with the release of One Click Root and the Tegra Overclock APK you can really boost the power of the Ouya above its standard capabilities.
As far as looks go it's a beautiful little console, its basically like having a little Rubiks cube sat near your TV and how could that be a bad thing?
Storage
This again was a big issue for myself and many others, it came with just 8gb at the time, you can now get the 16gb version though for an extra $20.
As I said storage used to be an issue, not now though as Ouya has for some time given users the ability for full external storage and considering you can buy a 4gb USB stick for less then £5 the storage is issue is not an issue now so cross that off your worries.
Controller
As Playouya is 100% unofficial we are not going to lie and say the controller originally with the console was great it really wasn't, I have the original pad and even though its not half as bad as others say it isn't perfect by a long shot.
You should instantly recognise the button layout if you have played everything from a Snes to an Xbox, so it shouldn't take long to be accustomed to buttons.
Unfortunately regarding the original controllers it goes downhill from there.
The triggers squeak, the buttons and analogue sticks are noisy and annoying while playing button basher style titles. The overall feel of the controller is nice, it has a good weight to it when the batteries are inserted, by the way anyone who tells you it took them hours to work out were the batteries go should be wearing a big white hat with a D on it, as you have to be a bit short on brain cells to not understand how the fit into the controller.
The good thing is, if you are reading this you probably don't have an Ouya, which is good because if you get one now you should get the new improved controller, I have used it and I can say the buttons are pretty much silent, the triggers don't squeak and the sticks are far better to use, so once again its a plus based on the new controller.
Interface
Another big improvement as of late to the Ouya console is the dashboard, it used to be clunky for some and I have to admit finding new content was annoyingly difficult at times, now they have added a New Releases Section you won't have any problems finding things in Discover, also the Like Function which wasn't used by a lot of people has been replaced with a favourite button which makes your games far easier to find in your collection which is called Play.
All games have a star rating so you know if its worth a download, if you try something and you don't like it just press R3 to bury it.
The Ouya is currently missing any form of Social element so no Friends Lists like you would expect to see on the larger consoles, but other then that I think you will be happy with how it looks and feels to navigate.
Games
Out of the near 800 games I won't tell you they are all gems, but then you can't say that about any consoles titles, however you can find some great games on discover, the main area I have found that is lacking is Racing titles, one area that is positively brimming with content is Shoot Em Ups so if you love games like R-Type and Space Invaders you will be in heaven here.
I have spent a lot of money on Ouya titles so far, and so below I have listed several brilliant little games, not all of them look amazing, but they are all worth a free download.
Amazing Frog $14.99 to unlock.
No Brakes Valet $1.99 to unlock
Worth a mention because kids will love it, adults too. The aim is to park cars that are launched at speed onto the screen, the unlock gives you two more car parks which gives far more possibilities for mayhem, from a Chicken truck to Limo's.Bombsquad $4.99 to unlock
For multiplayer mayhem the Ouya is the perfect machine and one great example of this is Bombsquad. It plays similar to Bomberman but with its own twists, the art style is also perfect with its Claymation feeling. Another day one purchase.Maldita Castilla free
A perfect recreation of an arcade classic, kill demons as a knight, throw axes, swords and collect spells, the graphics are so professionally done that you will think you are playing a sequel to Ghouls and Ghosts on the Snes.Neon Shadow $4.99 to unlock
This game brings me back to the days of playing the original Quake and Doom, mix that in with a cyber punk theme and you'll get an idea what Neon Shadow is about, can't fault the graphics, gameplay is flawless and you can shoot your mates online as well as on your couch. Considering if you are from the UK you are only going to pay £2.95 it's a steal.There are many more depending on your tastes and I could easily list another 20-30 titles off the top of my head, but the best thing to say is dive in and take a look, I doubt you will be disappointed as long as your not looking for the next Call of Duty or Forza.
Verdict
Before I wrap this review up let me first bust a few myths that have been pushed onto people by the mainstream media.
The Ouya is not for Mobile Games!
This one gets my back up, yes it is an Android console, but the main aim for Ouya is to allow independent developers to get their content onto peoples TV's. Yes you will find some mobile games on the Store, but only ones that should be played with a controller mostly, more so you will find lots of Indie titles full of character and charisma.The Ouya is not Dead!
A lot of magazines and sites would like you to believe that as they have tried to kill the console off from day one. The Ouya is getting larger each day just take a look at #ouya to see for yourself and speak to people who have them and support the console.Ouya Inc is expanding as a company and is now looking to move into the Chinese market, over the year they have existed for they have expanded shipping to lots of new areas of the world. It is a great place to be and don't let others put you off.
So to cap it off, if you love retro indie titles and enjoy the originality that indie developers create then go buy an Ouya! If you grew up in the 16bit era then also the Ouya is for you.
If you need a media player the Ouya has you covered with XBMC
If you want to play old Snes, Megadrive and several other older consoles again Ouya does that great with the likes of Snes9eX and Mame.
It's not perfect but it keeps getting better and we should show it some love.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment