So Temple Run was released a week ago in the App Store, and almost a week ago at the Google Play Store.
I liked the first TR. I wasn't aware that there was TR2 until last Tuesday. But since I'm not using an iPhone I had to wait it was out on the Play Store to get it.
There are some things that I like about it and some that I don't. While it improved on some aspects from the previous games, it did move a few steps back.
So here's my opinion on what they did right:
1. The graphics and the running path.
I already expected that TR2 would have superior graphics to TR. The background doesn't look so dark and dull. The path of which the runners run is also improved upon to give it a natural feel to it. In TR, most turns were 90 degrees turn. Here, there's some small turns here and there that does not require you to slide the screen. While it took a while to get used to it, I eventually got the hang of it. Also, it has a bumpier path of stairs and hills, which makes going up or down a level seem more natural.
2. Powerups are balanced.
Back in TR, the key strategy to get high scores was to disable every powerup but the magnet. A maxed out magnet in TR enabled a player to not only collect coins without doing any work, but coins collected were triple in value. It's no longer that powerful in TR2. I find the shield powerup in TR2 to be more fair and useful than the invisibility powerup in TR (or whatever it's called) mostly because I can't find much use for it. Also, the items that revives a player is very balanced. Instead of buying wings and activating them before you die, gems have to be collected when you run. The more you want to resurrect yourself in the same run, the more gems you need. I like this because this time you can't buy your way to reviving yourself. You have to earn it this time.
Now, for what they did that I had mixed opinions:
3. Side bar meter can be used for different powerups
In TR, when you hit 100 coins, you get a score bonus as shown on the meter on the top left. In TR2, you still get the score bonus, but it's not shown directly. The meter on the top left fills up when you collect coins (doesn't matter what value they are), and when it's filled, you tap the screen twice for your powerup. You start with the shield, but you can unlock the magnet, boost and others. While I like the idea of it, the main problem is that these powerups cannot stack with the same powerup that you collect as you run.
Let me give an example:
Let's say I have magnet for my side powerup, and it's full, so I use it. It's gonna run out soon, but I saw a magnet powerup on my way, so I picked it up. But when my side powerup ends, the magnet powerup I collected was also gone. Why is that?
4. Plenty of Powerups
You can buy a whole lot of stuff this time with your coins. Like increasing the frequency of items appearing, reduce the number of gems needed to resurrect yourself, and reduce the number of coins needed to use a speed boost adding to the standard upgrade to the standard powerups. Problem is, a lot of these upgrades requires bucketloads of coins to use. And now that magnets are no longer the coin collecting wizard that it used to be, fully upgrading everything is a chore.
And finally, what they did wrong:
5. Missions
You are now restricted to only getting at most three achievements in a single run. This sucks balls. In TR, when I got 1 million while I had not unlock the achievement for scoring 500 thousand and 1 million, I get both achievements at the same time in that run. In TR2, I score 1 million, but my current mission is scoring above 500 thousand, so I have to run again to get that achievement. What I'm trying to say is that in TR, I could get like about 5 or more achievements on my first few runs, but in TR2 I'm really restricted to what missions I can do since these missions are fixed and I can't change them in any way unless I completed one of them. And when I do, a new mission appears, and this mission is selected by the game, so I can't decide what mission I want to complete first. As I repeat an earlier quote, this sucks balls.
6. Glitches
Well this is a minor thing since it can get patched out, but at this moment it annoys me a lot. My TR2 game crashes sometimes when I decide to use a gem to revive myself, and the high score I got and the coins I collected, all gone! Not to mention, I'm trying to get an annoying mission done (collecting 5 gems in one run) and with my game crashing when I got 4 gems, I can't.
Conclusion:
TR2 is not bad, I did enjoy the game. It took a few steps forward but also a few steps back from its predecessor. I do recommend getting it since it's free. I just hope the developers do patch some flaws in the game up.
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