Everyone’s favourite lunchtime diversion has finally hit the App Store, yet is Countdown and it’s iconic music condensed into an app more than the sum of it’s parts?
Friend of students and the unemployed everywhere, Countdown is irresistible daytime TV viewing for a number of reasons – whether it’s Jeff Stelling’s incomparable hosting duties, the wonderful ‘think’ music or of course, Rachel Riley’s bum. Promising just one of those three delights, Countdown’s app store release is nonetheless an interesting proposition for anyone hoping to test their wits with the brainiest game show on telly today.
Launching at an introduction price of just 79c, Countdown is your chance to ‘prove yourself a master of vocabulary and maths’ by competing in two rounds of the ‘LETTERS ROUND’ AND ‘NUMBERS ROAD’ each, before attempting to close out your efforts on a high with the COUNTDOWN CONCUNDRUM to end the show.
Umm….. whoever did that sum, congrats
Developed by Deluxe Digital Studios and ITV studios, Countdown is a fairly sparse offering that provides users plenty of the iconography of the long-running show but leaves players lacking in certain key areas.
As of the current update, players can choose to play either ‘short’ or ‘whole games for 1 or 2 players (2 players can play either by passing the handset or through Bluetooth) through the aforementioned five rounds, utilising touch-screen controls to formulate their answers or in the case of the numbers round, awkwardly changing the sign from multiplication to subtract before times runs out. Suffice to say, Countdown needs an update, quickly.
One of the strangest aspects of the Countdown app is that 1 player games are exactly that – there is only one player and no CPU opponents, a huge oversight considering how competitive the game could potentially get. Similarly, Game Centre compatibility has not been utilised yet, though that is apparently a work in progress.
On the plus side, one of the most surprising aspects of playing the Countdown app is just how bloody difficult the game and how quickly that iconic ‘think’ music runs out when the pressure is on. Ideal for touch technology, there’s plenty of untapped potential for such an app, though it remains just a few updates away from greatness. More Rachel Riley wouldn’t go amiss either guys – just a thought.
Countdown is available on the App Store for an introductory price of 79c.
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