Paper Toss

Summary

It must have been an excruciatingly boring day at the office when the developers of Paper Toss came up with an idea for a new game. Throwing bits of crushed up paper into a trash can while posing like Kobe Bryant has got to represent the epitome of human boredom and degradation.

But even boredom can be fun when it's packed into a smartphone game. After making a successful debut on the iPhone, Paper Toss has made the jump to Android.

So why don't you leave the trashcan and junk paper piles alone in your office and start playing!

The bros and brochettes over at Backflip Studios greet with their logo at start-up before you end up on the main menu. There you will find the following options:

• Easy
• Medium
• Hard
• Airport
• Basement
• Restroom

There's also a high scores button, which rounds off a fairly basic and rudimentary menu. Use the Papaya Button (for keeping up in the global rankings) and an exit button. And it goes without saying that there is a button to turn the sound on/off as well.

Just like in the original game, the basic idea here is to get the paper ball into the trash can. Since scoring a three-pointer with (hopefully) recycling paper is way too easy, fans are set up along the sides to blow your paper off course. Each fan is, however, blowing with a different force and at a different speed, just to make things that much more exciting. There's an arrow displaying the direction and intensity of the fan's air power right on the screen. You can use this information to estimate the trajectory and force of your throw.

The only real different between the difficulty levels is the distance between you and the trash bin. I would describe the airport, basement and restroom levels as extras to give you a change of scenery.

Bottom Line: The concept behind Paper Toss is not only awesome, but also really well implemented! Both the graphics and game physics are pleasant and, more importantly, extremely realistic. Every time you botch a throw, your colleagues will yell stuff like "Hey, watch it!" or "Why don't you learn how to throw?!".

The only downside really are the ad banners that obstruct your vision and get in the way of having a good time. It would be nice to have a paid version without the ads. Adding a local high score list would also be something on my wish list for Paper Toss.

The controls for Paper Toss are ridiculously simple, precluding the need for any instructions or how-to-play guides.

The office may be dull as hell, but this game's designers put a lot of effort into making everything look nice and spiffy. Return to the main menu at any point by tapping the notebook on your desk. Now isn't that cute!

Even on your 10-inch tablet, the game runs smoothly in vertical position, although the graphics are a tiny bit pixelated.

Speed and stability problems are unheard of for this game. Paper Toss scores high in terms reliability. Respect!

Paper Toss is available for free - but with some pesky ads - from the Android Market. A paid ad-free version would've been a good move on the developers' part.