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  • Halfbrick’s iOS Hit ‘Jetpack Joyride’ Touches Down On Facebook

    Chris Velazco

    Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... → Learn More

    Friday, May 11th, 2012
    jjfacebook

    Here’s a little something to file away for when your weekend gets dull — the Australian devs at Halfbrick have brought their premier flying-around-and-dodging-things game to its new home away from iOS.

    Starting today, users looking to waste a few minutes playing Jetpack Joyride don’t need to look any further than Facebook for their fix.

    If you haven’t yet played the game, think of it as a more graphically rich version of that classic helicopter Flash game, except you control guy with gatling guns strapped to his back. Distance is the name of the game here, and by snagging coins along the way you can purchase new bits of clothing and gear to help you soar even farther (the truly impatient can also buy coins in bulk with Facebook Credits).

    Be warned though — the game is currently still in beta, and it certainly shows at times. After I spent a few moments mucking around with the game, for instance, the game window seemed to resize itself within its frame. It was sort of cool in a way — the game’s obstacles and assets would load faster the background — but it tended to make playing the game much more difficult than it needed to be.

    You mileage with that particular glitch may vary, but a quick peek at some of the comments that users have left on Jetpack Joyride’s Facebook page point to a handful of other issues. Still, early hiccups are to be expected at this stage, and the game is still just as fun (and addictive) as ever when things finally gel. Just make sure you’re running the latest version of Flash in place before you try to take it for a spin, or else your plans for cruising through the air and snagging coins could stall before you know it.