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Archives
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| Guide to
Reviews "Platform" tells you
what version of the Pocket PC operating system you'll need to run the
game. If you see a +, it means the game also runs on newer devices.
| PPC2000 |
Pocket PC 2000 devices
(iPAQs, Casios, Jornadas, etc.). Since these devices use several
different CPUs, check with the developer about your specific device. |
| PPC2002 |
Pocket PC 2002 devices
(iPAQ 3800s, Toshiba 740s, etc.).
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| WM2003
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Windows Mobile 2003
devices (iPAQ 2215s, 5500s, etc.). |
Ratings are based on a scale of 1
to 4:
1=poor
2=fair
3=good
4=excellent
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Sponsored Item:
Best of Everything CD 2005
 Awesome
Deal: Get 100 of the Top Pocket PC Applications at 80% Off
The registered version of the Best of Everything
CD offers full versions of more than 100 award winning applications. You can
register these applications on the CD through an online system. These
applications are a diverse mix; would enhance your productivity and let you have
fun at the same time. The games on the CD include action, puzzle, and strategy
games. The productivity applications on the CD include mapping, PIM, number
crunching, health management, language, and multimedia applications. A number of
Web, e-mail, and personal utilities are also included.
Apart from the full versions of these
applications, a number of freeware applications and utilities are also included
on the CD. There are more than 100 themes for VGA and non-VGA Pocket PCs, three
audio books, more than a dozen e-books, twenty movie previews, and free games
and utilities.
Wait! There is more. You will also get a FREE
1-year subscription to Pocket PC magazine, a packaged box of
Microsoft Pocket Streets 2005 CD, $25 credit for a purchase and a FREE
surprise brand new! accessory from UsedHandhelds.com.
Click here to get your CD Now!
|
 Naughty Worm
Naughty Worm is what you get when you take an
old idea like Qix and update it by making it a little more Japanese and a lot
more complicated. NW has the same basic premise as Qix: section off parts of
the screen while dodging your enemies. In NW, however, the goal also involves
revealing a picture (often an Anime-inspired graphic) as you're sectioning the
enemy off. The game's graphics and sound are terrific, and many people will
likely check out the game because of the screenshots.
It's in the game play, however, that NW gets a little weird. (The game's
instructions are a little crude and don't explain how to play very well.)
First, you have to tap where you want the worm to go on the outer edge of the
screen (he'll be a green color). Then, you have to hit a button to get him to
leave the edge so you can actually begin to section off the screen. When you
hit the button, he becomes red, and when you're actually drawing the line (by
tapping where you’d like to go), he's a blue color. When you return to the
edge of the screen, he turns green again. It's unnecessarily complicated and a
bit clumsy, especially since you can't use the directional pad to move around
(at least I've not been able to configure the game to do so). Another
complicating factor is the enemies: there's quite a few of them. They consist
of disembodied chicken heads (the relationship between the cutesy-evil worm
and the chicken heads is never made very clear by the game, but suffice it to
say that they're enemies). Even at the beginning of the game, the chicken
heads are all over the place, and any one of them can kill you. It is possible
to trim their numbers down by capturing them in the parts of the screen you're
clearing, but it's still a little intimidating to have all those enemies on
the screen at the same time.
With the relatively complicated control scheme and the number of enemies,
Naughty Worm can be a little off-putting to those used to the original, far
simpler Qix concept, which is a leisurely stroll along the beach compared to
Naughty Worm. Although the heavily graphical approach is interesting and the
inclusion of power-ups a nice addition, this is another one of those instances
where I'm not really sure if the changes made to an older game are really
improving it or just making it different.
 Painters Battle
Painters Battle is one of those games that's almost painfully
simple, and you have to wonder why someone didn't think of the idea before.
The game involves a grid of multi-colored balls. You start with the ball at the
lowest point of the grid, while your opponent starts with a ball at the
highest point of the grid. Taking turns, each player converts his group of
balls to the color of a ball adjacent to the group, the ultimate goal being to
have the largest group of balls and win the game. The strategy comes into play
when you're choosing what color to assimilate next: you'll want to make a
selection that'll advance your side while preventing your enemy from doing the
same.
Like I said, it's really simple, but it's also plenty of fun once you get the
hang of it. There's no multiplayer option, unfortunately, but it's enough to
play against the computer. The elliptical GUI is a nice touch, with graphical
bars to show your remaining time, who’s currently ahead, and your available
color selections. The level progression is pretty simple: you advance to a
more difficult level by successfully completing the level you're on, and when
you die you have to start all over again. Painters Battle is one of those
games that I wish had more game modes and features, but what's there is quite
good.
News "Best of Everything"
CD
In what is sure to turn a few heads and
probably spark a little controversy, Pocket PC magazine is now offering a sort
of "all-in-one" mega collection of Pocket PC software. The package includes
about $2,200 worth of software, including the retail version of
Pocket Streets
2005. You also get MS Reader and print subscriptions to the magazine,
including the last five years of issues in Reader format. (That means, of
course, that you'd get pretty much everything I've written for the print
version of the magazine. Neat!)
Some may balk at the price tag of $429, which is the price of a new Pocket PC
(more or less), but you do get a whole lot of good stuff without having to
wade through a lot of muck. It's also possible to get the CD free with a
two-year subscription to the magazine, in which case you get demos of all the
featured software programs (but not the full registered versions), plus other
free content including eBooks, Today screen themes, and more.
Now mind you, I had nothing at all to do with the creation of this CD, but the
game section to me looks pretty good: I didn't see a single stinker in the
whole bunch (although Pixel Dinosaurs Lite isn't a game as such, if you want
to get technical). If nothing else, this would make a good gift for someone
who bought a Pocket PC and doesn't have much software for it. You can find out
more about the full version of the CD here.
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