QuickLook.Technobrains

I like free games for my iPhone.  Besides the obvious fact that they don’t hurt the wallet any, it’s a win-win situation in terms of what I get.  If I like the game, it’s a bonus, and if I don’t, I just delete it and move on.  Thankfully, Fish Frenzy falls squarely into the former category.  My only regret was that the game came to an awfully quick end.

The premise is simply to catch enough fish to satisfy your point total for each round.  You’re in a boat at the top of the lake, and you tilt the device left and right to move your boat back and forth.  Tilt the device up and down to raise and lower your fishing pole.  If you snag a fish they’ll jump out of the water, at which point you have to catch them in your boat.  It sounds simple enough, but the game is timed, so you need to work as quickly as you can.  Also, in later levels there are eels, which prove to be a shocking experience, and swordfish, which “cut” your experience short.  Neither of these obstacles kill you, but rather they waste time where you could be catching fish.

I'm As Shocked As You Are

You get three lives to start, and lose a life if you run out of time before accumulating enough points from catching fish.  When all of your lives are gone, or you’ve completed fifteen levels, the game is over.  There’s really not much to complain about here.  The game is simple to play, it’s entertaining, and it can actually be somewhat of a challenge in the later levels.  It would have been nice to have more levels (this technically feels like it could support an infinite mode quite well), but in the end it’s a quick enough play that going through the whole game several times is no big deal.

The graphics are quite well done.  Everything is detailed and colorful, and there’s just enough animation to catch your eye.  I especially like the animation when you accidentally snag an eel.  The girl in the boat has that typical “time management character” look to her, which somehow seems to fit the mood of the game.  The sound effects and music make the game feel like an interactive morning cartoon, which is always a bonus for me.

Fish Frenzy might be a bit too simple or short for a lot of people, but I find it makes a nice diversion every now and again when I want to play something but don’t have the desire to jump into a time consuming game.  And it sure beats playing solitaire!  Also, if you’re looking for a game to throw on your iPhone for your kids, or your kid has an iPod Touch and they want games, this is a great choice.

Final Verdict: Recommended
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[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]

Reviewed Platform: iPhone
Device Used: iPod Touch
Software Type: Game
Developed By: Team Phobic

I have to say that I was a bit skeptical about a game where you play a rubber ball. Even watching a pre-release video I wasn’t sure that Bounce On would really do anything different for me than any other mobile platform games had. Now that I’ve had the pleasure of playing the game, I can honestly say that this is one of those experiences that you don’t understand until you’ve tried it. Most of the platforming concepts might be derivative, but the Box2D physics engine gives Bounce On that extra kick to make it a fun, challenging and addictive game.

The basic premise is that you are a rubber ball that has fallen out of your owner’s pocket, and you need to find your way home. Of course, such a journey could never be easy, and as luck would have it your path is littered with killer caterpillars, blue faces on springs, and white balls with sneakers that turn into mean looking red balls when you bounce on them. You also have your typical platform jumping exercises. So far there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. Thankfully, though Team Phobic took advantage of the fact that the protagonist was a ball and added some physics into the mix.

Caterpillars Are Coming 

To get rolling you simply tilt the device left or right. I’m not sure that the ball gets any faster if you tilt more in either direction, but the more you have the device tilted the harder it is to make an abrupt stop if you need to. To jump you simply tap on the screen. The longer you hold down your finger, the higher you’ll jump. As you can imagine, the combination of perpetual motion and variable jumping can create quite a bit of interesting moments as far as timing is concerned. My biggest frustration with the controls was that there were many times where I was positive I hit the screen to jump and yet I didn’t. I’m not sure if it was just because I was already too close to the edge and couldn’t jump or what was causing the issue, but I felt like there were several times that I plunged unnecessarily to my death.

There is at least one villain that rolls at the same time you do. To me this actually makes for the most interesting and unique puzzle Bounce On has to offer, because you often need to be able to move the bad guys out of the way and get what you need or where you need to go before the bad guys come rolling back at you. Personally, I wish more of the game had been built around this concept. There are so many environmental things that could have taken advantage of this, like pendulums that swing with your movement, or planks that sway back and forth that you have to slip under. Or, if you want to get really challenging, have some doors that require pressure plates to be triggered, and have the plates be triggered by blocks that you have to roll into place. In the recently added level two they started to do more with this, like platforms that shift under your weight, but it feels like they only scratched the surface of the potential that a physics implementation allowed.

Diamonds And Bouncing Spike Balls 

Along the way there are a couple of things you can get to keep you going. The first is extra lives, which are little gold balls that you can collect along the way. Sometimes they’ll be in plain sight – though not easily attainable – but often you’ll have to search for them. It’s usually worth your while to locate as many extra lives as possible, because you’ll probably be playing several of the levels over more than once, and extra lives reappear every time you start a level. There are also stars along the way that act as way points in a level. Be sure to run through them whenever you can get to them. Finally, there are chambers you’ll find from time to time that give your ball additional powers. One give you an extra hit before you die and increases the height you can jump, and the other gives you temporary invincibility. There is apparently a third one in the second level set that makes you magnetic as well, but I haven’t run across that one yet.

One thing I really like about Bounce On is that there are three ways to pass a level. The first is to simply get to the end of it. This is the easiest route to take, but will only earn you a bronze medal. The second is to get through the level collecting all the blue gems that you find in that level. This will earn you a silver medal. Finally, if you can beat the level with all of the gems under a certain amount of time you will earn a gold medal. For those that have to “have it all”, this is a nice incentive to keep replaying the game. You can replay any level once you’ve beaten it, and you can move through any available levels via the overworld map. You don’t even have to play every single level to finish the game, but I highly recommend at least giving every level a shot. You can always back out of a level and go down a different path.

More Adversaries 

Graphically, the game seems to take a lot of inspiration from the older Mario games. The graphics are bright and colorful, and have a nice cartoon look to them. Unfortunately, there isn’t a 100% consistency in the quality of the images. I wouldn’t say there are any bad drawings, but it definitely feels like more work went into some graphics than others. With the recent update to version 2.0 of Bounce On there was a new world added, and I actually like the background image set for the second world better than the first one. Something I really appreciate about the 2.0 update is that they gave your ball eyes when it’s not moving, which gives the character some more personality.

The sound effects are good enough, with certain noises standing out above the crowd, especially those made by the main character. The music in the first world is pretty good, and I really like the additional music for world 2. Overall I’d say the audio is a nice compliment to the visual elements of the game.

Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Installation Ease: 10
Fun Factor: 8
Usability: 9
Documentation: 9
Adjustability: 6

Addon Packs: NO
Suitable For Young Kids: YES
Online Support: YES

CONS:

- Not enough diversity
- Minor sensitivity issues with jumping
- Physics engine under-utilized

PROS:

- Awards system provides plenty of replay value
- Game provides solid, entertaining platform action
- Excellent audio and visual elements

OVERALL:

Team Phobic took a quirky premise and managed to turn it into a fun and challenging platform game. A little more diversity and extended use of the physics engine would have been nice, but overall this is a very well done game for their sophomore iPhone endeavor. I look forward to seeing what Team Phobic has in store for the future.

 Overall Rating: 8.7

The GP2X-F100 Handheld Gaming Unit is the next generation in portable gaming systems. It’s origins begin way back in early 2001. The History of the GP2X started with the original GP32. The GP32 is not as old as the Nintendo portable units but is unique in how the games are created and currently distributed.

Game software designers and manufacturers that create the games for Nintendo or Sony rely on licensing tools, software and hardware to create the gaming titles. This is a very costly process therefore only larger well financed companies can create titles for Nintendo and Sony portable gaming systems. On the other hand, developers and manufacturers of games for the GP2X work on the premise of Open Source licensing that is available for FREE. This means tools, software and various source code are available publically to anyone interested in creating games or software titles for the GP2X.

Creating games at little or no cost to the developers sound great but tends to attract those that are financially challenged or only interested in creating games as a hobby. This tends to limit the number of quality games and increases the number of poorly written games..

That being said, why would anyone be interested in buying a GP2X? Sony and Nintendo game manufacturers have the financing and experience to create high quality commercial games. For those that can afford to buy the handheld units like the Sony PSP, the Nintendo Gameboy or the Nintendo DS quickly realize that paying $30+ for one game quickly adds to a cost factor that more than the cost of actual gaming unit itself. With the GP2X, many games are available for FREE. I might say these games tend to be poorly written or very basic in function but that is not always the case. With the availability of emulator software, I can run many original quality games written for other platforms and other gaming systems. This opens the door to hundreds of quality games not officially or originally created for the GP2X but will run on the GPX as if it was running on the original system the game was intended for..

Since the emulator software and the games designed to run on these emulators are mostly avaialble for FREE, this makes the GP2X available for under $200.00 USD a very attractive unit to buy. Before you go out and buy one, you need to understand what the unit has under the hood.

Specifications

For those that are technically inclined will have noticed that the GP2X uses 2 processors.One for the main operations and one for the video display processing. This ensures that the games run very fast. Also the operating software being Linux based also allows for an efficient processor due to the operating system having a small footprint.

The unit also allows you to watch videos. listen to music and read ebooks. This is a real flexible unit and is one way for cost conscious consumers to consider instead of the Sony PSP or the Nintendo DS. Even those considering a Windows Mobile device mainly for games may find the GP2X a low cost alternative. The GP2X uses 2 ARM processor similar to the processors used in many WIndows Mobile devices which only contain one processor.

The manufacturer expects to have over 50,000 units sold by Christmas. This does not seem like a lrage amount considering millions of Game Boy units have been sold world wide. If the manufacturer of the GP2X continue to upgrade and support the system, we will certainly see a surge in sales in 2007. Specially with the increase in games being developed and introduced for the GP2X.

You can certainly check out the GP2X more by going to www.gp2x.de and also go to http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi for a list of available games and other sofware titles available for FREE downloading.

Images: GP2X

Available for the Symbian S60, K-Rally seems like the ulitmate “Spy Hunter” type revisited with updated graphics. Look like a real intense action packed game from this video. You have a choice of different cars and different racing tracks. The game is a top view type with a clear view of the action and looks well designed.

Here is a screenshot:

You can also go to Infinite Dreams to view their trailer video. Hopefully Infinite Dreams will release a Windows Mobile or Windows Smartphone version of this game. The Symbian version is currently available for $14.95. If the WIndows Mobile version is available at the same price, K-Rally will certainly be a popular game for sure.