Archive for the 'Sport' Category

Direct Link : Pocket Mini Golf 2
Publisher : Momentum Games

Price : $19.95

Graphics : 8 Out of 10
Sound : 7 out of 10
Gameplay : 9 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 8 Out of 10

The Pocket PC is such a great platform for golf games, as lightening reflexes aren’t usually required. The main prerequisite for these style of games is hand eye co-ordination and a good understanding of basic physics.

PMG2 takes the more arcade style of mini golf, rather than the more traditional style and shoe horns in a myriad of courses and play options. You have the ability to play using the as any one of 6 players, each with their own individual characteristics. There’s also 3 different levels of play, which should give you a nice introduction to the gameplay at the lowest level, but provide a lasting challenge at the higher levels. The levels are:

• Amateur - Where you have one extra stroke to complete each hold
• Semi-Professional - With normal par per hole and user controlled power bar
• Professional - Normal par per hole, with moving power bar.

There’s also 3 different game types:

• Standard - Get around the 18 holes in as few shots as possible
• Arcade - Get around the 18 holes as quickly as you can and in as few shots.
• Practice - Practice a hole as many times as you want in as many shots.

The game play is just about right, being easy enough to get you started with the game, but difficult enough to keep you coming back for more. As well as the many options included in the standard game, are a whole host of un-lockable features, that so far this reviewer isn’t good enough to unlock. The courses themselves are very well designed, with some holes being very tricky indeed. There’s also 5 expansion packs available for purchase, which give you a whole host of new holes to test your skill.

The game mechanics and physics are very smooth. The graphics are nicely done, but at times a little on the small side, which is no surprise on a mobile device. There is no VGA option, which would be a bonus, but the graphics do not detract at all from the gameplay. The sound is also nicely done, being mostly confined to ambient or spot effects.

Conclusion : This is a great game, with features up to the yin yang. There’s enough here to keep you busy for quite a while. Pricing is a little on the high side, I would have preferred the cost to be around the $15 mark.

Direct Link : Ultimate Bowling Fighter
Publisher : Astraware

Price : $19.95

Graphics : 8 Out of 10
Sound : 7 Out of 10
Gameplay : 7 Out of 10
Longevity : 8 Out of 10
Overall : 7.5 Out of 10

Bowling is a game that’s been done many times on mobile devices, especially cell phones. The game principles are very easy to implement on a mobile device, but Ultimate Bowling Fighter is unlike any version I’ve played before. From the opening screen you can’t help being impressed by the graphics, which are extremely well done. The sounds is also very complimentary, especially the driving music on the opening screen.

When starting a new game, you have the choice of solo game, which allows you to have a single game with no opponents; Tournament, where you try to beat the computer controlled opponents to become the champion and Multiplayer where you can play up to 3 additional players.

Tournament is probably mode that will be played most of all. Select the player you wish to play as. There’s Ryo from Japan, Kelly from the USA, Jos� from Spain and Maya from Brazil. There’s also an additional player that you can unlock later in the game. Each player has a different special hit, which is enabled when you bowl a bowl at full power. Each player also has a different weight, which further goes to vary the gameplay.

There are two methods of game control; Stylus Control and Gauge Control.For anyone that has played one of the many golf games available, the gauge control will be familiar. You first select the direction, by stopping the gauge when you want the ball to go. Stop it in the centre and it will go straight and similarly for the left and right. The gauge determines the power of the shot and you select this in a similar way. The other control method, gauge control, is very simple to use. You basically drag on the screen from the players feet to the top of the screen, adding left or right sweep to control the spin direction. This is a much more intuitive way to control, but I don’t seem to be able to have much influence on the balls speed in comparison to the gauge method.

The gameplay is very nicely balanced and the tournament progresses at a nice pace. My best at a single game is 164, so lots of room for improvement.

Conclusion : This is the best looking bowling game I have played and it’s playability isn’t too shabby either. There’s quite a bit of variation, that all goes to add to the longevity of the game.

Direct Link : Billiard Master 2
Publisher : Mobirate

Price : $14.95

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 6 Out of 10
Gameplay : 7 Out of 10
Longevity : 6 Out of 10
Overall : 6.5 Out of 10

I love a good pool game. It’s great to be able to fire up Billiard Master 2 and reel off a couple of frames. The only thing missing is a few beers and the dim lighting. Whilst Billiard Master is a great implementation of Pool, it does lack in a couple of areas.

With all pool games I’ve played before, it’s always been possible to rotate the screen, which is great when you are playing down the table from top to bottom. This feature is sadly missing. Also I do have a concern with the longevity, as I found it pretty easy to beat the computer on all three levels of 8 ball, however I have always been relatively good at these kind of games. I’m used to UK rules, so 9 ball isn’t my forte, but it may provide an extra level of difficulty. This could have been a truly excellent version with some kind of league against varying levels of computer players.

However all is not doom and gloom. One feature that I have not seen on any other pool implementation is player versus player, via Bluetooth. This opens up a whole new area of play. I didn’t a get chance to test the Bluetooth play, but if the play is as smooth as regular play, I forsee no problems.

Conclusion : This is a nice polished version of pool, but with the lack of a table rotation feature and long term challenge, it does look a little pricey.

Direct Link : Ultimate Football
Publisher : Smart Mobile Games

Price : $14.95

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 8 Out of 10
Gameplay : 8 Out of 10
Longevity : 9 Out of 10
Overall : 8 Out of 10

Wow, two soccer games in quick succession, but they couldn’t be more radically different.

Ultimate Football takes the more traditional soccer route. Now I’ve said before that the Pocket PC isn’t the most ideal device for playing action games, but this more like an action game with a more thought based twist. Yes you play your team against the opponent and have to slot as many goals past his goalie, whilst keeping the ball out of your goal, but through the clever use of the stylus, the pace of the game is different, which means it’s a really great way to play.

From the kick off, your player nearest the centre has a big red arrow mark, indicating he is the player you are controlling and the direction you need to go for the opponents goal. You then tap on the screen where you want your player to go. If you have the ball and you click on another one of your players, the ball will be passed to him, but it will not neccessarily fall directly at his feet, you will then need to ensure he intercepts the pass, sometimes having to beat the opponent to the ball.

Whilst the graphics are nothing to write home about, they are very functional and the sound helps to add to the whole atmosphere. You also have the option of how you wish to view the play. You can either view from a side on birdseye view or a more conventional player view. I prefer the later as it gives you the chance to see the players goal before you when you shoot and hopefully score.

When you wish to play a game you can either choose:

• Tutorial : Get a brief tutorial on various aspects of the game
• Single match : Choose from Novice, Amateur, Semi-Pro, Pro and Champion skill levels, and select between 3 and 10 minutes per half. To further add to the configuration options, you can also select from 4 different formations and 3 different levels of aggression.
• League: where you have to play between 1 - 6 divisions with between 5 and 20 teams in each division. You also get to choose whether you wish to play in the English league or the Italian league.
• Demo : View the Pocket PC playing a game with itself.

Conclusion : Please do not be put off with the basic graphics of this game. The gameplay options are extensive and the actual gameplay is great. This is an excellent for sports afficianado. Now if this had a VGA options, I would be drooling at the mouth.

Direct Link : Master Kick
Publisher : INDUSTRY Entertainment

Price : $14.95

Genre : Sport/Action

Graphics : 7 Out of 10
Sound : 8 Out of 10
Gameplay : 8 Out of 10
Longevity : 5 Out of 10
Overall : 7 Out of 10

I must admit I have never considered the possibility, that there could be a Pocket PC version of table football/fooseball, but in the matter of a few weeks, this is the second game I’ve seen. I approached this game with a sense of skepticism, but I have to say after playing for a while, it really is rather good.

The gameplay is just what you’d expect. The control mechanism is well thought out, but I have some reservations about constantly pumping the hardware buttons. That aside though, the gameplay is pretty fluid and is exactly how you’d imagine it to play. You move your men up and down using either the d-pad, or slide the stylus (or your finger) up and down on the screen. You spin the men by clicking on either the Select, Contact or Home button. Depending on how long you hold the button, determines how strongly you spin your men.

There are two different gameplay options, either single game, where once you’ve selected who you want to play as, you then select one of the remaining 5 opponents. The other mode is League, where you play all the other teams, hoping to finish at the top of the league. My only concern is that while this provides an excellent way to while away a few minutes, the league mode doesn’t really offer much depth, as you only play each team once. It would have been great, if the other mode was some kind of knock out competition, where you first have to qualify and then scrape through each round to reach the final. Failing that, if you at least had to play each team twice that would be better.

There are also two different modes of play. You can either play a timed game where the winner is the one with the most goals after 3 minutes, or play until one of the players reaches 5 goals.

Conclusion : Whilst this is an excellent implementation of the game on the Pocket PC, the long term playability is a factor. If you love to switch on and have a quick game with some frantic action this is a must buy. If however you like a game with a little more depth, then you may want to try this out first.