Ever wanted to play pool on your handheld device, let it be either a Palm, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian or just a Java-enabled phone? While there already are some pool games for most of these platforms, new titles are always welcome.
(Examples of already-existing games:
for Windows Mobile and Palm OS, the excellent Virtual Pool Mobile reviewed HERE; note that the review also contains some links to other, multiplayer-enabled pool games and is, therefore, highly recommended. Note that Vegas Pool Sharks (as with Virtual Pool Mobile) doesn’t support multiplayer. Both support high resolution on VGA devices; in addition, Virtual Pool Mobile also supports the 2700G in the Dell Axim x50v/x51v devices.
for Java-enabled phones, there’re several pool MIDlet games; for example, Gameloft’s 3D Midnight Pool or, even better and more recommended, I-Play’s 3D World Championship Pool, just to name probably the two most widely known titles). See the MIDlet Bible for more info on what MIDlets are, how you can run them on Windows Mobile / Symbian etc.
RESETgame’s new title is, however, pretty much welcome, mostly because of its price tag (at least half of that of Virtual Pool Mobile, particularly when compared to the $24.95 of the Dell Axim x50v/x51v-specific one) and support for all kinds of screen resolutions. It has native support for even the highest-resolution ((W)VGA) screens – while still also supporting the lowest-end Smartphones. Two screenshots showing this:
On a VGA PPC:
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and on a low-end 176*220 Smartphone:
Unfortunately, it doesn’t support any 3D hardware acceleration, but it isn’t a problem either as, as opposed to Virtual Pool Mobile, it has no 3D animation (you can’t arbitrarily change the camera’s viewpoint) and has no other, 3D-related goodies either.
Availability
The games are available HERE for a trial (ClickGamer’s page doesn’t have downloadable trials) and, as far as Windows Mobile is concerned, are compatible with both Pocket PC’s and Smartphones starting with WM2003 (SP2003).
Palm OS
It ran flawlessly on my Palm Tungsten T3, utilizing its HiRes (320*320) screen but, unfortunately, not HiRes+ (320*480), not even in Landscape mode. (Note that Virtual Pool Mobile 1.48 runs great on the T|3 too).
Symbian / Java
Interestingly, the ClickGamer page of the game lists the game having a Symbian S60v3 / UIQ 3 version. I couldn’t find a track of this on their homepage. The Java version (the trial JAR file is accessible HERE), on the other hand, worked flawlessly and fast on my Nokia N95 and had exactly the same goodies (sound, shortcuts etc) as the native Windows Mobile / Palm versions. It even (flawlessly) supports the Landscape orientation.
Problems on touchscreen-enabled platforms
Unfortunately, it doesn’t support aiming using the touchscreen, as opposed to all the other native Pocket PC (or Palm) pool games. In this regard, for example Virtual Pool Mobile is WAY better (and it offers a lot of other goodies; for example in-game music, free camera movement and career mode). However, if yours is a no-touchscreen platform (MS Smartphone, Symbian S60, dumbphones), this won’t be a problem.
Verdict
If you have a non-touchscreen device (MS Smartphone, Blackberry, Symbian S60 or any Java MIDlet-capable, compatible phone) and you don’t like the above-linked Java-based (or native, if any) games, give it a try – you might like it and/or find it substantially better than the alternatives.
On Pocket PC’s and Palm OS devices (that is, ones with touch screens), however, don’t expect it to be better than Virtual Pool Mobile – give the trial version of the latter a try first to see whether its merits are indeed worth the double (or, if you have a Dell Axim x50v/x51v, double-and-a-half times) price and, then, compare Vegas Pool Sharks to it – after all, you get what you pay for.
Related
I’ve been closely watching (see my early compatibility reports for example here, here, here, here and here) the evolution of Styletap, the Palm OS emulator for the Pocket PC, for almost two years now.
Palm OS has some really cool and unmatched applications (for example, MathLib, powerOne Graph and MedCalc) and games (for example, Edge and Acedior) that hava never been ported to the Pocket PC.
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(the above screenshot has been taken on the VGA x51v and shows how HiRes (320*320) games are scaled to 480*480 to – horizontally – completely fill in the available screen estate of VGA Pocket PC’s. The same screenshot taken on the QVGA HTC Wizard can be seen here; it shows how the LoRes (160*160) rendering looks on a QVGA device. As you can see, it’s much less spectacular and pretty hard to read)
StyleTap (rightfully!) is also the winner of the Utilities: Miscellaneous Utilities category of the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards 2006.
Availability
The application is available here for all ARM-based platforms (that is, even on Pocket PC 2000 / 2002 ARM-based Pocket PC's). The commercial version costs a whopping $49.99 but there is a 14-day and, otherwise, unrestricted trial.
Edge compatibility
Of course, the first program I’ve tested was Edge, the greatest role playing game for the Palm OS - and probably all non-gaming handheld device platforms (see this, this and, again, this for more info on how it compares to other (Pocket PC) RPG games). I was really delighted to see that, it was clearly more enjoyable than the beta versions of the emulator.
On my 624 MHz WM5 VGA Dell Axim x51v, there aren’t really annoying sound problems (hiccups in the background stereo music) with the game any more unless you have a conversation with someone. Then, the music has very short, but quite annoying pauses every 2 or 3 second.
On my 624 MHz WM5 HP iPAQ hx4700 and 520 MHz WM2003SE VGA Pocket Loox 720, the situation wasn’t this good; there were constant pauses in the background music.
I’ve also tested the game on the HTC Wizard and it turned out to be pretty good, taking the speed of the CPU of this model into account. Of course, there were pauses in the ambient music, but the game itself was pretty playable.
Acedior compatibility
The second game I tested was Acedior, the other Palm OS-only “big hit” – the second adventure of the folks that have created Fade, which has won the “Best adventure game for the Pocket PC” prize several times. Acedior isn’t at all worse than Fade, quality-wise – I certainly recommend purchasing it if you own a (preferably HiRes(+)) Palm model.
Unfortunately, as with the 0.x betas, the new StyleTap version isn’t compatible with this title either – it still can’t load the bitmaps as can be seem in here. This is a BIG problem - Acedior is a REALLY good game!
Other tidbits
Pros
Definitely faster and more compatible than beta versions!
Cons
There is still(?) no HiRes+ (that is, 480*320, as opposed to the “plain” 320*320 HiRes) support in the emulator
The price ($49.99, which is considerably higher than in the beta stage) is pretty steep – you can get a second-hand, say, Palm Tungsten 3 for not much more money, and it offers both seamless HiRes+ (not just HiRes) compatibility with all the applications / games out there (not to mention its other uses; for example, as an A2DP-enabled multimedia player). And, yes, it runs both Edge and Acedior flawlessly - and in HiRes+
Verdict
If you have Palm applications or games you’d like to run on your Pocket PC, give StyleTap a try. Also, make sure you check out Edge under it if you have a sufficiently fast, preferably VGA Pocket PC (for example, the x51v) and you don’t dislike games – you’ll definitely like it!
Other discussions of the new version
AximSite
Unfortunately, except for Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral and Blitsoft’s Battle of the Generals (BoTG for short), there has been no Stratego clones for the Pocket PC. Fortunately, now, Inscenic, developers of well-known title Warring Nations and Creatonia has released a pretty cool implementation, Napoleonix.
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Availability, compatibility
The official homepage is here; the ClickGamer download here. The game costs $9.95 and there is an, unfortunately, pretty restricted trial version.
The title is compatible with all WM2003+ devices and I had no problems in running it on my various test Pocket PC’s.
Visuals
Very good – it supports high-resolution VGA.
Music, sounds
Yes, this is an area where Inscenic's games have traditionally been weak. It has no music / sound effects at all. Hope the developer will fix this problem. (Note that the two alternatives don't have in-game music either - except for a short menu tune in Connor's game. BoTG only has in-game beeps and a drum menu tune.)
Some remarks on the alternatives
(Also see the Bible of All Pocket PC Games Part I for more info!)
Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral is an old, but very good implementation of the game.
Blitsoft’s Battle of the Generals has recently beeen removed from the Net – from both the official homepage and that of all Pocket PC download sources (I’ve checked Handango, PocketGear and ClickGamer). I think this was done because the most recent version, 1.1 (released back in 2003; incidentally, it's the version that I've compared NapoleoniX to), doesn’t support WM5. I don’t know more about when it will be upgraded because the developer’s contact form and forum doesn’t work either. Also see this and this for reviews. Please also see the former on the rules of Stratego.
Note that according to sponge the developer of BoTG is out of business.
Multiplayer
The title also supports real multiplayer (not only plain hotseat - it's also supported here -, as was the case with Warring Nations!) capabilities, which is painfully missing from both BoTG and Connor's Pocket PC game (unlike his desktop Windows version).
The multiplayer uses the best approach, that is, full TCP/IP (see this screenshot) and not, say, LAN multicasting or native Bluetooth connections; that is, to be able to run it without an Internet connection you'll need either a Bluetooth PAN or a Wi-Fi P2P network to be run. Of course, it'll run over traditional Internet connections - as far as the server host isn't behind a firewall or a NAT'ed connection. That is, you'll be able to play even people on the other half of the planet.
Unfortunately, it has no in-game chatting, unlike many other multiplayer-enabled titles.
Note that the only problem in multiplayer mode is exiting on the other PPC when one party surrenders. Restarting the game, however, works in this case too.
Compared to the other two titles,
Pros
REAL TCP/IP MULTIPLAYER!!!!
Much more spectacular, particularly in (the otherwise pretty useless) 3D mode
Hi-Res on VGA devices
Costs the half of that of Connor’s game (Connor's games, while being pretty good, are rather overpriced.)
Shows possible move directions
Excellent built-in help, which can always be invoked. The game rules are explained very well.
Supports WM5, unlike BoTG 1.1
Has no speed problems on the Dell Axim x51v, unlike Sean O'Connor's game (the latter very slow on the A12 x51v; it seems it has no speed problems with other WM5 models)
As opposed to Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral, automatically rotates the screen to Portrait when you start the game in Landscape mode (and it has built-in portrait/landscape switching, which works even on WM2003 devices). Connor’s game, then, is unplayable and must be exit.
It’s available for purchase / download, unlike BoTG
Cons
“Only” supports WM2003+ (BOTG supports all ARM CPU’s and Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral also supports very old MIPS / SH3 Pocket PC 2000 devices)
Verdict
Highly recommended for both Stratego fans and people that have never played the game but would like to have a decent, flexible multiplayer game. Give it a try - you'll like it.
Updated version posted.
SimCity Societies is a really nice desktop game. While it has no native Windows Mobile (or Symbian) version, the Java (MIDlet) version, compatible with these operating systems, has recently been released. As the now-folded ZIOSoft’s well-known oldie, SimCity 2000 (the only real city simulator for the platform), is no longer available for purchase for Pocket PC’s and SimCity Societies is definitely a very nice upgrade to it, I tested it on my devices right away.
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(176*220 screenshots; taken under Jbed on my HTC Oxygen / s310 Smartphone)
(QVGA screenshot; also under Jbed - looks the same on the N95)
Compatibility
It’s compatible with non-(W)VGA Pocket PC’s and MS Smartphones, both QVGA (Portrait) and 176*220 ones. (On Landscape MS Smartphones, the 176*220 version MIGHT work – but don’t even give a try to the QVGA one because it’s Portrait). It’s also compatible with the Nokia N95.
If you have a QVGA device, make sure you get the as the s60v3 QVGA-compatible advertised version. If, on the other hand, you have a 176*220 MS Smartphone, get the version meant for the Sony-Ericsson W810. These are different because the game engine doesn't use dynamic resizing.
Getting, installing
The main page of the game is HERE. After selecting your country, you’ll be given an SMS number where you can order & download the title from. (Yes, I know this is pretty much a PIA. I wish they offered it as a simple purchasable & downloadable JAR file on their homepage. Well, you have to live with this.)
If you have a Windows Mobile device, make sure you install the Jbed MIDlet manager before downloading the game. To do this, just get and install THIS CAB file. After this, you can safely purchase SimCity Societies - it'll be deployed under the right MIDlet manager and you don't end up having to re-purhchase it when you switch one.
Compatibility
As far as other Windows Mobile MIDlet managers are concerned, it doesn’t run under Jblend (at least the installable version of it; I haven’t tested it on models coming with Jblend as a factory-installed, OEM MIDlet manager) and also incompatible with TAO (not that anyone would want to play a full-screen game in TAO, which doesn't support full screen execution...). It, as has already been pointed out, has no problems with Jbed.
I don’t recommend it for (W)VGA Pocket PC users because even the largest, QVGA version will only occupy the upper left quarter of the screen – if it starts at all (it has frozen on me on the Dell Axim x51v; haven’t tested it on other VGA devices).
Verdict
A MUST for all city simulation fans using a non-(W)VGA device. It’s running REALLY great and fast and, thanks to Jbed, has great in-game music – even on a non-overclocked TI OMAP-based phone.
Incidentally, the speed, music etc. of this game certainly shows Java MIDlets have indeed become a SERIOUS alternative to native games on all mobile platforms.
Additional info
The MIDlet bible
SimCity Societies is a really nice desktop game. While it has no native Windows Mobile (or Symbian) version, the Java (MIDlet) version, compatible with these operating systems, has recently been released. As the now-folded ZIOSoft’s well-known oldie, SimCity 2000 (the only real city simulator for the platform), is no longer available for purchase for Pocket PC’s and SimCity Societies is definitely a very nice upgrade to it, I tested it on my devices right away.
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(176*220 screenshots; taken under Jbed on my HTC Oxygen / s310 Smartphone)
(QVGA screenshot; also under Jbed - looks the same on the N95)
Compatibility
It’s compatible with non-(W)VGA Pocket PC’s and MS Smartphones, both QVGA (Portrait) and 176*220 ones. (On Landscape MS Smartphones, the 176*220 version MIGHT work – but don’t even give a try to the QVGA one because it’s Portrait). It’s also compatible with the Nokia N95.
If you have a QVGA device, make sure you get the as the s60v3 QVGA-compatible advertised version. If, on the other hand, you have a 176*220 MS Smartphone, get the version meant for the Sony-Ericsson W810. These are different because the game engine doesn't use dynamic resizing.
Getting, installing
The main page of the game is HERE. After selecting your country, you’ll be given an SMS number where you can order & download the title from. (Yes, I know this is pretty much a PIA. I wish they offered it as a simple purchasable & downloadable JAR file on their homepage. Well, you have to live with this.)
If you have a Windows Mobile device, make sure you install the Jbed MIDlet manager before downloading the game. To do this, just get and install THIS CAB file. After this, you can safely purchase SimCity Societies - it'll be deployed under the right MIDlet manager and you don't end up having to re-purhchase it when you switch one.
Compatibility
As far as other Windows Mobile MIDlet managers are concerned, it doesn’t run under Jblend (at least the installable version of it; I haven’t tested it on models coming with Jblend as a factory-installed, OEM MIDlet manager) and also incompatible with TAO (not that anyone would want to play a full-screen game in TAO, which doesn't support full screen execution...). It, as has already been pointed out, has no problems with Jbed.
I don’t recommend it for (W)VGA Pocket PC users because even the largest, QVGA version will only occupy the upper left quarter of the screen – if it starts at all (it has frozen on me on the Dell Axim x51v; haven’t tested it on other VGA devices).
Verdict
A MUST for all city simulation fans using a non-(W)VGA device. It’s running REALLY great and fast and, thanks to Jbed, has great in-game music – even on a non-overclocked TI OMAP-based phone.
Incidentally, the speed, music etc. of this game certainly shows Java MIDlets have indeed become a SERIOUS alternative to native games on all mobile platforms.
Additional info
The MIDlet bible
Nicky Boom was a nice platformer game released for the Commodore Amiga and MS DOS back in 1992 (Wiki page HERE). While, now, fortunately, there are several platformer titles for Windows Mobile (see for example THIS, THIS for a list of newer and THIS of somewhat older titles), few of them are compatible with the MS Smartphone platform (Nicky Boom is; note that I don't know whether it's compatible with low-end / old 176*220 MS Smartphone screens in addition to the now-standard QVGA ones). In addition, the game also has a Palm OS 5 version (only compatible with comparatively new models; that is, most models starting with the T3) and a Symbian S60 and UIQ 3 version is being worked on. It even has an in-browser ActiveX version on the homepage of the developer (click the Play button), DotEmu. A pretty decent demo is available; the full version costs $14.90 for all mobile platforms.
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Note that the game’s homepage doesn’t have a trial version for Palm OS. It IS available at ClickGamer.
While, theoretically, it may be possible to run the original game under Amiga or MS-DOS emulators, I wouldn’t think it’s a good idea. The only Amiga emulator existing for all the mobile platforms, PocketUAE, is very slow and, as it’s long been discontinued, it’s highly unlikely it will ever be fixed. Emulating MS-DOS is far better on Windows Mobile (see the dedicated Bible HERE), but I seriously doubt it’s able to run this title without major at least sound problems and/or without quickly chewing through your battery. The original game having no console versions, you can't rely on much more CPU-efficient and established, commercial console emulators like the almighty SmartGear either.
On Windows Mobile (I haven't tested the game on Palm and the Symbian version hasn't been released as yet), the just-released native version behaves far better: it uses little CPU time, which means it’s quite battery-friendly and runs on even the slowest configurations like the ones based on the old TI OMAP 850, the “heart” of many popular models like the HTC Touch, Wizard and so on.
As it’s just a traditional side-scrolling platform game, there isn’t much to talk about, game story- or usage-wise.
I had no problems running / playing it. Make sure you give it a try! I think I'll also nominate it for this year's Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Awards contest.
Cons
* Mono music only
* Some stuttering now and then if autofire is enabled. The latter isn’t a CPU usage issue as it stays pretty low even with autofire enabled
Pros
* Much better and, what is even more important, battery-friendly than running the original game under a MS-DOS or an Amiga emulator
* Very good CPU usage: ~28% on 624 MHz PXA-310-based, VGA HP iPAQ 210 and ~60% on the 195 MHz TI OMAP 850-based QVGA HTC Wizard, even with autofire on
BTW, speaking of other platformers, a bad piece of news: the long-awaited Prehistoric: Road to Hollywood (see THIS) will be never completed / released: Bonanza Interactive has gone out of business in the meantime.