Ballistic v1.3 [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

Steve Sharp

08-09-2006, 04:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sharp-ballistic-20060708-title" /> Product Category:Game Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.egpocket.com//">EG Pocket</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=20674">PocketGear</a> Price: $4.95 USD System Requirements: Windows Pocket PC 2002, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 or Windows Mobile 5, 7 Megabytes of storage space and 7 Megabytes of executable memory. The program may be installed to main or expansion memory. Pros:<li>Inexpensive; <li>The game uses a simple to objective, but is somewhat challenging; <li>Forty levels of play including bonus levels.Cons:<li>Requires a lot of application memory to operate; <li>After figuring out the trick to each level, play value decreases.Summary: The game’s object is simple: decide where to release a ball so that it will wind up in a pot at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it isn’t. This platform from EG Pocket is a puzzle type of game where the seemingly simple object of getting a ball to fall into a pot is complicated by dynamite, homing missiles, upside down levels, and bombs. If you’re up for an inexpensive game that forces you to experiment with action and reaction and requires persistence, this may be a game for you. Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sharp-ballistic-2006-0708-figure1" /> Figure 1: The player is confronted with figuring out the most plausible path to get the ball in the pot. A Different Kind of Ballgame I installed EG Pocket’s Ballistic v1.3 the expansion memory on my HP IPAQ 6315 with no difficulty. The graphics are nice and professional looking, as is the sound. The animation is smooth and the game plays nicely. There are 30 regular levels and 10 bonus levels after the 30 regular levels are completed. To envision the game play, think of one of those pachinko machines - you know, where a ball is released and bounces through a series of pins with the object being to have the ball fall into a designated area at the bottom. That is the essence of this game. The ball can be positioned anywhere along the top of the screen to determine the general path that it will take as it bounces off blocks on the way to the bottom. <li>Realistic movement of the ball; <li>The game automatically saves the game at the last completed level. <PAGEBREAK> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sharp-ballistic-20060708-figure2" /> Figure 2: Players experience an interesting twist when confronted with upside down levels. Going Ballistic As most people know, the study of ballistics involves determining the logical path of travel of an object. The game Ballistic follows this line of thought. The response of the ball bouncing off of blocks or being propelled back to the top of the screen by exploding dynamite feels realistic and responds as one would expect. The game also incorporates smoke effects, huge exploding “nuclear bombs” and homing missiles that destroy the ball and force the player to take another approach. Luckily, there is no limit to how many times each level can be retried because some of the puzzles take many attempts to complete. On the up side, the game forces the player to think about the action and reactions what will affect the ball’s travel to the bottom, and it’s hard to put down once the game is started. On the down side, after the player has figured out the trick to completing each level, then it gets considerably easier and is far less interesting. For that reason, it lacks the play value of open-ended games that involve attaining a high score such as Bejeweled or many of the Gamebox games. <PAGEBREAK> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sharp-ballistic-20060708-figure3" /> Figure 3: Besides the blocks and the dynamite, homing missiles add an increased level of difficulty in getting the ball in the jar. Conclusion EG Pocket’s Ballistic v1.3 is a slick platformer that offers many different challenges and levels of play. The game is packaged nicely, and it offers a lot of bang for the meager price of $4.95. If you’re into games that make you think about how to solve a problem, then you’ll probably like Ballistic. But, it is a bit of a memory hog and those who have limited application memory available may have problems running it. A free demo is available from Pocket Gear or from EG Pocket’s website. Give it a try. Steven Sharp is a senior systems analyst by day and a freelance writer by night. He is a 39-year-old native and lifelong resident of Huntsville, Alabama. He has been freelancing for 16 years and his first book, The Art of Managing Everyday Conflict was released by Greenwood Publishing Group in May of 2004.