Tapwave Zodiac 2 Awesome yet Obsolete… Awesolete!

The Tapwave Zodiac is a gaming optimized PDA running a modified version of Palm OS that was originally sold between 2003 and 2005. It came in two different models: the Tapwave Zodiac which had 32MB of internal RAM, was priced at $299, and came in Slate gray; and the Tapwave Zodiac 2 which had 128MB of internal RAM, was priced at $399, and came in charcoal grey. Other than the above noted differences they were identical. For quite a while it was my absolute favorite handheld gaming device.

The device itself feels solid with a nice weight and metal case. It has a touch screen, an analogue control stick on the left, four buttons organized in a circle on the right, right and left shoulder buttons as well as power, home, and function buttons. The Zodiac feels good to play when it is working perfectly however the analogue has a tendency to slip out of true, at least on my unit. This does not happen often, maybe once every week or two and is simple to recalibrate, but is still a negative. Software is read off SD cards that are inserted in one of two slots on the top of the unit. All in all, the unit feels very nice and high quality. The screen does not get nearly as bright as the DS lite, iPhone, or PSP and at full brightness reduces the already poor battery life to approximately three hours.

The Tapwave Zodiac had a tiny library of officially licensed games, but it had a strong homebrew community that invested a lot of work bringing quality games to the system. Many of the games available were in the form of emulation. Homebrewers were able to bring NES, Genesis, arcade, and even barely functional PlayStation 1 games to the Zodiac. As far as official games went Doom II, Duke Nukem 3D, Tony Hawk 4 and a couple racing games makes up the majority of official notable Tapwave games.

Tony Hawk 4 on the Zodiac is not a full blown version of the game but is very similar to Tony Hawk 4 on the GBA. The game uses a ¾ isometric view for the world but manages to capture the feel of the main fully 3D pre-Underground era of Tony Hawk skating games. There are some true 3D gaming experiences available on the Zodiac such as Doom II. Even though the Zodiac has an analogue control stick Doom is best played with a mouse and keyboard or Dual analogue sticks. Doom II has not aged well. The 2D sprite based enemies in a 3D world are quaint and the AI feels nonexistent to a gamer used to modern FPS console experiences. It seems developers did not quite know what to do with the device. The best official games on the system are the few casual games available such as Solitaire or the Fun Pak i.e. games that have a traditional mouse and keyboard or palm game design.

The strength of the system truly lies in its strong homebrew community which have brought many classic systems to the unit thru emulation. This could be a major draw however there are many better options for classic gaming enthusiasts that want to play classic games on the go. A great option for the classic gamer on the go is the GP2X which can be found at a lower price point then the Zodiac. The GP2X has better feeling controls and has a wider range of software with in general higher degrees of compatibility. Adventurous iPhone and PSP owners can jailbreak or install custom firmware in order to run unsupported homebrew. There are even special cards available for the DS that allow users to run downloaded software.

The other advantage of the system is that it is a fully functional PDA. Again this is overshadowed by newer systems such as the iPhone or the Blackberry which have similar core functionality as well as superior connectivity and media functionality. All in all the Tapwave Zodiac is, despite a rather critical review, a very cool system that unfortunately is currently overpriced, has little unique software, and has superior options available. The Zodiac is a curiosity that will be remembered by few but is a worthy platform for old school game enthusiasts and handheld game collectors.

Scores:

Screen: 7/10 The screen is not quite as bright or crisp as the newest generation of handhelds however the 480x320 resolution still looks quite sharp.

Sound: 8/10 The machine is quite capable of MP3 quality sound. The system itself sounds a bit tiny with the internal speakers however the headphones sound great.

Controls: 7/10. Touch screen is responsive and buttons are springy. The only problem is that the analogue controller tends to slip out of true. This can be minor to quite annoying depending on how much it happens. In general it does not happen often and can be quickly addressed by recalibrating the control stick.

Availability: 5/10 It can be found online but one would be hard pressed to find one at a thrift or resale shop. You would be better off searching for another device that might be easier to find.

Price: 5/10 It is possible to find online for as low as $225.00 however the GP2X which is a similar and frankly superior gaming device can be found for $179.99. As a PDA it is a bit of a relic already, cell phones or PDA devices that offer a greater degree of connectivity are better choices.

Library: 8/10 Though the official library of games is quite modest, the homebrew community was quite active for the unit. It is capable of running NES, Genesis, and older systems’ games at full speed. SNES games run a bit slowly or at full speed with no sound. Newer systems’ games are generally impossible to run.

Overall: 7/10 This was an excellent choice at the time however it is too expensive and has too many flaws to justify the purchase of one unless you can find one under the $100 price point. The battery life is very short, the analogue controls sometimes slip out of true, and there are other systems that have similar libraries available.

What I’m Playing on Vacation: Casual Game Mini Reviews.

When I left for vacation I brought two bags, one full of clothes and toiletries and the other packed with books and electronics. Portable gaming machines do not take up a huge amount of space but maximizing your gaming oomph and minimizing the amount of gear that has to be lugged around is a concern. Additionally I have not had a lot of time to sit down with a more involved game so most of my vacation gaming has been distinctly casual. In my opinion a lot of casual games are of the lowest quality. With that in mind this is the best of what I have been playing on vacation and what I would recommend for your casual game playing.

Line Rider iPhone:

I have been looking forward to Line Rider making its way to the iPhone since I saw some of the fantastic videos of the original flash version on YouTube. The game has caused enough of a splash to be ported both to the DS and iPhone. The game is barely a game in its original and iPhone form. Upon load the player is presented with a screen that is blank other than having a few drawing tools. There is no point or goal other then to draw a downhill course for a guy on a toboggan to sled down. The simplicity and creativity allowed are wonderful. With all the versions players can share their courses with other players which is very cool. It is pretty easy to pick up and put down and the game appears to auto save whenever the program is exited. The only gripe I have is that it is difficult to draw precisely with a finger on the tiny iPhone screen. Watch the video below and be amazed.

Check it out for free online at http://linerider.com/

Mawasunda Nintendo DS:

Mawasunda is a Japanese only mini game collection from Taito similar to Wario Ware for the Nintendo DS. The game does have a lot of Japanese which makes the game more challenging and interesting for a non-Japanese speaker. The games fall into 3 categories (Power, Technique, or Brain) and use what the games refers to as the MawasunderPAD which is a portion of the bottom screen that is rotated to play the mini games. Games have goals such as raising and lowering elevators or cracking safes in addition to slightly more outlandish goals such as keeping people upright on the subway or preparing food. Perhaps directly attempting to cash in on Wario Ware there are bits of vintage games included such as Arkanoid. None of the Mini Games feel quite as absurdist as the ones included in a Wario Ware Game however the sense of style that the game has somewhat makes up for the lack of over-the-topness. The gimmicky MawasunderPAD does get old after a bit however there are alternate controls for lots of the games. The biggest difference seems to be the amount of time spent playing the individual games. While Wario Ware mini games are very fast Mawasunda has a much more leisurely feel. It is not the perfect mini game collection but is a fun worthwhile diversion.

Puzzloop iPhone:

Puzzloop for the iPhone is a touch version of the flash game Puzzloop which people may know as Zuma or Luxor. It is the first of the match three games that have pieces that are on a spiral track around the center piece thrower. The game is really easy to play on the iPhone due to responsive controls and a generally well designed UI. I rarely find my finger covering important gameplay elements or accidentally touching the menu button which is a concern for almost all iPhone Games. The Puzzloop clone Zuma can be played at http://www.popcap.com/games/free/zuma and will give you a pretty good idea of what Puzzloop is all about.

Clubhouse Games Nintendo DS:

Clubhouse Games has something around 50 classic board and card games including solitaire, mahjong, and chess. They are all easy to play, with a good UI, decent AI as well as the option to play multiplayer either thru Local Wireless or Nintendo WFC. These are classics thru and thru. Value has been added by having a couple bonus modes that include Mission and Stamp. Stamp mode sends the player thru all the games one after another and Mission sets players up with specific goals to complete during play. For instance in the Bullshit Mission (the Clubhouse Games refers to the game as “I Doubt It”) the player must “Accurately call Cheater! (Bullshit) 5 times before anyone else wins.” Nothing groundbreaking however it does extend game-play.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters? PSP:

Honestly the PSP does not really have many quality casual style games and since the DS and iPhone are excellent platforms for casual gaming I had a bit of difficulty naming a quality PSP game. Lumines and Echochrome, neither of which I have played, may be the entire list of quality casual games for the PSP. I’d like to open up the comments for any opinions on what are some good casual games on the PSP. Come on lurkers, don’t be afraid to speak up. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is the only PSP game I’ve played for the PSP while on vacation. On the subject of vacation, check out what the 5-0 drive in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. This should more then make up for the lack of casual games on the PSP…

Where are all the Awesome iPhone Games?

The iPhone is gaining popularity as a gaming device. In fact, it has been reported that Sega has said that it's just as powerful as the Dreamcast. This is potentially very exciting for iPhone owners. The Dreamcast is of the same generation as the Playstation 2 or original Xbox. To give another example EA was reported to have said that the iPhone exceeds the Nintendo DS in terms of processing power.

Undoubtedly the iPhone has plenty of muscle. Games such as Super Monkey Ball and Crash Kart Racing have proven that the device is capable of decent 3D gaming. The device is also presumably quite capable of online gaming since it has rather robust connectivity options. This begs the question, where are all the awesome iPhone games? I don’t want to be overly critical of the games available for the iPhone since there are several quality games available. That said, outside of a small handful of games, the iPhone library does not begin to deliver the quality of games available on either the Dreamcast or DS to which the iPhone has been compared. Why is this?

The iPhone has a great screen. It is capable of being very bright, has excellent resolution and is quite responsive as an interface. In addition, it can recognize more than one touch at once. Outside of the screen as user interface the iPhone and has tilt control and the as of yet unused (as far as I am aware) camera and GPS. This all sounds good on paper and works wonderfully as an interface for the iPhone as a media device however there are some problems with the iPhone as gaming device. Games for iPhone wisely, as a rule, seem to have abandoned attempting to recreate the console controller on the iPhone. Without the tactile responsiveness of real buttons, virtual buttons or joysticks on the iPhone screen don’t give enough feedback for a traditional console type experience. Additionally any buttons take up screen space that ideally will be used for graphics. Successful iPhone games that have a console feel, such as Crash Kart and Super Monkey Ball, use the accelerometer for a primary user interface. Crash Kart has a general area that the player can touch to activate a power slide and steering is done by tilting the iPhone. In Bomberman Touch, the player touches the side of the screen to move, replacing the traditional joystick control. Using touch zones rather then buttons frees up space for graphics when some elements of the user interface are not being used.

Most designers appear to have entirely focused on more casual games with a mouse inspired user interface. Many of them work quite well. Most of the card, mahjong, and board type games translate quite decently. A key problem with casual games on the iPhone is that since the screen is so small it may be difficult to accurately touch a specific piece in a game of mahjong or solitaire. This is a minor gripe for games that are rather straight ports of classic board or card games whose rules dictate a specific piece layout. Additionally many of these games do not offer much more than any number of free to play online flash games or time wasters.

When the mouse control scheme is used for more action oriented type games things can become problematic since the act of moving your finger or tapping obscures a considerable portion of the screen. I have not yet found this particularly problematic with any of the games I’ve played on the iPhone. However, I did find it to be quite difficult with a painting program, Brushes. So difficult, in fact, that I ordered a stylus. Ultimately user interface design for the iPhone games is in its infancy. There has been rumor of peripherals being developed for the iPhone such as the Belkin Joypod and iControlpad which, if released, will turn your iPhone into something akin to a PSP. This may bring a greater variety of games to the iPhone, but it could balkanize the iPhone gaming library as different games receive different levels of support for peripherals. I personally would prefer to see designers rise to the challenge of designing for the iPhone. The system offers new and interesting opportunities and challenges for game design. Truthfully there are many more challenges for game makers on the iPhone. However with creativity and persistence interesting and exciting new games can be made.

The second reason for the lack of quality games seems due to the fact that as a true multimedia device any game must be more engaging than any movie, piece of music, Youtube video, and the internet (pornography included). Not only does a developer have to compete for an end users time but they must compete for the end users space on their iPhone. This means that even a big concept game needs to be relatively small in size. These concerns create quite a bit of risk for an iPhone developer. Even if there are solid numbers on the install base for the iPhone I don’t think there is a clear idea of what sort of attach rate games will ultimately have on the iPhone. This fact, along with size concerns, may relegate the iPhone to the position of a strictly casual gaming machine. This is unfortunate since the possibilities for a device with such an interesting set of technical assets is very wide. Beyond simply what is possible graphics and processing wise, the iPhone could be used for some very innovative stuff. Imagine a game that tracks players in the real world thru GPS to allow players to gain points for finding or occupying specific locations or an “enhanced reality game” that would allow a virtual avatar to interact with the real world thru a combination of motion control and the camera. These are by no means new ideas however the iPhone actually is a popular and capable enough device to make such gaming pipe dreams a reality.

The final challenge and perhaps most significant reason that great games have not found their way to the app store is largely a financial one. The iPhone apps store in many ways resembles the Wild West where anything goes. Apple, it seems, does not in any way filter the content that makes its way onto the iPhone nor, it appears do they enforce any type of pricing structure. This may initially seem beneficial to the consumer however in reality it is not. As an example, if a user searches for “Cowbell” in the apps they will come up with several results with a price point ranging from a few dollars to free. This level of granularity seems intuitively like a good thing. If a potential consumer wants a simple cowbell they can opt for the free app. If, in the unlikely event that they want a fully featured musical instrument, that option is available to them. The reality of the situation is a bit different. The task of adding value over a similar free app is very difficult. This makes developing for the iPhone quite risky. Development costs even for a small app can be quite high and since Apple does not appear to have any pricing structure there is no guarantee that a competitor may not offer a similar app at a much lower cost. In order for great games to make their way to the iPhone consumers must speak with their money. This means being willing to pay a premium price for high quality offerings. The flip side of the coin is that Apple needs to enforce a pricing structure for content and figure out a way to act as gatekeepers in a way that is both fair and maintains a minimum standard of quality. This does raise the bar for the aspiring bedroom developer and will block a segment of would-be iPhone programmers from having their apps see the light of day, but I think it would ultimately increase the quality of software available. I have no problem with Apple allowing free apps, but the large number of similar low quality, cheaply made games in the app store seem to have created a gaming ghetto where only low quality free or cheap games can survive. A more proactive model is needed, such as the Xbox Live Store which Microsoft heavily monitors and will go so far as to enforce prices for content offered. This would inevitably increase prices in the apps store but would also hopefully inspire game makers to take chances and develop some bigger concept games. This may be a moot point if the game development community has written the iPhone off as a casual only device.

I’m going to forgo any sort of scoring for the iPhone and instead take a wait and see approach. Hopefully games such as Line Rider, Vay, and Spore Origins will prove that a wide range of game types can successfully sell on the iPhone. Hopefully consumers will demand more than the tired casual games and sloppy racers. Hopefully good iPhone games such as Super Monkey Ball and (the admittedly casual) Bubble Bash are getting supported. Until then I’ll be patiently waiting for all the good iPhone games.