I really think Macromedia Flash is the best thing since sliced bread. It's small, capable and extremely at home in the web. When it was first ported to the PPC, I wrote an article on "How To Get Started on
Macromedia's Flash player for the Pocket PC" for
PocketGamer
which was soon translated and posted at
Palmare.
It was lots of fun working on animated flash for my church's worship services and converting 'em to be taken (for showoff) on the PPC. When some wise guy thought of animated themes for the PPC, I jumped into the innovation with both hands and feet. Then AFZANE got out some of the finest Flash games I have ever seen for the PPC.
These 4 games Laboratory Panic, Deep Sea Treasure, Towering Inferno and Airborne Rescue are remakes (or should I say, better-than-original) of Nintendo's Watch and Game handheld. As a diehard retro fan, animated theme enthusiast and Flash lover all rolled into one, I was so excited that I posted a review of all 4 games at my favorite PPC site,
PocketPCminds.
These games are not only well animated with great sounds, but they look good, play well and are a delight to own. At less than 5 bucks each, I unhesitatingly gave them a ten each.
Now, more than half a year have swiftly flew by, and the brilliant programmers at
AFZANE
have been hard at work and not only more than doubled their output, but are porting these goodies to the Palm platform as well. Feast your eyes on these 5 new offerings from AFZANE - still under $5 each.
Fishy Fishy
An adaption from Nintendo's Tropical Fish, like all of AFZANE's stable, the graphics, sounds, movements are flawless. The cutesy cartoons are very funny! Typical of W&G genre, there are the easy and hard levels to choose from. In the easy level, only one tank is operational. In the hard level, there is no time to blink your eyes when Tabby starts to mess with 2 tanks! Not to worry, the game starts slowly at first but picks up the pace with more and more fishes in the air. You'll be kept on your playing this game with 'just one more go!' Definitely, a ten here.
Alien Treasure Quest
Alien Treasure Quest a.k.a. the dolled-up Nintendo Octopus. But it's like calling Miss Universe a dolled-up Plain Jane! It started with a story line as long as your arm. It's a nice view, but you can short circuit it any time and get right on to the game. And just when you started to get used to the repetitious movements to steal goodies from Octopussy, you start to get involved in trading your collected treasures to pay for items and equipment! You can also take charge of your life points by buying food! This is a game you want to save and come back to continue from where you have progressed.
But that's not all - there is a Mini Game inside! Take a break from collecting treasures by trying your luck at Hitting the Octopus game! Hit the dart boards and accumulate 1500 points to win a sure-win Lucky Dip!
Then there are tips, secrets and more! Read the books available in the shop to find out more about the secret moves and items to look out for, and how best to win the game! Octopus has never looked so good and so exciting. Rating: nine and one half (1 point off for making a W&G so complicated, but a bonus half point for the mini game).
Croco Bridge
Croco Bridge is a remake of the 1982 Watch and Game's Turtle Bridge. Unlike Alien Treasure Quest (above), this game has a retro look and feel and does not deviate too much from the original. In the easy level, the crocs won't bite you but do not stand on them for too long! A great game to introduce to children - each time I pull out my PPC, children just gather around me asking for games. This one's for 'em! Fun, like Fire and Manhole - ten.
Monkey Menace
You can tell right away that Monkey Menace is a labour of love. Try as I may, I cannot recall any W&G that this game is adapted from, though it bears the features of several of them like Zelda, Green House, Oil Painic, Rain Shower etc. Looks more like a Nintendo console platform game from bygone years.
Your quest is to rescue Maia and meeting the Spirit of the forgotten People. Save your game and continue your quest to recover the lost treasures! By saving your game, you can acumulate as many stars as necessary and continue your game at your own pace! Watch out for those demon watermelons coming at you at full speed!
As each succesive increase the difficulty level, don't loiter around at the bottom level too long or the monkey will get irritated and throws the watermelons at you at a faster rate! Good game - ten.
Drunken Sherif
Drunken Sheriff is the latest game offering by AFZANE - like all previous games, flash in design and retro is look and feel. You play the trigger happy Sheriff running wild in a local saloon, guzzling down whiskey and shooting at flying objects. The bartender starts to throw things across the bar to let you practice his sharp-shooting skills. This is just the beginning
Next. Billy the kid will drop by for a drink and then challenge you to a gunfight in the saloon. The sheriff has to defeat this guy to proceed to the next stage! If you survive, Billy will throws in sticks of dynamite in an effort to blow you into pieces!
After this, Billy the Bad comes back, this time with a super strong Armor! You're gonna need some silver bullets and lots of prayer to defeat this guy! He's not gonna go easy on you!
Also there is a shootout between you and Billy the Bad at the High Noon stage. When you hear the clock tower bell strikes 12, draw your weapons! The first person to shoot will earn bonus points. If you cheat and shoot before the clock strikes 12, the game is over!
The action never stops! Great stuff - a ten.
