The first thing I wanted to mention was the fact that this game managed to accomplish something no other Windows Mobile game I’ve tried has: it actually has a lot of people online!

This is pretty cool because no other Pocket PC game I’ve tried ever had enough people online to make it worth playing. The tradeoff was that those other games were more interesting to me, because I like stuff that’s a little different.

Because the amount of people who know how to play checkers, etc is so large is the reason that this game will succeed, but I’m not sure if it’s for me. It’s basically a Pocket PC version of the “Internet Checkers” or “Internet Reversi” you’d see on a Windows XP machine.

For those of you who like to play Halo 3, I found a nice tool called FPSBuddy which works with your Pocket PC or Windows Mobile device to help you gain an advantage over your Halo 3 opponents.

The tool is a Halo 3 Respawn Timer, and it lets you know when a weapon, item, powerup, or vehicle will be respawning. I love that they made this work with my beloved Pocket PC Phone. It’s basically a web app that you access from your device’s Pocket Internet Explorer (just like any other website). You’ll need Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC in order for it to work.

Once you access the Halo 3 Spawn Timer from your device, you’ll see a drop-down list with various gametypes and maps. Just select your map and gametype from the dropdown and click submit and you’ll be presented with a screen full of icons that you can click with your finger to start and stop the timer. FPSBuddy has a free version which lets you use the tool as much as you want in Free For All (lone wolves) gametypes. The pay version is extremely affordable at only $3.99/month via a convenient and safe Paypal subscription.

FPSBuddy Tutorial Video 1

Click below to see more info and videos of FPSBuddy.

If you watch the video above, you’ll get an idea of how it works. Let me give you an example scenario: While the game is starting up, you’ll load the map and gametype (Team Slayer on High Ground). Right when the match starts, you run to the Spartan Laser and as soon as you pick it up, you activate the timer on your Windows Mobile device. This starts a visual timer on the screen, and you get a vocal warning at ten seconds which gives you just enough time to get to the Spartan Laser the next time it spawns. This keeps the important weapon out of your enemy’s hands and in yours, giving you a better chance of getting the win.

FPSBuddy Tutorial Video #2 - Halo 3 Respawn Timer in Action

The video above this text is an example of how this tool works on a normal desktop computer. You just hit the Halo 3 Respawn timer from Firefox, IE, or Safari and you can try this Halo 3 tool from your computer. Here they use the tool in a dual monitor setup, where the Halo 3 spawn timer is on one monitor, and Halo 3 is on the other. This is a good way to use this tool if you don’t have a Windows Mobile device (shame, shame).

FPSBuddy Tutorial Video #3 - How it works on a mobile device

And now for the good stuff. The video above shows you what you REALLY want to see, how it works on a pocket pc. In this video, they use a Verizon XV6800 to use FPSBuddy’s Halo 3 timer to track the respawn time of a weapon in-game. Although this video is short, it shows you the true potential of a Windows Mobile device. This is by far the best use of a web application I’ve seen for the Pocket PC, and I heard that a lot of the MLG pros are using this tool in their competitions. Think about it, it’s the perfect way to cheat at Halo 3! Well, you really aren’t cheating, but this tool DOES give you a huge advantage in Halo 3. Anyways, if the MLG pros are using this, and they are getting paid millions to play Halo 3, then it must be good for people who aren’t that good (such as myself). All I can say is that if you play Halo 3 and have a Windows Mobile device that you should at LEAST check out the free version. It really is an innovative use of Windows Mobile’s capabilities.

Action games have long been a problem on the pocket pc because of control issues.Enter Bananas, a new game by Lygue games which does what no previous Windows Mobile action game has accomplished… concont a truly intuitive control scheme.

The game is basically a platform game which features a cute monkey named filbert. You control filbert with your thumb or stylus, and simply click where you want filbert to go. The point of the game is to pick up bananas, and various other items while avoiding venus fly traps and bad apples. You must also keep filbert moving downard as each level progresses.

The beauty of the game lies in its control scheme. Instead of fumbling with your device’s thumbstick. you simply tap where you want filbert to go. If you want filbert to jump across a chasm you just click the other side of the jump and he does a nicely animated jump right across.

Boss battles are fun, you basically thow bananas repeatedly at creatures at the top of the screen.

The actual game dynamic is about 60% timing, and 40% dodging baddies. And for the most part, it’s pretty fun.

But Bananas is not all fun and games, unfortunately. Firstly, the game is BIG in terms of storage space. Maybe I’ve been out of the scene too long, but 6mb seems a bit too heavy for this game. There is also a control issue where the four “totems” (powerup activator buttons) on the top left would interfere with my control on more than one occasion. These might do better on another section of the screen.

On another note, I let my 3 year old nephew try it, and it was obviously way too hard on even the easiest setting. So, if you’re looking for a game for your 3-4 year old this probably isn’t it.

All in all, Bananas is definitely one of the best action/puzzlers for the Pocket PC platform available, and I definitely recommend picking it up. For the price (currently $3.95), you can’t beat Bananas!

clickclickPOP! rates this game 4.7 out of 5

buy Bananas here for only $3.95

This game ROCKS! The touch screen controls are extremely accurate and easy to use. It works with both the 2700g chip and the GoForce5500 graphics processors, so there’s a good chance this will run on your device. Even if you don’t have a graphics processor, you can still run this because it has software accelerated 3D graphics. COD2 has three (count ‘em, one two three) campaigns totaling 12 huge missions. There’s a great selection of weapons including American, Russian, British and German.
The best part about this game is that there will be wi-fi multiplayer coming out soon so you can test your skills online, any place, any time… Personally, I’m trying to beat the single player missions first so that when the multiplayer section comes out, I’m good enough to hold a candle to all the COD nerds out there.

I have three words to describe Call of Duty 2 for Pocket PC: Buy. This. Game.

that is all. Why haven’t you bought it yet?

Buy it here for $29.95

VITO is cool because it works with both VGA and QVGA screens, so both me and my wife (with different ppcs) can battle it out from the sofa for control of the TV.  Even though my home electronics are mostly common-name (Sony, etc) VITO also has a huge list of compatible devices, which should be good for those of you who have some more obscure brands.

Really, the feature that has me intrigued to buy this is the CCF file support to use the original remote’s interface…
At this point, I’m 90% sure I’m going to buy this one. 

It’s available here for $15.95… go ahead and try the demo, I think it will work for you

Basically, Pocket Goo 2 is a program for your pocket pc which allows you to morph two pictures together. This produces hilarious results, for example, when I morphed myself and my new wife together to try to get an idea of what our kids might look like, instead we got what looked like a mongoloid with a brain implant.

Aside from the fun of morphing your family and friends pictures, the real value of this application is because it is so full featured. There are hue/saturation controls, brightness, contrast, etc. This should please even the most jaded of photoshop experts.

Another big feature of this program is that it loads all file types, from jpg to gif to bmp. This program can really do it all!

If you are looking for a photoshop alternative for pocket pc, this program is for you.

clickclickPOP! rates this application 4.5/5

buy Pocket GOO 2 for only $9.95

Pocket Bass Angler is a realistic fishing simulation which lets you try your luck at catching Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Muskie,Walleye and more from your Pocket PC or Windows Mobile Device. I played this game on my XV6700 and it worked great!

Catching a fish in this game is very exciting because of the decisions you have to make to actually make the catch. From bait selection, line stress, and timing elements, this game is as realistic as you can get. The animations and graphics are top-notch, too!

The thing I like most about this game is that sound. The sound effects really bring you to your favorite fishing spot and makes you feel like you are really there.

I recommend this game for any professional or wannabe angler out there with a windows mobile or Pocket PC device.

clickclickPOP! rates this game: 5/5

Buy Pocket Bass Angler 2007 here for only $14.95