Not too long ago, I posted a preview of Toyspring's Arcade Reality as well as a video demonstrating game play. It certainly looked like a unique game, especially for a well developed platform like the PalmOS. However, Arcade Reality (AR for short) is more than just a new PalmOS game. It's innovative and exciting and, well, you might as well read on to see what else I have to say.
Arcade Reality is definitely the most recent of games to come out for Palm OS in the past year, if not further than that. Games like Crimson Fire's "Kyle's Quest" series or Astraware's diverse game selection have become popular names that almost every Palm PDA owner has heard of. They were very unique, sometimes even addicting in a simple way
(like Astraware's Bejeweled). But one thing they lacked was their ability to get the player to add their own creativity to the game. Enter Bike or Die, an interesting game that simulates physical movement in a two-wheeled, make-it-or-break-it world. Not only did the game rely heavily on the environment around your character in the game, but also on the player's interpretation of the environment and how they manipulate it to reach the ultimate goal. Now, Arcade Reality shows up as, yet again, a new and innovative game for the Palm platform. It too relies heavily on the environment - but this time it's the player's real environment. Where you are affects how the game plays. How much physical room around you affects how the game is played. The lighting levels around you affect how the game plays. Even the funny looks of the people around you affect how the game is played.
Game play:
Upon first launch, AR presents you with a menu from which you can choose game types or change settings, basically everything you would expect out of a regular game. Obviously this 
isn't where AR shines: instead it's in the different game styles and how they're played. For starters there is the standard shoot'em-up style game called “Arcade Reality” where your main objective is to destroy the aliens while on the clock. Sounds easy doesn't it? I'll tell right now that it's a challenge well worth the hilarious frustration it brought upon me. First off, it’s a very new challenge fully using the 3D movement of the camera to your advantage in this game. Often 
times, we are used to holding down a hardware button to make your crosshairs line up with an enemy. Not this time: instead you must twist and turn your body to line up those bad guys. And at best, after shooting down 5 enemies you’ll likely feel like a human pretzel. Another game mode is called “Infinite Shooter” where your objective is to blast away as many aliens as possible before a certain number escape through a sort of worm hole. This mode is slightly harder than the regular Arcade Reality mode as there is an increasing number of enemies the longer you play. Not to mention being fired at from multiple directions! The third game mode is “Asteroids Mode”. In Asteroids Mode, you basically play the retro arcade game Asteroids, but with a very challenging twist. Instead of a two dimensional world, you play it in third person like the original, but now in a three dimensional world. Asteroids Mode is much more challenging than the other two, but can really provide hours of entertainment.
In each game mode, there are upgrades of sorts that give you extra fire power and defensive power against those pesky aliens. For example, there is a remote controlled rocket, and also a guided rocket: in both cases, you guide the rocket towards your target. This can make your life easier or harder all depending on how well you can do it as well as how many aliens are surrounding you. Also, there is a shield that you can deploy which gives you a few seconds of defense before the aliens blast through it. It's a handy power up so long as you know how to make use of it properly. But a combination of these power ups can make the world of a difference if you use them right and and the right times.
One thing that makes AR different from other space-shooter style games is that you can't really "die", in that your ship's shields are really just an energy level. Each and every hit you take, your energy drops a little bit. That shield energy is shared with your laser's energy. However, even if you deplete this energy source, the game's not over. Instead, that energy will slowly regenerate itself as long as you don't fire your laser or get hit by the bad guys. So this creates a sort of learning curve for some players to pick up the tactics involved for surviving. The game is only over if your time is up (Arcade Reality), too many aliens escape (Infinite Shooter), or in this particular case you run out of lives (Asteroids Mode).
Graphics:
While the visual aspect of this game isn't designed to out shine other games like The Quest (aka Legacy 2), it certainly shines in its own way. Surprisingly not too long ago, Space invaders was the game for the masses (admittedly mostly the geek crowd). Little pesky aliens attacking you from above while you moved back and forth hiding behind the barriers. By today's standards, the graphics used was abysmal, but still very cool. Well, even with all the power of modern day handhelds, AR doesn't try to out-do Space Invaders of the 1970s. No, there's none of that. Instead, Arcade Reality tries to re-capture that feeling, that retro video game look that so many of us remember from our childhood video gaming days. So if you think Space Invaders in colour, and in a 3D first-person perspective, you're thinking Arcade Reality.
Those aliens sure have good aim!
That is actually one of the fortes in the game: the way the graphis are displayed. Instead of trying to imitate a full cockpit in a ship, there is just the radar, weapons/shields status, and how much time you have remaining. These are all lined up along the top or bottom of the screen. Having an uncluttered display is actually nice, as it gives you more space to see the environment (as well as lining up those aliens to be shot down), and keeps the player from being too busy with watching all the status displays around the screen.
However, this is also one thing that Arcade Reality suffers from: goggle-vision. In a game that greatly relies on full view of the area, having restricted view can make the game a little too unfairly challenging. There have been many times when I found the two display areas in the way of my view and also sort o distracting. Instead, I would prefer some sort of toggle that would allow me to disable the full display view and enter some sort of other view that utilises a Heads Up Display (HUD) system with just the bare minimums like energy levels, upgrades status, and a mini-radar being shown.
Audio:
Arcade Reality really is like an arcade game: the background music is just like the music they play in the old shoot-em-up arcade games of the past. The music was very clear coming from my Treo’s speaker, and it was actually really nice to have accompanying my “death to all pixilated aliens” rampage. Instead of putting out a nu-metal soundtrack like a lot of shooter games for consoles would do to enhance the massacre taking place, the music really compliments the arcade style environment that AR seems to capture. It’s not quite Super Mario Bros. music, but it’s definitely up there on the “catchy game tunes” list.
The in-game sound effects are far from realistic, but that’s what makes it fun! Instead of trying to simulate the latest and greatest in laser and rocket sound effects, the little blips and bleeps make the game more enjoyable and easier to laugh at while you’re having fun. I was first expecting something like Star Trek in terms of sound effects. While it’s not quite that, it’s still a little reminiscent of Star Wars.
Remember these guys? They're back with a vengeance!
However, I would have appreciated an option to be allowed to change the sound effects. For example, I am certain some people would prefer more realistic sounds instead of the more child-like sounds installed in the game. Once in a while, I like to really get into a game and perhaps different sound effects would better accommodate something like that. One other issue I had with audio was that the selection of in-game music was a little sparse. Sure, the music was fun, but I’ll bet if you listen to the same tracks over and over again for an extended period of time, you’ll have those tunes burnt into your memory forever.
Conclusion:
Overall, this game is definitely something all Treo users should buy, if not try it out at the least. It’s not designed to captivate the player with astounding graphics and an in-depth story line that keeps you wanting more. Instead, Arcade Reality provides you with endless hours of entertainment, something that other games lack. Granted, there are some things with AR that may leave some people looking elsewhere for mobile gaming. But it is definitely one of those video games that you just have to try out for yourself. If you don’t like the game, you can at least say it’s the most involving game for the Palm OS yet! This is the first and currently only game available for the Palm OS platform that makes the player twist and turn their body to line up that perfect shot…. Who knew shooting aliens could be such a fun workout!!
Rogers Wireless brought famous Canadian actor William Shatner back to Canada to celebrate a North American first: real-time video calling on compatible Rogers mobile phones. The launch event took place to an audience of about 100 invited media guests in the Velma Rogers Graham Theatre in Toronto, ON, where Rogers Wireless' Chief Marketing Officer John Boynton made the first public video call to a "stunned" Shatner backstage.
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