PocketGamer.org

Perennial PocketPC gamers PDAmill send along word that their tribute to gastropods, Snails, has received an overhaul, and has been re-released as Snails Reloaded.

Featuring enhanced graphics, a redone interface, expanded custom race & level support, and the ever-present "and more" this massive update will be made available free for all existing customers on My.PDAmill.com within the next few days.

If for some strange reason you haven't yet bought Snails Reloaded, it can be purchased for $14.95. A demo and video of the new version are both available on the Snails Reloaded info page.

Isotope244 has updated Machines at War to version 1.2, making over 27 changes to the excellent real-time strategy game which features fully destructible terrain.

Major changes include:

* Added 3 NEW advanced ground units! Badger, Ram, and Viper.
* Aircraft now use direct flight pathing and more realistic flight patterns.
* The AI was extensively updated in group management, building, and uses new attack strategies.
* AI is harder on Robotic and easier on Newbie and Easy settings.
* Added new shortcut keys to select all Offensive, Ground, or Air units.
* Fixed units not pathing when there were high populations on slow machines.
* Many building and unit stats were changed to balance the game.
* Added a section to the help file about user mods, and the tech tree image can now be customized.
* Fixed controls on Windows Mobile devices with slide out keyboards.

The update covers all the game's platforms and is free to registered users.

Many thanks to Michaël Ryssen for writing in to tell me that DoomGLES has been updated to version 0.7, significantly enhancing the support for the GoForce GPU and adding some extremely impressive lighting effects.

Changes include:

* "Music streaming stops after loading a savegame" bug fixed.
* Font rendering bug fixed.

GoForce only below:

* Multitexturing optimisations (up to 5 lightmaps + map texture in one pass).
* Normal mapping support.
* "Realistic" water support.
* Radsuit deformation effect.
* Berserk zoomed motion blur effect.
* IR goggles noise effect.
* Glow effect.
* Invulnerability vision

DoomGLES is, as usual, completely free and available to download here. It's also possible to donate to the project via PayPal. In addition, two videos showing GoForce developments are up on YouTube, with the water effects being particularly impressive. I need to get myself one of those XDAs!

Further screenshots can be found by following the Comments Link for this news item.

Many thanks to Eric Pankoke for drawing my attention to a competition on My World of Handhelds, where they're giving away a copy of Clash of the Orions, worth $29.90.

To be in with a chance of winning, you simply need to register in their forums and post a reply to this thread. Speaking of competitions, this has reminded me that I still need to hunt through my Inbox for the Sudoku winners - if you're lucky, you'll be hearing from me in the next few days.

As spotted on Clickgamer is Barnyard Flyers, a game which targets the animal-flinging fetish that lurks deep inside all of us. According to the blurb, "It's hurricane season again and the lake has flooded the highway. The winds are gusting from all directions. To avoid losing the farm, you must get your animals to market. Your only option is to break out the old catapult and fly them there. The market is surrounded by hazards. Still, you'll have to risk it; you will boldly launch your Barnyard Flyers!"

Features:

* 5 of each Animal per game
* Crosswinds Challenge and Aimer [presumably something that aims]
* The Highway and Junkyard Hazards

Barnyard Flyers will set you back $4.95, although both the demo and full version require Flash support.

Fresh from the PDAmill studio is Pachinko Go!, a Windows Mobile version of an immensely popular Japanese game. I'd never heard of it before, so I'll let the blurb do the talking: "What the heck is Pachinko? Gravity, Skill, and Luck! It's a unique game which is kind of a cross between a vertical pinball game and a slot machine which is extremely popular in Japan (and growing more popular worldwide every day). This simple, yet addicting game contains 3 unique Pachinko games in one package, including many unlockable extras to acquire, extending the gameplay even more!"

Features:

* Professional Art, Graphics, Menus, and Animation enchance the visual experience
* Three Unique Games available to play, each with their own graphics, art, sounds, music and difficulty!
* Intuitive controls that make full use of Windows Mobile touch screen
* Catchy Soundtrack with over 15 minutes of music and more than 60 sound effects and voices
* Pachinko Store in-game allows you to purchase over 15 Extras including Eye-candy effects, Game Bonuses and Concept Art!
* Auto-save automatically saves your progress when you exit, so you can continue where you've left off!

Pachinko Go! is available to try or buy for $9.95 for all major Pocket PCs. You'll notice that there's a video available on the PDAmill website, but you'll really need to download the demo to gain any insight in how the game works. You might also find this Wikipedia article helpful.

...for Palm devices. It used to be that admitting to being a Palm owner was tantamount to excommunication from the Windows Mobile community, but times change and with them is an announcement from PDAmill that all their Palm games are now completely free.

Titles now available include:

• Arvale: Journey of Illusion
• GameBox Asia
• GameBox Classics
• GameBox Gems
• GameBox Solitaire
• GameBox Solitare II
• Snails

With no serial numbers or activation required, you'll find all these games available to download from PDAmill's Palm mini-site.

HeroCraft is hard at work preparing the release of Hexxagon Labs, described as an "amusing tactical logic game". Featuring "15 original hard-to-solve levels, the goal of the game is to occupy as many cells on a field as possible, capturing pieces of an enemy. Your rivals will be the best American and European professors whose brains were implanted [so that's why my tutors took so long to mark my dissertation - David]in the game’s artificial intellect system. You also will have an opportunity to play Hexxagon Labs with one or two friends using only one device!"

Features:

* Play with one or two friends
* 3 game modes
* Original set of amusing facts from the scientific world
* 17 complicated levels, 3 bonus tutorial levels
* Stylish music
* Attractive and bright graphics

Hexxagon Labs is scheduled for a May 8th release, with pricing to be confirmed.

U Mobile Game (formerly Ur Mobile Game) has released Greedy Penguins, a completely free action platformer, where the aim of the game is to "jump down through an infinite shaft of platforms,try not to fall off the screen and get coins as more as possible. Move the penguins with the arrow keys or Touchscreen, moving from platform to platform. "Life" decreases when you touch the pillards, but you can recover the "life" guage by eating fish. Multiplayer mode will request you getting more coins than your competitor."

Features include:

* Multiplayer mode,play with your friend over Bluetooth.
* Random maps,coins and fish!
* Ranking system - high score table.
* Bright attractive graphics.
* High Quality Music and Sound Effects.

Greedy Penguins is, as mentioned earlier, completely free and available to download for all major Pocket PCs and Symbian devices. U Mobile Game also asked me to point out that new versions of Ore Explorer and Crazy Spot are also available, with both games gaining VGA compatibility.

We posted a few days ago on Clash of the Orions, already being sold at a 20% discount. The offer has been increased to 40% for the next day or two only, which I thought was worth a mention.

A press release from Astraware announces Platypus, a "fast, frantic and fun side-scrolling arcade shooter with a difference - the entire game is made from clay! The vast continent-spanning city of Collosatropolis has finally reached the limits of its expansion, and tall buildings cover every available space. The Collosotropolan leaders have decided the simplest solution is to invade the neighbouring country of Mungola. They don't anticipate much of a struggle - Mungolans are simple, earthy types without much love for industry. In fact, Mungola's entire defence force consists of a single squadron of fighter planes - the venerable F-27 'Platypus'."

Features include:

• 4 massive clay worlds to explore
• 20 challenging levels of squishy side-scrolling fun
• A range of powerups to enhance your firepower and boost your score
• Fantastic music soundtrack inspired by classic Commodore 64 games

Platypus is compatible with all major Pocket PCs (square screen and QVGA only, sadly) and Palm devices and is available to try or buy for $19.95.

As spotted on Clickgamer is Through Enemy Eyes, a game where "you play Steven McCoy - dauntless adventurer, whom fate has brought from England to a camp of the French Foreign Legion in Egypt. Since you have had the good luck to find a magic amulet, you are able to see the world through the eyes of your enemies. You will encounter the shadows of formerly powerful Egyptian gods, find heaps of treasure, and ultimately face Anubis in combat. The magic amulet will be your trusty guide during your journey through this murky world, and at the end of the game a certain individual will help you to return to England in a highly unusual manner..."

Through Enemy Eyes is available to try or buy for all major Pocket PCs for $14.95, although the desktop version is completely free.

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