Review written by Shaun Beane
Update:
First off, I want to give the guys over at Orchimedia a big thumbs up! The day my review was posted on PocketGamer.org, Mitja Kurki was in touch with me about the problems that I was having with the game. Very cool! A quick email and we were able to figure out that it was the demo version I had installed prior to installing the full version. So, if you have downloaded the demo and are now going to buy the full version, uninstall the demo first. This should probably be done for all games, but I didn’t see anything in the install notes and I was in a hurry that night.
Anyhow, while I was trying to duplicate my error, I got addicted to this game! Just like I said in the review, I hate to give a game a quick judgment, because some games do take longer to catch on. For me, T-Force was just that type of game. I found that if I took my time, I was able to be a lot more accurate. The first few times you play, you’ll probably want to rush through the aiming process, but don’t. Take special notice of exactly what the wind conditions are and where your pointer is. Also, don’t speed by the opening screen for each level. It tells you important gravity info!
I wanted to write this update to give recognition to Mitja for great customer service but also to give you a quick run down of how I was able to get more playability out of this game. Download the new demo, and try it out for yourself.
Original review:
Ever since T-Force Platoon was announced, I've been anxiously awaiting its release. I've been playing the demo for several weeks and now have been playing the final release for about 4 days. With what seemed to be a fairly long development time, I was really expecting something special.
A co-worker of mine just purchased an iPAQ so I've been looking for an IR game that would allow us to take out our daily frustration by playing a death match!
T-Force Platoon is on a par with most of the "big name" games that have been released lately. The graphics are great, menus easy to navigate and sufficient help provided to figure out exactly what it is we are supposed to be doing.
One thing I need to mention right up front is that T-Force crashed on my iPAQ on several occasions. I don't have a very complex setup. WIS Bar, Pocket Informant, Pocket TV, and several - non beta - games; other than that, just a standard setup. So, I don't know if there is something wrong with the game, but definitely something to be concerned about.
The basic concept of T-Force is to kill the other tank before it kills you. Both tanks are stationary, with varying geographic realms. Aside from the first level, there is usually some sort of obstacle to shoot over, like a hill. Your tank is equipped with basic grenades for the first level. Each level you win, you get some money to buy more destructive weapons, some of which are very cool. It also appears that there is at least one hidden weapon that will be unlocked after a certain amount of wins.
To aim, just use your stylus to drag from the front of your tank to some location on the screen. An arrow is shown to use for angle and power. The length of the arrow (how far you drag your stylus) determines the strength of your shot.
Each level is presented as a tournament. You have to kill your opponent twice to move on (the best of three). Depending on the type of weapon, you must hit your opponent several times to blow up the tank. Some weapons will kill with one direct hit.
As easy as all this sounds, it is rather difficult. With variables, wind and gravity, constantly changing, getting a direct hit becomes a fine art. With practice, you'll quickly get the hang of the wind effect and will be able to adjust to the changing conditions. The first level is pretty easy. After that, the geography, smarter opponents, and varying conditions increase the difficulty.
One of the biggest things I was looking for in this game was multiplayer mode. Playing the computer is ok, but let me blow up my friend!! Unfortunately, two player mode does not support infrared! Major disappointment. I can't believe a game of this calibre could be developed without IR support. I mean, who wants to pass the Pocket PC back and forth? The most common request that I have seen for new games is IR support. How can software developers continue to ignore this request?
T-Force is a fun game, but replayability just isn't there. Killing another tank quickly becomes repetitive. Even after buying some really cool weapons, each level seemed to be pretty much the same thing. I always try not to make a quick decision on games, because some games take a few days to really get the hang of, but I just don't see this game being very addictive. If it came with IR support, it would definitely have a place on my iPAQ, but without it, I just don't see myself playing this game much longer. RocketElite has set the mark to beat - IR support, replayability and a developer who listens!
Overall Impression: Great game for a quick round. Definitely not addictive.
Pros:
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As always, graphics
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Decent sound
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Cool weapons
Cons:
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IR Support!
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More interesting gameplay
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Stability
Overall Score: 7/10
Many thanks to Orchimedia for providing us with our review copy.
You may wish to search for more reviews of games from Orchimedia. Alternatively, you can view all the reviews written by Shaun Beane.
