The game I played most this week: GeoRally EX

Racing Rally: GeoRally EX

I reviewed GeoRally before (the 2D version) and didn’t give it the most positive review. Now that I have 3d hardware (in the form of the Axim X51V, thanks Hal) I think it only fitting that I review it once again since I can play it with 3D acceleration. 

GeoRally is based heavily on the arcade racing games available on the various console platforms. More specifically, it is meant to recreate the European category or racing known as “rally racing,” which involves driving subcompact cars through narrow, twisty, and often dangerous pastoral settings. Rally racing usually doesn’t use proper “tracks,” and sometimes involves driving through towns. As I said in my prior review, this type of racing isn’t that well known in the United States.

GeoRally’s design is pretty straightforward: you only get one racing mode, the rally, which is split up into two different championships across 15 tracks. You are given better cars periodically depending on how well you perform in the races. You also get a garage to visit, but it only allows you to adjust the color of your car; those of who like to twiddle with gear ratios, steering settings, and the like will be disappointed.

When you’re racing, the physics and handling are a mixed bag, as you might expect from a game that’s really the first serious attempt on the Pocket PC to recreate a 3D-accelerated console racing game. Controls are straightforward: you can use the stylus or the directional pad and buttons (button settings can be modified to your liking). A game such as this is really best played with an analog game pad, and as you might expect the Pocket PC controls are often a bit frustrating. Using the d-pad, braking especially is a little annoying, since you’ll have to move your finger to brake and then move it back quickly again once it’s time to hit the gas. It’s not too bad at the beginning tracks, but once you start getting into the hairpin turns, it makes you want to plug in a game pad.

The tracks look fantastic. Once nice thing about rally racing games is that the scenery is always changing: one minute you’re racing through a forest with high trees, another moment you’re plowing down a dirt road, and the next you’re racing through a brick road in an old city. This is a nice change from the usual paved gray tracks we see in racing games, with little scenery changes except the finish line and the audience in the stands. 

The 3D engine works very well and provides graphics fairly close to what you’d see in the early desktop 3D games using 3Dfx cards, although this particular game looks a bit grainy in comparison. The visuals aesthetically and performance-wise are a tremendous improvement are really are worthwhile on the Pocket PC, even though the platform is still hampered by the lack of an dedicated math unit. Particularly good is the lighting, from the flares on the cars to the glow of the street lights when you zip through a section of town. Although overdone, it’s a nice effect. The frame rate stays consistent throughout the levels.

While the 3D certainly helps the game look more professional, GR still reveals signs that it’s an amateur production. The lack of an on-screen map is a real hindrance, as is the lack of statistics telling you how you and your competitors are doing. The camera angles are OK, but not terrific. The car and track physics are pretty good, but still lag way behind console-based racing games. The chase view is located somewhere above the trunk of the car, which isn’t particularly helpful. It would be much better to have the view located behind the rear of the car, above it and angled down. That way, it would be easier to see more of the track ahead and your car’s position relative to the track. (This would make turning easier, too).

Other characteristics are likely evidence of the platform’s limitations, the presence of 3D notwithstanding: you can only race against one other car, and your opponent’s car is only half-rendered (you can even drive through it!). There’s also no rear-view mirror or “look back” option, which would require more CPU time.

Shooters: XII ZEAL

XII ZEAL (I guess that’s how you spell it) is another entry in the Confusing Japanese Scrolling Shooter game category. This one was apparently a big hit (under the name XII Stag) on the PlayStation 2 when it came out. The final version isn’t out, but a playable demo is. It looks fairly typical for a game in this category: mediocre graphics, lots of color, and way too much happening on the screen at once. Thankfully, the game at least has an autofire feature, which makes it somewhat easier to dodge the endless stream of bullets that you’ll end up dodging. The game limps along rather slowly on the Dell Axim series, which, according to this thread on Pocketgamer.org, is an issue with the GAPI driver the Dells use. Apparently you can download a tweaked version of the file which fixes the problem. Good to know. As for XII ZEAL, I’d recommend it only to those of you who are serious fans of Japanese shooters (Claygun comes to mind). I personally prefer games that have more balanced game play, such as Sky Force.

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Allen Gall's The Week in Games  Copyright © 2007 by Thaddeus Computing Inc.