JadeDragon's
reviews and playing tips: Pocket PC games
GameBox Asia
by PDAmill, Price:
$9.95 Reviewed February 2004 by Tony Peak
There's certainly no shortage of Mahjong
games on the Pocket PC, so one would be forgiven for wondering
what exactly makes GameBox Asia different from all the rest.
But like GameBox Solitaire and the GameBox series, PDAmill
proves yet again that they can dominate any genre they choose.
GameBox Asia has not one Mahjong tile based
game, but three: Mahjong, Shisen-Sho, and Nagori. Each game
is given the full treatment with several layouts, a full
tournament, and even multiplayer. This isn't simply Mahjong
and two extras, it's a complete three game set. Each game
shares the base feature set of unlimited undos, three tile
sets, and exceptional execution.
Tournament mode is best described as a
challenge mode where the goal is to complete 28 levels, laid
out in a pyramid style, with increasing difficulty. As you
complete the lower levels of the pyramid, the upper levels
become unlocked. For each game you complete, you unlock that
layout for free play mode. In free play mode, you may select
any layout you'd like, select the difficulty, and select
whether or not there is a time limit. Difficulty is rather
cleverly increased or decreased by less or more time to complete
the layout, and also by using all or a limited set of the
144 Mahjong tiles.
Quite impressive to me is the layout editor
/ creator. Even for a new Mahjong player like myself, it
couldn't be easier to use. All you have to do is visually
arrange blank tiles in the patterns you'd like, save it,
and the engine takes care of the rest. Depending on the board
layout it will automatically be added to the correct of the
three games. More impressive still, depending on the difficulty
selected before play the tile patterns will be automatically
chosen for where you placed the blanks.
Because of this simplicity and the automatic
tile setup, playing your own levels is actually a great deal
of nearly limitless fun. Each layout is stored in its own
file in the game's folder, making for easy swapping between
players. My one complaint is that it could have certainly
used some documentation. For a new player like myself it's
a little hard to tell the difference between layout setups.
(i.e., Shisen-Sho and Nagori.) Strangely, the editor does
not feature unlimited undo like the game does, but rather
a single level.
The graphics are absolutely stunning, quite
possibly the best I've ever seen in a Mahjong game. Not only
are the menus, tiles, and background exceptional, they're
also highly functional. I absolutely love the tile shading
options, my personal favorite of which is natural. In natural
shading, the tiles are shaded based on depth; giving it a
great sense of height compared the usual flat and hard to
see Mahjong layouts. Also available is none, for the standard
look of uniform brightness, and free tile shading that highlights
any open tiles. -- Quite handy for new comers to the game.
Sound is everything you'd expect from Jason “Jaybot” Surguine,
with three soundtracks and over 15 minutes of music total.
Even the clicks of the tiles are spot on and non-obtrusive.
Like GameBox Solitaire, I would have liked
to see detailed statistics and long, detailed help screens
with everything from strategy to layout building tips… but
unfortunately it's again kept rather simple. Perhaps this
is to increase its general appeal, but I'm sure it could
have been squeezed in out of the way. That having been said,
I have no complaints in the least about GameBox Asia. With
its three games, wonderful graphics, great music, and the
flawless execution of PDAmill, I honestly feel GameBox Asia
is the best Mahjong title on the Pocket PC.
Playing Hints and Tips
I'm somewhat of a Mahjong novice myself, but here
are some tips that seemed to work for me along the way.
• In Mahjong, work from the top down.
Always remember Mahjong Solitaire is a strategy/puzzle game. Although
it may seem like your winning by making frequent matches, you will
soon hit a dead end. Try to make matches that open up the greatest
number of tiles rather than trapping yourself.
• In Shisen-Sho, if you're playing a
timed game be sure not to watch the animations. You can still match
other tiles at the same time as another animation plays. Every second
counts, I finished many of the later tournament levels with under
six seconds to spare.
• In Nagori, you may find it helpful
to work in an orderly fashion. When your just guessing random tiles,
try to follow a pattern and count the tiles to yourself as you go.
For example: 1, 6, 2, 7, 3. That way if you click a 2, you should
know where it is.
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Graphics
The tiles are wonderful, and there are
three choices to boot. Personally I like the default, but there's
something for everyone. The background and GUI look incredible
and subtle, and the shading puts the entire thing well into the
elite category of graphics that PDAmill titles are known for.
Sound
As usual, Jason Surguine delivers a
soundtrack to put the rest to shame. While it's not my favorite
soundtrack of the GameBox series, it succeeds just fine in
doing the game justice.
Fun Meter
With three very fun and very different
games, three tournaments, three difficulties, and multiplayer
mode all around, there's plenty of fun to be had. Whether you're
a mahjong newbie or an old pro, there's something for everyone.
Personally, I found the tournaments to be a very good challenge.
Addictivity
There's plenty to keep you playing GameBox
Asia. 50 built-in layouts and a tournament mode to go through
in order to unlock them give a great sense of progress throughout.
Free play is exactly as it should be, and the layout editor/creator
gives you as many new layouts as you can dream up.
