Apple's foray into the world of portable
media player gave birth to one of the most recognizable electronic products in
the world - the iPod.
The iPod has evolved from being a digital music device to a video viewer, podcast
player and pocket-sized photo album. And if that wasn't enough, Apple has
thrown in the gauntlet and announced their newest plan for this nifty little
gadget: iPod games.
To be able to enjoy these games, iPod owners with any fifth-gen (video) player
must first download and install the latest iTunes 7
software for Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. After installing,
you can now download a total of nine games from the iTunes store for US$ 4.99
per game.
One of the games offered is Namco's classic arcade game from the 80s called Pac-Man.
the little yellow guy was able to chomp his way to the iPod. A total of 256
levels can be enjoyed in the iPod version of Pac-Man, with "coffee
break" animations that serve as intermissions between levels. The
gameplay is exactly the same as in other version: to guide Pac-Man onto the
dots and fruits while evading the colored ghosts. The only difference is that
you get to control him by using the click wheel of the iPod: gently tap (not
press) one of the four directions of the click wheel to direct Pac-Man
to the goal.
Another game being offered is Electronic Arts' Mini Golf. The game
features three courses: 18-hole Tommy Totem's Tiki Putt Putt; the Ancient Egypt
course; and the Freaky Circus Sideshow course. The last two courses will be
unlocked if you are able to shot under par. The game also offers Pass n' Play
multiplayer mode where two players can take turns putting off at a hole, and
the Practice mode for newbie players. The iPod's click wheel serves as the game
controller.
Another downloadable game is PopCap Games' Zuma. Take control of a stone
frog in the middle of the screen and eliminate the long string of multicolored
balls by firing a colored ball from the stone frog idol's mouth towards a group
of two or more of the same colored balls. The control is simple, rotate the
frog and use the center Select button t fire the ball. To select the color of
the ball in the stone frog' mouth, click fast-forward or rewind button. Other
additions of the game include shooting gold coins for extra points, creating
combos by chaining successful moves together and power-ups. These are only
three of the games offered by iPod. Other titles includes Tetris,
Texas Hold'em, Mahjong, Cubis
2, Bejeweled and Vortex.
