| Siena |
Series 3a/c/mx |
Series 5 |
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(In development) |
| Description |
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PopOut is a variation on the classic bat'n'ball games made popular in the
arcades and at home by games such as BreakOut and Arkanoid. It was originally
released for the Series 3a/c on Psion's own Games Pack 3a, and will soon
be available for the Series 5 through
Palmscape. The Series 3a/c version is only available commercially, but can
be purchased via ESD (Electronic Software Delivery). See the BrainDock network's reseller list
for places to buy.
In case you don't know the scenario, you control a bat at the bottom of the
screen with which you must deflect a bouncing ball. If the ball hits a brick,
that brick is destroyed and the ball is deflected. If you miss the ball with
your bat, you lose a life.
Features include:
- 100 levels.
- Amazing animation.
- Later levels include teleports which transport your ball from one part of
the screen to another.
- Many different types of falling bonus:
- Extend bat - makes the bat 33% larger.
- Shrink bat - makes the bat 33% smaller.
- Gun - Equips the bat with a gun, allowing you to shoot the bricks.
- Glue - Makes the ball stick to the bat, allowing you to aim the
ball.
- Shield - Pops up a shield behind the bat, meaning that you do not
lose the ball is you miss it.
- Slow ball - Slows the ball down the half it's normal speed, making
it easier to hit.
- Bomb - Equips the ball with a bomb. When the ball hits a brick an
explosion ensues, destroying all bricks within a certain
radius.
- Invincible ball - Stops the ball being deflected by any bricks
that it destroys, meaing it can plough through bricks
without stopping.
- Extra life - Gives you another life.
- Extra score - boosts your score by 250, 500 or 1000 points.
- Next level - Ends the level you are currently on, skipping you
to the next one.
- Reverse - Reverses the controls, making the bat harder to control.
- Gunge - Stops your ability to move the bat for a while.
- Death - Kills you instantly.
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| Comments and reviews |
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"... it's usually Popout which keeps me coming back for more ... I know the concept of a 'Breakout'-type game is not very new,
and indeed there are at least 4 others for the Psion 3a alone, but what sets this version apart are the
sheer quality of the animation and the variety of different falling objects."
-- Steve Litchfield, in a review on 3lib.
PopOut also featured in issue 16 of
Palmtop magazine, in an article titled "Desert Island Games - Three
people nominate their favourite Series 3a/c games of all time".
Also featured in this article was another of my games,
Jumpy!.
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| Screenshots |
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The game in action, on level three. The player has collected the "Shield"
bonus, hence the line across the bottom of the screen. The bar at the
bottom of the status display on the right shows how much time remains before
the shield runs out. The 500-points bonus is falling down the screen on the right.
One of the help screens, displaying all the different types of falling bonus.
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| Download |
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PopOut is commercial software, published on Psion's Games Pack 3a. However, I am in the process of porting the
game to the Series 5, which I will be releasing in 1999 - most probably as shareware through Palmscape. Keep tuned to
the news page for details!
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