From WebOSAppReview
[edit] Connect 4
| Developed By | Electronic Arts |
|---|---|
| Current Version | 0.9.20 |
[edit] Description
Your favorite row making classic - now available on the Palm Pre! In this FREE limited time demo connect 4 tokens horizonally, vertically, or diagonally - and you're the winner! The fun doesn't stop with 3 unique game play modes and full touch screen controls. Play alone, against your online friends or Pass 'N Play. Line 'em up to win with connect 4!
[edit] Review
Connect 4 was the first game available in the App Catalog for the palm pre. Connect 4 didn’t seem like it would be very cool, and I didn’t even bother downloading it at first. However when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised.
Starting up connect 4, you have the option to play a single or multi-player game, and also to select a difficulty. I set the difficulty to ‘Hard’, then went to play my first game. Gameplay was simple (although how can connect 4 be difficult?). I found the computer to be a pretty good opponent. I was able to win, but can’t win every time. The only real gripe I had, was every once in awhile I would click on the wrong column, ruining my game. This is yet another app that doesn’t support landscape mode, and i would have appreciated the extra space for columns.
In multiplayer mode, you can switch between ‘Pass and Play’ (which lets you play with a friend on the same phone) or ‘Online Play’. Online conect 4 is the best part of this game, in my opinion. The game automatically finds an available player, picks who should go first, and connects the game right there. Gameplay fairly slow to me, but it could have been my opponents taking their time. I really would have liked to have some sound or vibrate when it was my turn, so I didn’t have to stare at the screen waiting anxiously.
One problem I noticed, is the game doesn’t handle people leaving very well. Multiple times I got a ‘Opponent may be inactive’ message at the bottom of the screen, but it would never stop the game. In fact, the only way to quit I found, was to go to the menu and choose to resign. Although there is no leaderboard or running total of wins/loses, it still feels bad to be forced to resign from a game because the OTHER person left.
The other odd thing I noticed, is you can back out of a multiplayer game, and it won’t quit the game. Instead, the next time you open multiplayer you can resume from where you left off. I guess the idea is that you and your opponent can take turns whenever they are online, even if you aren’t online at the same time. This would make for a very long game of connect 4, and I don’t see it being completed without someone quitting. Perhaps if you knew the other person then you would have more interest in finishing the game, but since you don’t I personally would just quit and then start a new multiplayer game.
Overall I think this is a nice simple game to keep you occupied for 5 minutes or so. Good for while waiting in line, or if you are extremely bored. I think that was all Electronic Arts was hoping for our of this game. However, if they want this game to become more, they need to add in leaderboards, win/lose tracking, and a better mechanism for when a player disconnects. I think being able to add friends and see/talk to who you are playing with could be fun, but is probably way too much overkill for a game as simple as connect 4.