Issue 20 by PhonicaMagUK

the mobile phone and gaming magazine www.phonicamagazine.co.uk

ISSUE 20

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

WHAT’S INSIDE ISSUE 20 2011

Nokia launches photorealis c 3D models for Ovi maps Nokia upgrades development pla orm Mone sing Mobile and M-commerce Orange meets bada Edinburgh Interac ve is on! Develop 100 returns in June in partnership with Metacri c Hackers con nue their a acks on Sony L.A. Noire runs into technical issues 3D TV debuts in Japan without the glasses Dawn of Fantasy out in June

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Rage The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Saving Moo

20 22 24 26

VIDEOGAME SEQUELS Why so many, and are they a good thing?

7 8 10 12 13 14 16 17 18

Samsung E2550 Monte Slider Samsung I5500 Galaxy Europa LG E900 Op mus 7 Nokia N8 Hotels.com Backstab Storm in a Teacup L.A. Noire Portal 2 Crysis 2 Kirby’s Epic Yarn Top Spin 4 MotorStorm: Apocalypse Conduit 2 Homefront

32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60

Mobile Phones

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WWW.PHONICAMAGAZINE.CO.UK EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Leonce

GAMING EDITOR Sco Tierney

CONTRIBUTORS Ma Foley

CREATIVE SERVICES & DESIGN Sco Tierney www.sco - erney.com

EDITORIAL editorial@phonicamagazine.co.uk

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So we are all recovering from the Sony hack a acks. A er days of changing passwords, bank and credit cards I am once again ready to put my trust in Sony. But this vende a that hackers insisted on carrying out on one of my favourite brands really had me thinking about how secure are these live gaming networks that game publishers and console manufacturers are keen to en ce gamers to be a part of. But my fears, doubts and list of ques ons have taken a back burner to the storm of excitement Ac vision is crea ng with its pre-E3 lead up. At the helm is the world renowned Modern Warfare sequel. Such is the peaked interest gamers are showing in an cipa on of the MW3 release that Ac vision is intent on drip feeding us snippets of informa on, trailers, and even a preview of what’s in store come Novermber 2011. I’d stop rambling on and leave you to digest another fun ﬁlled and exci ng issue. Enjoy reading! Your Editor in Chief

Kevin Leonce

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NOKIA LAUNCHES PHOTOREALISTIC 3D MODELS OF METROPOLITAN AREAS FOR OVI MAPS UNPARALLELED DEGREE OF 3D REALISM AND SCALE HELPS PEOPLE GET A FEEL FOR PLACES BEFORE THEY GET THERE Nokia recently announced photorealis c 3D models of metropolitan areas for the web version of Ovi Maps. This immersive and free feature adds a new dimension to the Ovi Maps experience and enables people to explore places in a completely diﬀerent way. Introduced at the Where 2.0 conference in Santa Clara, California, Nokia’s 3D oﬀering is the most realis c available and goes beyond rendering limited areas and buildings by making en re ci es, including suburbs, available for explora on.

“OVI MAPS ON THE WEB COVERS 180 COUNTRIES, 93 OF THEM NAVIGABLE, IN 29 LANGUAGES.” Star ng with a bird’s-eye view, people can scale up and down and move around objects such as buildings and trees from their desktop, experiencing a

virtual but super realis c perspec ve of new places. Road-level imagery completes the experience with a detailed 360-degree panoramic view of streets. With the beta service featuring 20 metropolitan areas, the number of photorealis c 3D models will increase over me. The road-level imagery is now available for ﬁve ci es, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Oslo and San Francisco. With the goal of bridging the real and virtual worlds on both mobile and web, Nokia’s Ovi Maps for mobile covers 180 countries, nearly 100 of them navigable in 53 languages. Ovi Maps on the web covers 180 countries, 93 of them navigable, in 29 languages. “Ovi Maps’ photorealis c 3D models of metropolitan areas are a signiﬁcant step towards our vision of bridging the real and virtual world, with loca on-based services being the glue,” said Michael Halbherr, senior vice president, Nokia.

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NOKIA DELIVERS QT SDK 1.1 SUPPORTING FASTER APP CREATION RELEASE OF THE QT SDK 1.1 INCLUDES QT QUICK FOR FASTER, EASIER DESIGN OF TOUCH ENABLED USER EXPERIENCES Nokia have announced the release of Qt SDK 1.1 offering one integrated development environment for crea ng both consumer applica ons on Nokia’s Symbian pla orm as well as for desktop applica ons such as Windows 7, Mac OSX and Linux. Using the Qt SDK to build their apps, developers have a complete, easy-to-use tool cu ng app crea on me in half for Nokia touch-screen devices. Within the release of Qt SDK 1.1, is Qt Quick, a new UI crea on kit that benefits both graphic designers and applica on developers. Designers can create fluid, animated user interfaces with complete project and code edi ng support for developers to then implement into the overall applica on. This speeds up the development process further bringing applica ons to market quicker.

Qt Quick also includes QML, a CSS & JavaScript-like language, that makes UI development for touch screens much easier to implement. In addi on to Qt Quick, the Qt SDK 1.1 includes map and naviga on features, imaging features for camera and photo gallery access, no ﬁca on API plug-ins and other enhancements that enable developers to provide access to user content on the device.

“DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS CAN WORK TOGETHER.” “Developers are seeking to provide high quality, graphically rich applica ons to stand out in ever increasing crowded applica on stores”, said Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Forum Nokia. “With this new version of the Qt SDK, designers and developers can work together to achieve this quicker and more eﬀec vely.”

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MONETISING MOBILE AND MOBILE COMMERCE MOBILE COMMERCE: WHAT’S THE FUSS ALL ABOUT? I, like many, am a li le confused when it comes to mobile commerce (m-commerce), and paying for things with your mobile. Or rather, let me rephrase that: I was confused with m-commerce. That was un l I a ended the Mone sing Mobile conference at the BAFTA in Piccadilly. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about the grandeur of the BAFTA, and how amazing it was, but I won’t, as it’s irrelevant. This is going to be a brief introduc on to mobile commerce, and an overview of the brand as a whole. There will be more to come on this topic, in later issues. When I arrived at the event, I was given an introductory pack with a list of what was going to happen when, and who was going to speak. I was shocked by the list of people who were going to be speaking, representa ves of, amongst others, Google, Nokia, Boku, Visa, Barclaycard, Facebook and Mach Mobile.

“MOBILE COMMERCE IS A MASSIVE TALKING POINT AT THE MOMENT.” What followed was a 3 hour conference on a varying spectrum of mobile commerce related topics, including in-app payments, one-click payments,

Facebook Credits, pay-by-mobile and, my personal favourite, NFC or near ﬁeld communica on, which is similar to the technology used in Oyster cards, but for making payment in shops rather than on public transport. I can see NFC becoming very popular very soon, considering that, as it stands, there are 1 million new contactless cards being introduced into the market every month, and that, by 2012, they will be usable with TFL and cabs, and currently big names like McDonalds, EAT and Starbucks either have the facili es or are bringing it into their shops in the very near future. Without going into too much detail, mobile payments are going to become very big over the next two or three years. It is es mated that the market of m-commerce will be larger than $630bn by 2014, which isn’t actually that surprising considering that 16 million people in the UK are mobile shoppers, and a massive 58% of mobile phone users have bought something using their phone. Most use their phone for convenience, as it’s always easier to open up an app on your smartphone than load up your computer or go to the shop. This is something that was further highlighted during the Facebook talk, where it was stated that 70% of UK Facebook users use it on their mobile phones too, which is a phenomenal sta s c. Mobile commerce is a massive talking point at the moment, and it’s something that I could talk for hours about. There’s more informa on to come, but for now, all we have to say is watch out for m-commerce, it’s going to be big!

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Ma Foley

ORANGE MEETS bada When I found that I was to a end the bada London event, I was a li le scep cal. As it turns out, my scep cism was more down to a lack of knowledge than anything else…such is the limited public scope that bada holds. When I arrived at the Orange Labs in Chiswick Park in London, I realised that my scep cism was not jus fied, This event was not so much an introduc on to Bada, rather an introduc on to bada 2.0, with a concentra on on coding, which wasn’t my forte but I managed. Sad to admit it was my first experience using bada. Given that there were over 5 million bada handsets sold in 2010 I was impressed to know Samsung is slowly reshaping the OS market. The opera ng system is found on Samsung’s Wave handsets, with the original being the S8500 Wave I, and the bada flagship handset now being the S8530 Wave II. Samsung perceive bada as being more of an ecosystem for the phone rather than an opera ng system (OS), and the tag-line of bada as a whole is ‘Smartphones for Everyone’ which, though not as catch as some of their compe tors, shows the level of which Samsung are promo ng this OS.

We were also introduced to Samsung Apps, which, as the name suggests, is Samsung’s applica on store that bada uses, and we were given some ﬁgures to show how this applica on store has grown. As of March 2011, Samsung Apps has had over 100 million downloads since its launch in June 2010, and the current applica on count is over 13,000. In fact, downloads are now at between 500,000 and 1 million a day, making it the second fastest growing applica on store.

“IN FACT, THERE’S A LOT MORE TO bada THAN MEETS THE EYE!” Android users need not worry though, Samsung explained that bada is not going to replace Android on any of their handsets, rather, their view is for high-speciﬁca on smartphones to be Android, and the low-to-mid er phones to run oﬀ of bada. All in all, the bada London event was an interes ng introduc on to bada for me, and showed me that it’s not as limited an OS as I thought it was. In fact, there’s a lot more to bada than meets the eye!

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EDINBURGH INTERACTIVE: A FRESH START UKIE AND TIGA ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO DELIVER THIS YEAR’S EDINBURGH INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL. Edinburgh Interac ve, an annual industry event celebra ng the crea ve culture of interac ve entertainment, will take place on 11th & 12th August 2011, bringing together a mix of business, educa on and fun through a focused industry conference, a selec on of free public screenings of new games and technology plus public sessions and informa on on how to get involved in interac ve entertainment. Edinburgh Interac ve can also now announce that the pres gious Radisson Blu Hotel will be the venue for the conference and screenings programme. The Radisson Blu is on the Royal Mile, the heart of the Fringe and the best EI loca on to date.

David Yarnton, Chairman of Edinburgh Interac ve and General Manager Nintendo UK said: “Having the combined force of TIGA and UKIE working together can only make this year’s Edinburgh Interac ve the best ever.” “This year is a fresh start for Edinburgh Interac ve and there’ll be something for everyone. We’ll be developing an exci ng programme of business events, fun showcases and educa onal seminars that will highlight the very best of the interac ve entertainment industry. Having the conference and showcase screenings at the pres gious Radisson Blu Hotel, on the Royal Mile, will ensure that Edinburgh Interac ve will be right at the heart of this year’s Fringe.”

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DEVELOP 100 RETURNS IN JUNEIN ASSOCIATION WITH METACRITIC Who are the world’s best games studios? You’ll get to ﬁnd out when Develop magazine’s globally recognised list of the most successful developers, the Develop 100, returns next month. And this me the lis ng comes courtesy of none other than Metacri c. The must-read review score tracking site has compiled a hot list of the world’s best studios which Develop will publish in June.

opts for global review score data from calendar year 2010, providing a thorough and accurate rundown of which studio makes the best games, be they retail or digital releases, or PC, console or mobile games. Metacri c’s vast records - which track every important review for every game released - have been used to formulate the list, with further editorial analysis provided by the Develop team and its contributors.

“THIS YEAR’S LIST WILL GO BEYOND MERE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS RANKINGS TO ANSWER THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF ALL.”

“We are honoured to partner with Metacri c for the 2011 edi on of the Develop 100,” said Develop Editor-in-Chief Michael French. “It’s a perfect ﬁt: Metacri c is closely read by games developers and publishers the world over - just like the Develop 100, which has become a heavily-scru nised tome amongst the games industry.

The Develop 100 in associa on with Metacri c will be published with the June edi on of Develop, plus the June 3rd issue of MCV, and will also be available as a digital edi on online.

“This year’s list will go beyond mere commercial success rankings to answer the biggest ques on of all - which studio in the world today is making the best games available on the market?”

This seventh edi on of the widely-read industry book

The Develop 100 is co-sponsored by gamecity: Hamburg.

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SONY HACKED FOR A SECOND TIME MOBILE COMPANY SO-NET ENTERTAINMENT CORP SUFFERS INTRUSION

$171M THAT’S HOW MUCH SONY A

informa on. Not only did this aﬀect gamers trying to log onto PSN, but it also stopped users from viewing streamed media via LoveFilm and Ne lix. Only now, a er nearly a month, has the service been restored. It was an enormous egg-on-face moment for the provider, with nearly 100 million of its American and European users’ account being compromised.

These past few weeks have not been the brightest in Sony’s long history. If you men oned the word ‘hack’ to a Sony employee, they’d probably either collapse into a heap of tears, shaking their ﬁst at the heavens above, or punch you square in the mouth. And now, just as things were star ng to look up, Sony has another hack-based incident on their hands. When it rains it pours…

“ONLY NOW, AFTER NEARLY A MONTH, HAS THE SERVICE BEEN RESTORED.”

Firstly, Sony conﬁrmed on the 25th April that their PlaySta on Network service had been hacked, forcing them to shut it down as they tried to deal with the problem and protect users’ passwords and credit card

Sony has also been involved with technical issues regarding the recent release of L.A. Noire, with the tle crashing and freezing for a host of buyers. Both Sony and Rockstar have conﬁrmed that the fault is

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MILLION

RE SET TO LOSE DUE TO HACKS

not due to Sony’s recent ﬁrmware update, although it’s more bad press at the wrong me.

obtained members’ names, address, birth dates and phone numbers.”

And now Japanese mobile internet provider, So-net Entertainment Corp, has been hacked. So-net – a part of the Sony group - have said that a hacker gained access to users’ accounts and managed to use So-net points – an online currency - to buy 100,000 yen’s (approximately £750) worth of goods. The intruder also managed to check the emails of 90 users, and take points from 128 accounts. So-net had this to say: “What we’ve done is stopped the So-Net points exchanges and told customers to change their passwords…At this point in our inves ga ons, we have not conﬁrmed any data leakage. We have not found any sign of a possibility that a third party has

Although this latest hack is a rela vely minor one (and I don’t want to tread the same path as Kenneth Clarke MP!) it’s s ll an embarrassment for Sony, and more nega ve press that they could seriously do without. Here’s hoping for a speedy resolu on to this, and if you see a Sony employee, just give him li le hug – they could really do with it right now. Update: AND…just as we were going to press, Sony’s websites in Greece and Thailand have been hacked… be er buy them a box of chocolates as well…

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Sco Tierney

L.A. NOIRE RUNS INTO TECHNICAL ISSUES ROCKSTAR FLOODED WITH ‘FREEZING’ AND ‘CRASHING’ COMPLAINTS Despite L.A. Noire and Rockstar picking-up plaudits from every cri c in the land, the game itself has been suﬀering from some serious technical issues. Since its release, players on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have been complaining that L.A. Noire has been crashing their systems, and also freezing at regular intervals. If you have a scroll down the posts that trail the Rockstar support page on this ma er, it doesn’t make for pleasant reading. So what advice do Rockstar have? Well on their support page they list several resolu ons to what they are classing as “some isolated crashes / freezes”. The majority of the seven listed ﬁxes are memory based, with buyers asked to “Delete your L.A. Noire Game Data (not save data); create a new temporary

(user) to ensure that new save files are created” and the classic “Launch the game and try again”. Overhea ng has also been men oned as a problem, but as far no single issue can be squarely blamed. The culprit for this issue was first thought to be Sony’s recent firmware update, but this has been denied by both Sony and Rockstar. In a joint statement made by Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold, they said “At this me, Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire nor firmware update 3.61 is causing the PS3 hardware to overheat. We are both commi ed to working hard to find solu ons to this and any issues that may arise.” If you are having a problem with your copy of L.A. Noire, please visit Rockstar’s support page, here. Sco Tierney

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52-INCH GLASSES-FREE 3D TV AVAILABLE IN JAPAN £12,000 AND IT’S YOURS! 3D TV is s ll treading the ﬁne line between future every-home product, and fad. At present 3D is everywhere, from the cinema, to the Nintendo 3DS, to darts and football in your front room, but there’s s ll a feeling that a 3D TV is an expensive gimmick. But, this new TV from a group of former Phillips employers, known as Dimenco, may just p the scale for 3D TV. That said, at £12,000, not everyone – if anyone – will be able to aﬀord one. Dimenco have launched a massive 52-inch LCD screen, that is fully 1080p 3D without the aid of glasses. The Dimenco BDL5231V3D also boasts impressive stats such as a 2,000:1 contrast ra o, 8ms response me, 700 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. Also, the 3D can be viewed from 28

diﬀerent viewing angles, resolving that frustra ng ‘sweet spot’ issue. The Dimenco BDL5231V3D is also fully 2D capable, and can autoswitch between standard 2D and 3D.

“THERE’S STILL A FEELING THAT A 3D TV IS AN EXPENSIVE GIMMICK” It’ll be interes ng to see how 3D TVs like the Dimenco progress and how they’ll set the standard for all monitors that follow. Of course, the staggering price tag will put it way out for reach for you and me, but in a few years, who knows? In ﬁve years me, will glasses-free 3D TVs be on sale for around a thousand pounds? You’d expect so, although it all depends if 3D is s ll as hot as it is currently. At least with the Dimenco, we won’t have to look stupid in our glasses.

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Sco Tierney

DAWN OF FANTASY ARRIVES IN JUNE In Dawn of Fantasy’s rich MMO universe, three races are dominant; the race of Men, the Orcs and the Elves. However, this is no simplis c copy of classical fantasy; all these races have spread around the world for genera ons and the tribes have adapted to their locales. Nor are these the only people in the world of Mythador... Though the Elves originated in the woodlands of Bolfores’l, their culture has never been uniﬁed, forming separate communi es of Wood Elves and High Elves. The former are skilled in nature lore and earth magic, the la er in alchemy, city-building and warfare. They live together in the capital city of Illas Tiltos at the heart of Bolfores’l, high in the trees of their woodland ci es, but also have se led their own havens; the Wood Elves in the swamps of Erthee L’Bala,and the High Elves in the mountain strongholds of the Taltos. The Elven military has always focused on defense. They have the world’s strongest, stealthiest archers, enchanted ballistae, and the backing of the mighty Treants in sieges, capable of crushing gates and li ing

friendly units over walls. With such defenses, why would they go to war? It is whispered that their kingdom is divided, with their king kidnapped, the land sickening, and Wood and High Elves at each other’s throats... and on the borders, the Orcs await.

“IN DAWN OF FANTASY’S RICH MMO UNIVERSE, THREE RACES ARE DOMINANT; THE RACE OF MEN, THE ORCS AND THE ELVES.” These Orcs are not a single race, but more a nomadic tribe of allied monstrosi es. Goblins, Wargs, and Ogres are all in their service, and their focus is most certainly not on defense. With their primi ve civiliza on, they rely more on what they can take than what they can create or grow, and their realm of Gokkholm is similarly barren and brutal. The Orc king too, was kidnapped; but he was betrayed to the humans and, on the verge of his return, murdered; since his death, the leadership of the land has been in turmoil.

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In the hot south, Brakental, a city built by exiles, is manned by desert Orcs, who eschew ranged weaponry, relying on their indomitable melee forces. Meanwhile, the Swamp Orcs believe themselves to have been the ﬁrst Orcs, created from the lightning striking the earth in the fer le marshes of Fla an Rol, and are huge in number, defending the great fortress of Makkada. Finally, the thinly-sca ered Orcs of Thikken Dal se led in the distant western forests and learned to specialise in archery and sieges.

“IT IS WHISPERED THAT THEIR KINGDOM IS DIVIDED, WITH THEIR KING KIDNAPPED, THE LAND SICKENING, AND WOOD AND HIGH ELVES AT EACH OTHER’S THROATS.” Finally, the diverse Men of the world are more recent arrivals from the West, se ling themselves on the coast several centuries ago and rapidly spreading inland. Their capital region, Southmont, has two major ci es, nestled amongst the mountains, and is rich, fer le and strongly defended. The meadows of

the eponymous Rollingplain are emp er than Southmont, a er Orc incursions, but are rightly famed for their cavalry. The once-rebellious region of the Wold and the city of Menthorn lie amidst coastal forests, known for its archers, halberdiers and siege weaponry. The Wold is at the heart of the humans’ troubles; when the human king too died and the three races plunged into the War Without Kings, the traitors of Menthorn rose up against the state; though this mu ny was put down, growing peasant unrest implies they are at work again, even as the rogue wizard suspected of the king’s murder reappears, and the neighbouring Elves internal struggles spill out into the world. Of course, this being High Fantasy, these are not the only races in the world: in the gold-riddled mountains of the North, the squat dwarves bide their me; while elsewhere in the world the Dragons reign. Both of these peoples will send troops to aid one of the races in ba le - for a steep price. Released exclusively for PC, Dawn of Fantasy will be published by 505 Games on 17th June, 2011.

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CALL OF DUTY:

MODERN WARFARE 3 PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: INFINITY WARD FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: FPS AVAILABLE: NOVEMBER 2011 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was one of the best-selling games of 2009. Cri cally acclaimed, and loved by the fans, it sold 4.7 million copies in the ﬁrst 24 hours of sale, and went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. It wasn’t just the engrossing, entertaining, emo onal single player that players loved, it was also the mul player. Modern Warfare 2 is s ll in the top 10 played games on Xbox Live, even now, with the release of the newest Call of Duty game, Black Ops.

The gaming world is understandably wai ng with an cipa on for Modern Warfare 3, currently being released on the 8th November of this year, and any informa on that’s released is hungrily eaten up by anyone and everyone. There had been trailers released, revealing that the globe-tro ng of the previous two games would be con nuing, and four loca ons were announced: London, New York, Paris, and Germany. More loca ons were announced at the Ac vision Pre-E3 Event, including Russia and the Himalayas, but it was the London and New York levels that we were shown, played by a developer from Sledgehammer Games and Inﬁnity Ward.

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“THE GAMING WORLD IS UNDERSTANDABLY WAITING WITH ANTICIPATION FOR MODERN WARFARE 3.”

which, if this game is anything like the previous two, will con nue throughout, especially considering this is, apparently, the ﬁnal Modern Warfare game.

The first thing that we realised that the game is, as expected, graphically spectacular. It was earlier revealed that the developers wanted to up the scale, and you can tell that from the get go. The Manha an level was first, with the Stock Market the centre of the level, and the final goal of the roof of said building.

London is similarly beau ful, with the level we saw based around Canary Wharf, and the Docklands. That’s only half the level though, and the rest of it descends into an on-the-rails ﬁreﬁght on the London Underground which is as enthralling as it is explosive.

Without revealing anything, the level looked fantas c, with incredible visuals, and there’s a couple of shocks,

That’s all I can say on the ma er though, and the rest, I’m afraid, will have to wait un l November!

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Ma Foley

RAGE PUBLISHER: BETHESDA SOFTWORKS DEVELOPER: ID SOFTWARE FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: SANDBOX RACER & FPS AVAILABLE: SEPTEMBER 2011

THE FUTURE’S ALL IN A RAGE If the future is anything like that of the current videogames, my friends, swallow your cyanide pills now! Crysis 2’s ruined America was sunny yet deadly; MotorStorm: Apocalypse’s The City was an adrenaline junkie’s paradise, but only if you could outrun the earthquakes and insane gangs; Homefront’s future of global war was the stuﬀ of nightmares; even the dunes of Fallout: New Vegas were as grim as it gets, despite the razzamatazz of Vegas. So what about id’s new shooter-come-racer, Rage; what’s the world like in this ﬁc onal future? Rage is set in 2037, a er a vast asteroid named Apophis has collided with Earth causing mass desola on…not looking good then…As one of the few survivors of Arc – a vast cryogenic freezing of

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humanity’s brightest and boldest, tasked with rebuilding civilisa on a er the asteroid hit – you reawaken with no memory, and have to survive in this barren and dangerous post-impact land, teaming with savage gangs, hos le clans and other nas ness. Visually, Rage looks truly boggling. OK, so the whole style of dusty rundown shacks in the desert, underground bunkers invested with crazies and crumbling cityscapes is star ng to grow a li le weary, but as a technical achievement, it’s hard not to be impressed with Rage’s style. It looks a lot like Fallout 3, only with a lot more nsel and ﬁrecrackers... actually, that’s a perfect sum-up of Rage itself.

“UNLIKE THE SLOW-BURN OF FALLOUT 3, RAGE’S ACTION WILL COME IN MUCH THICKER AND FASTER WAVES. RATHER THAN TAKING EVERY STEP WITH CAUTION, RAGE WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET ROUGH.” The gameplay is set to feature a mix of fran c FPS blas ng, oﬀ-road racing and some RPG elements such as keeping stock of your inventory and ammo. From

what we’ve seen, Rage will very much be in the style of Fallout 3 and the like, using both a first and third-person viewpoint. But unlike the slow-burn of Fallout 3, Rage’s ac on will come in much thicker and faster waves. Rather than taking every step with cau on, Rage will encourage you to get rough, offering some serious heavy weaponry, gun turrets, throwing knives and even an RC car strapped with TNT: that should make a mess…actually it defiantly will, as Rage is gory beyond belief. We’ve seen baddies get pumped with endless rounds of ammo, chucks flying from their bloodied bodies, but who s ll struggle on un l they literally don’t have a leg to stand on. Brutal stuff. The racing Rage promises looks intriguing, as does the inclusion of the vehicles themselves. As Rage will mostly be a sandbox free-roamer, a sprightly buggy could really speed up your adventures, and give you a be er idea of the scale of this apocalyp c land. The racing elements will also feature heavily in the mul player mode, with races and tournaments on the cards. Fingers crossed the vehicles handle well enough to make the racing truly enjoyable, as the last thing we want to see is another Just Cause 2 pile-up… those vehicles were uncontrollable beyond a joke. The tomorrow is never bright in videogame land, and with the coming of Rage this year, it looks like we’re in for the same ruined future. S ll, at least the roads will be clear! Sco Tierney

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THE ELDER SCROLLS V:

SKYRIM

PUBLISHER: BETHESDA SOFTWORKS DEVELOPER: BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS FORMAT: PC, PS3, XBOX 360 GENRE: FANTASY RPG AVAILABLE: NOVEMBER 2011

A BEACON OF LIGHT When Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released back in 2006, it was a glowing beacon of unbridled joy. As the vast propor on of similar tles were treading the future apocalypse path, crea ng a vision of mankind’s eventual tumble from greatness, Oblivion was diﬀerent. With its luscious forests, tales of brave warriors, wicked wizards and fair maidens, it was a breath of fresh air from the toxic waste fumes of elsewhere. And now, in 2011, it looks as if the Scrolls’ beacon will once again shine a light through the fog of glum.

“DRAGONS ARE SET TO PLAY A MAJOR PART IN SKYRIM, WITH THE EFFECTS OF THEIR DESTRUCTIVE POWERS BOTH BEING A DANGER AND AN AID.” The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set 200 years a er the events of the fourth tle, Oblivion, crea ng landscapes of civil wars and dragon-enforced terror. When the rule of Skyrim is in doubt, following the deaths of those in line for the throne and now the passing of the King, civil uprising and eventual war escalate. Spookily, this has all been foreseen in the Elder Scrolls, which prophesise the return of Alduin, the Nordic God of destruc on. It is said that he will return in the form of a giant dragon, bringing with him a minion of servant dragons who intend to

consume the world, and guess what; those scrolls were spot on! As the last Dovahkiin – a dragon hunter sent by the Gods - you have to rid the world of this flying terror. It’s classic fantasy stuff, and u erly enchan ng. As with the previous Elder Scrolls tles, Skyrim will be en rely open-world, allowing you to search and explore the vast landscape as you please. Although concrete details are s ll rather thin, it is confirmed that there will be at least five major ci es to explore, and over 150 dungeons hidden away in the 16 square mile terrain. That sounds like an awful lot of walking, but as in Oblivion, horses are available to speed up the journeys, as is fast-travelling (an instant teleporta on between specific landmarks).

“ONE ALTERATION IS THE REMOVAL OF THE CLASS SYSTEM.” The basics of Skyrim’s gameplay are all-but unchanged from the previous tles in the series. When visi ng loca ons such as villages, you can s ll make a few coins by helping out the local merchants; as you work through the game you can build upon your chosen skill set of the 18 available, adding perks, leading to greater abili es; combat is s ll fist-based, although you can now duel-wield your swords and unleash a bow, and there are 85 magic abili es to be sought. One altera on is the removal of the class system, so you now have a wider range of characteris cs – and fewer confines – to add to your hero. Dragons are set to play a major part in Skyrim, with the effects of their destruc ve powers both being a danger and an aid. During the game, dragons will randomly a ack villages and ci es, and even go a er you directly. But as you progress, you will learn how to harness the powers of the dragons, giving you the ability to slow down me, teleporta on and even calling for a dragon to accompany you when in need. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim looks like a fantas cally rich RPG, boas ng some top-draw visuals, a vast narra ve and some of the gleaming, merry role-playing that we so desperately seek at present. Amongst the other grim tles that are due this year, Skyrim should at least cheer us up a bit.

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Sco Tierney

SAVING MOO PUBLISHER: ESPADA ENTERTAINMENT, CHILLINGO DEVELOPER: CLICKGAMER FORMAT: IPOD TOUCH, IPHONE GENRE: STRATEGY AVAILABLE: Q3 2011

POO + MOO = ROCKET FIRING COW! If you’ve been abducted by aliens (stay with me) who are due to return in the near future for another round of probing and tes ng on your s ll-sore derrière, what do you do? Call the fuzz? Inform Fox Mulder? Give David Icke a buzz? All good choices, but I prefer the method used in this new strategy game from Chillingo: strap rocket launchers to the backs of your cows, and rain bovine fire on those pesky aliens. Not even Icke has that in his locker! Saving Moo is a strategy game where you have to protect your cows from incoming flying saucer invasions. To do this you have to equip your herd with weapons (known in strategy circles as ‘towers’) that they can use to defend themselves. These weapons range from chicken egg launchers, to flaming marshmallow flingers and just about everything else

in-between. To upgrade your cows, you have to do the dirty deed and collect their dung. Not very nice, but this manure is essen ally your currency, which can be used to not only buy be er towers for your walking steaks, but also more and be er cows themselves. As the game progresses, the waves of spaceships get thicker, so speed and strategising your moos is key.

“SAVING MOO IS DEEP, PROVIDING 25 SEPARATE MISSIONS THAT WILL AT LEAST TEST YOUR THINKING AS WELL AS YOU FINGERS.” As you can tell, Saving Moo is all very silly. The opening scene is a parody of the classic ‘50s sci-ﬁ horrors, complete with drama c voiceover: “They

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did tests on you!” It’s all very cartoonish, as are the simple yet perfect sketches that present the ac on. It’s as mad as BSE (too soon?), but, Saving Moo is also rather deep, providing 25 separate missions that will at least test your thinking as well as you fingers. On the subject of fingers: the controls. Although every command bu on such as ‘add cows’ and picking your intended tower are easy to see, we were concerned that they may be a li le too small and compact, especially when the gameplay intensifies. Saving Moo is be er intended for the iPad, although at present it seems it will only be available for the smaller Apple products. But, despite these issues, Saving Moo looks like a jolly li le tle, with plenty of wit and challenge. While we’re looking at Chillingo’s forthcoming tles, let’s also have a quick peek at a few more that are either available now or in the pipeline.

Firstly, there’s Spider Jack, a puzzler where you have to trap ﬂies with Jack’s web. It looks pre y decent, with 75 puzzles that can be completed in a variety of ways, and a diﬃculty curve that steadily creeps up as you progress. It’s currently available on all Apple products, for 59 of your English pence. “SAVING MOO LOOKS LIKE A JOLLY LITTLE TITLE.”

Another tle for fan of the charming hand-drawn style is Quiz Climber, where you and some chums play as ques on-hungry squirrels. It’s pre y straigh orward: each player gets asked a mul ple choice ques on, and if they get it right, they move up a branch on the tree. First to the top wins…and gets to act smug for the day. 1000 ques ons come loaded, but more will regularly be updated, so there’s no concern of repe on. Quiz Climber is due within the current quarter.

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Sco Tierney

VIDEOGAME SEQUELS U N T I L

T H E

N E X T

T I M E

WHY SO MANY, AND ARE THEY A GOOD THING FOR BOTH THE GAMER AND THE INDUSTRY? Portal 2, Gears of War 3, Elder Scrolls 5, Dead Space 2, Batman 2, MotorStorm 3, Crysis 2, Uncharted 3, Killzone 3, F.E.A.R. 3, Dragon Age 2, Thief 4, Mass Effect 3, Hitman 5, Deus Ex 3, Dirt 3, Conduit 2, Ba lefield 3…and that’s just to name but a few of the sequels hi ng the gaming shelves this year! Face it, that’s a shocking number of sequels! So why so many, and are they a good thing for us gamers, and the videogaming industry itself? If you’re a cynic like myself, you probably see these sequels as money-making regurgita ons, endlessly spewing into the market as a cau ous bet from safety-first, crea on sober and lazy, publishers. OK,

that’s a very cynical outlook indeed, but there’s without doubt some truth in that spite. It’s fair to say that a sequel, from a purely financial perspec ve, is a much more prosperous product than a fresh tle. If you see a sequel to one of your favourite games in a shop, chances are you’re going to purchase that ahead of a game you’ve never heard of. It’s the same with films…although with Indiana Jones 4, we should have known be er… So are sequels an indica on that publishers and developers are ge ng lazy? Are they subs tu ng fresh ideas for the recycled? Maybe, but it’d be unfair to say that these sequels – or at least the vast propor on of them - are without ingenuity or effort. With a sequel, developers get a second chance to

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“IT’S ALSO WORTH NOTING, ALBEIT PRETTY OBVIOUSLY, THAT VIDEOGAME SEQUELS AREN’T EXACTLY A RECENT OCCURRENCE.” correct the flaws of the original tle, and build upon everything from the story, the visuals, the gameplay and the dynamics of the piece. Maybe the original tle was constrained by cost, but with a sequel, a larger budget can only be good. Look at Portal 2, which with its glorious visuals and developed plotline is a far cry from the basic yet brilliant original. The Call of Duty series first started with a rela vely bland PC shooter in 2003, but now, several sequels and off-shoots down the line, it’s arguably the biggest FPS brand in the business. It’s also worth no ng, albeit pre y obviously, that videogame sequels aren’t exactly a recent occurrence. The Mario tles have been repea ng since the late ‘80s, as have the Sonic pla ormers (which recently got a ‘reboot’) and The Monkey Island adventures (same deal as Sonic). There have always been sequels; there were at least four direct sequels to the original Pong! Also, in our opinion, the past two Games of the Year in 2009 and 2010 were Batman: Arkham Asylum and Red Dead Redemp on respec vely, both stand alone tles (yes I know Red Dead Redemp on could technically be classed as Red Dead 2!...some people…). And chances are L.A. Noire

won’t be far away from the top spot either, so it’s not as if the charts are polluted with revamps. But the main concern I have with today’s sequels is not only their regularity, but mainly their apparent necessity. To a certain extent I’m poin ng my finger more at the dastardly ‘reimaginings’, but these tles are s ll in essence sequels. As I men oned, there was Sonic 4 last year, which copied and pasted the golden era of the blue one, the Spla erhouse reboot this year, and Telltale Games have released sequels/ spin-offs to both Monkey Island and Sam & Max. Although these tles are very good in their own right (apart from Spla erhouse!), it’s the need to hark back that I have an issue with. We see this nearly everywhere nowadays in our culture, with remade films, regrouped bands, rehashed designs, reassessed history and re-released literature. It’s as if everything was a lot be er back in the day, viewed via rose nted specs and clouded memories. Gaming is the same, and personally, I find that quite troubling. Videogaming is always moving forward, as the

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“WHEN THERE ARE AS MANY BIG-NAME SEQUELS AS THERE ARE TODAY, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT FEEL THAT THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE INDUSTRY.” technologies that power its digital cogs are constantly evolving. Consoles advance and games date. With this in mind, publishers and developers should always be looking to the future, pushing ahead, and of course they are, but there’s always a concern that the more they look back to the past for inspira on, the less momentum they’ll carry into tomorrow. With a sequel, it’s always a case of reassessing and improving upon, rather than rethinking, crea ng something new.

Look, I’m not saying sequels are bad, and depending on how you view them, they are arguably a posi ve for both us and the industry. I literally waited by the le erbox for Portal 2 to pop through the other morning, as I was wrapped-up in the an cipa on of this highly heralded sequel. We all love a sequel, a second chapter, a what happened next, but when there are as many big-name sequels as there are today, you can’t help but feel that there’s something wrong with the industry. Sco Tierney

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SAMSUNG E2550 MONTE SLIDER A LOW-SPEC HANDSET, DESIGNED AT THE LOW-USAGE MARKET The Samsung E2550 Monte Slider is a rarity in today’s saturated mobile phone market – it’s a basic, run-of-the-mill handset that doesn’t pretend to be anything else, which is refreshing in itself. The phone is very easy to use, and to compare it to any of the mid-to-high spec handsets that appeared recently would be an injus ce, as Samsung have clearly aimed for the low-speciﬁca on, light-user market here. The handset itself is a simple slider, with a 2 inch TFT screen on the front, along with a simple ﬁve bu on forma on of Answer Call, End Call, two so keys and the four-way direc onal pad, with a select bu on in the centre of this. Using this, the phone can be used when closed to do most func ons, save of course anything when you need to type. When the phone is open, the alpha-numeric keypad is displayed, with momentary backlight, and the keys should not feel

diﬀerent to any phone user, however heavy their usage is, as it is the common layout that has been seen on so many diﬀerent handsets it’s uncountable. One thing this phone does surprisingly well for a handset in this market is social networking. Facebook access is a given on pre y much every phone above about £20 nowadays, such as is the boom of Mark Zuckerberg’s website, but the surprises lie in the other op ons in the social networking sec on of the menu, ‘Communi es.’ There’s MySpace, again, seen quite o en, but here come the rari es. Photo sharing sites are in abundance, with Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa all present, as well as Friendster, which I was honestly shocked about. Friendster is rarely seen on phones at all, and especially not low-spec handsets such as this one. One problem I do have with the Communi es sec on on this phone is that there’s no Twi er applica on. Music capabili es are again a pleasant surprise with

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“ALL IN ALL, THE SAMSUNG E2550 CAN’T BE COMPARED TO AN iPHONE, A GALAXY S OR EVEN A WILDFIRE, BECAUSE IT SIMPLY ISN’T IN THE SAME MARKET. THIS IS A GREAT BUDGET PHONE AIMED AT LOW-SPEC LIGHT USERS.” this handset, given that, not only does it support the o en seen FM radio, but it also supports up to an 8GB memory card, meaning that a fair amount of music can be stored on the phone, in various different formats, including MP3, WAV and WMA. The camera is 1.3 megapixels, and offers quite a lot of value for money, with various different op ons including nega ve and sepia mode, night mode, frames so you can make your friends look like an alien, a toaster or Santa! Web use is limited, such is the WAP browser on offer, but the market that Samsung are aiming for with this phone aren’t looking to be on the internet all the me, and WAP is ideal for irregular, low usage. Tex ng and making calls is as you’d expect, with no major

notable shocks. All of these features are available on the shortcuts toolbar on the home screen, which is customisable with up to 15 diﬀerent icons. All in all, the Samsung E2550 can’t be compared to an iPhone, a Galaxy S or even a Wildﬁre, because it simply isn’t in the same market. This is a great budget phone aimed at low-spec light users, and when compared to its compe on, the Nokia 2220 or the Sony Ericsson Spiro for example, I’d say that it more than holds its own. The camera is decent enough, the music performance is be er than average and the social networking facili es are excellent. Ma Foley

RATING: 78%

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SAMSUNG I5500 GALAXY EUROPA A PLEASANT INTRODUCTION TO ANDROID FOR THOSE WHO FEEL A BIT CONFUSED BY THE SMARTPHONE BOOM It’s understandable that some people have go en a li le lost by the massive explosion of smartphones in the past 18 months. I’ve struggled to keep up with some of them myself! And one of the things that people have been frustrated by is the incredible amount of Galaxy phones that Samsung have released. A quick count returned 49 different Galaxy devices! Whilst a good 15-20 of these will the same handset named differently for a different interna onal region, that’s s ll 30 phones to get your head around. And so we meet the Samsung I5500, also known as the Galaxy Europa. This phone is aimed at those who think an Android is a robot, or something that Phillip K Dick writes about (sorry if that reference is too obscure, he wrote Blade Runner and Minority Report!) It’s a very easy introduc on into smartphones, and is an absolute necessity right now, given that in about 18 months me, I feel that every phone will be a smartphone, and simple candybar or clamshell phones will be rare, and incredibly difficult to find, and expensive to maintain, like a rubbish classic car. The basics of this phone are as you were on any other mid-range smartphone, WiFi access, 600 megahertz processor, 2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, all similar to most others. The phone does not feel like it’s in the price range that it is, such is the sturdy build of the phone, albeit slightly lightweight, and whilst the screen is not the most a rac ve I’ve seen, the 2.8 inch more than holds Samsung’s take on Android – called TouchWiz 3.0 For Android in this case – and the processor can handle most of what Android throws at it without lag. There are drawbacks to this phone though. The screen is too small for my liking, making the font a li le too small to read enjoyably, and the bo om of the phone itself, where you find the Answer and End

Call bu ons, as well as the D-Pad (somewhat unnecessary on a touchscreen phone in my opinion) and the Android speciﬁc bu ons – Menu, Home, Back and Search – feels very clu ered indeed. Mul -touch is missing, though this won’t be a big thing for the intended market of this phone, there’s no video-call camera, and the camera, whilst being a 2 megapixel, isn’t the best 2mp I’ve ever seen, and the images leave a li le to be desired.

“SAMSUNG ARE, IN MY OPINION, AIMING FOR THE MID-RANGE USERS HERE.” Social networking is included on this phone, as it is on most smartphones nowadays, and there’s Facebook integra on with the contacts, which isn’t new on Android handsets, but is s ll a novel introduc on, and certainly wasn’t expected on a phone of this ilk. Messaging is as expected, and emails work well on this phone, with a combined inbox for all your accounts, and there is a QWERTY keyboard to type on, as well as handwri ng input. To be honest, most will s ck with alpha-numeric on this phone, as QWERTY typing is a li le too difficult on the small screen, and handwri ng is something you’ll use once or twice and never again. So, the Samsung Galaxy Europa isn’t for everyone. High-end smartphone users will find it too small, too cumbersome to use. But it’s not in that price range. Samsung are, in my opinion, aiming for the mid-range users here, and also trying to convert those that are stuck in their comfort zone of an easy to use candybar phone, and it will certainly do that. It’s s ll easy to use, whilst being touch screen, and an Android. Sure it’s flawed, but what it does, it does well. Ma Foley

RATING: 82%

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LG E900 OPTIMUS 7 A WINDOWS PHONE 7 POWERED LG SMARTPHONE THAT DEFINITELY SURPRISES To say I’m not that hot on Windows Phone 7 would be an understatement. I’ve been put off Windows on a mobile phone ever since my first experience with it, and I’ve not really seen anything since to change my mind…un l now. Added to this, I’m not a massive fan of LG. Fridges. Yes, definitely their Televisions. But phones, I wasn’t too sure about. There are some good, possibly even great handsets on LG’s roll call, but for every Viewty there’s a KS365, for every Chocolate a Chocolate II or a Shine. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that not only had LG released a new smartphone, but one powered by Windows Phone 7, and it’s actually quite a good phone! The LG E900, or Op mus 7, is a smartphone that doesn’t do everything well, the camera is only 5mp, the memory isn’t upgradable, the sound quality could be be er. What it does really well is performance. The 1Ghz Snapdragon processor runs Windows Phone 7 with great results, and the phone looks and feels like a high quality handset. Windows Phone 7 is unlike its predecessors in that it’s actually very enjoyable to use! It’s fluid, easy to navigate, and is visually very impressive.

Browsing is quick, as you’d expect Internet Explorer to be, and web pages load up with surprising ease. Tabbed browsing is probably the best I’ve seen on a smartphone, such is the layout of the tabs, but the maximum is 6. Search is powered by Bing, which does a fairly good job at it, and even has automa c sugges ons. There’s no Flash, which is a problem, but when you consider that LG’s Apple-related compe on don’t have it either, it’s not a huge issue.

“THE LG OPTIMUS 7 HAS SURPRISED ME, AS I’M SURE IT WILL DO WITH THE MANY WHO USE IT.” The social media integra on on the E900 is some of the most intui ve I’ve ever seen, given that, with Facebook for example, everything is contained in the in the menu itself. So if you click on Photos, not only will you see any photos taken with the 5 megapixel camera, or the Panorama shot applica on, but you’ll also see any photos uploaded to Facebook by any of your friends. The same applies for the People applica on, and the Me applica on, which is a direct link to your Facebook proﬁle. All of the applica ons are found on the ‘Start’ menu, side by side with the Main menu, and the Start menu is populated by what are called Live les: widgets

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that are very easy to use. These can all be edited, removed, or added to by choosing any of the icons on the Main menu, or anything that’s been downloaded from the surprisingly well-stocked applica on store. There’s a few things that have been added on the Op mus 7 that I’m not sure are necessary, but are s ll welcome addi ons. Like the DLNA func on – found in the Play To app – which enables you to share your media with other devices, and the augmented reality (AR) applica on, called Scan Search, which will show your local ameni es using the camera, including bars and pubs, as well as telling you the weather. The LG Op mus 7 has surprised me, as I’m sure it will do with the many who use it., considering that LG rarely make smartphones, and Windows Phone opera ng systems before 7 being disappoin ng to say the least. But this phone is far from a disappointment. It doesn’t do everything to an amazing standard, the camera could be be er and the sound is quite poor. But the opera ng system is a joy to use, the processor means that slowdown is unheard of, and for many, this will be their ﬁrst foray into the use of Windows Phone 7. If this is the case, then there are few be er ways to experience it for the ﬁrst me. Ma Foley

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NOKIA N8

THE NOKIA N8: FANTASTIC AS A CAMERA, NOT SO MUCH AS A SMARTPHONE Nokia have been a li le disappoin ng with their releases of late. They’ve all been low to medium spec phones designed for all-round users, with very few stand-out handsets. This all changed with the release of the N800 or N8, which is the Finnish manufacturer’s ﬂagship camera phone which they told us would change the market completely. Whilst this isn’t true in most aspects of the phone, it is probably true in terms of how good the camera is.

a word, awesome, as is the case with the majority of Nokia’s Carl Zeiss phones, looking at the majority of the N-series phones, as well as the 5800. It’s me to bid farewell to your digital camera!

I was amazed at the size of the N8. It’s bulky, and can some mes be uncomfortable to hold, with the raised camera lens protruding from the back cover, so that it doesn’t lie down when placed on a ﬂat surface, though thankfully the camera lens is set back slightly into the body of the camera, elimina ng the possibility of ever scratching the lens when lying ﬂat. Another apparent omission on this handset is a removable ba ery, with Nokia taking inspira on from Apple in terms of having an inbuilt ba ery, with the sim card slot found on the side of the handset, next to the memory card slot.

“IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A TOP-SPECIFICATION CAMERA SMARTPHONE TO REPLACE THAT DIGITAL CAMERA, LOOK NO FURTHER!”

On the top of the phone, next to the power bu on and the 3.5mm jack, you’ll ﬁnd the HDMI port. Whilst this is only a mini-HDMI port, the phone does ship with a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable, so all the videos captured on the HD video camera can be shared on an HDTV with ease. The camera itself is fantas c, with the 12 megapixels capturing photos that are, in

I’ve also found the ba ery on the N8 to be very impressive. Whilst I’ve not really been using it beyond the odd photo here and there, browsing the internet occasionally, things like that, I’ve only charged it once and it’s s ll running strong a day or two later.

The screen on this handset is again fairly impressive. Whilst it isn’t as impressive as some of its compe tors, say the iPhone or the HTC Desire HD, it’s probably the best that Nokia have released, and makes using the phone quite enjoyable. That being said, this phone doesn’t do everything well. For a start, it’s running oﬀ Symbian, an OS I am not a fan of. Symbian 3 is certainly be er than any of its earlier versions. S ll I don’t think that it matches up to iOS or Android, and ﬁnd it very limi ng. There are mul ple homepages, as it seems is the case on

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“IT’S BULKY AND THE OPERATING SYSTEM AND BROWSER ARE QUITE DIFFICULT TO USE.” the majority of new smartphones in recent mes, but only having three is surely a hindrance in itself, comparing it to its compe tors who have six, seven and some even eight. Credit where credit is due, the Store is fairly good as its own self-contained market, not comparing it to the compe on. The browser also leaves li le to be desired, given that it’s not as fast as the compe on, and the user interface isn’t as friendly as it could be, and you’ll find that if you zoom in to text on-screen, it won’t auto-fit, as it does on Android devices, though this is a hindrance that hasn’t affected the Apple opera ng system. To conclude, the N8 is not a bad phone by any means. It’s Nokia’s best phone as it stands, and the camera is one of the best on the market. Nokia are making a step in the right direc on in terms of smart phones, and in making an assault on the market leaders as it stands: the iPhone, one of the many Desire and Galaxy handsets. But there are s ll limita ons to this phone. It’s bulky, not par cularly nice to look at, and the opera ng system and browser are quite difficult to use, however, it should be said that these system issues are nothing that an inevitable update can’t fix. But, if you’re looking for a top-specifica on camera smartphone to replace that digital camera, look no further! Ma Foley

RATING: 76% PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

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HOTELS.COM DEVELOPER: HOTELS.COM PLATFORM: iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH GENRE: HOTEL GUIDE AVAILABLE: NOW

HOTEL BOOKING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN! I’m not a hotel person. I rarely stay in them, as I don’t feel the need, and if I do, I don’t have the foresight to pre-book, because I ﬁnd the booking system of many hotels to be long, drawn out and rather irrita ng. Then the new Hotels.com app came along, and I changed my mind en rely! Let’s start with the basics. This applica on is free, which is nice, considering as charging a premium for something that you can do for free online with a computer is ques onable at best. When you load the app, you’ll see the Hotels.com logo appear at the top, and you might recognise the font. That’s because it’s the same font as Expedia, the holiday company, as Hotels.com is owned by them.

“I WON’T BE BOOKING ANY FUTURE HOTELS ANY OTHER WAY!” The layout of this app is very simple, with four major bu ons allowing you to ﬁnd a hotel, see your reserva on history, sign in or look at the reward scheme. There are seperate bu ons for comments, informa on on the app and se ngs, and if you want to call the head oﬃce, there’s a ni y phone bu on which will call them straight away for you. Now I didn’t have a Hotels.com account, for obvious reasons that I men oned earlier, so I created an account on the app. This was fairly

straigh orward, it asked for some basic informa on, including my desired currency type, which I was surprised at, and a er a few seconds my account was created. This immediately changed the Sign In bu on on the home screen to Your Account. I then proceeded to the booking sec on, where you are asked the des na on of choice, dates of checking in and out, how many rooms you want, with how many occupants. I decided on London, on the day of wri ng, for one adult, to see if I could get any last-minute deals. Once the results came up, they can be ﬁltered with a number of diﬀerent op ons, including best sellers, and special deals, which I thought was a clever touch. Once a hotel has been found, clicking on it gives room prices, pictures of the hotel, a brief descrip on, as well as a full list of facili es in the hotel, guest reviews and, the most remarkable feature in my opinion, a short descrip on of the surround area, including nearby ac vi es and points of interest, and a link to the area on Google Maps. All in all, this is an app that I personally would never have thought of downloading or using. Now that I’ve seen how well designed this app is, and how useful it will be if I needed it, I won’t be booking any future hotels any other way! Ma Foley

RATING: 83%

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BACKSTAB DEVELOPER: GAMELOFT PLATFORM: XPERIA PLAY GENRE: ACTION & ADVENTURE AVAILABLE: NOW

A PIRATE-THEMED GAME, SIMILAR IN STYLE AT LEAST TO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, BUT THIS DEFINITELY ISN’T DISNEY! When I interviewed Julian Stocker, Managing Director of Gamelo UK recently, one thing that really caught my a en on was a game he men oned called BackStab, which he described as ‘an 18th century ac onadventure set in the Caribbean’ which was to feature ‘a story set amidst an epic tale of revenge and betrayal.’ When I saw that this game had been released, I simply had to play it. And I, for one, was not disappointed! In BackStab, you play Henry Blake, a former Navy captain who is betrayed and le for dead. Obviously, Blake isn’t too keen on the idea of death, and instead decides to go on a quest for revenge. From the oﬀset, you can tell that this is as far removed from Disney’s pirate-related franchise as possible. The language can be described as strong, and the violence unrelen ng. The deaths that you exert on some of the enemies are not too dissimilar from Assassin’s Creed, with Blake leaping onto soldiers from roo ops and chaining together sword ﬁgh ng with pistol shots in an Altair-like fashion. The Assassin’s Creed similari es don’t stop there either. Free-running is a major part of this game, with Blake racing up walls like a cross between Spiderman and Usain Bolt, such is the ferocious speed that he has been blessed with.

in-game are enough to get Gamelo ’s compe tors very worried. I was also impressed with the vocals on oﬀer here. Whilst with, and it pains me to say this, a high percentage of mobile games, the main characters sound like robots when they open their mouths, here they actually sound like real human beings, you can tell that Gamelo put me and money into avoiding the linguis c nightmares that we as gamers know all too well.

“BACKSTAB IS A VERY ENJOYABLE GAME TO PLAY, ONE OF THE BEST I’VE PLAYED.” There are a few aspects of BackStab that I was surprised at. The strong language that I men oned earlier is unlike any other I’ve experienced on a mobile game, and possibly a li le too strong for a game of this type, and an early execu on scene seemed a li le too intense. Also, there are a couple of gameplay issues that bugged me, included Blake running through a wall instead of up it occasionally, a sword passing straight through an enemy without hur ng them, and the missions become slightly repe ve if you fail before reaching a checkpoint. On the whole though, the issues with this game are far outweighed by the pros, which mean that BackStab is a very enjoyable game to play, one of the best I’ve played on the Xperia Play in fact, visually stunning and is a must-buy, tragically a rarity in the mobile gaming market. Ma Foley

Visually, BackStab is nothing short of stunning. The opening video sequence is one of the best I’ve ever seen on a phone, and the character anima ons

RATING: 92%

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

STORM IN A TEACUP DEVELOPER: COBRA MOBILE PLATFORM: iPHONE, iPAD GENRE: PLATFORMER AVAILABLE: NOW

ONE JUMP OR TWO? Here at Phonica, we love a game that puts a smile on our face. Although we admire the grim reali es of Modern Warfare and the recent, dour L.A. Noire, frankly, we’d swap them for LocoRoco or Kirby’s Epic Yarn in the me it takes to blow a kiss. Games should make us smile, cook us soup and kiss our necks, make life that li le bit merrier. And heaven be thanked, Storm in a Teacup from Chillingo is one of those precious tles. Storm in a Teacup is a simple pla ormer-comepuzzler, involving a li le chap called Storm and his magical flying teacup. Storm’s brother, Cloud, has created a wondrous land for Storm, and it’s your job to guide him through the 40 levels, collec ng sugar lumps and solving the puzzles. It’s lovely fun, and with a comple on me of three, possibly four hours, decent value for the 99 ¢ price. The gameplay feels like a mix between early Mario and Lunar Lander. With your rocket propelled teacup, you can hover for short periods, and also prolong your jumps, all the while keeping an eye on the ny charge meter so not to run out of juice mid-flight. With this in mind, you have to bounce around the colourful levels finding keys, dodging enemies and solving the puzzles. It’s pre y straigh orward, as are the controls, which are no more than le , right and boost. That said, although Storm in a Teacup is rudimentary, the difficulty does creep up on you. The early levels are nothing more than A-B tutorials, but as the game progresses, you really have to maintain the finger control of a cheetah…if cheetahs have fingers? Good ming and pre-emp on is essen al as you guide your teacup under spikes, past evil black clouds, through perilously minute gateways and away from all

manner of dangers. It’s fair to say that on occasions it can become rather frustra ng due to the diﬃculty, and several levels can be completed through trial and error rather than skill, but overall Storm in a Teacup is a meaty enough challenge. And, if you fancy a real test, try and beat the current record comple on me of forty minutes. Good luck to you! “WE LOVE STORM IN A TEACUP, AS IT’S CHARMING, CUDDLY AND UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL.”

There are also a few bonuses to spice-up the standard gameplay. At the end of each level you get to go up against a big ‘ol boss, which provide plenty of challenge and variety. Also, during the game there are puzzles that involve target shoo ng, where you posi on yourself under a massive up-facing gun and shoot-out the relevant objects. This is a great fun, although it can be tricky if you are using an iPhone. When these shoo ng sec ons start, the camera zooms out to give a be er view of the area. This is ﬁne for the iPad, but on the smaller iPhone, seeing clearly can be an issue. That said, Storm in a Teacup is more suited to the iPhone, as playing for long periods via the iPad can be cumbersome, and there have been a few issues regarding framerate for the ﬁrst genera on Pads (although an update is expected). We love Storm in a Teacup, as it’s charming, cuddly and u erly deligh ul. It’s not the most detailed hand-held tle we’ve ever come across, nor is it the most addic ve, but it’s just a lovely way to spend a few quiet minutes. It puts a smile on our faces, and for less than a quid, happiness has never been cheaper. Fetch us a brew! Sco Tierney

RATING: 85%

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

L.A. NOIRE PUBLISHER: ROCKSTAR GAMES DEVELOPERS: TEAM BONDI, ROCKSTAR GAMES FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360 GENRE: OPEN WORLD ADVENTURE

TOE THE THIN BLUE LINE Rockstar are the pioneers of recrea ng a playable snapshot of history. Red Dead Redemp on is a prime example, bringing to life a West that was so wild you could almost smell the overflowing spi oons. And now it’s the turn of late ‘40s L.A: a seedy tale of broads, shootouts, dead ends and the nightmarish reality of the American dream. It’s been a long me coming, and there’s been much hype regarding the intriguing Mo onScan technology, so now, finally, let’s take a step back in me; let’s visit the Technicolor world of L.A. Noire. In L.A. Noire you take control of Officer Cole Phelps, as he climbs the occasionally greasy ladder of the LAPD. Star ng out as a patrol-man, you have to perform well in each of the rising departments, such as traffic detec ve, homicide, vice, and the top job as an arson inves gator. To crack each case, you’ll have to pick-up and correctly interpret clues; interrogate suspects forcefully but always tac cally; work closely with your partner, and also get down and dirty with the occasional foot-chase and shootout. It’s basically life as a late 1940s’ cop, told in the style of the classic film noir’s, mixed with a rather

sinister undertone that begins to materialise as the tale unfolds. L.A. Noire’s gameplay is much more sedate than previous Rockstar tles, and totally unlike anything that is currently on the market. Sure, there are s ll plenty of car chases and fire-fights, but in general you’ll spend the majority of your me colla ng evidence in your trusty notebook. In this notebook the game will automa cally log anything of note regarding each case, such as suspects, sketches, loca ons and statements. It also comes in handy when interviewing suspects and witnesses, which is at the core of L.A. Noire’s new style of interplay. Thanks to the sophis cated Mo onScan hardware - which films an actor’s head from 32 separate points, allowing their performance to be interpreted into the game with greater control – each AI character is remarkable lifelike, allowing you to be er judge whether they are telling the truth, being doub ul or lying. To get the most out of a suspect, you have to read – as a poker player might say - their ‘tells’ correctly and know when to accuse them, as if you lack the evidence or wrongly make a claim, you’ll at worse fail the case. It’s a fascina ng way of approaching a videogame, and although the early suspects are about as difficult to read as a Ladybird

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AS AN OVERALL PACKAGE, L.A. NOIRE IS ALL-BUT PERFECT. book, the further the game progress, the shi ier the criminals become. As an overall package, L.A. Noire is all-but perfect. The visuals and soundtrack are enchan ng, capturing the atmosphere of both the me and the genre right down to the lightest piano nkle ; the controls are neat, although they can at mes feel a tad numb; the narra ve is compelling, and the way it neatly wraps around the gameplay is also superb. It’s an excep onal tle - brutal and stunning, and as said, there’s nothing that can be compared to L.A. Noire’s new methods of gameplay (although Heavy Rain is arguably in a similar vein). But, despite the obvious brilliance, we can’t help feel a li le…constrained by it all. Although the various missions take you around the pitch-perfect recrea on of L.A., at no point are you ever actually allowed to cut loose from the main campaign. L.A. Noire is supposed to be open world, but it at no point feels truly open. Even the missions feel forced, as if you’re constantly being herded from event to event with very li le say in the ma er. It’s very frustra ng, and worse of all, you can’t let rip and

go on a crazed bender, as it’s all-but impossible to hit pedestrians and you o en don’t have access to a gun. What’s the point of an open world if you can’t rampage now and then? L.A. Noire is a magnificent, even defining piece of work, and that is mainly down to the ebbing ac on and flowing story. We love the ambiance, we love the puzzles and we absolutely adore the atmosphere; it’s just a tremendous piece of new-age work. But sadly - and this is only an issue if you want more than just a paint by numbers adventure – we can’t shake the feeling that we’re merely viewing this pris ne recrea on of L.A., as if from an open top bus, rather than actually exploring it on our own. L.A. Noire will take you on an extraordinary and memorable journey, but just don’t expect to stray from the path it sets out. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 19/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 18/20 DURABILITY: 17/20

OVERALL

89/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

PORTAL 2

PUBLISHER: VALVE DEVELOPER: VALVE FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: FIRST PERSON PUZZLER

LOVE IS A STORY OF TWO HOLES

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There’s something about Valve’s s ng (the short video they use as an adver sement before their games) that makes my hairs stand on end. It’s not just the sight of a bald man with a valve s cking out the back of his head, or even the s rring, echoed music, but rather it’s the an cipa on of what is to come. I know that as soon as I hear that ‘doooom’ and see that defining image, something truly excep onal is about to happen. Whether it’s Half-Life, Counter Strike, Le 4 Dead, Gunman Chronicles or any of the defining tles that appear on the Orange Box, whatever follows that iconic Valve logo is bound to be excep onal, and with Portal 2, there’s definitely no excep on. Guys and gals, bots and turrets; this may just be the best game you’ll play all year. Portal 2 starts off several hundred years a er the events of the first game. When you wake up from the king of all lie-ins in a rather creepy bedroom, you find yourself s ll within the Aperture Laboratories of the original. But, nature and erosion have taken their course, and the once pris ne test chambers are falling apart like, as they essen ally are, ancient ruins. To guide you out of the wreckage and hopefully escape, a clumsy robot called Wheatley (voiced by a show-stealing Stephan Merchant) is your humble abode, although the dreaded overlord of the labs, GLaDOS, is sure to be close…and a er over a few hundred years of plo ng her revenge, she ain’t gonna be happy! If you’ve played the original Portal, you’ll know what to expect from this far grander sequel: mind bending puzzles involving the iconic portal gun (a tool that can create two portals/holes on a surface, allowing you to pass between them…it makes sense when you’re doing it!), sharp storytelling and an u erly da sense of humour. But, whereas the original tles was, when broken down to the bare bones, a short series of minigames, Portal 2 explores the story and history of Aperture Laboratories in greater detail, and offers the chance for the portal gun to be used to solve problems outside of the test labs. The test chambers are s ll plen ful though, and with a selec on of new obstacles for you to contend with – springboards, light bridges and superball-bouncy fluid being just a few – they are s ll

as boggling as ever, if a li le more accessible. But the real thrills come when you’re out of your comfort zone, and the portal gun has to be used without predetermined guidance. When a trip to the bo om of Aperture Laboratories’ buried history beckons, those portals come in mighty handy. A welcome addi on to Portal 2 is the co-op mode, which allows you and a pa ent buddy (solving those riddles can really test a rela onship!) to play as two chummy bots, each equipped with a portal gun. You’d think that two heads would be be er than one, but when the puzzles require you both to perform as a team, it’s mighty hard work, especially as there’s the best part of 5 hours worth of tests to bust. It’s fantas c fun though, and a lovely diversion from the main campaign.

“GAMES LIKE PORTAL 2 DON’T COME AROUND THAT OFTEN, AND WHEN THEY DO, MAKE THE MOST OF THEM.” There have been a few complaints regarding the length of Portal 2’s single player campaign, with some gamers whinging that they took down the game in a li le over 4 hours. They’re clearly skilled, as it took us around 7 hours to ﬁnish oﬀ Portal 2, and yes, we also felt a tad undernourished when the credits rolled, but when you play this excep onal game, don’t rush. Take your me. Explore all of the hidden areas, have a read through all the hilarious safety no ces; peek through the cracks in the walls; soak it all up; drink it in, as when it’s over, you’ll be truly sorry you rushed it all by. Trust us: savour every wondrous second. Portal 2 is excep onal, beau ful, touching, inspiring, charming and u erly remarkable. Games like Portal 2 don’t come around that o en, and when they do, make the most of them. It’s a masterpiece! Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 20/20 CONTROLS: 18/20 GAMEPLAY: 19/20 DURABILITY: 17/20

OVERALL

92/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

CRYSIS 2 PUBLISHER: ELECTRONIC ARTS DEVELOPER: CRYTEK FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: FPS (FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER)

VIGOUR OR VANISH? HAVE IT YOUR WAY Do you prefer stealth or shoo ng? When faced with a roomful of denture-armed baddies, do you opt to sneak past undetected, or unleash hell in the form of molten lead? Personally I’m the la er; I love to tear into a room all guns blazing, and when it comes to lurking in the shadows, my pa ence (or lack off) and itchy trigger finger are usually the first giveaways to my concealed posi on. Frustra ngly, in most games you’re enforced to abide with either tac c, with very li le op on to break away from either the blas ng or the ppy-toeing. But, in Crysis 2, the choice of whether to duck or dive is totally up to you. In Crysis 2, you take the role of a Force Recon Marine called Alcatraz, who starts the game by ge ng killed to death. When the protagonist from the original games find you, Army Delta Force officer Laurence “Prophet” Barnes, he entrusts you the use of his Nanosuit, and requests that you complete his mission and return some informa on to Doctor Nathan Gould. So, with New York City collapsing,

enemy soldiers on your nano bu (no pun intended) and also some extremely unfriendly aliens on your trail, you make your way ahead, piecing together the story as you go. Right off the bat, Crysis 2 looks stunning. The ‘Urban Jungle’ of New York which Crytek have created is a magnificent mix of desola on and familiarity, providing a landscape that is both out of this world yet instantly recognisable. It’s also extremely vast, allowing you to tread your own path rather than being ushered down a predetermined one (it’s worth no ng that you’re not as free as in the original Crysis tle, though). As current genera on graphics go, this is about as good as it gets. The main selling point of Crysis 2 is the Nanosuit, which provides you with a selec on of abili es and strengths of superhuman propor ons. These include a series of different displays on your visor, allowing you to see in the dark, plot enemies’ progress and also plan ahead when it comes to strategizing an infiltra on or a ack. You can also jump migh ly high…which is nice. The main two a ributes of your suit though are the armour and the

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invisibility. So, if you need to take down a squad of soldiers quickly, you can switch on your extra tough bullet prooﬁng and blast away. But, if you have to do a spot of sneaking, you can go invisible and quickly pass by the same squad undetected. Hey, why not mix and match? Both these abili es and how they can be implemented are fascina ng, but watch out, as both will drain your suit’s energy in double-quick me.

“THE MAIN SELLING POINT OF CRYSIS 2 IS THE NANOSUIT, WHICH PROVIDES YOU WITH A SELECTION OF ABILITIES AND STRENGTHS.” So that’s the suit, but what about the rest of Crysis 2’s gameplay? Well, overall it’s very impressive, with the single player campaign featuring plenty of thrills, drama c set pieces and plot twists, and the mul player being surprisingly involving if outside the Black Ops league. There are a few ﬂaws of course, such as the AI being rather dumb, the controls being overly complex on occasions and the signpos ng

being dreadful at mes, but as a package both single and mul player experiences are superb. A word of warning though: the first 2-3 hours of Crysis 2’s campaign are rather workmanlike, and although it’s worth trudging through these laboured opening hours as the next 5+ are superb, it’s s ll disgruntling that the ac on starts with a lazy yawn rather than a bang. Overall, Crysis 2 is impressive in every aspect. The visuals phenomenal, the ac on both tense and feisty (once the game finally wakes up), the scale magnificent and there’s enough challenge to keep you gripped. And best of all, how you tackle the tasks is totally up to you. So, which are you? A creeper or a blaster? Thankfully, in Crysis 2, you can be both. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 19/20 STORY: 16/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 17/20 DURABILITY: 16/20

OVERALL

85/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

KIRBY’S EPIC YARN PUBLISHER: NINTENDO DEVELOPERS: GOOD-FEEL, HAL LABORATORY FORMAT: WII GENRE: PLATFORMER

FEEL GOOD FELT The charming pink blob known as Kirby has been with us for nearly 20 years now, serving up an always varied plate of puzzlebased pla orming goodness. From the ﬁrst Kirby tle in 1992 - the iconic Gameboy adventure Kirby’s Dream Land - to the more recent DS incarna ons of Squeak Squad and Super Star Ultra, Kirby has always managed to put a smile on the gamer’s face, despite occasionally wandering down the path of the misdirected dud: see the lame Kirby’s Air Ride on the Gamecube. But thankfully Kirby’s back on Nintendo’s ﬂagship console, although now he’s a bit…woolly.

a tank, a spaceship and a steam train. These morphs bring plenty of varia on to proceedings, and although the simple yet lovely side-scrolling is wonderful, these intervals just add that something extra.

As usual, one day Kirby is out and about in his homeland of Dream, on the search for something tasty to eat. When he spots a juicy looking tomato, he sucks it up quick as a flash. But just as he does so, an evil sorcerer called Yin-Yarn bursts onto the scene, and transports Kirby into the depths of a mysterious sock which hangs around his neck. Inside the sock, Kirby lands in Patch Land; a world made of nothing but string and yarn. But as Kirby is now made of yarn himself, his powers of inhaling enemies’ abili es, and flight, are gone. When he rescues a young boy who turns out to be the Prince of Patch Land, Kirby discovers that Yin-Yarn has torn the various sec ons of Patch Land apart, and Kirby must help to re-s tch it back together. So begins the quest, and Kirby goes off (alone or with the Prince, depending if you play by yourself or with a friend, respec vely) to find the seven magic threads that will return Patch Land to one.

OK, so there are a few niggles with Epic Yarn, such as the tagged-on and under-worked co-op mode; the dull customiza on features which allow you to build your own personal room from the items you collect in the game, and the enormously frustra ng steam train sequences, which unless you have a hand made of pure concrete is all-but impossible to complete (you have to draw the train tracks Kirby’s locomo ve follows on screen with the Wii Remote – one twitch and the tracks will break – it’s rubbish!). The en re game is also ridiculously easy, so don’t expect much of a challenge if you’re a Gears of War toughnut.

As Kirby is now nothing more than a few strands of thread, his usual powers are now unavailable. But, that doesn’t mean old Kirbs hasn’t got a few tricks. As he’s made of wool, he can now transform himself into anything he likes, such as a speedy car, a balloon, and during the end of level special stages, even a dolphin,

It’s fair to say that Kirby’s Epic Yarn is brimming with charm. All the levels are just the right side of cute, without being overly sickly or tacky. As you wander through levels made out of co on wool, patchwork cake shops, felt dinosaurs and jungles of co on, it’s hard not to be drawn toward the shear warmth of Epic Yarn. Also, when compared to Sony’s Li le Big Planet series, Epic Yarn doesn’t feel as if it has to work at being cute. It’s just a really nice tle. It’s what Nintendo do best.

But these aside, we s ll love – and I do mean love – Kirby’s Epic Yarn. It’s a wondrous, charming, magical and heart-warming li le pla ormer, and from both Kirby and Nintendo, that’s all we ever ask. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 15/20 CONTROLS: 15/20 GAMEPLAY: 17/20 DURABILITY: 15/20

OVERALL

80/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

TOP SPIN 4 PUBLISHER: 2K SPORTS DEVELOPER: 2K CZECH FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, Wii GENRE: SPORTS

ACES ALL THE WAY Summer is well and truly upon us, and you know what that means: Pimms, sunburn, punch-ups at barbeques and of course, tennis. So, to get you in the mood for spanking some aces, here’s the fourth instalment in 2K’s racket simulator, and to be honest, this is about as comprehensive as it gets. Top Spin 4 is the Microso Flight Simulator of the tennis world, featuring just about every player, court, arena and event in the world game. It’s enormous, with hundreds of mini tournaments, a vast career mode, mul player both on and oﬄine, and a smart training course that neither ﬂa ers nor insults you. There is literally everything you could ever require from a tennis package, from the exhibi on matches with the legends of the game, to a gli ering career with your own individual character; but that’s not to say that Top Spin 4 is just for the elite.

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“WHEN FULLY ASSESSING TOP SPIN 4 AS A PACKAGE IT’S HARD TO FIND A FLAW. THE VISUALS ARE TOP NOTCH, THE GAMEPLAY IS TESTING, AND IF YOU’RE A TENNIS NUT, YOU’LL FIND EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER POSSIBLY NEED.”

Both newbies and Top Spin veterans can enjoy this new entry in the franchise, as it caters for both equally. If you’ve conquered every event in the past games, and you know how to hit the baseline from every conservable angle, Top Spin 4 lets you dive straight in and get cracking. But, if all this whacking is a bit of a mystery, then the training sessions will break you in gently, taking you through the basics before teaching you the advanced stuﬀ. It’s great for both par es, and thanks to the simple yet smart controls -which rely more on when you release the shot bu on than when you actually press it, pu ng more emphasis on ming and placement - playing for the ﬁrst or thousandth me is harmonious.

“TOP SPIN 4 IS A NEAR-PERFECT SPORTS SIM, AS IT SERVES-UP THE GOODS FOR BOTH PARTIES.” Top Spin 4 has also been designed to feature compa bility with the new mo on so ware of the lead pla orms. Sadly there’s no interac on with Microso Kinect, but the PS3 version is fully Move compa ble, and the Wii tle works with the classic Wii Remote and Nunchuck. The Move version is very good, feeling sharp and direct, although it should be noted that as the diﬃcultly of the game progresses, the Move can’t quite serve-up (nice!) the constant accuracy required for victory. The Wii version is a bit of a let down to be honest, with the mo on controls

feeling a bit numb, and the game as a package not really delivering the punch of the Xbox 360 and PS3 incarna ons. Top Spin 4 is also fully 3D compa ble. When fully assessing Top Spin 4 as a package (this review is based upon the PS3 version) it’s hard to find a flaw. OK, the models of the pro players look a bit demented; the constant replays a er every point are a nuisance, and the load screens are a tad too frequent for our liking. But aside from those, Top Spin 4 hits its mark on every occasion. The visuals are top notch, the gameplay is tes ng but s ll gentle enough for the newcomer, and if you’re a tennis nut, you’ll find everything you could ever possibly need, all the way from the detailed character crea on tool to the hundreds of available socks and shorts. Top Spin 4 is a near-perfect sports sim, as it serves-up (double nice!) the goods for both par es: the first mer and the every mer. Even if you’re not a big tennis fan, give this a go, as it’s the ideal summer game for those sun-baked, Pimms drenched, salad tong in the eye, weekends. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 18/20 CONTROLS: 19/20 GAMEPLAY: 18/20 DURABILITY: 18/20

OVERALL

91/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

MOTORSTORM:

APOCALYPSE PUBLISHER: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPER: EVOLUTION STUDIOS FORMAT: PS3 GENRE: RACING

SKIP AHEAD OF THE DESTRUCTION When we previewed MotorStorm: Apocalypse a few months back, we were dribbling with excitement. It looked fast, fran c, explosive, ludicrously OTT; basically everything you’d expect from a MotorStorm tle. But one thing concerned us: the addi on of a plot. Why? Why did such a da thro le thrasher like MotorStorm need to be weighed down by a narra ve? So, now we have the ﬁnal game in our drool soaked hands, were our pre-release worries relevant? Well, it all depends if we choose to press ‘skip’… In a change of scenery from the previous MotorStorm tles, Apocalypse has taken the racing to the suburbs, swapping undergrowth and canyons for tarmac and skyscrapers. That said, this departure from the great outdoors is no less safe, as ﬁc onal city ‘The City’ (someone was up all night…) is a disaster zone of death and mayhem. Wild gangs roam

the streets and ﬁght with anyone who catches their glassed eyes; earthquakes tear through the ground nearly every minute; typhoons come blas ng in and the army comes blas ng out; basically it’s a ﬂailing explosion of carnage…the perfect se ng for some serious racing then! Now there’s some tarmac involved, the range of vehicles available to you is far more diverse. Sure, the monster trucks, rally cars and all terrain beasts are s ll here, but we now have hot hatches and both bikes and cars with the word ‘super’ in front of them. And as you’d expect, the trusty boost bu on is s ll begging to give you a good kick up the backside when needed. So how’s the actual racing? Well needless to say it’s pre y intense. The tracks literally change shape during the race, with random earthquakes and gang wars making each apex a serious challenge to tackle. The vehicles s ll feel too heavy for our liking (an issue we’ve always had with the MotorStorm series) and

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each race is seriously hampered by the Burnout dilemma (with the speeds so great and the reac on mes becoming nil, having or escaping a crash can become more of a case of luck rather than skill) but overall, both on and offline, the ac on is terrific. Apocalypse can become migh ly tough though, as the difficulty jumps from bu er to barbed wire in the space of one race, so be prepared to fail and re-fail a few races. As a balls to the wall racer, MotorStorm: Apocalypse is first class. The races are gripping and diverse, the design and execu on of the tracks is brilliant, and although it’s s ll a bit of a lo ery, the racing is always a pleasure. But, we have to return to the reserva ons we had with that story. To be brutal, it’s u erly pointless. Apocalypse is broken down into three classes – Rookie, Pro and Veteran - and to complete the game you have to win races in all three hardening classes. This is fine, but each sec on is designed as a mini

story, with you playing as a character. Before each race you have to sit through a pre y dumb and shallow mo on comic which gives you a li le bit of unnecessary story about the character, but these have no rela on to the actual game, and if you choose to skip them, you’d be unaware of mere existence. They’re nothing to the game, and to be frank, Apocalypse is a worse game for them. But s ll, MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a corking racer, and if you can put up (or just skip) the unnecessary cartoons you’ll love it un l you’re soaked with dribble. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 17/20 STORY: 7/20 CONTROLS: 14/20 GAMEPLAY: 16/20 DURABILITY: 17/20

OVERALL

71/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

CONDUIT 2 PUBLISHER: SEGA DEVELOPER: HIGH VOLTAGE SOFTWARE FORMAT: Wii GENRE: FPS (FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER)

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOD CH Crysis 2 is the typical big budget shooter for the top dog console. It’s vast, detailed, expansive, intelligent, drama c: it’s the epitome of top-bracket videogaming. But what about the opposite end of the scale? If Crysis 2 is the caviar of gaming, what’s the happy shopper snack? Well, it’s fair to say that this sequel to one of the Wii’s finest shooters, The Conduit, defiantly has the whiff of Pickled Onion Monster Munch about it. Conduit 2 opens literally as the original tles closes, with the game’s central no-nonsense hunk, Mr. Ford, following his arch enemy, John Adams (*I’m doing the John Adams*…if you get that reference regarding the John Adams dance, you’ve been watching far too much Whose Line Is It Anyway) through a conduit - a type of wormhole. When Ford comes out the conduit and lands on an oil rig in the middle of a stormy Bermuda Triangle, he sees Adams escaping, abandoning the rig and Ford to be destroyed by a vast sea snake. From then, Ford must take chase, all the while guided by his slightly camp sidekick, his AI chum, Prometheus. It’s a rather corny affair, with the ac on bouncing from various loca ons such as London, Washington, The Amazon and even Atlan s, while the plot takes every clichéd direc on in the book. The ac on Conduit 2 serves up is FPS blas ng based, with plenty of weapons and some comically dumb enemies to shoot at. When I say dumb, I really mean dumb! They wander around the levels like lost toddlers in Toys R Us, occasionally hiding behind walls

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HAIN, IT’S ALL RATHER SILLY. if the mood takes them, but mostly just standing square on, randomly shoo ng somewhere in your area and squealing for “backup!”. They are rubbish. If you re of these retarded henchmen, though, you can always test your skills against some of your chums in the mul player modes. Nothing beats a room full of buddies bantering the night away, but Conduit 2 is pre y poor both on and oﬄine, even for a Wii shooter. To be plain, it’s just too dull, and lacking in any variety or pace.

corny, and a be er tle for it. When you ﬁrst hear the appallingly crass dialogue, ﬁred from the lips of someone with the voice of a smug ac on man, it’s easy to sneer. But if you really listen and s ck with Conduit 2, you’ll no ce that it is being deliberately da and sending itself up. It’s like playing through an episode of Police Squad, with everyone playing their parts straight, never acknowledging the blatant ridiculousness of the situa on. If Conduit 2 is nothing, it’s at least a laugh.

As you’d expect from a Wii tle, the controls are very hit and miss. Most of the me they’re just about workable, with the Wii Remote handling the aiming and the Nunchuck controlling your movement. The targe ng is too twitchy for our liking, and meleing an opponent is a nightmare, as when you swing the remote to trigger a punch, you’ll end up facing the ﬂoor or staring up to the ceiling. Crouching is also a pain - Ford must have a serious case of piles, as it takes two or more squeezes of the C bu on to eventually force him to crouch. You can opt for the standard two s ck controller if you require, but to be honest it’s not quite as responsive as the mo on controls. Despite their ﬂaws, mo on’s s ll the best way to go.

“TO BE HONEST, THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE HERE - IT’S ALL INCREDIBLY CORNY, AND A BETTER TITLE FOR IT.”

To give Conduit 2 some credit, it is a well designed product, with all the wonderfully styled levels cleverly allowing mul ple route choices throughout, and overall the gameplay itself is always solid if a li le tame. The boss ﬁghts are also superb, as are the occasional vehicle sec ons. To be honest, there’s a lot to like here, and as we said, it’s all incredibly

If Conduit 2 was a packet of crisps, it’d be a 10p bag of out of date Space Invaders. Sure, it’s not par cularly good, it’s poorly made in places, and when compared to something of the quality of say Crysis 2, it’s clear to see that Conduit 2 is right down the ladder of FPSs. But, that’s not to say we don’t like Conduit 2, as if you ignore the failings and lower your expecta ons, you’ll be more than happy with this rather da shooter. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 16/20 STORY: 16/20 CONTROLS: 14/20 GAMEPLAY: 14/20 DURABILITY: 13/20

OVERALL

73/100

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

HOMEFRONT PUBLISHER: THQ DEVELOPERS: KAOS STUDIOS, DIGITAL EXTREMES FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: FPS (FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER)

TROUBLE UP NORTH Homefront’s pre-release publicity was packed with controversy. There were fic onal news ar cles that caused confusion and panic for some unknowing readers; accusa ons of Kaso bandwagoning the recent troubles in Korea; several of Homefront’s scenes were censored for the Japanese versions (any references to North Korea were changed to ‘A Certain Country to the North’); even San Francisco Bay was swamped with 10,000 promo onal balloons, which didn’t exactly go down a storm with the locals. It’s not been a smooth upbringing for Homefront, but is the actual game worth of all the fuss? Homefront is set in a war torn 2027 America. With the once all-powerful USA struggling a er the effects of the economic collapse, the Greater Korean Republic - under the soulless eyes of Kim Jong-un, the son of Kim Jong II – goes on the offensive, leaving Uncle Sam’s hometown in ruin and under Korean rule. As Robert Jacobs, you have to work alongside the last surviving rebels and take the fight to the invaders in anyway you can. It’s a pre y intense and scarily believable plot, which compliments the dreary landscapes perfectly. There are some extremely harrowing moments also, with the opening scene - depic ng a bus ride through the atroci es of war - being one that will s ck with you for a long me a er. Unfortunately, the gameplay can’t live up to the atmosphere, as it involves mostly shoo ng and very li le else. To be honest, it’s all rather underwhelming, and despite the occasional set piece, most of the me it’s a case of ‘been there, done that’. The mul player is more impressive though, serving up large play areas and plenty of 32 man ac on. There’s also a smart currency op on - ba le points system – which awards the player virtual cash reflec ng their online

performance, and le ng them spend the reward on weapons and vehicles. You’ll certainly spend more me online, as the single player campaign can be polished off in a mere five hours at best, which for a tle of Homefront’s magnitude is pre y pathe c. Last year we played THQ’s other FPS, Metro 2033, which deals with a similar style of apocalyp c future as Homefront, only this me in the undergrounds of Russia. Despite it being clunky to the point of near-unplayable, we adored the claustrophobic atmosphere it created, and the sense of tension that dwelled within its musky levels. But, all this suspense was ruined by the (and there’s no other word for it) clunky gameplay. Sadly, it’s the same deal with Homefront. Despite the solid set pieces and occasional punches of genuine emo on, it’s all let down by something as fundamental as a character blocking you in a doorway, or a glitch in the controls. It’s so frustra ng… Homefront is an interes ng tle, which promises a lot but ul mately fails in nearly all departments. Despite producing several classic moments – the final fire-fight across a bridge being a superb sequence – these are drowned in a flood of dodgy visuals, clichéd gimmicks and far too many glitches for a tle of this stature. Add to that a mere 5 hours of single player ac on, and Homefront is nowhere near the tle it should have been. S ll, the mul player is good fun…it’s just a shame it’s let down by the rest of the game. Looks like all the controversy was for nothing. Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 14/20 STORY: 14/20 CONTROLS: 14/20 GAMEPLAY: 14/20 DURABILITY: 10/20

OVERALL

66/100

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Size weight Frequency Screen Pixels camera resolu on memory/compa bility bluetooth GPRS WLAN Browser Java Messaging Radio Music downloadable games downloadable ringtones Ba ery talk me - mins (max) Ba ery standy - hours (up to) bluetooth carKit compa ble

Nokia 7230

Nokia 6730

Nokia 5530

Nokia E75

Nokia 6210

98 x 48 x 14.8 mm 100 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 3.15 MP 45 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32 No Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

112 x 46 x 12.6 mm 83 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 3.15 MP 48 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32 No Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

104 x 49 x 13 mm 107 g Quad-band/3G 640 x 360 3.2 MP 70 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32/HSDPA Yes Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/AMS Yes

111.8 x 50 x 14.4 mm 139 g Quad-band/3G 320 x 240 3.2 MP 50 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32/HSDPA Yes Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

103 x 49 x 14.9 mm 117 g Tri-band 320 x 240 3.2 MP 120 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/miniUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32/HSDPA No Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

MP3/MP4/WAV/WMA

MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC/WAV/WMA MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC/WAV/WMA

MP3/AAC/WAV/WMA

MP3/WAV/AAC/WMA

Yes MP3 300 370 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 600 500 Yes

Yes MP3 340 264 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 222 244 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 294 351 Yes

Sony Ericsson Spiro

Sony Ericsson XPERIA

92 x 48 x 16.75 mm 90 g Dual band 240 x 320 2 MP

119 x 62 x 16 mm 175 g Quad-band/3G 854 x 480 5.1 MP

Play

Sony Ericsson W395

Sony Ericsson C903

Sony Ericsson Aino

97 x 47 x 14.9 mm 96 g Quad-band 176 x 220 2 MP

97 x 49 x 16 mm 96 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 5 MP

104 x 50 x 15.5 mm 134 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 420 8.1 MP

5 MB/Micro SD

400 MB/Micro SD

10 MB/Memory S ck Micro

130 MB/Memory S ck Micro

60 MB/microSD

Yes/A2DP/Micro USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA Yes WAP/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA No WAP/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA Yes WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

MP3/MP4/AAC+/WAV

Mp3/MP4/AAC

MP3/AAC

Yes MP3 270 475 Yes

Yes MP3 505 425 Yes

Yes MP3/AAC 420 480 Yes

Yes MP3/AAC 600 400 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 270 360 Yes

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Nokia E63

Nokia N97

Nokia 3720 classic

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music

Sony Ericsson Cedar

113 x 59 x 13 mm 126 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2 MP 110 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32 Yes Wap/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm 150 g Quad-band/3G 640 x 360 5 MP 32 GB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32 Wi-Fi WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

115 x 47 x 15.3 mm 94 g Tri-band 320 x 240 2 MP 20 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 11 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm 109 g Quad-band 640 x 360 3.2 MP 81 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 32 Yes WAP/xHTML/HTML/WML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

111 x 49 x 15.5 mm 84 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 2 MP 280 MB/Micro SD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA No WAP/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

MP3/WAV/AAC/WMA

MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WAV

MP3/AAc/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

Mp3/MP4/AAC

Yes Polyphonic & MP3 660 432 Yes

Yes MP3 570 430 Yes

Yes Poly/MIDI/Real Tone/MP3 420 450 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 528 406 Yes

Yes MP3 750 420 Yes

Sony Ericsson Yari

Sony Ericsson Naite

Sony Ericsson C901

Sony Ericsson C510

HTC Desire

100 x 48 x 15.7 mm 115 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 5 MP

108 x 47 x 12.6 mm 84 g Quad-band 240 x 320 2 MP

105 x 45 x 13 mm 107 g Quad-band 240 x 320 5 MP

107 x 47 x 12.5 mm 92 g Quad-band 240 x 320 3.15 MP

119 x 60 x 11.9 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 5 MP

60 MB/microSD

100 MB/microSD

120 MB/Memory S ck Micro

100 MB/Memory S ck Micro

ROM:512 MB/RAM:576 MB/microSD

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes No WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA Yes HMTL Yes,via 3rd party SMS/MMS/Email(Push)/IM Yes

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/AAC/MP4

MP3/AAC/MID/M4A/WAV/WMA

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 600 450 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 564 380 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 570 430 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/Aac 420 400 Yes

Yes MP3 400 360 Yes

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Apple iPhone 3G S

Apple iPhone 3G

INQ Chat 3G

BlackBerry 8520

BlackBerry Bold 9000

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 3.15 MP 16/32 GB (internal)

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 133 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 2 MP 8/16 GB (internal)

114.5 x 61 x 12.8 mm 93 g Tri-band/3G 176 x 220 3.2 MP 120MB/Memory S ck Micro

109 x 60 x 13.9 mm 106 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2 MP 256 MB/MicroSD

114 x 66 x 14 mm 133 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 2MP 1GB/microSD

Yes/USB

Yes/A2DP/USB

Yes/A2DP/microUSB

Yes/A2DP/USB

Yes/EDGE Wi-Fi HTML (Safari) No SMS/MMS/Email No

Yes/EDGE Yes HTML (Safari) No SMS/Email No

Yes Yes Net Front Yes SMS/MMS/Email No

Yes/EDGE Class 10 Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

MP3/MP3 VBR/AAC/WAV

AMR/AAC/AAC+/eAAC

MP3/AAC/WMA/AAC+/MP4/WMV MP3/WMA/AAC+

Yes

Poly/MP3

AMR/AAC/AAC+/eAAC/MP3/WAV

Poly/MIDI/MP3

Poly/MP3

720 300 Yes

600 300 Yes

480 170 Yes

270 408 Yes

300 310 Yes

Samsung B3310

Samsung Jet

LG GD510 Pop

LG GM750

Dell Streak

91 x 54 x 17 mm 101 g Quad-band 240 x 320 2 MP 40 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

108 x 53.5 x 11.9 mm 110 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 5 MP 2/8 GB (internal)/microSD Yes/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 12/HSDPA Wi-Fi WAP/Dolphin Yes

97.8 x 49.5 x 11.2 mm 87 g Quad-band 240 x 400 3.15 MP 42 MB RAM/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 12 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

109.8 x 53.5 x 12.9 mm 120 g Quad-band 240 x 400 5 MP

152.9 x 79.1 x 10 mm 220 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 5 MP

128 MB RAM/256 MB ROM/microSD

16GB/512MB ROM/512MB RAM/microSD

Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes Yes WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 12/HSDPA Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email No MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA Yes MP3 580 400 Yes

SMS/MMS/Email/Vidoe/MS Exchange

Yes

MP3/MP4

MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA/AMR

MP3/MP4/WMA

MP3/MPEG4/WAV/eAAC+/WMA

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 300 380 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 492 422 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 200 360 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 380 450 Yes

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BlackBerry 8300 Curve

Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung Pixon 12

Samsung S5600V Blade Samsung Genio Touch

107 x 60 x 15.5 mm 111 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2MP 64MB/microSD

122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 119 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 5 MP 8GB/16GB/microSD

108 x 53 x 13.8 mm 120 g 480 x 800 pixels 240 x 320 12 MP 150 MB/microSD

102.8 x 54.8 x 12.9 mm 92 g 240 x 320 pixels 240 x 320 3.15 MP 50 MB/microSD

103 x 56.5 x 12 mm 90 g Quad-band 240 x 320 2 MP 40 MB/microSD

Yes/USB

Yes/A2DP/microUSB

Yes/A2DP/USB

Yes/USB

Yes/EDGE No HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

Yes/EDGE Class 12/HSDPA Yes HTML Yes,via 3rd party SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

Yes/EDGE Class 12 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+

MP3/MP4/WMA/eAAC+

MP3/WMA/AAC

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMV/WMA

Yes

Poly/MP3

Poly/MP3/WAV

240 408 Yes

803 750 Yes

180 250 Yes

120 250 Yes

480 730 Yes

HTC Desire HD

HTC Magic

HTC Hero

Apple iPhone 4

BlackBerry Torch

123 x 68 x 11.8 mm 164 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 8 MP

113 x 55 x 13.7 mm 118.5 g Quad-band 320 x 480 3.15 MP

112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 320 x 480 5 MP

111.5 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm 137 g Quad-band/3G 640 x 960 5 MP

111 x 62 x 14.6 mm 161 g Quad-band/3G 360 x 480 5 MP

1.5 GB/Micro SD

288 MB/microSD

16/32 GB (internal)

4GB/MicroSD

Yes/A2DP/Micro USB Yes/EDGE Class 32/HSDPA Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA Yes Poly/MP3/Aac 550 420 Yes

Yes/miniUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Wi-Fi HTML Yes,via 3rd party SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

Yes/A2DP/miniUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Wi-Fi HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Wi-Fi HTML (Safari) No SMS/MMS/Email No

Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

MP3/MP4

MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA 9

MP3/MP3 VBR/AAC/WAV

MP3/eAAC/WMA/WMV

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 450 420 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 420 750 Yes

Yes MP3 420 300 Yes

Yes MP3 330 430 Yes

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