Phonica Lite Issue 21

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

ISSUE 21

61 THE ARCHES, NORTH WOOLWICH ROAD, LONDON, E16 2AA. TEL: +442032030002 GENERAL EMAIL: info@phonicamagazine.co.uk

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

ENQUIRIES info@phonicamagazine.co.uk

ADVERTISING adver sing@phonicamagazine.co.uk BECOME A FAN OF PHONICA MAGAZINE UK ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER © Phonica Limited All material in this publica on is covered by copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publica on may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmi ed in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, in whole or part without wri en permission of the publisher or the copyright owner.

Please note that whilst every care has been taken to ensure that all the data in this publica on is accurate at the me of going to print, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, whether caused by negligence or otherwise, or for any loss, however caused, occasioned to any person by reliance on it; and hereby disclaims any liability for it. Opera ons and some features are network dependent; please refer to your network provider for full details.

Phonica Magazine UK is published by Phonica Limited.

Registered Office: 61 The Arches, North Woolwich Road, London, E16 2AA Company No. 07629086 ISSN:

2

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

GETTING IT TOGETHER The joys of E3 mania, oh how we beamed like li le kiddies unwrapping presents.

There was so much to be amazed with, so li le that disappointed and so many that brought the big guns out; a emp ng to outdo their rivals. As I wandered around like a first me kid to a candy store it felt like game publsihers and developers were launching their s mulus packages for the gaming industry.

We couldn’t help but share our star of the show…I’m gagging to tell you but won’t rob you the excitement of reading it yourself.

This issue our Editor’s Choice Award goes to Dirt 3! Congrats to the Codemasters team on another game well developed.

Well I’d stop now, since you’re probably on the verge of a breakdown from the anxiety of wan ng to read on. (If you haven’t started reading ahead already!)

Thanks for ge ng another great issue.

Enjoy reading!

Your Editor in Chief

Kevin Leonce

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

3

CODEMASTERS SUFFER HACKER INTRUSION PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE TAKEN OFFLINE

Another day, another case of a hacked games company. Last me it was Sony who were the vic ms of a hack a ack, forcing them to shut down their en re online industry while the issue was fixed, cos ng them an es mated $100 million plus. Now, it looks like Codemasters – the team behind the Colin McRae Dirt series – are the next big videogame company to be hit.

Codemasters have said that its customers’ personal details have been taken, including phone numbers, email addresses and encrypted passwords. In the wake of this a ack, the publisher has contacted all of its customers to apologise for the intrusion, and has publicly stated that no payment details have been compromised. As of yet, the perpetrator(s) of this a ack are unknown.

In a message to their customers, Codemasters’ said, “Unfortunately, Codemasters is the latest vic m in

4

ongoing targeted a acks against numerous game companies. We assure you that we are doing everything within our legal means to track down the perpetrators and take ac on to the full extent of the law. We apologise for this incident and regret any inconvenience caused. We are contac ng all customers who may have been affected directly.”

“AS OF YET, THE PERPETRATOR(S) OF THIS ATTACK ARE UNKNOWN.” Following this message, all customers were advised

by Codemasters to change their personal details, and as their website is currently down for maintenance – expected to be opera onal again within this year – all visitors are being re-addressed to Codemasters’ Facebook page.

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

Sco Tierney

NINTENDO STOCK DIPS IN WAKE OF WII U ANNOUNCEMENT 10% DROP ON TOKYO MARKET Despite the Wii U domina ng the headlines at this year’s E3, Nintendo’s shareholders didn’t seem to hold the same enthusiasm with the games company’s latest piece of kit.

As the much heralded Wii successor took to the stage in LA, shares in Tokyo dropped by a small yet drama c 5%, and then con nued to fall to 10% a couple of days a er (at me of wri ng).

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, had this to say during an E3 interview: “Honestly speaking, the reac on to (the E3) presenta on and what I heard from people I met and the mood of the conven on did not chime at all with what happened in the stock market. It’s very strange.”

“THE REACTION TO (THE E3) PRESENTATION AND WHAT I HEARD FROM PEOPLE I MET AND THE MOOD OF THE CONVENTION DID NOT CHIME AT ALL WITH WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STOCK MARKET.” “In the end, it is easy to get the mistaken impression that this is just a game console with a tablet,” con nued Iwata. “People who came to the presenta on and tried it out have understood very well that it opens up a lot of new possibili es. But people who have not tried it will find it hard to believe that this controller will change things.”

“REGARDLESS OF THESE ISSUES, THE FUTURE LOOKS PRETTY GOOD FOR THE WII U.” Although this lack of support - at least financially - from Nintendo’s investors is surprising, it’s nothing new, as the original Wii came under similar scru ny during its 2006 release.

Despite these issues, we’d s ll expect the Wii U to be the top console when it comes to sales figures next year. Sure, when you strip it down, the Wii U is an updated Wii and not a next genera on console, and when Sony and Microso finally get around to building their Xbox 720s and PS4s, the Wii U will probably be blown out the water. But, for now, regardless of these issues, the future looks pre y good for the Wii U.

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

Sco Tierney

5

BIOSHOCK INFINITE PUBLISHER: 2K GAMES DEVELOPER: IRRATIONAL GAMES FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PC GENRE: FPS AVAILABLE: 2012

FROM THE DEPTHS TO THE SKIES Every now and then, we see something that truly takes our breath away. At Phonica we witness a lot of new games as they come parading onto the upcoming stage, teasing us with their lla ng trailers and sexy screenshots, showing a li le leg but never fully exposing their goodies to our baying eyes. Some are good, some are not so, but once in a while, there’s the truly extraordinary. Today, we had a glimpse at 2K’s new entry in the Bioshock series, and…we’ve never seen anything like it.

If you’ve played the first two Bioshock tles, you’re probably expec ng to spend this third adventure under the deep blue, going for another terrifying explora on around the drowned 1940s city of Rapture. But, what Infinite promises is totally the opposite, as this me the ac on takes place not under the sea, but over the clouds. Welcome to Columbia: the floa ng city of American slender.

The story goes as follows: in 1900, the American Government commissioned and built a massive

6

balloon levitated city, which would act as a symbol of America’s prosperity and excep onalism. But, as expected, not everything went to plan, and when Columbia is discovered to be a massive, armed ba leship rather than a peacefully utopia, it is disowned by the States, and therea er, vanishes into myth and legend. In the years that follow, Columbia falls into disarray, with civil wars erup ng between the inhabitants, sparked by racism and xenophobia.

Twelve years later, you play as Booker DeWi , a disgraced agent who is employed by a mysterious company to find Columbia and rescue a woman by the name of Elizabeth. And from here the game starts, with Infinite bringing together the same mix of gunplay, terror and telepathic powers that ran throughout the original Bioshock games.

Another major feature of Infinite are the me tears.

Throughout the game – and probably when you least expect it – tears will appear in the fabric of me, changing the landscape and surroundings. Although there are no concrete details of which eras will pour into Infinite, a reference to the 1980s has been confirmed, with the Tears for Fears song Everybody

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

Wants to Rule the World appearing during one par cularly creepy scene.

Whereas Bioshock 1 & 2 felt dark, grim and claustrophobic, Infinite comes across much brighter.

In a way, it feels like a magical fairytale, with the surreal 19th century architecture and gorgeous summer sunshine making for a vibrant, melancholy adventure. It’s remarkably dreamlike, and far more colourful than its damp, soaked counterparts. But, as with Rapture, Columbia s ll has that unmistakable undercurrent of twisted evil about it.

The whole landscape creaks with tension, and although the Big Daddy’s have been resigned to the seabed, they have been replaced with equally as huge robo c baddies, insane gangs and also a vast flying robo-bird called Songbird.

We are astonished with Bioshock Infinite, and we do genuinely mean astonished. From what we’ve seen, Infinite looks like nothing else currently available, and the explosion of fantas cal colour and dark-Disney it promises will be a welcome change to the dreary, grey adventures that are currently swamping the market. To the skies!

Sco Tierney PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

7

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD With the iconic adventure series celebra ng its 25th year (we’ll be running an in-depth history of Zelda, in the next issue), things could not be busier for li le ‘ol Link. Not only is the past classic, Ocarina of Time, ge ng a re-boot on the Nintendo 3DS, but this year will also see the release of a fresh tle in the series: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The se ng this me out is split between the land of Skylo -a realm of clouds that floats in the heavens above - and a dark, far more dangerous land below.

Set before the events of Ocarina of Time, Link finds a sword (which for all you hardcore fans, morphs into the Master Sword at some point during the game), and uses it to travel around the land, defea ng the evil he encounters.

“IT’S STRANGE THAT NINTENDO SHOULD CHOOSE TO RELEASE SKYWARD SWORD ONTO THE WII, JUST AS IT’S TAKEN FROM ITS PLINTH.” The main focus of Skyward Sword will be how the player can wield their bladed weapon. With the use of the Wii Mo onPlus, you’ll have to alter the angles of your sword swipes to defeat the enemy, as they’ll defend themselves cleverly, making a lot of your

8

a acks void. There will also be the addi on of a flying beetle, which can be controlled via the Wii Remote, and the classic bow and catapult will also make a welcome return.

Due to be released onto the Wii before the year is out, Skyward Sword is set to squeeze the last drops of juice out of Nintendo’s depar ng flagship console, before the new and improved Wii U comes along.

Set to feature the classic Zelda gameplay – searching ruins, finding treasure, solving puzzles and defea ng giant baddies – Skyward Sword will also be a much easier game to navigate, with all of the maps ge ng an overhaul. But, that’s not to say the Skyward Sword will be an easer tle, as representa ves from Nintendo have said that this will be a much tougher Zelda to crack, requiring more thought and guile in nearly every department.

It’s strange that Nintendo should choose to release Skyward Sword onto the Wii, just as it’s taken from its plinth and replaced with the Wii U. This could be seen as a mistake, as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, despite being an excep onal tle, was twixed in-between the re ring Gamecube and the fron ering Wii, leading to development issues and unnecessary re-releases. But, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword looks set to be a grand finale for the Wii, and one of the finest tles to be released at the end of this year.

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

PSVITA When I interviewed Nathan Vau er - Managing Director of Sony Ericsson UK & Ireland - a couple of issues ago, regarding the XPERIA Play, one of the first points he had to make was that it was not to be compared with the PS3, PSP or Sony’s up-and-coming NGP. At this point, as he men oned the next-genera on portable console that Sony was releasing as a successor to its well-received PSP, my eyes widened, but sadly he had nothing else to say.

I thought that this would be the last we heard on the ma er for a while, but then, Sony surprised us all at E3.

It was here that Sony announced the console - no longer called the NGP, but rather the PSVita - will be released before the end of 2011! Vita apparently means life in La n, and Sony will release two models: the Wi-Fi only model, and the 3G and Wi-Fi mode, with the price range being roughly $250-$300.

“IT SEEMS THAT THE PSVITA WILL BE A LOT MORE THAN JUST GAMING.” The PSVita will have a 5-inch touchscreen on the front, capable of mul -touch gestures, as well as a mul -touch pad on the reverse. Gamers will use both screens in unique “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” mo ons, as well as the standard dual analogue-s cks as seen on the original PSP, and the obvious

Playsta on-specific direc onal, ac on, shoulder and Start and Select bu ons. It’s basically an updated PSP. It seems that the PSVita will be a lot more than just gaming though, incorpora ng a lot of social-media related features, including a pre-installed app which will tell users what other nearby gamers are playing, as well as game informa on, which doesn’t sound too dissimilar to a loca on-based informa on the PS3 has to offer about your friends. There’s also ‘Party’ which will allow users to chat, both through text and voice, in-game and whilst browsing the internet.

Gaming will be the central focus of the PSVita, though, and it seems that in this respect it will be very successful, judging by the array of tles Sony had on display. Cross-pla orm gaming was announced (which, as anyone who read my XPERIA Play review will know, is one of the most exci ng announcements in recent mes in my opinion) and the list of games to come on the console already looks fantas c, with tles like Wipeout 2048, Street Fighter X Tekken, Li leBigPlanet and, definitely my favourite, Uncharted: Golden Abyss!

Will the PSVita be popular enough to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS? It’s debatable, as Nintendo have the handheld market well and truly sown-up. But, if Sony can implement the Vita correctly, it may stand a chance, as it’s a seriously top-end piece of kit, and the ideal device for the serious gamer on the go. Only me will tell…

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

9

10

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

11