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Issue 19 April 2011º
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Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem Gangstar: Miami Vindication Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Let’s Golf! 2
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ow n n io s r e v e il b o M T Exclusive Our pick of the best mobile games going The hottest games from the latest issue of this magazine
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News, reviews and more Get Pocket Gamer on yo ur mobile now: Text PGAMER TM OB to 60300 Type www.pocketgamer.co.uk/tmobile into your mobile web browser Texts cost 25p and your operator may apply data charges for mobile web browsing
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Super smartphone from Samsung
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Your Guide To Mobile Games is published by Steel Media Ltd. For advertising or other enquiries relating to the magazine contact Chris James – chris@steelmedia.co.uk
Play time! Welcome to issue 19 of the Pocket Gamer guide to mobile games, brought to you by the team of experts at www.pocketgamer.co.uk. Too often we focus on the games and apps – and what a selection we have for you this month – and the poor mobile that works so hard behind the scenes to run the show gets cruelly ignored. So this issue we’d like to point the limelight straight at the Galaxy Ace, the latest in Samsung’s celebrated Android smartphone range. We take a closer look on page 8, and then give you the chance to win one (p18). Of course, once you’ve done that don’t forget to check out the rest of the mag for some of the excellent content you could be using on it, too!
João Diniz Sanches Editor-in-chief | Pocket Gamer
All information is correct at time of going to press. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission of Steel Media Ltd. No responsibility will be accepted for any errors or omissions, or comments made by the writers. Views expressed are not necessarily the views of the operator. ©2011 Steel Media Ltd.
APRIL 2011
www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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To play now Android Three
Flick Kick Angry Birds Ancient Frog Football One
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Two
Developer: Rovio Mobile Publisher: Rovio Mobile
Developer: Ancient Workshop Publisher: Ancient Workshop
Developer: PikPok Games Publisher: PikPok Games
The premise must be familiar to just about every gamer, world leader, and troubled ex-footballer by now. You slingshot a selection of irate squawkers at the gang of green pigs that made off with your eggs. These pigs have holed up in a number of defensive forts made from glass, wood, and stone. As such, you need to employ each bird’s special skill to take out every last pig in as few moves as possible. An almost flawless version of a casual classic, Angry Birds on Android is the best debut showing of this hugely popular game yet.
Frogs have a bit of a bad rap but Ancient Frog sticks up for the little green amphibians everywhere by putting them in one of the most beautifully elegant puzzlers on Android. The goal is to help move a frog towards its supper (an unusually docile fly). You do this by picking up each limb with your finger and placing it on one of the sticky water marks that’s been laid out for you. Quite unlike anything else on Android, with a timelessly fresh concept and a unique visual style, this is just a kiss or two away from smartphone gaming royalty.
The key to Flick Kick Football’s appeal is a combination of a wonderfully tactile kicking system and a stack of finely weighted variables to keep things interesting (which mark it out as unique). While you kick the ball towards goal in the same way – swiping your finger through the ball, with prolonged movements adding height, you can deliberately curve the ball by bending your swipe accordingly. It's a great skill-based casual game that's immensely satisfying, and the finest game in the Flick Kick series
In association with
6 Great Games Six Two
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Reckless Racing Developer: Pixelbite Games Publisher: Polarbit
It’s in the details that Reckless Racing excels. The graphics are sublime, rendering each redneck car, each pool of water and each tire track beautifully. This is accompanied by an equally exquisite physics engine, which sees wooden fences splintering upon contact, barrels flung across the tracks, and cars flipping up and onto their roofs with a bit of encouragement. All this would be for nothing if the racing itself wasn’t right, but it’s nigh-on perfect. This is tail out, oppositelock racing at its best.
Five
Six
EVAC
Fruit Ninja
Developer: Hexage Publisher: Hexage
Developer: Lupis Labs Software Publisher: Halfbrick
A master class in understated game design, EVAC sees you play the part of a pink block whose only goal is to escape the confines of the neon-drenched maze you’re in. This is achieved in true Pac-Man style – by gobbling up all of the dots in each level. There are ingenious switch-puzzles to figure out, elaborate spike traps to get the measure of and alarmed pads to either circumnavigate or exploit. The game packs a surprising degree of variety into its artfully sparse package and is a brilliant update of a classic formula.
APRIL 2011
Let's be honest: there’s no great depth to Fruit Ninja. Fruit gets lobbed up from the bottom of the screen, calling for you to 'slice' each piece in two with a swipe of your finger. Occasionally, a bomb will be thrown into the mix, which should be avoided. Aside from two subtle variations on play – Classic mode, which keeps going until you make three mistakes or hit a bombs, and Zen mode, which requires you to chop as much fruit as possible in one and a half minutes – that’s your lot. Bet you won't be able to resist the game's sheer tactile joy, though…
www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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The latest from around the world of mobile
Ultimate SpiderMan: Total Mayhem
1
A superb Spidey action-adventure every fan will want to swing into.
Build-a-Lot 2: Town of the Year
2
A clever and hugely absorbing economics/strategy game awaits.
3
Age of Empires III:
The Asian Dynasties
Fully fledged RTS game on your mobile – no strategy fan should miss it.
PRO EVOLUTIO N SOCCER 2011 Konami
Goal!!!! The latest instalment from one of the giants of world football games – Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 – has stepped onto the Java and Android pitch. PES 2011, as its known to its friends, comes with full licences to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, which means you can expect the proper tournament structures, trophies, and teams to be at your disposal. Along with the cream of the national and international squads, there’s also an Edit Your Team mode, enabling the creation of a monstrosity the likes of which will leave even Barcelona quaking in their boots. Alternatively, you can create a team that wouldn’t threaten Saffron Walden Town even if they only played a keeper.
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In association with
Top of the league footy action
Konami is promising ‘accessibility for beginners and experts’ and its one-touch control set-up returns (it’s possible to assign every move to the ‘5’ key, with differences in the number of presses, length of presses, whether in or out of possession, and your position of the field determining what action you take), should help players get up to speed on the game before they take on a friend in the Bluetooth multiplayer mode.
PES 2011 is currently kicking about on Java and Android mobiles, and we’ll be putting it through its paces in the next issue.
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Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
True, blood-pumping, state-of-the-art arcade fighting action on mobile.
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Galcon
Truly excellent multiplayer-enabled real-time strategy, and the finest tactical game on the Android Market?
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Zuma’s Revenge
It’s a game you’ll have played many times before, but tweaked to all new depths of quality. Simply superb.
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Angry Birds
They’re back and they’re still not happy as they take on those pesky pigs, this time on Android.
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Gangstar: Miami Vindication
The popular be-a-gangster series makes another offer you can’t refuse.
9 10
Let’s Golf! 2
A brilliantly cute, colourful and accessible golf game that hides a remarkable level of depth.
Fruit Ninja
Almost inexplicable in its simple joy, Fruit Ninja will keep you hacking away at melons for ages and ages.
Worms EA Mobile
Wriggletastic You’ll want to dig this one out It’s been a while coming, but Team 17’s long-running Worms series has finally made its Android debut. You can expect the same colourful, cartoon-like brand of strategic mayhem that has had generations enthralled as you assume control of a gang of militant wrigglers and must take it in turns to blast your opponents from the (fully deformable) face of the earth. No Worms game is complete without an extensive and outlandish armoury, and the Android version doesn’t disappoint. Rocket launchers, holy hand grenades, jet packs, exploding sheep, concrete donkeys and ninja ropes must all be utilised. We’ll get kitted out in time for the review next issue…
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The first Zombie Infection proved to be a masterclass in action-adventure gaming. So the sequel has more than a little something to live up to. As with the original, you get to control two characters at certain points throughout the story and this time around you face the
APRIL 2011
ravenous zombie hordes in the hot and steamy jungles of Brazil. Promising one of the strongest story elements seen in a Java game to date, Zombie Infection 2 aims to bolster its survival horror gory bits with the kind of plot that will sink its teeth into your soul (or at least keep you playing until the end). We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve shot up a few more braaaaaaains.
www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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What’s Android? Let’s see now… Android is an operating system (OS) that’s continually developed by Google to get the best out of the powerful smartphones that run it. One key advantage of an Android device like the Galaxy Ace is the availability of apps from the Android Market. You’ll find over 250,000 apps to download – you name it, it’s in there – and because Android is now one of the fastest growing OSs around, the choice will just keep getting larger.
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The latest arrival to the revered Ga is one cool play er. Like its brethr laxy range, the Samsung Galax en, it’s an Andr y Ace meaning it’s a gu oid phone (see ar above) through thousa anteed gateway to absurd lev els of entertain nds and thousa ment nds of apps that download away ar . In fact, to kick you off the Ace e only ever a quick Google apps su comes with a ho ch as Facebook st of and YouTube pr Enabling you to e-installed. en detailed form is joy your app discoveries in their a gorgeous 3.5 most vibrant an -in perfect way of showcasing the ch touchscreen, which is also th d photos and vid phone’s excelle eos you’ll captur e nt (and robustly e via the featured) camer Of course, med a. ia player options are expected th certainly get th ese days and yo ose, but to refle u ct th Galaxy Ace also offers support fo e needs of the modern age, th e r tethering so yo portable mobile u can turn it into br 3G-enabled devic oadband wireless hotspot and connect up to fiv es. So as long as you’re never ou e you have your Ga t of touch. laxy Ace with yo u,
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In association with
Specifications at-a-glance Dimensions: 112.4x59.9x11.5mm Weight: 113g Display: 3.5-inch capacitive touchs creen Resolution: 320x480 Memory: 158MB Camera : 5-megapixel, LED flash Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth, Wifi Talk time: 11 hours Standby time: 26.7 days
APRIL 2011
www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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Want more for your mobile?
s from the ppens w e n e il b o m e All th orld, as it ha w g in m a g e il mob ases Reviews of the latest game rele Comprehensive Buyer’s Guide Also ailable v a In-depth feature on your s a n d exclusive interv mobile iews
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Download a game from
Step 1: Get on the net Open your phone’s web browser from the main menu. If it doesn’t go straight to T-Mobile’s site, enter the following address: www.t-zones.co.uk. Wait a few seconds for the page to load and you’ll see a collection of nine icons on the screen, one of which will be Games. Move the on-screen cursor or link highlighter over it.
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Step 2: Pick a category
Step 3: Pick a game
Click on the Games icon and a new page that enables you to start looking for a game to download will open. You can view new games, the Top 10 bestsellers and a selection of other groups; scroll down the page to see what takes your fancy. When you see a category of games that you like, click on the Go link.
You’ll be taken to a page listing the games within the selected category and you can scroll down to view them all. To learn more about an individual game, click on its title and you’ll see a brief description along with the relevant picture.
Step 4: Get on the net
Step 5: Time to play
If you’re on a Pay Monthly contract, the price of the game will be added to your monthly bill. If you’re a Pay-As-You-Go customer, make sure you’ve got enough credit on your account to pay for the game! As long as that’s the case, you’ll be prompted to download and install your chosen game.
Download and save the game, but don’t start it until you’ve exited your mobile phone’s internet browser. You can start your new game by going to your phone’s main menu and looking in the Games or Applications section, depending on the make of your handset. (And don’t worry if someone rings you – the game will pause, enabling you to take the call!)
Once you’re ready to buy a game, simply click on the ‘Buy now!’ link.
Go to >>
Check out pa Terms and Conditions: Text messages to 22222 are charged at standard rate. Games cost either £3 or £5 and you will be advised of price 12 14 before purchase. You require a compatible handset to download these games. If your handset is not compatible, you will not be charged. for great gamge to download NOes W! APRIL 2011 www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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Download a game from
Step 1: Go to Vodafone Live
Step 2: Browse games menu
If you’re looking to download a game, the first step is to go to the Vodafone Live portal. How depends on your phone: some have a dedicated Vodafone Live button on the handset itself, while others require pressing one of the soft-keys under the screen. Once there, you’ll see the portal’s homepage.
Scroll down to find the Games link, which takes you to the portal’s main games page. There, you’ll be able to access this week’s special offers, as well as direct links to What’s New, Top 10 Games, and the Game of the Week. Games are updated on Fridays, so it’s worth checking back weekly.
Step 3: Check out games
Step 4: Get more info
Clicking on one of the links takes you to a list of games in that category, showing a picture (usually of the title screen), a price, and a link to get more information. This is a good way to get a quick overview of what’s available and how much it might cost, especially if you’re browsing by game genre.
Clicking on a game’s More Info link takes you through to its page, where you’ll find more screenshots of the game, and information on what it’s about. You’ll also notice a review score at the bottom of the page supplied by Pocket Gamer, with a link to click through to the full review of the title.
Step 5: Buy your game
Step 6: Download it NOW!
If you’re on a Pay Monthly contract, the price of the game will be added to your monthly bill. If you’re a Pay-As-You-Go customer, make sure you’ve got enough credit on your account to pay for the game. As long as that’s the case, you’ll be prompted to download and install your chosen game.
Once payment has gone through, it’s time to download your game. The exact method varies from phone to phone, but usually you’ll be asked to confirm that you want to download the game, and then sometimes you’ll be asked where you want to save it – in Games or Applications is usually the best choice.
Terms and Conditions: You will be advised of the price of the game before purchase. You require a compatible handset to download these games. If your handset is not compatible, you will not be charged.
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In association with
Download a game from Step 1: Get on the net If you’re looking to download mobile games, the first step is to go to the Planet 3 portal. This depends on your phone: some have a dedicated Planet 3 button on the handset itself, others require pressing one of the keys under the screen. Once there, you’ll see the portal’s homepage.
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No.1 The world’s ing m a g ile b mo website
Step 2: Pick a category
Step 3: Pick a game
It’s free to browse. Scroll down to find the games icon, which takes you to the portal’s main games page. There, you’ll be able to access to hundreds of games from as little as 99p including the latest new games, Top 10 games, top deals, as well as a direct link to games split by genre (puzzle, action, retro, etc). Games are updated on Thursdays, so it’s worth checking back every week.
Clicking on one of the links takes you to a list of games in that category, showing a picture (usually of the title screen), a price, and a link to get more information. This is a good way to get a quick overview of what’s available and how much it might cost, especially if you’re browsing by genre.
Step 4: Get on the net
Step 5: Time to play
Clicking on a game’s ‘More info’ link takes you through to its dedicated page, where you’ll find more screenshots of the game, and information on what it is about. Clicking on ‘Buy Game’ pays for the game, either taking the money from your account balance (if you’re Pay As You Go) or adding it to your monthly bill.
Once payment has gone through, it’s time to download the game. The exact method varies from phone to phone, but usually you’ll be asked to confirm that you want to download the game. You may be asked where you want to save your game – within Games or Applications is usually the best choice.
Go to >>
Check out pa Terms and Conditions: You will be advised of the price of the game before purchase. You require a compatible handset to download 14 these games. If your handset is not compatible, you will not be charged. for great gamge to download NOes W! APRIL 2011 www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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Reviews mobile Rounding up the hottest games available now
n’t r who does d ime fighte an cr a th g is n ey re Spid of st man-levels speed, have Super he has to rely on his from so ay durability, xth sense to stay aw id, si flu d a an , to ty in ili e ag anslates her brawler where tr at Th . m har eavy , combo-h with a timed fast-paced ullets b e g d o d you can ss. button pre simple goons is a groups of g ‘attack’ n al ki u ac rt tt vi id A mering a at: Andro am rm h f Fo tacks. o at r f te ft o mat amelo ash a flurry Publisher: G flies on to unle ’ button while you’re ft tt e u k lo b e li m a G emy ‘jump Developer: gamers just s an Hitting the em will knock your en Catches th ed a a iv to r in ce fo g n p n u co yi s la n wa ajority setting them Spider-Ma en to appeal to an he’s into the air, ossible attacks. The m t te en p f sp o e b er awkward en readership, but ost ill numb te h Spidey w n awkward ecome one of the m r ur time wit d engaging the seve yo f o e b an is all h ic grown to and best-loved sup h ing heads h w , as rs b te oss charac rant successful ll time. gruelling b h a wonderfully vib a it w e d b ye heroes of to ra port es used gine. video gam Ultimate graphics en Spider-Man ard, clunky affairs. w o how the h st kw ju s aw w y o rl s will love n sh ila fa , sim em d h ee ay d M In l es : Tota whole do Spider-Man grown. game as a e to the ’ve ic res of st tu n ju t ve much they an ad lli bri world erse. g the open s, Total Spidey univ Abandonin nt console excursion ce Spidey’s re ms in on the web o Brilliantly slick Mayhem zo abilities and builds a em. re combat makes this slinger’s co tion game around th ac the finest action it kn tightly10 game on Android
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In association with
Reviews
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Developer: EA Mobile Publisher: EA Mobile Format: Java
Let’s Golf! 2
Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Format: Android Shatters its handicap
As golfing returns go, Let’s Golf! 2 is equivalent to Tiger Woods returning from his recent sabbatical and hitting a round of 63 on his way to victory at The Masters. Like that (entirely fictional) scenario, Let’s Golf! 2 manages to improve dramatically on what’s gone before despite the series already being a dominant force in its field. No other Android golf game came close to the first Let’s Golf!, and the sequel raises the bar even further. The series’ brilliant single-player Career mode returns in fine form, offering up multiple challenges across six brand new (and beautifully varied) courses. If the hefty Career mode doesn’t suit your schedule, there’s always the quickfire delight of Challenge mode. Or even online multiplayer. Gameloft hasn’t stood still when it comes to the golf itself, and the swing system in particular is much better balanced now. Let’s Golf! 2 doesn’t reinvent the golf game, but it does make it essential. improves on every aspect of the original to deliver the definitive Android golfing experience
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Finish him! It’s hard to put into words what kind of an impact seeing the original Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet had on players back in the day, with its film-like graphics and extreme violence. And as this conversion of the third-anda-bit title in the series goes to prove, it still has the visual quality and gameplay to make an impact in the world of mobile fighters. The voices, look, and animation are recreated almost pixel-perfectly from the original game. The choice of specifically tailored controls – both of which are well-suited to the platform – is a great feature for newcomers and veterans alike, and while the selection of fighters may be reduced from the original version the graphics, animations, and gameplay remain intact to make this one of the finest beat-’em-ups on mobile. a fantastic recreation of the arcade classic, with some excellent graphics and controls
APRIL 2011
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Reviews
Frenzic Developer: The Iconfactory Publisher: The Iconfactory Format: Android Time pressure
It’s funny how a strict time limit can paralyse your brain. That, essentially, is the driving force behind Frenzic’s fiendishly alluring challenge. At its heart, Frenzic’s gameplay is based on ludicrously simple shape and colour matching that even a five-year-old could handle. Add in a time limit, however, and it suddenly becomes a frantically taxing experience. And the way it expertly turns the screw on your nerves as the time limit gets tighter makes this compelling. a little bare by today’s standards but impresses with its unique brand of time-pressured puzzling
: r a t s g n a G
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The Impossible n io t a ic d Game Miami Vin Vindicated
Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Format: Java The third entry in the Gangstar series takes place in one of America’s most diverse cities – Miami – and it’s one of the best for an open-world mobile game. The plot this time revolves around Johnny, a country bumpkin (according to other characters anyway), who comes to Miami to find his little brother. Johnny has fallen into a little bit of trouble with one of the biggest gangs in the area. In true Grand Theft Auto style, to do this he has to complete seemingly unrelated tasks for a series of characters, before being led to the next person of interest slightly higher up the underworld food chain. The missions themselves are varied and well done, the script is brilliant and the way the separate gameplay elements work together makes this such a fun and engaging game. an excellent open-world sandbox game that blends in action, driving, and stealth into a compelling whole
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In association with
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Developer: FlukeDude Publisher: FlukeDude Format: Android
Sucker for punishment Smartphone games, eh? They’re just casual fluff for people who don’t really play games. There are plenty of game snobs who still think that way, believe it or not. They should try The Impossible Game. It’s a smartphone game with one-thumb gameplay, and it’s one of the most hardcore games we’ve played all year. It warns you it’s going to kick you in the nuts, and then does so – repeatedly. Come and have a go… A wilfully frustrating platformer-cum-rhythmaction title, plays expertly to its masochistic audience
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Zenonia 2: Lost Memories Developer: Gamevil Publisher: Gamevil Format: Android
We remember it well
Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front
As the title suggests, Zenonia 2’s super-deformed citizens can’t remember a thing.
Care to guess who might have to help them out by wandering around a fantastical world, talking to villagers, exploring new areas and fighting beasts? Yes, it’s old-skool role-playing fun but Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Format: Android fans of the genre (and particularly those who couldn’t get enough of the The Android FPS gets its D-Day first game) will lap this up.
Steven Spielberg has got a lot to answer for. Thanks to his work on Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, we had to put up with years of World War 2-themed shooters with swelling scores, bombastic set-pieces, and chest-thumping storylines. That said, there’s no denying the added gravitas a world war setting lends a shooter, so it’s with a general sense of optimism that we welcome this extremely entertaining blockbuster FPS to Android. Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front may not tell a particularly nuanced story worthy of Spielberg, but it does have his eye for a pacy, set-piece-filled thrill ride.
Features the same accomplished brand of old-school action-RPG as the much-loved original
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Block Breaker 3 Unlimited Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Format: Java Blockbuster Remember the original brick-bashing title Breakout? Block Breaker Unlimited 3 does. And how. This is an immense, colourful behemoth of a game. With almost perfectly tuned gameplay, a huge number of extra features, and an addiction factor that will keep you playing for weeks, let alone days, any Breakout fan would have to be off their block not to buy this.
A pacy blockbuster of an FPS, this may be light on subtlety and intelligence, but it’s big on set-piece thrills and satisfying action
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boasts more features than every other Breakout clone on the market put together
APRIL 2011
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www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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Great APPS
on
To GET now Android
Chordbot Pro Developer: L Careliusson Category: Music & Audio
News Republic
Developer: MobilesRepublic Category: News & Magazines
PAID
FREE
Faced with a blank sheet of notation paper, the first thing any self-respecting musician will do is panic. After that, they’ll then walk away and start improvising on their instrument of choice, trying to find a motif or pattern that elicits an emotional reaction from the listener before finally returning to the dreaded sheet. It'd be a lot simpler if there was some kind of robotic backing track creator that could produce interesting chord sequences to start working with in a few minutes though. Here it is.
Getting ‘more than you bargained for’ is a phrase in the modern English language that is laden with negative connotations. Its basis is that going into a project or action without properly understanding how gigantic the task/other fighter is will lead to a less than pleasant outcome. News Republic certainly struck us as an app that offers more than we bargained for – not in the traditional sense, but in a way that puts other news apps’ offerings to shame. This is essential for any Android current affairs fans.
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In association with
Twidroyd 4.0 Developer: PostUp Category: Social
PAID
Twidroyd (formerly Twidroid) is one of our favourite Android Twitter apps and version 4.0 has some spanking additional features. LivePreview is an innovative new way of presenting Twitter data – something we so rarely get to say when talking about mobile twitter apps. But there's now also support of inline image previews for images posted via plixi or twitpic, while the revamped user interface makes everything look swanky. Best of all, perhaps, the whole thing runs very smoothly.
www.pocketpicks.co.uk
Scanner Radio Pro
Rockplayer
Developer: G Edwards Category: Entertainment
Developer: Redirect Intelligence Category: Media & Video
PAID
PAID
Curiosity drives us to explore and discover new things, which is surely a good thing. Those of a curious nature should find the prospect of Scanner Radio right up their street. It’s an app that effectively allows hundreds of unseen Android users to ‘listen in’ on various types of emergency service scanners (police, mainly) and amateur set-ups via the wonders of the internet. Packed with every type of option you can think of, there’s pretty much no stone left unturned for the discerning scanners amongst you.
Rockplayer is a versatile video player for Android, that aims to bring high-quality playback of many video formats not supported out-of-the-box on most phones. Quite simply, it does what it claims to do. True, support for MKV files isn't quite there yet, but it's fair to assume most people are looking for DivX support rather than the more exotic formats Rockplayer offers. This, it does exceptionally well and providing your phone has a decent processor this app will turn it into a very capable movie viewing machine.
VPlayer alpha
Catch Notes Kindle Developer: Catch.com Category: Productivity
Developer: Amazon Category: Books & Reference
Developer: ABitNo Category: Media & Video
FREE
FREE
FREE
The lack of decent notepad apps for Android has always been a bit of a mystery to us. Catch Notes is a versatile, cloud-based notepad app for Android phones that was formerly known as both Snaptic and 3Banana. You just launch the app on your phone, or use the accompanying widget, type in a bit of text and tap save. Your note is then saved locally and synched to Catch.com at the earliest opportunity. It's as good a way to take simple notes as we have found on Android to date.
Kindle for Android promises to bring Amazon’s huge library of titles to your mobile, complete with over-the-air ‘delivery’. Your Android blower may not have the E Ink display of a real Kindle, but it is a lot more pocketable. If you enjoy reading books on your phone, this app is as comfortable and readable a way to do so as its nearest competitors. But its killer feature is the ability to access the Kindle store, which is packed with bestsellers and classics from an enormous selection of authors.
You wait months for a decent DivX player to hit the Android Market and then two turn up at once. VPlayer supports the same video formats as its rival, but in our opinion playback seems better in the (mainly DivX) movies we tried. (Matroshka (MKV) support is definitely smoother, although still not quite perfect.) This is a minimalist, but very powerful media player and as the alpha release is on the Android Market for free, you would be daft not to give it a try.
APRIL 2011
www.pocketgamer.co.uk
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C f los 6t or e ing h nt d M ri at ay es e 20 is 11
a Samsung
for
Who wouldn’t want this royal flush of a handset ? They say you can’t buy style but ‘they’ clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. Just one look at the Galaxy Ace is proof of this. This new Android handset from Samsung is elegance personified, featuring a capacitive 3.5-inch touchscreen surrounded by tasteful metal edging. At just 112.4x59.9x11.5mm it fits effortlessly in the hand and is just as natural to operate. Powered by a speedy 800MHz processor, the Galaxy Ace handles everything you throw at it with immaculate ease, be it the latest app you’ve downloaded from the Android Market, reviewing the photos from last night’s outing or showing off your artistic videos to family and friends. Best of all, you can count on excellent functionality and a tried-and-tested interface you’ll love to use. So if you fancy winning one here’s your opportunity. Good luck.
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In association with
To be in with a chance of winning a shiny, superduper Samsung Galaxy Ace, check out the following question and then send your answer via email or post to the addresses shown below, by the closing deadline of Friday 6th May 2011.
What is the resolution of the Samsung Galaxy Ace’s camera? A) 4 megapixels B) 4.5 megapixels C) 5 megapixels
WHERE TO SEND YOUR ENTRY
If emailing, send your answer along with your name and address to PGcompetitions@pocketgamer.co.uk with the subject heading ‘Galaxy Ace Competition’. Or you can enter by postcard (include name, address and a contact number) to the following address: “Pocket Gamer Galaxy Ace Competition” Steel Media Ltd The House Terms and conditions apply. Prize image is for illustrative Kelston Park purposes only and details may vary. Editor’s decision is final, Bath BA1 9AE and the competition is open to UK residents only.
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