Issue 3

the mobile phone and gaming magazine

Issue 3

WHAT’S INSIDE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3 2009

6

18

22

NEWS Tag Heuer Launches the Meridiist BlackBerry Storm 2 hits Vodafone UK Nokia highlights the UK’s Good Things Nokia sues Apple O2 Media’s Top-up Surprises a racts adver sers Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 Vodafone expands its Smartphone collec on Vertu introduces new services with its Constella on Ayxta Red Alerts lands on the iPhone Modern Warfare 2

6 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 24 25

FEATURES CIRCLE OF LIFE: FUTURE CONSOLES The compe on is fierce. Console manufacturers are flexing their muscles in every way possible, at every opportunity. We wonder what tricks they have up their sleeves….would it work?

34

SONY PSP GO They’ve made it lighter and sleek…but does it perform?

38

REMEMBERING THE SEGA DREAMCAST Playsta on’s dominance of the console market in the late 90’s brought this console to life.

But what killed it? Let’s relive the Dreamscast’s brief moment of fame.

40

FORGOTTEN GEMS: RISE OF THE ROBOTS Robots, the fear of the future. While it’s a few light years before we see them taking over have a peek at what they’re doing in the gaming arena.

42

2

phonica magazine uk

38

54

60

PREVIEWS 26 28 30 32

Heavy Rain Grand The Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony DJ Hero Star Wars: The Old Republic

VIEWS 18 20 22 44 46 50 52 54 56 58 60

Samsung B3310 LG New Chocolate BL40 Samsung Tocco Ultra Edi on Time Gentlemen, Please Fifa 10 Opera on Flashpoint: dragon Rising Cate West: The Vanishing Files IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Mini Ninja’s Spyborgs Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao

62

THE GUIDE Games: Phonica’s 20 Recommended Ground-Breaking Titles Mobile Phones

64 66

COMPETITION Win a copy of FIFA 10

48

phonica magazine uk

3

EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Leonce

GAMING EDITOR Sco Tierney

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Peter Gray

CONTRIBUTORS Rob Hobson Ian Duncan Paul Park

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

WWW.PHONICAMAGAZINE.CO.UK Become a Fan of Phonica Magazine UK on Facebook & Twi er Phonica Magazine Š 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.

4

phonica magazine uk

EDITOR’S LETTER A NEW ERA DAWNS While preparing for this issue I’ve no ced how the balance of power is slowly shi ing from hardware manufacturers to so ware developers.

Phone and game manufacturers are realizing that having a well designed mobile or console is no longer good enough to wow consumers. Through social media and networking we see a new form of convergence; where your game console can be your instant messenger or digital TV and your mobile is now your virtual mobile office.

Some have responded to these changes earlier than others, doubling research budgets and heavily inves ng in or buying companies focusing on social network integra on. Whichever route is taken, it is s ll a new found goldmine.

The so ware era has arrived. Do enjoy and spread the news.

Your Editor in Chief

Kevin Leonce kevin@phonicamagazine.co.uk

phonica magazine uk

5

FEATURE

6

phonica magazine uk

FEATURE

TIME IN YOUR HAND Time is something that can never be possessed.

Yet it is something that can be mastered, as the history of TAG Heuer shows. Step by step, always at the very limits of the possible, we have split me into ever more precise increments, and expressed our technical breakthroughs in chronographs of the highest pres ge and quality.

Now the challenge has extended from the mastery of me to the mastery of communica on. The result is the Meridiist, the communica on instrument that is the culmina on of all our experience, gained with unwavering commitment to the principles of perfec on since 1860, when Edouard Heuer opened his first workshop high in the Swiss mountains.

The Meridiist is the complete modern expression of everything for which TAG Heuer stands. As the first instrument of its kind ever made by a Swiss watchmaker, it is true piece of avant-garde engineering, one that will give its owner a unique quality -– the ability to put the same faith and pride into communica on that they do into mekeeping.

But the Meridiist goes even further than this.

Through the use of two unique design features: the dual display screens and the TAG Heuer switch, which allow for discreet checking of the me and call management. It endows its owner with the ability, for the first me, to use their communica on instrument in the elegant and refined manner befi ng of their true personality.

TIME FOR QUALITY In an era when technology is advancing at such a rate that new products are forced into obsolescence at astonishing speed, one key ques on presents itself: How can a communica on instrument a ain classic status? The Meridiist provides the answer, by adhering to a belief that is intrinsic to the DNA of TAG Heuer.

Put simply: there is no subs tute for quality.

Each material used in the Meridiist brings a dis nct and irreplaceable value to the finished product, while their provenance creates echoes with TAG Heuer’s legacy. Its 316L steel allows for perfect polished mirror surfaces, as well as being corrosion-resistant and hypoallergenic. The display front is made from unscratchable 60.5 carat sapphire glass, combining excep onal light transmissivity with great stability in all thermodynamic condi ons. Both the steel and the glass present examples of how the Meridiist embodies the most pres gious materials used in horology.

“THE MERIDIIST WILL GIVE ITS OWNER A UNIQUE QUALITY.” The designers have invested all of their flair and exper se into envisioning a communica on instrument that bears the classic, unmistakeable hallmarks of TAG Heuer. The Meridiist refers visually to the Monaco series of chronographs, which a ained iconic status on the wrist of Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans, adding subtle yet dynamic curvature to the angularity and bold sharpness of the wristwatch to create a new design classic.

The process of bringing the Meridiist into the world cannot be completed on a construc on line – each individual instrument requires the a en on of a skilled ar san. This level of cra smanship shines through the finished product, so that the Meridiist gives the unmistakeable sa sfac on that can only be derived from the most premium of products.

The excellence of the finished product is guaranteed through the partnership of TAG Heuer, throughout the development of the Meridiist, with Modelabs, a mobile communica on development company comprised, like TAG Heuer, of a small and dedicated team of experts in their field.

phonica magazine uk

7

NEWS TIME FOR COMMUNICATION The ideals of purity and permanence that inform the design of the Meridiist are intrinsically linked to its func onality as a communica on instrument, which has been honed to provide unsurpassable service, and streamlined in response to the specific needs of its owner.

Using the Meridiist ensures the best recep on possible, as its antenna, op mised through five prototypes and over 200 engineering hours, is twice as sensi ve as other radio standard-compliant products. As a dis nc ve touch, the Meridiist features the aforemen oned dual-func on TAG Heuer switch, designed for the needs of the execu ve in important business mee ngs: with a touch of this switch a polite call rejec on message is issued; it also illuminates the unique me display mounted at the top of the Meridiist, and switches the direc on from which the me can be viewed. This dual display offers the user a new level of refinement in their manner of viewing the me and addressing incoming calls.

Design and finishing

The Meridiist provides nothing less than the most accurate acous cs possible, giving a crystal clarity created by our engineers’ fine tuning of sound processes and chamber design. Technical advancements include an earpiece located beneath the sapphire crystal glass display for pris ne sound reproduc on, and a loudspeaker with the capacity to produce 100dB at a distance of 5cm, ensuring remarkable clarity in hands-free mode, as well as excep onal quality for ring tones and music playback.

8

phonica magazine uk

316L stainless steel case with hand brushed and polished finishing Black PVD - Titanium carbide coa ng on 316L stainless steel Backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad Mul func on TAG Heuer switch 60.5 carats of sapphire crystal glass on dual display screens High quality rubber, calfskin leather and genuine alligator back plates Dimensions: 112mm x 46mm x 15.5mm Weight: 155g

Performance 28 days stand-by me, 7 hours talk me Imaging: 2 mega pixel high-quality camera sensor Image quality-maximising and colour rendering so ware Image formats supported: JPEG, GIF, BMP Audio: Music playback (MP3, AAC, AAC) Available exclusively online at Goldsmiths prices start from £2950, for further informa on go to: www.goldsmiths.co.uk

NEWS BLACKBERRY STORM2 AVAILABLE FIRST THROUGH VODAFONE UK SECOND GENERATION SMARTPHONE FEATURES A RANGE OF NEW ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDING SUREPRESS TECHNOLOGY AND WI-FI. The highly-an cipated BlackBerry Storm2 can now be ordered online on Vodafone UK. Customers who pre-ordered started receiving their new smartphone from 26th October.

Available first in the UK through Vodafone, the BlackBerry Storm2 is available for free on pay monthly price plans from £35 with 600 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited BlackBerry Internet Service, unlimited Vodafone Mobile Internet and broadband on a 24 month contract.

The second genera on of RIM’s innova ve and award-winning smartphone significantly improves the BlackBerry touch-screen pla orm with new technology and features among its hundreds of hardware and so ware enhancements.

The BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone from Vodafone features: New SurePress technology based on an electronic suspension system that provides the user with tac le feedback when the touch-screen is pressed Fast performance Wi-Fi capability 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording (with enhanced speaker performance) Flexible storage, including 256MB flash memory and an expandable microSD/SDHD memory card slot Thinner, sleeker and cleaner lines than its predecessor, the BlackBerry Storm 9500 Enhanced BlackBerry OS 5 www.vodafone.co.uk

phonica magazine uk

9

NEWS THE WORLD’S LARGEST SIGNPOST MAPS OUT THE UK’S GOOD THINGS NOKIA GIVES THE UK ‘GOOD THINGS’ AS X FACTOR WINNER, ALEXANDRA BURKE COULD PLAY LIVE IN YOUR TOWN A signpost the size of two London buses will be suspended next to the capital’s iconic Tower Bridge as Nokia asks Brits to map out - and point to - the na on’s ‘Good Things’.

To celebrate the launch of the Nokia N97 mini with in-built OVI Maps, the 40 long signpost was unveiled on 23rd October, asking people to send in their ‘Good Things’ to h p://www.nokia.co.uk/maps or text 62010 to have it displayed above London’s skyline.

Nokia will hold a na onwide vote where communi es compete to win an exclusive gig with the X Factor winner for their town. Alexandra Burke will be performing live in the winning town as Nokia builds a map of the UK’s Good Things to get you to the best the na on has to offer.

To ensure fair play, the town with the most votes in propor on to its popula on will win the exclusive Alexander Burke gig. Whether the town has a popula on of 50,000 or 250,000, some 500 towns will have an equal opportunity to win the vote.

Everyone who votes for the winning town will then be entered into a draw and winners chosen at random to win a pair of ckets to the gig.

Commen ng on the campaign, Will Harris, marke ng director at Nokia UK, said: “Nokia Good Things allows people to share the places that they love. With OVI Maps we want to build an A to Z of the UK’s favourites, direc ng individuals to some of the na on’s hidden gems and reminding people of the places they love.”

10 phonica magazine uk

“WITH OVI MAPS WE WANT TO BUILD AN A TO Z OF THE UK’S FAVOURITES.” Fiona Bosman, head of brand engagement, adds: “There is something for everyone with Nokia Good Things this autumn. We think this will really get the whole country to share their good things and bring the great thing that is Alexandra Burke to their town.”

Ovi Maps 3.0 on the Nokia N97 mini shows you where you are with best ever street maps, satellite, terrain maps, and 2D and 3D views for pedestrians in unfamiliar surroundings. It allows you to find your posi on, search an address or loca on and explore local services to get to good things in over 180 countries worldwide. Ovi Maps 3.0 is free to download or is preinstalled.

NEWS

NOKIA SUES APPLE THE TWO HANDSET GIANTS LOOK SET TO BE GOING TO WAR Nokia have sued Apple, alleging that the iPhone giant used key technologies in their handsets without licensing them. If this is proven, then there is a possibility (although highly unlikely) that Apple may be forced to withdraw their handsets from US shelves.

In an official press release, Nokia have alleged: Apple’s iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards [..]

Nokia has already successfully entered into license agreements including these patents with approximately 40 companies, including virtually all the leading mobile device vendors [..] The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryp on and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007 [..] By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia’s intellectual property, Apple is a emp ng to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innova on.

Nokia entered a similar dispute in 2007, when they alleged that Qualcomm had infringed 5 of their patents. In that case the two sides agreed to kiss and make up, but in this new case that may not be the result. Apple has long been known as a ‘notoriously li gious’ company, and in the past has tried to take a whole host of rival companies to court, with mixed results. If Apple were to be come out of a possible court case on the wrong side of a result, then few people within the industry would have much sympathy.

“IF APPLE WERE TO BE COME OUT OF A POSSIBLE COURT CASE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF A RESULT, THEN FEW PEOPLE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY WOULD HAVE MUCH SYMPATHY.”

So will Apple’s iPhone s ll be on the shelves in me for Christmas. In the UK, almost surely, as this lawsuit is at present aimed at the US market. But if you’re hankering for Santa to bring you an iPhone and you live stateside, they should s ll be available for the holidays. It might be worth ge ng one now though, just in case.

Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

11

NEWS ADVERTISERS CAN TAP INTO TOP UPS THROUGH O2 MEDIA BLOCKBUSTER TOP UP SURPRISES CAMPAIGN SEES 52% TAKE-UP RATE O2 Media will be opening a hugely successful O2 Top-up Surprises reward scheme to allow UK brands to reach O2’s 10 million Pay & Go customers. Launched in November 2008, Top-up Surprises rewards Pay & Go customers on O2 each me they top up. Surprises range from extra texts, picture messages and minutes through to prizes such as holidays, TV’s and mobile phones.

Rather than tradi onal ‘push’ direct response campaigns, Top-up Surprises gives adver sers access to a channel through which consumers are already ac ve engaged and proac vely visi ng.

One of the first brands to take advantage of this opportunity was Blockbuster. O2 customers visi ng Top-up Surprises to claim their reward were offered a 30 day free trial of Blockbuster’s unlimited rental service, a £10 voucher to spend in a Blockbuster’s store or online and £1 off the monthly fee if they choose to take up the unlimited rental service.

52% of customers chose to take up the Blockbuster offer and of these 11% have already redeemed the offer voucher.

12 phonica magazine uk

“This has been one of our most successful acquisi on campaigns to date,” said Gerry Butler, Senior Vice President Europe, Blockbuster. “We’ve been delighted by the response rates which exceeded our expecta ons and look forward to con nue to work with O2 Media to deliver campaigns through this highly effec ve channel.”

“Mobile operators are now increasingly seeing the opportunity of working closer with brands,” said Shaun Gregory, Managing Director of O2 Media.

“O2 Media was created to provide a truly personalised media business and innova ve solu ons that really cut through an increasingly crowded market. These new channels offer a unique way to reach an engaged audience with true relevancy, all backed up by one of the most powerful brands in the UK.” www.topupsurprises.o2.co.uk

NEWS VODAFONE 360 SAMSUNG H1 TO LAUNCH IN THE UK ON 30 OCTOBER THE FIRST HANDSET TO DELIVER THE FULL VODAFONE 360 EXPERIENCE Tailor made for Vodafone, the smartphone is the first in a number of handsets which delivers Vodafone 360 (www.360.com) a brand new set of internet services for the mobile and PC which gathers all of a customer’s friends, social networks and online communi es, entertainment and personal favourites (like music, games, photos and video) in one place.

The Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 will be free on 24 month contracts of £35 and above, available at www.vodafone.co.uk/360. With an unlimited data package included, customers signing up will have the confidence to get the most out of Vodafone 360.

For more informa on on Vodafone 360 go to www.360.com

Boas ng a 3.5”, high defini on OLED screen, 16GB memory, WiFi, GPS, a maximum talk me of over 400 minutes (3G) and a 5 megapixel camera, the Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 gives a great Vodafone 360 experience. The phone provides a unique 3D display that brings your most frequently contacted friends and family to the front of phone when you turn it on.

Vodafone 360 automa cally syncs all contacts from your phone, Facebook®, Windows Live Messenger™ and Google Talk™, and will soon also include Twi er – bringing your online social networks to your phone.

Vodafone 360 also automa cally backs up all phone content to the internet, meaning you never lose another contact, picture or video ever again.

Vodafone 360 can be accessed through a variety of handsets and opera ng systems from mul ple manufacturers – the ul mate experience being through a custom-built device such as the Vodafone 360 Samsung H1. No need to worry if you’re a non-vodafone customer, you would s ll be able to access some of the range of services, linking to your social networks via mobile.

phonica magazine uk

13

NEWS

NEW SMARTPHONES LAUNCHED ON VODAFONE UK VODAFONE UK EXCLUSIVE LG GM750, HTC TATTOO IN EXCLUSIVE BLACK AND SONY ERICSSON SATIO AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW

Vodafone UK have released the LG GM750, HTC Ta oo and Sony Ericsson Sa o are all available to buy now, offering customers handsets with a choice of pla orm to suit all preferences. These stylish smartphones come packed with features enabling Vodafone customers to customise their mobile experience, download apps, listen to music, take quality images and surf the web. phonica magazine magazine uk uk 14 phonica

Customers wan ng an exci ng smartphone can now get the LG GM750 exclusively on Vodafone.

This exclusive handset, LG’s first Windows Mobile 6.5 device can be loaded with great social networking applica ons including Facebook, Twi er, email and instant messaging on-the-move.

The four home screens allow you to divide your apps so you can separate your work and personal content.

And thanks to Windows Mobile 6.5, everything’s fast, sleek and easy to use.

NEWS

“CUSTOMERS WANTING AN EXCITING SMARTPHONE CAN NOW GET THE LG GM750 EXCLUSIVELY ON VODAFONE.” Those who like to customise their handsets may prefer the Android-powered HTC Ta oo, available now exclusively in black on Vodafone UK, which lets you customise your own mobile experience using the latest HTC Sense technology. You can create shortcuts to your favourite internet sites, social networks, games, widgets and applica ons – and there’s an amazing opportunity to personalise your phone further with thousands more applica ons and widgets available for download in the simple to use Android Market. Take your favourite snaps with the 3.2 megapixel camera with sharp focus, and view them on the HTC Ta oo’s high resolu on screen or upload them to your social network via the handset’s superfast internet connec on. And you are able to alter the look of your phone further with the unique covers that you can design yourself and purchase, or simply choose one from popular cover designs available.

Those demanding an impressive camera need look no further than the innova ve Sony Ericsson Sa o – a smartphone which boasts an amazing 12.1 megapixel camera. The Sa o takes high-quality, razor sharp images to perfec on with the smile detec on and focus features. View the results on the stunning widescreen, which is not only perfect for showing off photographs, but for movies and videos too, or use the TV-out func onality to see it on your home TV. Listen to your favourite tunes on the Sa o’s in-built media player for music on-the-move. Heard that song but can’t place it? Play a few seconds and the TrackID will name it for you.

Details of all these smartphones can be found at www.vodafone.co.uk

phonica magazine uk

15

NEWS VERTU ADDS NEW SERVICES AND FORM FACTOR TO PORTFOLIO WITH THE VERTU CONSTELLATION AYXTA Vertu, the market leader in luxury mobile phones, announces the launch of its latest addi on to the best selling Constella on collec on – the Vertu Constella on Ayxta.

The first fold phone within the Vertu por olio, Ayxta provides a highly engineered and mechanically advanced solu on for luxury mobile phone users who prefer this form factor.

Vertu also now introduces a new channel to the Vertu Select service with the launch of the Constella on Ayxta – City Brief, a digest of essen al informa on sent directly to the phone. It enables them to hit the ground running, feeling informed and prepared for their new surroundings. With restaurant recommenda ons, the latest exhibi ons, shopping guides and important cultural e que e ps, City Brief delivers informa on, curated specifically for the typical Vertu customer, without the need for me consuming searching or researching by the phone holder.

With a natural evolu on from the travel theme that inspired the original Constella on collec on, Vertu Constella on Ayxta is aimed at discerning global ci zens who are searching for a high quality product to assist in maintaining their standard of living wherever they may be throughout the world.

The handset offers first class lifestyle support with a focus on balancing the customer’s work, travel and personal needs.

Highligh ng Vertu’s design excellence, Vertu Constella on Ayxta displays clean lines and subtle detailing with accents of the Vertu V shape throughout.

A highly engineered hinge sits alongside the brand’s signature use of pioneering materials with ceramic, leather, sapphire crystal screen and stainless steel coupled with aerospace grade aluminium parts.

“HIGHLIGHTING VERTU’S DESIGN EXCELLENCE, VERTU CONSTELLATION AYXTA DISPLAYS CLEAN LINES AND SUBTLE DETAILING WITH ACCENTS OF THE VERTU V SHAPE THROUGHOUT.” Alongside Vertu Concierge, that provides expert advice and assistance around the clock and globe, the handset also features the Vertu Select service.

This brings exclusive and extensive knowledge of the most relevant online lifestyle informa on, direct to the palm of the Vertu client’s hand.

phonica magazine magazine uk uk 16 phonica

In keeping with the bespoke nature of a Vertu handset’s musical creden als, the Constella on Ayxta features an exclusively composed soundtrack by Bri sh music pioneers and Grammy nominees, Zero 7. Recorded in London at The Hospital Club in June 2009, Zero 7 created all the music and ringtones featured on the new Vertu Constella on Ayxta. The crea ve duo also reworked the familiar Sandpiper ringtone, originally composed when Vertu launched its first phone in 2002.

Perry Oos ng, Vertu’s newly appointed president, states: ‘The Vertu Constella on Ayxta is a con nua on of the brand’s quest to provide an outstanding collec on of true luxury mobile phones and accessories for excep onal individuals.’

For more informa on on Vertu, please visit www.vertu.com Peter Gray

NEWS

phonica magazine uk

17

REVIEWS

SAMSUNG B3310 WE’VE SEEN OTHER MANUFACTURERS CRASH AND BURN ATTEMPTING TO INTRODUCE UNIQUE SHAPED HANDSETS…..HAS SAMSUNG LOST THEIR MIND?

Let’s start with the design.

While unconven onal, the B3310 has an appeal to a younger market. It does look like the number keys were slapped onto the original design of the phone. Other models have tried and failed with this design but the B3310 is holding steady. Trying to dial a number while doing other things may be a bit of a task, but you get accustomed a er a few awkward a empts.

18 phonica magazine uk

The device comes with a QWERTY keyboard that is revealed when you slide the phone. Unlike the shaky feel you get from the G1 the B3310’s slide mechanism is sturdy and designed to endure a few knocks… accidental of course! It comes with the standard GSM hardware features: a 2MP camera, Bluetooth, expandable microSD memory and is compa ble with both PC and Mac.

REVIEWS

With a heavy focus on social networking the B3310 makes up for its appearance. The phone comes with Facebook, Friendster, Flickr, MySpace and Picasa preinstalled. It isn’t a smart phone, but you can s ll access emails and browse the web (which is a bit painful with no 3G or Wi-Fi).

The camera quality isn’t great, but hey you can’t have it all for 50 quid.

I was also impressed with the ba ery life. Constant web browsing and using Facebook didn’t drain the ba ery life as I have seen with other devices. Another plus for the Samsung B3310.

This is a great buy for the features that it comes with, and while the design isn’t what we are accustomed to it doesn’t take away from its func onality and ease of use.

The Samsung B3310 gets a round of applause.... but please don’t get the pink one!

Kevin Leonce

phonica magazine uk

19

REVIEWS

LG NEW CHOCOLATE BL40 IT’S A MASSIVE PIECE OF KIT, BUT IS IT SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE? Before we start, can I just say that although this new LG phone is 4 inches long, a ght squeeze in your pocket and is bigger than most of its friends, I don’t want anyone sniggering at the totally uninten onal innuendo that may crop up during this review. It’s not big and it’s not clever, and any chuckling will be severely punished.

Right, now that’s all clear, let’s me just whip this big boy out and see if it brings a smile to your face (shush!).

The LG New Chocolate BL40 is on first glance a stunning, jaw dropping piece of design. Its elegance is simply divine, and its supremely cra ed centrepiece, the 4” HD colour screen, is absolutely inspiring.

The BL40 is designed with the sole purpose of being a mul media phone, mainly for watching movies or mini videos on the go. If you are going to use the phone like this, then you will not find a be er alterna ve. To give you an idea of how good the picture quality is, just imagine shrinking your 42” plasma TV down to pocket size. It’s stunning, simply stunning.

“IT’S MANUFACTURED STRONGLY, IT HANDLES WELL, IT PERFORMS TO A SUITABLY HIGH STANDARD AND IS POSSIBLY THE BEST LOOKING HANDSET ON THE MARKET TODAY.”

This extra length does come at a price though. When compared to other handsets, the LG New Chocolate BL40 is way longer than any of the compe on, and although we’re only talking half an inch at most, the extra size does make a big difference (stop it!). It’s been a long me since I’ve had a piece of equipment bulging out of my pocket, not since the early days of the brick like mobile phone. But the BL40 just don’t feel right when pressed up against the skin of your leg. When si ng down, I was concerned that I may give it an unwanted bend, or at worst snap it (that’s enough!).

Features wise, there’s plenty to get excited about.

The touch screen is divine, the mul media func ons are as expected, top draw, and the camera and web browsing feature are, suffice to say, just as good.

The ba ery life is a bit skimpy at only 3.5hrs talk- me, but that’s to be expected. This thing is just too big and too powerful to go on all night (grow up!).

A slight problem does occur though, when using the LG New Chocolate BL40’s control panel and interface.

When compared to the HTC Hero the BL40 just seems to lag somewhat and at mes feels rather unresponsive. Even when stroked vigorously (come on!) it s ll feels numb. It’s not bad by any means, but it does take the shine off what otherwise is a perfect piece of kit.

To sum up, the LG New Chocolate BL40 is a fantas c piece of electrical design. It’s manufactured strongly, it handles well, it performs to a suitably high standard and is possibly the best looking handset on the market today. If you can suffer the pain of the extra length (last chance!), then this is 4” of magnificent pleasure you’ll never want to take your hands off. Right that’s it, get out! Come back once you’ve grown up!

Sco Tierney

20 phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS

phonica magazine uk

21

REVIEWS

SAMSUNG TOCCO ULTRA EDITION ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK?

The original Samsung Tocco was a top-notch phone. It had a great screen, a solid interface, sublime features and a wonderful camera. All in all, it was a fine specimen of a handset, and a genuine compe tor to the iPhone. But now Samsung have released a revamped Ultra Ed on, which on first view looks to have improved on the original model in nearly every department. But have Samsung broken the golden rule of ‘if it’s not broke don’t fix it’ with the Tocco? Let’s find out.

22 phonica magazine uk

As has been said, the original Tocco was a superb phone, and most of what made it so successful has remained in the Ultra Edi on, most notably the dis nctly stunning screen. It’s everything you’d ever want from a screen. It’s sharp, bright, vibrant, clear and with regards to the touch controls, it’s an ease to use. Another feature that stands out is the 8MP camera, that although lacks a standard flash, does compensate with LED photo lights, that in some respects are be er than a standard flash. Also, the 350hr ba ery life is impressively lengthy, and the ‘fake call’ feature (you can ac vate the phone to ring at the touch of a bu on) is a nice touch.

REVIEWS The biggest change from the original Tocco though is the new sliding keypad, which slides out from the bo om of the phone like a li le pink tongue.

Although the touch screen caters for all the needs you’d ever require, it’s nice to have the keypad there, even if it is just as a comfort blanket. I’m not a fan of the Ultra’s design though. Aesthe cally it’s an uncomfortable mix of cool, precise metallics, with a zany slab of scorched pink thrown in, seemingly at the last minute. It’s not hideous, but it’s not the most a rac ve phone Samsung have ever made. You can get a version in cool blue, but again, it’s not a nice mix.

“WHEN COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL TOCCO, THE ULTRA EDITION JUST FEELS OVERWORKED.” If the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edi on does have a flaw (besides the design), it’s the overly complicated user interface. What was perfectly useable on the original Tocco has been ‘redefined’ (or fiddled with) to the point that it now just irrita ng. Typing texts is now more challenging than pleasurable and simple tasks that were once as easy as kicking a brick are now inconceivably fiddly; like passing water while on a see-saw.

Overall, the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edi on is a well rounded piece of kit with some nice features.

But when compared to the original Tocco, it just feels overworked. The Tocco was great phone that was developed and manufactured to be as good as it could possibly be, but with the Ultra Edi on, Samsung have tried to improve upon something that was perfect to begin with, and have ended up with a product that has gone backwards rather than forwards. My advice, buy the standard Tocco and be done with it. But if you hanker for a Tocco Ultra but don’t want to spend the extra £50+, just get a standard Tocco and smear some raspberry jam over it. It’ll look like the Ultra with its jammy pink stripe, and the controls will be s cky and fiddly also.

Job jobbed.

Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

23

NEWS IT’S THE COLD WAR AT YOUR FINGER TIPS AS RED ALERT MAKES ITS WAY TO iPHONE

Command and Conquer games have defined strategy gaming since the original tle and now EA are preparing to launch a version of Red Alert for the iPhone. Once again the seemingly never-ending war between the Allied forces and the Soviet Union will be played out.

Rather than por ng any one game or universe, EA have drawn heavily on the graphic style of RA3 but brought back many units from RA2.

Classic characters and technologies will be featured and Tanya, Tesla weapons and Kirov airships all make an appearance. From videos and screenshots it’s clear that the game aims to be a fully func oning member of the Red Alert series – which means base building, resource management and combat.

Gameplay is spread across six campaign levels for both Allies and Soviets and a very disappoin ng two skirmish maps. At the moment there’s no indica on that mul player will be possible but it’s clearly something fans will be hoping for. It seems like an ambi ous move but EA’s seem confident that they can pull it off. Sim City previously made the move to the iPhone and was generally well received but issues with the controls presented problems. With a more fast paced game like Red Alert those problems could be crippling.

Controlling units – presumably caps will be pre y low – on the small screen could prove difficult.

Players can zoom in to control units in detail and zoom out to manage the ba lefield as a whole. It will also be possible to hide base building and unit training menus to make be er use of screen acreage. If these features are implemented smoothly, it could make all the difference.

Command and Conquer Red Alert is currently available from the app store.

24 phonica magazine uk

NEWS MODERN WARFARE FANS MIGHT PASS OUT IN EXCITEMENT Hype around the imminent release of Modern Warfare 2 has reached fever pitch. With just a few weeks un l the game is available, things are ge ng really silly. Back in June, Ac vision said they wanted MW2 to have “the biggest entertainment launch of all me”.

To achieve that end they hired adver sing company TWBA to come up with an unending list of wacky ideas and Infinity Ward Crea ve Strategist Robert Bowling has been keeping fans updated through a constant drip-feeding of tweets. Even the most innocuous reply ends up being big news.

Remember that Call of Duty 4 was a sleeper hit.

A lot of gamers were disappointed by the single player mode (it was innova ve around the me of CoD2) and it took a while for mul player to catch on. But now there are big expecta ons around the series and the media have been eager to jump on the bandwagon so here’s our roundup of the most ridiculous coverage:

The Daily Star is shocked and outraged over the decision to include night vision goggles with the Pres ge edi on. The ‘newspaper’ predicts that players will use the goggles for checking out gay cruising spots or a bit of dogging. The £170 edi on has already sold out so if you’re looking to join the party, you’re already too late.

“BEST BUY HAVE ANNOUNCED AN EVENT IN PENNSYLVANIA WHERE PLAYERS WHO PRE-ORDER WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AT LASER TAG.” IGN covered news that the first map pack for the game will be launched through a e in with Monster energy drinks. 5000 codes to access the downloadable content – which won’t even launch un l Spring 2010 - will be hidden inside cans.

Now if only there was a way to re-purpose those night vision goggles into X-ray specs.

A trailer premiered in the middle of an American football match le the Chris an Science Monitor to ques on whether the US public was ready to see images of a destroyed Washington, DC. The dismayed columnist put it thusly:

Best Buy have announced an event in Pennsylvania where players who pre-order will be able to take on the Na onal Guard (that’s the TA to you and me) at laser tag at a special launch event. If 90s throwback fun isn’t your bag, the store will be hos ng a special LAN event inside.

“Something tells this writer there’s something of a difference between a cartoonish Flash game where the object is to try to hit George W. Bush with a shoe, and one in which the destruc on of a major US city – in near photo-realis c detail – plays a central role.”

So there you have it, which ever way you turn it looks clear that the launch of MW2 will be a big event.

Let’s hope that the actual game can live up to it.

phonica magazine uk

25

PREVIEW

HEAVY RAIN PUBLISHER: SONY ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPER: QUANTIC DREAM FORMAT: PS3 AVAILABLE: EARLY 2010 Produced by Quan c Dream, Heavy Rain is a dark thriller where you control mul ple characters at different points in the storyline.

Set for release in early 2010 on the Playsta on 3, Heavy Rain has been described by director David Cage as a “very dark film noir thriller with mature themes” that pushes the player as far as they can go “to save someone you love”.

Heavy Rain is a first-person adventure thriller with a very dark story. Set in modern mes, Heavy Rain explores the darker side of people, aiming to leave its mark on each and every player of this part-horror, part-adventure game.

“HEAVY RAIN LOOKS LIKE A CHISELLED, REFINED GAME THAT EXPLORES EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS THAT PEOPLE RARELY TOUCH UPON IN REAL LIVES.” Being on the PS3, you’d expect the visuals to be on par with similar tles. Heavy Rain does not disappoint - the graphics are exquisite. The Cas ng Technology video released during E3 in 2006 showed a wide range of facial expressions and mo on captured anima ons, with real- me tears and wrinkles on show. The video itself was not part of the Heavy Rain plot but developed a short emo onal storyline that showed the extent of technology invested into the crea on of the game.

From the gameplay videos currently made available

by Quan c Dream, both the Sixaxis feature and the generic bu on pressing is in use. Similar to Resident Evil 4, the player must react to certain situa ons via the pressing of a specific bu on (or bu ons) or by l ng the controller in the necessary direc on.

Failure to comply with situa ons leads to a change in the character’s storyline, or even their death.

Because of this, not only is the game fact-paced and keeps you on your toes, it also makes you think twice about each decision – assuming you have enough me – because an odd choice may result in an unwanted change in another plot.

However, death doesn’t stop the game – no, it merely influences the other playable character’s storylines – there are 4 in total: Ethan Mars, an architect father of one, an FBI profiler called Norman Jayden, private detec ve Sco Shelby and journalist Madison Paige.

All of their storylines are linked by their search for the serial killer going by the nickname “the Origami Killer” – perhaps a reference to the poster released by the developers of a Spanish Pajarita origami model with a p dipped in blood. What mo ve each character has for seeking this murderer is s ll unknown but it has been confirmed that the “Origami Killer” will feature prominently in the game and in each of the character’s storylines.

Heavy Rain looks like a chiselled, refined game that explores emo ons and feelings that people rarely touch upon in real lives. With such realis c graphics that stretch and push the limits of the Playsta on 3 and a dark, gripping tale of loss and revenge, we can surely expect Heavy Rain to be a chart success, following on from the previous successes of thrillers such as Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark.

Paul Park

26 phonica magazine uk

PREVIEW

phonica magazine uk

27

PREVIEW

GRAND THEFT AUTO: THE BALLAD OF GAY TONY PUBLISHER: ROCKSTAR GAMES DEVELOPER: ROCKSTAR NORTH FORMAT: XBOX 360 AVAILABLE: OCTOBER 29TH

LET’S GO BACK TO LIBERTY CITY, JUST ONE LAST TIME…..AH WHAT THE HELL, LET’S STAY THE WEEK! Nothing beats a quick rampage on Grand The Auto 4. Tearing round the boisterous streets of Liberty City, running down bewildered pedestrians and shoo ng over-weight cops in the face, all the while chuckling away at the hilarious radio sta ons. Good mes. Well, by the end of October, it’ll be me to book another visit to the city of violent dreams, as Rockstar serves up The Ballad of Gay Tony.

The Ballad of Gay Tony follows the exploits of a new protagonist, Luis Fernando Lopez, a member of the Northwood Dominican drug dealers and the personal bodyguard of Anthony “Gay Tony” Prince. From what we have seen from the many screenshots and trailers Rockstar have provided, The Ballad of Gay Tony looks like a mix of camp humour and extreme testosterone fuelled violence. It sounds like a good mixture, and reminds us of a straight man / funny man double act from the 1950’s. Should be a laugh, whatever the gameplay is like!

“GAY TONY LOOKS FAR MORE EXPLOSIVE AND ACTION PACKED THAN WE EXPECTED.”

28 phonica magazine uk

Whereas Rockstar’s previous GTA expansion pack, The Lost and Damned, was more of an extended story set in the depths of Liberty City, The Ballad of Gay Tony feels more like a new game. We loved The Lost and Damned, it was a fantas c mix of bare-knuckle bike riding and grizzly punch-ups, but it didn’t add that much in terms of new content. A few new bikes and a shotgun were about as much as you got, but The Ballad of Gay Tony offers lots, lots more.

There’s a whole host of new vehicles to wreck, including fancy sports cars, mini tanks, several new helicopters (one can li trains!) and various others.

Also, there are new weapons including a gold Uzi and a seriously messy looking machine gun, and the much loved parachute from San Anderes makes a welcome return. There’s also a s cky bomb that can be planted onto vehicles and then detonated via a radio. I’ve got a few ideas for this li le baby already!

All in all, The Ballad of Gay Tony is looking like an absolute peach of a game. It looks far more explosive and ac on packed than we expected, and the horde of new content will keep gamers happy for a long while to come. The Ballad of Gay Tony will be available via XBLA, or a double pack en tled Grand The Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be released, containing both The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned.

Sco Tierney

PREVIEW

phonica magazine uk

29

PREVIEW

DJ HERO PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: FREESTYLEGAMES FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, WII, PS2 AVALABLE: OCTOBER 27TH 2009 Riding on the crest of the wave of success that Guitar Hero and its sequels have produced, Ac vision and FreeStyleGames announced another Hero music game to the rest of the world – DJ Hero, playable on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Playsta ons 2 & 3.

As the name suggests, DJ Hero is about your turn-tablin’ skills and your ability to mix and match music fluently, using the turntable controller that comes as part of the game. The controller consists of a number of parts – 3 “stream” bu ons that the player must press and hold at the right mes to play notes, an effects dial, a ‘Euphoria’ bu on (similar to the Guitar Hero’s Star Power) and a crossfader. There is also a set of addi onal controller bu ons for use outside of the game.

The graphics are again, outstanding, with rich colours and detailed characters and backgrounds for when you dri off into that music trance where your crea ve juices really get going, with a myriad of red, blues, greens and yellows zooming across your screen as you nod your head to the beat and get into the groove.

30 phonica magazine uk

PREVIEW

“THE GRAPHICS ARE AGAIN, OUTSTANDING, WITH RICH COLOURS AND DETAILED CHARACTERS AND BACKGROUNDS.” However, by far the best part about this upcoming tle is the list of music that is built into the game. The developers recruited DJ Shadow to pick and mix tunes to be played during the game, while ar sts Jay-Z and Eminem were also hired as consultants along with other interna onal mix ar sts such as Da Punk and the late DJ AM. In the end, the soundtrack upon release will contain nearly 100 2-song mixes that the player can choose from, all of which are unique and original (not to men on bloody good) – but it doesn’t stop there: Eminem confirmed that he would be releasing individual songs that would be available for download for DJ Hero players and FreeStyleGames have also announced that a schedule of available music would be drawn up to further the DJ Hero experience.

Announced tracks include the following: Da Punk’s “Around the World” vs Young MC’s “Bust a Move” (Da Punk are making their video game debut in DJ Hero) The Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.” vs Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Benny Benassi’s “Sa sfac on” vs the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” Highly an cipated yet without a release date for Europe, DJ Hero looks like another awesome music game for an already strong lineup for Ac vision and FreeStyleGames. Fast beats, colourful graphics and the compe ve factor to boot. We may have become slightly jaded and red with other music games, but where Guitar Hero and Rock Band have become the party games to play when you have mates over, DJ Hero will crash into the lounge and introduce the masses to a new world of music gaming.

Paul Park

phonica magazine uk

31

PREVIEW STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC PUBLISHER: LUCASARTS DEVELOPER: BIOWARE PLATFORM: PC AVAILABLE: TBA Riding on the crest of popularity that MMOs are currently experiencing, the sci-fi universe of Star Wars is set for a second tle to launch them back into the forefront of every gamer’s mind.

Announced back in October 2008, The Old Republic marks a first for Bioware, the developers – their first baby steps into the lucra ve and highly popular MMO market. As with most MMOs that have been released in recent months, it will s ll take maybe another year or two down the line to see this being finalised and released as a full package.

However, informa on being put forward by Bioware as well as screenshots and in-game trailers are showing glimpses of the sheer scale and content that Bioware are working with, to turn what we see on the big screen into something tangible (at least, for our virtual selves) on a similar scale.

The storyline, set more than 3,500 years before the Star Wars films, sets a scene of tension and apprehension. The Galac c Republic, protected by its Jedi warriors, stood its ground as a bas on of peace and prosperity amongst a galaxy of warring star systems. Unknown to them, the Sith Empire dreamed of galac c domina on and vengeance, and led by their sinister Sith Lords, launched waves of a acks across a number of fronts and took over swathes of planets, culmina ng in the ransacking of the jewel in the Republic’s crown – their capital, Coruscant.

“THE OLD REPUBLIC LOOKS TO SET THE STAGE FOR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BREED OF MMO.”

32 phonica magazine uk

Pressured into nego a on, the Republic signed a ceasefire with the Sith. Years later, the peace is beginning to break down and war is all but upon the worlds once again. As with most MMOs, there are classes to choose from. Each fac on has different classes that have their counterparts on the other fac on. Currently, the released classes are the Bounty Hunter and Sith Warrior for the Sith Empire (a ranged class of some sort and a melee fighter) and the Trooper and Smuggler classes for the Galac c Republic (perhaps another ranged class, and an assassin/ stealth fighter).

The gameplay so far deviates from the norm – instead of focusing around the player, it looks in detail at the interac ons between the player and any non-player characters they come across. Choosing one path over another during a dialogue or at a crossroads during a mission chain may result in different storylines being opened or closed, while spending more me with one companion may result in their storyline being developed further, even perhaps a blossoming love interest.

By far the most interes ng topic is how the developers dealt with the worlds that are present in the Star Wars universe. Recent pictures of the Republic capital, Coruscant, suggest that incredible detail and finesse has been put into each planet, and if the videos are anything to go by, they’ll look bloody awesome too.

Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to set the stage for a completely different breed of MMO to come to the fore – one with rich history, fantas c storylines and vibrant worlds to explore. From what Bioware have put on their shop window, The Old Republic is beginning to look more and more like the dreams of many Jedi and Sith fans come to life. The me for hooded robes, lightsabres, and the Force will soon be upon us, young Padawan.

Paul Park

PREVIEW

phonica magazine uk

33

FEATURE

CIRCLE OF LIFE: FUTURE CONSOLES WHAT HAVE THE BIG THREE PLAYERS GOT IN STORE FOR US OVER THE COMING YEARS? SURPRISINGLY, NOT A LOT…..

Most consoles have a life span of approximately 5 years, from the day they roll off the produc on line as the new sibling of a proud manufacturer, to the inevitable moment when a be er console comes along and puts them into forced re rement. Then five years later, the sequence happens again, and again, and again. The circle of life.

For example, in 1990, Sega’s new Mega Drive console announced itself on the scene, and went on to dominate the early nine es along with the SNES. But in 1995, it was put out to pasture by Sega’s new favourite son, the Saturn. Then in 1999, the Dreamcast turned up, leaving the Saturn out of work and down the old-consoles doll office. It’s the same across all the major manufactures, whether it is Sony (Playsta on 1995-2000, PS2 2000 -2005) Microso (Xbox 2001 – 2005) or Nintendo (N64 1996 – 2002, GameCube 2002 – 2006) all console genera ons follow roughly the same 5 year rota on.

34 phonica magazine uk

So by now, we should be an cipa ng the next gen of consoles; a breed of machines that are out to replace the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. But for some reason, no consoles are expected for another 5 years, with manufactures instead deciding to extent the life of the current crop. Whether this decision is down to the current financial climate, or the fact that no new technological leap has happened, is s ll a ma er for debate. But regardless, it looks as though we’ll s ll be playing the same consoles, or at least updated versions, in five years me. Curses!

So let’s have a look at what the big 3 have in mind, and what the future holds for the current consoles.

FEATURE MICROSOFT WE COULD BE SEEING A NEW MICROSOFT CONSOLE AS EARLY AS AUTUMN 2010, ALTHOUGH THE WORD ‘NEW’ IS PROBABLY THE INCORRECT DESCRIPTION. UPGRADED IS A BETTER WORD. Microso ’s latest venture is ‘Project Natal’, a type of gesture gaming without a remote.

Unlike the Wii, which uses a remote and censor to register movements, Natal is a much more sophis cated piece of kit, using only a ny camera pointed at the player to pick up the mo ons. Natal can also recognize facial expressions and even the tone of your voice, which makes Natal sound more like Microso ’s version of 2001’s HAL than a piece of gaming equipment.

THE REVAMPED 360 COULD BE PACKING MORE OF A PUNCH IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS.” It all sounds amazing, and according to Steven Spielberg, Natal will be “a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games”. A bit of an overblown statement, but only me will tell.

But will Natal prolong the life of the Xbox 360?

In a recent interview with eurogamer, Microso ’s John Schappert had this to say on the ma er:

“When we talked about the New Xbox Experience last year, we talked about reinven ng the console through the magic of so ware, and I think we’ve done that, and what we’ve shown with our new update that we’re bringing out this year is we’re con nuing to add innova on and con nuously improve the console experience - and I think there’s a ton of power in that device right there, and we s ll have untapped poten al and I think Project Natal will con nue to extend our life for a long future with Xbox 360.”

Looks like a yes then.

There are also rumors floa ng around that the revamped 360 could be packing more of a punch in other departments. Boosted graphics, larger storage and more processing grunt have all been men oned, but generally these are only expected to be minor upgrades, typical of what was seen with Nintendo’s transi on from the Gamecube to the Wii. As men oned, nothing is set in stone and at mes such as these, the market can change within an instant, but it’s fair to say than an upgraded version of the Xbox 360, featuring some form of Natal technology, is expected by the end of next year. Fingers crossed anyway!

Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

35

FEATURE SONY KEN KUTARAGI HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT PLAYSTATION 4 SINCE BEFORE PS3 HIT THE SHOPS. IN FACT, HE’S BEEN TALKING ABOUT PS4, 5 AND 6.

NOT IN ANY DETAIL WE HUNGRY HACKS CAN GET OUR TEETH INTO, OF COURSE. “The design concept of the Cell processor is the network processor,” said the great man in 2007. For those that don’t know, Kutaragi was the original crea ve force behind the phenomenom that was the first PlaySta on, and has since re red from Sony to pursue his own agenda. When the Cell processor was trumpeted as the “supercomputer on a chip” that would propel PS3 into the global leader posi on, though, we weren’t talking about network compu ng. Then it was bigger, faster, more detailed, more powerful. Now, the ques on is whether PS3 can make Sony money.

While Microso is pinning its hopes to Natal as the logical next step – and Sony has its own compe ng technology to deal with mo on capture - the guys responsible for PS3 are hoping that true stereoscopic 3d is the killer app that will make up their lost ground.

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ is the first megabucks picture trying to take advantage of a recent renaissance in 3d’s popularity. And Sony thinks it’s already most of the way there, with both Wipeout HD and GT5 demos recently shown at the CES Expo running at full 60fps 3d. Sony suggests that true 3d could be launched on the PS3 as early as next year. The technical whys and wherefores have been the subject of a lot of debate within the community, but suffice is to say that it could be done, and with backward-compa ble support for major tles.

Sony’s hardware can handle it. Interes ngly, on the surface of it, Microso ’s probably can’t.

The big ques on, really, is how all these companies are going to make their money back. Neither PS3 nor X360 has dominated the market in the way that PSX, or even PS2, has. It used to be about 5-year lifecycles for consoles, but the PS3 is 3 years old now and the X360 a year older than that. If I’m honest, I don’t expect to see PS4 in 2011 or even 2012. First off, firmware updates mean that Sony can con nue to explore the possibili es of their newer, more powerful hardware in a way that Microso probably can’t.

“THE QUESTION IS WHETHER PS3 CAN MAKE SONY MONEY.”

Secondly, the gradual introduc on of mo on sensors and the mooted 3d mean that games experiences you’ve set aside could, almost, be re-invented. If you’ll allow me a sneaky analogy, it’s like Rafael Benitez’ Liverpool. If you can’t afford to buy a new player, tell everyone you’ve signed Steven Gerrard to a new deal. It’s pre y much the next best thing.

Rob Hobson

36 phonica magazine uk

FEATURE NINTENDO SATORU IWATA, PRESIDENT OF NINTENDO, IS THE WILLY WONKA OF THE GAMING WORLD. “WHEN WE DETERMINE THAT THE IDEAS OF OUR EMPLOYEES MATCH THE FLOW OF THE WORLD …

THAT IS WHEN WE CAN START TALKING ABOUT WHEN TO RELEASE THE NEXT PIECE OF HARDWARE,” HE TOLD GAMESPOT THIS SUMMER. No one exactly knows what’s happening inside the sweet factory - any leaks are cryp c - but the pressure is on Nintendo to deliver again. Iwata is happy to let people in on the fact his company is working on its next genera on console only to leave the informa on hanging tantalisingly in the air.

In the more immediate future, we’ve got the Wii vitality sensor to look forward to. It plugs into the console and you plug your index finger into it so it can take your pulse. It’s been suggested it could be used for relaxa on games – a slow steady pulse would earn points – or a horror game – the game could react to you being scared witless.

“We are always preparing for the next hardware,” Iwata told Forbes as early as summer 2008. “We are under development. … But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games.” And part of his problem is that the Wii was so innova ve it’s stumped even the company that designed it. “If the people are expec ng so many different things from Nintendo, it’s going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expecta on again.”

That same summer there were rumours of a Wii 2 or perhaps a Wii HD appearing around 2011 but Nintendo have since ruled that out. Gradual updates have characterised the company’s a tude to hand-helds but not to consoles. And such a move would go against Iwata’s idea of revolu onising the industry a second me.

What we do know is that Nintendo’s annual spending on R&D has doubled since 2005 from 20 billion yen to over 42 billion yen. Somewhere there must be a lot of people working very hard on something.

Wii Mo on Plus has shown how the exis ng pla orm can be extended and so will the forthcoming Wii Fit Plus. Supported by new peripheries and standing back from the graphics power arms race, the Wii could have a lot of life le in it.

A er that it’s anyone’s guess but you know it won’t be what anyone’s guessing.

Ian Duncan

phonica magazine uk

37

FEATURE

SONY PSP GO AND IT’S GO GO GO FOR THE PORTABLE CONSOLE GRAND PRIX!

Thoroughly content with the weight saving job they did with the PS3 Slim, Sony has now moved their focus onto slicing a few extra pounds off the PSP. With a quick slice here, a quick slice there and a few internal parts ripped out for good measure, the rejuvenated PSP GO is now looking fi er and sharper than ever. So is this new portable plaything any good? And is it more than just a light weight PSP?

phonica magazine magazine uk uk 38 phonica

FEATURE From the outside, the PSP GO is a very swish looking piece of kit. Thanks to a clever li le sliding screen, which upon sliding up reveals the revamped bu on layout, the PSP GO is now approx 30% lighter than its predecessor. Most of this weight shedding is mainly due to removal of the UMD drive. Instead of reading games from UMD disks, the PSP GO only plays downloadable content, via the PSN network. I’ll get back to this shortly, as it’s a touchy subject, but let’s con nue to focus on the PSP GO. Now that all games, music and films have to be downloaded directly to the PSP GO, a meaty hard drive is a must have. At 16GB, there should be plenty of space for all your files, but it you start to run low, Sony’s 2-16GB memory card range should keep you going.

But when compared with the iPhone, or any standard MP3 player, the PSP GO’s 16GB is surprisingly small.

“SONY SEEMS TO HAVE THIS WAY OF THINKING THAT, AS SOON AS A NEW PRODUCT COMES OUT, THEY CAST ASIDE EVERYTHING THAT CAME BEFORE IT.” As for the bu on layout, all in all it’s reasonably good, although maybe not be as comfortable for long-term play as the original PSP. Although the sliding screen is a nice feature, it does get in the way of the shoulder bu ons, leaving the knuckles of your index fingers slightly raw a er a long session. Also, the sound is a bit ‘ ny’, but chances are you’ll be using headphones, so it’s not a major issue.

One thing that does surprise though is the ba ery life. The Original PSP had a play me life of approx 4-5 hours, and a video me of around 5-6 hours. But the new model has the same video viewing me, and only an extra hour of play me. Considering that the PSP GO doesn’t have to power a UMD drive, has a smaller screen and should be more efficient, we’re a li le shocked at this. And the ba ery is non replaceable.

Talk about kicking you when you’re down.

But back to the main point, and the touchy subject of the PSP GO not having a UMD drive. Sony seems to have this way of thinking that, as soon as a new product comes out, they cast aside everything that came before it. When the PS3 and PS3 Slim consoles were released, they were devoid of any back conversion so ware, meaning you couldn’t play your highly prized PS2 games on your new console. It’s the same with the PSP GO; with no UMD drive, you’ll have to download all your old games and films again, at a price. And what if your hard-drive goes bang?

And how the hell do you trade in your old games now?!

To sum up, the PSP GO, on its own merits, is a very sleek piece of kit. But when you add in the equa ons of no back conversion, having to download all your new games, having to re-download all your old games and the fact that the PSP GO isn’t a huge amount be er than the standard PSP, the verdict isn’t all that great. My advice; s ck with your old PSP. It might be a bit fa er, but at least it won’t cheat on you.

Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

39

FEATURE

REMEMBERING THE SEGA DREAMCAST THE DREAMCAST ARRIVED AS QUICKLY AS IT VANISHED, BUT ON ITS TENTH BIRTHDAY, LET’S LIGHT A CANDLE AND REFLECT ON A CONSOLE THAT HAD A LOT TO OFFER. Ten years ago on 9/9/99 Sega released the Dreamcast. The Saturn was struggling and the company rushed to get their next-gen console out early in an a empt to undo the Playsta on’s dominance. Unfortunately the Dreamcast turned out to be the system that killed Sega as a console manufacturer.

Everything about the Dreamcast was supposed to be truly next genera on. The Dreamcast was a vision of the future packed with promising yet affordable hardware. The system had a powerful processor, graphics chip and, even more significantly, a built in modem. Remember: this was back in 1999 when you had to pay for the internet by the minute and no one could use the phone while you were online.

The Visual Memory Unit (VMU) was a par cularly cool gimmick. It was essen ally a memory card that plugged into the Dreamcasts’s controller but it also had a screen that could be used to play minigames.

This func onality was actually pre y well supported by developers.

Everything seemed promising but unfortunately a lot of this next-gen stuff was a bit s ll-born. The system’s power was wasted on a string of uninspiring tles as Sega struggled to bring third-party developers online.

Sega thought they had finally solved the problem with the launch of Shenume, an epic series which fully modelled a 1980s Japanese village complete with its own weather, which they developed in house.

Unfortunately, the game cost around £50 million to produce and would have required every single Dreamcast owner to buy two copies before it could have made a profit.

40 phonica magazine uk

For real. In the end Sega only ever sold 10 million Dreamcasts and the average owner only bought three games. By 2000, Sony had caught up and released the Playsta on 2 which sold 1 million units a day. Those of you keeping up with the maths will have realised than in two weeks the new Playsta on had outsold the Dreamcast.

In 1999 Sega posted loses of £200 million and it was only a ma er of me before the company had to bow out of console manufacturing business. In January 2001 Sega announced that the Dreamcast would be discon nued and that they would be pulling out of console manufacturing.

“SEGA ONLY EVER SOLD 10 MILLION DREAMCASTS AND THE AVERAGE OWNER ONLY BOUGHT THREE GAMES. BY 2000, SONY HAD CAUGHT UP AND RELEASED THE PLAYSTATION 2 WHICH SOLD 1 MILLION UNITS A DAY.” That wasn’t the end of the story though. Sega were s ll selling refurbished Dreamcasts in Japan un l 2006.

Now, homebrew games con nue to pop up, supported by a loyal community of fans. Even more impressively, Quake 3 Arena is s ll supported for online play.

If you’ve got £30 burning a hole in your pocket you can s ll get hold of a Dreamcast on eBay and resurrect this sad episode in gaming history.

Ian Duncan

FEATURE

phonica magazine uk

41

FEATURE FORGOTTEN GEMS:

RISE OF THE ROBOTS PUBLISHER: TIME WARNER INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: MIRAGE FORMAT: SEGA MEGA DRIVE, AMIGA, PC, SNES RELEASED: 1994

IT LOOKED FANTASTIC BUT PLAYED LIKE A BROKEN BANJO, BUT LET’S GIVE IT A BIT OF RESPECT… Before I receive a terabyte of hate mail from angry readers, ques oning my judgement and overall sanity at having included Rise of the Robots in the Forgo en Gems sec on, let me categorically state that I am in no way glorying Rise of the Robots as a great game.

As games go, it was about as fun and as entertaining as kissing a ro en Gibbon.

So why have I included it? Let me explain….

Back in 1994, graphics weren’t exactly realis c; with most tles employing a visual style that, although not without charm, was cartoony and blocky. This was due to the confines of the measly 16bit cartridges available from the SNES and Mega Drive, and the PCs and Amigas of the me weren’t up to much either. To give an example, the best looking game of 1994 was probably Sonic and Knuckles. So, when Mirage Studios released Rise of the Robots, it caused one hell of a s r.

42 phonica magazine uk

Rise of the Robots looked like nothing else that had come before, and thinking back to the me when I first saw it in ac on as a bright-eyed school boy, it looked like a glimpse into the future. Gone were the flat cartoons that had been the norm for so long, here was something breathtaking, something different, something real. Each fighter was a beau fully moulded work of art; whether it was the athle c build of the central character, Coten, or the clunky metal frame of Loader, the detail was outstanding. Not only were they beau ful to look at when s ll, they also moved with realis c grace.

Each punch and kick was a symphony of mo on; for the first me ever, a game actually looked real.

FEATURE

“EACH PUNCH AND KICK WAS A SYMPHONY OF MOTION; FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, A GAME ACTUALLY LOOKED REAL.”

Of course, Rise of the Robots was universally panned by all the major cri cs of the me, and with good cause; it was a terrible game. The controls were clunky, there were only a limited amount of moves, combos were prac cally impossible and the fights were tedious.

Not that you had me to get bored though, as even the most ham-fisted of gamers could finish Rise of the Robots in under an hour, and that included the 37 minutes of laughing at the games cover (the guy on the front has a bum on his chest!). As a game, Rise of the Robots was a disaster.

The reason I think Rise of the Robots deserves a place in the Forgo en Gem sec on is due to the fact that it has been unfairly judged as just a game. Because it was a dreadful playing experience that gets worse with every passing memory, all of the massive technical achievements that blew the gaming world apart, se ng the marker for all the games that came a er, have been cast aside. Without Rise of the Robots, game graphics may never have taken that giant leap forward from simple cartoons to photogenic realism, or at least not as quickly, and for that, it deserves at least our respect.

Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

43

REVIEWS

44 phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS

TIME GENTLEMEN, PLEASE PUBLISHER: ZOMBIE COW STUDIOS DEVELOPER: ZOMBIE COW STUDIOS FORMAT: PC AVAILABLE: NOW

THE POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURE GENRE IS BEEN HAVING A MINI RENAISSANCE AT PRESENT, AND THIS FILTHY LITTLE CRACKER LOOKS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST OF THE CURRENT BREED. Time Gentlemen, Please, is the sequel to Zombie Cow’s Ben There, Dan That, and is a light-hearted adventure game catering for adult tastes. Having said that, even your average adult would find some of their stuff pre y damn cringe-worthy and “oh no they didn’t!” moments are in abundance.

TGP con nues on from a ridiculously bizarre and complicated storyline, which, avoiding spoiling things, involved aliens, me travel, brainwashing and lots of crude jokes about various topics. It begins with both Ben and Dan a emp ng to go back in me to save the world from themselves by making sure that the coathanger was not invented.

“EVERY DETAIL, EVERY OUNCE OF HUMOR IS AMPLIFIED BY THE MODEST BACKGROUND.” You heard me right, the inven on of the coathanger meant that 6 billion lives are in the balance. Make your way through the brainboggling mix of the absurd and the downright stupid and what you’ll find is that TGP is actually a very well made game. It’s a throwback to the classic adventure games, full of puzzle solving and interac on with the environment of the highest degree. The puzzles actually make sense a lot of the me – opening a safe door that contains a prototype me travel device in the intro so they can go back in me, for example – and they also drive the story forward.

The graphics aren’t really on show here, but they’re not meant to be. Your brain would be too busy trying to find the way past various obstacles on the path to redemp on, as well as trying not to laugh hysterically at Nazi jokes, than to be admiring the view. In fact, the rather average graphics and soundtrack provides an ideal canvass for the developers to work with – it seems like every detail, every ounce of humor is amplified by the modest background.

The highlight of it all is most definitely the banter that goes on between the two protagonists of the game, Dan and Ben. The wri ng for the script couldn’t have been made properly – no one could have come up with their li le gems by planning it all out. Simply put, the interac on between the two of them could rival the legendary pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

Time Gentlemen, Please has taken the core of adventure gaming and smashed a bo le of funny all over it. If you’re already a big fan of adventure games and you have a stomach lined with steel, this is the game for you. Hilarious, outrageous, vulgar, crude – you name it, and that’s what this game is all about.

PRESENTATION: 14/20 Paul Park STORY: 18/20 CONTROLS: 15/20.

GAMEPLAY: 17/20.

DURABILITY: 14/20

OVERALL

78/100 phonica magazine uk

45

REVIEWS

FIFA 10 PUBLISHER: EA SPORTS DEVELOPER: EA CANADA FORMAT: PS3, X360 AVAILABLE: NOW

SMALL STEPS TO FOOTBALL NIRVANA EA’s latest itera on of its flagship football game shows that small changes can make a... medium-sized difference.

As I write this, I see that FIFA 10 has already slapped Halo: OSDT off the top spot in the UK charts, not to men on having the biggest opening sales weekend since Niko Bellic announced he was looking for that special someone. Is there any point in my reviewing a game that’s already carried all before it?

Shame on you, you cynics. Of course there is. EA may have shown rather more interest in developing new intellectual property over the last year or so, with Dead Space being the most obvious and commercially successful example, but a huge wedge of its mountains of cash comes from sporty sequels. Think Tiger Woods.

Think Madden, if you can bear it. Think FIFA.

“FIFA 10 FEELS BOTH TIGHTER AND LOOSER. IT’S STILL DIFFICULT, JUST NOT IMPOSSIBLE.” For so many years, I was jus fied in my belief that FIFA was Pro Evo’s poor cousin. It never matched the visceral feel of its great rival, and the gameplay seemed so arcade-like when compared to the studied, elegant PES that it just never made my list. Then Konami stunk the joint out with PES 2009, I picked up a copy of FIFA 09, and that was it. FIFA 09 was the next-gen football game par excellence. The big ques on is what EA have done in their yearly incremental update. Is it worth 40 or more of your Earth pounds?

46 phonica magazine uk

The crucial update is ‘true’ 360 degree control.

For those of us who are used to digital ball-kickers moving strictly according to the points of the compass, this is a revela on. Opposi on runs – and, of course, your own – are harder to an cipate.

It lends fluidity and an element of the random to a game that, at its best, is absolutely defined by fluidity. If the last PES game was a dead rubber of a Chelsea – Liverpool Champions League group game, FIFA 10 could very well be a fantasy e between assorted gene c clones of di Stefano, Cruyff, Pele and Müller.

It also feels both ghter and looser, if that makes any sense. Ba ling in the penalty area is much tougher: the game seems to take much more no ce of the kerfuffle you get for, say, crosses or free kicks.

On the other hand, it seems a li le easier to blast in an Essien-style Hollywood screamer from 35 yards.

A li le easier. OK, it’s s ll bloody difficult. Just not impossible.

Present and correct are last year’s Be A Pro mode, where you create your own spoiled millionaire from scratch, and a revamped Manager mode which (on early showing) appears to be much like 09’s slightly shonky equivalent. You can also play the rather brilliant online Be A Pro, and take a solitary player in an online 10 v 10 grudge match. Just pray you don’t get stuck at fullback with pass-averse teammates.

Rob Hobson PRESENTATION: 17 / 20 STORY / AUTHENTICITY: 17/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 19/20 DURABILITY: 19/20

OVERALL

89/100

REVIEWS

phonica magazine uk

47

COMPETITION

FIFA 10 IN THIS ISSUE ONE LUCKY READER WOULD WIN A COPY OF FIFA 10 THIS GAME COULD BE YOURS!

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE! COMPETITION RULES Join our group on Facebook; search for Phonica Magazine UK. Follow Us on Twi er: @PhonicaMagUK. Email your full name, address, email and mobile contact, along with your Twi er username to phonicacompe ons@phonicamagazine.co.uk.

One entry per person

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (1)The prize is one FIFA 10 game. (2) No cash or other prize alterna ves are offered. (3) All entries must be received no later than 5th November 2009. The winner would be no fied within 7 days of this date and would be published in the following issue.

(4) The Editor’s decision is final. (5) Compe on open to UK residents only, except employees of Phonica Magazine UK.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SEBASTIAN G WHO WON A FREE COPY OF BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM ON XBOX 360

48 phonica magazine uk

phonica magazine uk

49

REVIEWS

OPERATION FLASHPOINT: DRAGON RISING PUBLISHER: CODEMASTERS DEVELOPER: CODEMASTERS FORMAT: XBOX 360, PS3, PC AVAILABLE: NOW

IF IT’S A REALISTIC WAR EXPERIENCE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR, THIS IS ABOUT AS REAL AS IT GETS.

Right off the bat, let me just say that I’m not a huge fan of the ‘super realis c’ shooter. I find that in their a empts to make the gaming experience as realis c as possibly, they inadvertently rip the enjoyment and soul out of a game. What should be a fun, pleasurable experience (as all games should), ends up being nothing more than a dull simulator. But let me put these prejudices aside, and judge Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising on its merits.

The Opera on Flashpoint series, which started life on the PC back in 2001, has always been about realism. If you wanted to experience what it would be like on the ba le-field of modern war, without the risk of death or limb-loss, the OFP games are about as close as you’ll get. So does this new game in the series, Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, feel real? And if it does, is this a good thing?

50 phonica magazine uk

Well, if it’s real you’re a er, then Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising won’t disappoint. Everything, from how you approach a mission to how bullets bend in the wind has been accounted for; it’s just like being there.

For instance, if you get shoot, you don’t lose a percentage of your health, but instead you lose an amount of use from the limb you’ve been hit in. So if you’re shot in the leg, you can’t run as fast, or if you’re shot in the arm, your aim will be affected.

But thankfully, due to the layout of the missions, you can alter your plans to accommodate for this. Now that you can’t keep up with the pace of your squad (due to your leg being par ally blown-off) you can send them off ahead, while you hang back and provide long range cover. It’s a very realis c setup, but it does come at a price.

REVIEWS

I KNOW OPERATION FLASHPOINT: DRAGON RISING IS ALL ABOUT THE REALISM, BUT COME ON, SOMEONE THROW A PIE!” Although Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is supposed to be a realis c war experience (sorry if I keep saying experience!), why is it that your computer controlled teammates are borderline retarded? You can control their every move via the highly complicated tac cs menu, but whatever you select they seem to just hang around and get in the way. If you ask them to follow you, they’ll just hang back, leaving you to fight the enemy alone. But if you tell them to advance and a ack, they’re forever ge ng in your line of sight. Frankly, just shoot them in the face at the start of the mission and go it alone.

Also, I know Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is all about the realism, but frankly who can be bothered to spend their precious play me walking across a field for 25 minutes, doing nothing but following the map. I know this is what happens in the real world, but come on, someone throw a pie!

I don’t want to finish off this review of Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising by sounding overly nega ve. If you like the tac cal shooters, where every step you take is a calculated risk, then you’ll probably enjoy Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

If you want a game that is actually fun, but s ll has an edge of tac cal realism, go for one of the many excellent Call of Duty games. There not as precise as Opera on Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, but all the drama, tension, theatrics and enjoyment that the OFP games lack can be found in bucket-loads.

Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 17/20 STORY: 12/20 CONTROLS: 14/20 GAMEPLAY: 13/20 DURABILITY: 13/20

OVERALL

69/100 phonica magazine uk

51

REVIEWS CATE WEST: THE VANISHING FILES PUBLISHER: DESTINEER GAMES/OXYGEN INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER: GAMENAUTS FORMAT: WII, DS AVAILABLE: NOW

FIND THE CLUES AND SOLVE THE CRIMES, EVEN IF IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. When you’re on a long train journey, with nothing to do but fidget with your thumbs and count the stains on the floor, portable puzzle games are a godsend. The DS is currently the king of the format, and while the PSP is aimed more at the ac on-craving market, the DS goes for the more gentlepaced genre of puzzle games. And now there’s a new one that has also made its way onto the Wii; Cate West: The Vanishing Files.

Cate West: The Vanishing Files was originally released for the PC in 2008, without causing much of a s r.

But on the Wii, and especially the DS, it looks to have found its home. The object of the game is to solve simple puzzles, such as spot the difference and find the clues. These mini puzzles are strung together by a very basic plot; but I’ll get back to that later. Let’s concentrate on the puzzles themselves first.

The main premise behind each puzzle is to find a selec on of hidden objects. You’re presented with a crowded 2D image, and from this you have to find the items within a certain me. Points are awarded for speed, and taken away when you either ask for a hint, or click several mes aimlessly. It’s good fun, and a relaxing way of passing the me, but there are a few problems, mainly to do with the images themselves.

The quality of each image is surprisingly poor, and although you can zoom in via the magnifying glass op on, even then the images become blurry and muddled.

It’s the same for both formats; on the Wii the image is too blurred when blown up to full size (via a big TV) and with the DS it’s too small because of the confines of the screen. These problems won’t ruin the gameplay, but it does make the job of finding a needle in a haystack much harder.

Regarding the story, to sum it up briefly; it’s ridiculous.

Cate has been asked by the police to use her peculiar skills to find clues and help solve the cases they present. But this premise loses all plausibility when the clues Cate finds are pieces of bacon, hammers, s cks, bu erflys, rulers; just about any old tat that has nothing to do with the case. It’s hilarious when a level finishes and a criminal is locked up, to think that this crime has been solved because Cate found some old shoes, which meant the killer must have been wearing glasses. Case closed. WHAT?!

Cate West: The Vanishing Files is a fun li le game that will keep you amused for a few hours at a me.

Whether it should have made its way onto the Wii is for another discussion, but on the DS it’s ideal, and as long as you don’t take it too seriously, it’s a good way of killing boredom. Just don’t think it’ll make you into a real-life detec ve; real crimes are solved with actual facts, not with peanuts and spoons.

PRESENTATION: 10/20 STORY: 5/20 CONTROLS: 15/20 GAMEPLAY: 14/20 DURABILITY: 16/20

OVERALL

60/100

52 phonica magazine uk

Sco Tierney

REVIEWS

phonica magazine uk

53

REVIEWS

IL-2 STURMOVIK: BIRDS OF PREY PUBLISHER: 505 GAMES DEVELOPER: GAIJIN ENTERTAINMENT 1C COMPANY FORMAT: XBOX 360, PS3, DS, PSP AVAILABLE: NOW

TALLY HO, STICK IT TO THE BOSH, WATCH YOUR SIX, ETC ETC……

54 phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS

There are two types of flight-sim fans; those who like to fly jets around at super-sonic speeds and fire heat seeking missiles at their enemies with the simple press of a bu on, and then there are those who prefer to do it the old fashioned way. If you’re a fan of the old fashioned way, then IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey should be right up your street. World War 2 provides the backdrop to what is basically a very simple game; shoot down as many aircra s as you can without crashing. Taking flight in a vast selec on of ba le ready planes including the iconic Spi ire - you take to the skies above 50 of the most famous ba les of WW2, blowing chunks out of enemy bombers and shou ng ‘hurumph’ as you do so. It’s great fun, especially if you leave the difficulty se ng in the forgiving arcade mode. But if you want a bit more of a challenge, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey caters for this, big me!

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey, despite all its grandeur and hearty garnish, is at heart a hardcore flight-sim.

In simula on mode, you can’t simply chuck your Spi ire around the skies with carefree abandon, or you’ll land face first into the turf below. In the sim mode you have to control every aspect of the planes flight and delicately stroke the controls to get the reac on you require. Although you can always go back to the arcade mode if it gets a bit too tough, it’s best to s ck to the simulator modes, as you never truly feel in control during the arcade mode. It’s a feeling similar to playing a racing game with the driver aids on; you feel as though you’re constantly figh ng against the car as the computer tries to stop you from sliding. So, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey is a very detailed flight-sim, but the detail doesn’t stop there.

Visually, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey is absolutely superb. The planes look fantas c, the changing weather condi ons are stunning and the landscapes are some of the best you’ll see this year. Even when viewed up close during moments of low-flying (and who doesn’t like skimming the ground in a flight sim?) the level of detail is staggering. The whole presenta on is first rate, with a terrific background score that adds to tension and drama.

“YOU CAN’T SIMPLY CHUCK YOUR SPITFIRE AROUND THE SKIES WITH CAREFREE ABANDON, OR YOU’LL LAND FACE FIRST INTO THE TURF BELOW.” Overall, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey is a cracking game. Although repe ve, and at mes unforgiving, it is by far one of the best fight sims currently available, and real treat for those that dream of taking to skies to ba le the bosh. Just don’t forget your flack jacket and moustache wax.

Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 14/20 CONTROLS: 18/20 GAMEPLAY: 15/20 DURABILITY: 15/20

OVERALL

80/100 phonica magazine uk

55

REVIEWS

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS PUBLISHER: UBISOFT DEVELOPER: UBISOFT FORMAT: ALL FORMATS AVAILABLE: NOW

BOY OH BOY, ANOTHER MOVIE/GAME TIE-IN. YIPPEE….

If there’s one thing we dislike strongly at Phonica Magazine UK, it’s a cheap and nasty game that’s only been made to e-in with the release of a block-bus ng film. Even the faintest men on of a game like Transformers 2 or Wolferine makes us want to pickle ourselves in Marilyn Manson’s bodily fluids. So, you can imagine the cheer of unbridled delight that erupted when, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, plopped through our le erbox. Joy. Based around the plot of the film, where an inven on has been created that makes food fall from the skies, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a very simple 3D pla ormer.

The basic tasks include mel ng giant ice lollies, climbing giant honeycombs while dodging giant falling steaks, and the solving of li le puzzles. A notable highlight is the savage gummy bears, that will a ack you un l you chop off their heads, like li le jelly zombies. It’s all good, simple fun, but sadly (and predictably) it’s not as fun as it sounds. Even for a game aimed at younger gamers, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is remarkably joyless. I’m a cynical sod who struggle to find the joy in anything, so this is hardly a game I’m going to rip off the shelf in a trance of childish excitement. But I’m willing to bet that even the happiest of children - even one that dances with bu erflys and chuckles at hamsters– will struggle to enjoy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s just boring.

The gameplay is so dull and trudging it’ll make your children age before your eyes. On the first level for instance, you have to use your magical heat gun to melt the giant ice lollies that are blocking the streets; sound’s like fun. Sadly though, in order to melt these giant flavorsome treats, you have to blast them with your hot air gun for about 5 seconds. And when I say blast, I mean stand s ll with the trigger held down un l you’re finally le with a s cky puddle – or a numb finger. It’s torrid gameplay, especially as there are around 30 godforsaken lollies on this level!

“EVEN FOR A GAME AIMED AT YOUNGER PLAYERS, THIS GAME IS REMARKABLY JOYLESS.” Maybe I’m just too depressed and miserable to enjoy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and if you’re nine (meaning you won’t have had to shell out £40 of your own money on this tripe!) you’ll probably love this li le game. But sadly, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is just another popular film / game e-in that is as dull and as lifeless as the producers that marketed it.

PRESENTATION: 10/20 STORY: 5/20 CONTROLS: 10/20 GAMEPLAY: 5/20 DURABILITY: 9/20

OVERALL

43/100

56 phonica magazine uk

Sco Tierney

REVIEWS

phonica magazine uk

57

REVIEWS

MINI NINJAS PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE, WARNER BROS DEVELOPER: IO INTERACTIVE FORMAT: XBOX 360, PS3, PC, WII, DS AVAILABLE: NOW

THEY’RE CUTE AND CUDDLY, BUT THEY’LL STILL POKE YOU IN THE EYE…IN A NICE WAY. I’ll always associate Io Interac ve with the Hitman series. And that should be just fine by them, because I love Hitman.

There’s something irredeemably thrilling about stalking an unsuspec ng target, weighing them up, casing the environment, and trying to decide whether to engineer a nasty accident, introduce them to the joys of a poison-filled hypodermic, or just shoot them several mes in the eyeball. Yum. As you may have guessed from the uber-cute name, Mini Ninjas does not have Agent 47’s penchant for realis c, over-18 brutality. It may involve Japanese assassins, but in a socially-acceptable, 3rd year way.

You know, for kids.

The premise goes thusly. Aforemen oned miniature assassins are dispatched to ba le the cryp cally-named Evil Samurai Warlord. Everyone gets nobbled en route, leaving only the teeniest – Hiro – to free them and lead them to the final showdown. As you progress and liberate your chums, they become playable characters that you can switch to at any me. So you have the big guy, the archer guy and so on etc. In theory, this allows your offspring – or you, assuming you’re as big a kid as I am – to mix up the gameplay and take on the various foes and challenges in tangen al, though ul and cunning ways.

It doesn’t really work like that.

58 phonica magazine uk

See, just as the hardest se ng of Hitman: Blood Money was teeth-grindingly unforgiving in places, any se ng of Mini Ninjas seems painfully easy.

And don’t give me any of that coordina on and reflex nonsense: most 8-year-olds these days could probably dance round me like Morpheus invi ng a callow Keanu Reeves to taste dojo mat (before hurling a shuriken up my nostril from 40 paces). It’s as though that evil woman from Supernanny was standing behind the developers with a ca leprod shrieking “Make it easier! EASIER! Think of the children!”

The upshot of this lightest of learning curves is that you don’t really need to mix it up. Your star ng character, Hiro, will do just fine for 90% of the challenges you face. Don’t get me wrong... there’s some nice level design here, with smile-worthy touches. You can disguise yourself as an animal to sneak past the ne’er-do-wells. You can take your hat off, float down a handy river on it and pop up behind them. Or you can do what most kids will do, and just charge in headlong with ninja weaponry and magic.

REVIEWS

“IT’S FUN. IT’S BRIGHT, BREEZY, AND IT MADE ME GRIN.” There’s more to it... plenty of unlockables, for example, should your li le bundle of joy have the pa ence. You can add new spells at sca ered shrines, for example. You can make po ons. You can level up. Although it’s fundamentally a one-direc on experience, there’s more than enough la tude to poke around and find goodies. Omi ng co-op seems an odd decision, though. It’s fun. It’s bright, breezy, and it made me grin. By the end, though, I was praying for the chance to steal a janitor’s overalls and thro le someone with fibre wire. Like I said...

I’m just a big kid at heart.

Rob Hobson

PRESENTATION: 15/20 STORY: 12/20 CONTROLS: 16/20 GAMEPLAY: 16/20 DURABILITY: 12/20

OVERALL

71/100 phonica magazine uk

59

REVIEWS

SPYBORGS PUBLISHER: CAPCOM DEVELOPER: BIONIC GAMES FORMAT: WII AVAILABLE: NOW

RUN AROUND AND PUNCH STUFF, IT’S AS SIMPLE AND AS BRILLIANT AS THAT. I don’t want to sound like an old man when I say this, but games today have become too complex. In some of the games on today’s market, you have to form rela onships, control a mul tude of se ngs, manage vast inventories, keep defensive tac cs in mind and play via an overly complicated control system that incorporates far too many bu ons.

What happened to the good old days, when games were basic, gameplay was simple and the only premise was about having fun?

Well, Spyborgs takes us back to a simpler me, and I for one am more than grateful.

Spyborgs is a 3D beat ‘em up that s cks to a very simple premises; keep it simple. There’s nothing here that will over-complicate the gamer, all you have to do is run around and kick stuff in the face. Also a friend can join in the ac on, and this only goes to punch the gameplay up a notch. Controls are taken care of via the Wii remote and the Nunchuk, and they are very simple indeed. You move around with the nunchuk’s joys ck, and punch and block with the bu ons; job done.

The controls are very smooth and precise and are a relaxing pleasure to use, especially when you consider the punishment they’re bound to receive during play.

For a game on the Wii, Spyborgs look surprisingly good.

The graphics are very crisp, the effects (mainly explosions) look wonderful and even in the most intense and crowded ba les, the frame rate is s ll maintained at to a supremely high level. It’s a great looking game, and a great demonstra on of what the Wii, when actually pushed, can achieve.

60 phonica magazine uk

Spyborgs has been cri cized by some, mainly on two counts. Firstly, it has been said that the gameplay is repe ve and the whole package lacks innova on.

This is true, but frankly it’s a welcome change to see a game s ck to the basics and not try to over complicate things. Yes it repe ve, but who cares, it’s fun. Secondly, the challenge Spyborgs provides has been said to be too hard; this I do agree with.

Even on the standard difficulty se ng, you’ll be hard pushed to get beyond the second level, and even with an experienced buddy helping, Spyborgs is a seriously tough cookie.

To sum up, Spyborgs fondly reminds me of Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. Classic games that, although repe ve and blatantly simple, were fantas c fun when played alone and even be er when played alongside a school yard chum. They had no real story or hidden message, all they had was roughly twelve levels of nonstop enemy-punching, culmina ng with a big boss at the end of each. Simple, no nonsense gaming. And Spyborgs is exactly the same; it’s not big or clever, it’s just good old fashioned fun.

Sco Tierney PRESENTATION: 17/20 STORY: 15/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 17/20 DURABILITY: 15/20

OVERALL

81/100

REVIEWS “SPYBORGS FONDLY REMINDS ME OF STREETS OF RAGE AND GOLDEN AXE. CLASSIC GAMES THAT, ALTHOUGH REPETITIVE AND BLATANTLY SIMPLE, WERE FANTASTIC FUN.”

phonica magazine uk

61

REVIEWS

INVINCIBLE TIGER: THE LEGEND OF HAN TAO PUBLISHER: BLITZ ARCADE DEVELOPER: NAMCO BANDAI ARCADE FORMAT: XBOX LIVE ARCADE AVAILABLE: NOW

FLY-KICKING HAS NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN, ESPECIALLY WHEN IN 3D! There’s something very warm and charming about a classic 1970’s Kung Fu movie. Usually they’re poorly dubbed, shot for a sixpence on horrible, dirty film, clumsily made and have a plot that makes absolutely no sense.

But, there’s nothing be er than seeing one man take down an army of Ninjas, with just his bare hands. And this is what, Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is all about; good old fashion Ninja-whipping fun.

“HAVE BLITZ JUMPED THE GUN WITH THE 3D TECHNOLOGY INVINCIBLE TIGER IS SHOWCASING?” Firstly, I’ll quickly sum up Invincible Tiger as a game, as the gameplay itself is not the most important part of this release. As you’d expect from a release on XBLA, you’re going to get cheap and cheerful thrills at a cheap and cheerful price. Invincible Tiger is essen ally a 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up, where on each level your character is swarmed by gradually improving waves of enemies. It’s good fun, and the whole ‘B Movie’ theme the developers have produced works extremely well. The controls are pre y good also, with each punch and kick feeling suitably responsive and snappy. All in all, Invincible Tiger is a nice li le game to pass the me with.

But as I said, this isn’t the whole story.

62 phonica magazine uk

Invincible Tiger’s main selling point is the 3D modes it can be viewed in. If you have one of the new fancy 3D TVs, you can play Invincible Tiger in true 3D, but if not (and to be fair, most people haven’t got a new 3D TV) you can dig out your old cardboard 3D glasses and play this way. Your glasses don’t have to be the classic red/blue combina on either, as the display can be adjusted to run with almost any combina on of colours, like green/purple, green/red etc.

I’ve played Invincible Tiger via the old school glasses, and although it’s not the most jaw-dropping of experiences, in occasional moments the 3D depth does shine through, especially when an enemy is flung directly at you. When played in true 3D though, it’s apparently stunning.

REVIEWS

But have Blitz jumped the gun with the 3D technology Invincible Tiger is showcasing?

Although 3D TV is expected to be the direc on displays will take in the future, at present very few models have this feature, and if they do you’ll have to spend a minimum of £5k for the privilege.

It’s strange that Blitz would feel the need to get a game out into the marketplace that only a select few will be able to truly experience, and even if/when 3D TV becomes the norm, this game is surely going to feel like a relic. It’s a strange decision, and one that doesn’t quite seem to work.

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is a great li le arcade game that for brief spells will keep you entertained. But the 3D advantages it boasts aren’t that great, and don’t warrant you buying this game.

Unless you have a 3D TV of course….

Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 17/20 STORY: 13/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 15/20 DURABILITY: 12/20

OVERALL

74/100 phonica magazine uk

63

THE GUIDE

PHONICA’S 20 RECOMMENDED GROUND-BREAKERS DESCENT

MYST

TETRIS

SUPER MARIO 64

METAL GEAR SOLID

(PS1, PC)

(PC)

(EVERYTHING!)

(N64)

(PS1)

“So you’re telling me I can move up, down, le , right, AND pitch and roll?

It was a shooter, kids... just not as we knew it. .”

“It was huge, sprawling and impenetrable but showed the poten al for beau ful graphics and serious storytelling in games.”

“What can you say?

Without this, games as we know them may not even exist.”

“The first game to take the fun of a 2D pla ormer and actually make it work in 3D. No, Sonic 3D doesn’t count; it was rubbish!”

“Not the first Metal Gear game, but it formed the template for the stealth ac on genre and was the first that had cut scenes long enough to make tea in. ”

WII SPORTS

SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION I

COUNTER STRIKE

WOLFENSTEIN 3D

COMMAND AND CONQUER

(Wii)

(PC)

(PC)

(PC)

(PC)

“What could have been a flash in the pan novelty, turned out to be the future of gaming.

Probably s ll the best game on the Wii.”

“A turning point in the gaming industry - responsible for the birth of turn-based strategy and the spawning of countless management games.”

“No doubt THE game that mul player shooters now base their ideas on.

Counterstrike broke new ground where Quake and Unreal could not.”

“The first FPS (not Doom!) and frankly any game with a giant robo c Hitler with gantline guns has to be good!”

“Base building, resource gathering and real me combat are the hallmarks of the RTS genre and C&C had all these aspects way back in 1995 along with a great storyline.”

64 phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

RISE OF THE ROBOTS HALF LIFE

THE SIMS

STREET FIGHTER 2

(PC, PS2)

(PC, PS2)

(SNES, MD, Arcade)

“The first FPS to actually make you involved in the narra ve, and s ll feels fresh today. Bring on Black Mesa!”

“Introduced the new concept of controlling a person’s everyday life in minute detail. Even more importantly, it paved the way for casual gaming which has exploded over the last few years.”

“At last... arcade combat in the comfort of your living room. S ll the gold standard for ming, speed and improbable hit combos. I was a Ryu man myself.”

(MD, SNES, PC)

GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 (PC, PS2)

“ God it was a terrible game, but just look at the graphics!”

“Took GTA from a basic 2D cult icon to the ul mate sandbox experience. Running down a screaming pedestrian for the first me was unforge able, and funny.”

DUNE 2

BLACK AND WHITE

ELITE

GRAN TURISMO

PORTAL

(PC)

(PC)

(PC)

(PS1)

(PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

“If you’ve ever played an RTS game, it probably stole something from Dune II. The game sine qua non C&C, Warcra , and just about all the others. ”

“Some of the smartest and most sugges ble AI you’ll ever find, and created a whole new style of emo on based gameplay. And a giant cow and monkey!”

“3D graphics and massive open-ended space game play.

This game pre y much set the scene from everything from Eve Online to Grand The Auto.”

“The first serious racing game, with real cars, delicate setup op ons and handerling that was actually realis c.”

“Blew apart the whole design of the FPS. One of the most radical and different tles of recent years.”

phonica magazine uk

65

THE GUIDE

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

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 E75

Nokia 6210

Nokia E63

Nokia N97

Nokia 3720 classic

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

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

MP3/AAC/WAV/WMA

MP3/WAV/AAC/WMA

MP3/WAV/AAC/WMA

MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA

Yes MP3 340 264 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 222 244 Yes

Yes Polyphonic & MP3 660 432 Yes

Yes MP3 570 430 Yes

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

HTC Magic

HTC Hero

Apple iPhone 3G S

Apple iPhone 3G

INQ Chat 3G

113 x 55 x 13.7 mm 118.5 g Quad-band 320 x 480 3.15 MP 288 MB/microSD Yes/miniUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Wi-Fi HTML Yes,via 3rd party SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 320 x 480 5 MP 288 MB/microSD ™ Yes/A2DP/miniUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Wi-Fi HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 3.15 MP 16/32 GB (internal) Yes/USB Yes/EDGE Wi-Fi HTML (Safari) No SMS/MMS/Email No

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 133 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 2MP 8/16 GB (internal) Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Yes HTML (Safari) No SMS/Email No

114.5 x 61 x 12.8 mm 93 g Tri-band/3G 176 x 220 3.2 MP 120 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™ Yes/A2DP/USB Yes Yes Net Front Yes SMS/MMS/Email No

MP3/MP4

MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA 9

MP3/MP3 VBR/AAC/WAV

MP3/MP3 VBR/AAC/WAV

AMR/AAC/AAC+/eAAC

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 450 420 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 420 750 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 720 300 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 600 300 Yes

AMR/AAC/AAC+/eAAC/MIDI/MP3/WAV 480 170 Yes

66 phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music

Sony Ericsson Yari

Sony Ericsson Naite

Sony Ericsson C901

Sony Ericsson C510

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

100 x 48 x 15.7 mm 115 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 320 5 MP 60 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No Wap/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

108 x 47 x 12.6 mm 84 g Quad-band 240 x 320 2 MP 100 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No Wap/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

105 x 45 x 13 mm 107 g Quad-band 240 x 320 5 MP 120 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™ Yes/A2DP/USB Yes No Wap/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

107 x 47 x 12.5 mm 92 g Quad-band 240 x 320 3.15 MP 100 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™ Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No Wap/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

MP3/AAc/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/AAC/MP4

Yes Polyphonic & MP3 528 406 Yes

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

BlackBerry 8520

BlackBerry Bold 9000

BlackBerry 8300 Curve Samsung Jet

Samsung U900

109 x 60 x 13.9 mm 106 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2 MP 256 MB/MicroSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

114 x 66 x 14 mm 133 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 2MP 1GB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 Yes HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

107 x 60 x 15.5 mm 111 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2MP 64MB/microSD Yes/microUSB Yes/EDGE No HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM No

103.2 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm 81.5 g Quad-band 240 x 320 3.2MP 80MB/microSD

108 x 53.5 x 11.9 mm 110 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 800 5MP 2/8 GB (internal)/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 12/HSDPA Wi-Fi Wap/Dolphin Yes SMS/MMS/Email/Vidoe/MS Exchange Yes

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

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

MP3/WMA/AAC+

MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

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

MP3/MPEG4/AAC/eAAC/WMA

Yes Poly/MIDI/MP3 270 408 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 300 310 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 240 408 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 492 422 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 210 220 Yes

phonica magazine uk

67