Issue 11 by PhonicaMagUK

the mobile phone and gaming magazine

Issue11

phonica magazine uk

WHAT’S INSIDE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 11 2010

NEWS

Skype available in Ovi Store for Nokia smart phones Nokia sues Apple…again! Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools launched in China Samsung Galaxy Portal now on 3 Microso Communicator Mobile for Nokia Debuts Atari classic set to return PC Games sales up worldwide in 2009 Valve launch new Le 4 Dead Content Unique Japanese Marke ng comes for Yakuza 4 Civiliza on 5 geared for 2010 release Inﬁnity Ward and Ac vision s ll ba ling

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FEATURES WHERE IS EVERYBODY? Where have all the memorable gaming characters gone?

FORGOTTEN GEMS: FAHRENHEIT It’s arguably on a par with Quan c Dream’s latest release, but has this li le gem been washed away in the downpour that is Heavy Rain?

PREVIEWS

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Red Dead Redemp on Perfect Dark F1 2010

VIEWS Splinter Cell: Convic on Heavy Rain MX vs. ATV Reﬂex The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Ba leﬁeld 2: Bad Company

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THE GUIDE Games: Phonica’s 20 Suppor ng Characters Mobile Phones

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EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Leonce

GAMING EDITOR Sco Tierney

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 ÂŠ 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.

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EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to another issue of Phonica Magazine UK. I’ve been si ing through emails and correspondence, all screaming to be read, when a scary thought formed in my mind. With all this convergence and the ability to use VoIP systems on your mobile what effect will this have on the mobile opera ng industry in five/ten years? Each month we see the addi on of services such as Skype and Nimbuzz making its way onto mobile devices. Great for us, the end user…but how does this benefit the mobile operator? In March this year we saw Egypt’s Na onal Telecommunica on Regulatory Authority enforced a ban on Interna onal calls made through mobile VoIP Internet connec ons a er no cing a sharp decline in Interna onal call volumes. Such services strike at the core of any mobile operator….so why do they allow this? What’s in it for them? I’d leave you to ponder on such thoughts. In the mean me I’m going to call my cousin…of course using Skype on my iPhone. Enjoy reading Your Editor in Chief

Kevin Leonce

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NEWS SKYPE NOW AVAILABLE FOR NOKIA SMARTPHONES IN OVI STORE MORE THAN 200 MILLION SMARTPHONE USERS WORLDWIDE NOW HAVE SKYPE AT THEIR FINGERTIPS Skype and Nokia jointly announced the release of Skype for Symbian, a Skype client for Nokia smartphones based on the Symbian pla orm, the world’s most popular smartphone pla orm. Skype for Symbian will allow Nokia smartphone users worldwide to use Skype on the move, over either a WiFi or mobile data connec on (GPRS, EDGE, 3G). It is now downloadable for free from the Ovi Store, Nokia’s one-stop shop for mobile content. Skype for Symbian enables Nokia smartphone users to: -

Make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world

Save money on calls and texts (SMS) to phones abroad

Send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups

Share pictures, videos and other ﬁles

Receive calls to their exis ng online number

See when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM

Easily import names and numbers from the phone’s address book

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Skype for Symbian will run on any Nokia smartphone using Symbian 1, the latest version of the Symbian pla orm. Skype will soon introduce this client to Symbian mobile devices from other manufacturers, including Sony Ericsson. “Symbian enables us to bring smartphones to more and more people and ensures scale for our solu ons and compelling services, such as Skype. We’re seeing around 1.5 million downloads a day on Ovi Store now and believe that the Skype client for Nokia smartphones will have wide appeal to Symbian users,” said Jo Harlow, Senior Vice President for Smartphones, Nokia.

“SKYPE RUNNING ON SYMBIAN, THE WORLD’S DOMINANT SMARTPHONE PLATFORM, MAKES FOR AN EXPLOSIVE COMBINATION,” “Skype, the king of Internet communica ons, running on Symbian, the world’s dominant smartphone pla orm, makes for an explosive combina on,” said Larry Berkin, Head of Global Alliances and GM USA, Symbian Founda on. “With Symbian’s global reach, Skype is that much closer to becoming the ubiquitous real- me communica ons pla orm for hundreds of millions of Symbian-based mobile users.” For more informa on on Skype for Symbian, including the latest supported handset list, visit h p://www.skype.com/go/symbian

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NEWS NOKIA SUES APPLE IN WISCONSIN FOR INFRINGEMENT OF NOKIA PATENTS WILL THEY EVER BE FREINDS? Nokia announced that it has filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin, alleging that Apple iPhone and iPad 3G products infringe five important Nokia patents. The patents in ques on relate to technologies for enhanced speech and data transmission, using posi oning data in applica ons and innova ons in antenna configura ons that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices. These patented innova ons are important to Nokia’s success as they allow improved product performance and design. “Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in mobile devices” said Paul Melin, General Manager, Patent Licensing at Nokia. “We have taken this step to protect the results of our pioneering development and to put an end to con nued unlawful use of Nokia’s innova on.” During the last two decades, Nokia has invested approximately EUR 40 billion in research and development and built one of the wireless industry’s strongest and broadest IPR por olios, with over 11,000 patent families. Nokia is a world leader in the development of handheld device and mobile communica ons technologies, which is also demonstrated by Nokia’s strong patent por olio.

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NOKIA’S OVI LIFE TOOLS LAUNCHED IN CHINA Nokia announced the launch of Ovi Life Tools (Nokia Ovi Sheng Huo Tong) in China. Designed for the emerging markets, Ovi Life Tools offers a wide range of informa on services covering healthcare, agriculture, educa on and entertainment. The service addresses the needs of rural consumers with the vision to provide livelihood and life-impac ng benefits to improve their economic prosperity and quality of life. At launch, two affordable and easy-to-use mobile phones, the Nokia 1616 and the Nokia 1800, will support the new service. “While China’s urbaniza on is growing rapidly, we believe there is a compelling need to provide mobile solu ons in emerging markets bringing affordable, quality, and locally relevant informa on direct to the consumer,” said Chris Leong, Senior Vice President, Greater China, Korea & Japan. According to Sun Xiaoming, Deputy Director of China Rural Technology Development Center of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, “Currently there are almost 732 million rural residents in China: which is roughly 55 percent of the total popula on. The Chinese Government has consistently placed rural issues as a top priority, and this includes the development, access and dissemina on of informa on to people in rural areas. Fast and effec ve communica on coupled with locally relevant informa on will help promote economic growth and produc vity.

NEWS AFFORDABLE MOBILE SOLUTION LAUNCHED TO HELP CONNECT RURAL CONSUMERS

“FAST AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION COUPLED WITH LOCALLY RELEVANT INFORMATION WILL HELP PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY.” “Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools is an example of how a private company can provide innova ve solu ons which are relevant, affordable and beneficial to the larger popula on, and this effec vely complements the Government’s effort to bridge the technology and informa on gap currently faced,” Ms Sun said.

“Mobile phones are widely used by people in rural areas; for many, it is their primary source of informa on. I would like to congratulate Nokia for developing a unique and innova ve service that has tremendous poten al to improve lives and the livelihood of farmers and sub-urban consumers,” added Ms Sun. More informa on about Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools in China can be found at www.nokia.com.cn/olt

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THE SAMSUNG GALAXY PORTAL IS ON 3 3UK IS THE FIRST NETWORK OPERATOR IN THE UK TO LAUNCH THE SAMSUNG GALAXY PORTAL, USING THE GOOGLE ANDROID ÉCLAIR OPERATING SYSTEM. Sylvia Chind Head of Branded Devices, 3UK “The Samsung Galaxy Portal is all about le ng people shape a phone and its func ons to match how they want to use it. It allows users to customise one of the 10 home screens, contact friends using various social media internet services, and access any of the thousands of Android apps. It’s all about your phone, how you like it. Our customers have the added beneﬁt of our high speed network, giving them the best experience on their Samsung Galaxy Portal.

The Samsung Galaxy Portal features Layar the augmented reality applica on which combines your phone’s camera, compass and GPS data to gives you loads more informa on about where you are like your nearest Starbucks or cash machine. Just hold your camera up where you are and it will do the rest for you. The Samsung Galaxy Portal is available in red & black or white & green from £20 a month with unlimited internet, texts and 200 any me any network minutes on a 24month contract and costs £184 on Pay As You Go. Available at www.three.co.uk and at 3 Stores.

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NEWS

MICROSOFT COMMUNICATOR MOBILE FOR NOKIA DEBUTS FIRST DELIVERABLE FROM MICROSOFT AND NOKIA ALLIANCE AIMS TO SIMPLIFY MOBILE COLLABORATION Microso and Nokia launched the first applica on from their alliance around mobile produc vity, Microso Communicator Mobile for Nokia devices. This new unified communica ons client connects directly with a company’s communica ons systems to streamline mobile collabora on. Owners of a number of Symbian based Nokia Eseries smartphones can download the English version from Nokia’s Ovi Store, the easiest place to get content on their Nokia device. “Our alliance with Nokia aims to bring the Office produc vity experience to the millions of people using Nokia smartphones around the world,” says Kirt Debique, General Manager at Microso . “With the arrival of Communicator Mobile for Nokia, we have a great start to fulfilling our joint vision.” Communicator Mobile enables people to see their colleagues’ availability, and click to communicate with them using the best method, from IM to email, text to phone call. The names and status of colleagues are embedded directly into the devices’ contacts applica on, enabling people to update their own presence, start and join instant messaging sessions, and begin calls directly from the contact card.

“This applica on really provides a much more efficient way to work with others as you can see if someone is busy or available, and the best way to start a conversa on with them,” says Ukko Lappalainen, Vice President at Nokia. “It also meets all of the requirements for enterprise: cost effec ve to implement, secure, familiar and reliable.” The launch is the first product from the alliance announced last August - which was the first me either company had embarked on an agreement of this scope and nature. Since then, the two companies have been collabora ng on the design and development of new solu ons, as well as embarking on joint marke ng efforts around others they already share. This new applica on, available ini ally for Nokia E72 and Nokia E52, adds to the work Nokia is already doing in op mizing direct access to email and other personal informa on with Microso Exchange Ac veSync. The companies plan to deliver Communicator Mobile for Nokia pre-installed on select Nokia smartphones in the future and plan to support addi onal devices, including the recently announced Nokia E5.

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NEWS ATARI CLASSIC SET TO RETURN MISSILE COMMAND RETURNS ON ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF MISSILE-ON-MISSILE ACTION Updated for the 21st century, the new, revamped Missile Command released in honour of its predecessor 30 years ago brings new features and game modes. Developed by OMGPOP, the new version includes free online mul player gameplay, a new slap of (virtual) paint and added tassels.

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In 1980 the threat of nuclear war was hanging in the air, and people across the world genuinely feared the almost inevitable pressing of the red bu on by one side or another. When Atari released Missile Command on its Atari 2600 system, complete with ďŹ nger-pinching trackball, players swarmed to the game and its objec ve â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to protect ci es from missile a ack, armed with their own missiles to intercept enemy ballis cs.

30 years later, OMGPOP and Atari combined forces in order to redevelop the classic and came up with a completely free online version. Powerups, new enemies such as planes, bombs and bosses, upgrades for your missiles (e.g. blast radius, speed, supply) and an online mul player co-op feature, Missile Command has been thoroughly polished and buﬀed to present a new take on a long-forgo en gem.

“Missile Command is a pop culture phenomenon that millions upon millions of fans have enjoyed throughout the years,” says Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. “The new Missile Command maintains the appeal of the original while bringing it to today’s casual and social game players. It is an example of how Atari’s games por olio is well posi oned for today’s growing online games market.” Paul Park

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NEWS

PC GAMES SALES UP 3% WORLDWIDE IN 2009 ASIAN GROWTH HELPS BUCK THE DOWNTURN PC game sales topped $13 billion (£8.7 billion) last year according to figures in a new report, a growth of 3% on the previous year. The growth was driven by high sales in Asia and the uptake of digital distribu on elsewhere. The PC Gaming Alliance PCGA 2009 recently published its Horizons Report on March 10, a broad-based study covering all aspects of the PC gaming industry worldwide. In the USA and Europe sales declined by as much as 15% compared with high 2008 levels, indica ng that Asia had to pick up a lot of slack to p the market into growth. The report includes PC gaming revenues from every region around the world, and from every part of the industry including retail, online gaming, digital distribu on, and online adver sing. In a generally gloomy year for the industry, it was the Asia Pacific region that was driving growth. In a year when the world economy contracted sharply, the figures emphasise the economic strength of gaming which was typified by the release of blockbuster games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The latest figures were released in the annual PCGA Horizons so ware report prepared by market research firm DFC Intelligence. In addi on to gathering stats, the report looked at the overarching trends in the industry.

“The most notable trend in recent years has been the movement to digital distribu on and payment for subscrip ons, and the growing popularity with consumers of online games as a service,” said Randy Stude, PCGA president and Intel director. “In 2009 we saw North America and Europe experience a rapid uptake in purchasing virtual items. This model is what drove growth in Asia and we think it is just star ng to come to Western markets.” Korean MMO games have long been implemen ng a free-to-play model genera ng revenue from inducing players to pay for top ups or more powerful items. Dungeons and Dragons Online was one of the ﬁrst Western games to switch to a similar model, repor ng early success.The growing importance of such models has hit subscrip on based games and the report suggests the segment as a whole suﬀered from a lack of major new releases and a decline in usage for some older products. Interes ngly, the report suggests that the growing popularity of free-to-play games and the emergence of social network sites like Facebook hurt some markets, even if it is hard to imagine Farmville luring players away from their PS3s. Less surprisingly, the biggest downturn was in the retail of boxed sales of PC games, which now account for less than 20% of total revenue. The report comes at a me of transi on for the PC industry but shows some signs for op mism among developers and distributors. Ian Duncan

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NEWS

VALVE LAUNCH NEW L4D2 CONTENT WITH COMIC ONLINE COMIC WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA XBOX LIVE Online comics have, to a certain extent, given the comic book industry a much needed shot in the arm. With comics now available via Xbox Live, the PSN Network, online via downloads and streams, and most importantly on the iPhone, they’re ge ng a digital ‘second wind’. So, Valve have jumped aboard the hal one bandwagon, and announced that a new Le 4 Dead comic will be distributed via Xbox Live. By the end of this month, a new chapter is expected to be available for Le 4 Dead 2, en tled The Passing. This new downloadable chapter will allow you to play as the original quartet from the ﬁrst game, in the world of the second. To make the transi on between the two games smoother, and to e up a few plot lines, Valve will release a comic that deals with these ques ons.

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This is the ﬁrst me a comic has been available to view via Xbox Live, and an applica on to view the comic (and possible others) is expected to be introduced. But this isn’t the ﬁrst me a comic has made its way onto our consoles. On the PSN network, you can purchase comics from the online store, with a popular choice being the excellent Uncharted: Eye of Indra. Whether this clever bit of marke ng by Valve is going to become a popular trend is yet to be seen. With downloadable content becoming a more prosperous and important part of game marke ng, comics appear to be a natural and clever e-in. That said though, I do miss the smell of an old comic. You just can’t recreate that digitally….or can you? Note to self, invent digital smellable comics. Sco Tierney

NEWS

JAPANESE MARKETING FOR YAKUZA 4 TURNS TO CLOCKS AND LADIES IN GAME HOSTESSES WILL TELL YOU THE TIME… AMONG OTHER THINGS Yakuza 4 has already a racted quite a bit of a en on even outside the non-Japanese speaking world (where we’re only up to the third game in the series) for featuring Rio, one of the country’s most renowned adult film ‘actresses’ as a voice actor. Now the game’s developers have taken a slightly bizarre turn by partnering with iPhone app bijin-tokei (Beau ful woman clock). The app features a series of a rac ve ladies holding up a blackboard with the me chalked up on it for a minute each. For three minutes out of the day – 8.00, 9.03 and 1.03 to be precise – actresses from the game will be your mekeepers of choice. In case you didn’t know their significance, the game’s Japanese name is wri en at the bo om of their boards. Other marke ng pushes for the game, which came out on March the 18th in Japan, include branded instant noodles. The special edi on of the game will come with a hip flask etched with the ta oo from the main character’s back.

The game itself is set in a loosely ﬁc onalised version of Tokyo’s Shinjuku area called Kamuro City. The story is delivered from the viewpoint of four diﬀerent gang members and, according to early Japanese reviews, is a lot of fun. There’s no news on when we might get the game over here, but let’s hope the marke ng approach is just as crea ve. Meanwhile, Yakuza 3 launched mid-March in Europe and the US. In this installa on players take on the role of the series’s hero Kazuma Kiryu who, having le Tokyo, is forced to protect his newly established orphanage on the island of Okinawa (which is maybe where the developers of Max Payne 3 got the idea to send Max to Brazil). When the game was adapted for Western release, a number of scenes, including those that take place in hostess bars, were cut. The move drew some cri cism from reviewers by Sega claimed that it would have been impossible to launch the game without making the edits but did not provide any further details. Ian Duncan

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NEWS CIVILIZATION 5 ON THE HORIZON FOR 2010 SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION SET FOR A FIFTH TITLE Announced by 2K Games, Sid Meier’s Civiliza on series is set for a ﬁ h tle, currently in development by Firaxis. Featuring wholesale changes including the introduc on of hexagonal les to replace the tradi onal square les, Civiliza on V is set for release in Autumn 2010. Built on a completely new engine that aims to “bring players closer to the Civ experience ever”, Civ V has undergone tweaks and given improvements all-round in order to put one of the most popular strategy series of all me back onto the shelves. Following in the footsteps of recent blockbuster hits such as Call of Duty, Civiliza on V will include an “extensive suite of community, modding and mul player elements” and an “in-game hub where Civ fans can share content and compete against each other”. Changes such as the move from square les to hexagonal les aim to “allow for deeper strategy, more realis c gameplay, and stunning organic landscapes”. Diplomacy will be given a full screen with leader anima ons and appropriate languages, while those who are not inclined to the nego a on table are able to perform ac ons such as ranged bombardments from behind the front lines, giving war a “more massive” feel about it. Namesake and the director of crea ve development at Firaxis Sid Meier said “Each new version of Civiliza on presents exci ng challenges for our team. Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop ﬂowing.” Civiliza on V has been pencilled in for a late 2010 release – watch this space (or le, whichever you prefer). Paul Park

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NEWS

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NEWS

LEGAL BATTLE BETWEEN INFINITY WARD AND ACTIVISION RUMBLES ON IT’S SUCH A BIG STORY, ITS GOT ‘GATE’ IN THE TITLE Everyone loves a scrap. Two school yard bullies, punching each other in the face while the rest of the pupils gather in a circle to watch the unravelling carnage. Great fun. But it’s not so much fun when you’re watching two friends fight over something you love. That’s (sort of) the case with the current ba le between Infinity Ward and Ac vision, as they ba le it out for who gets the Call of Duty series. Someone make them stop! The concrete details of the dispute are s ll unknown, with a lot of the true facts being hidden behind a veil of lawsuits and hear say, but a few leaks have been verified. Firstly, it is well known that Ac vision, the publishers/owners of the Call of Duty series, have been branching the series out to other developers, with Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games both working on tles for release this year. This may or may not have been the catalyst to a dispute between the original series creators, Infinity Ward, and Ac vision. On Tuesday 2nd March, following rumours that had circulated the previous day, Ac vision announced that major Infinity Ward developers Jason West and Vince Zampella have departed the company. The reason behind their departure is s ll misty, with allega ons of both developers being forced out over a dispute regarding unpaid royal es. Whatever the case, the following day both developers filed a lawsuit against Ac vision, demanding $36million in unpaid royal es, and claims that they own certain aspects of the COD franchise.

Since then, it’s been back and forth between Inﬁnity Ward and Ac vision, like a dirty game of swingball. Ac vision have said that the allega ons are unfounded, while the developers have come back with a 16 page ﬁling, sta ng that they had an agreement with the publishers regarding crea ve control. It’s all very messy and unpleasant, and it doesn’t look like ending any me soon.

“WITH INFINITY WARD LOSING GRIP, IT LOOKS LIKE THE SERIES IS GOING TO GET SPREAD AROUND, WITH EACH TITLE POSSIBLY GETTING THINNER AND WEAKER.” So where does this leave the Call of Duty series? Well, in this call we’d have to side with the developers at Infinity Ward, as with Ac vision sending out the COD franchise to other external developers, it looks like we’re going to see a lot of cash-in tles. With Infinity Ward losing grip of the crea ve control, it looks like the series is going to get spread around, with each tle possibly ge ng thinner and weaker. This isn’t guaran ed to be the case, and we may see some great tles, but the COD name looks set to be damaged, or at least lose some credibility. Who knows, in 5 years me, we may look back on Modern Warfare 2 and see it as the last great Call of Duty game? Whatever the case, let’s hope that this lawsuit and legal ba le finds a resolu on quickly, without any harm coming to the series. Sco Tierney

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PREVIEW RED DEAD REDEMPTION PUBLISHER: ROCKSTAR GAMES DEVELOPER: ROCKSTAR GAMES PLATFORM: XBOX 360, PS3 AVAILABLE: MAY 2010

TAMING THE WEST At the Chicago World’s Columbia Exhibi on in 1893, Fredrick Jackson Turner put forward the idea that American history up to that point had been driven by the existence of a fron er – a semi-lawless land between polite society and the wild lands. He was worried because by the late 19th century, there wasn’t much fron er le . He feared that without the promise of cheap new land and a free lifestyle, undesirable elements would quickly swamp the ci es. In Red Dead Redemp on you take on the role of John Marston who is caught squarely in the middle of the closing of the fron er. A former outlaw, he has now been convinced to track down his old gang mates and bring them to jus ce. But, it could go either way and Marston can choose to return to his old ways. The game is being billed as Grand The Auto for the Wild West – it’s being developed by Rock Star a er all – but obviously without automo ve transporta on things could get a li le slow. Fortunately, the regions have been connected by railway lines and Marston is a skilled horseman. The preview videos underscore how much the game will owe to Grand The Auto tles. While this might draw a lot of players in, the rural se ng is obviously quite diﬀerent from the ci es of GTA tles and it could be diﬃcult for Rockstar to recreate the environment convincingly.

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From screenshots and videos released so far, the graphics look nice enough but not par cularly inspiring and don’t seem to really capture the spirit of the period and se ng. It’s always going to be hard to capture a feel of dust and grime which is what a game like this needs. That said, the character anima ons look just s ﬀ enough to evoke the feel of old Westerns.

“RED DEAD REDEMPTION LOOKS LIKE IT COULD GO EITHER WAY.” True to the sand box genre, there will be plenty of scope to wander freely around the world and a random encounter system should keep things from ge ng too boring. Combat will be the focus of the game with a nice looking line up of period weapons including personal weapons like revolvers but also some more fearsome op ons like an early ga ling gun. In regular ba les ‘gunplay’ will be the order of the day, with the emphasis on lining up skilled shots and using a slow mo on mode to pick out targets. Red Dead Redemp on looks like it could go either way. Games set in the West have never really achieved much success. Perhaps because Westerns tend to emphasis a slow build of tension that is hard to replicate in games and players expecta ons are never quite met. S ll if anyone can pull it oﬀ, it will be Rockstar. Ian Duncan

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PREVIEW

PERFECT DARK PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT DEVELOPER: 4J STUDIOS / RARE PLATFORM: XBOX 360 AVAILABLE: TBC, 2010

A PAST CLASSIC MAKES A WELCOME RETURN. BUT CAN IT STILL CUT IT? One of a handful of classic FPS games that s ll proves to be a fantas c mul player hit, Perfect Dark makes its return on the Xbox Live. Once a sci-fi game that oozed poten al, exceeding the confines of the N64, Perfect Dark is now a fully fledged sci-fi shoot-em-up. A er the miserable a empt at resurrec ng perhaps one of the most well-known old school party games in Goldeneye, it seems as if Microso have managed to get things done properly this me. Perfect Dark was always one of those games that hooked people in and never let go. Even to this day I remember hours and hours of fun on the library PCs at school having downloaded an N64 emulator and the Perfect Dark ROM, blas ng my way gleefully through wave a er wave of fu le a acks by people si ng next to me. Having kept close to the original theme and gameplay was going to be a challenge, considering the differences between the N64 and Xbox 360 – for example, going from 1 s ck to duals ck, managed perfectly by enabling the right s ck to control camera movement much like the N64 controllers. This enables the speed that previous N64 controllers bestowed onto the more nimble amongst us while sa sfying the more recent shooter fans that are used to duals cks.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this game was the mul player, and as such, the feature has been given a revamp by pushing the player limit to 8, with all the game’s original modes all available in the new mul player. (Pop a Cap was a steady favourite in my school library) and with the split-screen op on available for when you’ve got your friends round for a shoot-emup.

“PERFECT DARK WAS ALWAYS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT HOOKED PEOPLE IN AND NEVER LET GO.” With addi ons such as the en re Goldeneye armoury being made available as well as three of its most famous maps (Temple, Facility and Complex) one could easily mistake Perfect Dark for a slightly more futuris c Goldeneye – even perhaps going as far as to say, eventually, Goldeneye did make it successfully onto the big(ger) screen. Nevertheless, the return of one of the most iconic shoo ng games that graced the ﬁrst genera on of consoles makes its long awaited return, perhaps with a strong enough following to force Rare’s hand and persuade them to return to the developing table. Paul Park

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PREVIEW F1 2010 PUBLISHERS: CODEMASTERS DEVELOPERS: CODEMASTERS FORMAT: XBOX 360, PS3, PC AVAILABLE: SEPTEMBER 2010

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, BUT F1 LOOKS SET TO RETURN TO THE PC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 YEARS By the me you’ve read this, the F1 season will be well and truly underway. We’ll know who looks to have the best car, whether Schumacher’s neck is going to last the season, has Massa recovered adequately from his incident last season, and we’ll probably have a good idea of who’s in the best shape for the world championship (come on Massa!). Yep, our plate will be nicely covered in a salad of answered ques ons. So, let’s look ahead to the next F1 game that’s due to hit our shelves, and see if we can answer any of the ques ons it posses. Unbelievably, F1 2010 will be the ﬁrst F1 game to be released for the PC in 8 years, with the last tle being the excep onal Grand Prix 4. Also, it could be argued that GP4 was the last serious F1 game to be released on any format, with all the tles since being marginally more ‘arcade’ based. So will F1 2010 be a more serious game, that’s more about understeer than smash-and-grab? Well, judging by the images we’ve seen, and the brief snippets of video (apart from that pointless ‘trailer’), Codemasters look to be taking F1 2010 in a more serious direc on. Also, Codemasters have stated that the game will feature “a highly advanced damage model” and “a fully dynamic weather system.” That’s nothing new, but it demonstrates that they’re going down the right avenue.

Another piece of informa on that interested us was that Codemasters are going to use the same game technology that they employed with the Colin McRae: Dirt series and Race Driver: GRID. The EGO Game Technology Pla orm is designed to give vehicles a correct sense of realism, as well as handling that responds correctly and briskly. This worked perfectly in Colin McRae: DIRT 2, with every vehicle responding perfectly to any changes in direc on, accelera on, grip and track surface. If it can be used to recreate the manner in which an F1 car performs, then F1 2010 could become the benchmark for games that follow. As expected, all the cars, drivers and tracks from the 2010 season will be included, although by the me the game comes out, a few of those teams could have been and gone, with several teams already failing to make it to the grid this season. That leads us onto on of the worries with F1 2010. Although it may be a fantas c tle, or at least it has the poten al to be, a September release date does worry us somewhat. OK, we’d rather see Codemasters take their me with F1 2010, rather than rush it out for the start of the F1 season at the expense of the product, but by the me September (considering that this date remains ﬁxed) comes around, the season will be drawing to a close, with only a few races before the winter break. Will the fans really want a tle at that point? Regardless, F1 2010 looks to be on the right path, and by the me September comes around we could have the ﬁrst decent F1 game for a long me. Last years F1 2009 on the Wii and PSP was ragged at best, and despite it’s solid sales, we didn’t rate the Wii version in the slightest. Fingers crossed the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will not only play be er, but also look be er. Sco Tierney

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phonica magazine uk

FEATURE WHERE IS EVERYBODY? WHERE HAVE ALL THE MEMORABLE GAMING CHARACTERS GONE? I recently went back to Sid Meier’s Pirates - fiver on Steam, absolute steal - and it struck me how long it had been since I’d played a game where one man’s personality was such a strong thread throughout the experience. From the grun ng throat noises the characters make to compliment the sub tles right through to the faintly drunken-sounding yo-ho-hos as you’re se ng the t’gallants and making for Havana, there’s a big friendly grin on the game’s face. It’s about as subtle as a custard flan to the face, but it’s there and it dares you to dislike it. Big event games can’t o en risk that sort of poten ally polarising “character” these days. Sure, there’s some wisecracking in the Ba lefield: Bad Company tles, and you s ll feel the pervasive glow of Schafer when you run through Brutal Legend - not that it was par cularly successful as a game, in my humble opinion - but by and large you have to look to smaller projects if you want something you’re going to connect with on a more emo onal level. Plants vs Zombies for the iPhone makes me chuckle. Ben There Dan That likewise. The Void makes me feel uncertain, and frustrated, and more than a li le unnerved. When the money’s not there, you can take bigger risks with the precept or the way the narra ve is delivered. Remember Winston Wolf? Just because you are a character, it doesn’t mean you have character. So while you get memorable cameos from certain figures in certain games - think Shale from Dragon Age or Quark in Ratchet and Clank - they can o en feel tacked on. HK47 is li le more than comic relief in KOTOR, for example. The game, as befits a 20-hour homage to the galaxy’s most po-faced religion, Jedism - is pre y low on wit, but I’ll always choose the robot over the Jedi as a party member. I must like being called “meatbag”.

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Not that I’m only demanding yuks, you understand. I watched the third Indiana Jones film last night and found myself being irresis bly drawn back to Uncharted. Both releases are confident in who they are. That’s why they both never really put a foot wrong: clever people at Naughty Dog and Lucasfilm know exactly how to leaven ac on with humour. Uncharted is virtually a blockbuster cinema release in itself: Naughty Dog have taken all those lessons from 30-odd years of ac on movie and turned them into a video game. It works flawlessly. To an extent, I find, you watch it as much as play it. You take blockbuster preconcep ons with you when you boot it up. You never feel too close to Drake because a) he’s a square-jawed ac on hero and you’re not, and b) you know he’ll win, get girl, save world.

“BIG EVENT GAMES CAN’T OFTEN RISK THAT SORT OF POTENTIALLY POLARISING “CHARACTER” THESE DAYS. WHEN THE MONEY’S NOT THERE, YOU CAN TAKE BIGGER RISKS WITH THE PRECEPT OR THE WAY THE NARRATIVE IS DELIVERED.” I dream of a day when indie humour can make it back to the mainstream. Perhaps one day we’ll be able to free ourselves from the painful memories of Hideo Kojima’s poo-jokes and enjoy something... well, not something more grown-up, but something for grown-ups? And no, I don’t mean so -focus elf-shagging, BioWare. I don’t know what I mean. But, like Sid Meier, I know it when I see it. Rob Hobson

phonica magazine uk

FORGOTTEN GEMS:

FAHRENHEIT HEAVY RAIN’S PREDECESSOR LOOKS DUE TO RECEIVE THE ACCLAIM IT DESERVES phonica magazine magazine uk uk 30 phonica

FEATURE PUBLISHERS: ATARI DEVELOPERS: QUANTIC DREAM FORMAT: XBOX, PS2, PC RELEASED: 2005 The hot topic in the gaming world is currently Heavy Rain. Is it a trend se ng tle? Is it the Ci zen Kane of games? Is it the next step in gaming? How many mes did you make Madison take a shower? All ques ons for which there are numerous answers, both right and wrong. But one ques on that has recently come up is a rela vely simple one. Which is be er, Heavy Rain or Fahrenheit? Well, there’s only one way to find out…. No I’m not doing that Harry Hill gag; it’s been done to death. In 2004, Quan c Dream released Fahrenheit (also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America), a gripping murder mystery that played out as an interac ve film. During the course of the game, you played as the three central characters, and led them along on their own separate and intertwining paths. Firstly there is Lucas Kane, an IT Manager who unwillingly commits a murder while under the influence of some supernatural spell. As the story progress, he must find out what has happened to him, all the while evading the a en on of the police as they track his trail. Then there are Carla Valen and Tyler Miles, two Detec ves who follow the case of the murder, and track Kane. All this is played out in a grainy, gri y, snow-covered New York, with a haun ng soundtrack from David Lynch favorite, Angelo Badalamen . Quan c Dream branded Fahrenheit as the first ‘interac ve film’, with the player playing-out predetermined events with basic inputs. For instance, if your character jumped into a lake to save a drowning child, you’d have to repeatedly tap the trigger bu ons to make him swim faster, and press the correct bu on when prompted. It’s not to everyone’s taste, and even in today’s Heavy Rain it’s s ll a sensi ve subject, but in Fahrenheit it works well.

Fahrenheit wasn’t perfect; in fact it was far from it. The controls were iﬀy, the plot was ta ered with unexplained holes, and the visuals were unspectacular even in 2005. But what made Fahrenheit so intense and enjoyable was the overall feel of it. Every scene ached with drama and tension, with excellent voice ac ng, smart character development and arcs, a delicate score and superb pacing all being put to excellent use. There were sec ons when the thumb-numbing bu on bashing became a hindrance, but overall the gameplay was superb, and the ‘elas c’ plot (there was no set ending, and any choice the gamer made could alter how sec ons played-out) was a clever and ingenious method of adding a prolonged lifespan to the gameplay. One sec on, when you had to play as a young Kane as he crept around an army base, was par cular gripping, and beau fully executed.

“HOPEFULLY FAHRENHEIT WILL GET A SECOND WIND IN THE WAKE OF HEAVY RAINS SUCCESS.” So, which of the Quan c Dream tles is be er, Fahrenheit or Heavy Rain? Well, this is en rely up to your own opinion, with both tles having a mul tude of pros and cons. But for me, I’ll always prefer Fahrenheit. Heavy Rain is technically a be er game, with a smarter plot, a darker feel and some truly excep onal graphics, but I felt it lacked an injec on of pace, and at mes it seemed to plod when it should be racing. With Fahrenheit, that pace was always there, and with that there was a far greater level of tension and excitement. Hopefully Fahrenheit will get a second wind in the wake of Heavy Rains success. It certainly deserves to, even if just to be judged alongside its successor. Sco Tierney

phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS

TOM CLANCY’S

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION

PUBLISHERS: UBISOFT DEVELOPERS: UBISOFT FORMAT: XBOX 360, PC, iPHONE AVAILABLE: NOW

SLOWLY SLOWLY CATCHY BADDIE… The act of stealthing can be incredibly frustra ng. If a silent task is executed correctly, with a well aimed soundless bullet to an enemies head resul ng in an unno ced kill, then playing the silent assassin is both thrilling and rewarding. But when things go wrong, and you’re le dangling ridiculously from a drainpipe while half an army pump lead into your badly camouflaged spine, there are few more infuria ng circumstances. So has the well renowned Splinter Cell series managed to provide us with more fiendish moments than frustra ng ones? In Splinter Cell: Convic on, the fi h tle in the Splinter Cell series, we find Sam Fisher hiding out in Malta. When his former colleague Anna “Grim” Grimsdó r contacts him, Sam is begrudgingly thrown back into the chao c world from which he thought he’d escaped. But when he hears rumors that his deceased daughter may be alive, Sam goes on the a ack, and sets about hun ng those responsible. It’s a pre y red yet enjoyable paint-by-numbers plot, and although the voice ac ng is overly gruff, the pace moves on at a decent rate. Just think of it as an interac ve episode of 24 (minus ‘Angry Jack’, as he’s become known in our household), and you’re about there.

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Ubiso have ﬁddled, reworked and hurled Splinter Cell: Convic on into the recycle bin of unwanted games on numerous occasions, in an a empt to get the ﬁnal version up to a sa sfactory standard. This to-ing and fro-ing has resulted in a slights mixed gaming experiacne, which seems to slot uncomfortably in-between tac cal stealthier and newbie shooter. It’s not an easy game, and although it lasts barley 7 hours, there’s enough to keep those would-be assassins coming back in search of sneaky perfec on. But Splinter Cell: Convic on is a lot simpler than previous episodes, and sadly, there’s not a lot of room for ingenuity. It’s very much an A to B type game, with most of your strikes either pre-planned for you or a repeat of the previous. It’s not bad, but we’d have liked to have seen some of the tricks that Hitman has employed, where each mission can be played in several varia ons. The co-op feature is worthy of a men on though, and working as a team brings a much needed depth to proceedings.

“CONVICTION IS A LOT SIMPLER THAN PREVIOUS EPISODES, AND SADLY, THERE’S NOT A LOT OF ROOM FOR INGENUITY.”

REVIEWS

There are a few new features that add a sprinkle of fun to the ac on. Firstly, there’s the ‘Mark and Execute’ feature, which allows you to pre-mark either enemies or other targets, before engaging in an automa c a ack. For instance, you could target two unaware baddies before entering a room, and then with the press of a bu on, Sam will take them out unaided as you watch in jolly sa sfac on. Another feature that brings a smile is the interroga on mode, which allows you to move a noncomplying suspect around an area, and smack him about on any object you see ﬁt. It’s a nice way adding a bit of tension (and slaps ck!) to proceedings, and a welcome break from the endless shadow ducking, but these segments tend to feel wooden, as there’s not enough opportunity for interac on. Smashing a gangster’s face onto a piano is mighty amusing though, so it’s not all bad. So, does Splinter Cell: Convic on provide us with more moments of adrenaline than anger? Well, it’s a hard one to call. Splinter Cell: Convic on is arguably the least tac cal or technical game of the series, and although the tense stealthing is s ll there, it’s not as thrilling or clever as it should be. It seems as if all those extra years of development were spent watering down the essence of Splinter Cell, making it more obtainable for newbies to the series, and more ‘producer’ friendly. It s ll provides a challenge, and there are glimpses of the old magic, but this is a much easier nut to crack than the original games, even for the most bu erﬁngered of assassins.

Splinter Cell: Convic on is s ll worth a play, and despite lacking the clinical punch of the first games, and creaking some patchy flaws that can at mes leave you in a fit of frustra on (Sam can’t hit a door from more than 10 , and occasionally head-shots don’t put down an enemy!), it’s s ll a glossy slice of well produced gaming. It’s just a shame that, when compared to it’s silent and deadly predecessors, Splinter Cell: Convic on just can’t deliver that clinical kill-shot. Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 16/20 STORY: 15/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 15/20 DURABILITY: 15/20

OVERALL

78/100

phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS HEAVY RAIN PUBLISHERS: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPERS: QUANTIC DREAM FORMAT: PS3 AVAILABLE: NOW

IS THIS A GAME TO BE PLAYED, OR A GAME TO BE EXPERIENCED? Boy oh boy, this is one tough review. With 99% of other games, regardless of their genre, it’s quite easy to give a well rounded review of their prospec ve pros and cons. For instance, if you’re playing a FPS, one of the ﬁrst things you look for is precise controls, and how you can blow the limbs oﬀ your enemies. But this much hyped tle from Quan c Dream, Heavy Rain; is an extremely hard nut to crack. It looks pre y though…

But now it starts to get tricky (for me at least), as we now wander into the ﬁeld of gameplay. How do you sum up Heavy Rain as a game? Well, to play, it’s OK if unspectacular. Most of the ac on is controlled with the player responding to basic commands, say pressing X to pick up a bo le, or holding down several bu ons to climb out of bed. There’s not a lot to them, and at mes the ac on can feel a li le tame, but overall they’re OK. Walking around is a very clumsy act though, and ge ng your character to look in the right direc on takes a lot of pa ence.

Heavy Rain tells the grimly toned story of several characters, as they each try to deal with their own personal and emo onal problems. Set around the plot of a child’s abduc on, each character plays an intricate part of the narra ve, as the story unfolds around all of their ac ons and decisions. The story also changes depending on how you play the game. Even something as simple as forge ng your child’s homework, or how you sit on a chair, can dras cally alter the way the story plays out. I haven’t got enough me to go into this subject too deeply, and to be honest it would only spoil your enjoyment of the game if I did, but I’ll just say that the story is incredibly deep and moving.

“HEAVY RAIN IS A FASCINATING TITLE, AND ONE THAT WILL NO DOUBT BE SUBJECT TO ENDLESS DEBATE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.”

Graphically, as I’m sure you’re aware, Heavy Rain looks stunning. The character anima ons in par cular are incredibly detailed, and some of the loca ons are wonderfully cra ed. That said, this isn’t the case for the en re game, and in certain areas the graphics are rather poor. It’s OK when you get a close up of a characters face, but something like a badly rendered bo le or texture at mes ruins the sense of perfec on. Overall it’s superb though, and a staggering benchmark for any game that follows.

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In a way, Heavy Rain isn’t a game you play, but rather one you experience. On the face of it, the idea of comple ng tasks such as playing with your kids, cooking a pizza, rocking a baby to sleep, pushing a child on a swing and bandaging a wound sounds incredibly dull, and to an extent they are. If you were classing Heavy Rain as a piece of gaming entertainment, it would probably score quite poorly. But - and this is what makes Heavy Rain an undoubted success – Heavy Rain has the uncanny knack of completely immersing you in its plot, and making you feel genuine care for the characters. Those tasks I just men oned, such as rocking a baby to sleep, are amongst the most moving you’ll ever experience in a game, and that is quite an achievement.

Heavy Rain is a fascina ng tle, and one that will no doubt be subject to endless debate over the next few years. Is it really a game, is it be er that Fahrenheit, does it work as a complete package, is it all gloss and no depth? These are all ques ons that only you can answer. Heavy Rain may not be for everyone, and to be honest it is undone by a few basic ﬂaws, but overall it is a compelling piece that simply must be experienced. Phew, I think I got away with that one… Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 19/20 STORY: 19/20 CONTROLS: 16/20 GAMEPLAY: 17/20 DURABILITY: 18/20

OVERALL

89/100

phonica magazine uk

MX VS. ATV REFLEX THE YOU’VE BEEN FRAMED OF OFF-ROAD RACING phonica magazine magazine uk uk 36 phonica

REVIEWS PUBLISHERS: THQ DEVELOPERS: RAINBOW STUDIOS FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360, PSP, DS AVAILABLE: NOW Deep down, we are all pre y stupid. Although we try to pretend that we’re understated geniuses, with our heavy novels, deep fashion statements and coffee table literature, behind all this we s ll laugh at people falling over. We shouldn’t, and we hate ourselves for doing so, but show us a YouTube clip of a man falling off a ladder or a baby ge ng head-bu ed by a dog, and we’ll laugh. Well, now there’s the perfect game to sa sfy our retarded cravings; MX vs. ATV Reflex.

If you enjoy the sight of a rider being thrown from his bike, or a rider being hurled off a cliff, or a rider landing face-first onto a rock, or a rider being crushed under the wheels of a truck, or even the sight of a rider cart-wheeling into a crowd of people, then buy this game! If the racing doesn’t grasp you, then the crashes will. As soon as you lose control, your rider goes from being a firm human being, into a floppy lump of flailing limbs. Even the most mediocre of slips is made into a theatrical display of comical cla ering, as you watch and re-watch the carnage via the end of race highlights. It’s laugh out loud brilliant, and to a certain extent the saviour of a rather flat game.

MX vs. ATV Reflex focuses on the world of off-road racing, with a wide range of vehicles and tracks to use and explore. There are motocross bikes, quad bikes and heavy trucks, all begging to be flung around a filthy pit of dirt, just so they can get dirty and show off your ‘wicked’ skills. There’s also a decent selec on of compe ons to enter, from the simple race and me trial, to the more complex med stages and freestyle compe ons.

“ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE SIGHT OF A MAN TUMBLING TO A CERTAIN DEATH.”

MX vs. ATV Reflex uses a clever method for steering, which really comes into play when using both the bikes and quad bikes. As usual, you steer with the le s ck (for PS3 and Xbox 360 users), but as you know, you also lean from side to side when steering a bike. So with the right s ck, you can control how far the rider leans. This improves steering, trac on, and how you fly through the air on bumps, giving you far more control over how you a ack the track. Sadly, this doesn’t completely work, as the physics have a mind of their own, and the track surfaces are a mix of jagged granite and silly pu y. 99% of the me, you’ll just be bouncing around in search of some control, usually weaving across the track in a desperate struggle to retain any form of composure. Luckily, this leads us onto what MX vs. ATV Reflex does best, stacking.

MX vs. ATV Reflex is very ordinary. The controls are clever but numb, the visuals are plain, the trucks are a pointless addi on, the racing is unbalanced, you can’t change cameras, you don’t get a map (because most of the track is ‘blind’, you don’t know where you’re going half the me) and the physics are a mess. But, thanks to some inspired highlights and ridiculous crashes, MX vs. ATV Reflex is one of my favorite tles this year. It’s just so stupid, and strangely addic ve, that all the flaws don’t really ma er. All that ma ers is the sight of a man tumbling to a certain death, and the humungous belly-laughs that follow. Of course, I don’t find it that funny, as I’m a smart and sensible person…..snigger. Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 14/20 STORY: 14/20 CONTROLS: 15/20 GAMEPLAY: 17/20 DURABILITY: 16/20

OVERALL

76/100 phonica magazine uk

REVIEWS THE SKY CRAWLERS: INNOCENT ACES PUBLISHERS: NAMCO BANDAI DEVELOPERS: NAMCO (PROJECT ACES) FORMAT: WII AVAILABLE: NOW

DOGFIGHTS GALORE AND ANIME PLOTS AWAIT, IF YOU CAN MASTER THE HORRENDOUS CONTROLS. Nothing beats a good dogfight. Soaring through the clouds of a war-torn sky, hun ng down an unrelen ng target while performing an elegant dance of death, un l the loser eventually plummets to Earth in a spiral of flames and destruc on. Yep, a dogfight is a staple of the video-gamers diet. So, next up on the menu we have The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces. To your planes, men!

“IN THE SKY CRAWLERS, THE CONTROLS ARE SO BAD YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THEM.” The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is the game adapta on of the ﬁlm adapta on of the novel series, The Sky Crawlers; that’s a lot of adapta ons. The ac on is set in an alterna ve history, where two rival companies ba le it out in the skies above to put on a show for a popula on accustomed to war. Playing as Lynx, you take ﬂight and shoot down lots of baddies with your eager comrades. The story is played out through dialogue between the pilots when playing, and short Anime videos a er each mission. It’s not the most rive ng of plots, but it does setup the ac on well.

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Graphically, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is very poor, even for a Wii game. Although the developers have done their best to disguise these shortcomings, with layers of drama c eﬀects and the general pace of the gameplay, the visuals s ll look poor. It’s a real shame, as the Wii can perform so much be er than this, and the game could really do with a visual polish. That said though, the graphics are the least of The Sky Crawler’s problems. The standard controls are used with the Wii remote and Nunchuck. To increase/decrease the thro le, you pull back on the remote as if it were a leaver, which in prac ce works OK. But to steer, you have to lt the Nunchuck. This quite simply doesn’t work, as you have no control over the plane whatsoever, and targe ng is virtually impossible. So, to actually play The Sky Crawlers, you’ll have to use an old Gamecube controller or a Wii gamepad. What is the point? To truly enjoy a game, you have to feel as if you are in control of it. In this case, a ﬂight sim, you have to feel as if you are at the controls of your plane, and you can take it in any direc on with the faintest touch of the controls. But in The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, the controls are so bad you have to actually replace them.

REVIEWS

Overall, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is a reasonably good game. The missions are exci ng, diverse and pacey, the ac on is always maintained at a thick-and-fast level, and there are plenty of planes and weapons to use. It’s just a shame that the controls are pathe cally unplayable, and to truly experience The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces they’ll have to be replaced with a dated input device. S ll, those dogﬁghts are good fun, so you won’t go hungry. What’s next on the menu? Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 12/20 STORY: 14/20 CONTROLS: 7/20 GAMEPLAY: 16/20 DURABILITY: 14/20

OVERALL

63/100 phonica magazine uk

BATTLEFIELD 2: BAD COMPANY PUBLISHER: EA DEVELOPER: DICE PLATFORM: XBOX 360, PS3, PC AVAILABLE: NOW

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,BOOM……..

BOOM!

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REVIEWS Ba lefield 2: BC, serves 1-24: Blend in some C4, a sprinkling of vehicles, a dollop of weapons and a generous splash of excellent mul player ac on, spread over a firm but tasteful base of singleplayer goodness. Serve with garnish and a glass of “OH S**T” to enjoy with the mul player. What’s the result? An explosive, visually stunning FPS that further ups the ante on top quality modern shooters. With an excellent single-player campaign compared to market rivals (Ac vision/Infinity Ward, take note) that can stand on its own as a fairly solid founda on combined with a mul player experience to rival and perhaps outstrip Modern Warfare 2, Bad Company is an excellent reminder that good things never last – they just get replaced by be er things. Following in the footsteps of the previous motley crew of jarheads across the world in order to find the mysterious “weapon of mass destruc on”, the single-player campaign takes you into some fantas c loca ons to... well... blow the stuffing out of it. Vibrant jungles, snowy peaks and urban mazes, a er you’ve been through them they’re all uniden fiable rubble anyway but before you go trigger-happy, the views are breathtaking at mes. Excellently designed AI, with intelligence that actually makes them seem pre y good, means they work with you during firefights. A par cular favourite of mine is to flank the enemy and get into a good posi on to let rip with a full clip, and with my squad providing suppressing fire, such tac cs are smooth and the transi on from defence to a ack is snapshot quick. Obviously, you don’t play an FPS game solely for the single-player. You’re there to frag some peeps online and rack up your score. The mul player serves on all counts with added oomph. The biggest feature I no ced was the Destruc on 2.0 engine really coming into good effect. Sniper behind a wall? S ck a charge by the base and run around giggling in an cipa on of the look on the player’s face as the wall falls down on him. Cue fist pump. Destruc ble environments always mean good fun but to the veteran player they’ll also add a fantas c degree of tac cal mastery that some games cannot come close to. Strategic placement of explosives could lay traps, defences or even ambushes, giving the game an added dimension.

Obviously, no ma er how fun it is to dance around the ba lefield popping off rockets and grenades like a nutcase in a gun shop, teamwork is always the key factor in defea ng the opposi on forces. Kit loadouts at the beginning of online matches as well as the ability to break off into li le patrols gives the warm feeling of “doing stuff right”, and when you emerge sweaty, bloody and victorious the feeling spreads across the team and you pat yourselves on the back for a job well done. Add to that a massive, varied selec on of mul player game modes and you’ll soon find yourself hopping back and forth between games such as Giant and Extended Rush (a ack and defend, my personal favourite) and the Squad Deathmatch (straight up killing spree), amassing points in order to rank up in the system that many Modern Warfare players will be accustomed to – with perks and extra dbits on offer, players are encouraged to play more and play be er for bigger rewards.

“STICK A CHARGE BY THE BASE AND RUN AROUND GIGGLING IN ANTICIPATION OF THE LOOK ON THE PLAYER’S FACE AS THE WALL FALLS DOWN ON HIM.” In Ba lefield 2: Bad Company, EA and Dice really have pulled their finger out in delivering a fantas c experience regardless of player numbers, game mode or weapon choice, catering to all tastes across the board... speaking of which, I’ll take another serving of “blowing up walls to take out pesky snipers”. Tasty stuff. Paul Park

PRESENTATION: 17/20 STORY: 15/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 20/20 DURABILITY: 18/20

OVERALL

87/100 phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

PHONICA’S 20 SUPPORTING CHARACTERS MASS EFFECT 2

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

BLACK AND WHITE

BALDUR’S GATE

DIABLO

(Xbox 360, PC)

(PC)

MORDIN “Hilarious dialogue, singing, advice about sex and jokes about nukes – best sidekick ever.”

OVERLORD SAURFANG “You HAVE to be awesome if you get Chuck Norris-type jokes devoted to you. No ques on. Or he’ll cleave you.”

ANGEL & DEVIL “By far the best “good cop, bad cop” rou ne you’ll see on your monitor for a long, long me.”

MINSK AND BOO “Great bit of comic relief but also being ﬂeshed out in the typical Black Isle way.”

DECKARD CAIN “A stalwart and a font of wisdom throughout, Cain has been there for us all the way.”

HALO

ONIMUSHA 3

PORTAL

BIOSHOCK

THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND

(Xbox 360, Xbox, PC)

(PS2, PC)

(Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

(PC, XBLA)

343 GUILTY SPARK “Can you trust him, should you trust him? Whatever, he’s the closest thing to HAL you’ll ﬁnd in a game.”

JACQUES BLANC “Leon deﬁnitely wouldn’t have ended up like that if he’d had a demonpowered whip.”

GLaDOS “One of gaming’s truly great unreliable narrators.”

SANDER COHEN “Inﬁnitely creepier than Fonteyn... the world’s second fully func oning homicidal ar st.”

STAN “A divine checkered jacket and the best wobbly arms this side of the Caribbean.”

42 phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

DEUS EX

RATCHET & CLANK

MEAN ARENAS

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC

(PC, PS2, Xbox)

(PS2, PS3, PSP)

(PC, Amiga)

(PC, Xbox)

(PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PC)

PAUL DENTON “The only character I’ve ever replayed a game to save the life of.”

CAPTAIN QWARK “He’s a sort of science ﬁc on Homer Simpson, which is undeniably awesome.”

BUZZ MCCLOUD AND BOB BULANSKI “A simple double (act - one clever, one dumb) but brilliantly acted and s ll funny today. Oh, it’s broken…”

HK 47 “Inhuman killing machines aren’t usually camp enough. HK-47 shows them how it’s done.”

OTACON “Earnest, whiny, no luck with women... bless him. ”

HALF LIFE

GTA IV

ICO

SAM AND MAX: SEASON 1

HALF LIFE 2

(PC, PS2)

(PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

(PS2)

(Wii, PC)

(PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

G MAN “A truly unnerving character, with a mysterious past that’s just begging to be unlocked. Always just beyond your reach.”

ROMAN BELLIC “Crass, naughty and an incompetent fool, but s ll lovable. And he does love a big American pair, which is always a plus.”

YORDA “She’ll slow you down and just be a nuisance, but you’ll love her all the same.”

HUGH BLISS “We’d all like to live in the world Hugh Bliss imagines. He can change colour to!”

DOG “He doesn’t say or do a lot, but man is he strong! Actually, is he a he, or is it an it?”

METAL GEAR SOLID

phonica magazine uk

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

Nokia 6730

Nokia 5530

Nokia E75

Nokia 6210

Nokia E63

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

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

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

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

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

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

MP3/WAV/AAC/WMA

Yes Poly/MP3 600 500 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 222 244 Yes

Yes Polyphonic & MP3 660 432 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 294 351 Yes

Yes MP3 340 264 Yes

Sony Ericsson Naite

Sony Ericsson C901

Sony Ericsson C510

HTC Magic

HTC Hero

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

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

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

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

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

100 MB/microSD

120 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™

100 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™

288 MB/microSD

288 MB/microSD ™

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

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

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

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

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

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/AAC/MP4

MP3/MP4

MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA 9

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 564 380 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 570 430 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/Aac 420 400 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 450 420 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 420 750 Yes

44 phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

Nokia N97

Nokia 3720 classic

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music Sony Ericsson Aino

Sony Ericsson Yari

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

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

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

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

104 x 50 x 15.5 mm 134 g Quad-band/3G 240 x 420 8.1 MP 60 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA Yes WAP/xHTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email/IM Yes

MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/AAc/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/AAC

MP3/eAAC+/WMA

Yes MP3 570 430 Yes

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

Yes Polyphonic & MP3 528 406 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 270 360 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/AAC 600 450 Yes

Apple iPhone 3G S

Apple iPhone 3G

INQ Chat 3G

BlackBerry 8520

BlackBerry Bold 9000

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 135 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 3.15 MP

11.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm 133 g Quad-band/3G 480 x 320 2 MP

114.5 x 61 x 12.8 mm 93 g Tri-band/3G 176 x 220 3.2 MP

109 x 60 x 13.9 mm 106 g Quad-band 320 x 240 2 MP

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

16/32 GB (internal)

8/16 GB (internal)

120 MB/Memory S ck Micro ™

256 MB/MicroSD

1GB/microSD

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

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Yes HTML (Safari) No SMS/Email No

Yes/A2DP/USB Yes Yes Net Front Yes SMS/MMS/Email No

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

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

MP3/MP3 VBR/AAC/WAV

AMR/AAC/AAC+/eAAC

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

Yes Poly & MP3 720 300 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 600 300 Yes

Yes Poly/MIDI/MP3 270 408 Yes

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

480 170 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 300 310 Yes

phonica magazine uk

THE GUIDE

BlackBerry 8300 Curve Samsung Pixon 12

Samsung S5600V Blade

Samsung Genio Touch

Samsung B3310

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

108 x 53 x 13.8 mm 120 g 480 x 800 pixels 240 x 320 12 MP 150 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

102.8 x 54.8 x 12.9 mm 92 g 240 x 320 pixels 240 x 320 3.15 MP 50 MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 12 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

103 x 56.5 x 12 mm 90 g Quad-band 240 x 320 2 MP 40 MB/microSD Yes/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes SMS/MMS/Email Yes

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

MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/WMA/eAAC+

MP3/WMA/AAC

MP3/MP4/eAAC+/WMV/WMA

MP3/MP4

Yes Poly & MP3 240 408 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3 180 250 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 120 250 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 480 730 Yes

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 300 380 Yes

Samsung Jet

Samsung U900

LG GD510 Pop

LG GM750

LG BL40 New Chocolate

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

103.2 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm 81.5 g Quad-band 240 x 320 3.2 MP 80MB/microSD Yes/A2DP/USB Yes/EDGE Class 10 No WAP/xHTML Yes

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

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

128 x 51 x 10.9 mm 129 g Quad-band 345 x 800 5 MP 1.1 GB/microSD Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes/EDGE Class 10/HSDPA Yes WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes

SMS/MMS/Email/Vidoe/MS Exchange

SMS/MMS/EMS/Email

SMS/MMS/Email

SMS/MMS/Email/IM

SMS/MMS/EMS/Email/IM

Yes

128 MB RAM/256 MB ROM/microSD

Yes/A2DP/microUSB Yes Yes WAP/xHTML/HTML Yes

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

MP3/MPEG4/AAC/eAAC/WMA

MP3/MP4/WMA

MP3/MPEG4/WAV/eAAC+/WMA

MP3/MP4/WAV/DivX/eAAC

Yes Poly/MP3/WAV 492 422 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 210 220 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 200 360 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 380 450 Yes

Yes Poly & MP3 240 400 Yes

46 phonica magazine uk

phonica magazine uk