Chimo NgeBlog : Tekken 3D Prime Edition Launch on February 14

The Valentine's Day release slate is getting awfully crowded. February 14 will see the launches of Twisted Metal, Grand Slam Tennis 2, and Binary Domain, not to mention the following day's PlayStation Vita First Edition launch and its accompanying software lineup.

The week's release schedule just got even more packed, as Namco Bandai confirmed a February 14 launch for Tekken 3D Prime Edition on the 3DS. The first Tekken game for a Nintendo portable since 2002's Tekken Advance, Tekken 3D Prime Edition features a roster of more than 40 fighters, from series mainstays Heihachi and Kazuya to recently introduced characters like Lili and Alisa. Namco Bandai is also promising wireless multiplayer action at 60 frames-per-second, and 3DS Street Pass support that will have players trading collectible Tekken cards with others while the system is asleep.

Beyond the fighting action, Tekken 3D Prime Edition will feature the Tekken: Blood Vengeance full-length 3D feature film. The movie follows the android Alisa and Xiaoyu as they get wrapped up in a Mishima family feud for control over the only surviving subject of a mysterious science experiment. It was also included as a bonus in the recently released PlayStation 3 Tekken Hybrid bundle.

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Chimo NgeBlog : Android Game Review : Captain America

We all have biases and when I saw Captain America appear in the Android Market around the time the movie was released I think I created what the game would be in my mind. I figured that it would be a game about a super hero with puzzle elements to solve based around super human abilities. Oh, and I figured tossing my shield around to activate a switch and knock an enemy down here and there would be part of the mix. I didn't think it would be anything special, but I thought such a game had promise. THIS isn't that game so please forget what you just read.

Captain America is a game that upon playing it I was immediately reminded of Stellar Escape. It's a pretty straight forward running and jumping game with baddies thrown in for good measure. In true super hero fashion you start off with a mission to rescue three cohorts. However, you, being Captain America and all, don't need any help so you're going to do it all by your lonesome. Off you go. The game has a fantastic in game tutorial that explains moves only as you need them. I really love that kind of system as I can't stand games that require me to read an hour's worth of instructions before jumping in. I want to learn as I play. First up, swipe right to run right.

So now I'm running right. My first obstacle appears and the game pauses to show me that a diagonal southwest to northeast swipe will allow the Captain to jump. Then it's sliding. Then it's throwing my shield and beating the crap (not killing!) out of the bad guys. So how does this stack up to Stellar Escape? Well, there's a lot more to it in terms of moves, but it's also trying to be something a little (just a little) different.

Graphically the game has a nice 3D style engine, despite the action being 2D, and the sound effects are of professional quality. I like the fact that they didn't try to incorporate an on screen DPad or on screen buttons to move Mr. America and really appreciate the gesture system although throwing your shield does require use of an on screen button. The game plays smooth. Each step of the mission is reasonable short and takes a couple minutes to play through making this is a decent game to bite away at a chunk at a time.

Pricewise the game is an enigma to me. It was initially launched at 80% off during its initial weekend and priced at $0.99. Here we are a month later and it's still $0.99. At that price this is worth every penny and it's a great game for a buck unless you abhor running and jumping games. Will it ever actually go up to $5? Do the people at Marvel Entertainment have some sort of 'super hero' calendar they use? At $5 the purchase becomes questionable given other games that are available at lower prices (or even free).

I like Captain America. It does a good job of what it tries to do. It plays well, it's enjoyable, and I have no reservations in recommending it at a buck. It even plays well on my tablet. 4/5 stars.

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Chimo NgeBlog : Android Game Review: Cut the Rope

You might think physics is boring, but wait just a minute. Did you enjoy games like Worms and Angry Birds when you first played them? Well then, you actually love physics. A popular iOS game which found its way to Android, Cut the Rope, is yet another physics based game, with hilariously cute graphics. To play this one you’re going to have to brains and quick reactions.

Cut the Rope is an adorably illustrated puzzle game. The very first screen when you start playing the game is a cartoon style scene inside a house, of an open front door with a box containing an abandoned creature, with instructions to feed with candy. That creature turns out to be a little green guy called “Om Nom” (full marks for plugging into Internet memes!).

Om Nom arriving on your doorstep

Your job is to feed Om Nom with candy. Because he’s such a hungry guy, you can’t just hand him the stuff, it has to be passed to him via rope. After all – safety is no accident!

Similarly to Angry Birds, Cut the Rope has sets of levels, each with a different theme. In the case of the Cut the Rope, each theme is based around a different box to keep Om Nom in, along with certain little gadgets to differentiate the game play.

As you start the first few levels, hints and tips appear, and this carries through to the higher levels whenever there are new game elements to play with. The whole experience is there to help you along and enjoy things. This ethos even goes to the the point of letting you skip entire levels.

Your first level, showing you how to play

The early levels are simply a case of cutting the rope at the right moment, so that the candy will either swing to the next rope, or land straight in Om Nom’s waiting mouth. Anyone who has studied physics and has an intuition for momentum, and oscillatory motion could well have an advantage here. In other words, if you like to give your phone or tablet to the kids, to keep them quiet for a while, this is a sly way to get them thinking like the next Isaac Newton!

As you progress, you find various new elements, like bubbles which will float the candy, until your pop them. There are sliding rope tethers, which you can use to carry the candy around, and if the candy is hooked onto two ropes at once, you can slide one end back, until the rope turns red. That means the rope under tension and when you cut the rope (TM!), all that energy is released and you can fire the candy like a shot! Other devices include air puffers which allow you to push to your candy, whether it be on a rope or a bubble. In the later levels you even take to space where you can invert artificial gravity! In addition to these devices, there are hazards too, like electrical arcs, and spiders that crawl down the rope wanting the candy for themselves!

Hazards while feeding Om Nom

An added challenge to the game is to collect stars, by having the candy touch them. This adds structure to each level. In many cases, it would be much easier just to get the candy to Om Nom directly. Instead though, you have to come up with plans and tricks to get the candy all around the screen to pick up the stars. Of course, simply feeding Om Nom is enough to progress to the next level, but it’s only by collecting enough stars throughout the course of the game that you can unlock the last two sets of levels.

Magic hats give you Portal-like gameplay

At its heart, Cut the Rope is a puzzle game. Zeptolab deserve great credit for keeping the game fresh by differentiating the types of puzzle you encounter from level to level. Some levels are complicated puzzles where you can take your time and go step by step. While other levels pose a challenge to your reaction speed, either by having to avoid hazards, or by needing to keep the candy’s momentum going, just like sugary Tarzan! Many of the higher levels require both of these traits, and so you’ll need to make multiple attempts just to work out your game plan. It’s this switching of styles that keeps the game fresh, and keep you wanting to come back for more.

Each level set (or ‘box’) has seventy five levels, and there are seven sets in total. That is enough to keep you busy for weeks. Even then, the ‘box’ selection screen promises that more levels are ‘coming soon’. That’s extremely good value when you consider that Cut the Rope only costs $1.00 / £0.62.

I heartily recommend you try out Cute the Rope! (Yes, the pun was completely intentional).

Click or scan to buy Cut the Rope from the Android Market Place

Tags: Android Game Review: Cut the Rope

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Chimo NgeBlog : Android Game Review: apzOrb

apzOrb is a new game for Android. Despite having significant differences I can’t help but think of the classic Snake game genre. You’re in control of a creature that is composed of groups of swirling cubes. Its only aim in life is to consume more and more blocks and survive as long as possible. Sounds fun, but read on to see whether it has long term appeal!

Delving into our gaming heritage, it is perhaps unfair to compare apzOrb to snakes as they are fundamentally different. The Snakes genre had you navigating (in up/down or left/right directions) a continually moving line (the snake) around a game grid, picking up tokens for points. Each time you picked up a token the snake would get longer. If the snake collided with its tail, it would be game over.

apzOrb's main menu

Similarly with apzOrb, you are guiding a continually moving linear sprite around the game, picking up tokens (cubes) for points. The difference is that the the ‘snake’ doesn’t get longer when it apzOrbs anything. The penalty system in this game (and thus what you have to avoid) is based on color. There’s a wide spectrum of colours that fill the game arena, and you have to collect colors that match your snake’s color. Fortunately, it seems to be ‘okay’ within the rules to eat similar colors, the snake will take on the colour of whatever it last ate. For example if your snake is red, you’re allowed to eat red, orange, pink, and purple blocks. Eat a blue, cyan, green, or yellow block though, and you will lose a life and big letters will spell out across the screen that you got the “WRONG COLOR!”.

apzOrb gameplay

apzOrb is more forgiving than the original Snakes game too. You have a number of lives, and you can switch to any color as long as you go in a rainbow-like progression. The more ‘correct’ colours you pick up the more you build up a bar on the right of the screen which appears to be a bonus accumulator for scoring higher on further correct colors.

The other difference with apzOrb is that there is complete freedom of movement. Dragging anywhere in the screen will make the snake move in that direction. However, there’s an interesting physics model at work here. It very much looks and feels like the snake is swimming in a fluid. Therefore, best speed is achieved by moving your finger back and forth to make the snake move in a kind of rippling motion. As the snake turns, the blocks that make up its body all follow in a nice curved trajectory.

Here’s an example of the game in action,

The artwork in apzOrb is interesting too. While you are clearly playing in a two dimensional plane, there is an animated background with distant, out of focus, snakes swimming around eating up blocks, just like you are. It really does give you a feel of being a tiny creature swimming in a pool, rather like the early levels of Will Writght’s Spore. The downside of this is that you’re sometimes not sure if a block is in your plane or not.

There are two game modes, a simple survival mode game, where you keep going until you make too many mistakes, and the time trial mode. In the time mode you have 90 seconds to do as well as you can. Not only are you scored on the blocks you collect, but also on the efficiency of your collecting, a percentage of collecting the correct color versus the wrong color.

Overall, I liked apzOrb. It’s engaging but it’s not frantic, which means it’s an ideal chill out game. You can pick up an ad-supported version for free, or get rid of the ads by buying the full version for $2.29 / £1.39.

Click or scan to install apzOrb Free

Click or scan to install apzOrb HD

Tags: Android Game Review: apzOrb

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Chimo NgeBlog : Diablo III Hands-On Preview - Real Money in a Virtual World

If you were a PC gamer back in 1996, then chances are your index finger is still a little cramped from clicking through the original Diablo, an action role-playing game from a little company called Blizzard. Its sequel was every bit as addictive, and now the upcoming third entry in the series aims to bring that same magic to the modern day. Recently, we got the chance to travel down to Blizzard HQ in Irvine, California, to get a look into some of the new features coming in Diablo III. Skill-altering runes, customizable banners, and item management were expounded upon--but the biggest surprise had to be the announcement of a real-money auction house for trading in-game items.

Senior game designer Jason Bender explains some of the technical changes in Diablo III.

The presentation began with an overview of all the different character classes in Diablo III. No matter which character you choose, they will each have six slots for active skills and three for passive skills. Your first two active skill slots will be free, with additional slots opening at levels 6, 12, 18, and 24. Passive skill slots open at levels 10, 20, and 30. Each of your active skills also comes with a rune slot that lets you customize its effects. To help demonstrate the drastic changes runes can make, Jay Wilson, the game's lead designer, took us through his version of a battle mage--a wizard built for melee combat.

Spectral blades, a short-range slashing spell, was given a rune so that it healed the caster when damaging enemies. Diamond skin, a defensive spell that protects the caster from harm, was customized to also reflect damage back at attackers. Arcane orb, a powerful projectile spell, was altered so that the projectile orbited the caster and would explode when an enemy got too close.

But skills are just half of your character's equation in Diablo III. The items you have equipped are just as important. Of course, you're going to need room in your sack to lug all those extra swords and staves around. Thankfully, Blizzard is going to make that task a little easier for you. The Cauldron of Jordan lets you sell items no matter where you are for the same price you would get in town. And if gold isn't an issue, the Nephaleim Cube lets you convert any item into crafting materials from any location as well. "Filling up your bag didn't feel like a very cool reason to go back to town," Wilson said.

Your private stash, which has been greatly expanded since the previous games, now carries over across all your characters. If your wizard happens across a really awesome bow for your demon hunter, you just need to drop it in your stash, switch characters, and have your demon hunter go pick it up. Wilson also showed off how followers work in the game. These "mini-heroes" can be recruited to join your quest and help flesh out the world of Diablo III. They also come with four pairs of skills, and only one skill from each pair may be active at a time. Perhaps you'll want your Templar follower to lean more toward healing than brute force.

Defeating certain enemies or discovering ancient tomes unlocks audio logs that detail the world of Diablo III.

Once Wilson had finished, Diablo III executive producer Rob Pardo took the stage to talk about some of the additions coming to the online portion of the game. Just like Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Diablo III will require a persistent Internet connection to play. Pardo stated that this was to help curb cheating, especially in the player-versus-player areas. Each player will also receive a customizable banner that the game will decorate as you unlock different achievements. However, the biggest announcement had to be the inclusion of two auction houses for in-game items, one using gold and the other using cold, hard cash.

That's right, in addition to the standard gold-based auction house, Diablo III will have a separate auction house that uses actual money. Weapons, items, crafting components, and (in the case of the real-money auction house) gold can all be auctioned away. Selling entire characters is something Blizzard is considering, but it wasn't ready to confirm that feature just yet. There will be a single, regional real-money auction house for each type of supported currency. Auto-bidding and instant buyout options will also be available, and you can set your items to be buyout only.

We chat with executive producer Rob Pardo about the economics of Diablo III.

When you're listing an item in the real-money auction house there will be a small upfront fee. Pardo explained that this was so players wouldn't put every single item in the game up on the auction house and flood the marketplace with unwanted items. So what happens when you actually sell one of these items? In the case of the real-money auction house, either the money you earn can go into your Battle.net account, and you can then spend it on future listings or on Blizzard products (like your WOW subscription), or you can cash that money out through a third-party payment provider. Cashing out will incur another small fee, and you will not be able to cash out your Battle.net account.

Items you buy in either auction house will be sent to your private stash in the game, and players will be anonymous during transactions. Pardo also made sure to stress that this isn't a Blizzard store. The auction houses will be stocked by players with the items and equipment they find in the game. He also added that players, just like in previous Diablo games, will want to trade with each other regardless. Now, instead of having to go through a "shady" third-party service without the guarantee that you won't get ripped off, you can rest easy knowing you're guaranteed to get what you paid for.

Once the announcements were finished, we did get some time to go hands-on with the game. We decided to load up the monk character who, unlike in our previous play session, started out at level 1. Our brief adventure was centered around the village of Tristram, an old favorite with a recent undead problem. Once we gained a few levels and unlocked our third skill slot, we settled into a combination of Deadly Reach, Lashing Tail Kick, and Breath of Heaven. Deadly Reach is a basic damage ability that replaces your normal attack and can strike multiple enemies if they're close together. Lashing Tail Kick is a stronger attack that costs some spirit energy--the monk's energy resource--and knocks enemies back. Finally, Breath of Heaven is a great burst healing spell that can save you in a pinch.

There will be a cooldown period of 24 hours before you can list an item you just purchased at the auction house.

We quickly found that once you fall into the groove of Diablo, it's hard to pull yourself away. Encounters also felt a bit more dynamic in this game than in the previous ones thanks to the variety of enemy types. Some would explode when defeated and damage anyone nearby, while others would release smaller foes upon death. And since the monk's spirit energy is slow to generate, we couldn't just rush through an area spamming our most powerful attacks at will. When playing in multiplayer, gold and loot drops were unique to each person, though we could still trade items once we had picked them up. Based on what we played, Diablo III is coming along well--but even so, Blizzard still wasn't ready to set a release date other than to repeat its new catchphrase of "when it's ready."

Tags: Diablo III Hands-On Preview - Real Money in a Virtual World, game, new game

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Chimo NgeBlog : Review: Diamond Islands 2

Diamond Islands 2 has a strong pedigree to live up to. Digital Chocolate have, to my mind, developed some great classic games for Symbian smartphones in the past. While I've not seen Diamond Islands (released over two years ago), titles in their "Cafe" series on N-Gage were always must downloads for me. And that reputation makes Diamond Islands 2 an immediate download from the Ovi Store.

Am I happy with it? Yes I am - and while there are some control issues, this is a spatial puzzle game. It challenges you to rock a totem (possibly a stone idol) around various small islands, picking up jewels as you go before installing the totem, vertically, on the target square.

Simple? Nope, because the only move you have is to "push totem onto another one of its sides", so you'll need to go through some mental gymnastics to work out where you wan to put it, and then implement those ideas. You can't really just roll around and hope it works out, you do need to do some planning. It's not just limited to getting to the exit either, but also picking up all the jewels on each level, hitting switches to raise bridges, and generally doing lots of puzzle type things before you can leave.

There lies one of the only problems I've found in Diamond Islands 2. The game world is made up of lots of small islands (you can't roll into the water) but in an isometric layout. I've yet to find a smartphone that handles isometric action smoothly - they are always a forced into the "up down left right" model. Digital Chocolate have gone with two control options - slide on the screen, and tilting the device.

Both of them work, although I had accuracy problems with both. It's rare in the game to have a move that is not reversible, so you just rock the totem back if you miss, but it can be a bit annoying until you get the hang of it. The tilt controls don't work on the isometric angles, but on the cardinal "up down left right" directions, which just feels wrong. The touch screen asks you to tap in the direction you want to go - which is a more accurate but... feels wrong. At the same time, it could just be me.

One thing Digital Chocolate have always been good at are small graphics that carry a lot of detail, and that is true here. With sea shores, switches, shells, palm tree decorations, jewels and more, there's a lot going on and it's a testament to good design that they're never confusing. As to the background music? Let's just say it wouldn't be out of place in a 1970's lift, stuck in the corner of a Hawaiian themed shopping centre in Leeds. It's rather repetitive, in an annoying way!

Control problems aside, Diamond Islands 2 is a nice game. The problem for me is the control issue. Too many mis-interpreted commands rack up the bad kind of frustration, and when accurate moving and placing of your totem is the key to the game, this is a big mistake to me. Your mileage may vary, but it's enough for me to think twice about playing the game.

Tags: Review: Diamond Islands 2, game, new games, symbian game

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Chimo NgeBlog : 16 Jul Asteroid Tower Defense 19 [New Game Review] Asteroid Tower Defense Is The New Angry Birds Of Tower Games

Ok, we've all seen enough post-apocalyptic movies to know what the deal is here. An obscene level of asteroids has suddenly decided to wreak havoc upon this wonderful planet of ours, and it is your job in Asteroid Tower Defense to set up a space defense capable of taking the bloody things out.

Tower Defense titles are certainly not new to the Android platform, with games such as Fieldrunners HD and Tower Raiders already in the market, and the concept is simple enough, but as you progress through the levels, things get considerably harder as the asteroids increase in size and speed. The graphics and overall polish are excellent, which adds a lot of value to this game.

When setting up your perimeter, you begin with a command center and two solar panels to power your operation. Of course, solar panels aren't going to be much good on their own when you need to take out large asteroids, so you also have a variety of weapons which you can choose from, and they can be attached to either side of existing units.

Depending on how much money you have in the bank, you can take your pick from eight units:

• Blaster gun ($100)
• Rocket launcher ($200)
• Shield ($100)
• Solar panels ($200)
• Freeze cannon ($500)
• Splitter laser ($1000)
• Repair drone ($300)
• Command center ($5000)

Each unit has different attributes and ranges. A blaster gun for example, has a rapid fire but low range, whereas the rocket launcher is much slower at firing but has a longer range. You can erect shields around your units to stop them from being destroyed in many of the blasts that will be occurring as the game progresses, and you need to have more solar panels depending on how many weapons you build up.

As you advance through each level, some upgrades will become available for your existing weapons so you need to keep an eye out for those, as the targets will become a lot tougher too. So not to make it too easy for you, there is a limited amount you can purchase at any time depending on how much money you have. In the early levels, I didn't find myself needing an abundance of weapons, and as the game goes on you have more than enough to buy what you need as you get more cash for every asteroid that your weapons take down.

I was really impressed at the graphics of Asteroid Defense on my Nexus One. All of the units on the screen looked crisp and well detailed, and there wasn't any hint of a slowdown when there were lots of incoming asteroids and shots being fired all at once. All of the different weapons being fired at the same time made for a pretty spectacular fireworks show - even if it was only 3.5 inches big - and it will undoubtedly look even better if you have a larger device.

As this is 2011, every game and its sequel has some kind of social aspect built in it, and although Asteroid Tower Defense is a little light on the social side, it does have a community high score ranking so that you know how you're doing compared to other players. This is worked out based on the total score you achieve during the game. If I were the developer, I'd have thrown in the option to share your score on Twitter or Facebook, as it would most likely result in more people knowing about the game, but it isn't a huge miss for most users. You achieve points through destroying units and building up your military presence in orbit, although you can get extra points easily by tapping on special missiles which make their way down your screen with the asteroids. These missiles have various abilities, and depending on which one you tap you may receive some more cash to help build more units, heal all of your existing units back to full health, wipe out all of the asteroids that are currently on the screen, and get additional points too.

As this is a free game, it is ad-supported. I would personally rather pay for a title and have no ads than have a free game which throws ads in your face whilst you're trying to save your planet (these things can get a little distracting, and as much as I do love the capitalist nature of our species I'd rather spend money on a planet that hasn't been wiped out by asteroids, thank you very much). It is fortunate, then, that the ads in Asteroid Tower Defense are few and far between. One would occasionally appear at the bottom of my screen, but most of the time the only ads you saw were saved for the gap between levels where you were given a menu to choose from. Despite this, I would like the developer to consider placing a paid title of the game on the Market as well for those users who would prefer to play without ads.

This game is probably the most addictive mobile title that I've played in months. If I hadn't been so engrossed, you would have probably seen this review about 2 hours earlier. For a free title, it's incredibly well developed, stable and really enjoyable to play, so get down to the Market, or click on the link below, and download it to your phone or tablet!

Tags: 16 Jul Asteroid Tower Defense 19 [New Game Review] Asteroid Tower Defense Is The New Angry Birds Of Tower Games, game, android game, newe game

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Chimo NgeBlog : Review : Now Boarding

You might recall my utter disappointment that Flight Control did not make a successful conversion from iOS to Symbian and I was still looking for a good strategy/action game. I think I've found it in Now Boarding.

Two things first of all, this title is available on iOS (but I hadn't come across it before this review), and the second is that it's not a line drawing game, but the fact that it has planes and you have to move things around without getting into a horrible pickle means I'm going to call it a spiritual cousin to Flight Control.

The goal here is less to micro-manage the flight path of the planes (a simple tap to "go to that airport" will suffice), but more to move passengers from their departure airport onto their destination as quickly as possible. Naturally, you don't have enough planes at your disposal to do direct routing - you can build up a fleet but it costs a lot of money - so you'll need to do some route planning to get passengers at Airport A to Airport D by flying through Airports B and C, while picking up passengers for airports C and D at Airport B.

Do this with three aircraft, passengers at each airport wanting to go to different destinations, and you'll need to keep calm and sort through everything, giving priority to those who have been waiting the longest. Wait too long though and they'll get angry and you'll loose custom and risk failing that level.

Rather than go for an "infinite" game where you keep playing, Now Boarding goes for a level based approach, although the goal in each level is simply "fly more passengers to their destination". As you do, you earn money to buy improvements to your fleet (bigger fuel tanks, cabin crew to earn more money, bigger planes with more seats), and to open up new airports in the level. Starting with four or five open on a level, you'll quickly reach eleven or twelve destinations, filling up with angry passengers.

This makes Now Boarding very much a bite sized game (each level takes around five minutes) but you need to keep playing, to open up other maps of the world (East and West of America, Europe and Asia). If you can finish a level with a certain amount of cash and all the airports purchased, then the next map will be unlocked.

But the great thing about Now Boarding, in the same way as Flight Control and other classic smartphone games, is that you can always play it again, because of the random nature of the game. It's an easy matter to restart a map with the two-aircraft fleet and build up the empire again (the other maps stay unlocked) so you can keep coming back again and again to the same game, with a new and different challenge.

So we have a game that has variety in each level, with different maps, and changing game play. You have the chance to build up your own mental rules in how to handle passengers, you can improve the equipment you have, and it's a slick UI that you just need to tap to steer everything around the screen. The options screen takes care of auto-zooming of the maps (I turned it off after the first game), and everything stays clear and understandable, even when you're panicking.

Now Boarding has grown on me, and has become a better game over the last few days. It's addictive, it looks good, it's suited to a smaller gaming device and is wonderful on the move. Not only would I recommend it, I need to decide whether it's a "90" (mega-game) score or not. The problem is that there's going to be a lot of people who just don't 'get' the game, it's lacking a tiny final step to become something that has universal reach. But it's very close. So "89" it is then, and everyone should consider this title.

Tags: Now Boarding, new game, symbian, android

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Chimo NgeBlog : Review: Hotshot Pool

ou'll know how to play normal pool, of course. And yes, we've got numerous pool variants already on Symbian, of which the best is Micropool, in case you were wondering. But consider what happens at the end of the evening down at the pub, when you've all had a few too many drinks and your friend blocks off a pocket or puts an ashtray on the table and says "Try potting them all now, hotshot!".

Yup, the game just got dramatically harder and with a twist. And this is what Hotshot Pool is based on. On the Easy level, you've just got to pot all the balls. On Normal, pockets start getting blocked off and there's an ashtray placed at random on the table. On Hard, there's also a CUE on the table, plus you lose the object ball aiming aid that's present up to that point.

In addition to these (ahem) obstructions, there are extra rules and caveats. Miss a pot and you lose a life, pot two in one shot and you gain one, and so on. If your lives reach zero, the game's over, of course. And if you pot a ball in a pocket with the right coloured gem in it, you also gain a life.

The rules and modifications are all explained in the game's built-in Help, but be warned that the language is a little 'pidgin' English in places.

And, of course, as you advance through the levels, the initial ball placements change and the obstacles become more awkward. But all of this is just frippery compared if the pool mechanics themselves aren't fun to play.

The nHD screens of current phones are used well, this doesn't seem to be a port from another mobile platform. You aim the cue by swiping the touchscreen in the appropriate direction, while (on the Easy and Normal levels) a red line helps out by showing the direction the object ball will take. Cue power is chosen by tapping and holding the green button at the bottom-right of the screen - just release it when it's showing the power you want:

Lives that are lost (or gained) are animated on-screen, with the current tally shown at bottom-left:

All of which sounds straightforward enough, doesn't it? Unfortunately, compared to the aforementioned Micropool, Hotshot Pool fails spectacularly. Here's why (and grab yourself a coffee, this is a fairly lengthy list of failings...!)

• The balls don't actually roll. There's no sense of rotation and they simply glide around the table, air-hockey style. This is a compromise that many pool games make to speed up what would otherwise be too sluggish. On its own, this wouldn't be a show stopper. However....
  
• Aiming a shot involves dragging the cue aiming line around. Unfortunately, this is tiresome because you can't move it quickly even if you swipe quickly. Changing direction by 180 degrees involves many swipes and you get there eventually. On its own, this wouldn't be a show stopper. However....
  
• Fine tuning the aim of a shot is tricky. You can tap tentatively at the aiming line and it adjusts itself.... too far. So you tap or swipe the other side and... it goes too far again. What's needed is a couple of shot aim tuning arrows, just as in every other touchscreen pool game I've ever used. On its own, this wouldn't be a show stopper. However....
  
• There's no concept of cue ball spin. This may seem like an advanced option that shouldn't exist in every pool game, but in the real world (and in Micropool) it's the key to better play. Playing every shot 'full ball' is, quite simply clumsy, especially when you're working your way around obstacles and trying to achieve complex aims. On its own, this wouldn't be a show stopper. However....
  
• The collision detection around the pockets is wierd. I'll often aim a ball perfectly and it'll bounce off somehow, while at other times the ball will go vaguely near the pocket and sink immediately. On its own, this wouldn't be a show stopper. However....

You get the idea. Add five minor pool gameplay annoyances together and you get something which is close to unplayable and very frustrating.

Hotshot Pool is a good proof of concept game. Now the developers just need to put in the same amount of work again improving the interface and mechanics. And then we'd have a title to be reckoned with.

Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 15 July 2011

READ MORE - Chimo NgeBlog : Review: Hotshot Pool

Chimo NgeBlog : "The Surfer" video game gets PC and PS3 release

"The Surfer" video game will be released for PC and Playstation 3, between October 2011 and March 2011. Bungarra has announced that this surfing game will be the closest thing to being on a surfboard.

The game features a new cast of hardcore surfers, over-the-top levels as well as dynamic in-game cameras that capture and deliver the most authentic surfing videogame experience to date. "The Surfer" delivers the feel of surfing through innovative controls, authentic cameras and incredible levels. Watch a pre-alpha trailer of the surfing game, here.

"Our game offers an arcade based surfing paradise for both surfers and gamers in search of the definitive authentic surfing video game experience," says Andrew West, Development Director at Bungarra Software.

"We’re focused on capturing the actual feeling of surfing with the innovative control system, the physics driven animations and the sharp cameras, all working together to really deliver the closest thing to riding a wave."

The games unique control scheme captures the true feel of surfing, versus the skateboard derivative inspired gameplay of past surfing games. Featuring physics-driven animations, gamers will have a unique gaming experience every time they pick up the controller since no two waves or moves will ever be the same.

"The Surfer" delivers all the arcade fun, creativity and culture of surfing without the years of paddling, duck-diving and big wave pummeling associated with the sport. The new video game has not yet been rated by the ACB, PEGI or ESRB.

Tags: "The Surfer", video game, game PC, PS3 game

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[Game Review] Peggle is a Good Port of a Timeless Addiction

Peggle is one of my favorite games to play when I don’t want to think about much or if I need to clear my mind. Not only is it fun, it’s challenging, but not so much so that the game will frustrate you to no end. The game itself, which is a port of the timeless classic which originated on Windows, is good, but how well does it translate to the smaller screen? And did PopCap do a good job of porting it to Android? Let’s jump into it.

Premise

Think Pachinko, except the pegs actually disappear as you hit them and your goal going downward is to clear certain colored ones. Even with obvious inspiration from the Japanese casino game, Peggle is quite original in form. You go through a series of instructors and peers as they help you progress through the Peggle University. The ultimate goal is to graduate and become a Peggle Master.

Gameplay

As I touched on before, your goal is to clear levels of certain colored pegs in order to trigger what’s called Extreme Fever. This is where more of Peggle’s Pachinko inspiration draws from – you watch along as the marble bounces back and forth, up and down until it falls into one of several bins which determine how much of a bonus score you’ve tacked on to what you’ve already earned.

As the game’s ultimate goal is to score as many points as you can, bonuses are earned for pulling off difficult trick shots or for clearing a large number of pegs in one go. The latter counts toward a meter that’ll help you earn more marbles the more you score in one shot. This is significant because the game is over when you lose all of your marbles.

The folks at PopCap make things more interesting when they give you chances on each level to unlock special abilities. These abilities are specific to the characters you’re playing with. The Egyptian Cat, for instance, affords you a pyramid-like bottom for the barrel that parades back and forth to catch the ball. Others may afford you multiple balls with one shot or a “zen” shot that’ll adjust your aim for the best possible outcome.

Quickly circling back to the barrel I mentioned earlier, that thing will award you with a free marble if the one you shoot falls inside. Conversely, shooting a marble without it hitting any peg or without falling into the barrel gives you a chance to get that ball back, but there’s also a very good chance that they’ll play the tough love card and make you move on with one less meaningful shot.

Presentation

It looks like every other rendition of Peggle we’ve seen – crisp, clean, beautiful and lots of color. It translates well to the smaller screen from desktop PCs and consoles and doesn’t stray too far from what worked for other mobile platforms. Everything above can be said for sound. Performance rolls along smoothly, though I must note that I have only played this game on an HTC EVO 3D and a Samsung EPIC 4G It doesn’t differ at all from what we get on other platforms as far as the above goes, and that’s a good thing – don’t break what isn’t broken.

Replay Value

Peggle comes with Adventure Mode which takes you through the “university” I described above, but once you make your way through that – aiming to unlock all of the different characters – you’ll probably be wondering what there is to do. You can go and replay any of those levels in Quick Play mode in hopes of getting higher scores. Even funner is the Challenge Mode, a collection of 40 levels that are a tad more difficult to clear. The added levels provide a nice twist that do well to extend the base experience.

You’ll also be able to unlock Duel Mode where you can go head to head with the CPU or your friends to see who can clear each level the best with their respective characters. The only uncertainty I have in regards to replay value is the fact that PopCap hasn’t provided free after market support for the same title on other platforms.

The iOS version gets Peggle Nights, something they’re calling an “add-on” that can be purchased in-app, but was treated as a full-on sequel on other platforms. If we’re to get anything more, expect to have to dish out more money. It’s also worthy to note that this version of Peggle is based on the same game that was released in 2008 – it’s quite old, but that doesn’t mean it gets old. It ages really well, in fact.

Leaderboards and achievements exist to let you measure your skills up against others’. Another bonus is the ability to save and watch replays of your best shots. Not necessarily gameplay, but saving your shots to show to your friends or remind you of how awesome you are later on gives you yet another reason to fire the game up.

The Verdict

My review may have sounded like an advertisement for the game, but that’s because there isn’t much bad to say about it. In fact, the only complaint or critique I have is that it ends far too soon. That’s something I hope will be remedied by coming updates, even if we do end up having to pay. All of the fun can be extended by sharing the experience with friends or trying your hand at puzzling challenges, so there’s still a good amount of content to sink your teeth into.

Everything here is very solid and is an exceptional port of an even more exceptional game. There’s a reason why this three-year-old classic still has everyone shivering to play it over and over on several different platforms. Your time, money and energy are worth the fun Peggle provides, even if this is one of those “what you see is all you’ll get” games. Find it for $3 at the Amazon Appstore.

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READ MORE - [Game Review] Peggle is a Good Port of a Timeless Addiction

Most Wanted Games

1. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)- Nathan Drake's third globe-trotting adventure has him searching for a legendary lost city, but it is doubtful that Naughty Dog will have lost any of their legendary cinematic skills.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)- It's easy to be cynical after the disappointment of Twilight Princess, but Screen Play expects Nintendo to deliver a true magnum opus for the Wii.

3. Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Screen Play's chat with Rocksteady earlier in the year made even more excited for the return of the Dark Knight, with this sequel offering significantly more freedom and deeper, varied combat.

4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) - Set 25 years before the events of the original classic, this first-person role playing sequel looks intriguing.

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) - Promises to give players amazing freedom to explore a wonderfully alive and dynamic world while developing a highly customisable character.

6. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) - Bound to be big, stupid, bad-ass fun, with the addition of four-player co-operative action a certain crowd-pleaser.

7. Driver: San Francisco (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC) - Looks to be a very welcome return to form for a series that had become a laughing stock, with an emphasis on exciting, high-speed driving thrills on some of the world's most dramatic streets.

8. Rayman Origins (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Vita, 3DS) - A beautifully animated old-school platformer with support for four player co-operative antics.

9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - The first Infinity Ward game since the dramatic legal dispute between its founders and Activision looked spectacular at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo.

10. Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) - Now it's finally getting close we can afford to get excited about id's post-apocalyptic shooter which blends driving and role-playing elements.

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Ex-Realtime Worlds devs come to Android with tower defence game Equilibrium

There are plenty of mobile start ups coming out of the console games business, and one such is Outlander Studios, formed from the ruins of APB developer Realtime Worlds.

It's just released its first mobile release, an Android strategy game called Equilibrium.

In this, you choose either the side of human or of orcs, taking control of one side of a tower defence-style map. You get to generate various buildings to boost your production, staffing them with units as your resources enable.

Resource management

It's an interesting system in that units and buildings are shown at the bottom of the screen on a scrollable deck.

You drop the buildings onto pre-defined locations, upgrade existing buildings, or drop units into your main base, as your resources mount up and units and buildings become available and lit up. This is dependent on how much they cost.

In terms of strategy however, you don't have any control over how your troops attack. The gameplay revolves around turn-based alternative waves of attacks from you and then your enemy until one of you is destroyed.

There are 12 campaign missions - six per side - as well as 10 difficulty levels and 18 quick game maps - nine per side.

Equilibrium is out now, and is free for the basic Campaign mode, or £1.99 (or local equivalent) for quick play and the future addition of online leaderboards, achievements and no ads.

Android 2.2, with a 1GHz CPU and 800 x 480 touchscreen resolution or higher is required to run the game.

You can get some idea of how it plays in the following video.

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This week’s best free PC games

As PC gaming’s apparent shift towards free-to-play continues, PC Gamer let me write about actually famous games like World of Warcraft. Of course, the indie studios still dominate the free games scene – and so they should, if they’re continuing to churn out material of this quality. In addition to Blizzard’s MMO masterpiece, this week we have a trio of splendid games from tiny studios. Read on for the best free PC games of the week…

World of Warcraft Starter Edition

Blizzard. Sign up on the official website.

Is the sun setting on subscription-based WoW?

Some unknown online game called World of Warcraft is now free-to-play. Well, sort of. What you get for your lack of money is time-unlimited game content up to level 20, although there are fairly tight restrictions set in place to limit the fun you can have.

What you don’t get are the auction house, voice chat, mailbox, player-to-player trading and, quite fundamentally, access to guilds. Gold is capped at 10, and trade skills stop at 100.

But what you do get are the first 20 levels of a truly majestic MMO. There’s a reason it’s so popular: it can be phenomenally deep and intricate, but it’s also accessible, friendly, and ultimately forgiving to new players, even those who’ve never picked up an MMO before. Its version of Azeroth is lighthearted, cartoon-like and welcoming, despite the dark things that go on within it. It’s constantly rewarding, too. If you’re not one of the hundreds of billions of people already playing, the Starter Edition is your chance to see why we think World of Warcraft is still the best MMO ever made.

Proun

Joost van Dongen. Grab it from the official website.

It's not like you really have much choice.

In Proun, named after a series of paintings by Russian artist El Lissitzky, you play as a ball travelling very quickly around the outside of a tubular circuit. But there are obstacles. Obstacles which smash your spherical little face in if you don’t have the reaction times of a star-nosed mole. (It’s the creature with the fastest known reaction times on Earth. I looked it up. Yeah, I’m cool.)

It’s a game in which the slowest speed setting is ‘Fast’. It is fast enough. To unlock the higher settings, you’ll have to win championships on the lower ones, which can be quite a challenge. As there are only three tracks (a fourth unlocked if you choose to pay for the game), it can also be a little tedious – but it’s worth pressing onwards just to experience the extraordinary speeds of the more advanced modes.

It looks great, it features some awesome music, and you can get it for absolutely nothing – although there’s a pay-what-you-like option, and the dev does, of course, encourage you to throw in a donation if find yourself having fun. You will.

Mosquito and Cow

Petum. Play it on Kongregate.

That is not what I thought a cow looked like.

This barmy puzzle game sees you taking on the role of a mosquito. Your mission is to suck the blood out of cows. And that’s it.

Of course, cows are smart. Smart enough not to let a pesky mosquito bother them, anyway. They’ll bat you away with their very strange tails if you get too close, ridding you of any opportunity for attack.

Sometimes it’s as easy as stumbling upon a cow who’s asleep. But most of the time you’ll have to hatch dastardly plans, rigging often quite complex traps for the cows to fall into. A pleasant little earthworm guides you through the game with pictorial hints, while the game’s entire aesthetic sits brilliantly between the twee and the obscure. It’s a surreal, silly game, but that’s why I like it.

Luftrauser

Not Vlambeer. Play it on the Vlambeer website.

Keeping the game this simple was a very smart idea.

Increasingly prolific Dutch indie developer Vlambeer and its side-projects are churning out some really top material at the moment. This time, it’s an air combat game that uses its extreme simplicity to its advantage.

You can fly around, and you can shoot. You’ll be attacked by other planes, which you’ve to destroy, but you can also destroy ships and the like. It’s all played on a screen with just a handful of colours on it, and the same tiny passage of music loops throughout.

It works, however, because every single element of the game is so precise. The controls are flawless, that little musical motif gets your head nodding, and the simplicity of its visual style affords clarity to every inch of the game. It’s small but perfectly formed, basically. I think you’ll enjoy it a lot.

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Climate Mission 3D app review on your N8

Climate Mission 3D is a free app from the Ovi Store for all Symbian^3 smartphones that allows you to do your bit for the planet while having a little gaming fun at the same time. We’ve been playing it on our Nokia N8, check out our Climate Mission 3D review.

The idea behind the game is that Nokia is giving away 50,000 Euros to good causes and you get to decide where that money goes. By completing missions you earn voting ballot to opt for your favourite charities. It’s an amazing idea and the fact it’s a fun game too only adds to the experience.

Check out the original Climate Mission

The idea is you look around the world for things you can help out with various projects. There are three different types of challenge: Iceberg, Ants and Trees. When you complete a mission you get a silver medal and this lowers the thermometer on the left-hand side of the screen, which tells you how well you’re doing and how close (or far) you are from helping with a sustainable planet.

The Iceberg challenge is the easiest, as you simply need to swipe the screen to get the large iceberg to crash into other ones to join the whole. You can also smash polluted black ice into small pieces for extra rewards.

The Ant game is a little trickier as you need to set a scent trail for the ants to follow, not only to the twigs and food but also back to the nest. You do this by swiping on the screen and while it’s easy, you will find that too many scent markers send the ants off in all sorts of directions, so less-is-more with this game.

The one we couldn’t really get to grips with was the Tree planting, which seems to be about spreading the seeds from trees in the most appropriate way but gathering points seems a little trickier than with the others.

All the games are in 3D, so you can swipe to move around and even pinch the screen with two fingers to zoom in or out. The graphics look pretty good and run smoothly on our test Nokia N8.

Once you’ve played through one of the games you’ll find that you’ve been awarded green ballots, these you can use to vote for which campaigns should get a slice of the money Nokia is putting up. There are six different campaigns running, two for Oxfam, two for WWF and two for IUCN.

Climate Mission 3D a great way to make a difference while sitting on the commute home, or when you have five minutes to spare. It’s free and you can download it from the Nokia Ovi Store right now.

DOWNLOAD: Climate Mission 3D
Size: 25.7MB
Price: Free

Check out our Climate Mission 3D review photo gallery:

Tags: Climate Mission 3D Gaming N8 Nokia Nokia N8 Ovi Store Symbian^3

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