Month: February 2008

  • Stranded Walkthrough Chapter 2

    Stranded
    We feel that the Stranded game by Glue is a classic adventure game for the mobile so we are continuing with the walk through.Chapter 2 – We Are Not Alone

    Once you’ve completed the tasks in the first chapter Mike the policeman decides that its time to search for the missing girl, Stephie. To help he’s cut down some bushes so you can proceed to the newly unlocked area north of the beach. You have to look for the girl because he’s far too busy with making a raft, which you can actually see part of it on the beach at this stage. Besides he’s not ‘brave’ enough to go into the dark and scary ‘Western forest’.

    Before you go heading of to the the new area make sure you recover your health by eating some of the fish you’ve been cooking. Once ready head off to the forest. You’ll notice the change in scenery and some small plants on the ground – pick them up because they’re rosemary which will help you out later. You’ll also see some pig type animals and more chickens running around. Remember to leave some fish uncooked for other tasks later in the adventure.

    The mysterious stone statues are to the east then north. Check them out if you haven’t already done so.

    The girl – Stephie is to the west so head that way. She will be with a native boy called Tuvu. She doesn’t seemed too impressed to see you because she was having an excellent time with the natives. More to the point she only mildly happy that you’re going to take her back to her mom. As you can probably understand why – her mom Emily has one or more loose screws in the head. Stephie is 9.5 years old apparently.

    Take her back to camp and talk to everyone again. Stephie will remind you to talk to the young native boy Tuvu about hunting. The easily freak-me-out doctor Isabelle is now worried about the strange sounds she’s been hearing coming from the forest. Scary lady – wake up! forests make lots of strange sounds. She seems worried about your health -ohh. Funny considering she doesn’t have any children perhaps she likes you… but do you want to be with a freak-a-minute lady?

    Ian the cook now has a task for you! He wants a Sea Bass 2 potatoes and a turnip for a tasty meal. No need to rush in completing this task but you will need to eventually. Mike now wants an axe.

    Go back to the forest clearing and back to Tuvu he’ll give you a bow and arrows. In return you’ll have to hunt 2 chickens and 1 pheasant or grouse for him. You’ve only got 100 arrows so do this task quickly so you can get more stuff when the village area is unlocked. Hunting is easy, so hunt away until you run out of arrows. Then go back to Tuvu and go to his village. Talk to everyone to find out the trade prices for various items. Then start cooking the stuff you caught and begin trading for stuff you need.

    The chief will have a chat and then its time to trade the stinky fish, chickens and boars you’ve been hunting. To get more $$$ or the local current of shells cook the stuff you’ve been hunting on the fire. One of the tribe ladies – Kimi will ask you to kill some snakes in the bay for her and Timi the other lady the rosemary for some seeds. Complete the tasks for extra shells. You don’t have to rush out straight away to complete the snake task but you will need to do them eventually.

    The men of the tribe will trade you an axe so get that first . You may be thinking of ridding the world of the freak-a-minute lady or the other moronic members of your tribe… nah unfortunately you can’t get rid of them just yet… its for cutting down trees for wood. You need wood for the slave driver Mike, to make more arrows and fruit – of course. Hopefully you’ve collected enough stuff to trade for the axe and high level items like the Warrior’s Bow and Warriors Fishing rod at the same time. (2100shells in total) These items will make hunting and collecting so much easier. With the spare change (shells) buy some seeds because you’ll need them to make Ian’s Fish stew. 1 sea bass, potatoes and turnip!

    Complete the rosemary task to get some seeds then trade shells for some more. Head back to camp to plant them. They grow pretty quick so once grown collect the plants and complete the Fish Stew task.

    OK some strategy to speed things up.

    Chop trees for wood and fruit.
    Don’t worry about the trees as they grow back
    By the time you head back to camp or where ever you are.
    Talk to Mike who asks for 15 wood – thankfully you ben collecting them.
    This unlocks the work place mode where you can make you own arrows.
    Go back to camp and plant the seeds.
    Loose screws, Emily has been making pots to plant them.
    Make arrows with the hard wood – 50 per log.
    You’ll need about 1000 arrows all up in the game.
    Your Tardis like back pack can store everything.
    Hunt with upgraded equipment for as long as possible before completing the required tasks.
    You’ll need more shells and food to trade and survive.
    5000 shells acquired after the purchase of the upgraded bow and fishing rod should be fine for the rest of the game.
    Collect some extra rosemary if you can I think there are only 8 bunches.
    Remember not to use the extra one’s you got after the initial trade – you’ll need them later.
    As for seeds you’ll need to buy them.

    You’ll also need melons grown from seeds to make the fruit salad to impress the tribe and trade for more shells. Keep growing stuff from the seeds – the plants that grow from them are random.
    Now it’s also time to make the fish stew for Ian.

    Once complete head back to the village to trade all your hunted and fished and cooked goods – adding substantially to the inflation of the native island currency I might add… Now do the other task set by the other lady in the village to rid the bay of 6 snakes.
    You only have to kill 6 so it shouldn’t take too long if you have the upgrades.
    High and low tide hamper your movements but there are tunnels.
    She’ll give you 100 shells for your effort.

    The completion of the village quests triggers the next chapter.

    On the way back to camp Mike has something to say.
    Apparently the clumsy oaf has lost the knife or rather he claims that some one has stolen it!

    Chapter 3 walk trough coming soon!

  • Game Review – Art Of War

    Art Of War N.A.C
    NAME: Art Of War N.A.C
    VERSION: 1.0.8
    COMPANY: Gear Games
    PLATFORM: JAVA
    GENRE: Real Time Strategy RTS
    SIZE: 457 KB
    TEST PHONE: K800i
    RATING: 7.5/10
    DEMO: Art Of War

    Welcome to the Art Of War for Mobile phone game review. The Art of War is basically a Command and Conquer (PC) clone. You build our type and number of forces from resources that you gather then destroy the enemy. The game even has a C&C like story line.

    Graphics reminded us of the original C&C over ten years ago so it not state of the art- even for a mobile phone but perfectly adequate for this genre. The icons are on the small side which is fair enough given the limited mobile phone display. But we feel a little more details or redesign could make it stand out more. Music is generic MIDI.

    Gameplay is Real Time Strategy so you need to work quickly before your forces are decimated by the enemy. Finding resources and building sufficient force does take a while so you will find it challenging. Each stage is over very quickly if you get the balance right. The game arena or real estate was surprisingly large. However the game ended quite abruptly just when we thought we where 1/2 way through. There are only 6 stages all up.

    Game controls are simple but you really need a phone with a joystick or properly designed navigation key to make the most of the game. For example the K800i and most new Nokia’s. Some unexpected features included the ability to group your forces and a number of different, a mini-map zoom feature and clearly defined buildings.

    It didn’t take very long to get in to the game. Unfortunately there are some issues mainly due to the small screen and timing which means that you really need to concentrate to win one or two stages. The cause was the AI of your troops – that said overall the AI was very good even the enemy forces.

    The variety of unit types to build was very good for a mobile phone game.  4 moving units and 2 stationary defensive units.  Personally they could have added one more – an air based unit would have really impressed us.

    We liked the Art of War and recommend it to any one who wants a RTS for your mobile phone. It is challenging if you use the higher difficulty level setting. Using easy level settings we could complete the game except for the last level in one try. The ending was disappointing since it’s not really an ending

  • Nokia E61i Review

    Welcome to the Nokia E61i mobile phone review. As the name suggests it is targeted at business and smartphone users. We actually got the phone 6 months ago and its become the main phone that one of us now use as a regular phone. We've just been a little slack in posting the official review. The main selling features of this phone is a lovely wide screen and mini qwerty keyboard. It runs the S60 operating system so you know what you're getting. That aside the hardware on the phone is state of the art - at least for 2007. That said, it is missing one key feature, namely a FM Radio so if you can live without one this review is worth a read! Battery Life The battery life of this phone is excellent. With normal use and roaming on GSM networks you can get at least 12 days of stand time. On 3G networks its about 7 days. Left on purely on stand by your looking at 2 weeks for GSM which we think is fabulous just like the old days. Naturally with ultra-heavy usage it will go for at least a day. With Bluetooth, Wi-FI turned on and calls etc. Try that with a TREO or Windows Mobile and you'll need a charger in about 4-5 hours. Speed The phone is reasonably fast. It activates all functions except JAVA based programs with minimal delay. That said, the screen re-draws occasionally lag but its no different to other smart phones. Overall it could be made faster. Construction. The E61i is partly made of real metal which is brilliant. It is also put together really well with no creaking or movable panels. It's like a block of hard wood. Of course it means a weight penalty but in comparison to other smartphones its design stands out like a super model at a Biggest loser audition. Being thin but wide allows you to put in almost all types of shirt pockets without a huge budge. The full keypad is very good, the buttons have a rudder like surface which makes usage less error prone than others. However the buttons are on the small side for those with larger fingers - but then what modern phone isn't. The buttons are also harder to press than normal phones which is not a criticism since it seems to work better for it. The design is quality and is the class leader compared to ALL other mobile phones in the category. After using the e61i we found using the other qwerty based phones feel cheap. Functionality Overall the E61i does everything you could want in a mobile. The navigation aspect and functional improvements can still be made as a few of the applications like Quickoffice editors could be easier to use. The Alarm clock is missing the daily and week day auto repeats - which is unfortunate. It comes with a stack of utilities and business type applications. Eg. Word/Excel/Powerpoint editors, PDF reader, Flash player, zip file creator, wireless printing, and projector software, full Wi-Fi control, different web browsers, Blackberry software, comprehensive contacts management and of course JAVA. It also comes with one game Golf Pro 2 which is a great looking 3D um... golf game. Gmail and Google Maps Java applications work perfectly. Hotmail and Yahoo webmail also work either full Internet or WAP versions. The phone easily syncs with MS Outlook once the Nokia PC Suite is installed. Connectivity The E61i has all the options available, USB, Bluetooth, infrared, Wi-Fi. We love it. This demonstrates why Nokia is the leading mobile phone manufacturer. Sony Ericsson doesn't have the Wi-Fi yet on even it's range topper. MP3 and video/sound The sound quality and volume coming from this phone is very good but no where near the 6233 bench mark. However video and MP3 play back is much better with not lags or skipping. Videos are recorded in MP4 which a great move. Web Browser There are 2 browsers on the E61i one for WAP sites and one for normal internet pages. Both work well with CSS and BLOG sites. However like all mobile web browsers Flash based content or Youtube videos are not capable of being displayed with in the browser. If a website has streaming content the RealPlayer is activated to view the content. The camera/video/voice recorder It takes OK pictures for a mobile phone and has all the usual features for a camera phone. Features like brightness, various scenes modes light daylight, indoor outdoors, night mode, a timer, various effects like sepia m multiple picture size and quality etc.. Overall picture quality is a bit better than most average for a mobile. It doesn't produce sharp pictures and the colours OK it still won't rival a normal digital camera. Video recorder is likewise very average. Voice recorder is a on the unresponsive side because we had to talk close tot he phone for decent play back volume. The screen The E61i's screen is one of the best, nice and clear, sharp and the backlight bright. It has a light sensor too which automatically adjusts the backlight according to the environment. You can turn it off if you don't like this feature. It's one of the biggest screens for this class of phone. Call quality and network reception Very good voice quality on both GSM and 3G networks. The quality of the loud speaker really helps. It can also do video calls but you have to turn the phone around which defeats the purpose of video calls. Mind you very few people make video calls so its not exactly something to complain about. The Wi-Fi feature of the phone works very, well quick to start up and even has scanning capability. Only Apple's iPod touch is faster. Network reception is excellent. It can pull in all bars in areas where other phones can only manage two. Issues Some of the buttons are just too small, especially the main menu and voice recognition button are not easy to press. Activation of the loud speaker for incoming calls is not a simple process, a problem with all S60 phones. It doesn't have a FM radio - which is odd for a Nokia. Network Not all networks sell the phone so look for a network free version if you can. Summary So far most reviews on the Net tends to compare it with it's predecessor the E61 and assume that existing owners would consider the upgrade and simply conclude by saying it not worth it. Thankfully we have come up with a proper recommendation. Yes it is worth the upgrade to the E61i . Why? It's looks great, much better looking and constructed than the original. You don't have to worry about taking it out in public or at meetings. Nokia should be encouraged to make their phones better looking and use METAL in their designs. If you haven't already got one but want a smart phone that doesn't look or weigh like a brick then this is the phone to get. The battery life is great and it's comes with a ton of software that makes your working or private life easier. Even better is that it is relatively rare! The E61i really shines if you have access to Wi-Fi network or 3G. If you're only on a GSM network then you're missing out on it's internet capability. New SMS or texters will love the keypad and game players will enjoy the extra space and screen. The look of your phone says as much about you as any other fashion accessory. So get one! Price history $600-750 AUS 2007 Manufacturer : Nokia Model : E61i Network : Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) 3G UTMS 2100 MHz Design : Widescreen smart phone L117 x W70 x D14 mm Weight 150 grams Silver/Mocha Display/s : 16Million 24-bit colour TFT - 320 x 240 pixels W5.8cm x L4.8cm Camera : Single 2MP Camera Video capable MP4, WMV, 3GGP, RealMedia, Flash Connectivity : Bluetooth, Infrared, USB, Wi-Fi Memory : 64 MB internal memory MicroSD memory Hot Swap Up to 2 GB Ring tones : Video, ACC, ACC+, eACC+, MP4, MP3, MIDI (64), WAV, XMF, Vibration, True Tones, AMR Features : SMS, MMS, IM, EMAIL, Blackberry Animated wllpaper and screensavers via theme JAVA MIDP 2.0 Modem for PC Web browser (WAP 2.0 - xHTML) Mono Speaker Phone/Hands free Media player Text to speech convertor Voice command Word/Excel/Powerpoint editing PDF, Realmedia formats, Flash 7 GPS connectivity via Bluetooth Speed : Vs Nokia 6230 Navigation 8/10 Battery Life : BP-4L 1500mAh Li Ion Claimed operating times: Standby 400 hours Voice 9 hours Sample camera :

  • Nokia 6120 Review

    The Nokia 6120 was a phone which we weren't inspired to review because it's not exactly an attractive mobile phone to look at. Ours is locked to the Telstra NextG network we had the 850Mhz '3G' version. (The phone is a Quad band GSM too.) We class this phone as a business model based on it's looks and price. Nokia's usual ability customize almost all the user interface features is thankfully retained on network locked versions, so you can happily change soft key and theme branding easily. The 6120 we guess fills in the role of the 6233 but using the S60 OS and caters for the mid-range 3G market. If you are not interested 3G network capability then there are other GSM only models. The first thing we noticed was it's lack of weight. The next was the lovely screen which was similar if not the same as our benchmark 6233. Construction was solid and materials average. Slighter larger but thinner than most. What was underdone is the keypad. Don't expect it to feel upmarket and you'll be happy. Furthermore the arrangement of the primary navigation buttons was poorly thought out. The left or right soft keys was often pressed instead of the Menu or cancel buttons. Sound is a via a mono speaker that actually sounded OK and quite loud. What impressed us was the number of applications that where included with the phone. It runs Nokia's S60 operating system and comes with all the usual software. Quickoffice Word and Excel viewers, GPS, ZIP, voice readers etc... we expected less because it wasn't an E of N series phone so surprised. That said you'll need an external GPS unit for the software to work. The 6120 is feature packed and there's plenty to play with. With an external SDcard slot you'll be playing for quite awhile until you run out of space. Call and network reception is the normal Nokia - as in very good. Performance wise the 6120 was impressive. Fast and stable - so far. No issues to speak of at this point. We liked the 6120 in the end and so will you if you can live with it's looks. Manufacturer : Nokia Model : 6120 Network : Tri-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) HSDPA 3G 2100mhz OR 850Mhz (Aust only) Design : Standard Phone L105 x W46 x D15 mm Weight 90 grams Black/Silver Display/s : 24-bit colour TFT - 240 x 320 pixels Camera : Dual :Single 2MP Camera 320x240 forward facing Video capable MP4, WMV, 3GP Connectivity : Bluetooth, Infrared, USB Memory : 35 MB internal memory MicroSD memory Hot Swap Ring tones : Video, ACC, MP4, MP3, MIDI (64), WAV, Vibration, AMR Features : SMS, MMS, IM, EMAIL Animated themes only via Theme JAVA MIDP 2.0 Modem for PC Web browser (WAP 2.0 + xHTML) Speaker Phone/Hands free Media player FM Radio Speed : Vs Nokia 6230 Navigation 10/10 Battery Life : 890mAh Li Ion BL-5B Claimed operating times: Standby 250 hours Voice 3 hours Price outright for 2008 A$499

  • Game Review – Leisure Suit Larry Love For Sail

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    Leisure Suit Larry Love For Sale
    NAME: Leisure Suit Larry Love for Sail
    VERSION: 0.6.4
    COMPANY: Vivendi Games
    PLATFORM: JAVA
    GENRE: Graphic Adventure
    SIZE: 554 KB
    TEST PHONE: K800i
    RATING: 7/10
    Demo: Larry-mobile.com

    The Leisure Suit Larry series of games have been around for about 20 years! and this is the first known mobile phone version! You play Larry who is basically a stereotypical geek from the 80’s as he basically tries to find a lady and love of his life.

    The Leisure suit is basically a Safari suit from the 70’s and was a ‘fashionable’ piece of clothing all those years ago. Watch an old James Bond movie to see it for real. Yes, 30 years ago a Safari suit and Flares where the height of fashion!

    So how is the game? Leisure Suit Larry – Love For Sail (JAVA) for the mobile phone promised so much at least in title since it harked back to the genuinely witty and non-politically correct age of the 80’s. It’s relaunch in the 00’s is hence going to be interesting since it is without its original creators and in a totally different world. It’s also very different from the PC version of the game.

    Graphic wise this game is state of the art 2D. It honestly looks great. Realistic graphics on a mobile phone game is NOT a pre-requisite to success but playability is. We can’t understand why everyone is so focused on 3D or real life graphics when they haven’t got the gameplay down pat. Larry is thankfully not presented in fake 3D but is comic style 2D like the original series. Some of the non-layer characters you meet resemble real life celebrities and movie stars, The Hoff, Tom Cruise, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton are just a few parodies to watch out for.  Their alternative names are quite funny – for most.

    Gameplay is simple enough but takes some time to get used to than most. Combining actions is the trickiest since it takes quite a few steps to manipulate objects. Trial and error with the not consequence (unless successful) was one of the fun parts in the original series and thankfully its been retained.

    In game music in the original PC versions where a very important part in revealing the tone and mood of the game. It hasn’t been translated well to the mobile version.  There are only about 3 versions of the theme.

    The adventure or story line its self is classic Larry although cut back for the mobile phone.    The witty one liners, a standard Leisure Suit Larry feature does not always work due mainly to political correctness and target audience of the game.  The games lasts for at least 2 hours on first play.

    Overall its a good game but not a classic – something is missing.  Try Stranded by Glu if you want a game that scores top marks with us.