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Month: March 2008

  • Sony Ericsson models for 2007

    It may seem too late to comment on Sony Ericsson’s mobile phone range but if you think about it all their 2007 models will be the most common models that will be sold this year (2008).

    2007 was a very ordinary year for the phone manufacturer.  It’s easy to see why.  The only shining light in their range was the k800 which was the halo model due to a starring or should we say product placement in the Jame Bond movie Casino Royale of 2006.   It was a genuinely good phone so much so that at least 2 of us had one during the year.  It probably did well too because everyone had a Nokia before and switching brands to try different models have always appealled to the majority of mobile phone users.

    Well, lets face it almost everyone has a Nokia of some sort and Sony Ericsson managed to tap into the ‘be different’ set with it range.   No-one wants to have the same phone as your friends. However Sony’s break didn’t last long.  They failed to update their range with the latest features the quality of designs and their materials just fell into a black hole.

    In terms of hardware Sony Ericsson models often lack 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS capabilities.  Even worse they use the rare Memory Stick M2 which is hard to find adapters for.  They so use and will continue to use propriety connectors. Their designs try to be different but are let down in the quality of materials.  Sony products used to have the best look, quality and feel.  See the k800 replacement the k850 – what a shocker.   The only saving grace is the W890 and perhaps the W910.

    In terms of software they come with all you need for calls and text messaging. Their web browser is very basic due to  their lack of 3G capable models. Customisation of the interface is also limited. Sony Ericsson phones mainly use UIQ or Symbian based OS and because they don’t offer state of the art functionality but they are very stable phones.  Standout models are their Walkman branded model are the best sounding mobiles around.  Also their Cyber-shot branded models have arguably the best mobile phone camera and picture quality.

    So for 2007 we can summarise by saying that Sony Ericssion mobile phones are good and stable but lack state of the art design or functionality.

  • Game Review – The Sims2 Castaway

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    The Sims2 Castaway
    NAME: The Sims2 Castaway
    VERSION: 1.0.8
    COMPANY: EA Games
    PLATFORM: JAVA
    GENRE: RPG
    SIZE: 457 KB
    TEST PHONE: K800i
    RATING: 6/10
    DEMO:

    Welcome to The Sims2 Castaway review. We like the Sims series games in general and although the first Sims2 games for the mobile we tried wasn’t the breakthrough we where expecting we where still happy to give the latest release a go.

    The scenario for castaway is shown in a few slides at the start of the game of how you go to the island, essentially thrown off your sailing ship where you where having a party with others due to some sort of natural disaster. I didn’t quite catch the name of the ship on the life ring but I sure it had some corporate significance. You wash ashore and have to start fending for your self.

    There are several versions of this Castaway game, namely for the Nintendo DS, PC and so forth. However this mobile version plays quite differently compared to the say – the DS version. The Sims2 Castaway for mobile phones gameplay although ties in with the other versions in that it involves collecting food and any other items lying around so we can use them later, it’s obviously less complex play.

    The story is all about how to get off the island and back to civilisation.  All the sub-quests lead up to this ending.  The quests are very simple, collect this item from that person , play mini-game to accomplish and so forth.  The locations are: The Bay, Waterfall, Beach, Cave, The Cliffs and your Camp.  Throughout the game you’ll meet the characters on the island,  Mike the geek, Sandi the snobby cook, Higgins the hid pea in the pod monkey, Leyla the fashionista and ‘So you think you can dance’ wannabe, Crazy Carl the cave and psycho treasure hunter dweller, Jeff the surfer guy, the local monkeys, and of course the Pineapple man.

    Although a reasonable game to play it doesn’t have the character development of say the Stranded game.  The games characters are supposed to represent stereo types but it just doesn’t work.  For example the surfer guy isn’t stereotypical or chilled out he comes across as sly, like wise the geek isn’t vaguely geeky, he’s just w….er hermit.  Sandi the supposedly snobby character is actually helpful.

    The game controls are easy enough to master, the game music is the usual MIDI and graphics, current industry standard. See the Larry game for one of the better graphics in a mobile phone game.

    To conclude Castaway reminded us of our favorite desert island game ‘Stranded’. However Castaway is not as good. For example, the lack of a proper introduction like in Stranded amongst a variety of other things, disappointed since this one is made by EA. You can choose to leave the island at the end of your tasks or continue to wonder around the island completing all the optional mini-tasks.  It’s a good game but spoiled by poor characters and lack of a sub-plot or interesting story line.

  • Game Review – Need For Speed ProStreet

    Need For Speed ProStreet
    NAME: Need For Speed ProStreet
    VERSION: 4.2
    COMPANY: Electronic Arts
    PLATFORM: JAVA
    GENRE: Car/Street Racing
    SIZE: 291 KB
    TEST PHONE: LG U810
    RATING: 7.5/10
    DEMO: EA Games

    Welcome to the Need For Speed ProStreet for mobiles game review. The Need for Speed series has been around over 10 years on the PC so the reputation is there. One of the better ones until the release of the Playstation based Grand Tourismo.

    EA has done a great job in translating the latest Need For Speed game to the JAVA and the mobile phone. So much so that we can’t really say anything specifically negative about the way the game plays. The graphics are as good as any other 2D racing games the icons not too big or small, sound is limited as always…

    The game has a quick race mode and a career mode which impressed us – because the file size was so small! It has the ability to customize your car with various performance additions and of course buy new cars. There are a number of different race courses to try out too!

    The game controls are very simple for a game that allows you to drift and use Nitro boost – they used to call it turbo boost in the last decade! The auto accelerate is a great feature, it even as a drift button.

    As for difficulty the game is perfect for beginners. First stages are really easy to get you started with although the course could have taken less time to complete – since it does require more concentration than the normal games. If anything we where disappointed that we only had $14,000 in cash to start with because the cheapest car to the career mode in costs $8,000. This is a mobile phone game guys it doesn’t need to be that realistic.

    Overall a very good racing game but nothing really different to set it apart from any other good racing game. At least you won’t regret paying  for this one.

  • Game Review – Monopoly Tycoon

    Monopoly Tycoon
    NAME: Monopoly Tycoon
    VERSION: 0.0.5
    COMPANY: Mforma Group
    PLATFORM: JAVA
    GENRE: Board game
    SIZE: 291 KB
    TEST PHONE: Sony Ericsson K800i
    RATING: 7.5/10

    Welcome to the review of Monopoly Tycoon for JAVA. Although we enjoy the physical Monopoly board game we have never enjoyed the mobile version -because it doesn’t well to the small mobile phone screen. So When Monopoly Tycoon was released we happy to give it go.

    Tycoon is a really simple game to get into. We where hooked after the first game. It is not like the regular Monoploy game but an extension. Essentially you are micro managing the streets that you have bought with businesses and hotels.

    Game play is turn based. One turn to buy and another to build and another to manage. The situation for each street changes so building the right type of buildings and businesses will win you the game. There are 5 game types so you won’t get bored for a little while. All are challenging and open ended. Money management is key in this game so watch how much you spend.

    The game AI pits you against 2 other computer characters.  One of them is usually not very smart so you end up with one one computer opponent.  The remaining AI player can be quite tough to beat if you are slack!

    Game controls a simple to buy the streets, utilities or building or changing businesses. Use the navigation keys and the center button to activate the various options.

    Graphic quality unfortunately a let down. Sure there are animations of construction and people but the lack of quality in the actual graphics is a let down. For example there is very little difference between a low quality building and a high quality building.  We understand there are different versions catering for the specifications of phones so we may have just been sent the basic version.  Regardless the K800i we tested it on isn’t short on power.

    Music is likewise simple and quite catchy but repetitive just like any other mobile phone game.

    Overall a good game that shows that game play does overcome other traditional short falls of mobile phones games. We liked it and you probably will too. It’s not a classic or ‘must have’ but it’s not a complete waste of your $$$ either. Fun to play.