Entries for November 2008

My first response upon starting up Tomb Raider Underworld by Eidos Mobile and Distinctive Developments was “Hey, you can’t turn!” There is a decidedly restrictive movement engine to this 3^rd person Laura Croft adventure. You can only move forward or back down the middle of a hallway until you reach a predetermined junction where you press 4 or 6 to turn left or right. Being restrained to a track is initially disappointing but as you descend deeper into the crypt, you will find that there are treasures to be mined.

The fertile Need For Speed series has spun out yet another offspring for your mobile device in NFS - Undercover by EA. Released to coincide with its similarly named sibling for consoles, has it delivered another chip off the old block? Let’s take a peek under the covers and see what the newborn brings. 

The family resemblance is apparent as you choose your races from a jigsaw puzzle map of the city in your quest to conquer areas. In fact, the sense of déjà vu’ is undeniable as you run races, win money and upgrade and buy cars.

Every so often a game comes along that is of such visual impact that terms like Next Gen jump immediately to mind and it is declared - the One. One by Digital Legends for the N-gage 2.0 is such a game and has the promise of pulling the N-gage name out of the trash bin into the light of viability.

Pool games seem to be perfectly suited for mobile entertainment. After all, who wants to pay $50 to play pool, a graphically simple game, on a console or dedicated handheld? World Championship Pool by I-Play and Blade Interactive racks up a very nice 3D pool playing experience for your mobile device without making you put up big bucks. 

Unlike another recently released mobile pool game, Steve Davis Pool Star which continues to favor the overhead table view, World Championship Pool 2009 lets you rack em’ up in a dynamic 3D environment which adds a stroke of realism to the game. Think Midnight Pool 3D with sharper table graphics, more of a tournament feel and thankfully no “Sweet Home Alabama” ricocheting through your brain while you line up your shot.