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Nov

Sony Xperia Miro Review: The Ford KA Of Phones - You'll Get From A To B, But The Ride Might Be A Little Rough

Posted by John Thompson in Phone Reviews, Vodafone, Xperia miro

It was only a couple of months ago that Sony introduced its new budget smartphone - the Xperia tipo - but after implementing a few spec boosts and increasing the size of the screen, they're ready for round 2, and this time they've brought the Xperia miro into the ring.

There's no doubt that the miro is still very much a budget smartphone, it's available for £150 SIM-free, but Sony has managed to make it look and feel the part thanks to a nice plastic material covering the back, and an LED which shines between the screen and capacitive touch buttons each time you turn on the display.

Nov

Zombie Driver THD Review: You Got Your Shooter In My Racing Game

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, Reviews

A review of Exor Studio's Zombie Driver is somewhat redundant, since it's been available on PCs via Steam for almost three years. But as any dedicated mobile gamer knows, translating a console or PC gaming experience to a handheld is rarely as straightforward as developers or publishers think, and the $7 asking price is a respectable chunk of change, even for a proven game. So, does the NVIDIA-published THD version of Zombie Driver live up to its undead-slaying progenitor?

For the most part, yes. Zombie Driver THD keeps up the fast and surprisingly varied gameplay of the original, making only a few sacrifices to mobile controls (which, thankfully, are entirely optional).

Nov

A Blast From The Past: A Review of Chrono Trigger for Android

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Reviews

If you were a gamer in the 90s, there was a good chance you either owned or had played a Super Nintendo. While the debate still rages on about whether that machine or the Sega Genesis was superior, it can be safely stated that the SNES had some amazing role-playing titles.

Chief among these was Chrono Trigger, a game by a group of developers so storied that they were labeled a "Dream Team." The game was one of many titles (Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG) that helped further the genre and leave a lasting impression on gaming as a whole.

Oct

Real Football 2013 Review: Turns Out It's Not So "Real" After All

Posted by John Thompson in Game Reviews, Games

FIFA may be the undisputed king of football games on the console, but when it comes to mobile gaming, it's a totally different ball game.

Gameloft will be hoping that Real Football 2013 (also known as "Real Soccer 2013" in the U.S. store) can take advantage of FIFA 13's delayed arrival to the Play store this year, and amass as many downloads as possible, but how does it compare to its rivals?

Gameplay

When you launch Real Football for the first time, you can choose to take control of a club from a number of leagues across the world. Pro Evolution Soccer fans will no doubt be glad to see the return of teams such as 'Man Red', as Gameloft hasn't acquired the rights to the names of most of the teams available.

Oct

Samsung Galaxy Note II Review - Samsung Finally Finds Their Killer App

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy Note II, Reviews, Samsung

Last Updated: October 29th, 2012

I panned the Note 10.1 in my review. It was subtitled "An Embarrassing, Lazy, Arrogant Money Grab" and, for my conclusion, I took a picture of it in a trashcan. I did not like it. It had erratic performance, a squishy, creaky back, and a bunch of gimmicky features that didn't work. Now, I've got a Note II!

I'm happy to report the Note II is not as crappy as its bigger brother. It's much more solidly built in comparison, really fast, and god help me, some of the TouchWiz features are actually good. They greatly improved the split screen app feature of the Note 10.1, and I think Samsung has finally found their huge, differentiating software feature that they've been searching for.

Oct

Sumioni Demon Arts Review: Great Ideas And Awesome Style Brought Down By Poor Controls

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, Reviews

Despite the fact that tens of thousands of games are available on Android, most of them are easily placed within genres that have been around for decades, or they simply copy the conventions of mobile-friendly games (tower defense, runners, physics games, etc). IT's refreshing to see a game like Sumioni: Demon Arts, which combines traditional platforming with the kind of touch-enabled gameplay mechanics that's only been possible for a few years. It's a shame, then, that it has to come from a PlayStation Vita port... with the high price tag that usually accompanies console games.

The artistry on display in Sumioni, lifted from Japanese sumi-e paintings (with "oni" meaning "demon" in Japanese, creating a crude quasi-pun in the title), is undeniably attractive.

Oct

[Quick Review] Scosche CellControl: Keep Your Kids Safe By Blocking Cell Phone Use While They're Driving

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews

As a parent, I'm terrified at the thought of my kids driving. We're still at least seven years away from that, but it's still something I think about almost daily. It's becoming all too common to hear horror stories of how someone lost of loved one due to things like using email, texting, or other cell phone usage while driving. I'm hoping there's a better solution than we have now before my babies get behind the wheel, but for those who are going through that very thing right now, Scosche has a solution. Not just any solution, either - one that should actually work.

Oct

Iron Jack 2 Review: Plays Well, Rusty In Other Places

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Iron Jack 2 is a mashing-up of multiple kinds of genres; it combines platforming with some physics-based gameplay and places them inside a familiar "beat levels, get three stars" box. You play as a lone spaceman whose job it is to collect fuel energy. Once enough energy is collected,a level can be exited and completed.

This sounds simple enough, right? We've seen many games use this formula to great effect, making its players jump through increasingly difficult hoops in order to get that vaunted three-star score, and a place on leaderboards. It's a great way of encouraging replayability: instead of having to concentrate on making every level fun, you just make it competitive, instead.

Oct

Woxom Slingshot Review: Is It Enough For Video Amateurs?

Posted by Matt Demers in Accessories, Reviews

Last Updated: October 15th, 2012

When I initially got my hands on a Woxom Slingshot, I couldn't have been more excited: finally, I could put the video camera on my phone to good use, since I wouldn't have to put up with wobbly images any more. Having just upgraded to a new camera, however, I found myself a bit perplexed: I mean, if I have better hardware on me right now, what use is this thing?

Therein lies the answer: because it's portable, useful and universal, it can provide a number of functions that would otherwise be fulfilled by other devices. It won't do those functions as well as those devices, but when the inspiration strikes and you need to film something right now, it's invaluable.

Oct

LG Escape For AT&T Review: The Best Budget Phone I've Ever Reviewed

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in AT&T, Escape 4G LTE, Phone Reviews

When it comes to the newest generation of phones, "budget" is closer to "flagship" than ever before. Two months ago, I reviewed the free-on-contract Pantech Marauder and came away highly impressed. Ron, too, reviewed the $100 Motorola Razr M and said "This is what budget phones are like now? Where do I sign up?" The old budget formula of taking last-gen hardware and slapping it in a cheap chassis has given way to current-gen hardware in a better chassis - not to mention that the optimizations and polish of Android 4.0 make the experience better than ever on virtually any level of hardware.