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Your Wednesday Reviews: MicroPinball Casino and Color Master
Botond.FM's 'instant' games have a definite appeal for quick gaming sessions. This is the latest incarnation of MicroPinball Casino, for S60 5th Edition phones, now with 'multitouch' even on resistive-screened devices - no, really. Here's my review of MicroPinball, tested on both the Nokia 5530 and the Samsung i8910, over on our Ovi Gaming site. Also posted this morning is my review of the free Color Master, which you'll know better under its classic board game title of 'Mastermind'. Hey, there goes your afternoon's productivity!
Dino Detective
Here on AAS's Ovi Gaming site, Ewan reviews a fresh revamp of an old classic - Minesweeper - that gets turned completely on its head and given a fresh lick of stone age paint into the bargain. An unholy attempt? More a modern classic and it's got Ewan impressed. Here's his review of Dino Detective.
Review: Let's Golf
Another calendar quarter, another golf game, another chance for Steve to wallow in handheld golf nostalgia? Or maybe not, this time - let's keep this one a straight Ovi Gaming review. Let's Golf! has been well received on other platforms, notably on the iPhone and iPad, and here we have a Java version optimised for Symbian-powered touchscreens. How much of the experience has been compromised in the port to Java and is Let's Golf! (in the Ovi Store) actually any good?
MotionSpeed
In our latest (and shortest?) Ovi Gaming review, Ewan looks at MotionSpeed, perhaps a modern equivalent to Whack-a-mole. The title comes across well, though it's best played using a device with capacitive screen, which in the Ovi Store world means just the Nokia X6 at the moment. Read on...
BoxIt2 Review
As part on our on-going series of games reviews Ewan takes a look at BoxIt2 from inner Acctive. It's a Sokobahn style game, where the aim is solve the box pushing puzzle, over multiple levels. From the game play to the graphics, Ewan finds a well executed implementation of this classic puzzle game, which earns BoxIt2 a thumbs up and a recommended rating.
Blockfest Review
When you take a 2D block game into the third dimension, do you still have a winning game? Ewan finds out in his review of Blockfest by Arctica. "You’re in a 3D world, looking into the grid. Laid out flat before you, all you can see are the tops of the stacks, and the tile you are about to throw down."
Hunting high and low for Wally, how does he work on a smartphone?
"No..." "No..." "There he is!". Yes, for some Friday fun it's Capcom Europe's port of the popular children's book series, Where's Wally! How well does an artwork based book translate to the gaming world on your smartphone? Ewan decides to risk a pun and takes a look.
Angry Birds win "Best Game in Ovi Store" poll
What’s the best game in the Ovi Store? Nokia asked last week with ten games to choose from, and the result are available. But in a lovely nod to their ability to spot a top game, the write-in "others" category provided the runaway winner with 36% of the vote. The winning garland has been placed on Angry Birds, available for the N900. Which isn’t that surprising given that (a) it’s a runaway hit on the iPhone and (b) the N900 version sold six times as fast as the iPhone version!
Finding the balance between 'Full' and 'Lite' versions
One of the more interesting challenges for developers (especially those making games or leisure applications) is how much of their application to show in the 'demonstration' version of their pride and joy. Is there a magic point where 'full' and 'lite' versions cross over to help maximise sales?
Can you decide on your favourite game in the Ovi Store?
What is your favourite game? Nokia are asking Ovi Store users that very question over on their Conversations Blog, partly because it’s a polite question to ask (especially as sales figures aren’t the same as satisfaction), but also because it’s a rather subtle way to say “look at these great games on Ovi!” Match this up with the special offer on a number of top games and you can see them building more momentum behind the store.
