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Samsung Galaxy Note Review

5 Feb 2012 at 3:00am

Despite continuing rumours of a new iPhone with a four-inch screen, Apple has always insisted that 3.5 inches is the optimum size for a mobile display. We're sure that many thousands of hands fondled the very first iPhone prototypes before that magical figure was decided upon, but it's hard to disagree with this stance. Rivals such as Windows Phone and Android offer handsets with more imposing screens, yet it's the Apple standard which has arguably been adopted by the vast majority of mobile developers. For most, 3.5 inches just seems to work.

However, that hasn't stopped Samsung from rolling out what it believes is the device which can not only best the iPhone, but also bridge the yawning gap between mobile phone and tablet. The Galaxy Note boasts a gigantic 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, placing it firmly in the no man's land previously occupied by Dell's ill-fated Streak 5. Needless to say, Samsung is hoping that this effort will fare better, and is using the unsubtle sledge-hammer that is the 2012 half-time Super Bowl commercial slot to truly drive home the fact that the Note is the ultimate convergence device; it's a phone, it's a tablet, it's a gaming platform. Rather than being a niche product, Samsung is positioning the Galaxy Note as The Next Big Thing - only on this occasion, the term 'big' could be taken literally as well as figuratively.

You're unlikely to forget the moment the Galaxy Note drops out of its packaging - purely because it's sure to elicit a chuckle. For a phone, it's insanely massive, and when placed alongside the iPhone 4S or even the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which, let's not forget, has a pretty formidable 4.65-inch display), it looks positively monstrous.

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App of the Day: Squids

5 Feb 2012 at 3:00am

I'm somewhat of a specialist when it comes to games starring the order Teuthida, an interest that began when IGN reviewed 'Hail to the Chimp' and claimed squids weren't animals (a line subsequently removed without notice). What can I say? You've got to feel sorry for them after that.

Our ink-loving chums are responsible for many fine games. Aside from scene-stealing cameos, there are brilliant shooters like Squid Yes, Not so Octopus (both SYNSOs can be had online, and are highly recommended), the awesome survival horror Night of the Cephalopods, and now it's time for some turn-based strategy with the defiantly plural Squids.

Squids' levels are top-down arenas filled with spiky obstacles, clamshells, fatal drops, anchors, currents and lots of giant enemy crabs. You'll have four squid most of the time, and during your turn twang them across the place like elastic bands. Each squid has a set amount of stamina per go (a full-on twanging uses roughly half of that), and you can of course control how far and fast they're going.

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App of the Day: Caverns of Minos

4 Feb 2012 at 3:00am

It's hard to think of a name that divides opinion quite like Jeff Minter's. To some, his creations are beautifully blended homages, crafted by the loving hands of an old master. To others, they're the emperor's new fixation with retro for the sake of it. From either stance, the other side is considered wrong to an apocalyptic degree, and yet perhaps, like many of Minter's games, the answer lies more within a mixture.

Caverns of Minos is Llamasoft's fifth entry in its Minotaur Project, conceived to highlight the simple pleasures of retro gaming while removing all the irritations of the day - unstable sprites, stuttering hardware and the like. This particular release is a tribute to Caverns of Mars from the Atari 8-bit era.

The idea is that players descend into the depths of a cavern to gather a series of items ranging from a pair of pants to biscuits. Once they're reclaimed, the journey is reversed and these items have to be delivered to - what else - a sort of inter-dimensional sheep that hovers at the top of the screen.

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PC Video Game Reviews from 1UP

Review: Choplifter Appeals to Your Inner-Masochist

13 Jan 2012 at 6:31pm

the industry's seemingly never-ending desire to churn out games for a franchise until it drains every bit of life left in a series, it seems strange that we had to wait so long for a new Choplifter game. Originally published for the Apple II in 1982, ports of Choplifter appeared as late as 1986 for the Sega Master System and NES. The series fell dormant for a period of time, despite periodic waves of nostalgia for early '80s classics that have given us atrocious remakes of other once beloved games. It's fitting then that inXile -- the studio that brought The Bard's Tale back from the dead -- brings us Choplifter HDon XBLA, PSN, and PC.

The new game sticks closely to the original's premise: fly a helicopter and rescue people while shooting stuff. Most missions will require you to rescue individuals trapped in warzones around the world, and the campaign does a nice job of changing up environments to keep things from becoming too familiar or boring. Some of the stranded will start the level injured, and you'll have to rescue them within a time limit. Depending on which helicopter you fly, you'll have to worry about killing passengers and innocents on the ground with reckless flying or taking too much enemy fire. Other missions task you with blowing up enemy targets or simply escaping the level alive.

Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic Offers Something for Everyone

12 Jan 2012 at 12:00pm

single reviewer could play through all eight of Star Wars: The Old Republic's unique storylines, and even the most dedicated players have only seen a fraction of what the game has to offer after its first month. Even if a person could do all this, the game will change significantly with the addition of content patches. MMO reviews maintain their relevancy for only a very short period of time. I took an interview with a BioWare representative while writing this to talk about the upcoming 1.1 content patch just to ensure that this review is as up-to-date as possible. Even then, it won't be long before the next patch comes along -- tweaking existing systems and adding entire new ones.

The game that exists right now is a well-designed MMO, but players unfamiliar with the genre might find themselves lost as the game does very little to reach out to them. The fine details of its mechanics are poorly explained and difficult to figure out. That said, if you're willing to put in the work (and sometimes it does feel like work) TOR will provide hundreds of hours of satisfying game time for MMO fans of all kinds. The Old Republic offers something for everyone, whether you prefer to spend your time logged-in killing other players, cooperating with allies, or simply questing solo.

Review: Trine 2 is a Whole List of Synonyms For "Beautiful"

22 Dec 2011 at 5:46pm

are those rare moments in gaming when a product looks so good that you find yourself doing an immediate double take to make sure that your eyes don't deceive you. Believe me when I say that you will experience this sensation every time you load up Trine 2 -- Frozenbyte's stunning sequel to their 2009 puzzle-platfomer. Pick any given screenshot from this downloadable title, and you have yourself a portrait of high fantasy worthy of being displayed. With 3D games expanding their graphical prowess via polished minutia, I still find myself consistently wowed by 2011's gorgeous 2D gems like Outland, Rayman Origins, and now Trine 2.

Trine 2's fantasy vibe has a fun, unpretentious feel that evokes the loving tongue-in-cheek mannerisms that David Bowie exhibited in Labyrinth. Much like in the original Trine, you command a trio of adventurers who navigate a fantastical world in a classic rightward direction. Each of the three heroes have a distinct playstyle unto themselves: The Knight is adept at combat and can smash through heavy obstacles; the Thief can freeze enemies from a distance and use her grappling hook on certain surfaces; and the Wizard can conjure blocks and interact with the environment via telekinesis. You can switch between the three characters at any time -- and switch you will. This isn't a game where you pick a class and stick with it throughout the duration of the quest, as you'll quickly realize that each member of the fellowship is essential for completing every level. This is most apparent in the great multiplayer mode, which allows three people to roam the world together simultaneously. Gathering a pair of buddies and huddling around the television is a refreshing throwback to the days when single-system multiplayer was a norm in gaming.

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2 Feb 2012 at 9:19pm

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