By Florian Oertel and Sven Appel Nov 20, 2006, 16:22 GMT
Cologne - Fresh air is fine and dandy. But where do you find electronic games in the great outdoors? Enter mobile gaming consoles with a crop of new titles available just in time.
Depending on your preference, you can go for the virtual basketball court, racetrack or fantasy worlds or just choose to raise a pet or solve number puzzles.
Soccer fans have already gotten their mobile fix lately, so basketball and ice hockey fans are up next. NBA Live 07 and NHL 07 are EA Sports latest editions of those long running series for the PSP. NBA Live 07 lets users shoot jumpers and slam dunk to hip-hop and R'n'B music. The NHL game features more of a melodic punk rock soundtrack while the slap shots fly.
Beginners can use the ice hockey simulator to get a handle on things: at the simplest playing levels, it doesn't take long for a player to get used to the controls and start beating up the first computer opponents. This comes not least of all because the players at those levels tend to foul heavily, quickly leading to power plays where one team or another ends up with more players on the ice. For NBA Live 07, however, the number of possible shots and button combinations are mind-blowingly broad. First time players should count on suffering lopsided losses for a while.
In exchange, however, the basketball game offers a variety of new features when compared to its previous version. NHL 07 can't make the same boast. Alongside additional mini-games, team chemistry is a more important element than ever. To lead a successful season, the player should use the team's superstars right to keep them happy, but also remember that neglecting the other players causes trouble too. Both titles are available in stores for around 50 dollars.
A PSP may well be a light in the fog when it comes to Myst. The title is the first adaptation of that adventure series for mobile consoles. As befits the title, the player finds himself on a mysterious island - and initially has no idea what to do there.
The goal is revealed bit by bit by looking around the island. Objects must be collected even as the player encounters disembodied voices expressing specific desires. Written clues along the way are best studied closely - they can contain hints as to what is going on on this unusual island. Myst is available for roughly 50 dollars.
Auto racing fans are given a new toy as well: Sony Computer Entertainment brings the second part of Ridge Racer series for PSP onto the market - just ahead of the genre hit Need for Speed Carbon from Electronic Arts. A number of new cars and tracks are available for burning rubber.
The effect is best enjoyed with a view from behind the steering wheel, instead of the all-too-familiar view from behind the racecar. This allows the small Playstation to serve as a windshield, and the racing is given an extra burst of momentum. Beginners are advised to start out using the automatic transmission: eliminating the need to switch gears allows improved concentration on steering, and that's crucial here. Ridge Racer 2 is available in stores for just under 50 dollars.
The various episodes of the Sims encompass one of the most successful of all computer game series. The principle is always the same: satisfy the human needs of a digital alter ego. The Sims want to eat, drink, sleep, wear nice clothing, make friends, fall in love, and get rich. The same idea applies in The Sims 2 - Pets. Players take on responsibility for digital companions for their Sims.
The game, created by Electronic Arts, is also available for Nintendo DS. Game play involves everything from worm medicine to time spent stroking and romping with Fido and Tabby. The two monitors of the Nintendo DS give the game a certain amount of manageability. One disadvantage is game control, which is anything but intuitive and is not well explained in either the instruction manual or online help. The game costs around 37 dollars.
Sudoku Master brings the Japanese number puzzles onto the Nintendo DS. The rules of the game and game controls are explained in a tutorial. The game interface consists of nine boxes, each of which is further divided into nine sub-boxes. Depending on the level of difficulty selected, more or fewer fields are already filled in with numbers ranging from one to nine when the game starts. The task involves logically deducing the proper number for the remaining empty fields so that no number appears twice in the same column or row. The well-conceived game provides lasting puzzling fun. Sudoku Master from Nintendo costs around 27 dollars.
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