Get your Head On A Stick for free

You can't beat the Ronseal approach to naming your mobile game. Head On A Stick boasts the most self-explanatory title since last year's award-winning Monkey Pole Climb. The aim: balance heads. Yes, on sticks. And that's about it. Developer Under Siege Studio promises 'unique two-thumb head balancing gameplay', as you have to keep a variety of heads aloft using careful stick-waving alone. The game also features a four-player mode, with you taking turns on the same handset, and has various levels, each with their own backdrops and heads. Gruesome, but fun. There's even online high-scores. What's more, Head On A Stick is absolutely free, via the GameJump portal, which offers free games by inserting adverts into the game loading screens.

Opposite Lock speeds onto phones

Format: Mobile
Sometimes you have to wonder what all these big mobile games creators spend their money on. Go to any industry conference, and you'll hear developers and publishers complaining about the technical challenges of creating mobile games, particularly multiplayer ones. And then along come two blokes from Liverpool with a racing game that supports up to eight-player Bluetooth action! Numfum is that developer, and Opposite Lock is the game, which is being released by publisher eFusion. It's a knockabout arcade racer with ten tracks and three game modes to play: practice, tournament or time trial. The multiplayer works by one player hosting a game and the others joining it – much like you'd do on a Nintendo DS, albeit using Bluetooth in this case. The game's just gone live on Samsung's Fun Club portal, and will be available from other portals soon too. From the screenshots and the preview version we've seen, it looks like it has the potential to be a big word-of-mouth hit, particularly as different phones can play each other in the multiplayer mode (for example, a Nokia versus a Motorola versus a Samsung). Let's hope other mobile games studios have a go...

ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007

Format: PSP Of all the technological mountains that video games try to conquer, realism seems the most popular, the most insurmountable and, too often, the most pointless. Quite why painstakingly translating real-world atoms and physics into virtual pixels and engines should make a game any more fun is a mystery to those among us who actually quite like quirky characters, with their super-wide eyes and preposterous relationship with gravity that enables us to do the impossible. Nevertheless, many games continue to boast with puffed chests that they closest mimic real life in looks and behaviour.

ProStroke Golf 2007 is one such title, claiming to be the 'most faithful adaptation of the world's most challenging sport'. It's a bold declaration (in more than one way) but one that the game's humourless presentation, rudimentary character options, functional visuals and often-cruel difficulty curve quickly reiterate. Indeed, when sat beside the PSP's other two high-profile golf titles � the massively stylised and brilliantly fun Everybody's Golf and the slickly accessibile Tiger Woods � PSG seems a little too much like hard work for all but the greatest golf aficionados. That said, the least-handicapped latter might well choose to iron out its kinks (so to speak), such is the depth of simulation available here. Developer Gusto Games has sought to carve this niche in gritty-realism by engineering a new way of taking the shots. In orthodox golf video games, you select a club and angle the shot before perhaps momentarily switching to an overhead view of the current course to check a well-struck ball's predicted trajectory. Then you hit the X button once to trigger the start of the swing, a second time to confirm the strength of the shot and, finally, a third time to secure its accuracy. ProStroke Golf follows the set-up phase by rote but aims for revolution by mixing up the button inputs when it comes to hitting the ball. Here the R-trigger begins the back swing, setting off a power meter which slides up from 0 per cent to 100 per cent strength. Hitting the L-trigger then freezes the meter while, lastly, releasing the L-trigger at the right moment secures its accuracy. It's also possible to add extra power to shots by transferring weight to the front foot before the backswing is complete. Of course, in essence the system is only a mildly evolved version of the one we're used to but, nevertheless, the co-ordination required to hit a shot well takes a little while to settle into. Even when you have the desired muscle memory, just a small mistake with the slippery accuracy gauge will only thud the ball a few sorry feet. And just as soon as you're hitting more shots than you're missing the game's next tier of complexity reveals itself, as ball position, golfer stance and club face all play a big part in shot outcomes. By leaning your golfer left, right, forward and backwards with the analogue stick during set-up, you can provide various subtle shot modifiers. These include lowering the trajectory, drawing, fading, adding loft, roll or punch and all manner of other golfing terms that rival game approximations have so far failed to properly familiarise (or burden) us with. The system allows for an astonishing level of control, and it feels possible to play pretty much any shot you can think of. However, these depths just won't be accessible to many players and often seem a little out of place on a handheld. Of course, it's possible to get by without utilising all of the microcosmic features, but when the developer has seemingly compromised on aesthetics to focus on these details, it's a bit of a waste to ignore them. A stock career mode based around five seasons of tournaments and challenges forms the core of the game's scenario content, with quick play, tournament and single round options fleshing out these bones. As there's no online option, multiplay is limited to local wireless mode, which leaves a powerful but often cumbersome course editor as the only unusual extra curio to play with. ProStroke Golf 2007 is a little rough around the edges and, in truth, we prefer the more light-hearted, primary-coloured fun of Sony's Everybody's Golf. However there's no denying that there will be players for whom a realistic golf game that embraces golf geek sensibilities is very welcome. The game's depth provides potentially greater rewards to the most committed player and, as the game never pretends to be anything other than a serious golf sim, it's hard to knock its dedication.

America's Army invades your phone

While the world waits to see if George Bush's 'surge' strategy can turn the tide in Iraq, now's your chance to see how you'd fare in charge of the US army. America's Army: Special Operations is the first official mobile game focussed on the US forces. It's based on a PC game that has racked up over eight million downloads since its release in 2002. Gameloft's mobile version is centred on the fictional state of Corbalia, which has invaded a nearby country called 'Liberty', so needs to be handed its arse on a plate by the US army. I'm paraphrasing here, obviously. You get to pilot an Apache combat helicopter, drive a Stryker tank, and run around as an infantry soldier as part of the battle. Oh, and you get to do some sniping too. The game has 11 levels in all, with missions including blowing up a radar station, rescuing engineers, and escorting a helicopter to safety. Gameloft apparently studied real videos of the US army while making the game, which should make the operational cock-ups animation and tactics more realistic. America's Army: Special Operations is out now, and not just in the US.

Tennis Open 2007 ( format : J2ME )

Hands up if you seriously believe Andy Murray's ever going to win Wimbledon? Okay, the fiery Scottish teenager has blazed a trail into the world Top 15, but he's surely still more likely to spend the next 15 years flopping in the quarter or semi finals, just like Tiger Tim.

Of course, if Andy goes ahead and wins the tournament this summer, I'll just have to eat my words (or at least rewrite this intro). But my money's still on an early exit, possibly accompanied by a big sweary tantrum and at least a couple of smashed rackets.

Talking of which... tantrums are one of Tennis Open 2007's selling points. Sometimes, when a player wins a point, he chucks his racket at the floor in anger, while his opponent indulges in a spot of fist-pumping joy. It's a tiny visual touch really, which doesn't add anything to the gameplay, but it shows the craft and attention to detail that's gone into this splendid game.

Admittedly, Tennis Open 2007 isn't exactly the most original treatment of tennis. It's more Virtua Tennis than the official mobile version of Virtua Tennis is, what with its career mode, rankings system and training mini-games.

We loved the 3D version of Virtua Tennis Mobile Edition when we reviewed it last year, but Tennis Open 2007 is really going up against the 2D version of that game, which we've not reviewed. We have however downloaded it for comparative purposes for this review, and it's clear that Gameloft's is by some distance the better game.

At the heart of why we love it is its slick control system. Your player has eight-way movement around the court, with you having to get him into the right position for where the ball is going to land � signified by a white cross.

However, once in position, the cross turns red, and from now on your button presses control your shot placement, with '1' being the back-left of your opponent's court, '2' being the back centre and so on. '0' hits a lob, while pressing a directional button twice hits a sliced shot.

It works smoothly, and most importantly the pace is up to speed: no slo-mo jerkiness here.

The excellent Career mode is where you'll spend most of your playing time, hauling yourself to the top of the world rankings by competing in tournaments, while training up your skills and taking the odd rest to build up your stamina. Your player has five skills � Technique, Control, Serve, Speed and Power � which are improved through simple mini-games.

Perhaps the best thing about Tennis Open 2007 � besides those on-court tantrums � is the feeling of progression as you play through the game, improve your skills and rise in the rankings. You can start pulling off some marvellous cross-court slices and booming serves, although at the same time your opponents become better at sending you scurrying around the court.

There are distinct playing styles too, with some players coming in close to the net, while others lurk at the baseline � forcing you to mix and match your tactics for each new match.

If you're looking for sexy 3D visuals in a mobile tennis game, don't look here � Virtua Tennis should be your first port of call. But much like Gameloft's original 2D Midnight Pool kicked the arse of several snazzier 3D rivals, so Tennis Open 2007 is the slickest, most playable mobile tennis game we've seen. Ace, in other words.

New PSP firmware upgrade released

Right, just a quickie to let you know Sony has released the latest PSP firmware update. Version 3.10 offers expanded support for PlayStation Nework titles (of immediate use to those with a PS3) and the ability to play MPEG-4 AVC format video files under LocationFree Player (of immeditate use to those with a LocationFree Base Station. In addition, a Conserve Memory option has been included in the Internet Browser settings, and you'll now find a Dynamic Normalizer (surely a contradiction in terms?) feature under the Sound Settings menu. That's more or less it. You can download v3.10 from the official PSP site.

Rocky Balboa

Format: Psp

I've not seen Rocky Balboa the movie, but if the scenario depicted in the game of the film is anything to go by, it's an unconventional narrative. A boxer – Rocky Balboa – finds some way of cloning a version of himself from various ages. Additionally, he discovers some form of time travel and, for good measure, body possession. He can then jump between key points in his life or other people's lives in an attempt to beat other people or himself up, in a boxing ring or elsewhere. Scenarios soon become increasingly ridiculous, resulting in fictional '70s world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed fighting someone who in ordinary chronology would essentially be a foetus. All whilst dressed in stars and stripes pants. Actually, what I suspect happened is publisher Ubisoft decided the best way to port 2004's home console success Rocky: Legends to the PSP was to add a couple of new scenarios and characters, shoehorn a complicated control system onto a format that can't take it, and enjoy an association with a celluloid franchise that no-one asked for in the first place. The pre-match entertainment promises much. Players are offered a series of training bouts, exhibition matches, historical fights, quick brawls or multiplayer contests. Whilst winning conditions will vary, the agenda is the same: defeat someone from Rocky's history, either by knocking them down – often many times, frustratingly – or being awarded the most points per round. Then try again, but harder. And as the contenders dance into the ring, there is much to be excited about. The cinematic re-runs – complete with rousing score – will bring a smile to fans of the series, despite the time it takes to load them. In-game, Rocky Balboa is pretty enough too, with decent polygonal representations of silver screen icons bobbing and weaving convincingly. But from the first bell, it's clear that, like Rocky himself, we've seen much better before. Put simply, the game's control system is ill-suited to the PSP. Sure, it's admirable that the developer has crammed in four pages full of attacking and defensive options, but they're impossible to a) remember, and b) get to work, particularly as the analogue stick acts both as a regular joystick and an action key. Whilst some moves look easy on paper, in the heat of a fight you can't pull them off with any regularity. Pulling down on the analogue stick, and hitting Square and Triangle within a fraction of a second, for example, shouldn't be a chore. But it's hit and miss stuff. Pun not intended – because it's really not funny. Indeed, Rocky Balboa's fights soon descend into the style of brawl I used to favour at school: hit and hope. The temptation is to button-mash, but this rarely produces satisfactory results. It's a shame, because the game's paraphernalia hints at so much more. There are countless scenarios and stacks of options, designed to placate both those demanding some deep 'mano et mano' action, or those looking to while away some time on the bus. But each is just a simple variation on a common theme: beat someone harder than you, within a time limit or over a certain number of rounds. Over 15 rounds, it's a dispiriting and all too realistic exercise in stamina. There are moments that shine. During bouts – and providing certain conditions are met – there's the option to engage Power Mood, which slows the action down enough to more accurately plan consecutive punches. The sound changes, too: each hit ricochets like a shotgun. It's immensely rewarding, if frustratingly short-lived. But during ordinary play, Rocky Balboa becomes arthritic. Thumbs ache, knuckles crack. Which may be authentic, but it's not entertaining. In standard fights, opponents will get back up from knockdowns at least three times – a standard video game convention, but one which, in the ninth or tenth round, absolutely frustrates. Punching someone out – particularly if you've activated the slow-mo mode – should be a moment of satisfaction and of triumph. But knowing that if it's the first time you've done it, it'll count for little other than a points bonus makes it entirely unrewarding. The Rocky films should offer a rich tapestry upon which to paint a rewarding video game. Instead, Ubisoft has taken a concept which works pretty well on consoles with twice as many buttons, and reduced it to an unrewarding test of stamina. The last Rocky film I saw was Rocky V, in which an aging Stallone beat up a child in the street. Some of my fellow cinema-goers, during the rowdy climax, stood up and shouted at the screen. I was too embarrassed to do that at the time, but whilst gazing at the PSP this time around, I know how they felt. Only this time, it was in a bad way.

Sony's latest financial report confirms PSP sales slowdown

What's going on with PSP? Nintendo's selling gazillions of DS Lites, but according to Sony's latest financial figures – released today – the turnover in PSP hardware seems to have hit a brick wall. In the three months ending December 31st – the critical period that included the run up to Christmas – Sony shipped a mere 1.76 million PSPs worldwide, compared to 6.22 million in the same period in 2005. That's a staggering fall of 72 per cent. Total PSP hardware shipments in the three quarters so far recorded for this financial year total 7.67 million units. The company is now forecasting total PSP hardware shipments of 9 million for this financial year – a huge plunge from the 14.06 million it shipped in financial year '05, and from its prediction last April of shipping 12 million units, too. Now importantly – and confusingly – these are officially 'shipment' figures, rather than sales figures. Sony defines such shipments as follows: 'Production shipment units of hardware and software are counted upon shipment of the products from manufacturing bases.' But other sections of the report confirm the obvious conclusion – that the PSP is indeed under-performing in sales terms, just as you'd expect from Sony sending out far fewer units to retailers. "PSP sales declined due to a decrease in unit sales compared with the same quarter in the previous financial year," is how the snappily titled Consolidated Financial Reports for the Third Quarter puts it. The territory breakdown (an appropriate word here, sadly) makes particularly grim reading for PSP's US fans. PSP shipments for Q3 in Japan were 0.9 million (compared to 1.4 million in the same period in 2005), Europe took 0.9 million (compared to 3.2 million in 2005), but the real stinker was America. Previously swallowing up almost 1.7 million PSPs in Q3 2005, the run up to Christmas 2006 saw Sony ship a mere 100,000 PSPs to the territory. It's such a low figure we're tempted to think one of Sony's beancounters has put the decimal point in the wrong place! But in reality, the conclusion seems clear. Throughout 2006, pundits pointed out that while Sony was boasting of large 'shipments' of PSP hardware, that didn't mean it was selling them. Now the chickens appear to have come to roost, with unsold PSPs clogging up retail channels across the globe due to sluggish sales of the hardware. PSP 2.0 on the way?
The only positive spin we can think of is Sony might be clearing out its inventory as it prepares to launch a re-designed PSP, perhaps even PSP 2. One might then interpret these figures as reflecting Sony shuffling unsold PSPs around each territory, rather than shipping new hardware from the factories. Timing-wise it would make sense: Nintendo announced DS Lite during January 2006 for example. But this seems a far-fetch intrepretation. Would Sony really restrict supplies so much during its key selling period? And surely a notably-absent price slashing of PSP would be a key part of such a strategy, given the hardware has stalled so much? Time will tell. At least those people with PSPs are buying games. Total PSP games sales to date are around 85 million units; with 21.7 million PSPs shipped, that works out at a rough tie-ratio of four games for each PSP sold. Not great, but no banana skin either for a format still – we presume – only halfway through its natural life.

Super Yum Yum 2

Despite all their claims over how healthy an all-fruit and all-veg diet is, you have to wonder. Have you ever used the toilet after it's been recently vacated by a vegetarian? It's not a pleasant experience. So while we were pleased to see the return of Leon, the fruit-munching, colour-changing Chameleon from Super Yum Yum, it was tempered with trepidation. Would Leon have become bloated and gassy after a year off, or would he have something new to offer us? Things look safe enough to begin with; Leon's kept his trim physique and has obviously caught the eye of the ladies. He's now father to dozens of chameleon kids and it's the nippers around which Super Yum Yum 2 revolves. You see, there's a giant fish called Tum Tum who's also got an appetite for fruit and, in the process of scarfing down the contents of Leon's jungle, he's mistakenly eaten the chameleon babies. But they're hardy kids and, as veggies are prone too, Tum Tum's emitted an enormous belch, scattering the little'uns far and wide across the world. It's up to Leon to rescue them all, leading to the same coloured-fruit eating adventures that we love him for. Super Yum Yum 2, then, sticks to the same formula as its predecessor. Leon changes colour according to the shade of the leaves on the fruit he eats and, to make things more complicated, he can only eat fruit that's the same colour as his skin. So, in order to clear the level of fruit, you have to ensure you eat it in the right order. Adding to the challenge are platforms that can you can leap between by eating fruit on the far one, and the ever-present objective of rescuing your offspring. The levels are organised into worlds and you need to have eaten enough pieces of fruit in the levels to complete each world. In between worlds you come across Tum Tum, who burps up a giant piece of fruit that you and your rescued children have to eat your way through. It's a strange storyline but no less enjoyable because of it. Anyway, you'll be fixated on the unique gameplay. Even though Super Yum Yum was a success, garnering BAFTA attention, we've not come across anything that's attempted to replicate its puzzle mechanics. It's fun but you have to think about your actions, too, and the difficulty level is perfectly pitched. The landscapes are richly detailed, they change often enough to keep them fresh, and there are plenty of nice touches that stand as testament to the time that the developers have put into the game. So, Super Yum Yum 2 still has this kind of colour-matching puzzle niche all to its own. But that doesn't get around the fact that there's nothing entirely new about the game. Despite the little tweak here and there, it's still essentially the same game we looked at nearly a year and a half ago. If you've already played and completed Super Yum Yum then you'll probably want something with a bit more fresh meat; you could even take a mark off the score below. If you haven't yet shared a bite to eat with Leon though, you'll love this new course. Tuck in!

Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Priciest Virtual Console Game Yet

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is set to be the most pricey Virtual Console release to date. It'll set you back a cool 1,200 Wii points.

Don't let the fact the price is out there get you too excited just yet, however. The release has only been confirmed for Japan, where it'll hit in February