Fight Night Round

There are two main viewpoints when it comes to boxing. In one corner are the proponents of a noble art who celebrate the agility, skills and strategy required to outmanoeuvre an opponent. At the other end are those who fail to see much more than a bruising endurance test.

Given the mobile phone's control limitations, you might expect the latter methodology to be the one that'd win out in the design meeting for a phone version, yet EA's Fight Night Round 3 has loftier ambitions.

Whilst the game does inevitably simplify some elements of ring craft (there's not much opportunity for fancy footwork here, for instance), the fact that 11 of the numeric keys are brought into play underlines the range of options available.

Indeed, with everything from crosses, uppercuts and gut-busters in attack to defensive blocks, dodges and clinches, Fight Night Round 3's armoury is without doubt the most varied on offer in any mobile fighting game we've seen.

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Fortunately, you don't need to put your digits through a Rocky-style training regime in order to play. The cat-and-mouse approach of the action coupled with the neat ability to switch between upper and lower stances to block or jab from the thumbpad ensures that you can play the game single-handed, opening up your opponent with jabs and blocks before slipping your thumb to one of the bigger shots.

Indeed, the challenge becomes more one of strategy and timing than frantic button-stabbing. The latter approach might see you slug through the first few bouts against weaker opposition, but, as you progress, the power, speed and stamina of your opponent increases dramatically, ensuring that you have to use your head as well as your hands.

The further you get into the game (the Career mode sees you start at 20th and sets you fighting towards the title, place by place) the more you need to adopt a tactical approach, keeping an eye on the health indicators and generally picking your punches.

The option to add extra experience points to boost your own boxer's stats (every fighter has a bunch of figures, covering everything from speed to stamina) adds a little extra strategy, and enables you to shape your fighter's style. Will you be lightning fast with a glass jaw or a slugger with a big heart who just won't stay down? You can't really afford any of the stats to remain too low if you're to survive the later rounds, but it's a nice touch nevertheless.

Further customisation is on offer via the visual editing option, which shows off the impressively muscular 3D model of your pugilist. Sadly it also shows the limitations of 3D on mobile in that you only get one choice of boxer frame and can only modify colours (something that is further evidenced in-game with every boxer having the same frame, although the top ten fighters do have distinct faces).

It's hard to be critical of the visuals though; despite this niggle, the presentation is impressive for a Java title, with boxers moving fluidly and punches looking reassuringly solid when they connect (turn on the vibration effect and you'll get to feel them too!) What's more, the slight slow-motion effect when a boxer is dazed and the replay of knock-downs are both nice touches.

Technically then, Fight Night Round 3 is a genuine contender and arguably the most heavyweight boxing game available. In fact, our only real doubt about its claims for the title lies with the possible lack of that charismatic spark required of a true champion.

Whereas the likes of Super KO Boxing offered a crowd-pleasing gambit of gimmicky opponents, Fight Night wears its heart rather earnestly on its, erm, trunks, demanding that you take it seriously and put in the time. Three hours in and we're still just over halfway through Career mode, with virtually every fight going the distance.

All of which means that those seeking a five minute mindless slugathon should probably look elsewhere (say to the hugely fun Super KO Boxing). Hardened boxing fans however could find themselves truly hooked

Hands on with God of War: Chains of Olympus

Sony knows that handhelds aren't just for kids. Mashing on buttons to train little monsters might appeal to a youngster, but for the rest of us a bit of blood 'n' guts wouldn't hurt. Neither would decapitating undead soldiers or ripping the eye out of a cyclops' head or impaling a minotaur and watching its entrails stain the soil, for that matter.

Releasing the juvenile shackles on portable entertainment, God of War: Chains of Olympus promises to dish out some of the baddest, bloodiest action yet seen on a handheld.

It's easily the most anticipated game for PlayStation Portable this year, so when we were given the opportunity to get our hands on it at Sony Computer Entertainment Gamers' Day in San Diego, we jumped at the chance. Then we sliced its throat open. (Figuratively typing, of course.)

Chains of Olympus chronicles Kratos' struggle for redemption prior to the events of the original game on PlayStation 2. Having unwittingly murdered his family, Kratos pleads with the gods of Olympus only to find himself cast down in disdain.

Even though the game embarks on a new story, you'll find roots to the console titles. Creative director Cory Barlog explains: "Events in this game tie directly to those that occur in the two PlayStation 2 games."

Chains of Olympus opens with the Persian invasion of Attica, a historic event embellished upon to jive with Kratos' story. We watched the scene unfold in the short demonstration, noting the impressive level of detail.

"We're going to push PSP as much as possible," claims Barlog. Persian ships could be seen launching volleys of fire from the sea, leaving smoky trails in the sky while hordes of bloodthirsty Persian soldiers descended upon Kratos in a frenzy.

Dealing with these soldiers was easily the best part of the demonstration. Kratos made good use of Athena's Blades, slicing them up in a flurry of attacks. You'll start off with just the blades and unlock new abilities through the course of the game. Expect weapons and magic never before seen in the series.

After making short work of the soldiers, Kratos moved on to briefly battle a Cyclops that ended up getting munched on by a huge basilisk. The level ends with Kratos going one-on-one with the mythological beast in a button-mashing mini-game.

Crucially, moving from console to handheld doesn't appear to have sullied the spirit of combat. The game features a combat system largely mirroring the PlayStation 2 titles, albeit tweaked for portable play. Square serves up light attacks, while Triangle dishes out heavy attacks. You can grab enemies using the Circle button, then tap either Square or Triangle to beat them up.

More advanced moves require holding down the L trigger and pressing either Square or Triangle. Holding L alone enables you to block attacks, although not all can be deflected. For attacks that can't be shielded, holding down both L and R while moving the analog stick yields an evasive roll (a role assigned to the second analogue stick on the PS2 games).

Kratos can also jump via the X button, an important ability that obviously helps in solving simple platform challenges. That said, Chains of Olympus won't go heavy on the platform elements, but expect to bounce around the screen a bit. The focus is more on action, Barlog says, as it makes more sense given the portable factor.

Our only concern lies in whether Chains of Olympus will end up feeling like a console game crammed into a handheld – there is a difference in the requirements of the two platforms. The fantastic presentation and visceral action are certainly promising, but we'll have to wait and see if this translates into good portable play.

While its European debut is still currently unannounced, hopefully we're not too far off from the North American release expected this autumn. Click 'Track It!' to keep an eye open.

Normally when figures from the mobile gaming industry converge, the discussion highlights the positive position of mobile games as a unique medium for entertainment undergoing explosive growth. But having already discussed cross-platform gaming and licensed titles, Mobile Games Insider attendees in Los Angeles this week turned more defensive, with speakers taking a look at the stepchild status mobile games seemingly take to console and handheld play.

Wedbush Morgan Analyst Michael Pachter started the debate with a key observation. "Wall Street doesn't look at mobile games because people buy a communication device and not a dedicated gaming machine," he stated, "therefore, most investors don't want to take a risk on secondary functionality."

Mr. Pachter's point is valid, but it must be noted that a huge proportion of people who own a mobile phone have used it in some fashion to play games. With a percentage of users at least willing to try games on their handsets, the challenge is to provide compelling content.

Currently, a huge divide exists between casual titles and more hardcore fare, and this fragments gamers. Most players do not fall under the hardcore category, steering away for advanced three-dimensional games with complex controls that often take inspiration from PSP and Nintendo DS titles.

"Trying to mirror handheld games, such as those on PSP, is difficult," noted Larry Shapiro of Walt Disney Mobile. "We steer away from that."

Interestingly enough, executive Vice President of Glu Mobile, Rocky Pimentel, suggests the industry should flip the model around: "Right now, we're exploring the option of taking our original brands from mobile to consoles."

Would extending franchises to other platforms from a mobile base garner respect for the industry? It seems unlikely that a single measure could turn around the disdain many gamers still have toward mobile gaming.

Ultimately, it's important to remember, as Eric Berger, Vice President of Sony Pictures, Mobile Division, eloquently put it, "There's no such thing as hardcore mobile games, it's all casual entertainment."

Attempting to push the industry into gaining legitimacy by complicating games and basing them off of console titles essentially abandons the platform's strengths. If there's anything to take away from this rather defensive debate, it's that mobile games are unique and deserve due respect in their own right.