Forza Motorsport 3 Review

Recently I was allowed the experience of a few hours gameplay of Forza Motorsport 3. Developed by Microsoft exclusively for Xbox 360, this game boasts loads of great features. First of which is the way the game looks whilst playing. There a number of views available to drive from, including an in car view which is amazingly realistic. But the scenery, too, is stunning as you whizz past in 5th gear.

There is also a nice selection of cars to choose from, not as many as Gran Turismo, but still quite a few. What is quite annoying is you have to download some of the later cars from the Xbox Live store, why can't they just be there from the beginning? I liked the way the cars were grouped, with ranks by letter, it was useful for 1vs1 split screen races.

Talking about split screen, it too was good. There was a nice choice of how you could each have different settings, even if it took a long time. What wasn't so good, though, was the sound. It had both car's engines revving and they clashed like hell. Unless you are focused on making a symphony of revs then best mute it and listen to some music.

One great feature is the pause and shoot mode. This allows you to pause your race (not online) and take a screenshot of your car, which you can edit with amazing results. If you head over to its website then you will be able to see the amazing shots which gamers have taken and uploaded to the net.

I didn't have long with the career mode, but the start was good. The customisation of cars is excellent and the option to sell them online is even better. On the subject of online play, the lobby is really easy to use. With games pre-set up to difficulty and sometimes car groups it is a breeze to find a race to join. One fun feature is the "It" game, where it is tig but one person is it and everyone else has to smash their cars into that person to be "it". Great if damage is on, and a great laugh anyway.

So, Forza 3, an amazing effort for a driving game. Beautifully laid out, with wonderful graphics. A couple of bad points can't get in the way of this being a fantastic driving game, a must buy for any driving enthusiast.

Will Sony release a PSP-4000?

Rumours seem to be flying around the web that a PSP-4000 is in the pipeline. The people on the web are saying that it will have a UMD drive like the 3000, 2000 and 1000, but unlike the PSP Go which has downloadable games from the Playstation Store via Media Go. You can download these games for the 3000 as well, which not many people seem to have done, but just informing you that downloads aren't exclusive for the Go.

I can't see a 4000 in the line, I don't know what Sony could add to it. Maybe a software update for the older models with facebook, twitter and so forth, but not in a new device. The 4000 might have just been the yearly update for the PSP, but Sony has missed the Christmas slot they have used for the past few years. Maybe it will be in time for the summer, but I see no point in that.

Whether Sony releases a PSP-4000 or not, it seems that rumours will spread around the web until it is dismissed or confirmed.

iPhone on Vodafone: dating and details announced

We have been waiting for this piece of news for months, ever since it was announced that Vodafone and Orange were going to get the iPhone on their network. In this post I will take you through the contracts. But first, it is available from the 14th of January and pre-orders are up on the earlier link.

Let's start off with the regular 3G 8GB, it is quite a deal nowadays on the other networks, but Vodafone is offering it like all their other smartphones: free on £35 a month for 2 years, or £40 a month for 18 months. But of course, you would always rather have the 3GS.

Speaking of the 3GS, the 16GB model is free on a £45 a month, 2 year deal. With the 32GB stretching upto £75 a month for 2 years for a free phone. On all deals there is 1GB data allowance, which is slightly more than Orange's but not as much as O2's and Tesco's. Tethering is quite expensive though, with £5 a month for 500mb and £15 a month for 3GB.

What is quite nice of Vodafone is that they have given in unlimited texts on all but the cheapest 18 month deal. Great! Vodafone are also selling their network, with the phrase "Outstanding Phone. Outstanding Network". And as a Vodafone customer, I have not been let down by the network, but by marketing calls. Oh yes, and there are free Vodafone to Vodafone calls for your contract.

So, will you be getting the iPhone on Vodafone? Comment below as we love to hear your comments.

Whatever happened to MP3 HD?

In my view, this flop is up there with the time of HD DVD. There was so much hype about it when it was first announced, people were literally going crazy about it. But it just hasn't kicked off. It might, one day, but I don't think so. There are many things I think are doomed for failure, some of which I will in the near future write about. The thing is, though, it seems to be fighting back. A quick search has discovered that people on forums are going crazy about it. And its creator, Thomson, has some software about on this site which allows you to convert your MP3s to HD. What is useful is that it is backward compatible. It creates a backup MP3 song as well so it can play on normal devices, neat huh?

It is good that MP3 HD is fighting back, and seeming to be winning. Once it gets another big press release and some devices that work with it then it will go on by leaps and bounds. Whether it will beat purists who like OGG or FLAC is still to be known, but it will help the general listener by leaps and bounds.

Tesco's iPhone tariffs

First off, there is a difference in the internet allowances. Orange allow 750mb a month and o2's is unknown, but is rumoured at around 8GB a month. Tesco, however, allow 1TB. But that is the start of the tariffs, with long intricacies involved.

Let's start with the cheapest tariffs. This is for an iPhone 3G 8GB, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than the 3GS. It is just over £700 on Tesco for 2 years with a £222 up front cost at the start. However, it is a £20 monthly contract which you can leave after 12 months, unlike o2 and orange which require 24 months of your credit card.

For every contract, Tesco is cheaper than its rivals. But we still need to see whether Vodafone will undercut them, but I don't think so. Tesco does have a difference, it requires you to pay up front as well as the contract, which helps in the long run.