For fans of Video Games there have been precious few Wrestling games which have proven to be continuously fun and exciting to play, this is especially true of video games representing the wacky world of WWE. One exception is the extremely popular Wrestlefest coinop arcade game released by in the early 90′s, which used large, colourful and exaggerated spectacular graphics long with simple but tight controls to recreate engrossing in ring action.

The Original Wrestlefest

Wrestlefest is considered a classic by it’s fans and there have been many calls for a modern remake of the game, and now thanks to THQ, Wrestlefest has been remade for iOS devices, but does it live up to the memory of the original game?

The first thing that fans of the original game will notice is that the graphical style of the game has been changed, gone are the large blocky colourful characters of the original and in their place are smaller more streamline images which bear a resemblance to the cell shaded graphics that were popular in the previous generation of console games. For me an element of the atmosphere of the game has been lost with the switch of graphical style, gone are the larger then life superstars replaced with smaller less detailed figures typical of those found in 16 bit games.

The New Wrestlefest

Whilst the control system has remained unchanged, the arcade original benefited significantly from having physical controls, whereas the iOS version relies on a virtual joystick and buttons, this significantly makes the game harder to play especially when the action gets frantic on screen, this is a common problem on iOS games where a touch enhanced control system hasn’t been implemented .
The original arcade game had 2 game modes Royal Rumble and Saturday Night Main Event Tournament, the new iOS version of the games supplements these modes with 1vs1 Exhibition, Road to Wrestlemania, TagTeam and Gauntlet Match modes, extra gameplay modes are always welcome although in reality they add little variety to the game, the multiplayer mode uses Apples Game Centre to find you opponents over the Internet and this is a big selling point for the game, unfortunately in the days after its launch the multiplayer mode has been crippled by massive lag, although this should improve in the future.

The Original Roster

The New Roster

The original Wrestlefest roster was very impressive, featuring the top superstars of the time, in comparison the new game has a mix of current stars and legends although there are a number of big names missing the result is that the game feels like its missing star power, and this is magnified by a number of characters being locked until you make an in game purchase.

Ultimately given the popularity of the original game Wrestlefest is a massive disappointment and this certainly isn’t the game that fans were expecting. However Wrestlefest isn’t a terrible game and if you aren’t aware of the original game then you may enjoy it, but it is far from a great game.
There is always the danger that with older games that were popular in our youth rose tinted glasses take hold and we remember the game as being better then it is, but Wrestlefest remains popular to this day in the world of emulation, and if you have the know how this remains the best way to play Wrestlefest.

Other comments about Wrestlefest from around the TwitterSphere:

By @JakeCian on Twitter: The #WWE game #wrestlefest available on App Store for iPhone RT @WWEgames it’s a really fantastic game!!! Great work!!!

By @_KaJe on Twitter: Thanks for the #Wrestlefest re-release, but I’ll stick with the original. #bejealous http://t.co/RU12lZJk

By @blackberry_MUFC on Twitter: just downloaded wwe wrestlefest ! Pure retro wwe gaming at its best . #memoriesofthearcade

By @INICKCULLMBRAND on Twitter: Glad there is a lite version of @wwegames wrestlefest get a test drive before we buy

By @_FuZ__: on Twitter: I agree with you on wrestlefest, just downloaded the lite version, just another bad remake

About the Author

This has been a blog post by John Lane, John has been playing and enjoying video games since 1982. To read all his Blog Posts Click Here.

You can follow John on Twitter at @videogamejohn

Some Android Phones come equipped with FM radios built in, but technology is changing and the Internet provides a natural medium for delivering a huge number of live radio stations to your handset, and the Tunein App provides a brilliant tool for finding the ideal station for you.

We have previously looked at TuneIn for Windows Phone in this Article.

The TuneIn app can be found free of charge in the App Market, and provides access to over 50,000 live Internet Radio stations, covering most popular stations spanning all genres.

You can either manually browse through a number of different categories including type of station, language, location or you can search for a radio station by using the Apps search tool. You can also search through a large selection of podcasts.

The Android version of TuneIn appears to lack some of the integrated Social Networking features that is found in the fantastic Windows Phone version of TuneIn, but this shouldn’t distract from the fact that this is a great App which will meet all of your Mobile Radio needs.

TuneIn works over both  Mobile networks and WiFi , but be aware that if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

Since the release of Android version 2.2, the facility to turn your phone into a  personal WiFi Hotspot has been available to users of Google’s Mobile OS. This is a very powerful tool as a WiFi hotspot enables you to provide Internet Access to your Laptop, Tablet or games devices where ever you are, often providing a free option to expensive or slow public access points.

Activating your personal HotSpot on an Android phone is easy. (First make sure you have Android version 2.2 or above. This article explains How to Check which Version of Android you are using)

How to activate your Personal Wifi Hotspot on an Android Phone:

1) From your Home Page press the Menu button and select the Settings option.

2) From the Settings Screen select the Wireless & Networks Option.

3) From the Wireless and Network screen select the Tethering & Portable hotspot option.

4) Tick the Portable Wi-Fi hotspot option to activate your personal hotspot

5) You will be asked to set a password, setting a password will prevent unauthorised users from using your Hotspo

6) To show that the process has worked the WiFi icon will be shown in the status bar on your phone.

To preserve battery life make sure you turn the hotspot off when you aren’t using it, and a word of warning, make sure your data plan allows tethering ( Eg Three’s The One Plan) or else you might receive an unexpected bill

Android continues to receive frequent software updates, each of which bringing new powerful features to your device, but how do you make sure that you’re using the latest version of Android.

Fortunately there’s a very easy way of finding out which version of Android you are using.
To find out which version of Android you are using:

1) From your Home Screen press the menu button to bring up the Android menu and select settings,

2) From the Settings Menu select the About phone option

3) The Android Version is displayed on the About phone screen.

There are several ways to watch high quality Video on Demand on Android devices, but it’s also possible to watch a large selection of live Freeview Tv on your mobile device over either WiFi or 3G thanks to the brilliant TVcatchup.com service.

Originally available for Desktop computers, TV Catchup is also available for mobile devices as long as you live in the UK and complete the quick and free registration. When you first log in to the site you are presented with the selection of available channels, most of which are amongst the most popular channels in the country.
The video quality of the streams is good, the mobile streams don’t appear to be as good as the desktop versions but they are very watchable with a good free rate even over 3G, be warned though if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

Accessing the service is easy, simply point your browser at http://android.tvcatchup.com where you’ll be able to login or register.

Mobile devices are pretty limited without a mobile data connection, relying on pre-saved files and cached information. But, by adding an active data connection you open up a number of possibilities from improved productivity and communication to increased entertainment.

Unfortunately Mobile data plans have become limited in recent years, with fixed data allowances putting a limit on how much data you can download per month before you start to get charged a significant fee for usage.
Fortunately, Three have introduced The One Plan which as part of your contract gives you truly unlimited data usage, so that you don’t have to worry about extra costs.
But what can you do with your unlimited data allowance, here are some suggestions.

1) Share the joy of connectivity with other devices.
The use of The One Plan isn’t limited to just your mobile handset, if your mobile has the ability to become a Mobile Hotspot then your connection can be shared with any wifi enabled device, for example, this might be your laptop, tablet, or portable games device. This means that you are no longer dependant on public wifi availability free or otherwise.
Working mobile becomes a real possibility by using your mobile phone as an access point, you can gain access to your email, files and virtual environments, all through your normal laptop as if you were on your home wifi network.

When you go on holiday or travel, if you have access to unlimited mobile data you no longer have to worry about finding a hotspot or paying for Internet access, you can simply turn on your personal hotspot and enjoy Internet access. Also students no longer need to worry about paying for broadband in their student property, mobile broadband is a good substitute.

All work and no play is dull though, so don’t forget that you can use your wifi hotspot to access entertainment sites like iPlayer, and TV catchup on the larger screen of your laptop.

• Further reading: How to use your iPhone as a WiFi Hotspot

2) Control your Home PC through your mobile phone.

You can now take your home PC with you – virtually. Using a remote control app, like PocketCloud or Logmein, you can access your home PC as if you were sat in front of it.
An application runs on your computer which forms a secure gateway between your desktop and your mobile device, and your desktop screen is delivered to you, allowing you to remotely control your PC.

This means that you can access all your usual applications as if they were running on your mobile device, the desktop screen is automatically scaled to match the screen size of your mobile device, and the use of pitch and zoom is used to magnify and move around the screen. The size of the screen on your mobile device dictates how similar the experience to that of your normal PC, on an iPad the result is very good, and it’s still usable on an iPhone.

This allows you to access your applications, files and systems, from anywhere.

• Further reading: How to Control and View your Home or Work PC on your iPhone

3) Watch online video.

High quality Video is really starting integrate into our mobile lives but because of the high bandwidth and file size, access can be restricted unless you have unlimited data access.

Without constraint there are exciting ways for you to use Online video on your Mobile.
You can watch Live Freeview TV by using services like TVcatchup.com or watch premium Sky Channels through the Sky Go App.
You can watch the latest news headlines from the Sky News and BBC News Apps, or watch the football action through the Sky Sports TV and ESPN Goals Apps.

If you have missed your favourite shows then you can also access high quality Video on Demand services like BBC iPlayer, 4OD and ITV Player.

You are always connected so you can always stay up to date.

Further reading:

• How to Watch Sky Sports on the iPhone
• BBC Launch their iPlayer App for the iPhone
• How to Watch Premier League Goals on the iPhone
• 4 Top Ways of Keeping up to Date with the Latest News on the iPhone
• How to Watch Premier League Goals on Windows Phone 

4) Listen to Radio Stations.

As the Internet has matured, more and more radio stations have provided online streams to their broadcasts. It’s possible to listen to thousands of radio stations covering every possible genre and style. The potential of online radio hasn’t been missed by large radio stations and many have released apps which let you listen to their content and interact with them through social media, there are also apps which collate and provide you with access through to a large selection of live Radio stations.

You aren’t limited to live radio either, some stations provide access to catch up radio facilities, where you can listen to previously broadcast shows, allowing you to pick and choose between your favourite shows and listen to them at your leisure.

Listening to Radio shows provides a real alternative to listening to your music collection, and with unlimited data plans you can listen as often and for as long as you like.

• How to Listen to Radio Stations on the iPhone
• BBC Launch their iPlayer App for the iPhone
• How to Listen to the Radio on Windows Phone

5) Share your media.

Modern Mobile devices have evolved to become natural media hubs, with their powerful camera’s capable of capturing high quality images and high def videos, we have the capability to capture every moment as it happens, and sharing media has become very quick and easy.
Traditionally pictures and short video clips could be shared using MMS messages which proved to be expensive, but now you can email, tweet & share pictures over the Internet directly from the handset.

Most mobile devices have YouTube functionality integrated so sharing high quality video is also straight forward, and files can always be shared/stored using cloud storage.

These functions work over your mobile data allowance, and on most data plans there is a risk that you’ll over run your data allocation and get a heavy charge, but on an unlimited data plan you don’t have to worry and you can share your media as often as you want

• How to send Multiple Pictures in the Same Message on the iPhone
• How to access Cloud Based Storage with DropBox on the iPhone

Mobile Data has matured over the last few years and it has opened up a lot of potential for constantly connected apps, but the majority of data plans are limited which means that you could end up with a heavy and unexpected cost.

To really let your device reach it’s full potential then  make sure you have a mobile contract that comes with unlimited data, for example The One Plan from Three

About the Author

This has been a blog post by Phil Lane, a self confessed Gadget Addict. To read all his Blog Posts Click Here.

You can follow Phil on Twitter at @GadgetPhil

Premier League football is extremely popular in the UK, and it’s shown regularly on Premium TV Sports Channels, but if you are out and about and can’t watch the match or you can’t wait until the evening highlights then there is an option to watch the latest highlights free on your Windows Phone handset, thanks to the sports Broadcast ESPN who have released the ESPN Goals App.

The ESPN Goals App is completely free and is a great way to watch all the Premier League goals, when matches are underway  video updates are provided at regular intervals so you don’t even have to wait until the conclusion of the game before you can view the goals. Shortly after a match has finished a complete highlights package is available for that game, and shortly after, a highlights for all that days matches becomes available.

The video quality is good and even works well over 3G, so you can watch the highlights when you are mobile, but be warned if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs. The ESPN Goals App is a great App, free of charge and is available from the Market Place

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

Many people use Google Web services to synchronise their Email, Calendar and Contacts across devices, and Windows Phone makes the process easy.

To synchronise Windows Phone 7 with Googlemail:

1) From the Start Menu scroll down to the settings option.

2) in the settings screen select email+accounts.

3) select the option to add an account
4) choose the option to add a google account.

5) enter your google account email address and password into the account section and press sign in.

6) By default your google email, calendar & contacts are synchronised with your device, but you can go into your account options and opt not to synchronise any of these options. You can also select how often the synchronisation takes place.

As smartphones continue to become more powerful and more popular, traditional media is starting to move away from it’s traditional home  of large screen and radio onto your mobile.

As more of us start to use smartphones there is an ever increasing audience available for Internet based radio so its no surprise to see a large selection of Apps starting to appear, and there are a number of Radio Apps Available for Windows Phone, both dedicated apps for specific Radio Stations and multi station Apps are available and can be downloaded, one of the best is TuneIn Radio.

The TuneIn Radio App provides access to hundreds of live Radio Stations from all over the world. You can search for a radio station by using the Apps search tool or you can manually browse through a number of different categories including type of station, language, location and you can also search through podcasts.

When listening to a station you are presented with the current program details, or you can view the stations program line up, the facility to view Twitter posts about the currently playing station is a really nice touch which adds a whole new dimension to listening and a list of related radio stations can be viewed. It’s a perfect example of how technology and traditional media can interact for a great user experience.

TuneIn works over both WiFi and Mobile (e.g. 3G ) networks , but be warned if you are using a mobile network make sure you have a Unlimited Data Plan, for example Three’s The One Plan to avoid any extra costs.

TuneIn is a fantastic free App and can be found in the Windows Phone MarketPlace, it’s easily on par with any similar app available for the iPhone, and if you like listening to the radio or want an alternative to your music collection then this App is a must to download.

Windows Phone is relatively new to the market, and the way the system works may be different to many of us are familiar with.

This post is part of a series of articles looking at the basics of Windows Phone, in this case the very impressive Nokia Lumia 800 from Three . To see the rest of the posts in the series click here.

It’s possible and easy to re-arrange the tiles on the the Windows Phone Start Menu.

To rearrange the tiles on Windows Phone Start Menu:

• Scroll to the Tile that you wish to move
• Hold your finger down on the tile until it becomes highlighted
• Drag the tile to the location you wish to position it.
• Press the back button the bottom left hand side of the screen.

The tile is now placed in its now position.