Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front

On two separate occasions, we've reviewed Gameloft's explosive World War II first-person shooter Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front.

And on two separate occasions, we've given it a Pocket Gamer Bronze Award.

But much like the gaming industry's almost obsessive attitude towards the aforementioned war, we just can't seem to leave this game alone.

After the iPhone original and the Android port, we're back to see how it copes with the addition of Xperia Play controls. In short, with mixed success.

On both the iPhone and non-Xperia Play Android devices, Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front is about as derivative as they come, and features a melodramatic story and pretty poor voice acting.

You won't be surprised to discover that this Xperia Play-optimised edition is no different, even though the action is solid enough.

It plays a bit like the original Call of Duty games, meaning there's a lot of ducking and covering, peeking out for headshots, and some nice set pieces. There's also an online multiplayer mode to keep you coming back, but whether or not the added controls will help or hinder your efforts to rule the online world is open to debate.

The Xperia Play controls in this instance are very much a mixed blessing. One of our main complaints about the original was the crowded nature of the screen, with a lot of functionality mapped to virtual buttons (reload, sprint, cover, etc.).

As soon as you pop the Xperia Play gamepad out, with your key movements and actions now assigned to the various face buttons, the issue of an overly cluttered screen vanishes in an instant.

The trouble is that, while most of the buttons work well, aiming on the right touchpad takes a lot of getting used to and proves erratic even once you are up to speed.

Initially, you'll spend a fair amount of time spinning round, misaiming, and so forth. With aiming assistance built into the game, it doesn't necessarily affect your performance, but it definitely takes away some of the original's fluidity.

In Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front, the AI isn't the smartest, and the game lacks a certain degree of polish: one early example saw me wandering too far ahead and finding a deserted beach. I ran back to the target point on the map and immediately found myself getting shot in the back by a bunch of soldiers who had just materialised out of thin air.

Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front is still as decent a game as it was before, and if you can get on with the touchpad, you'll find it an enjoyable experience. If not, you can always revert to touchscreen controls.