No Gravity

No Gravity, in its current form, started as a PSP game. Actually, it started as a homebrew PSP game based on an older project called Space Girl, meaning that Sony didn't officially believe it existed.

It then found its way into the retail PSP store with Sony's stamp of approval, before being ported to iOS, and then onto Android.

Finally, it's here on Xperia Play, the PlayStation-certified phone with a gamepad element not too far removed from the PSP it previously starred on. It didn't impress us on iOS, but can it do better on Xperia Play?

The short answer is 'yes', thanks to the controls. The main Android version allows you to control the action with the accelerometer or via virtual touchscreen buttons, and each option has its own set of problems when it comes to accuracy.

Moving the controls to the gamepad fixes all of them instantly. You never lose sight of where you need to be, and your fingers don't slip off the buttons, which could be a problem with the touchscreen version, where quite a lot of functions were bound to a relatively small area.

The only slight issue relates to the use of the D-pad to move the ship. Continually tapping the arrow to re-adjust your trajectory doesn't feel quite as fluid as tilting a handset, or sliding the thumb along a virtual analogue stick.

But while the controls are better, the issues we raised in our earlier review are still largely in evidence. The missions feel disconnected, the gameplay gets rather samey, and the dog-fights lack visual feedback and the sort of excitement they should offer.

The game also has no quick-saving to speak of. In one early mission I was sent back to a tutorial on barrel rolls after dying on a run that consisted of no fewer than three warps, ten mines blown up, five ships destroyed, a boss fight, and a bunch more dogfights, which is just plain frustrating.

In terms of presentation, it still looks and sounds the part, with stylish ships and neat graphical effects breaking up the bleakness of space nicely.

Unfortunately, the same style and variety isn't present in the gameplay. No Gravity may play better on Xperia Play, but still not well enough for a solid recommendation.