Features

Friday Freebie

Play poker on your mobile, read comics on DS and get a free ride on Ridge Racer 2 and Moto GP for PSP

Friday Freebie
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DS + PSP + Java
| Friday Freebie

With the long winter evenings drawing in and a bitter chill in the air, you could be forgiven for feeling somewhat resistant to venturing out to purchase the latest pocket gaming entertainment.

That's why we've put together a trio of winter warmers to keep your thumbs toasty on your pocket gaming console of choice, and ensure you don't have to skimp on coal for at least another week.

1. Read comics on your DS
First up is a rather nifty little application for DS that enables you to upload and browse comic books. The imaginatively titled Comic Book DS, developed by Francis Bonnin, combines a piece of PC software called PictoDS that converts the comics with some nice DS viewer code that enables you to fine-tune your browsing options.

It needs source material, of course, of which there are some legal examples on the homebrewcast page and Golden Age comics. It also takes a bit of know-how, so if you're new to DS homebrew then you might want to hold off, at least until we get round to doing a proper How To guide. DS super heroes can leap straight into action!

2. Play PSP game demos: Loco Roco, Ridge Racer 2 and Moto GP
Sony's official PSP download shop hasn't exactly been awash with all the content some might have felt they were led to expect, but as with its shipping issues elsewhere, it does tend to deliver eventually.

For instance, right now it's got three game demos offering a chance to try before you buy or more likely just pretend you're interested in buying when all you care about is indulging yourself in some free gaming fun. You can get your motor running with demo versions of Ridge Racer 2 and Moto GP, or scare yourself silly with a Halloween special demo for LocoRoco.

3. Texas Hold 'em on mobile without the stake money
What better way to wile away the long winter evenings than with a friendly game of cards... on your mobile. Ozura's version of Texas Hold 'Em might not be the prettiest around or be as packed full of features, swanky AI and big names as its competitors, but it is available for free from those fair-minded folk at GameJump, provided you're happy to be exposed to a few ads, of course.

And that's about it for this week, free thrillseeking chums! As usual, click 'Track It!' to be reminded when we post more free stuff, and if you do spot an inside track on another hot freebie then mail us and let us share it with the pocket gaming world.

Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, bossman Chris is up for anything – including running Steel Media (the madman).