Hands on with, erm, Hands On Mobile games

Could a company name change from the business-y sounding Mforma to the more fun Hands On signal a different approach to mobile games from this leading publisher?

The titles we got to grips with at the show certainly seemed focused on more immediate, simple fun than the rather involved action games we're used to from the company – not that there's anything wrong with the likes of Call of Duty 2.

But the new games certainly have more pick-up-and-play appeal. For starters, I had a bash on Marching Martians, a deceptively simple puzzler that blends Space Invaders with gem-swapping games like Bejeweled. It involves shooting blocks of two-or-more coloured objects to stop some invading Martians from reaching the bottom of the screen – it makes sense when you play it, honest.

When I met with Hands On director of games Rick Marazzani at E3, I wondered how to politely point out that it seemed a little similar to a game released last year by Digital Chocolate called Bubble Ducky. But it turns out that Rick used to work at Digital Chocolate, and Bubble Ducky was his game in the first place!

Anyway, Marching Martians does a good job of blending two familiar gameplay mechanics to make something that feels fresh and new – although it's still very much unfinished and Hands On stresses that nothing (including the name) is necessarily fixed in stone just yet.

Hands On also had a new version of its World Poker Tour game, using the seven card stud variant instead of hold'em. Frankly I struggled with the unfamiliar rules ("Raise! Raise again! What, I have a rubbish hand?"), but if you're sharper with cards then you'll feel right at home. As well as a change in the format, the game also uses a new three-quarter perspective (changed from the original top-down view) and it's all the better for it.

Finally, Lego Bricks looks like Tetris when you first play it, in a falling blocks type way, but it is actually more comparable to InfoSpace's Gem Jam.

Here blocks fall in groups of 3x1 formation, with different colours, and you have to match three or more to make them disappear. It's bright, colourful and brought back fond memories, albeit of losing that crucial bit of my Lego spaceship under the sofa.

Expect more on all these titles and the eagerly awaited X-Men 3 game in the next couple of weeks.