April 2010 Archives

IT WOULD be remiss of me not to mention the ipad, with it being such a big talking point at the moment.

On the American site think.geek.com there is an excellent little invention designed to turn the ipad into a retro style arcade machine. It's labelled the icade and quite frankly it's a stroke of genius in my opinion.

Retro titles like Donkey Kong and Space Invaders can be played as they were intended using classic arcade controls in an excellent wooden games cabinet. It's about as clever and cool as you are going to get!

ACTIVISION are setting out to prove that their Spider-Man games can actually be quite good, and what they've revealed so far about the upcoming Shattered Dimensions is looking very promising indeed.

Shattered Dimensions takes place in four different Spider-Man universes, seen in the Marvel comics.

So far the first two have been revealed as The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man Noir.

The game will give you control of four different versions of the web slinger on his "mission to capture the magical energy of the Tablet of Order and Chaos, which has been shattered and scattered across parallel universes".

The game play will also vary to suit the dimension Spidey is in.

The Amazing Spider-Man will present the hero in the classic form created by Steve Ditko.

"The Amazing Spider-Man experience delivers innovative web combat and visuals in a world that pays tribute to the classic era of the legendary Super Hero," says Activision.

Spider-Man Noir will take place in a black-and-white, 1930s setting that takes its cue from last year's Marvel Noir comics and features splinter Cell-style stealth action.

"In contrast, Spider-Man Noir features a cunning and covert depiction of Spider-Man, who utilizes shadows to perform stealth takedowns in a 1930s-influenced, black-and-white cinematic environment," goes the blurb.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, developed by Quebec City studio Beenox and written by Marvel comic writer Dan Slott, is scheduled for a September release.

It's time to get excited.

Based on the film, the How to Train Your Dragon video game takes gamers on an exciting adventure as you battle to become the best dragon trainer.

My youngest, Lily, is rapidly becoming a bit of a gaming expert - at the age of four.

She has been a bit spoiled of late, as last week she helped me review Dora The Explorer and this week it was circus elephants.

Ice skating is a nimble, graceful and highly elegant sport.

This game isn't nimble, graceful or elegant, and that's for sure.

FINALLY a game that helped me come out of mourning for Fallout 3, probably because, with its post-apocalyptic darkness and doom, it shares a lot in common.

Based on a novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game is adapted with help from the novelist himself.

Rappers JAY-Z and Eminem are mixing it up again by dropping their rhymes in exclusive mixes for DJ Hero.

Snappily titled the JAY-Z vs. Eminem Mix Pack, the download delivers three standout hits from each legend.

These include JAY-Z's Can I Get A.and Without Me mixed with Encore.

The pack will set you back 640 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360 and £6.29 on PS3.

This is essentially an uber-cute watered down Nintendogs style game but themed around Dora.

She has a new dog and it is up to you to look after him by playing with him, feeding him, washing him and even dressing him up!

Perfect fodder for young children around four year-old Lily's age. I asked her if she liked the game and she said, 'It's lovely thank you, I like playing with the puppy dog.'

Gamers over the age of four may find it shallow and lacking any real longevity, but for my little girl it was perfect.

This kept her quiet for a good few hours and has educational qualities too.

I only wish I had the time in my life to dedicate to the Command and Conquer games these days because once again this is strategy gaming at its best.

The classic gameplay is still there just more evolved, innovative and exciting than it ever was.

review by Dan Smith

SEGA took its sweet time before releasing Yakuza 3 over here - it's been out in Japan for over a year. So was the wait worth it?

From first impressions this free-roaming action-adventure plays like a Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto but look harder, and you'll discover a healthy difference.