April 2011 Archives
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I am happy to report that this is a much more fitting tribute to the late great King Of Pop than that hideous statue that Mohammed Al Fayed stuck outside Fulham FC.
I am also happy to report that it's another step in the right direction for Kinect.
The Wii version of this game was very successful and sold very well indeed, the introduction of Kinect onto the marketplace made a new version for the motion sensing peripheral a foregone conclusion.
The award winning Dance Central has set a very early benchmark for other Kinect games to follow and this is a game that certainly has a fair old crack at reaching the same level of excellence.
The Wii version was based on the very successful Just Dance engine giving it a solid base to work from. This version is a complete rebuild and it requires you to use your whole body but without any controllers in much the same fashion as Dance Central.
Combine this element with the Michael Jackson back-catalogue and those all familiar signature moves and it immediately makes you sit up and take notice.
The song designs are stunning with instantly recognisable backdrops and choreography and you are placed centre stage to bust some serious moves as Wacko Jacko.
You do this by following the graphics on the side of the screen showing you what to do and when.
You can also choose to sing aswell in the performace mode option of the game - this lets you showcase just how bad your voice is as well as your dancing.
This is the game the Wii version should have been, it is very polished, allows you to play different modes involving a group of friends/family and it is on the whole a lot of fun.
It does at times feel a little shallow and could have pushed the boat out a bit more really in terms of unlockable content etc but this is a very good game that is best played with a few drinks and a room full of people.
When I saw that there was a movie-tie in for the latest animate kids blockbuster film I have to say I was expecting a platform by numbers affair.
Thank god it wasn't, although I was still worried by the 'party games' tag. One thing the whole gaming world has had enough of is party games.
But and it's a very big but, this is an excellent and addictive collection of manic multiplayer games.
The characters of the film and the style of the film are represented brilliantly and rather than just being a cash in this is a well constructed assembly of quirky game ideas.
My kids loved it, genuinely sat there for about three hours playing against each other and making a din.
I like the fact that the game didn't try to hard to be that generic run-of-the mill cash in, it tried something different and it worked well.
Back in the day when you were stuck on the train with your old-school brick phone the best it got in terms of entertainment was a quick blast on Snake or Hangman.
These days it's a whole lot more sophisticated with high-end graphics, touch screens and great sound.
The iphone really has changed the face of mobile gaming.
This latest Tiger Woods mobile version is an example of the quality on offer.
After fully customising your character, you get to whack your way round 18 holes.
Everything from club selection, shot type and backspin are crucial for success.
All you need is your judgement and an accurate swipe of your finger.
ââ The game can be purchased via the App Store and ITunes for £2.99
It's time for all you petrol-heads to burns some serious rubber and stick the pedal to the metal in a race for the flag.
There you go that's all the clichés in one-paragraph to stop me using them further on in this review.
This is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Shift game which is a spin-off to the Need For Speed series.
It's essentially the 'serious' arm of EA's huge driving title and adds an impressively realistic experience for gamers.
The game transports you behind the wheel in spectacular fashion and really immerses you into the experience of actually tearing round the track in some style.
For example the helmet cam is fantastic and they have the physics of how the drivers head moves in the car down to an art form.
The car reacts to every bump and bang and every camber in the road and the feeling of speed is awesome but never over-the-top.
The gameplay is very hard with a very steep learning curve, causal race fans may be extremely alienated by this game because it does require patience and persistence but ultimately it is very rewarding when you have it nailed.
I will be honest some of the tweaks and tuning you can do I genuinely didn't understand - it's very hardcore but there's plenty of help available if you are as clueless as me.
It's not just the gameplay where the game excels, the graphics are phenomenal and to a very high standard with car damage, detail and track reconstruction an absolute joy to gawp at.
The tracks like Brand's Hatch are jaw-dropping, and then some.
If you like your racing games difficult and gleaming with authenticity then this is ideal, the only thing that will nark you is that sometime the opposition seem to think they are playing dodgems which can take away from the realism effect.
A solid game though with an excellent look and feel to it.
Image via Wikipedia
Bring the middle ages to life with The Sims Medieval - the brand new release for PC/ Mac from the best-selling gaming franchise, The Sims! To celebrate, we are giving six lucky readers the chance to win a copy of the game.
With The Sims Medieval, you can enter the traditional world of storytelling, drama and comedy for the first time. Build a medieval kingdom and control figures from all walks of life including: Kings, Queens, Wizards and Knights.
The destiny of the kingdom lies in your hands as you create and customise your hero character down to the last detail selecting their traits and fatal flaw. Venture on a host of daring quests from arranging a Royal Wedding to finding the Fountain of Youth. The time of romance and chivalry returns with The Sims Medieval.
For more information, please visit www.thesimsmedieval.com
To enter simply tell us the missing word...Knights of the ______ table?
a) Round
b) Square
c) Triangle
By Email: Email your entry to smentry@mrn.co.uk using the word SIMS as your subject line, please include your address and a contact phone number
Sunday Mercury and Trinity Mirror group companies may contact you by email, phone or letter with details of goods and services you may be interested in. You will not be charged for these messages.
Terms and Conditions:
Competition closes noon Friday April 22. Web/email entries are free. Only one entry per email address allowed. Open to UK residents aged 18/over only. Std Trinity Mirror rules apply see www.trinitymirror-midlands.co.uk/rules.
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Any shooter that dares show its face these days gets a bashing from the Call Of Duty brigade.
I have seen the same thing happening with this latest title from THQ.
In my opinion that's quite unfair but not entirely unexpected. This may not be a ground-breaking shooter, but it is very cinematic and evocative to play.
True, it has an almost criminally short single player mode and the multiplayer mode isn't as good as COD, but on the same count neither of these make it unworthy of a play through.
I wasn't blown away by the graphics but I did enjoy the campaign mode and I thought the multiplayer mode online was well thought out and very playable.
On the whole, though, aside from the graphics and short campaign, it's hard to pick fault.
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It's not hugely good timing to have a racing game based around a city devastated by an earthquake but Sony weren't to know when they made it.
Steering clear of that side of things though, the game itself is well worth a look.
If you like high-octane racing games laced with lunacy and non-stop action then this game was probably designed just for you.
The crumbling surroundings around you make for some interesting and unique challenges.
At its heart this is an above average racing game that is a great fun to play.
Underneath the hood this is a very addictive game that is adorned with plenty of bells
and whistles and what it lacks in originality it makes up for in style.
Authors
Steve Wollaston - Sunday Mercury games reviewer Steve has been writing about video games for donkey's years. In fact he is probably far too old for it now which is why you will see a lot of reviews been done by kids... He has been nominated three times for Regional Games Journalist Of The Year at the Games Media Awards, but never wins. His major love is sports games and rates Sensible World of Soccer circa 90's as the greatest game ever made - closely followed by Championship Manager 2. Skyrim has currently taken over his life.
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