Title: Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

From: High Impact Games

For: PS2

I’m a big Jak & Daxter fan from way back. I loved the original game and the sequel to a lesser degree, but there have been a couple of very forgettable releases too. The Lost Frontier has been released on the PSP and PS2 – but unfortunately the PS2 version is a direct port of the PSP one, along with all the limitations of the PSP controls.

The Lost Frontier takes the series back to its roots of good old platforming along with the added element of taking to the skies and dogfighting.

For the most part it all works very well, but because you can only swing the camera around horizontally, it is hard to judge some distances and combat becomes a nightmare when you have to attack enemies that you can’t even see due to bad camera angles.

The flying levels actually made the game for me, especially with the planes being fully customisable with a myriad of weapons.

For me, The Lost Frontier is a welcome return for Jak & Daxter but at the same time I feel it should probably be their swan-song too.

Score 65%

Title: Disney Sing It
From: Disney Interactive Studios
For: PS2

It’s taken a surprisingly long time for other developers to latch onto the console karaoke/SingStar craze and perhaps they left it too late.

With Disney Sing It you need a set of SingStar microphones to be able to sing along to 35 songs from a selection of Disney Channel movies, series and Disney Label recording stars. These include Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, Camp Rock, Jessie McCartney, Aly & AJ and more.

The general gameplay is very similar to SingStar with a few exceptions. In two player mode you both get your own lyrics and you can personalise your game experience with a variety of themes.
One inclusion, which would be nice to see in any upcoming SingStar titles, is a small feature called Sing It Pro, where the game will run you through a series of warm-ups, singing lessons and vocal tricks.

Disney Sing It isn’t for everybody, but fans of the Disney Channel will no doubt love it to bits.

Score 65%

Title: SingStar: Hottest Hits
From: Sony Computer Entertainment
For: PS2

With Christmas looming, it’s SingStar season once again and one of the latest is Hottest Hits. There’s been a few sterile SingStar releases in the last year or so but in all honesty, Hottest Hits is probably the best the franchise has seen in a long time. There are 30 tracks in all and very few questionable inclusions.
Highlights include: Lily Allen ‘LDN’, Nelly Furtado ‘All Good Things Come to an End’, Sam Sparro ‘Black & Gold’, Snow Patrol ‘Chasing Cars’, The Fray ‘How to Save a Life’, The Potbelleez ‘Don’t Hold Back’, Finger Eleven ‘Paralyzer’ and The Ting Tings ‘That’s Not My Name’.
Hottest Hits is a must have addition to any SingStar collection.

Score 85%

Title: SingStar Amped
From: Sony London Studio
For: PS2

What’s that you say? Another SingStar release? Surely not!

Well yes, it’s time for SingStar Amped which, by the sounds of it should be chocka block full of cranking, head-banging hard rock songs. Alas for the most part it’s not.

Sure, there’s pumping anthems from Fall Out Boy, Iggy Pop, Quiet Roit, Faith No More, Choirboys, Cheap Trick, Kasabian and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. But then there’s others such as 4 Non Blondes, Blue Oyster Cult, Robert Palmer and David Bowie which are still great songs in themselves but serve to turn the volume knob down from 11 to a mild 6.

30 tracks all up and nothing to make it stand out from any other SingStar release, mark SingStar Amped down as mediocre.

Score: 55%

MULTI-GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS STING AND TOOL TO ROCK IN GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR

Police Frontman/Bassist Sting to Lend Voice and Likeness; Rockers Tool Bring Three Popular Tracks and Band-Designed Venue to the Game

Sydney, Australia – September 8, 2008 – Rock and roll legend Sting and progressive metal pioneers Tool are making their video game debuts, contributing more than just music, in Activision Publishing, Inc.’s Guitar Hero® World Tour.

In what will be the largest collection of artists ever to appear in a Guitar Hero game, singer-songwriter, actor, author, activist and lead singer/bassist of The Police, Sting will add his voice and likeness as an in-game character. Aspiring frontmen can take the stage as Sting throughout their vocal career or play alongside him as he performs one of The Police classics, “Demolition Man.”

Hugely popular alternative metal band Tool, known for their epic, intense musical arrangements and killer visual arts, will also soon be known for their contribution to the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitar Hero fans from all over the world will be able to rock out to “Parabola” and Grammy-award winning “Schism” from Tool’s critically-acclaimed 2001 album Lateralus in addition to “Vicarious” from their 2006 Grammy-award winning album 10,000 Days. The game will also feature an all-new venue designed in collaboration with the band and highlighting the art style that has become a staple in their music videos, live shows and album artwork.

When the house lights go down this spring, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest instalment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever.

The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Leipzig Games Convention, 20th August 2008: The music of Disney classic animated movies is about to be brought to life on PlayStation®2 when Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) releases SingStar® Singalong With Disney exclusively for PAL territories this Autumn.

The wonderful magic of Disney comes from its timeless music as much as its spellbinding animation, from The Little Mermaid to Peter Pan, to Aladdin and Toy Story. With Disney fans of all ages in mind, SingStar Singalong With Disney proves that no one is ever too old for fairytales, and mum will be keen to join in with the kids to show off her singing skills. Tracks from Disney classics old and new ensure that every member of the family will find a favourite on the track list. The game features classic SingStar options allowing players to sing in solo, duet, or battle.

Each track is accompanied by clips from the original Disney movies, which means that your favourite characters appear on screen as you sing along. There is no longer any need to wait; every Disney fan’s dream comes true in Autumn 2008 when SingStar Singalong With Disney is released on PlayStation 2.

SingStar Singalong With Disney will include the following tracks, with more to be confirmed very soon.

Aladdin A Whole New World
The Jungle Book The Bare Necessities
Toy Story You Got A Friend In Me
The Little Mermaid Under The Sea
Pinocchio When You Wish Upon A Star

Songs will be made available in local languages across PAL territories.

SingStar has been one of SCEE’s biggest games titles since the first SingStar title was released in 2004, selling more than 6 million discs across PAL territories. SingStar has attracted new audiences to PlayStation gaming, with men, women and children picking up the iconic microphones and singing along with their favourite pop hits.

Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie and Barry Manilow make their SingStar debut on SingStar Vol.3 Party Edition. More than 2 million tracks downloaded from SingStore™
SingStore to launch song packs with Queen themed downloads

Leipzig Games Convention, 20th August 2008: Since its launch in 2004, SingStar™ has become one of the world’s most popular game titles and a phenomenal success for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), proving that everyone wants a chance to sing along to their favourite tune. In four years and across both PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PlayStation®2 platforms,SingStar has sold more than 13 million discs in SCEE territories and has seen more than two million tracks downloaded from online service, SingStore™. And things are about to get even bigger with SCEE announcing exciting and new content for the ever expanding SingStar world at Games Convention 2008.

SingStar™ Vol.3 Party Edition
Michael Jackson joins the SingStar roster for the very first time in SingStar Vol.3 Party Edition, and takes his place alongside the greatest pop artists old and new. Barry Manilow, Lionel Ritchie and Kate Bush sit alongside recent chart hits from The Ting Tings, Timbaland, Sara Bareilles and Coldplay.

SingStar Vol.3 Party Edition will include:
Barry Manilow, Copacabana
David Bowie, Sapce Oddity
Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney, Ebony & Ivory
Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson, The Way I Are
Coldplay, Viva La Vida

SingStore™ Goes From Strength To Strength
Every ten seconds a song is sold in SingStore and since its launch in December 2007 more than two million tracks have been downloaded in SCEE territories. There are now more than 200,000 My SingStar Online users and they’re uploading more than 50,000 video performances. Personalise your SingStar experience to reflect your own musical tastes with the launch of SingStar Song Packs this September. The download packs comprise five tracks, kicking off with one of the biggest rock bands of all time; Queen. Two Queen SingStar Song Packs will initially be available including some of their greatest hits, such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’ and many more. Further packs will be released every fortnight alongside new tracks added to SingStore.

SingStar is an experience, an online community, and a way of life! It’s for families, exhibitionists and wannabe popstars everywhere. So grab a mic, choose your track and get involved with the worldwide singing phenomenon – available only on PS3 and PlayStation 2.

Title: Buzz! The Pop Quiz
From: Sony Computer Entertainment
For: PS2

So you think you’re a bit of a music buff do you? Then put your knowledge to the test against your family and friends with the latest installment of Buzz!
This time it’s The Pop Quiz which focuses on all the popular hits of the nineties until present day. While Buzz! The Music Quiz was an excellent game, the younger players were sometimes disadvantaged when the questions were on bands such as The Lovin’ Spoonful and Blue Oyster Cult. With The Pop Quiz, the playing field is more level and the whole family should be able to battle it out without too much trouble.
If you’ve ever played Buzz! before then you’ll be instantly familiar with what to do here – most of the competition rounds are the same as previous releases with some new challenges thrown in for good measure.
As usual, 1 to 8 players can take part (5-8 with a second set of controllers) and the game is also EyeToy compatible.

Score 78%

Watch the trailer

Title: SingStar Party Hits
From: Sony Computer Entertainment
For: PS2

The SingStar series has been a revolution in party gaming and alone has sold many PlayStation 2 consoles to people who otherwise wouldn’t play games at all. While some may say the series and in fact the genre hit its peak popularity a year or more ago, the feeling Sony give off is that as long as there are songs to be sung the people will want to sing them.
Party Hits contains 30 tracks and many of them are very welcome additions to any SingStar collection. Artists such as Amy Winehouse, Ash, Blondie, Blur, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Elton John, Evermore, Girls Aloud, KT Tunstall, Lou Bega, Madness, Mel & Kim, Mika, Peter Andre, Plain White Ts, Pulp, Republica, Rihanna, Sugababes, Texas, The Veronicas, Thirsty Merc, Toto, Yazz and Wham!
As usual though there’s a handful of strange inclusions from some Australian artists who mean very little to us like Shannon Noll and Ricky Lee but overall SingStar Party Hits is a worthy inclusion to the series.

Score 75%

Full track listing…

Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry On Their Own
Ash – Girl From Mars
Blondie – The Tide Is High
Blur – Girls And Boys
David Bowie – Lets Dance
Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out
Elton John – I’m Still Standing
Evermore – Light Surrounding You
Girls Aloud – Call The Shots
Toto – Hold The Line
KT Tunstall – Suddenly I See
Lou Bega – Mambo #5
Madness – House of Fun
Mel & Kim – Respectable
Mika – Big Girls
Operator Please – Get What You Want
Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl
Plain White Ts – Hey There Delilah
Pulp – Disco 2000
Republica – Ready To Go
Ricki-Lee – Can’t Touch This
Rihanna – Umbrella
Shannon Noll – Loud
Sugababes – Red Dress
Texas – Summer Son
The Klaxons – It’s Not Over Yet
The Veronicas – Hook Me Up
Thirsty Merc – 20 Good Reasons
Wham! – Club Tropicana
Yazz – The Only Way Is Up

ACTIVISION UNVEILS GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR – THE DEFINITIVE ROCK & ROLL MUSIC VIDEOGAMING EXPERIENCE

New State of the Art Wireless Instruments

Innovative Music Studio Lets Players Compose, Record, Edit and Share Music

Biggest Selection of On-Disc Music with All Master Tracks

Robust New Eight-Player “Battle of the Bands” Mode

First Game Ever in the Guitar Hero® Franchise to Allow In-Game Downloadable Content on Wii

Auckland, New Zealand – May 23, 2008 – When the house lights go down this spring, a new generation of axe shredders, drummers and fearless front men will come together and rock with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour. The latest instalment from the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour will transform music gaming by marrying Guitar Hero’s® exhilarating guitar gameplay, with a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes. The game will feature a slick newly redesigned guitar, a genuine electronic drum kit and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock and roll anthems, along with online Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands.”

Delivering the largest on-disc set list in a music-rhythm game to-date, Guitar Hero World Tour is comprised entirely of master recordings from some of the greatest classic and modern rock bands of all-time including Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles, Sublime and many more. Additionally, the game will offer significantly more localized downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-generation consoles. Budding rock stars will also be given creative license to fully customize everything from their characters’ appearance and instruments to their band’s logo and album covers.

In addition to a newly designed more responsive guitar controller and microphone, Guitar Hero World Tour will deliver the most realistic drum experience ever in a video game with an authentic electronic drum kit. Featuring three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, the drum controller combines larger and quieter, velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back and is easy to set up, move, break down and store.

“Guitar Hero has set the standard for music-based gaming and with Guitar Hero World Tour and the game’s groundbreaking Music Studio, we are once again delivering unprecedented innovation that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music, much in the same way that video sharing hubs have driven user generated video,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “With the introduction of our advanced high-quality new wireless instruments, in-depth customization options and advanced online functionality, the game enables music fans and gamers globally to share in the most social and expressive music experience ever.”

Guitar Hero World Tour delivers more ways to play than ever before. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument, or any combination of instruments, in addition to the full band experience. In addition to all of the online gameplay modes from Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or off, as they progress through the game, and in single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice.

The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full compliment of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the instruments, and then play their compositions in the game. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes™ where other gamers can download their unique compositions and play them.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the OFLC