Title: UEFA Euro 2008
Genre: Football Sim
Players: 1-7
From: EA Sports
For: PS3 (Reviewed), PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, PC
Website

For a number of years now, the football simulation genre has realistically been a two horse race between EA’s Fifa franchise and the Pro Evolution series, the latter having its nose slightly in front on many levels, depending on how “simulation” you want your “simulation” to be. To cut a long story short, Fifa is a football simulation for gamers and Pro Evolution is a simulation for football players.

But EA Sports, as with many of its successful franchises takes a three steps forward, two steps back approach. Adding features, then removing them if they prove unsavoury with the fanbase, all the while tweaking the game and keeping in successful elements. Fifa 2008 was a great game and showed some innovations that indicated EA wanted to lead the way in the genre. Before Fifa 2009 is released in the coming months, we have been thrown an interim footy fix in UEFA Euro 2008.

Here, the new features in Fifa 2008 have been expanded upon and while Euro 2008 might not have dozens of teams and official player licenses, there is still plenty of realism to be found in the brilliant player, crowd and stadium animations, the relevant and often inciteful commentary and the new ‘Captain Your Country’ career mode. The idea was touched upon in Fifa 2008 but gets further game-time in Euro 2008.

As you begin in Captain Your Country mode, you theoretically start off in your National team, but not quite – you must choose three other players from the team to relegate and de-skill down a grade – to the ‘B Team’ so to speak. From there you and your buddies must put the hard yards in, learn your trade and impress the powers that be enough in matches to catch their eye and show them you’re ready for the big time.

During this career mode you control one player and one player only. The rest of your team will play their part and you support them as you would in a real game. You get a 3rd person perspective to play this mode with and it certainly helps you get into your specific role. Every now and then, when your team gets a run-away break, the camera swoops in to ground level and follows the player complete with a trendy motion blur as used in the Gears of War roadie-run. A nice touch too is the ability to interact with and control the goal celebrations to some degree.

Only being able to control one player however is not everyone’s cup of tea. Especially since some questionable team-mate AI can prove to be a frustrating experience to put it lightly. While your team will genuinely do their best the majority of the time, some of their decision making will bring out the whole gamut of four letter words before too long.

Pulling off anything but the most basic of tricks in Euro 2008 is an exercise in patience and practice – it’s not easy to co-ordinate and concentrate on the game at the same time, just like real life I guess. Personally I prefer to play football sims doing the basics well and leave my trick fix for games such as Fifa Street 3.

In the straight Cup mode you can use the usual sideline and TV camera views as well as online in the Battle of the Nations mode. The online experience isn’t too bad but does suffer from some unfortunate lag. While this doesn’t make the game unplayable, you do need to adjust your gameplay tactics a little to allow for the sporadic delay. It helps if you use quicker touches and spend less time on the ball, choosing your next action even before a player has received a pass.

All in all UEFA Euro 2008 is a solid game. Not as big or option-packed as the Fifa series, but a nice mid-year dabble for football fans to whet their appetite in the meantime.

Score: 82%

Pros: The game really captures the atmosphere of big matches. The third person career mode is a treat if you have the time to put in.

Cons: Questionable AI at times. It’s a game you really need to spend some time with to get the most out of.

Watch the trailer

CAPCOM® BRINGS MARTIAL ARTS HOME WITH CONSOLE VERSIONS OF STREET FIGHTER® IV

Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3 and Windows-based PC Versions Coming for Street Fighter IV

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM ˜ May 28, 2008: Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced the development of Street Fighter IV, the next iteration of the genre-establishing fighting game series, for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Windows-based PC.

Few videogame series have had such a strong impact on their perspective genres the way Street Fighter® has over the decades. Creating a global legacy spanning over twenty years of fighting games, the Street Fighter series has become a pillar in the fighting videogame genre. Street Fighter IV for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system, and Windows-based PC continues this tradition of excellence with a return to the classic 2D Street Fighter fighting action mixed with new characters, amazing visuals, and next-generation fluid gameplay.

Street Fighter IV features a mix of returning favourites such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile along with new characters created for this game, such as Crimson Viper, Abel and El Fuerte. Characters and environments are rendered in stylised 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Six-button controls for the game return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing classic genre-defining game mechanics the franchise is known and loved for with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over. With the inclusion of Capcom’s latest advancements in new generation technology, Street Fighter IV promises to deliver an extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honoured art of virtual martial arts.

For more information, visit www.streetfighter.com

Features:

Classic 2D Street Fighter gameplay with stunning 3D characters and environments
New special moves that go beyond any Street Fighter fan’s wildest imagination, including Focus attacks, Super Combos, and the revenged-fuelled Ultra Combo system.
Classic Street Fighter characters recreated for a new generation of gamers, including the original cast of Street Fighter® II
New brawlers: female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte, kick boxer Abel and more!
Amazing locations never seen before in a Street Fighter game
New gameplay elements provide new challenges for both newcomers and the most seasoned Street Fighter pro.

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

Coming Winter 2008, New Fifth Platform for Video Game of the Film Boasts HD Graphics, Featuring Unique Blend of Live Action, CGI and Gameplay Animation

Wednesday 21st May 2008 – Atari today announced details of the forthcoming video game Asterix at the Olympic Games for Xbox 360™. Scheduled for release this winter, Asterix at the Olympic Games revolutionises the world of Asterix by bringing it to a next-generation console for the very first time with impressively detailed and vibrant High Definition graphics and multiplayer action. The game of the highly successful feature film of the same name, Asterix at the Olympic Games blends live action elements from the film with high quality computer generated and video game animation to deliver fans an extraordinary and unique Asterix experience in HD. The game is currently available on PlayStation®2, Nintendo DS™, Wii and PC, with the Xbox 360 version scheduled for release this winter 2008.

Developed by Etranges Libellules in close collaboration with Asterix licensor Les Editions Albert René and film production company La Petite Reine, the game follows Asterix, Obelix and their devoted druid Getafix as they travel to Olympia to help their love-sick friend Lovestorix win the heart of the Grecian Princess Irina and stop mighty Brutus from destroying the world. Success at the games is the only guarantee of putting an end to Brutus’ evil ways. This original story takes a parallel course to the film and comic book series, and the new multiplayer feature allows friends to enjoy our Gallic heroes’ hilarious, action-packed road to victory together.

In Asterix at the Olympic Games, players can choose from two playable characters, Asterix and Obelix, and switch between them throughout a series of escapades, including physical challenges and brainy problem-solving. The “adventure mode” plays out the love story involving Brutus, Lovestorix and the Grecian Princess Irina, whilst the “antique mode” offers players the chance to compete in over ten disciplines as 12 playable characters, notably a host of our friends from Gaul and athletes from countries of olden times. The more sardonic player could even choose to play as Brutus. There is of course a hearty dose of Roman bashing too. Tutorial videos and excerpts from the feature film appear throughout the game to bring the world of Asterix to life.

Asterix at the Olympic Games for PlayStation®2, Nintendo DS™, Wii and PC is available in stores now with the Xbox 360 game scheduled for release across Australia and New Zealand this coming winter.

Title: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
From: Levels/Nintendo
For: Nintendo DS

Sometimes it pays not to judge a book/game by its cover or name. Professor Layton and the Curious Village by all means looks and sounds like a game that you might want to keep at arms length. Put the game in your DS however and a genuine hidden gem reveals itself.

Professor Layton is an expert puzzle solver and with his sidekick Luke must solve the mystery to the death of Baron Reinholdt. The characters are well animated and put against painted backgrounds giving the cutscenes a cute old-fashioned feel.
You must solve puzzles to extract important clues to the mystery and these will certainly have your brain working overtime. There’s logic, mathematical and visual puzzles which range in difficulty from the very easy to those frustrating ones that make you feel stupid once you finally work them out.
This game is well worth a look if puzzle solving is your thing, but unfortunately there’s little to no replay value as you’ll know the answers already.

Score 80%

Watch the trailer

Title: Buzz Junior: Dino Den
From: Sony Computer Entertainment
For: PlayStation 2

It’s not very often that a PS2 game arrives on my desk these days, but they are still being released in good numbers – and with so many PS2’s out there, Sony would be foolish to pull the plug when demand is so high.

Buzz Junior: Dino Den is the fourth in the series aimed at young kids (or more specifically – groups of young kids) following on from Jungle Party, Monster Rumble and Robo Jam. Dino Den is much the same, but this time the characters and mini-games are based around a dinosaur theme. As with the previous games in the series, some of the mini-games are hit and miss but on the whole provide some great entertainment for kids.

Up to 4 players can play against each other or in teams and if you are short on numbers then the game will supply an AI character to play for you.
Dino Den certainly doesn’t advance the genre, nonetheless it’s still an enjoyable addition to the series.

Score 70%

Watch the trailer

Title: Time Crisis 4
Genre: Shooter
Players: 1-2
Published by: Namco Bandai
Developed by: Namco Bandai
For: PlayStation 3
Rated M
Website

Having been the owner of a 43” Rear Projection TV for a number of years I was disappointed to discover that light-guns would not work on them – so the Time Crisis series among others have been lost on me (well outside of the arcade anyway). So imagine my dismay when Time Crisis 4 arrived with its dual analogue stick G-Con 3 light-gun controller and I would have to check it out on someone else’s TV – again. Thankfully, the G-Con folks have reinvented the transmission system in their new gun and taken a page out of the highly successful Wii’s handbook, opting to use a set-top receiving unit to read where the gun is aiming at any time. This works perfectly on the Wii and any Wii owner will be happy to show you – but sadly the execution on the G-Con 3/PS3 is frustratingly flawed. More on this later.

In Time Crisis 4 you play as agent Giorgio Bruno (I know, sounds like an cologne for dogs, right?) and are charged with preventing a top-secret weapon from falling into the hands of international terrorists. Armed with skill, speed and of course a variety of weapons you must gun down or blow up everything in your path.
Those of you used to Time Crisis will recognise the main arcade-style of gameplay straight away. The familiar rail-driven shooter where you aim and shoot the gun at advancing and emerging enemies before automatically moving onto the next wave has never looked better on a console format. But while the game boasts high definition graphics, these are perhaps a little wasted by the typical Namco style of bright colours, crispy lines and harsh highlight/shadow contrast. The game would be incredible with a more realistic, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter look to it – providing it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too.

Brand new to the series is a new First-Person Shooter mode – sure enough the game has always been a FPS, but this is a little different in that you can actually move your character (Captain Rush) freely around in the traditional sense of the genre. Using the dual analogue sticks on the G-Con 3 you move the character around and control camera angles while physically aiming the gun where you want to shoot. All in all it’s not a bad addition which has plenty of promise for the future when it gets fine-tuned and polished. There’s only 5 reasonably large levels to this mode and it might have been more fun had the gun/receiver problems not pissed me off to the point of turning the game off completely.

There are a couple of other modes including some mini-games and also a two-player experience, either alternate turns with one controller or simultaneously if you have two. While I haven’t tried this, after the problems I had with one G-Con 3 I seriously doubt playing with two at once would be a pleasant experience.

Now, about those controller problems.

The USB infrared sensor unit that picks up the gun’s whereabouts is supposed to sit on your TV, one in each corner hanging down slightly with the aid of rubber counter-balances. The cord between the two sensors is just, and I mean just long enough to reach the sides of my 43”. If you’re lucky enough to have anything bigger than that then you’ll be having them on the screen itself.

There is a basic three or a slightly more accurate five-point calibration system to get the gun to actually shoot where you’re aiming – and initially it works well – but lulls you into a false sense of security. I found that within a few minutes of gameplay the calibration had drifted out of whack considerably – noticeably worse in the FPS Mode for some reason. This meant pausing the game and rerunning the five-point calibration – regularly. Then the gun would tell me that I was too far from the screen, then I was too close – even though I hadn’t moved and was limited by the relatively short cord length anyway. It frustrated the hell out of me.
When it was working for any length of time I enjoyed the game immensely. Typical intense, edge-of-the-seat, muscle-aching Time Crisis action. But ultimately the fickle calibration system wore down my patience.

Score: 65%

Pros: The G-Con 3 makes you feel like you’re actually doing something. Typically Namco, but the style suits the game.

Cons: Almost had a bright orange gun stuck through the TV screen on more than one occasion. Keep away if you have anger management issues.

Watch the trailer:

Kiwi Gamer Wins the Official Halo® 3 Tournament sponsored by Samsung TV

AUCKLAND, 15 May 2008 – Microsoft® today announced the overall winner of the Official Halo 3 Tournament sponsored by Samsung TV. Caleb Craig from Gisborne secured the title after an action-packed final which pitted five of the finest Halo 3 players in Asia Pacific against each other.

The competition gathered Halo 3 players across the Asia Pacific region in an impressive test of skill and dexterity. Gamers in these participating countries – Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand – registered by going to their Xbox LIVE® Dashboard and downloading the exclusive tournament GamerPic.

After four weeks of intense tournament play, the five territory champions were selected based on their overall scores in three game modes.

These territory champions then competed on Xbox LIVE in the APAC Finals to determine the overall winner. After an intense playoff on the Valhalla map, Craig from New Zealand emerged champion.

“Everyone knows that Halo 3 is one of the best videogames to play with friends. I was excited to test my skills against the best from APAC – and on Xbox LIVE,” Craig said. “The 10 minutes of the finals will remain in my memory for a long time.”

Craig took home the grand prize showcase consisting of a new Samsung 40” LCD TV , an Xbox 360® Elite console, an Xbox 360 20GB hard drive, 5,000 Microsoft Points and an Xbox 360 LIVE accessories pack which includes Xbox 360 messenger kit, Xbox 360 vision camera, Xbox 360 wireless adapter.

The territory champions in the five regions also received exclusive Halo 3 artwork as special prizes.

TAMAGOTCHI CONNEXION: CORNER SHOP 3
FOR NINTENDO DS™ COMING TO AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Tamagotchi Town Opens for Business in October 2008 with All New Features and Lots More Fun

Monday 12th May 2008 – Atari today announced the forthcoming launch of NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 3 for the Nintendo DS™. Available in Australia and New Zealand from October 2008, Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 3 will feature the most well-stocked store lineup to date, with 13 brand new shops to run and expand, a park to design and visit, and the ability to trade journals with your friends via Wi-Fi.

Business in Tamagotchi Town is booming, and over a dozen new shops have moved in. Help manage these brand new shops and keep customers coming back for more. When the work day is done, relax in your very own park that you’ve created. You can write in your journal to record the day’s events, and share items and journals with your friends over Wi-Fi.

Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 3 introduces players to the responsibilities of running a successful business in a fun and creative way. Key game features include:

• All New Stores: Find over a dozen brand new stores to run! Bake fresh bread at the Bakery, plan a party at the Event Coordinator shop, or scoop ice cream at the Ice Cream Parlor. Combine and upgrade stores to keep happy customers coming back for more.

• Create Your Own Park: Create a relaxing and fun park to hang out with friends and chat with other Tamagotchis. Decorate your park with fountains, gardens and other items to be discovered. Come back often to see how your park has changed.

• More Characters: The popular Violetchi joins in on the fun with Mametchi, Kuchipatchi and Memetchi to team up with players and help them run the best business they can.

• Connect With Friends: Share items and swap journals with friends via a wireless connection.

Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 3 is scheduled for launch in October 2008.

Active Fun for Everyone with Total Body Gameplay Coming to Australia & New Zealand in September 2008 Exclusively for Wii

Tuesday 13th May 2008 – Atari today announced the forthcoming release of NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Family Trainer exclusively for Wii. Family Trainer lets all the family and friends get physical by engaging the whole body in a variety of easy-to-understand, fast-paced and wildly entertaining activities. Family Trainer is scheduled for release in September 2008.

The game includes the specially designed Family Trainer mat controller which, when combined with the Wii Remote, lets players get totally physical in a series of crazed challenges. Unlike other games for the Wii which only focus on the arms, Family Trainer gets the feet involved too for total body gameplay. Simple controls and intuitive play make the game easy to just pick up and play, and let players of any age get involved, get physical and have maximum fun.

There are over a dozen frantic single and multiplayer challenges to choose from all based on outdoor challenges amusingly interpreted for the world of Family Trainer, such as river rafting, mine karting, log jumping, rope skipping and much more. The activities take place in a variety of colourful locations including jungle forests full of ancient ruins, a haunted mansion complete with hordes of zombies, and a fairytale world where riding on toys and floating amongst the clouds is the order of the day.

Players can challenge friends or family members on the same mat, or cooperate together, for example trying to balance a runaway mine kart as it hurtles round a gravity defying track. Players can track their progress and set new records for their friends and family to beat, bringing a dose of healthy competition into the madcap mix.

Family Trainer is scheduled for release in September 2008 exclusively for Wii.