SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square
Hold on to your squarepants for the ultimate in game from SpongeBob and his friend. OK, so, it’s meant to be for kids but adults love it as well. SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square is in celebration of the tenth anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants and offers fans a chance to relive some of the best moments from SpongeBob’s life.
When Mr Krabs and his friends plan to celebrate the eleventy seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab, Mr Krab asks SpongeBob to guard the top-secret recipe for the Krabby Patty but… surprise, surprise… SpongeBob loses it. He enlists the help of Plankton to find it whose ulterior motive is to keep the formula for himself. The only way SpongeBob can find the recipe in time for the anniversary party is by using Plankton’s memory machine for him and players to relive the ten happiest and hilarious moments of his life.
Kids (or you) can play as SpongeBob on their own or with a friend playing as Plankton as they run, jump or spin through twelve exciting levels. Each one takes players back in time to one of SpongeBob’s memorable moments from the show i.e. when he became a fry cook or met Sandy for the first time. There may be a bit of strenuous battling involved in order to fell some of the supersized opponents which include legions of Plankton’s robots, but with SpongeBob’s amazing new morphing abilities including the Sledgehammer Smash, Spatula Slam, Waterbob Sponge or Explosive Cannon, he’ll be able to whack, hose, stun or blast ‘em out of the way. Visiting some of SpongeBob Squarepants favourite locations from Jellyfish Fields to Rock Bottom and downtown Bikini Bottom, there are plenty of stimulating puzzle challenges to play on the way. For ages of three and over SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square retails at £29.99.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
The loveable chipmunk and his friends are back in a hilarious Squeakquel to be released on 11th December 2009 with a RRP of £24.99.
You can play as the chipmunks themselves; Alvin, Simon and Theodore or as rival girl-group; The Chipettes - Brittany, Jeannette and Eleanor, in a cool storyline that takes you across the world and back to different concert locations in cities like New York, London and Sydney where you can perform music tracks that feature either band with their different characteristics or warble a duet with both.
In the main game you can prove that you’ve got rhythm by using your musical skills to master the award-winning songs from the Alvin and The Chipmunks back catalogue. These are judged in varying degrees of difficulty based on tempo and complexity with two global modes of difficulty; Normal and Expert that can be changed anytime during the game. If you manage to fill the stadiums with your fans, there are attendance records to be earned too to boost your score. In a gripping finale that takes place at Hollywood’s Super Duper Dome anything could happen.
Three micro-games use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk or there’s a Multiplayer Party Mode so you can compete with up to two friends and have a ball or you can watch music videos of your favourite songs in the Jukebox Mode while you squeak away to your heart’s content.
Resident Evil Archives:Resident Evil Zero now in Wii
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero is an epic story that follows events leading up to the incident at mansion in a game that was previously only available on the Nintendo GameCube due for release on 22nd January 2010.
Some people have said it’s one of the most frightening games they’ve ever played. Following the format of Capcom’s survival horror films, we go back in time to discover the story behind the infernal Umbrella Corporations as players uncover the origins of the T-virus and surprise, surprise a few rampant zombies on the way.
Action follows Rebecca Chambers, the newest member of the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team who comes to Raccoon City to investigate a series of grisly murders. When she discovers a military transport truck filled with corpses, the horror begins. She is accompanied on her journey by Billy Coen, an ex-marine who was convicted of murdering 23 people – fortunately the evidence was purely circumstantial. With flesh-eaters, ghouls and the undead making unscheduled appearances, you’ll be on the edge of your seat with your heart pumping throughout. Graphics heighten the sense of fear in the spooky mansion with odd camera angles and dark shadows. You can use the standard Wii remote, classic controller or GameCube pad. There’s also a whole arsenal of weaponry to choose from with the ability to shoot anything from a pistol to a rocket launcher.
You can play as Rebecca and Billy simultaneously by using the Partner Zapping system, solving some cryptic puzzles along the way, as you help them in their desperate bid to escape from Raccoon City.
DiRT-2 plus DLC is on the shelves now
Codemaster’s exciting new driving game is the ultimate off-road racing with superb handling, exceptional visual and audio detail, exciting new locations and driving situations that can be played with multiple players or solo.
DiRT2 follows on from Colin McRae: Dirt and is the first video game in the McRae series since the Scottish rally driver’s untimely death in a helicopter accident in 2007. This time the game offers more in the way of graphics with details like water splashing on to the windscreen, slick vehicle handling and realistic crash sequences as with the screech of twisted metal, handbrake turns and roaring engines, you’re thrown from one event to another. One minute you may be in a rally cross event, the next you may be racing monster trucks or negotiating a point-to-point rally with a co-driver.
Taking place in real-world environments of Asia, Europe, Africa and North America, DiRT2 includes five different events: rally, rally cross, trailblazer, land rush and raid requiring mastery of different driving styles with canyon racing, jungle trails and city-stadium based events. Players can test their skills against the likes of Ken Block or Travis Pastrana – all the other drivers on the track respond to your driving method – ie if you play dirty and drive them off the course, they’re liable to hold that against you and give you a rough ride in future events. A flashback feature allows you to return to the scene of a crash up to three times so you can rectify your driving mistakes and difficulty levels can be altered before every event.
Codemasters have also released multiple downloadable content packs for DiRT 2 which can be used by players to customise and add features to the boxed game; the Access All Areas Pack for £3.19 which gives VIP entry to 100 events set on 41 tracks with access to X-Games events and their courses and The Trust Fund Pack at £3.19 means you can download and experience 35 killer rides and upgrade liveries.
With positive reviews from major gaming companies, DiRT2 is a white knuckle ride and a genuine test of your driving skills and you can buy it now.
David Bowie features in new Lego Rock Band
Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment has announced that the legendary rock star David Bowie is being immortalised in a Christmas edition of the blockbuster video game LEGO Rock Band, to be released in November 2009.
The chameleon-like performer has reinvented himself several times, but never previously as a mini LEGO figure and now, sporting a dapper shirt and 1980’s style mullet, he joins the illustrious list of stars and performers who’ve featured in the interactive family music action game in the past including the father of punk rock Iggy Pop who also provides the voice-over in tutorials.
The game is compatible with the existing Guitar Hero and Rock Band equipment and allows up to four players to use instrument controllers to play lead, bass, drums and vocals on well-known rock songs. Players can use Lego bricks to customise their mini-figurine avatars and notes are represented by coloured Lego bricks.
The whole family can metamorphose into rock gods as they as they attempt to play guitar, drum or provide screaming vocals on classic rock songs like Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love a Bad Name,’ Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ and of course, Bowie’s cool 80’s classic ‘Let’s Dance’ as well as favourites selected with the younger audience in mind including Elton John’s ‘Crocodile Rock’ or Ray Parker Jr’s ‘Ghostbusters’. The idea is to successfully complete the songs to earn Lego studs which may be used to enhance players’ avatars, vehicles, entourage and “rock den”. There will also be a chance for competitors to demolish buildings and summon up storms with their demon playing and vocal prowess. With a new Super-Easy mode added for young players the game works across the generations and unites families.
LEGO Rock Band will be released on Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and DS on 27th November 2009.
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Guitar Hero World Tour
Thwarted rock stars now have the chance to strum the air guitar to their heart’s content in the ultimate music game, Guitar Hero World Tour.
Players can use guitar shaped controllers to simulate the playing of rock music. An additional feature is the drum and microphone controllers allowing percussion and vocal possibilities as well as the original guitar, meaning that up to four would-be musicians can play at the same time. The idea is to hold down the correct fret buttons on the touch sensitive instruments or coloured drum head as the respective notes scroll across the screen … not an easy task, believe us.
Rave reviews have been received about the improved quality of the instrument controllers and a new customization feature whereby it’s possible to choose clothes, change facial and body structure and add tattoos and accessories to create your very own rock god.
The drum kit is pretty authentic too with three drum pads and two raised cymbals. A music studio means that you can compose digital music which you can later perform to a worldwide audience - if you’ve got the bottle - the Battle of the Bands game allows eight players to challenge each other to achieve global musical domination. On the other hand, if you’re feeling less brave, a set list of recordings from guitar greats like Van Halen, Linkin Park and the Eagles provides over 85 tracks for rocking the night away with downloadable singles and tracks.
Rock Band: The Beatles Release Date
Rock Band: The Beatles is the ultimate music game experience for any Beatles or music fan. Follow the career of the greatest band in the world from their days at the Cavern in Liverpool all the way to the roof top gig at the BBC and Abbey Road studio recordings. Play drums, lead guitar, bass guitar or sing three part harmony with up to three microphones and recreate performances with The Beatles music on stage and in the studio.
“All You Need Is Love” will be released exclusively as a downloadable song for Rock Band: The Beatles through Xbox LIVE on launch with all Apple Corps Ltd., MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefiting Médecins Sans Frontières. In addition, the entire Abbey Road album will be the first album made available as downloadable content.
Rock Band: The Beatles is released for XBox 360 on 9th September 2009.
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Super Mario Galaxy II Release Date
Released for Nintendo Wii is the follow up to Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy II. Mario is exploring space with 3D planets of varying sizes and landscapes. Power-ups such as the Bee Suit return, along with the Launch Star for interplanetary navigation, and the Airships operated by Bowser’s son Bowser Jr.
Mario rides the bipedal dinosaur Yoshi like he did in Super Mario Sunshine, and uses his tongue - the Star Pointer is replaced with a red dot which allows you to control and aim to not only grab across gaps but also eat different fruits that give him different powers - see him inflate like a balloon and float, or boost his speed.
Super Mario Galaxy II is released on 27th November 2009.
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Super Mario Bros Wii Release Date
The bonkers Super Mario Bros platform game is at last, with the help of developers Nintendo available as a simultaneous multiplayer New Super Mario Bros game via the Wii console. Players can navigate the side-scrolling worlds either alone or now with up to three others playing simultaneously on the same level at any point in the game for competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun.
Players can pick each other up to save them from danger, or they can throw them into it. There are new items such as the Propeller Suit which launches Mario up into the air with a shake of the Wii remote, and the new ability for Mario to transform into Penguin Mario.
New Super Mario Bros Wii is released on 27th November 2009.
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Bigs 2 Baseball Release Date
Developed by Blue Castle Games, The Bigs 2 Baseball is an upcoming sports vid game being published by 2K Sports for XBox 360, Playstation 2, 3, Wii and PSP.
The Bigs 2 Baseball celebrates the most epic moments in baseball and offers a refreshingly fun and dramatic experience.
“It’s the last stop. The final destination. The BIG SHOW. It’s where dreams born in backyards are finally realized. Where the fences are FARTHER. The grandstands are LARGER. And the spotlight is BRIGHTER. It’s where thieves run FASTER, pitchers throw HARDER and the sluggers go DEEPER. Where the bats are BIGGER, the spikes are SHARPER and the comebacks are harder to swallow. It’s where home runs are RUTHIAN and fastballs CATCH FIRE. It’s where a monster lurks in left. Where bombers terrorize the night. And where the confines aren’t always so friendly. It’s THE BIGS. And come July, everything about them is about to get BIGGER.”
The Bigs 2 Baseball release date is 17th July 2009.
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