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.
The Whispered World - fantasy and adventure game
The fantasy adventure game The Whispered World is to be released in the UK, Scandinavia, France, Spain and Italy on February 12th 2010 for use with Windows PC, XP or Vista.
The beautifully animated point-and-click game from Daedalic Entertainment follows the 12-year-old clown Sadwick, who is visited in his dreams by a strange, blue creature that despatches him on an adventurous journey from autumn forests to islands through the crumbling Whispered World. As the only person who can prevent the destruction of the world, Sadwick has to discover the meaning of a mysterious prophecy somewhere along the way.
Integral to the game is Sadwick’s companion Spot who helps to solve many puzzles and is able to shape shift on the user’s command and metamorphose into useful tools like a flaming torch or sheet of paper etc. Throughout the game, the player simply chooses to point at an object to look at it and decide whether to pick it up or keep it. With hand-painted backgrounds, fine details and atmospheric music, a fairy-tale atmosphere is created with melancholic overtones that create the setting for a truly epic story.
Animated by Macro Hüllen, the wide backgrounds sidescroll on different levels to create a sense of depth, even in 2D, and are reminiscent of games like Runaway and So Blonde. The storyline is also sophisticated with witty dialogue, so should appeal to adults and kids alike. Game reviewers have pointed out that The Whispered World has something missing from many others available on the market – an emotional connection. It’s a game that will move you, it will soothe and entrance you – it may even bring a tear to your eye and it’s available from February 12th 2010.
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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.
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.
PS3 Slim release dates
News of Sony’s new PS3 Slim was announced by Head of Sony Computer Entertainment at a three hour press conference on August 18th at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.
The updated console will be available from the week commencing 1st September, 2009. New specifications mean that it will contain 40GB extra storage and a modern, svelte design. It will be 32% smaller than the current unit and will have 34% less power consumption. According to pre-order listings, the PS3 Slim will include a Blu-ray player, HDMI output with 1080 support, a 120 GB hard disk, DualShock3 controller and a price that’s pitched lower than the old price of the 80GB PS3, and will be £249.99 in the UK.
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