Ghostbusters: The Video Game for Xbox 360
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!!! After 25 years, a video game has been released to celebrate the anniversary of one of the most popular films in history, retailing at £39.99.
It’s a measure of how good the film was that the game seems as fresh and funny as ever. Featuring the voices and likenesses of most of the original cast members; Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson, the new script was penned by the writers of the first screenplay, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis and with the same laconic humour, the banter between cast members will have you smiling … nay … guffawing, even as you reach for your proton pack.
Set two years after Ghostbusters ll, the storyline is original yet manages to replicate most of the iconic scenes from the movie including the New York library and players journey through cemeteries, museums and otherworldly dimensions re-encountering some of the film’s famous ghouls like Slimer, the terror dogs, Vigo and everyone’s favourite – the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. We’re also introduced to some pretty creepy new apparitions and phantoms and the game features great music, impressive sound effects and responsive control.
The aim is to save New York from being overrun by supernatural forces (again) and the player joins the Ghostbusters themselves as the rookie member of the team. Using the same gadgets from the movies, including proton packs, particle throwers, ghost locating PKE meter and that accessory no-one should be without – the Ecto-goggles – you can also chase down the ghosts in the Ecto-1 vehicle or weaken and trap them with your proton pack via four different modes . Weapons are upgradeable and the highly detailed environments are destructible so wreak as much carnage as you like but be aware that the cost of the damage is counted in dollars.
Assassin's Creed ll
Assassin’s Creed ll is Ubisoft’s follow up to the fastest selling new IP in video game history, Assassin’s Creed, and is available to buy at prices from £39.99.
The game uses the same gameplay style as its predecessor but now there are added features with a stronger emphasis on open-world exploration, greater interaction, nonlinear gameplay and more variety in missions. There’s also a new improved in-game economy. The protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Italian noble come assassin, is also more clearly delineated as a character. In fact he’s a bit of a lady’s man who possesses a certain panache and some endearingly human traits.
The location is new too, set against the beautiful backdrop of Renaissance Italy in the 15th century, the action follows an epic story of corruption, conspiracy and brutal murder as Ezio strives to exact revenge for the deaths of his family members.
As in Assassin’s Creed, the story revolves around the Animus, the machine that views the memories of the ancestors of Desmond Miles in 2012, who comes from a long line of assassins. The action features some challenging experiences as through Ezio, the player becomes a master assassin and learns how to brandish weapons, disarm enemies and use their weapons against them, helped or hindered on the way by real-life historic characters. These include Machiavelli, Pope Alexander Vl and Leonardo da Vinci, who acts as a kind of Q figure from James Bond, providing miraculous inventions such as flying machines to assist Ezio to use on his mission.
There’s a welcome return to free running with added swimming and flying. With a more deeply and finely tuned combat system players roam through Venice, Tuscany and Florence using a host of new weapons created by Leonardo including swords, poison blades, miniature firearms, cutlasses, maces, spears and daggers. There’s even a database that gives information on historical figures and landmarks. It’s a game that combines an absorbing storyline with superb graphics and thrilling action and it’s waiting to be played by you.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
With very adult content, the brand new Grand Theft Auto has two games in one box – The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned, neither of which requires the original Grand Theft Auto to play.
Set in the depraved Liberty City, a world of money, beautiful women, luxury cars, bikes and boats, the Ballad of Gay Tony features the story of the assistant to the nightclub owner Tony Prince, who becomes involved in an orgy of guns, violence and crime as he struggles to ascertain who he can trust in a fake world. With a good story line and voice acting and new activities such as Drug Wars, Club Management, Dancing and Drinking Games, the action is even more fast-paced than before with the chance to pilot military helicopters, parachute onto skyscrapers and moving trucks and take part in realistic fight scenes.
The Lost and the Damned takes a new angle on the storyline begun in GTA lV and players will recognise some characters and events. Johnny, a former member of the notorious biker gang, The Lost, has built bridges and organised truces with other local gangs. When his brother, Billy, the out-of-control president, returns from rehab in a violent mood, Johnny attempts to create order out of chaos. Players won’t be disappointed by the action, power graphics, lighting, new vehicles and arsenal of heavy weaponry. The game can be played as a single player with the addition of new activities like Gang Wars and Bike Races or as a multiplayer.
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.
The Saboteur is set in 1940s Paris
Pandemic Studios invites you to enter the covert world of the saboteur in a stylised 1940s Paris as you attempt to overturn the Nazi occupation and track down your mortal enemies in this revolutionary new game released on 4th December.
You will play in the character of Sean Devlin, a tough, Irish racing mechanic based on the real-life war hero William Grover-Williams seeking personal revenge after his friends have been killed, one by one, by the Nazis. With a bit of help from the French Resistance, British Intelligence and a full arsenal of weaponry, you’ll use your wits to track down high ranking German officers and officials, blowing up zeppelins, derailing trains and exploding bridges on the way.
Features of the game include The Vertical World which takes you up on to the rooftops of Paris; the perfect place to initiate surprise attacks, plus gameplay systems called Climbing, Sneaking and Stealth Kills to help you infiltrate the Nazis.
Will to Fight combines visual style with gameplay as the environment of Paris changes around you according to the success of your missions. In order to make the district brightly coloured and “happy” you must weaken German forces occupying the area. In doing so, the district’s citizens will also regain hope and assist you in your fight. Areas with low WtF will be dark with the exception of brightly coloured German flags.
You’ll be fighting your way from the top of the Eiffel Tower to the banks of the Seine, taking in the whole panoply of the city. With a RRP of £49.99 The Saboteur is not only a great game, it’s a great way to see Paris.
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.
Mass Effect 2 is being released on 26th & 29th January
The heroic Commander Shepard is back for the second installment of the epic trilogy Mass Effect and will be on the shelves on 26th January 2010 in North America and 29th January in Europe.
Leading games developer BioWare has also announced pre-order incentives to be released at key retailers in North America and across Europe with codes for downloading being provided on the release of the game. Described as “awesome bonus content” by co-founder of BioWare, Dr Ray Muzyka, these incentives include special in-game armour and weaponry to boost skills and abilities.
Having fought off the threat of the invading Reapers in Mass Effect 1, Commander Shepard now faces an even more terrifying enemy that lurks on the edges of the known universe and is responsible for the disappearance of entire human colonies.
Assuming his role, you have to assemble the crew of elite operatives and command the most powerful ship ever built. Then you have to train and equip the team to survive and choose from a powerful arsenal of heavy weaponry that can end a battle in seconds. The team members are potentially dangerous and a new recruit who has a tattoo for every person she has killed, there could also be a threat from within the team, or maybe not…
With intense shooter action and cinematic effect, you’ll be transported to a vast universe filled with alien life and mysterious planets as you embark on what is described as a “suicide mission” to save humanity. Have you got what it takes to prove them wrong?
Where to get it >>
PES 2010 release dates
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has provided a tantalising foretaste of the amazing graphics to be featured in the up and coming PES 2010 title due for release on October 23rd on PS3, Xbox 360, mobile phone and PC.
A series of incredibly realistic images of members of several national football teams has to be seen to be believed with lifelike representations of the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Steven Gerrard portrayed in all their glory – even down to blemishes, hairs on arms and weave of kit.
Gameplay will be all about real football simulation with more versatile goalkeepers and intuitive zonal defending with players constantly needing to look out for new ways to attack. The referees have also been revamped. Crowd reaction will be more realistic too with rumours that the Tokyo-based development team has tried to differentiate between crowds at home and away fixtures. Gamers can also now move several players at once and the individual talents of each player will be reflected in the way they play and will affect the way in which the other players react.
Taking the world of virtual football to another level, the development team has added a further degree of realism in the new lighting system where real-time shadows and weather conditions influence the game – in fact – all the realities of a UK football match replicated in grim detail – never mind, it could be worse – you could actually be there!
Where to get it >>
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.
Where to get it >>