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.
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.
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.