Wii Music has become one of those games I am just absolutely fascinated with, it seems utterly pointless but Nintendo are pushing it really hard and are telling everyone who will listen that the game is really good if you just give it a try? Honestly I think they know the game is rubbish and are just testing the waters …

I was totally amped when I found out that I had to review Fable 2. I loved the first game and could seriously not wait to get my grubby little paws on the new game. I had to literally force myself to stop playing the game and start writing the review… yes, it’s that good. This is one of those …

Being Africans ourselves means that our experience of FarCry 2 was always going to be different to those who have never had the chance to see Africa with their own two eyes.... Be it the sounds of familiar birds in the trees, the sunset over the veld or the banter of the Afrikaans mercenaries in the guard posts, you are going to be amazed at exactly how much detail has been added into this game to make it feel like a true African experience, the environment nearly steals the show entirely.... You will run into two major factions in the game and it will be up to you to play them against each other so that you can complete your objective.... If you get 'killed' in battle and your second best buddy is available, they will come and pull you out of the mess you have made and help you clear out the enemies in the area. Be warned though, any of your buddies get hurt and you are unable to heal them or choose to put them out of their misery then they can die, for good.... The type of shooter that's weapons feel so solid and the action so intense that it reminds of those good old days when gaming meant nothing but playing FPS games on your PC.... While I am not a fan of developers relying too much on their tech-wizardy to make a game feel fun, it is the exact reason why FarCry2 is a real treat to any shooter fan.... I realised that I didn't really mind that so many missions were similar, the sheer difference that the locations and environmental differences made meant that every single repetitive mission played out in a completely different way.... On the other hand, the first time you manage to silently take out an entire guard post without attracting any attention or alerting any other soldiers, you will feel a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. I say it again, FarCry2 is a shooter, put into a setting that allows you to play as much as you want and experiment with different ways to accomplish goals.... So if you are looking for a fun shooter that you can pick up and play for a long time to come, here it is.... While the multiplayer is quite a lot of fun and plays fairly similarly to the formula seen in the Call of Duty franchise, it does come across as quite obvious that the single player game was the main focus of the developers.... All of the elements in the map editor are taken straight from the disc, which means that they can be easily shared over Xbox Live and PSN because of their small file size because essentially all that other players will be doing will be downloading the configuration settings and placement info.... Say yes and you will have it in a minute or so and can jump straight in. At the end of the map, you can rate it if you want and then decide to keep it or dump it.... With smooth and stunning visuals, amazing sound and the fact that you will never ever leave the first person view, you really will feel like it is you standing under a tree in the African veld, stinking like something that died a few days prior.

I had no interest in picking up Saints Row 2 mainly because I had heard all the claims of it being a GTA clone and my interest in GTA dropped off entirely when the game lost my save game progress. I am sure I did something wrong but I am a seriously lazygamer and if I have to think about …

by Daniel de Bruyne Pokémon fans excite, the challenge to be the best Pokémon master is on, all over again! Nintendo and Game Freak have brought Pokemon to the DS in the form of a very well rounded package with a pocket full of new features and upgrades. Sticking however, to the core look and feel recipe of all previous releases, Pokémasters can look forward to over 100 new Pokémon and 25 older ones that you will fondly remember, sharper graphics, improved tunes, modified game play, a new yet familiar story line and a whole new world to explore. Find out more, after the jump. Working very nicely with the built in real time clock, "Sinnoh" is the name of the new region where the game begins, and players start out by choosing whether to play as a boy or girl during the journey to becoming champion. Pokémon veterans will immediately feel at home with the layout and graphics of the game, however refined, to be classic Pokémon with town scenes and interaction with locals remaining minimal and cute. In the wild, a nice improvement is that in previous games, it seemed almost impossible to take 3 steps without being assaulted by one or other Pokévermin lurking in the wild, and the "run away" feature didn't always work, leaving you with knocked out Pokémon before long, however in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, this is slightly less of an issue, and the option to "run away" is much more effective, leaving you to be on your merry way. Battles with Pokémon are laid out very much the same, however, the Pokémon and their attacks have been animated nicely and the touch pad controls keep things interesting. Unfortunately, minimal use is made of Nintendo Dual Screen technology, but it does not hamper the gamer in any way, but you might find yourself wondering if there is more you should be doing with your stylus. On the technical side, there are quite a few features that you can spend your time fiddling with, like the ability to import Pokémon from your previous Nintendo GBA game cartridges by inserting them into the GBA cartridge slot on the Nintendo DS. Online play is also available if pre-arranging with another Pokémon player (friend codes required), you can engage in online battles, trade and even voice chat with each other, however, in Wi-Fi mode no codes are necessary and you can do all of this so long as you are within Wi-Fi range. For Pokémon lovers, this game quenches every Pokémon need, and is definitely a "gottagetit", however, for gamers looking for something new and exciting, Pokémon Diamond or Pearl might not be the best choice, if you didn't enjoy or take interest in previous Pokémon releases, you probably won't find anything new in Pokémon Diamond or Pearl to make you splash your cash. Gameplay: 7/10 [Great "Collect 'em all" RPG, but minimal use of DS controls] Presentation: 6/10 [ Although we know that sticking to the Pokémon recipe is important, but we also know and expect that DS can do more, and hopefully we'll see it future releases] Sound: 6/10 [ A slight improvement, but more is possible] Value: 7/10 [ Great for the Pokémon fan or new player, very decent playtime, online & WiFi battle, trade and chat ability plus the ability to download Pokémon from previous games ] Overall: 6.5/1 0 [Addictive, easy and a good mobile "flip and play".

The game puts you into the helmet of Sergeant Matt Baker as he not only commands his squads through Operation Market Garden but also deals with some mental issues of his own.To be honest the game seems to be a semi rip-off of the Band of Brothers TV series.... The beginning of the story plays out in a way that reminds me heavily of some of the elements used in the "Lost" TV show and then pulls you back a few days, so that you have to play back up to that point.... One of the cutscenes went on for quite a while and by the time I would usually start itching to skip, I found myself sitting back and watching as if it was a TV show. I was pleasantly surprised to also find that the game was significantly longer than I had originally though and actually had me thinking the game was about to end on a number of occasions, only to have the plot thicken and the next mission begin. The entire campaign should take you around 10 hours to complete, depending on how you approach the missions but a second play through is definitely not out of the question considering that you can approach missions differently.... When it comes to the gameplay visuals however, you will find that there will be times when the game looks fantastic and then 10 minutes later you will be running around in a really bland area.... Basically, it is a camera that zooms in and slows the action down to show off the games realistic gore system, which often has grenades blowing limbs off of soldiers, if not tearing them completely in half. This concerned me when I first saw the videos but was pleasantly surprised to see that it only happens rarely, keeping it fun and allowing you to appreciate it, rather than abusing it to give the game an unnecessary action feel.... This does change the game significantly and be warned, if you are one of those hardcore players that likes to run in and jump like a bunny while simultaneously getting three headshots on three noobs, then this game is not for you.... By pulling your left trigger down you are able to tell the selected squad (such as the MG team) to set up in a certain spot and then by using the left trigger again and pointing at a group of enemies, you can order them to use suppressing fire so that you can get up to some flanking mischief.... All of this is done from your characters perspective and while you can also check the lay of the land in your menu, the fact that it relies on your own field of view means that it gets you very involved in the process and ultimately adds to the experience.... Everytime I ordered them to go upstairs, instead of doing the logical thing and walking up the stairs, they decided to do an entire lap of the building the other way, which just happened to be the side that all the Germans were firing from.... When playing with your friends, be sure to not throw grenades at them As far as controls are concerned, they took quite a bit getting used to and are fairly different to the control schemes found in most other shooters.... You can sit back on your coach while your squads are in cover and take some time to scan the battlefield, look for places to flank or a piece of cover to setup your MG42 and then when you are ready, rain hell down upon your enemies.... Gameplay: 8/10 [A great mix of action and strategy] Presentation: 8/10 [ It has it's ups and downs but still good looking overall] Sound: 7.5/10 [ Corrian, lay down suppressing fire!]

Lucasarts took a big risk when they decided that for Fracture, they were going to base the game around a technological advancement that allows the player to raise and lower the ground using a 'tectonics' gun.... After a whole bunch of natural disasters the entire nation has been separated between two factions, one that is all for cybernetics and the other which believes in genetic mutation and enhancements.... The game makes good use of it's terrain deforming technology, including a really cool remote detonated rocket that burrows underneath the ground and more importantly, cover, allowing you to blow enemies to kingdom come.... I can't put it any clearer than to say that I really just don't think that they thought this game through before making it.... When it comes to reviews, I usually play a game on medium as I don't want the game to be too easy or too difficult as it could affect my impressions on the game. This left me wondering 2 hours in why on earth I had nine bazillion enemies firing at me from every angle possible, leaving me with no choice but to jump around like a crazed hamster on nine different illegal drugs. I have a HUD-Ache I would try and take the enemies on but there was one little problem with that idea.... The HUD is so cluttered that you are left feeling like you are wearing a a pair of paintball goggles with a paint splat right in the middle of your vision. The developers then saw it fit to not actually have any mission information in the corner of the screen, nope, they wanted to put it more towards center.... The note that you can press a button to pick up the weapon pops up on the screen, but its not on the bottom of the screen, nope its in the center, somewhere between your crosshair and the edge.... All this wouldn't be too much of a problem because none of those really gets in the way of what you are actually aiming at, assuming that you find something to shoot at.... That's correct, it is actually apart of your crosshair, off to the right, making it even harder to see and to make matters worse, when you are being shot at red indicators come up around your crosshair to show the direction, making your view even worse.... The truth is this and you can hold it against me as a reviewer if you like but I think it makes enough of a statement as it is.... As a reviewer I prefer to finish games before I review them but for the life of me I couldn't bring myself to continue without risking having my controller becoming firmly planted in the center of my TV.... Some may find the game fun and interesting, I found it to be a frustrating and gimmicky experience with no inspiration and terrible design flaws.

I never actually got to play the original Viva Piñata and because of the praise that the original got I was very excited to get my hands on the game second time around. To tell you the truth, I didn’t really know what to expect. I mean, how can one really enjoy building a garden and trying to entice paper-mache …