MotionSports Kinect Game Review

With a less than impressive line-up for the launch of Microsoft's Kinect, a system which uses motion sensing technology, MotionSports Kinect is just one of many games which fails to impress. Ubisoft's MotionSports features six different sports that are broken down into various challenges. The big problem is MotionSports fails to deliver the accurate, engaging, and enjoyable experience that Kinect Sports provides.

In MotionSports your real body movements are mapped onto your on-screen character, using the Kinect technology. You'll compete in various challenges, set in a variety of sports such as football, skiing, soccer, boxing, hand gliding, and horseback riding. The list of sports contains some familiar well-known sports, but there are some strange additions here. Even stranger is how the challenges in each sport don't seem to represent the sport very well. For example, playing football (American) will consist of you running down a pitch avoiding tackles and throwing the odd pass, rather than actually playing a game of football.

Disney Epic Mickey Game Review

Mickey Mouse was once an icon loved by all, he was in countless animated films and shorts, even some great video games. His fall from grace has seen his reputation slowly taken away from him, he is no longer the household name which captured the hearts of everyone back in his early days. Mickey is more of a corporate symbol these days, rather than an actual character. He is on merchandise all over the world but he has been in fewer films and he has had a notable absence from the video game industry for quite a while now. It's a shame to see a once beloved character reduced to this, however, Disney Epic Mickey may just be his ticket back to the top.

In developing Disney Epic Mickey, Warren Spector and his newly-formed Junction Point team sought out to recapture the magical feeling Mickey used to portray. The game manages to show one thing above all else, Mickey is just as capable, if not more, at supporting a Pixar-like adventure which not only amazes us with it's spectacle and design but tugs at our heart with it's strong character development and remarkable love for Disney lore. While there is allot holding this game back from being a truly great game, the passion the developers clearly had while making this game is enough to provide us with an utterly brilliant story and some delightful nostalgic moments worth our money.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Game Review

The reason that Nintendo are able to compete with their rivals (Sony, Microsoft) is the fantastic catalogue of games based off their many successful franchises. Donkey Kong is the latest character from our childhood to make a "HD return". Donkey Kong Country Returns is an almost perfect remake of one of Nintendo's classics and with nothing to complain about, other than the brutal difficulty, fans will be ecstatic with this latest choice from the Nintendo archives to receive a High Definition remake.

The developers seem to have approached this game with old-school values, mixed in with new-school techniques to appeal to modern fans. It is a game made with love, you can really see the passion the developers had for this franchise and the final product is phenomenal, it joins New Super Mario Bros and Kirby's Epic Yarn as a modern day 2D classic.

Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom Game Review

The one memory you will likely take from Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom, is the abysmal voice work for the loveable monster protagonist. While the game it'self is rather fun and provides a fair deal of variety, the constant child like phrases that you have to listen to, become repetitive and annoying.

The games story is told through beautifully designed 2D cut-scenes, it begins with Majin who has failed to fulfil his duties as a protector. A hundred years ago, Darkness infected the kingdom's leaders and plagued the countryside., causing the death and destruction of almost everything and everyone. You play as a young thief in the present day who has the ability, much like Dr. Doolittle, to communicate with Animals. You meet Majin in a sad way, tied up and left to starve in a castle, the nameless thief rescues Majin and the pair team up to take on four Dark Generals and the King, with the hope of restoring the land to the way it was.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Game Review

The Assassin's Creed franchise has been extremely successful since the first game was released in 2007. Assassin's Creed II followed up on it's predecessors success, improving on everything we loved about the first game and replacing what we didn't enjoy. Now fans have a new experience to look forward to, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. This is a continuation of the story in the second game and while fans might be disappointed that they will have to wait a little longer for Assassin's Creed 3, Brotherhood delivers yet another fantastic experience with multiplayer to keep fans happy for now.

Brotherhood might have a harder time proving it's worth, it's not set in a different time period and continues the story from Assassin's Creed II. One of the thing's i love about AC games is exploring for the first time and getting to see these beautiful cities. So when i am playing in a setting i spent countless hours on not that long ago, it makes everything feel slightly less astonishing. In Brotherhood the action shifts it's direction towards the capital of Italy, Rome. Like previous titles there's also a modern-day component. The game is once again framed by the on-going battle between the Templars and Assassin's, and players are actually assuming the role of Desmond who lives in the present day and is able to experience the memories of his ancestor Ezio using a device called the Animus. The game switches between the two time periods with the bulk of the action taking place in past-time, renaissance Rome.

SingStar Dance Game Review

The SingStar franchise is well known throughout the Playstation community, with it's simple concept appealing to many of us around the world. You buy the game, along with a microphone and begin you're karaoke dream in you're very own living room. You can try to fill in pitch and timing bars with you're voice to earn points, but we all know the only reason to buy this game is to blast out you're favourite tunes along with a group of friends and feel like celebrity's for the night.

The SingStar franchise has always been about singing, however, now they have taken advantage of the Playstation Move's motion sensing technology and added dancing to the mix. Now the 30 songs also have dance routines and this certainly adds much more value to the content. As always the singing part of the game is fun and great entertainment in a party environment, the dancing however, is just a frustrating mess.

The Undergarden: Xbox Live Arcade Game Review

There is no doubting the fact that The Undergarden is an adorably beautiful game, it is cute, brightly coloured, and really satisfying to view. When you read the description of this game and realise it's all based around underwater gardening, you might make the mistake of brushing this game aside. This is a game made with the intention to please and relax whoever is playing. It's not hardcore, you can't kill people with a mini RC car or stab someone in the back, but you can appreciate the beauty this game has and find enjoyment in many other way's.

The Undergarden is unlike most games we see today, it focuses on creating rather than destroying. You play as some sort of underwater Monkey fairy with one goal, create a beautiful underwater garden of plant life. You navigate through dark caverns, brightening them up with the glow of you're vibrant plants. You can never die or fail in this game, however if you get stuck at any of the obstacles along the way, you can re=load you're last checkpoint.