Game reviews

Nov 5 2009 By nebusiness

It looks like the Christmas countdown has officially started, with some monster titles released in recent weeks to starting scribbling onto your list for Santa.

The incredible DJ Hero takes music gaming to another level on PS3, while Football Manager 2010 provides the most complete management experience yet on PC and Mac.

Forza Motorsport nudges its way to pole position on Xbox 360, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 continues the well-worn wrestling series on PS3 and Tekken 6 is another exemplary fighter on the 360.

GAME OF THE WEEK: MUSICAL GAMES HAVE A NEW HERO

Title: DJ Hero

Platform: PS3

Genre: Music

Price: £99.99

Having a crowd of thousands of people hanging on your every move behind the decks is a fantasy for most clubbers, who are more familiar with throwing shapes on the dancefloor than mastering the skills of scratching and cross-fading. Well, now the club comes to your living-room with this incredible advance in the Hero series, which puts you at the helm with a robust, innovative and effective decks controller. Coupled with a huge range of music styles to choose from, and more than 80 individual tracks, the game exudes class from every pore. You can see the love that's gone into fine-tuning every mix, with top-notch input from professional DJs. It's an absolute blast to play, easy to pick up and hard to master - the fact that within a few hours you feel like a DJ can only be testament to the quality of the gaming experience.

5/5

:: A TITLE-WINNING MANAGEMENT TRIUMPH

Title: Football Manager 2010

Platform: PC/Mac

Genre: Management

Price: £39.99

There aren't many games that can claim average playing time of 240 hours! But research showed that's how long Football Manager 2009 gamers played the title for, so the next instalment had to be thoroughly polished in every respect to ensure would-be football managers will commit to another bout of time-warp gaming. And it's great that this year's match report can focus on another stunning performance, with so much for fans of the series to look forward to. From a completely revamped navigation system to the introduction of an all-new Tactics Creator, the levels of depth you can go into are simply astounding. That said, the core operations of further-improved 3D match recreations, touchline 'shouts' and quick tactic changes, plus a fully customisable News Centre, shows that all feedback has been listened to and carefully considered when tweaking the game. It's the best-selling football management simulation in the world, and that situation seems unlikely to change this year.

5/5

:: A RIP-ROARING RACER ON 360

Title: Forza Motorsport 3

Platform: Xbox 360

Genre: Racing

Price: £49.99

The addition of Dirt 2 and Need For Speed: Shift to the already-crowded racing genre has certainly upped the competition ahead of the festive period, and it's fair to say that Forza Motorsport 3 certainly keeps pace, perhaps even nudging ahead at the finish line. Simply amazing graphics, a control system that just feels 'real' as soon as you settle into the driving seat, and a level of customisation that'll make you laugh out loud all make this a contender for not only king of racers but also game of the year. You'll be hard-pushed to find a game that eases novices in so well and then pushes experts to the absolute limits of their racing ability. With 400 vehicles available from the outset, an amazing multiplayer mode to discover beyond the lengthy single-player career offering, this is one motoring triumph you simply have to test drive.

5/5

:: DUST DOWN THE LYCRA, WRESTLING FANS!

Title: WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010

Platform: PS3

Genre: Wrestling

Price: £49.99

So, the runaway best-selling fighting video-game franchise is back with another dose of bright lights and baby oil. It's a champion advance on the previous bout, granting gamers access to not only the most detailed and accurately-recreated WWE stars, but also the wealth of amazing user-generated downloadable content. The latter in itself will drain hours of your life searching the crazy wrestler creations from around the world, but back in the ring, a much-improved grappling system takes the gameplay to the next level, although characters still suffer from a strange zombie-like walk. But that's a minor complaint, and your route to victory in the Royal Rumble or progress on the Road to Wrestlemania has all the thrills and spills you could ever ask for.

4/5

:: ANOTHER TOP-NOTCH TEKKEN EXPERIENCE

Title: Tekken 6

Platform: Xbox 360

Genre: Fighting

Price: £49.99

The 32 million sales in Tekken's 14-year franchise history speak for itself, but the bigger they come, the harder they fall, so the pressure is always on the boys at Namco Bandai to come up trumps. And it looks like there's plenty of life left in this 3D fighter yet, as Tekken 6 sees the return of many familiar faces, as well as new characters, to create the largest line-up the series has ever seen. Regular players won't need long to get back into the old routine, but the ludicrous level of customisation here will provide a whole new depth to the experience. And if you've never played Tekken before, come out from under that rock and get button mashing! So easy to pick up and play, once the intricate fighting strategies suck you in you'll struggle to find a better fighter on any system anywhere. Let the King of Iron Fist Tournament commence!

4/5

WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT

Microsoft has denied that it is developing future versions of its Xbox 360 with a Blu-ray drive, as already exists on the PS3.

However, while Xbox Live's director of programming Major Nelson rubbished those rumours in his official blog, he did confirm that the 360 would soon become the first console to offer instant 1080p streaming HD movies.

"With a library of thousands of TV shows and movies to choose from, Xbox 360 owners can instantly watch the movies they want, when they want, in the highest form of high definition," he said.

In the charts this week, new entries Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and Forza Motorsport took over the top two spots, sending FIFA 2010 tumbling down to three. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 was another new entry, slamming in at five, with Borderlands completing the bout of new kids on the block at seven.

GAMES CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE

1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

2. Forza Motorsport 3

3. FIFA 10

4. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games

5. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010

6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

7. Borderlands

8. Wii Sports Resort

9. Need For Speed: Shift

10. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd