There’s no escaping the fact that the full potential of Sony’s PS Eye camera has yet to be realised. While the Playstation 2 saw a fair number of titles, few managed to raise themselves above gimmick-status; pickings on the Playstation 3 have been equally slim, with a smattering of titles supporting in-game video, and a handful of fairly rudimentary games downloadable from the Playstation Network. In fact, it’s probably fair to assert that the vast majority of PS Eye’s have sat redundant for quite some time. So it’s with an air of hope and expectation that we arrive at EyePet – could this be the title that finally brings true augmented reality into our living rooms? The short answer is ‘yes’; SCEE London Studio’s EyePet genuinely marks a step forward for the Playstation Eye – at the very least from a technological stand point – and hints at promising things to come when the (still officially un-named) Playstation wand project leaves Sony’s labs.

For the uninitiated, EyePet is best described as a next-generation Nintendogs. As with Nintendo’s puppy simulator, you are given the simple task of caring for and playing with a pet, but in this instance inputs are based on the video-feed from your camera and the SIXAXIS rather than a stylus. Following a clear and concise introduction by a chirpy and likeable scientist who walks you through the basics of setting up your living room and camera, the pet is your responsibility. At this point, I should emphasise that EyePet is (unsurprisingly!) not a game for the hardcore and is squarely aimed at the younger gaming market. That being said I can foresee many a parent getting on the floor with their siblings and playing along.

For the majority of the time, gameplay is restricted to your living room, with the EyePet only breaking from the borders of your television in brief forays into the sky. Despite this small playing field, SCEE London Studio flexes a generally impressive degree of imagination in supplying a broad range of ways to interact with your virtual charge. Things start simply enough – with the pet confined to an egg, you play some basic sequence-memorising games, tickle and rock the egg and eventually coax the little fella out into the harsh light of day. From this point onward, the game is broken down into ‘days’ which are gradually unlocked as you complete challanges (it seems strange that the PS3’s in-built calendar is not utilised). As you progress, more options are unlocked, ranging from simple gardening games (complete with interactive watering can) to a treadmill to a simple bowling game. Most interesting are the drawing games, in which the pet will copy your designs and turn them in to fully controllable cars, planes, robots and puppets.

It’s not all fun and games however, with your pet requiring a degree of care. Fail to feed, wash, conduct regular health checks and style your pet results in one unhappy puppy-kitten-monkey-creature thing! The latter offers a generous degree of customisation, from changing the length, colour and style of the pet’s fur, to dressing him in silly hats and bomber jackets; awards for completing challenges are also frequent and generous in quantity.

Although requiring a certain suspension of disbelief, interacting with the game works naturally enough, with the pet reacting believably to tickles, strokes and more energetic slaps; it will also follow your hand, leaping and pouncing as a cat would with a ball of wool. The game’s repertoire is expanded with the inclusion of a ‘magic card’, which sounds reasonably exciting, but in reality is nothing more than a rectangular piece of plastic with a white square printed on it. When held up to the camera, EyePet will track the square and overlay various 3D objects on the screen so as to match the cards movements. This for the most part works astoundingly well, with the camera picking nearly every movement of the card and the illusion that digital objects have a real world presence can be genuinely startling.

In all honesty, the camera technology performs admirably throughout; even when things go wrong (and go wrong they do!) it often adds to the charm; we are after all, supposed to be interacting with an animal, not a precision piece of industrial equipment. For example, occasions when your pet misreads your sketches and produces a series of colourful blobs rather than your painstakingly designed car, come across as endearing rather than frustrating – and getting to then drive the misshapen blob-car can’t help but raise a smile. Obviously these foibles need to be ironed out if the PS Eye is to have a future beyond virtual pets and shallow curios, but for EyePet’s purposes, it more than does the job. The pet itself is also wonderfully realised, genuinely bordering on Pixar-quality levels of animation; The emotions that flash across its face – from surprise, to sadness, to anger, to laughter – are convincing, charismatic and easy to read.

Sadly, there’s a chance that EyePet may be overlooked, branded a tech demo, a gimmick, and nothing more than a showcase for the Playsation Eye before being shoved to the back of the cupboard or put to sleep by your local Eye Vet. I think that this would be a great shame; minor technical quibbles aside, it’s all at once charming, engaging, innovative, interesting and humorous and perfectly pitched at its target audience (namely kids and adults with kids!), not to mention reasonably priced. If you are a child of a certain age, it may also prove to be one of the most enthralling and magical experiences you will have on the current crop of consoles – the two-year old I tested it on was both fascinated and suitably entertained by the pet’s antics. For the more cynical, cold hearted adults among you, let me leave you with this thought: Dog owners have kept themselves and their pets entertained for millennia with games of ‘Fetch’! – EyePet on the other hand can, with practice and tuition, sing the tune of Nirvana’s Smell’s Like Teen Spirit! Beat that, Fido!

Individual Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”
Price: £.99 UK (60 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per each individual track

The “Complete The Album Pack” features:

* Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”
* The entire Abbey Road B-side 16 minute medley that includes: “You Never Give Me Your Money,” “Sun King,” “Mean Mr. Mustard,” “Polythene Pam,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End”
* Additionally, the following songs from Abbey Road can also be played as 1-to-3-song sets, based on how they were recorded / composed:
o “You Never Give Me Your Money”
o “Sun King”/ “Mean Mr. Mustard”
o “Polythene Pam”/ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
o “Golden Slumbers”/ “Carry That Weight”/ “The End”*
o “Her Majesty”

Price: $16.99 USD, £10.46 UK, €11.37 EU (1360 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Complete The Album Pack”

Sgt. Pepper and Rubber Soul are due for release later this year.

Any hope that iNiS’ grasp of eccentricity would carry over into the mainstream world of karaoke gaming was dashed when Lips eventually emerged last year; nevertheless it was a well-designed, exceptionally slick affair. The only surprise was how traditional their take on karaoke actually was (a bouncing ball for the lyrics the most pointed – and cute – addition). iNiS’ involvement was also reassuring because it showed that Microsoft had an awareness of the history of music gaming, as well as a desire to release a karaoke game of real distinction. Did we mention that the wireless microphones had pretty lights?

Although Lips has been amply supported with regular DLC since launch, Number One Hits is the first full standalone expansion. As the name implies, it collects together 40 tracks that once topped the charts somewhere in the world. The selection rests heavily on eclecticism, veering from hip-hop to pop, from permanently annoying singer-songwriter types to the avant-garde (thanks to Aqua’s Barbie Girl and DJ Otzi’s Hey Baby). This wide spectrum of music is almost to the detriment of the game. As opposed to an entire disc based around one genre (which has consistency and a clear audience), there is the possibility that, by spreading itself too thinly, Number One Hits won’t be enough to engage any group for any significant length of time. This is of course all subjective; my experience of playing in a party of 4 was always fun, but it’s a point worth raising all the same.

The interface and controls are largely identical to the original game, bar a few minor tweaks. The biggest of these is Avatar support, with prizes unlocked for high scores (neatly represented by planets which grow in size as more points are accumulated). Integration with LIVE leaderboards also has a welcome emphasis on competition; your global ranking is announced at the end of every song, whilst a particularly strong performance – something I, er, never achieved myself – will see your ranking rise in real-time as you progress through the song.

The actual mechanics of singing are also very well implemented. Personally speaking I can’t see the appeal of karaoke (this might be because I can’t sing), but Lips – like Rock Band – bridges this gap neatly with features that will be more recognisable to gamers, and that make the whole nature of karaoke that bit more comfortable and fun. Of these the innate nature of points collecting and climbing the leaderboards has already been mentioned, but the subtle visual feedback also deserves credit. Successfully hitting a note, a combination of timing and pitch, will fill the corresponding chart bubble; meanwhile a pitch wave tracks your singing, showing you how high or low your voice needs to go. It’s a combination of guidance and encouragement that could, in principle and over time, improve your singing ability. One note of caution is that although all your Lips content – provided that you have a save file from last year’s Lips – is displayed and picked up by the Number One Hits disc, to play any songs from the first game you will need to swap discs, something which could quickly get annoying.

Altogether more successful than other recent Xbox 360 forays into the lifestyle gamer territory (You’re In The Movies anyone?), Lips excels because it feels like there is a clear vision underpinning the franchise, one that has gone from the first idea to the final design with a cohesion lacking in the actual tracklisting. Anyone hoping for the Ouendan to burst in and take over the experience would be a tad disappointed, but on this evidence Lips has an assured future, albeit one without many surprises.

The game offers the usual list of modes featured in previous iterations. Build City stands in as the campaign mode where you develop towers of different height and colour on four separate boards. Certain types of towers can only be built if you’ve placed the others on the board with consideration; green towers can only be placed between red and blue for example. This adds a strategic element that helps to break up the hypnosis of the endless block stacking. It’s also a nice touch that you unlock upgrades as you progress, allowing you to increase the population and raise your high score respectively. Quick Game is essentially survival mode where you layer as many blocks as you can until you get bored or mess up. Time Attack has you working up a sweat against the clock, desperately stacking in a feverish attempt to reach the next time increase ring. These modes are contrasting in that the first is very easy going and the other offers up much more of a challenge, where keeping a cool head is paramount.

Tower Bloxx Deluxe also features a local split-screen multiplayer mode. Co-op is available where you and a friend try to build a tower as high as possible with one dropping blocks and the other straightening them up. Unfortunately this feels shoehorned in as there’s just no reason for the tower to be straightened in the first place. For a game such as this, any extra modes are welcome but co-op becomes obsolete when the superior Battle allows you and three friends to take each other on using a variety of offensive power-ups. In a questionable and possibly damaging move, Digital Chocolate has omitted any form of online component barring a friends list leaderboard. You can only play against a friend in the room, cutting the potential lifespan of the game considerably.

Having received a graphical overhaul, the game is bathed in bright colours and a sedate atmosphere all to an unobtrusive soundtrack. With such charm it can be tempting to refrain from being too critical, despite the flaws clear from a lengthy playthrough. You may find it engaging for a while as you try to top your own score but repetition sets in early due to a lack of variety in the constant swaying and stacking.

At 800 MS points Tower Bloxx Deluxe just doesn’t have the legs to come recommended, particularly now Live Arcade hosts such a wealth of content in the form of standalone games, map packs and add-ons. Should you look thoroughly there’s also a free online Flash version offering the same formula, albeit lacking the colourful bells and whistles presented here. Sweet and unoffending, the game is not without its selling points and proves enjoyable for an hour or so. Unfortunately tedium occurs sooner than it should as a lack of diversity and online play cut your attention short.

Although not produced by the same developers as its forbears (touchy subject, as Bohemia has denied any connection to the title) hardcore gamers will be pleased to hear Dragon Rising still packs the same unforgivable gameplay that enticed PC gamers years ago. Of course these days, even the lucrative Rainbow Six series has taken a backseat in the military gaming stakes to the all-conquering behemoth that is the Call of Duty franchise. Returning to the high-stakes, meticulous design of squad based shooters in a diminished market can be a shock to the system, and Dragon Rising has no qualms in punishing you time and time again.

Set on the fictional island of Skira (based on the actual Alaskan island of Kiska), Flashpoint begins with an eye-catching, The Kingdom-inspired opening cinematic detailing the fictional history and future of an armed conflict between China and Russia over the island’s oil and gas reserves, in which you assist the Ruskies as part of the U.S Marines. Skira itself is a huge playground, with players free to traverse the landscape at their will, with a wide variety of vehicles and weapons to make you feel at home, complete with reassuringly realistic handling and ballistics.

What is most impressive from an initial play-through of Flashpoint is that for once, the gamer is simply a cog in the military machine, rather than cast as a gung-ho hero. Admirable restraint is shown in the scenarios and events that transpire whilst the player is in most cases given free rein to complete objectives in an order of their choosing, rather led through endless respawning enemies down a straight path. Whilst this means missions (eleven in all) may lack the high intensity of more linear experiences, this is made up for in the sheer tension that develops through your actions, be it crossing enemies lines too quickly, hearing bullets whiz past you as you scamper for cover or meticulously planning and ensuring the survival of your squad members.

During missions, everything from your squad members behaviour, tactics and formation can be commanded, which ensures that levels can be approached from a variety of different angles. At first glance, the complexity of the command system and initial lack of signposting for mission objectives is an intimidating prospect, though it steadily becomes second nature. Unfortunately however, the command feature can expose dubious A.I, with squad members sometimes unable to scale small rocks and fences, particularly at the most crucial of times. For a series in which you die as often as Flashpoint, it’s even more infuriating when it genuinely isn’t your fault.

On the plus side Flashpoint boasts superb sound design and lighting. Even if the title comes up short graphically (don’t ever look at your squad-mates’ faces up close, it’s quite painful), there is a certain joy to be found stomping wounded up a hill with the sun peeking over the Alaskan horizon. Visual effects, be it smoke, dust or calling in an air strike are all uniformly excellent.

Once you’re ready to embarrass yourself in the real world, you have to option to now get killed over and over with friends and strangers in a 4-player co-op mode. Here the AI issues from single player become non-existent and when paired with a skilled team (not often), the realism and sense immersion of Flashpoint are really upped a notch as you start to get a genuine sense of how the game should be played and tactics built. The same cannot be said for the pure multiplayer modes Annihilation (essentially team death match) and Infiltration (similar to capture the flag) which are somewhat limited in scope and would’ve been boosted by the presence of much larger squads.

Ultimately then, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a challenge. It will challenge your perceptions of today’s shooters, challenge your ingrained behaviour but also challenge your patience. Codemasters should be commended for their ultra-realistic approach to modern warfare, which is a much needed break from the theatrical shenanigans gamers are growing accustomed to. Yet despite these best intentions, the developers haven’t seized the opportunity to open up this niche to newcomers which is a shame. However, it is by no means a wasted effort – there is plenty of gameplay to be unearthed if you’re ready to soldier on.

Sometimes, however, a game doesn’t need to be as brash nor as bold as the aforementioned in order to win over the populace. For an emerging IP perhaps, given the saturation of choice on offer, it becomes all the more necessary to take risks. The Forza Motorsport franchise no longer finds itself in this quandary but it has an interesting problem in that it was stuck in a bit of a ‘no-mans land’ in respect that, whilst it was a great racer, the previous iteration wasn’t the game it could have been. We recall a very similar situation in the last generation of consoles, where Gran Turismo 3 exploded onto the fledging Playstation 2 with aplomb, a shockwave that Forza 2 couldn’t quite match upon its arrival on Microsoft’s new console.

With the advantage of hindsight it’s easy to observe that this wasn’t Turn 10’s fault per se given the limited development time on new hardware, and the game was an admirable achievement in its own right. With the next Gran Turismo instalment floundering in the seas of its own self-induced hype, gasping for air, there could not be a better time for the Forza brand to steal a march in the race to be the definitive racing game this generation. Whilst we cannot yet predict the final quality of Polyphony Digital’s magnum opus, it’s clear that giving a game of Forza 3’s quality such a head start almost reduces the head-to-head to a non-event, as Turn 10’s latest has set a new standard in simulation racing.

Almost everything you do in Forza Motorsport 3, from racing the many cars to navigating the many menus, is akin to what walking around a car showroom made entirely out of glass would be like. The air would be a gentle cool degree or two under room temperature, with every surface having a reflective sheen, and every sales rep having a voice for radio and a face for television. In short, Turn 10’s latest is irresistibly sharp in terms of its overall aesthetic – from the soothing voiceover gently guiding you through proceedings to the dazzlingly crisp white colour palette. The in-game visuals share a similar trait, with sharp textures and rich colours whilst lacking a more organic feel seen in titles such as Need for Speed Shift or Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. This is particularly apparent when utilising the in-car view, but we have to admire the efforts Turn 10 have made in including such a feature, particularly when there are so many vehicles on offer. Each car is superbly represented with an incredible attention to detail as graphical fidelity has seen a boost, particularly noticeable in tracks returning from the previous game such as New York circuit or Alpine Raceway.

We tended to notice the new licks of paint on the returning vehicles and circuits the most, but that’s probably because we saw far too much of them than what was probably acceptable for such a sequel. Tearing around the Nordschleife in a high-performance car with all of the assists turned off will never get old, but having to endure 8 lap races around stalwarts like Suzuka and Silverstone – again and again – does, and a lot quicker than one would hope and expect. The unfortunate thing here is that Turn 10 have really tried to add some spice to the main single player mode with season play, whereby players can initially choose from 3 events based on their personal preference at the time before doing battle in a world championship.

Its success is relative to the player’s dislike of conventional career progression structures seen in the past, but ultimately it fails in offering a substantial level of variety in terms of tracks on offer, which is bizarre when you consider how many are available. In our opinion the remedy is simple – just tone down the sheer dizzying number of events, or at the very least shave a couple of laps off each race. In fact, racing fanatics may enjoy these long, drawn out tests of skill on familiar roads, but those of you expecting a significant departure from Forza 2’s sultry curves will be left disappointed. Variety in terms of vehicular challenges fare a little better, but spinning 180 degrees from the high performance R3 racing cars decimating Circuit de Cataluña to being back behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta pootling around the winding roads of Amalfi can jar.

With these criticisms in mind, however, it’s also important to note that Forza 3 is so effortlessly malleable – you can have the option of choosing events (but still unable to view tracks within each one) from an enormous grid free from constraints of the racing calendar, whilst opting to turn the braking and steering assists off amongst a plethora of other tweaks and adjustments to suit your needs and preferences. It’s at this point where we can’t help but again see Forza 3 as a metaphorical car showroom, but with so many extra features such as the return of the auction house as well as the extensive decal editor we can’t help but see it as more of an automotive complex, a true autophile’s nirvana. The new Storefront, which is essentially a player’s base of operations in the online space, is a superb function which holds all of your tuning data, auction dealings as well as saved photos and videos. For a game so focused on providing for a strong online community, it’s a fantastic feature.

Forza 3 is, without doubt, a great game. It’s the perfect sequel in that it builds upon the already generous foundations laid down by the previous title. It’s not aiming to revolutionise the genre – a tall order if there ever was one – but to provide the optimum experience for all racing fans the world over. In many respects it succeeds, but we can’t help but feel that it could have exceeded expectations more than what it has done. Perhaps it’s that this corner of the genre is finally starting to show visible marks of the ties that inevitably have to bind it, but Forza 3 is cool and calculated whilst feeling cold and bland all at the same time. There is a wealth of content growling under the proverbial hood, but the game comes perilously close to lacking any real enthusiasm to show us exactly what it is that makes it so special. What is it that makes Silverstone so popular, anyway? Polyphony Digital, it’s over to you.

And…it really is a game of two halves (alright, I’ll stop it). See, on one front FIFA 10 is the greatest football game ever released, leaps ahead of its previous iterations and moons away from its nearest rival. But despite the glowing praise it undoubtedly deserves for its gameplay, it would be irresponsible to ignore the appalling amount of bugs and glitches contained in one of the year’s most highly anticipated releases that’s left a sour taste in the mouths of many.

We’ll start with the positives; the introduction of 360 degree movement is a Godsend for anyone who ploughed as many hours as this reviewer did into the ridged and often limited FIFA 09. The great feeling of freedom extends from simple passes to elaborate tricks and shots that look and feel every bit like they’re supposed to. In fact, the general movement and animation of players is fantastic. It’s a joy to ping complex passing moves together with relative ease, the vastly improved response times allowing you to jink past men and zip long balls from one flank to the other as you imitate the beautiful flair of Barcelona. It feels organic, natural even.

Another new addition is the ‘Skilled Dribble’ that allows closer control with certain players – squeeze both triggers and you can watch Lionel Messi glide through static defences like the cosmic wonder-kid he is, leaving lumbering centre-halves tangled up in knots as you race down on goal before bridging the ball around the helpless onrushing keeper and tap it into an empty net. Shooting has also been tweaked to allow greater variety and adds spice to proceedings. It works a treat and you’ll immediately notice the new-found ferocity efforts on goal are struck with.

Much has been made of the physicality in FIFA, with last year’s introduction of a collision system undergoing some much needed tinkering. It’s still hit and miss though, with a list of problems that can quickly become frustrating. Jostling for the ball on a run is excellent, the shoulder charges back and forth and general tussling for possession adds a new layer of immersion and excitement to proceedings, removing the issue of fast players like Ronaldo and Torres simply skating past defenders with relative ease. However, there are occasions where it stinks. The referee seems happy for the opposition to ‘hockey charge’ you from behind in a move that leaves you in a crumpled heap on the turf while the slightest of nudges or trips can see your own player booked. There’s also the hilarious (read: highly ridiculous) spectacle of professional footballers bouncing around like they’re made of rubber or failing to react to things as you’d expect.

Graphically, the game looks great with stadiums and conditions that are prettier than ever. New direction on rain-soaked pitches and snowy venues means that weather genuinely plays a part in how the match plays out. Little animations like players pulling up their socks
and an onscreen referee that books players in real-time, along with an added option of a quick free-kick are all subtle touches that amount to a more life-like take on the sport than ever before.

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Brutal Legend does a great job of getting you on side from the moment you first load it up; Jack Black (the voice of the game’s hero, Eddie Riggs) takes you into a dusty music store to locate a record – called Brutal Legend – that he proclaims, is so powerful “it’s not going to just blow your mind… It’s going to blow your soul”. A lofty claim though this may be, you’ve got to admire the gusto with which it’s delivered; and for a game to want to blow your soul (rather than just your eyeballs or eardrums!) demonstrates a degree of ambition that can only be applauded.

And ambition is something that Brutal Legend has in spades. After an on-stage mishap at a Kabbage Boy (think Limp Bizkit meets Marilyn Manson) gig, our hero, roadie Eddie Riggs, finds himself transported to a heavy metal utopia created by (so we are told) Ormagöden, The Fire Beast, Cremator of the Sky, and Destroyer of the Ancient World. A cultural alien in his own reality, Ormagöden’s kingdom of fire, brimstone and heavy riffing is home from home for the hapless roadie, and he soon finds himself leader of a head-banging resistance in fight against the forces of Doviculus, Emperor of the Tainted Coil.

While the opening section (as featured in the recent demo) hint at a fairly traditional hack ‘n’ slash experience with a smattering of driving, the game that follows proves to be a far more eclectic affair. In fact, it’s hard to classify, with a dizzying number of tried and tested genres being thrown at you (often in quick succession, often at the same time). It could be described as a real-time strategy-racer-sandbox-rhythm-action-beat ‘em up, though EA have wisely decided to avoided attaching such an awkward moniker to the title. Double Fine attempt to tie these disparate elements together with a focused, enthusiastic and often intoxicating commitment to all thing Rock (with a capital ‘R’), with every aspect of the game seemingly drawn from decades of heavy metal folk-lore.

On the whole, Brutal Legend does succeed in blending genres by wrapping them up in a strongly conceived aesthetic and thematic package. Visually, the game is sumptuously rendered, effortlessly transporting you to the world hinted at by countless heavy metal album covers, all backed up by an expertly crafted and frequently hilarious script. The synergy between Eddie Riggs and Jack Black works wonderfully well, and the tight animation, full of character, adds to the charm. Guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Motorhead’s Lemmy feel unforced and natural, and lend further rock ‘n’ roll credentials to the experience. The game’s many environments – all lightning bolts, rock-hewn skulls, broad-swords and amplifiers -also drip with charisma. That Double Fine had a blast crafting them is unquestionable; that they’re hugely pleasing to the eye as a result is also beyond doubt.

Structurally Brutal Legend shares a lot in common with Psychonauts and Ubisoft’s Beyond Good and Evil, with much of the action taking place in a huge central hub-world (allegedly 64km squared in size) which is spotted with a plethora of side-quests and gateways to the main narrative missions. In true sand-box tradition, quests can be tackled at your leisure, and there is much fun to be had in simply cruising the heavy metal wastelands in Eddie’s undeniably cool (and wonderfully named) hotrod – “The Deuce”, a.k.a. “The Druid Plow”.

It’s somewhat of a shame then that the missions themselves aren’t as breezily enjoyable as the rest of the game, with many elements treading dangerously close to be merely competent. For example, while controlling Riggs directly in combat is satisfyingly meaty, racing sections fall some way short of providing the types of thrills delivered by the likes of Burnout Paradise. While the ambition of Double Fine’s production obviously did not afford them the time or resources to polish each element to the same degree as more single-minded productions, the simple fact remains that, though consistently entertaining, many elements of Brutal Legend leave you wanting. Some cruel restarts should you fail to complete your goals also frustrate, and in a somewhat ironic twist of gaming conventions, you in fact often find yourself longing for the next cutscene, with the tasks in between often feeling like a means to that particular end rather than a satisfying experience in themselves.

Brutal Legend is at its most quirky (and arguably most original) in the frequent forays into real-time strategy. These ’stage battles’ (as they are known) play like a mixture of Dynasty Warriors and RTS standard-bearers such as Command and Conquer. Rather than simply commanding your troops with a click on the mouse (or should that be joypad) you must dart around the battlefield as Riggs, issuing orders requesting the construction of new units and assisting with the fighting all while attempting to win more ‘fans’ (which serve as the fuel for your war-machine), with ultimate victory being achieving by destroying your opponents stage. On paper, this concept coupled with the heavy metal theme sounds like an absolute riot, however in practice it can be a confusing and ultimately muddled affair. Even with the ability to fly over the map, keeping track of your units can be difficult, and the use of riffing (with Guitar Hero-esque inputs, something that is used throughout the game) to call for support, while a fun concept, quickly becomes an irritation. Simply put, Eddie Riggs is no replacement for the accuracy and effortlessness offered by more standard RTS controls. The ’stage battles’ are also the foundation of Brutal Legend’s online modes, but if this aspect of the single player fails to connect with you, there’s little incentive to take your axe online.

Ultimately, Brutal Legend manages to paper over the cracks of its various shortfalls through sheer force of will, with the highlights proving engaging enough to keep you playing. For example, rolling across the heavy metal planes in The Deuce with Judas Priest blaring from your speakers is very nearly worth the price of admission alone, as is the wonderfully crafted script. It also offers enough variety and quirky ideas to hold your attention, with the fast turn-over never giving you a lot of time to dwell on the negative aspects of one mode of play before you’re ushered into another. Brutal Legend has clearly been a labour of love for Double Fine Productions, and this is reflected in the degree of ambition demonstrated on nearly every level. Unfortunately, like the LOVE and HATE tattoos emblazoned on the knuckles of many a Hell’s Angel, with one you must have the other, and Brutal Legend is no exception. But hey, let’s be honest – if you turn it up loud enough you’ll no doubt be rocking too hard to care.

Case in point: on my first ever spawn in MAG I was run over by a fellow teammate. Fair enough, I thought, these things happen. Ten seconds later I popped back to life and was promptly splattered a second time. And then a third.

The prospect of two-hundred and fifty-six rabid lunatics battling away on one map is nothing short of petrifying. MAG bravely attempts to make its open, objective-orientated gameplay tangible by the addition of a visible, discernable leadership system. At the top lies the Office In Charge, and beneath him the infrastructure billows out to include squad and platoon leaders: the logistics of the massive number are diluted by dividing any given team up into smaller, manageable squads of eight working in platoons of four squads.

Players with leadership roles can use the in-game mini-map to paint objectives, most commonly repairing certain areas or attacking others, to sharpen the team’s war efforts into decisive and co-ordinated movements. Leadership roles only come with high ranks, and all positive actions get rewarded with experience points. The team at Zipper believe this to be incentive enough to get everyone working together as a team.

But one of the game’s bigger problems is that experience is doled out in great chunks for killing the opposing team. As logical as that is, it’s also common for incapable leaders to rise up without any respect for the game’s tactical edge, who play MAG like it’s a simple deathmatch, and subsequently doom future teams to certain failure. By dishing out experience solely for following orders and supporting their faction, players who got promoted would, perhaps, be more inclined to play the game by Zipper’s rules. The only other solution I can think of is to make everyone sit a series of tedious and extravagant written exams.

Another concern is the general lack of voice communications. Adoption of Bluetooth headsets seems to be low amongst PS3 users, but it’s a pressing and unavoidable fact that a game like MAG seriously needs the majority of its players to be in frequent communication. This is hardly the fault of Zipper, but for the game to be a success then the final version will need a reasonably priced game-and-headset combination available at retail.

I also question if Zipper aren’t biting off more than they can chew. For instance, why create three unique factions to choose from? The game’s narrative stems from the idea of three Private Military Companies fighting over lucrative contracts, but trying to balance two companies and get the netcode working seems like a daunting enough task – throwing another unique team in the mix only causes inevitable design headaches, as well as adding another layer of complexity on an already demanding game. And matches can only be between two sides anyway – so it makes little sense.

Concessions are made due to the game’s beta state: the test seems to be based more around ascertaining the core multiplayer component rather than polishing the player experience. There’s no tutorial provided in-game, so it’s also understandable how so many people roam around with little to no comprehension of what’s going on.

It’s also worth pointing out that underneath the cynicism exists a functional shooter. The handful of maps included in the beta are understandably gargantuan, although they all sacrifice minute finery for epic scale – indicative of the game as a whole. Weapon options are plentiful, with a myriad of new toys constantly being made available as rewards for progression. It’s also quite pleasant to see that, as the beta progresses, the game’s visual and aural fidelity has been considerably improved.

When two co-ordinated opposing forces are battling over control points, launching targeted strikes and establishing strong, formidable lines of offense and defence, the game is superb. It’s like a bigger, bolder version of Battlefield with frequently enormous, explosive tussles between entire hordes of players. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and in these moments Zipper’s vision becomes lucid, tangible and understandable: this is the future! If the game would always play like this, I’d never want to quit.

It’s a difficult, complicated experience to explain; it’s easier to say MAG is easily one of the most ambitious online titles ever created and that I am cautiously optimistic for the final version. There’s heaps of potential here, but Zipper have to be careful their grand ambitions don’t jeopardise a potentially enjoyable game.

Anyone doubting whether Uncharted 2 is a worthy sequel, whether it lives up to the sizeable hype, need only play the opening chapter. It’s an astounding beginning for many reasons. Not only does it establish very early on the developer’s mastery of tension, but also highlights the balance between interactivity and incident that they go on to consolidate and refine later in this wonderful game. Ingeniously it’s also a tutorial that doesn’t dress itself up as pre-game training; instead you’re plunged – literally – into the middle of the narrative.

Thinking of those initial minutes now I’m almost feeling a little nostalgic. That may sound strange for a game which is barely a week old, and one that I could be playing again now, but Uncharted 2 is one of those experiences that will resonate strongest the first time you play it. Although certain moments will still be thrilling on repeat viewings, it’s your first play through that will elicit the sharp intakes of breath, the wide-eyed wonder and the disbelieving laughter as you hurtle from one extraordinary juncture to another.

Perhaps even more extraordinary is how far Naughty Dog and the franchise have come in just two years. The first Uncharted was a crowd-pleasing adventure that through its look and feel couldn’t help but evoke certain – at the time more popular- franchises. With that one game however, Naughty Dog transcended them all. More exciting than the Prince Of Persia sequels, better balanced than the recent Tomb Raiders, Drake’s Fortune would’ve been embraced by the PS3 fraternity even if they weren’t so game starved. Many of that debut’s strengths – its lack of pretension, its storytelling techniques – have been heavily built upon and carried over into Among Thieves. But there’s also something else here: a flowering of imagination and technical confidence that the first game barely hinted at.

‘Technical confidence’ is something of an understatement. After all, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to state that Uncharted 2 is possibly the best-looking game of this generation thus far. It’s visually astonishing, but this achievement in graphics is supported by an attention to detail and countless number of little touches that also add a credibility and history to the world. The parrots that fly from their perch as you approach, the blue flame your torch casts in one particular temple, the entirety of the mountain sequence, a rain-soaked Nepal…really take your time to play through the game, bask in this scenery, and these moments – and there are hundreds like them – will sear themselves into your gaming memory (incidentally, during my first playthrough the game’s statistics recorded the collective time that I had spent standing still at over 2 hours). Oh, and the soundtrack is also great – subtle yet effective.

The premise this time around concerns Nathan’s bid to track what happened to Marco Polo’s fleet upon leaving China in the 13th century – only one of fourteen ships survived the voyage, with Marco never revealing the fate of the missing thirteen (the game itself opens with a quote from Marco Polo, “I did not tell half of what I saw…for I knew that I would not be believed”, which you suspect the makers used as a personal mantra throughout the development process). Supplying the requisite conflict, the Nazi to Drake’s Indy, is Zoran – a Serbian warlord intent on finding the secret for his own nefarious means. On paper it sounds fairly conventional – even Dan Brown-like in its hokeyness – and to a large degree it is. But as with any story, half of the impact lies in the manner of exposition.

In this respect Uncharted 2’s success comes down to something I mentioned earlier, a considered balance between interactivity and incident, and an intelligent understanding of what makes for effective storytelling within videogaming. Not for Naughty Dog the immediately divisive use of pre-rendered cutscenes; everything in Uncharted 2, from the opening scene to the ending uses the same in-game engine. Furthermore, the transitions from cut-scenes to gameplay are, almost without exception, seamless – a practice aided by a camera that will dynamically swoop around and zoom out to give the most dramatic angle when needed. This, coupled with a lack of QTEs and some superb voice work, ensures Uncharted 2 always feels immersive, pulling you from one set-piece to another with all the cohesion of a classic action-film (think Raiders of the Lost Ark and you’d be close), never once breaking the illusion that so much hard work has gone into creating.

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It’s a bit of a coup for traditional retail stores. With an RRP of £39.99, and with most places more than happy to slash a tenner off that price at launch, it’s a lot cheaper to buy the entire Game of the Year package than spend £39.95 on just the add-ons alone via the Playstation Store – plus you don’t have to spend an entire evening angering your ISP by downloading the great big gigabyte wedges of content. It’s odd, perhaps, that an initial foray into downloadable content has ended up bested by oft-criticised brick-and-mortar enterprises, but ultimately if you’ve already purchased Fallout 3 (if you read our review last year you probably would have) and haven’t tried the extra content this is the undeniably the best way to go about obtaining it. On the other hand, if you’re trying to play Fallout 3 for the first time, the game of the year edition won’t make life any easier.

After scurrying the character out of the confines of the subterranean vault that’s housed them for life, they’ll be inundated with a bevy of baffling additional quest options. These are all routes to the precarious challenges of the extra missions, and following their directions instead of the game’s original initial destination, the tick-tocking potentially-explodable city of Megaton, is the easiest way for a new player to be mercilessly slaughtered by Fallout 3’s oh-so hostile world.

That’s one of the problems. Without a well-thought-out system of delivering these swathes of additional content the game just drops them on the player the first time they venture outside. There’s plenty of content within each pack, with the addition of all five packs adding about sixteen hours onto an already hefty game, but they all feel distant from the game’s original landscapes. But, on a positive note, their secluded environments offer some much-needed visual variety from the acidic, overcast look of Bethesda’s interpretation of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC. There’s plenty of aesthetic pizzazz here, such as The Pitt’s charred crimson skies, Point Lookout’s mutated marshlands and Mothership Zeta’s depressingly repetitive corridors.

It’s also worth noting that the Broken Steel pack changes the game’s original ending. Whereas Fallout 3 definitively ends with credits and a concluding rolling movie, the addition of Broken Steel – which continues the story past the ending – means the original ending has been effectively disinherited by the game. It’s a good, thing, too: the original finale was one of the few disappointing parts of the original game.

As downloadable content, most of the five add-ons received lukewarm receptions. The peak is definitely Point Lookout, which comes closest to replicating the base game’s simple joy of exploration and Broken Steel, which tacks on an enjoyable set of missions to the end of the main questline and bumps the level cap to 30. The Pitt’s fantastic twist finale means it’s worth an honourable mention, but Operation: Anchorage and Mothership Zeta represent the low-point of the add-ons. They’re both little more than oft-monotonous dungeon crawlers, and their biggest virtue is the copious amounts of XP received from finishing them. Still, the low-points of the additional content are far easier to swallow when amalgamated into this new addition. It’s all a matter of perceived value, really.

Let’s not forget the entire original game – one of the defining titles of 2008 – is all there, too. It’s safe to say The Game of the Year Edition comprehensively builds on Fallout 3’s core experience, and it’s without a doubt the best way to experience the game if you’ve never played the original. You might want to consider picking it up even if you have. The price is certainly right, and Fallout 3 is still hugely deserving of the same score we gave it last year.

Oddly enough, there were many who saw the arrival of such an adult and ‘mature’ franchise on the Wii as a bit of an unpleasant surprise – the usual barbs such as the commercial viability of such a game appearing on the console, as well as the now-tired questioning of its technical capabilities, were quick to be brought into focus. Sceptics raised many an eyebrow upon realising that Dead Space: Extraction was to be an on-rails shooter, as well as a prequel. Not even the box art escaped the wrath of the cynics, and in the eyes of many the Dead Space franchise just didn’t belong on Wii. However, contrary to what you might expect (or lament) from Nintendo’s little white box of tricks, Extraction does the Dead Space name proud.

The first element of a game like Dead Space: Extraction one is going to want to immediately assess is whether or not it retains the nauseatingly unsettling, “dare-I-even-play-this-at-night” feeling of pure fear which made the original such a terrifying experience. As early as the opening cinematic, until the end credits begin to roll (which disappointingly, although perhaps predictably, isn’t a significant amount of time at all) it’s clear that the magic is still here. Production values are at a true premium, with the game sporting a perhaps unprecedented level of visual fidelity, running as smooth as you would hope and with superb audio production. Indeed, like its predecessor, Dead Space: Extraction is blessed with superb sound design, and realises the advantages that such a skill can bring in terms of crafting atmosphere.

Despite this praise we’re initially cautious as to whether or not we can recommend Extraction to every fan of Dead Space, or to every fan of the first person shooter, or even to every fan of lightgun games. Extraction is such a hazy mix of all three, and there’s a risk that residents in each of these camps will come away disappointed. The game is very action orientated, with a sizable arsenal of mostly makeshift weaponry on offer, each with an alternate firing mode accessed with a tilt of the Wiimote. There’s plenty of experimentation to be had, made all the more entertaining by borrowing a couple of toys from the first game. The time-slowing Stasis ability returns, allowing for some seriously precise limb removal. Also making a welcome return is the Kinesis skill, as well as the addition of melee attacks activated by a swipe of the Nunchuck. These functions ensure that the game becomes so much more than a simple point and shoot, immersing us deeper into a now-typical Dead Space experience – House of the Dead: Overkill this most definitely is not, save for the debate as to whether or not either title features a semi-colon in its name.

The Wii is the new home of the lightgun genre – of that there is little doubt – and Dead Space: Extraction is a superb blend of the old-school methods associated with this once-forgotten giant and a more modern recollection of shooting archetypes. In most instances this is a good thing, but there are one or two instances where not every shot hits the target. An obvious side effect of turning up the action dials is that the levels of tension are markedly lower in comparison to the original. This isn’t particularly helped by the fact that nobody can seem to keep quiet for very long. One of the originals strengths was its effectiveness in evoking a remarkably unsettling feeling of isolation. Extraction seemingly abandons this for lots of dialogue between characters, which end up feeling rather out of place.

Dead Space: Extraction is a welcome shot in the arm for the Wii, which has arguably been lacking these sorts of experiences since its very inception. A must for all Dead Space fans, then, but what it lacks in scares and scale it makes up for in visceral heart-pounding action. Whilst a little short, there’s plenty of replay value here with alternate routes and the top grades for each level to aim for. Although it just falls short of sitting alongside the original game in the ‘main courses’ section of the proverbial menu that is the franchise thus far, it’s a delightful accompaniment. Just try not to look at the box art for too long though, won’t you?

So it almost goes without saying that the fighting genre has become a tradition for any gamer. From the early days of the SNES to the Xbox 360, you’ve been guaranteed at least half a dozen of them every year, with updates on classic button-bashers now seen by many publishers as legitimate competition for newer franchises. But can a re-mastered retro title really compete with their modern counter parts? The relative success of Street Fighter 2: HD Remix and Capcom vs Marvel 2 on PSN and Xbox LIVE seems to be the proof that they can.

While the recognized rite-of-passage for a generation of British kids was with Capcom’s baby, there is an equally proud and loyal fan base who were brought up on The King of Fighters – a critically acclaimed team-based 2D brawler rival from SNK, which made its name in arcades as well as on multiple console and handheld platforms. To celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the first KOF game – King of Fighters ‘94 – the SNK team have served up a new take on their original instalment, painstakingly re-drawing each individual frame, background and character in a process that was very long, very slow and far, far too horrible to imagine taking part in. So, it’s with a sullen, heavy heart that, despite these endless hours of thankless work, we must report that KOF XII doesn’t look all that pretty. Especially not on a far bigger television than the one you grew up with.

With many re-packaged fighters (the recent aforementioned Street Fighter 2: HD Remix being the best example) undergoing drastic visual revamps to play out at blistering speed through the intense scrutiny of HD set-ups, KOF XII looks and feels every bit a 15-year old game in comparison. 2009 has already seen us blown away by the gorgeous (and staggeringly deep) BlazBlue and the wonderfully rendered sprites of Street Fighter IV, so it’s of no real surprise that someone would drop a clanger somewhere along the line. While the backgrounds are bright and lavish, the lack of variety is jarring and the pixel-heavy characters are blocky and unwieldy, with the result so bad that it directly affects the gameplay, making characters slower and more limited in movement than in the original title. You can turn on a few different filters to blur the edges but the end result only manages to create a set of blurred fighters.

There’s also a distinct lack of single player options, with no story mode whatsoever. Instead players have to make do with a particularly bare-bones Arcade Mode that offers nothing unique in terms of characterisation, based as it is upon a time trial format. For the first time in KOF history there isn’t even an ‘end boss’ or a survival mode. Beyond that, offline and online Versus Mode are the only other options. It’s not just the match-types that suffer from a lack of variety; the series’ trademark of a bulked out roster has been chopped and shaved to a measly 22 fighters with no further unlockables. It may not sound like a big problem when compared to many other modern franchises, but it’s especially small since the original KOF itself involved 24 characters, making this the lightest roster in the game’s history.

In terms of fighter styles and combos, KOF XII sticks fairly close to previous conventions, adding a guard attack (a block-to-counter move that can turn the advantage your way if timed right) and the blow back attack, which is akin to SF IV’s focus attacks. Catch an opponent with this fully charged blow back attack and it’ll stun them, setting your fighter up for a critical strike. And if you deploy the critical counter system, you’ll unleash a volley of rapid attacks in one full swoop.

A lot has been said about the online matchmaking system in KOF XII, with SNK coming under heavy fire from the community, but even with the recent patch the experience is still close to unplayable. The fussy, clunky and poorly designed menus are lumbered with frustrating delays, making matchmaking a nightmare and even if you do knuckle-down and brave the constant pausing and disconnecting, you’re likely to find the actual bout is plagued with lag from the start. It’s a fair disclaimer to label the online side of things as practically broken and not something to look forward to.

At its core, and despite all these negative points, KOF XII is still a relatively good fighting game. But with competition fiercer than ever this latest release feels incredibly lightweight in comparison. There’s little here to recommend, even for the most loyal of fans. Instead, don your best shell-suit, hook up your mum’s old telly to the SNES in the loft and play out your childhood battles with the original. It’s far better.

To get here EA have had to strip out much of what the casual observer would normally identify with the franchise. So illegal street racing, extreme modification, police pursuits and awful sub-Fast and the Furious cut-scenes are out (even the game’s manual references this, er, shift, with one section on nitrous tanks beginning: “Just because the game’s gone legit”). In comes a tier-based career structure, a joyless approach to presentation and new developers in the guise of Slightly Mad Studios. This London-based outfit are the key ingredient of this facelift, with several members of the team having worked on studious, highly lauded PC racing simulations GTR2 and GT Legends. The former of these, back in 2006, was tagged with the unwelcome award Best Game Nobody Played; if the developers have retained their knack for realism and austerity, it’s also fair to say that they’re now swimming in deep commercial waters previously unexplored.

This change in philosophy will come as a shock to many; ironically it’s those Need For Speed-obsessed gamers, for whom every new entry is a day one purchase, who are probably set to be the most disappointed. SHIFT certainly doesn’t strive to be immediately embraced, and in the first hour or so of play the once-trademark EA glitz is conspicuous in its absence. Things aren’t helped by the default handling setting which, if the anecdotal mutterings on various forums is anything to go by, will have seen many copies abandoned or traded-in before patience and a little tinkering bears fruit. The initial problem is that the feel of the cars, their heavy back-end giving way to numerous spins and ponderous turns, doesn’t sit well with the game’s clear pretensions to being serious. Or perhaps it sits all too well, and we’re just not very good. Either way it’s just not fun to play, and ever so slightly frustrating.

But change a few parameters (I personally used Normal handling but turned off the braking assist and the racing line) and SHIFT, as an experience, is transformed. Stepping up from Normal to Experienced makes a huge difference, and so tailoring the levels yourself proves a satisfying compromise. It’s only once a comfortable adjustment has been settled upon, and races aren’t spent simply trying to keep the car on the road, that the modest intelligence of the game’s structure begins to reveal itself (incidentally, modest and intelligence are two words that I would never have expected to use when discussing a Need For Speed game). At first the array of points, badges and stars is a little confusing, but they all quickly fall into place.

To explain: Points are awarded for performing actions that fall into one of two camps: precision or aggression. Precision moves include clean overtaking, sticking to the racing line and even perfect starts, while aggressive moves predictably involve contact with your opponent, whether it be spinning them out, drafting behind them, or simply grazing the side of their car. These points go towards your driver level, which in turn develops your own unique driver icon. Additionally each race will have certain objectives (e.g. master 10 corners, reach 800 points), the completion of which will earn you a star, in addition to the maximum of three stars earned for a first-place finish. It’s these stars that drive your progression through the career, with a minimum of 280 needed for the final world tour…still with us? It’s far easier to understand in practice than that last convoluted paragraph may suggest, but the short version is that the system works very well. Each reward feels tangible and well deserved; while the badges awarded the more you perform each action are a completist’s dream.

This balance between the precise and the aggressive is crucial in another respect, because it seems to prove that the tension within SHIFT, of it being either a simulation or arcade racer – something that several critics appear to have highlighted as one of the game’s major failings – appears to be intentional. Slightly Mad Studios are cleverly acknowledging the series’ heritage whilst trying to show another way forward. When in the middle of a jostling, late-tier race, with the points bar at the top of the screen commending you for both mastering a corner and simultaneously spinning out an opponent, SHIFT begins to make sense. It’s all about the simulation and the arcade, the precision and the aggression, co-existing happily.

For any such title, attempting to rebuild a franchise’s reputation and horizons from a practically clean slate, it would be difficult to do everything right at the first time of asking. SHIFT’s career mode is lacking in depth and longevity when compared to the obvious reference points of Forza and Gran Turismo, though even the recent DiRT 2 outpaces EA’s effort by several hours. It’s possible to reach the final stages within a few sessions, the motivation for completing each series questionable given the limited range of vehicles and event types. Aside from the aforementioned streamlined presentation, visually SHIFT is little else but functional. Bar the excellent in-car view there’s little here aesthetically that stays in the memory.

Where EA go from here will be interesting. Having successfully shed many of the demons that previously haunted the series, the company now has an impressive foundation upon which this still valuable brand – at time of writing SHIFT is top of the UK charts – can go on to flourish. Confusingly it looks like the next entry in the series may be everything that Shift isn’t, with Criterion (whose open-city Burnout Paradise remains one of this generation’s great experiments in game design and post-release content) taking the reins. Pray that they get as much license to stamp their personality on the Need For Speed brand as Slightly Mad Studios have seemingly had here. It turns out that EA, first with FIFA and now with Need For Speed, had the answer to beat the cynics all along: simply make a good game.

Less than a mere 12 months ago we were blessed with the releases of Rock Band 2 and Activision’s Guitar Hero: World Tour, the latest instalments in the rhythm action scene which, largely thanks to Harmonix’s predecessor earlier last year, have seen the genre soar to dizzying new heights. The two games signalled the beginnings of a jostle for the position to be numero uno amongst fans and critics, a war not fought with guns and swords, but with lots of tacky plastic instruments. To be frank, both games serve their intended purpose very well to gamers of many demographics, and both can illicit feelings of empowerment and accomplishment that any game should, but we’ll not be the first to observe that each has subtle nuances that would eventually push the two games towards separate corners of the room. Rock Band (as a whole) has a quite frankly enormous song library to hand as well as a more mature feel to the overall aesthetic, not to mention the arguably superior, more organic-feeling to the note charts. Activision’s contender is markedly different in these respects, with its scatter-shot, rapid-fire style of RSI-inducing note charts and garish glam rock-esque presentation…and Sting. A really odd looking Sting.

Since World Tour’s release, Activision have launched an all-out assault to completely conquer the rhythm action market – an unparalleled aggression that is starting to leave a very sour taste in the mouth (it almost seems like fate when Guitar Hero 5 – whose inclusion of Kurt Cobain, as a misguided attempt at fan service, makes us feel uncomfortable – and The Beatles: Rock Band ships to retail on the same day).

It’s a good thing, then, that Guitar Hero’s direct competitor is doing the complete opposite in every sense of the word – from the first seconds of the mind-bogglingly fantastic introductory sequence to the last name rolls on the end credits, every facet of The Beatles: Rock Band oozes class. Following the Fab Four on their journey from cheeky chaps in the Cavern Club to stadium sell-outs and back again is quite literally an unforgettable experience and we have no hesitation in recommending the game to everyone, from seasoned wielders of all axes plastic to those who’d have trouble spelling the word ‘peripheral’, never mind use one like these for a videogame.

The Beatles: Rock Band feels fresh, is a visual delight and never once throughout the entire game does the quality slip. When the bar is set this high, it’s all the more remarkable an achievement. The game also encapsulates this feeling of something being very familiar, yet at the same time differentiating itself from its peers to look, play, and generally feel like an altogether different beast. It’s classic Rock Band – a career mode being the main course of action, chronologically charting the band’s legacy from their early years in Liverpool before swiftly moving on to world domination. Completing songs rewards the player with delightful unlockables such as rare Beatles photographs and trivia, as well as a selection of videos ranging from outtakes from the famous Ed Sullivan Show performance to more recent interview footage including the band. Chapter Challenges are also available, but essentially only exist as a means to play the entirety of one era in a single continuous set list. While this sounds like a rather unimaginative prospect, we don’t particularly mind – those of you looking for genuine challenges can take solace in the various Achievements/Trophies on offer, with many rewarding the conquerors of Hard and Expert modes.

Where the game differs from many of its ilk, however, is something that Harmonix are becoming increasingly accomplished at – the way the game makes you feel. There are moments where you almost feel like you’re sitting in the studio with them, a hidden force behind the scenes that is somehow conducting, shaping and forging the greatest, most influential band of all time. From listening to the boys chattering in the studio between takes to Paul announcing the next song to the swathes of people inside Shea Stadium whilst you’re performing in the venue yourself, the feeling of immersion is something that no music game has been able to match. There are moments in the game where you feel like wanting to shake John Lennon’s hand, or tell George Harrison that you secretly prefer his songs to those of the other two. Or maybe you’ll notice how McCartney sways his bass backwards and forwards, whereas Lennon likes to bounce on the spot. You’ll check You Tube, and they really did move like that. The attention to detail, from the avatars of the men to the menus is incredible, and quite simply makes an embarrassment of other band-specific themed games.

The story of The Beatles is a rollercoaster, as the band single-handedly revolutionised many facets of what we consider to be popular music today. The selected tracks are pretty much a masterstroke, given the enormous library to choose from, and they capture the spirit, ideas and philosophies of the band. The difficulty of the game is not especially high, and it’s not particularly long, but this is a plus in that it allows the player to sink deeper into the game – not having to sweat through mind-bending prog rock, or to bounce around generations and genres in a single stroke allows a deeper immersion. Indeed, there are several points where the game becomes hypnotic, sending the player into a contemplative, unhurried, gentle-smile-glazed-eyes induced trance. Whilst The Beatles: Rock Band isn’t going to usurp PS3’s Flower in the Zen department, it comes closer to what you’d expect. Or rather, not expect.

It’s always encouraging when talented forces come together in collaboration, with the express desire to forge something truly special. With a band of The Beatles quality and a developer of similar calibre, we really have to wonder if there was any doubt. The Beatles: Rock Band raises the bar to such a nosebleed-inducing height that we also wonder where the genre is going to take us to next. The rate of acceleration is phenomenal. Whilst we nervously await the announcement of more from Activision (although we’re secretly hoping for Accordion Hero), we can be sure that Harmonix are here on our side, to restore the balance.