Nintendo 3DS logo

Launching at midnight on Thursday at HMV on Oxford Street, the new Nintendo 3DS is on track to be the biggest games console launch in history. Introducing portable entertainment in 3D, without the need for special glasses, the console is packed with unique features.

The UK retail launch will take place at midnight in HMV’s flagship London store with over 100 branches opening simultaneously to meet the unprecedented demand for this gorgeous new piece of kit.

Already creating twice the interest of the launch of the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS is set to revolutionise gaming with its 3D graphics that do not require the player to wear special 3D glasses.

With special guests at HMV for the launch, including BRITs winners Plan B, comedian Russell Kane, rock band Hadouken and hot new girl band Parade, the crowds will get VIP treatment with a complimentary game of their choice on offer, special launch night pack with exclusive Nintendo rewards, and the chance to take to the stage to demonstrate their skills on Street Fighter IV and Pro Evolution Soccer in live head-to-head battles.

With two screens and a 3D Depth Slider allowing players to select the level of 3D, the Nintendo 3DS also includes a Circle Pad which provides 360 degrees of direction and a built in motion sensor.

The StreetPass™ feature allows players to exchange game information, while the SpotPass™ feature can connect to compatible public hotspots and to wifi, allowing the system to be regularly updated with new content. Other features include three cameras and the Mii Maker™ application.

Nintendo 3DS

You would have had to have lived on another planet during recent months not to be aware that Nintendo are about to revolutionise hand held gaming hardware with their soon to be released Nintendo 3DS.

Bringing 3D to the small screen has never been so highly anticipated, but the wait will soon be over as the Nintendo 3DS will be officially released on March 25th 2011.

Having secured its own niche in the gaming market with the superb standard Nintendo DS player and collected a loyal following along the way, fans will be champing at the bit to experience the 3D graphics on the latest model.

One of the biggest attractions of the 3D graphics on the new Nintendo device is that there is no need to wear special glasses to witness the superb depth of the three dimensional experience.

As well as the obvious and most important 3D feature, the new Nintendo is also an incredibly robust entertainment device, with built-in features and applications that are accessible right out of the box.

The Nintendo 3DS is a stunning little hand held device and with the standard pre-loaded software and advanced wi-fi connectivity this gorgeous looking portable device not only resembles a Note Book computer but offers all the functionality of one.

It is as  simple to browse the internet as it is to load and play games and by simply pressing the HOME button during play, this system will automatically pause game play and open the internet browser, safely returning to the game later at exactly where you left off.

Building a library of games can be an expensive business so it is reassuring that the Nintendo 3DS will still let you play your old games in standard 2D format without any problems.

Indeed on the 3DS model it is possible to watch or play 3D games and videos in standard 2D format if you desire, the console is fitted with a sliding device that increases and decreases depth of field.

The 3D depth slider enables the user to choose the depth of field that best suits them. In the off position the device will display in standard 2D format, while increasing the setting gives objects within the game world a feeling of space and depth that extends far into the back of the screen. It becomes easier to see the position of characters and obstacles in the world, making many game experiences even more intuitive for all types of players.

Available in two great colours, aqua blue and cosmos black, the highly anticipated hand held gaming device will be available in shops from March 25th, to be sure of being amongst the first to own one you can pre-order Nintendo 3DS with no deposit and nothing to pay until the dispatch date.

As well as experiencing the Superbike championship, players can also participate in the Supersport series, testing the improvements of the Portimao circuit.

You can try out your riding skills in different weather conditions as well as riding against 15 other riders in the new Online Multiplayer Mode and you can also play both in Arcade or Simulation mode.

As well as the regular Regular SBK®X edition, there is to be a Limited Special Edition which features a list of 17 riders from the history of Superbikes plus a DVD documentary showing highlights of an exclusive interview with the 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies.

Both versions of the game will be available for purchase from the 4th June.

Wii Sports

According to reports, there is to be no price cut for the Wii hardware in the UK, instead, rumour has it that the manufacturer will be offering a new retail package for the continued retail price of £199.

The package is to include the new Wii MotionPlus peripheral, a nunchuck, the original Wii Sports plus its sequel the Wii Sports Resort.

An announcement is due shortly that the US and Japan will be getting the Wii hardware at a reduced price, while the UK have recently upped their retail prices due to escalating exchange rate.

The package, which has still not been confirmed, is expected to go on release at the beginning of October, but for all those of you only interested in the Wii Sports software, Toys R Us have this offer.

But yesterday, based on a glowing Eurogamer review, I purchased my first community game: Easy Golf Course Creator, and you can colour me very impressed indeed. At 800 points, it may seem a little on the steep side (though that’s only 5 Rock Band songs, to put it in context) but it does more than enough to convince me of its worth. Especially as the game’s creator is currently running a contest for players of the game to win 1600 points by getting low scores on the courses.

Despite being designed by just one man (who goes under the company name of Barkers Crest Studio), the game very rarely exposes its bedroom-developer roots. It comes complete with 6 nine-hole courses (originally it was 3, but the guy behind it has recently given away 3 more), and has a system in place for users to design their own golfing nightmares and share them with friends to make the 8-player multiplayer all the more long-lived.

Despite having never held a golf club in my life, I’ve really enjoyed my time with this, and the ability to design and share your own courses makes it feel a little like a playable version of the wonderful tycooning game “Sim Golf”. The impressive thing is how easy it is to use, and within minutes I was testing and tweaking course designs that looked surprisingly professional.

It’s not perfect, and the ball physics feel a little off at times, but if you’re looking for an arcadey golf game to play with friends over Live, I urge you to give this a try and support a genuinely talented and dedicated indie developer. The fact that it doesn’t feel far removed from my time spent on the GameCube classic Mario Golf tells you just how well Barkers Crest Studio has done.

It’s out now, and can be added to your 360 download queue through the Xbox.com website, which is a lot easier than finding it on the dashboard.

It’s a stupidly low price for one of the finest games of last year. Also available on WiiWare (though you’ll pay a fair whack more), World of Goo sees you constructing architecturally astounding structures from balls of goo to achieve physics defying challenges. It’s accessible enough for casual gamers, with plenty of scope for challenge in completing all of its “OCD achievements”…

Written by just two former EA employees, it’s a genuinely indie project that everyone should experience. It picked up plenty of awards, including grabbing the number 10 spot in Eurogamer’s 2008 Top 50, and currently has an average score of 91% on Metacritic. They even released the surprisingly enjoyable soundtrack free of charge.

You can download the game for just £4.24 this weekend only from the Steam Store, and it will work on practically any PC with its low system requirements. Go on, what are you waiting for?

Fight your friends or the computer with your favourite characters using the best scenes from Nintendo games.

Single player
The main story of the game is the Subspace Emissary where you travel around defeating enemies and finding other team members. You play as different characters on each level destroying evil to get to the door at the end. The characters are usual in pairs until they all meet up around the halfway point of the Subspace Emissary.

What is interesting is that when you defeat, for example Bowser he then becomes GOOD??? and joins your team without fuss.

In the Subspace Emissary there are 50 save files, so 50 people can have a file.

Multiplayer
The Multiplayer mode allows for multiplayer brawling, which is one of my favourite parts in the game as it allows you to play against friends and family, each playing as your favourite characters.

Whilst playing Multiplayer Brawls you can also unlock new characters. If you play well in a Multiplayer Brawl a screen with “a new foe approaches” appears also with a shadowed picture of that character. You then have to win a brawl against this computer controlled . If you win the brawl you will unlock the character. If you lose, the opportunity will pop up again soon allowing you another opportunity to defeat the character.

Events
Events are available in both single player and Multiplayer modes.

With Event Mode you have many different missions to complete/by completing a mission you get to unlock more events.

There are 41 available in Single player and 21 available in Multiplayer.

Trophies, Stickers and Items
There are many bonuses in the game such as collecting trophies and stickers which you collect mainly from the Subspace Emissary and Coin Launcher. The Coin Launcher is a mini-game where you fire coins that you have collected from levels in the Subspace Emissary at either moving trophies to collect that trophy or spaceship-like objects to collect stickers. You can then view the stickers and trophies you have won in the Vault, from the Main Menu.

There are many different items in Super Smash Bros Brawl which can prove to be very helpful in fighting enemies. Many of the items used are copied from other Nintendo games – for example, Pitfall Seed as featured in Animal Crossing and Pokeballs as featured in Pokémon.

As well as Super Smash Bros Brawl being a fantastic game on the Wii, there are some extras that come with the game, that I think are also worth mentioning.

Masterpieces
There are some demos of Nintendo classic games to play

Challenges
Take a look at prizes and special things you have unlocked plus see hints on how to unlock more.

Stage Builder
Build your own stage or arena from scratch to brawl on.

Mini-Games
There are many different Mini-games which are available in both single and Multiplayer. Here are the ones you start with:

Target Smash – simply smash all the targets in the fastest time. Great fun!

Home Run Contest Hit the poor defenceless sandbag as far as you can with the bat.

MultiMan Brawl Fight enemies to win in the following modes:

10 Man Brawl: destroy ten enemies
100 Man Brawl: Destroy 100 enemies before they destroy you
3 Minute Brawl: Brawl for three minutes
15 Minute Brawl: Brawl for 15 minutes
Endless Brawl: Fight an endless supply of enemies until you die
Cruel Brawl: Face the toughest enemies with no item assistance

Wi-Fi
The best part about this version of Super Smash Bros Brawl is it comes with Wi-Fi internet connectivity, so you can brawl it up with anyone in cyberspace and become heavyweight champion of the world or by using a friend code you can connect with your friends.

As you may have guessed by reading this review, I think Super Smash Bros Brawl is brilliant and right now, I would be surprised if any game could top it this year.

I would recommend this game to everyone as it is absolutely fantastic, a must have game for 2008.

Buzzin Games Rating: 97%

Grand Theft Auto IV game review

How can Grand Theft Auto IV ever live up to the expectations that was upon it?

From its first unveiling over a year ago, hype levels have been steadily escalating towards the stratosphere, and surely it would be impossible for Rock star to satiate the lust of those deprived of a fresh Grand Theft Auto experience for nearly four years?

It’s clear that this iteration of Grand Theft Auto is a markedly different beast to its predecessor San Andreas, and whatever your feelings about the last outing there’s no doubting the series’ new direction works towards creating a more immersive experience. Nearly all vestiges of videogame signifiers have been shorn away and for once it’s perfectly valid to state that playing the game is akin to watching a cinema blockbuster. The HUD has been refined, appearing only when Niko is engaged in action, and the omnipresent map at the bottom left of the screen is often all that remains to remind onlookers that this is an interactive entertainment.

Videogame artefacts such as hidden packages have been omitted – though those who have a fetish for collecting need not worry, as in their place is a series of collectables of a more naturalised manner – and the jumps that have long marked out the Grand Theft Auto games are more subtly implemented. Indeed, it was only after a few hours play that we realised they were still there, so well camouflaged they were amidst the architecture of Liberty City.

What a creation Grand Theft Auto Liberty City was one of the finest games we’ve seen until grand theft auto lV came out. It’s a world that lives and breathes with its own authenticity, and with an effortlessness that has rarely been glimpsed in gaming to date.

This whole world is painted with its own distinct perspective – yes, this is a more realistic Grand Theft Auto than ever before, but it’s also one of the most stylised entries, with a filter applied to the graphics attaining an effect that’s great can seem almost impressionistic. That’s not to say there aren’t occasional dips in frame rate or texture creep, but none of this ever matters on what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful video game creations to date.

Above all it’s a gritty creation, with the more down to earth and grimy nature of Niko’s story reflected in each brick that builds Liberty City. At the beginning of the game, when confined to the Broker District by a terrorist threat, Niko can take a peek at what lies ahead of him in his quest, his view of the peaks of the skyscrapers of Algonquin filtered through the dirt of Liberty City that blights the lens. These details stretch to the interiors as well – this is a world of squalor, and no more is that evident than when climbing a flight of stairs to Niko’s first abode in the slums of Broker, the strip lights humming and a muffled television audible through the door of a neighbouring flat.

This Liberty City is unmistakably a mirror image of contemporary New York. From the terrorist alert that initially locks down the city to the feeds from Weasel News that beautifully ape a certain real-life feral news service reporting on Niko’s more outlandish escapades, to the mayoral election that is so brutally fought out over the airwaves between the fictional Michael Graves and John Hunter, it’s never too difficult to ascertain the real-life sources for Grand Theft Auto IV’s swipes. It’s evident too in the bastardised internet that is accessible to Niko, which proves a deepening rabbit hole of increasingly hilarious skits on the online generation as you click through the countless sites on offer. The cultural references come from far and wide, one radio advert beckoning down the citizens of Liberty City to a show from the artists Simon & Miguel who uncannily resemble our own Gilbert & George in their pursuit of the eccentric. These satires stretch beyond the radio waves, with Niko able to unwind after a hard day’s killing by settling down in front of the goggle box, and amidst the spoof history channels and histrionic chat shows we’re sure we saw a none too subtle swipe at the Master Chief. Of course no matter with what splendour the world has been created it’s nothing without the means with which to explore it, and here Rock star have supplied the most exquisite toolbox seen in an open world game. The euphoria physics engine takes centre stage, granting the world a physicality that connects players with the world to an unprecedented level. Niko feels more a part of his world than any other protagonist in a Grand Theft Auto title, be he brushing pedestrians aside or vaulting fences in an attempt to flee the police.

Combat proves a triumph as well, the new cover system flourishing gun fights with a level of sophistication that matches any other current generation shooter. The lock-on works reliably to snatch onto the nearest threat, and for those that prefer their shooting a little more freeform a light press of the trigger will enable free aim. Likewise, the cover system works as well as any of its peers, hugging Niko to any in game object and gifting fire fights with a much appreciated new depth.

The new wanted system also substantially alters the way the game is played when Niko is under heat. As the stars escalate, so too does the circle on the map, accentuating the thrill of a chase as Niko desperately races to escape the area and seek respite. Find yourself submitting to the chasing police and Niko is granted one final get-out clause, with a swift button tap elevating him from his knees to maintain the pursuit.

Behind the wheel, the vehicles handling lends itself to more cinematic driving, the rear end of the majority of having a propensity to hang out to a degree which can be initially galling. It soon emerges that a more subtle approach is required to negotiating the right angles of Algonquin or the swerves and inclines of the later Alderney isle, and it’s no longer possible to fling a car around with blithe abandon. The extended detail of Liberty City also affects the way cars are used, with each road now adorned with its own texture which the car’s springs respond to, be it a cobbled street in a suburban back alley or the pot holes than pockmark the streets of Broker.

With these extended mechanics there’s a variety to the vehicles that is now more pronounced. Front-wheel-drive cars will lurch towards under steer, their rear-wheel-drive counterparts allowing for some breathtaking slides. This variety extends not only to the models of vehicles available, but to the state in which you find them. Jack the wrong car in the excitement of a three-star chase and you could find yourself at the wheel of a misfiring beast, clumsily working its way through the gears and spitting out plumes of burnt oil.

In-car combat is another area that’s been furnished with a suite of new features, not least of which is the ability to lock on to a pursued car, thankfully bidding farewell to the sometimes chaotic chases that blighted previous Grand Theft Autos, and with the added capacity to free aim from the drivers seats vehicular combat is no longer the headache it used to be.

That’s not to mention the myriad other ways to traverse the breadth of the city – and despite any initial fears of Liberty City’s size in light of the offerings of San Andreas, we can assure you it is vast – such as taxis or helicopters. Hail a taxi and you’ll get the option to either skip straight to your desired location, or sit back and enjoy a spectator’s view of the city, complete with typically irreverent commentary from your driver. Get yourself behind the controls of a helicopter and prepare for a vast intake of air as the full splendour and scale of Liberty City is offered up in widescreen majesty.

This is all aided by a wealth of characters, all painted with a remarkable clarity and all serving to bolster the strengths of the main story. Naturally their stories are predominantly told through some sterling cut scenes which benefit from the enhanced engine that mercifully never outstay their welcome, and like everything else in grand theft auto lV the scriptwriting has been ratcheted up to a degree previously unprecedented in the medium.

But the most rewarding way with which to interact with the cast is through Niko’s phone, an item that soon emerges as a core tool in the interaction with the game’s characters. As friends are picked up over the course of Niko’s travels, they begin to offer social invitations – and in one of the game’s many superb touches an incoming call will disturb the radio of any car he is traveling in – and it’s easy to get drawn in to each of their narrative arcs. The activities that are open are widespread and well implemented, be it the bowling game that offers surprising depth or less interactive pursuits such as cabaret or the comedy club – which contains a number of surprises it’s again best left to discover for yourself. Perhaps most notoriously there is also the option of visiting a bar, the results of which never fail to entertain as Niko spills erratically on the street before stumbling his way home.

Whilst these prove entertaining diversions, they also provide a framework for the burgeoning relationships in the game which very quickly begin to matter for the player. It’s genuinely heart-breaking to turn down a friend requesting a drink, as it too is genuinely surprising when on our second date with one of Grand Theft Auto IV’s many love interests our beau noted how we had changed our attire since we last met.

Which means when the element of choosing who to favour in the game world Niko can be faced with some truly agonizing decision. At certain branches in the storyline he is faced with the option of pledging allegiance to certain characters – often to the fatal detriment of others. Though we’re loathed to spill details, at one point Niko is presented with siding with a young upstart with somewhat dubious morals or his suicidal and life-weary nemesis who is fresh out of jail. Do you punish the fresh-faced gangster for his loose morality or put the melancholic ex-convict out of his misery? It’s a choice that had us holding the gun to the head of our chosen victim for minutes of extended deliberation, and when the final bullet rang out it left a sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs as we were left unsure of our actions. The choices are never clear cut, and it reflects the murky morality of this Liberty City. Again, the missions contain joys we’d rather not disclose for fear of ruining the experience, but rest assured they offer a variety previously unseen in Grand Theft Auto. From suiting yourself up for a funeral to scouring the internet for a potential date, they’re essentially grounded in the reality of Liberty City and never work against the hard work of the narrative to create an immersive atmosphere. One mission in particular that occurs midway through the plot is sure to gain notoriety for the challenge it presents, an extended bank heist that for all its pains manages to provide one of the punchiest set pieces of the game that easily rivals the best Hollywood has to offer.

But like previous Grand Theft Autos, some of the best moments occur when you step outside of the script – be it painting your own name on a car with bullet holes and riding into battle, or stealing your first helicopter and taking a night time flight to the strains of Queen’s One Vision before stepping out into a deserted Algonquin and embarking on a 15-minute six-star chase. With the toolset provided, and with the game world so rich with opportunity, we’re sure to be swapping tales of our antics in Liberty City for years to come.

Seeing Niko’s story out at the leisurely pace it deserves will consume some 40 hours of play, all of which is supplemented by the dizzying amount of multiplayer options. It will be interesting to see where the hordes migrate to on online play, be it the thrill of vanilla death match, the bedlam of team mafia or the serenity of freely adventuring the city with friends. Regardless, this is a package that will truly keep players enthralled well beyond the lifetime of its native hardware.

Expectations were so high for Grand Theft Auto IV that one of the biggest surprises is that it’s managed to meet them. That it’s also gone on to confound these is truly a marvel, and the game’s Liberty City is nothing less than one of the greatest videogame worlds yet conceived. With this game, Rockstar has set out to free itself from the excesses of the series past to emphasise the character of its world, and in doing so has created a high watermark in the relationship between narrative and play. It’s no less than the definitive open world game, and by that measure the definitive interactive experience of this generation to date.

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