The most popular devices are not simply designed for playing games on, although that is of course their primary purpose, but with enhanced multimedia functions like video and music support and web browsing, you have a powerful all-in-one device.

Console graphics have never appeared quite as real as they do right now and along with better video output and improved multimedia functionality, with a stronger emphasis on social media and interactive gameplay, we can pack those board games away forever as video games have never looked so welcoming.

It is the latest Nintendo Dsi that has most recently been grabbing the headlines, due mainly to it’s basic 3D qualities that allow users to play games on an adjustable 3 Dimensional screen without the need for special glasses.

Being portable the previous model Nintendo Dsi has become particularly popular with both the younger generation of school children as well as the older Saga generation, due mainly to its advertising campaigns to keep the brain active.

However it is the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation and Nintendo Wii that you will find in most households, a stand alone gaming console that can connect to the internet, play DVD’s or Blu ray Discs as well as offering unlimited interactive gaming facilities.

For first time purchasers choosing one machine from the three top sellers will often come down to either price, peer pressure or a particular game availability, as with the Wii Fit for instance.

Unless you are pre ordering the latest yet to be released device, the likliehood is that shopping around the major outlets will get you a cut price machine with a bundle of free games or goodies thrown in. This is particular true once a new generation machine has been announced and the market needs to clear it’s current stocks.

While I can think of a few addicted gamer friends who own more than one video gaming console, the general truth is that there is an awful lot of brand loyalty shown by gamers, so be sure to compare the systems on the market before deciding which suits your needs the best.

Happy gaming!

Redken Busy Scissors on Wii and DS

Redken Busy Scissors, a hairstyling and simulation video game is scheduled for release March 4th 2011 exclusively on Wii and DS.

Little Orbit teams up with Redken the international salon cosmetics brand, and provides the possibility to use an extensive range of Redken products in-game. Additionally, professional styling tools from Sam Villa like the Sleekr flat iron are incorporated into the game as key tools to achieve the looks that clients crave.

Get ready to color, shampoo, cut, blow dry, and style hair with the Wii remote. Players earn reputation and advance their career in a Hollywood based salon by meeting the demands of their glamorous and eccentric clientele.

The game progresses as they help unlock each client’s inner potential by finding their unique outward style. The game features over 25 hairstyles, 20 mini-games, 6 career levels, and 4 game modes, which provide a dynamic combination of realistic gameplay, humor, and entertainment.

Manifest Oranj, the game’s developer, spent months working with industry experts to emulate the real hair styles used in the game. Each salon technique was demonstrated and filmed by the team, before it was re-created in 3D and designed as a mini-game.

This is going to be a big hit with young teenage girls.

Ghost Mania is a puzzle game on WiiWare

Ghost Mania is out now on WiiWare for 500 Wii Points in North America; and will be available from 7th January in Europe when the game releases in English, German, Spanish and French languages.

Ghost Mania, is a paranormal puzzle game involving ghosts, and includes a wacky story, mad spirits and a whole bunch of funky game modes for 1 or 2 players.

Ghost Mania supports widescreen and 480p and can be played by holding the Wii Remote™ controller horizontally. The game can be enjoyed by 1-2 players and also supports the Classic Controller™.

Key Features:

• Use a combination of logic and strategy to plan out your moves and progress throughout the game. The concept is simple: catch all ghosts before it’s too late!
• Packed with 70+ levels and four game modes for 1-2 players: Arcade Mode (fast and fun), Puzzle Mode (relaxed play), Endless Mode (eternal madness) or go head to head with a friend in the 2P Party Mode
• One of few puzzle games to feature multiple stories dependant on character and game mode selections.
• Intuitive controls, simply hold the Wii Remote™controller horizontally to play. Also supports Classic Controller™.
• For players of all ages, whether you’re a casual gamer or a puzzle whiz, you’ll surely enjoy this spooky puzzler!

Ghost Mania has been rated E for Everyone by the ESRB (North America) and PEGI 7+ and USK for Europe and Germany respectively.

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix for the Wii

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix is the follow up to videogames developer Nordcurrent’s 101-in-1 Megamix game for the Nintendo Wii, which has sold more than half million units worldwide.

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix is a collection of 101 mini sports games that can be played with up to four players.  The games are simple and pretty basic and similar to Wii Sports.  Alone these games aren’t going to be too exciting but playing against family or friends will be amusing and very much underlines exactly what the Nintendo Wii is best at.

The sports mini-games include tennis, rock climbing, horse racing, boxing, car and motorbike racing, basketball practice, archery, speed racing, rowing, football shooting practice and skiing.

You start with 12 mini games to choose from.  The more you play the more games you unlock.  The games are very and aimed at all the family, though surprisingly 101 in 1 Sports comes with a 12 certificate.

These type of party mini-games are fun and not to be taken too seriously and are great way to get members of the family playing who aren’t normally gamers.  In a way they remind me of a computer game version of the compendium board games you can buy from toy shops.

It’s worth noting that many of the games require a nunchuck and unlike Wii Sports, you cannot create and play as your Mii character.

Some advertising campaigns make games look so exciting but it’s not until you actually play the game that you can really consider whether it is worth paying, in most cases, between £20 and £50 for a new game.  Some titles are sold on the back of film or television franchises and don’t always live up to expectations, and in some cases have very little to do with the original TV show or film.

The best games console to get all the family playing along and having fun is still the Nintendo Wii, and with Christmas and New Year parties only weeks away, what better time to start renting Wii games before spending out on new titles.

You can rent games for all the major games consoles including Sony PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS and even Gamecube.

Furthermore, the games section of the website is divided into different game genres to make it simple to find a particular type of game to rent or buy.  Categories include adventure, arcade/platform, fighting, flight simulation, party/music/miscellaneous, puzzle/board/casino, racing, role-play, shooter, sport and strategy.

There are hundreds of games to choose from and with over 50 new Wii game releases alone to choose from, there is plenty of games for every taste including titles for the very youngest gamers like Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure, iCarly 2: Join The Click and Barbie: Groom & Glam Pups (all certificate 3+); and for older children Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Batman: Brave & The Bold, Sonic Colours and Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions.

There are sports games like the ever popular football games Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 & FIFA 11, the latest instalment of one of the best basketball games NBA 2K11 as well as popular racing games like Hot Wheels: Track Attack and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Or maybe you are interested in music related games like In The Mix: featuring Armin Van Buuren, We Sing: Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson: The Experience, X Factor , Karaoke Revolution Glee where gamers perform scenes from season one of the TV hit show Glee or the very popular Just Dance 2.

Another good idea is to read online reviews before you buy a game, especially those attached to a franchise.  This way you can avoid disappointment and wasting money on unwanted presents this Christmas.

Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising is the first title in a trilogy of air-combat action games for the Wii. In the first episode, which is available on WiiWare™ for 700 Wii Points, players are dropped into the cockpit of famous World War II aircraft and thrown into some of the most contested air battles of the Pacific Theatre such as Pearl Harbor, Wake Island and Guadalcanal.

The game has been rated T for Teen (Violence) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), PEGI 12 (Europe), USK 12 (Germany) and AGCB PG Mild Violence (Australia and New Zealand).

Haunted House re-visited

Thirty years on from its original incarnation, Atari have updated the classic Haunted House game for a new generation. The iconic groundbreaking game returns with more chills, cool new unlockables and plenty of spooky new enemies and is promised to be available for Halloween 2010.

Haunted House pays homage to the classic favorite as players fight for their lives in Graves Mansion as the grandchildren of the original character that disappeared without a trace in the evil mansion over 30 years ago.

Chased by pesky poltergeists, haunted by scary skeletons and exhausted from battles with creepy creatures, players are in a goosebump-inducing fight to explore the dark and creepy depths of Graves Mansion in search of the four lost pieces of the magical urn.  The player’s goal is to reassemble the urn and defend their family’s legacy with the aid of mystical tomes, powerful light sources and multiple keys.

The pick up-and-play arcade-style adventure allows players to jump right in and begin battling for their family’s legacy and explore the dark and mysterious levels.

An eerie, 3D rich environment of towers, basements and catacombs draws players into the haunted world and cursed story. Find hidden treasures, solve puzzles, fight bosses, and navigate through the spooky mansion and multiple levels on the way to a showdown with Zachary Graves.

Haunted House will take control of Wii®, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC Download this Autumn, with suspense filled challenges, new chilling environments and more frightful enemies than ever before.

For further information visit the Atari Haunted House website.

Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising is the first title in a trilogy of air-combat action games for the Wii™. In the premiere game, which will be available soon on WiiWare™, players will be dropped into the cockpit of famous World War II aircraft and thrown into contested air battles of the Pacific Theater such as Pearl Harbor, Wake Island and Guadalcanal.

Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising has been rated T for Teen (Violence) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), PEGI 12 (Europe), USK 6 (Germany) and AGCB PG Mild Violence (Australia and New Zealand).

So grab your flying jacket and goggles and enjoy the thrills of being a World War II fighter pilot!

The intergalactic bowling fun for the whole family on Wii™ with realistic physics and diversified game modes.

The Games Company (TGC) is releasing its Alien Monster Bowling League, the interstellar bowling game for Wii™ in the second quarter of 2010 across Europe.

Alien Monster Bowling Game or AMBL for short, opens up a whole new meaning to the traditional bowling alleys that we all know so well. Here you can compete against humans, aliens and monsters in a bowling competition unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It takes more than a good hook shot to compete in the AMBL: Power Moves, Special Balls and Whammies bring a whole new dimension to the lanes for a bowling experience that is out of this world!

If it takes your fancy, you may want to challenge the mighty count Dracula to a game, or the fearless Marsian in his huge robot or wily Kendra with her sexy outfit and many other diversified enemies.

Beat them all despite their individual skills and special moves to reach the winner of the interracial, international and interstellar Alien Monster Bowling League.

Beside a thrilling single player mode you can tempt human friends to encounter the highly motivating multiplayer mode for a fast paced split screen duel. Face your buddies and enter diversified bowling lanes spread around the galaxy.

The multilingual Alien Monster Bowling League will be released in a mid price segment in Q2 2010 exclusively on Wii™ in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German language.

For information on the amazing list of TGC titles visit The Games Company website.

nexuiz

Independent developer and publisher, Illfonic, debuted the first-person arena shooter at GDC 2010 last week. The fast, fun addictive gameplay impressed editors and fellow video game designers. Nexuiz was redesigned and ported over on PS3 in two and a half months with a six person team using the Quake engine.

Nexuiz is an Arena First Person shooter coming soon to consoles. It is fast paced with extremely competitive game play. IllFonic brings Alientrap Softwares Nexuiz to next-gen gaming consoles around the world while staying true to the game play refined over the years through open source development.

IllFonic introduces a new Victorian influenced art style that is simultaneously futuristic and sophisticated. Nexuiz uses the latest version of the Dark Places engine ported for the next generation of gaming consoles.

The game will feature a mutator system that allows players to change the rules of the match; as players rank, new mutators become available for them to use. Leader boards are designed for social networking, letting players feel more engaged with the community.

Nexuiz features a heavyweight soundtrack from artists including Flying Lotus, Dam Funk and Trisector. On launch Nexuiz will feature multiplayer modes including Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. New games modes, models, and maps will be available as downloadable content post release.

For more information and updates visit the Nezuiz website.