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Monday, 12 May, 2008

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Live out your wettest interactive dreams in the digital world of game reviews, Dominic Diamond is locked in our cellar.

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Super Bikes Riding Challenge

With totally accurate recreations of rider movement and bike behaviours this is the most detailed and involving bike simulation in recent years. Coming from the acclaimed creators of the Superbike series this title brings to gamers the excitement and sense of danger that you can only get from being on a powerful motorbike. You will have to learn how to tame these machines to become the ultimate rider. With exciting game play that will have you coming back again and again...

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Super Bikes Riding Challenge

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the Original Trilogy, LEGO Star Wars II follows the Rebel Alliance’s crusade to dismantle the Galactic Empire and rebuild a galaxy in pieces. Build and battle your way through your favourite film moments, from Darth Vader’s pursuit of Princess Leia aboard her Blockade Runner to a showdown on the second Death Star, as the game includes even more of the family-friendly action, puzzles and humour that earned the original LEGO Star Wars such popularity and acclaim. For the first time ever, characters can get in and out of vehicles, as well as ride creatures. You can also mix and match the body parts of more than 50 playable characters to create one of millions of possible Star Wars heroes. Other exciting additions include free-roaming vehicle levels that are no longer on rails, the ability to switch ships at will in free play, cool new character-specific attacks and manoeuvres, playable mini-kit vehicles, an optional adaptive difficulty mode and more. PS2/XBOX, Activision, RRP £39.99


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Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Dead Rising sees you step into the shoes of journalist and photographer, Frank West. Following an unknown tip-off, Frank finds himself investigating a mysterious zombie epidemic in small town America. Set in the town’s shopping mall, the first thing that strikes you is the minutely detailed, high resolution graphics. This is one seriously good looking game. Extended play soon reveals however that the gameplay is really at the heart of this gaming experience. The power of the 360 has allowed developers Capcom to fill the screen with thousands of the shuffling undead. The real joy in the gameplay comes from finding inventive ways to bring them down. Do you hit golf balls at them with a club from the sports shop? Put buckets on their heads and laugh out loud as you see them blundering around in the dark? Or simply find the lawnmower and watch the limbs fly! The malls' 120 shops provide over 200 make-shift, and often hilarious weapons. There is a standard storyline that sees you rescuing survivors and getting the scoop on the zombie infestation, but with an infrequent and often frustrating save system, you will find yourself whiling away the hours putting zombies out of their misery. Dead Rising is an absolute blast and is a game that will be appreciated by fans of any George.A.Romero film or those that like their gaming with a heavy dose of gore and humour. For me it's time to go back to the mall, the hardware store had a sale on chainsaws! XBox 360, Capcom, RRP £49.99


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Dead Rising

Although it was announced more than a decade ago this demonstrates that the best things really do come to those that wait, with the most original and technically advanced first person shoot 'em-up in years. Although it was conceived at a time when 3D graphics cards were still optional the basic idea behind the Prey portal technology is still the same as it ever was, allowing you to instantly step from one world to another in the game. You can even create the portals yourself as you battle grotesque enemy bosses in one area and jump back to another to recover. The game casts you as a Cherokee Indian with a number of magical powers such as spirit walking that let you explore the game world as a spirit, and deathwalk which replaces the normal need for intrusive quick saves with an innovative mini-game set between the worlds of the living and the dead. XBOX 360, Take 2 Interactive, RRP £49.99


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Prey

From the co-creator of Age of Empires, Brian Sullivan, comes an all new action role-playing game set in the mythical worlds of ancient Greece and Egypt. Amazing visuals and fast-action gameplay deliver a true cinematic gaming experience. Lush ancient world settings crafted in near-photo realistic detail provide the player with an extraordinary canvas on which to set forth on an epic quest of the ultimate good versus evil. A flexible class system allows almost limitless ways for the player to develop their character. Skills can be customised in many ways, and never become obsolete. With addictive, fast action gameplay and tons of unique loot, epic gaming has never been so good. PC DVD, THQ, RRP £34.99


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Titan Quest

New Super Mario Bros

New Super Mario Bros

Considering the last Super Mario Bros. game is still the best selling video game of all time (17.28 million copies and counting) this has a lot to live up to, but it almost effortlessly captures the action and charm of the old games. The basics of the game are the same as always as you run and jump through mostly horizontally scrolling levels. New to the game are power-ups that turn Mario into a giant or reduce his size, as well as one that gives him a Koopa shell on his back to attack enemies with. Although the gameplay is all in two dimensions the graphics are 3D, with all new moves such as the triple jump and wall jump added in as well. As well as the single player mode there's also a wireless multiplayer mode where you get to battle a friend (as Luigi) across a whole bunch of specially designed levels. DS, Nintendo, RRP £29.99

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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

The streets of Liberty City are in turmoil. Warring Mafiosi vie for control as the town begins to self-destruct under waves of political corruption, organised crime, drug trafficking and union strikes. No one can be trusted as Toni tries to clean up the mess of the city’s chaotic underworld. Deranged hitmen, morally depraved tycoons, cynical politicians and his own mother stand in his way as he tries to bring the city under control. Forced to fight for his life in an odyssey that will shake Liberty City to its foundations, Toni must use any means necessary to secure his place in the leadership of the Leone family in a town up for grabs. It's easy to see why this is so far the only gaming to be ported from the PSP to the PS2, since this is basically a whole new Grand Theft Auto game, even if it does take place in the same city as one of the previous games. The missions are exactly the same as in the PSP version, which means they're slightly shorter than usual - originally so as to be better suited to a portable format. PS2, ROCKSTAR, RRP £19.99

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Daxter

The story takes you back to the events that led to the start of Jak IITM. Jak has been imprisoned in Haven city jail, Daxter now on his own in an unfamiliar position, quickly realises that being small and furry won’t help his chances of survival. Daxter takes on a job as a pest exterminator to help stamp out a mysterious bug infestation, this new job allows Daxter freedom to roam across Haven City collecting information that could lead to the release of his incarcerated friend. However Daxter soon discovers that he'll get a little more excitement from his job than he originally bargained for. Being a pest exterminator is hard work and a work shy Ottsell can’t be expected to wipe out an entire infestation without conserving energy with some well timed naps can he? As Daxter takes time off his bug squashing duties he invites you into his dreams where he is the hero in several playable movie-themed mini-games. Daxter also features cross platform compatibility with Jak X on PlayStation 2, allowing gamers who own both titles to unlock new content. With over 17 levels this title is guaranteed to take gamers on a classic platform adventure. PSP, RRP £34.99, Sony

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Tetris DS

A new portable edition of the world's most renowned puzzle game. Each of the DS version’s six modes of play features a theme based on a classic Nintendo game, such as Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda or Metroid. The traditional Tetriminos (falling blocks) and line-clearing strategy remain the staples of the game, but the touch screen adds a new element of interactivity. Some modes give players special Tetris puzzles to solve. Others feature head-to-head action between two players, or massive wireless battles between 10 DS users, even if only one player has a game card. Players can also log onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to compete in two or four-player battles. Nintendo DS, £29.99, Nintendo Europe

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Sensible Soccer 2006

Sensible Soccer 2006

While many football games let you pass the ball between your players with very little effort, Sensible Soccer 2006 makes things just a little more challenging with a pass button that will kick the ball in whichever direction you’re facing - regardless of whether or not you have another player there. This isn't radically different to what other football games do, but the ball in SS 2006 is far less prone to gravitating towards the feet of players than its officially licensed counterparts in games like FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer. PS2, XBOX, PC, £29.99, KUJU/CODEMASTER

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Table Tennis

The odd thing about Table Tennis is that even though it’s much more professional than the game we played on a hot summer’s day, it still conjures up those memories by accurately depicting the fast pace of the game, having easily accessible controls, and simply making those distinct ping-pong ball sounds. Table Tennis plays like pretty much any other tennis game out there (Virtua Tennis etc) only on a smaller and quicker scale: get into position as early as you can, then charge up your shot (with applicable spin type) for maximum power and accuracy. It’s a formula that’s been proven to work, and Rockstar executes it well. Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, £29.99, Rockstar Games

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The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code

It may sound like a bad idea, but Dan Brown's ubiquitous 'The Da Vinci Code' has been successfully translated and adapted to a video game. Believe it or not, the results are not all that bad. In fact, 'The Da Vinci Code' game offers a challenging and varied gameplay experience that will satisfy the amateur cryptographer in everyone. However, the game is brought down by substandard production values and a dialogue heavy story that has a tendency to drag at times. If you're a fan of adventure games, you'll find something to like about 'The Da Vinci Code'. If you've read the book and seen the movie and still can't get enough of the story, you'll have fun jumping in and solving the mystery for yourself. Just don't expect the production values to be on par with those of the film. PC, PS2, Xbox, £34.99/£29.99 / The Collective/2K

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Kuon

Kuon has a genuinely creepy premise, and you'll want to see it through to its conclusion. However, that won't take you very long and there isn't a lot of replay value here. You can adjust the difficulty settings of the game between easy, normal, and hard, but it doesn't substantially change the experience. You can unlock a Japanese board game of sorts, which you can play against the CPU or against a friend, but that's about it. Given the frustrations of the slow and uneven combat system, the necessity of repeating chunks of the game to get to the ending, and the overall brevity of it, a rental period is more than enough time for the interested to glean the best points of this game. PS2, Nobilis RRP £29.99

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