This week we have a trio of film tie-ins, gardening practice, bad singing and the 3567th installment of a sadly well known franchise. None of them are as exciting as Russell Grant’s Astrology though, which is something I’ve been waiting my entire life for.

Is it hard to tell sarcasm over the Internet?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (DS, PC, PSP, PS3, X360) 1/5

Can a game based on a film actually be good if your name isn’t Goldeneye? X-Men Origins: Wolverine certainly seems to be trying hard to please more than just the casual crowd who’d just buy the game based on whether or not they liked the film. The game isn’t living up to the films paltry 12A rating and instead is packing in plenty of blood and gore that is strictly not for kids.

Rhythm Paradise (DS) 1/5

The aim of Rhythm Paradise is to tap, flick, slide and hold the stylus on the touch screen to create a beat that matches the background music for the level you’re currently on. Basically it’s a collection of mini-games that introduces a unique set of controls to beat each level. It can be pretty difficult at times, so prepare for some frustration.

Gardening Mama (DS) 1/5

Coming a month earlier than its original 5th June release date Gardening Mama combines the gameplay of Cooking Mama with the love of gardening. This means that it’s a collection of connected mini-games, but instead of cooking stuff you’re planting, growing and picking things instead. More of the same, but if you’re a fan then you’d probably love that.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce (PSP) 1/5

Speaking of “more of the same” Dynasty Warriors hasn’t really evolved much since Dynasty Warriors 2. What I loved about that installment has grown increasingly stale as each installment in the franchise does the exact same thing its predecessor does. That doesn’t stop it selling by the truckload in Asia, but about the only thing setting this installment apart from all the others is that it happens to be on a handheld.

Other releases:

• Marble Saga: Kororinpa (Wii) 1/5
• Hannah Montana: The Movie (DS, PC, PS3, X360) 1/5
• SingStar Pop Edition (PS3) 1/5
• Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet (PC) 1/5
• Coraline (DS, PS2, Wii) 1/5
• Women’s Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey (PC) 1/5
• Elven Legacy (PC) 1/5
• Russell Grant’s Astrology (DS) 1/5
• Ultimate Ninja 4: Naruto Shippuden (PS2) 1/5
• Garfield Gets Real (DS) 30/4
• Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward (PC) 30/4
• Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate (PC) 29/4

Snowboarding? Boring. Mountain biking? Boring. Surfing? Boring. All these and more are extremely dull, or at least that’s what Wacky World of Sports would have you believe. Sega thinks we have too many games based on the normal extreme sports, so they’re bringing little known and fictional ones to the Wii in the form of yet another minigame compilation.

As you can see in the trailer the game includes such ‘wacky’ sports as extreme ironing, tuna tossing and cheese wheel rolling. I’m thinking that mud sliding is probably also real, but I very much doubt you jump out of a plane in order to participate in the ’sport’.

I’d like to say that this is a completely original idea for the Wii, but after telling you about extremely long nails in Guinness World Records: The Video Game (which, strangely enough, I now own) it’s not really that surprising. However, if this strangeness is not to your taste then you have Activision’s upcoming Big League Sports: Summer and Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort to play when the family comes to visit.

If you’re still not convinced that buying Left 4 Dead is worth any of your hard earned cash then Valve is setting out to try and change that mind of yours. Tomorrow Valve will remove the pay barrier on the PC version of the game, letting you access the game for free on Steam. If you’re thinking that’s the best deal you’ve heard in ages then be aware that the game will only be available for free for 24 hours, after which it will revert to its original price until pay for it.

If you’ve always been nervous about getting Left 4 Dead due to it not being the longest game in the world you’ll be happy to know that the new Survival Pack is also thrown into the deal. 24 hours should be more than enough to play through both, but Left 4 Dead should not be judged on how much content it has but rather how much replay-ability it offers. Personally I think it will keep anyone happy for a long while, as the AI ‘director’ makes every game you play unique. Secondly, Left 4 Dead is primarily a multiplayer game and people still play the same maps over and over again on Call of Duty 4, so why can’t you do the same with Left 4 Dead?

There’s no harm in giving it a shot, and if you don’t like it then you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you never spent a penny to play it.

There has been a tonne of gaming news and previews today (from the quick scan I just did), meaning there has been a lot I’ve wanted to write about (including a few budget guides I’ve been working on, which you should see here pretty soon). Unfortunately my PC came down with some particularly nasty viruses and trojans (maybe it caught the swine flu?). Now you’d think that it would be a simple task to just do a virus/spyware scan and that’s that, but these were no ordinary viruses. They latched onto my system like someone you know who won’t stop talking to you when you really need to be somewhere. After a few hours of trying to remove these pesky little things I gave up and finally decided to reformat my hard drive (fortunately all my important stuff is on an external hard drive) and re-install windows.

So, basically, I’ve spent most of the day doing something so incredibly stressful that, when I finally got the Internet back up and running at 9pm, I’d had enough of the computer for the day and just wanted to settle down and watch The Apprentice. I love technology, and I love the Internet, but it can seriously make you want to tear your hair out at times.

I’ll be up bright and early to write some posts tomorrow, but for now my bed is softly calling my name over and over again…

“Tom…Tom…Tom…TOM!!!”

I’m coming!

While we’ve seen a little of Dead Rising 2 in a viral video that was released back in February we’ve yet to actually see a proper trailer - until now of course! Capcom have released the first official trailer for the game; revealing a little of why there are zombies outside the mall of the first game and also introducing us to Chuck Greene.

Chuck Greene…

CHUCK Greene!

There’s a name that makes you think of a beefy guy playing American football for his college; which makes perfect sense as Chuck is apparently quite the sports fan, if whacking zombies with a baseball bat can qualify as a sport. He also likes to drink cocktails in the middle of a zombie infested city, and doesn’t forget to get a gift for the kids while he’s at it. All-in-all Chuck sounds like a pretty neat guy!

Oh, I almost forgot. He also likes to attach chainsaws to both ends of a pole, or just dispense with the walking and attach them to a motorbike instead. So, not only is Chuck a neat guy, but he is also a pretty inventive killing machine; which, to be honest, is a skill worth having when 7000 zombies are crammed on one screen. He really wants to live up to his ‘manly’ name doesn’t he?

Look at for more Dead Rising 2 at E3 this June.

The original Dead Rising was one of my ‘Bargain Bin‘ choices. Check out why I loved the game here.

If you’re still on the fence about signing up to an Xbox Live Gold membership (it’s worth paying for in my opinion. It’s not exactly expensive and it is pretty damn good, if you can excuse the hordes of foul mouthed 14 year-olds that populate it) then Microsoft is giving all Silver members a chance to try out the Gold service for free this weekend.

Xtival ‘09 will run from the 1st to the 4th of May and promises competitions and tournaments throughout the weekend. There are also some ‘exclusive’ HD movies, music and game downloads available; but if it’s anything like the Prodigy videos offered last year then I wouldn’t be too excited about that.

As for the tournaments that Microsoft mentioned Capcom are holding a Street Fighter IV tournament of sorts. Read more about that here.

Dead Space was a freaky game, there’s no doubt about it. There’s something about pitch black corridors and multi-limbed creatures crawling across the ceiling and dropping down on you that will always freak me out. Call me a pussy, I don’t care, but ever since those zombie dogs jumped through the windows on the first Resident Evil game I’ve had a grudging respect for horror games in their ability to make me scream like a little kid. So, will an on-rails (think House of the Dead) Wii horror prequel to last year’s Dead Space carry on scaring me? Or will it be little more than a shooting gallery?

As noted Dead Space Extraction takes place before Dead Space and drops Isaac Clarke for a new female protagonist. You’re a member of a group of colonists that are fighting to escape the same infection that blighted the dark corridors of the original Dead Space. That’s about all we know of the story so far, but the video logs from Dead Space will return to add more substance to the game’s world.

The game is not a complete guided experience, as you will be able to choose what direction you wish to go in from time to time.  The new control scheme also doesn’t mean that various ways of dispatching the games horrific creatures have changed. The “strategic dismemberment” system still very much remains, along with weapons such as the plasma cutter, ripper and flame thrower.  However, one new weapon is the Arc Welder, that shoots out bolts of electricity and spreads it between enemies standing too close together.

It wouldn’t be a proper Wii game without some novel way of using the Wii remote, so EA have come up with a way of using the remote to tackle the darkness of the game. Waggling the remote will activate the faint glow of a glow stick, making sure that you won’t be caught off guard by any approaching enemy. I can see myself frantically waggling the Wii remote as the lights go out.

Finally the game will include co-op play, which is always a plus. However, it is still hard to hide the fact that Dead Space Extraction sounds like little more than the lightgun games of old. I’m not saying that it isn’t fun, but it just won’t compare to the fully-fledged game that graced other consoles. Then again, the Wii’s hardware limitations mean that the game wouldn’t stand up to its bigger brothers without a new way of looking at it; so while Wii owners won’t be sharing the exact same experiences as other gamers they still may get a pretty good on-rails shooter that seem to be climbing in popularity again lately. I guess we’ll find out near the end of this year.

More here.

If you’re looking for some on-rails shooting action for the Wii then Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, based around the events of the original Resident Evil game, may be to your tastes.

It’s another dull week in the world of video games here in sunny old Britain.  The biggest release is probably The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, but I may be partial to a bit of Little King’s Story myself.

Of course, everyone’s tastes are different so take a look at the list below to see if anything takes your fancy.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) 24/4

This is probably the best bargain you’re going to get for a while, as you’re effectively getting two full games for the price of one. The package not only includes a new campaign (Assault on Dark Athena) but also the revamped Escape from Butcher Bay; which came out for the original Xbox to critical acclaim.

Little King’s Story (Wii) 24/4

This new simulation RPG being released by Rising Star Games (the guys who brought you No More Heroes) has you playing the role of a boy who finds a mysterious crown. Your goal is to expand the village, which you have now become king of, and maintain the happiness of your subjects. You won’t be alone though, as seven other kingdoms will also be vying for power.

Pikmin 2 (Wii) 24/4

A re-release of an old GameCube game; Pikmin 2 has you leading a group of ‘Pikmin’ around and using their different colours and combinations to overcome obstacles and gain treasure. It has the honour of being rated the 47th best game made on any Nintendo System (source) and was highly rated throughout the video game media.

Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust (PS3) 24/4

The ultimate womaniser returns, although this time around it’s lacking in any nudity or sexual content (which is in stark contrast to Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude). That doesn’t mean this game is for kids, as it’s still very much geared towards adults and there will be more than your fair share of profanity.

Larry will be working on a movie lot trying to uncover a mole from a rival studio. Unfortunately the critics haven’t received this game very well, but if you’re a fan of Larry then it’s your call.

Other releases:

• Crazy Machines Complete (PC) 24/4
• Rock Band 2 (Wii) 24/4
• Company of Heroes: Anthology (PC) 24/4
• Bejeweled Twist (PC) 24/4
• Mind, Body & Soul: MinDStorm 2 (DS) 24/4
• Mr. D. Goes to Town (Wii) 24/4
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC) 24/4
• Mind, Body & Soul: Big Word Puzzle Book (DS) 24/4
• MotoGP (Wii) 24/4
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 (PS3, Xbox 360) 24/4
• Gobliiins 4 (PC) 24/4
• Penny Arcade Adventure: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two (PS3) 23/4
• Zeno Clash (PC) 21/4

I’ve talked about my inefficiency when it comes to fighting games in the past, but I must admit that I have a soft spot for the Tekken series. It reminds me of the Tekken 3 tournaments we used to have when I was younger, which are still good times regardless of the fact that I hardly ever got to a final. That may be because I could never settle on a particular character to hone my fighting abilities with; jumping between the likes of King and Yoshimitsu. Since those early days I’ve never really paid much attention to the Tekken games that followed, but now that Tekken 6 is on the way I’m thinking that I may have to try to kick some ass with that bear called Kuma.

Unfortunately Tekken 6 just makes my job of finding out which character I’m best at using (which is probably none of them) by having a full roster of 42 characters. Eight of these characters will be new, including the likes of Bob; an American fighter who happens to be obese (stereotype?), Alisa Bosconovitch; an android that is able to remove her head and throw it at opponents as a makeshift bomb, and Lars Alexandersson; a guy wearing a stupid cape. So, as usual, Namco Bandai have managed to come up with some totally unique characters. Plus, there’s also the ability for players to create their own unique characters for use in the game.

While Tekken 6 is currently out in Japanese arcades there doesn’t seem to be much about the story currently in English form, but expect it to be just as delightfully ridiculous as the rest of the Tekken series. From what I’ve seen ‘revenge’ is on the mind of some of the tournaments participants, which is a nice excuse to kick the crap out of someone.

Tekken 6 will be out later this year for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Compare the cheapest prices for Tekken games over at Pricegrabber.co.uk.

The world of Fallout 3 can be a very depressing place; all that barren brown and grey with not a tree in sight (or at least one with leaves). To rectify the lack of ability to flex your green hands Khyrin of Fallout 3 Nexus (a modification site for the game) has created GreenWorld.

GreenWorld does exactly what it says on the tin and covers the post-apocalyptic Capital Wasteland in natural plant life. The soil may be charred, full of radiation and covered in debris; but when you look up and see a tree you’ll breathe a sigh of relief and hug it with all your might.

Ok, so maybe plant life would one day return to a nuclear scarred wasteland, but do we really need a mod that makes the game look like Oblivion? I loved the landscape of Fallout 3 because, as bleak as it may be, plenty of games have a landscape covered in green and it was something different. Of course, you don’t have to download the mod if you don’t want to but if it takes your fancy you can grab it from the link below.

GreenWorld - Fallout 3 Nexus (Via)