What do you do with a tired old franchise that had its day a long time ago, along with the man it represents? Well, if you’re Activision you introduce yet another game – Tony Hawk: Ride – into the franchise and throw in a peripheral that looks like a skateboard.

Pictured above (in case you didn’t notice) the new controller is a ‘motion sensing balance board’, which sounds eerily familiar, that Activision are touting as a “massive step forward for the franchise and the gaming industry as a whole” (Source). At first you may just think it’s a third party attempt to rip-off the Wii Balance Board, but when you take in the details you realise that it’s actually a lot more advanced than the controller that obviously inspired it.

For example, the skateboard actually acts like a real skateboard. Tilting the skateboard in either direction will make the skater on your TV screen do likewise. Infrared sensors in the board also allow the game to figure out where your hands are and carry out appropriate actions based on their positions. So if your skater was up in the air placing your hands to the front of the board would make the skater on the screen grab the front of their board. It’s easier to show you then describe how it works any further, so simply go here to see the board and game in action.

It sounds and looks like a really good idea, and may just make a tired old franchise worth playing yet again. I loved the first two Tony Hawk games, but from then on I just felt that it when downhill – especially introducing all the silly vehicles and characters in the Underground installments – and was easily surpassed by EA’s Skate franchise. However, I do have some reservations about the controller itself as it is yet another bulky peripheral that’s going to clutter up our homes. The Wii Balance Board may now look a little primitive, but at least it encompasses a wide range of games and not just a single one. Of course, the Wii Balance Board was intended as a general peripheral while the new Tony Hawk one is in a niche of its own, but it still means that people have to find somewhere to store it along with all the other contraptions on the market today. To adress this problem the developers promise that there will be other uses for the board;

“We started out with skateboarding because it’s easy to understand,” he said. “But there are a lot of games we realize could be used on the board. We were surprised at some of the ideas we listed out .”

Now the team has a “huge list” of potential future games for the board.

And that will be key to Ride’s success, said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

“I think the problem with all peripherals is that you have to make them reusable,” he said. “They must be acceptable to be used with more than the original game.” – Kotaku
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see when it comes to other uses. As for the game there will be more details at this year’s E3.

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.

The only experience I’ve ever had with Blood Bowl is reading the novels put out by Black Library (the publishing arm of Games Workshop). However, I’ve heard it’s a pretty entertaining tabletop game. The game is a parody of American Football; populated with the likes of orcs, elves, and dwarfs instead of beefy men on steroids. Like the real game tactics are key, but unlike reality you can use excessive violence to win the game (no, that doesn’t mean you can punch the player across the table). Overall it sounds like it would be right at home as a video game, and developer Cyanide agrees.

The game seems to be trying to please both crowds by offering a tactical turn-based mode (a bit like the board game) and a more fast-paced action orientated mode. The latter looks a lot like an RTS, as in moving your players by clicking around the field. So if you were expecting a Madden style game then you may be disappointed. However, does it really matter when you can pound another player into a bloody mess? Depending on your lust for violence I’ll let you decide, but I’m all for digitised extreme violence!

As shown in the trailer you will also be able to customise and manage your team, leading them through both singleplayer and online seasons.

If you’re after a more vanilla American Football video game then there’s always the Madden series. I’ll pass though, as I’d rather be swinging a dwarf around a field by his beard.

Blood Bowl will be out for Nintendo DS, PC, PSP, and Xbox 360 in the second quarter of this year.

If you’ve just picked up Sega’s Football Manager 2009 today then you may find that, upon rushing home and ripping open the case, the game will refuse to authenticate when trying to activate your CD key online.  Since the game requires you to complete this process in order to play then, understandably, people are annoyed. Sega has responded to complaints with an apology and a possible solution:

“SEGA is aware that there have been some problems with the activation of Football Manager 2009 today. This has been due to a combination of issues relating to the printing of keycodes and the huge demand for the game,” reads a SEGA statement.

“A solution is in place and is starting to clear the problem, we are confident that the issue will be solved today. The chances of successful authentication are increasing hourly. At this point consumers still experiencing difficulties are advised to leave a 10 minute gap between authentication attempts.

“SEGA apologises for the disappointment caused by the problems with activating the game and asks for Football Manager fans to remain patient,” - Eurogamer

Technical difficulties and incomplete games seem to be the norm these days, and it’s getting a little worrying. I understand that things can happen which developers didn’t originally foresee but gamers not being able to play the game they paid money for is really unacceptable. Also, has DRM really combated piracy? It seems that piracy on the PC is as strong as ever, which doesn’t look well for the future of PC gaming. Developers/publishers need to come up with something new that doesn’t infuriate (such as Valve with Steam) if the future of PC gaming is to be stable.

Update:

There’s been a somewhat overwhelming response to this article, so I’d like to point out a few things.

I do not have a fix for your Football Manager 2009 problems, nor can I give out CD keys (which is, by the way, illegal). If you are coming here to find a fix then I direct you to the Football Manager 2009 website where you can contact Sega support, or ask in the forums there.

Hope that helps!

See part one from yesterday

Day four is done and the Olympic spirit still rages on, at least inside me anyway. Forget the reports of empty seats for the less popular events and take your own seat at the Olympics with the aid of some familiar faces.

The next game proves that an Olympics game doesn’t have to be realistic to be fun. In fact, it’s far more fun than the massive let down the ‘realistic’ official video game I talked about yesterday was.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Doesn’t that title just scream ‘buy me’? Well, plenty of people did and it’s hard to fault them when you combine two of the greatest video game characters of all time. Although Sonic’s games have been pretty lacklustre of late but Mario still puts out his best so maybe, just maybe, this would translate to a game involving the Olympics. Well, it does…kind of.

While the game doesn’t have as many Olympic events than the ‘authentic’ game mentioned yesterday there’s a large difference – these events are actually pretty fun! There are 24 events on the Wii version (the DS version has 16) that range from athletics and gymnastics to archery and fencing. I also find pleasure in saying that they’re nowhere near as difficult as the official game, and it doesn’t inflict pain on your fingers. You’ll obviously get a few aches from swinging the Wiimote around but, hey, it’s a work out isn’t it?

Like many Wii games that presentation of the game may look a little ‘kiddie’ orientated but that’s always a big mistake to make. Plenty of Wii games are marketed as fun for all the family and this game doesn’t disappoint. The first time I played the game was at a family party and, even though the kids started playing it, it wasn’t long before the adults were playing along too! It’s incredible fun in a party atmosphere - or even just with friends - but it loses a lot of its charm when you’re playing it on your own (play a Wii on it’s own? Are you mad??!??). As for the Olympic spirit…well, you’re not going to see Mario racing Princess Peach in Beijing anytime soon (no, the Japanese team doesn’t include fat plumbers and blue hedgehogs just yet), but you won’t really care when you’re whopping your friends - which is what the Olympics is about, right? Absolutely thrashing another countries athletes?

There could be better games made that combine two of the greatest video game characters ever conceived, but you can’t really dispute that the end product isn’t fun (and downright pretty). Some of the motion controls could have been better but as long as my fingers survive I’m not too fussed.

Day three of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games is over and what a day it’s been. Great Britain (go Team GB!!!) snatched gold and bronze in the women’s Swimming 400m Freestyle, while the US (including the phenomenal Michael Phelps) beat off the French in the 400m Freestyle Relay. All this and the world’s greatest show has barely begun! If you’re not a pumped up athlete or couldn’t get a ticket to the games then you can have fun right here at home. Granted, it’s not as fun as actually being there but it’s a start – and you can give your fingers a good workout!

Here are two games to get you in the mood for more Olympics.

Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games

First up is the official video game of the Olympics. The game allows you to experience the thrill of all the Olympics main events without actually being there – or straining your ankle for that matter. Well, at least in theory anyway.

Events available to the player include the regular track and field events, swimming and diving, gymnastics and shooting – all of which have sub-events. You also have archery, weightlifting, cycling, judo etc. and more. All in all there are 36 events for you to grab the gold in. This sounds like a pretty meaty offering, until you consider just how much incredible effort you have to put into each one. Of course, athletes have to put in incredible effort in the Olympics but this is a video game – it’s supposed to be far less difficult.

The main reason for this difficulty is the agonising amount of times you have to repeatedly slam your fingers down on the buttons. For short events – like the 100m sprints – this isn’t all that bad but when you’re competing in an event that could last for up to four minutes it gets incredibly painful. I realise that a lot of track and field games are mostly nothing more than button mashing but the developers of this game are almost willing you to get arthritis. Also, all this button mashing seems pretty pointless when the game doesn’t even seem to register that your hitting them faster than a second ago. Most of the other events are simple rhythm games that, although easier, quickly get repetitive and downright dull. It may be all layered in pretty graphics but what’s the point when your hands are aching and you’re having the most boring time of your life?

You’d have thought the multiplayer would save the game, but even this isn’t that great. Since you’re largely taking part in turn-based events you’ll be sitting there half of the time watching your friends instead of playing with them. Couple that with your friends most likely quickly tiring (because their hands are about to explode with pain) and it’s really not that fun at all.

So if you want the experience of an athlete after running the 400m transferred to your fingers then this game is perfect for you. For the rest of us you’ll probably want to avoid this lacklustre ‘experience’ if you want to keep your fingers. Of course, it doesn’t matter what I say because it’ll still sell like hotcakes regardless.

You can get it for the PC, Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3 - but it’ll hurt your pinkies no matter what platform you play it on.

Let’s hope the next game will put some fun back into the Olympics. Catch part two coming up soon!

Update: Part two is here!