A little freebie for Boxing Day.

To commemorate the release of Sengoku Musou 3 AKA Samurai Warriors 3 on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo, particularly excited with the prospect of landing a Koei blockbuster exclusive, are packaged with a special mode based off a classic Japan-only Nintendo title called Mura Samejou and a special controller bundle (embedded below for your viewing pleasure).

But of course, fans will have to dig deeper in their pocket to get the special bundle, and even deeper if they want get the Treasure Box limited edition which includes the controller, a mini figure, a strategy and art book, and an original soundtrack CD.

The aforementioned art book commissioned artist such as Ayami Kojima (小島 文美, famed for her work on the classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) to provide their rendition of the Sengoku Musou characters.

Well, since it's Boxing Day and all, courtesy of Koei, of course, The Daily Zombies have managed to scavenged the complete high resolution scans of for you, and available for further download, right here.

A few of the selected pages embedded below.

Despite report coming in with regard to Playstation 3's improving sales both in and outside Japan, Nintendo 's Wii is still holding its very sizable share of the gaming pie over its more powerful and pricier competitor. Notwithstanding the fact that Nintendo's mascot himself, Mario is back with New Super Mario Bros, and Wii's very own MotionPlus games making their rounds at the game sales charts, with, of course Wii Sports Resort, holding the fort.

We take a brief look at the functionality of the Wii MotionPlus and the list of games supporting the function.

In Nintendo's continuing efforts to illuminate Wii's more reputed functions, being the unique gaming controls, the Wii MotionPlus was released in June this year, serving as an expansion device for the Wii Remote video game controller for the Wii in order to more accurately capture complex motion. Nintendo's official statement indicates that the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time.

Featuring a pass-through External Extension Connector, the Wii MotionPlus allows other expansions such as the Nunchuk or Classic Controller to be used simultaneously with the device. A color-coded mechanical slide switch for locking the clip release is available, and when attached to the Wii Remote, the unit extends the length of the controller body slightly by approximately 1+1⁄2 in (4 cm). Therefore, each Wii MotionPlus comes with a longer version of the Wii Remote Jacket to accommodate the added length.

While the device can only be utilized by games that have been specifically developed to use its functionality, the Wii MotionPlus can be left attached to the Wii Remote when playing games that do not support the function. However, when using accessories such as the Wii Wheel or Wii Zapper on Wii, the device must be detached.

The sales for Wii MotionPlus has been tremendous, parts in due to it being bundled with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Wii Sports Resort, in North America and Japan, respectively despite negative reports surfacing on the function being too sensitive.

For fans of games that are, for lack of better word, "hands-on", the Wii MotionPlus is indeed an enhancement over an already capable product.

A list of games that had been specifically developed with the new function in mind are below. And after the break, we have embedded a video on how to run Wii Sports Resort on Neogamma on Wii.

Let's face it: You'll really thought that Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice and the protagonist in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the franchise's fastest-selling Star Wars video game ever, had indeed went to the Jedi Heavens and turned "one with the Force" (to quote the great Yoda I am)?

Tough luck.

One of 2008's best-selling game across more platforms than you would have thought, from the conventional 3rd-gen consoles like PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 to iPhone OS, to second-generation N-Gage, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, and even Java-equipped mobile phones. That's George Lucas milking the cash cows in all angles, and that's just the gaming portion of it. The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Project were developed by LucasArts alongside partners, Dark Horse Comics, Lego, Hasbro, and Del Rey Books, and therefore consisted more than just a video game, with a tie-in novel, action figures, a comic book, a reference book, a role-playing game supplement, and a book on the making of the game released simultaneously.

In an effort to garner more attention to the unknown protagonist, the aforementioned Starkiller, the Apprentice to The Dark Lord was also licensed to Namco Bandai to be a playable character in both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Soulcalibur IV.

In the fairly predictable ending, Starkiller met his maker, one way or the other, given that he does have his choices on how to go out Jedi Force ablazing. Despite the dual choices, there can be only one canon ending, in order not to mess up the entire Star Wars continuity. You'll be amazed at how the dead cash cow can still be managed to squeeze further, when LucasArts re-released the game complete with all previous downloadable content in Ultimate Sith Edition of The Force Unleashed, just last month. These downloadable contents included an interesting take on an alternate Star Wars reality should the canon ending is the other path (darker, of course) that the Apprentice had taken.

Surely, that must be the end of the road for this niche franchise, then? Not quite. LucasArt had indeed attained a Jedi Master-like level when it comes to squeezing cash cows. While the details are still unsure, Starkiller, will be back from the dead in this direct sequel to the 2008 hit, in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II scheduled for release in 2010 (along with the "accompanying" tie-in novel, action figures, a comic book, a reference book, a role-playing game supplement, and a book on the making of the game, I reckon), as announced exclusively at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, with a trailer (embedded below for your viewing pleasure).



Relatively mediocre the original game may be, it was indeed filled with unfurnished potential, one aspect that a sequel could accomplish, provided the developers look into them more diligently (unlike the earlier mentioned re-released version which all but ignored the glaring problems).

Let's keep our fingers crossed on this one.

Check out the official site for a better resolution of the trailer.

Ever bear the thought of lying and cheating your way to be the full-fledged Fab Four? Now you can, in "The Beatles: Rock Band".

The "Haunted House Simulator", eh?
Will choppy controls, cheap shocks, crappy graphic scares the shit out of you?


Ju-on: The Grudge
Developed by: feelplus
Published by:Xseed Games
Platforms available on:Wii
Released Date: October 13th, 2009
Genre: Survivor Horror, Graphic Adventure
Rating content: ESRB: M (Mature 17+) / PEGI: 16+ Blood, Violence




















While I will be the first to admit that Ju-on: The Grudge (呪怨), the 2003 Japanese "J-Horror" film, written and directed by Takashi Shimizu, had left an irreversible psychological scar on me, I am truly in anticipation of a game that can provide the very same experience with the film, thrusting the player into the maddening world of Japanese Onryō (怨霊), when the game was unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 by Xseed Games, who described it as a "haunted house simulator," rather than a traditional survival horror game.

Survivor Horror games had come a long way ever since the original Japanese release of Resident Evil in 1996. While the element of fear remains the core of the developers' focus, gaming in general had move on in leaps and bounds as elements such as gameplay control, camera angle and other technical stuffs are taken into account and thereby became inseparable from any bona fide Survivor Horror games. This provided a huge problem for the developers, as well-rounded inventory and gameplay excitement can actually takes the fear factor away significantly (players who experienced the latest Resident Evil outing will understand this point well). As a result, back-to-the-basic approaches are bound to be the next trend.

Released as Kyōfu Taikan: Juon (恐怖体感 呪怨, literally meaning, Sensation of Fear: Curse Grudge) in Japan on July 30th 2009, and released in North America this October by XSEED, Ju-On: The Grudge, intends to strip the gameplay element from the genre, focusing entirely on the horror of the Survival Horror genre, to create a "haunted house simulator,"with a singular goal: Scaring the shit out of you, the player. Meaning that there will be zero combat, as the gameplay consists of primarily, exploration. By being unable to defeat the antagonistic boss, the horror element is tremendously expanded (I'm sure any player ever played Silent Hill 2 cannot forget the invincible Pyramid Head). So how did the game actually fare, with such bold concept?


Badly, I'm afraid. Digging in deep the very remarkable source material, the game featured scenarios after scenarios of the player, finding themselves as several different characters with one similarity: Stuck in creepy environment with an atmosphere straight out from the J-Horror, accompanied with unwelcome visits from the naked White boy (not caucasian white or albino white, but ghostly freaking white) and, drum rolls, the boss enemy that will not die, Kayako Saeki, the ultimate creepy fuck Onryō clad in white, covered in blood, complete with long dark hair covering her face, crazy-ass movements with a crunching neckbone and her signature croaking sound. Being the cursed ghouls born of a violent death that consume all who enter their domain, the mother and son tag team had been an unstoppable force, establishing a pretty high body counts in both the original Japanese film series and its inferior American remake series. Sounded all good to go, isn't it?

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The scares came in early, and are remarkably effective... for the first dozen of times. Eventually, choppy controls, cheap shocks, crappy graphic and extremely shallow gameplay mechanics creeps up to butcher whatever good gaming elements that still survives by then. There are several creepy environment you will find yourself at, abandoned hospital, abandoned apartment, and pretty much abandoned anything, and there are no weapons, no healing items, no health bar and you'll be walking around opening doors and acting like you cared with the one item that you are going to hold on for your dear life throughout the entire game: A freaking flashlight.

Naturally, one concept lead to another and you can expect that the flashlight had limited battery and you sure wouldn't want to miss that last ray of light (The Wii-mote basically functions as a flashlight which is like a life bar in the way that once it run out of battery life, you die) given the break-neck speed the player is traveling at. Yes, this game is the number one contender to the title of "Slowest Game Of The Year" or worse still, ever. So how do you actually get the much relieved "Game Over" screen? By missing one of the QuickTime Wii-mote actions during the one-on-one encounters with Kayako. Indeed, you will get to ward off evil spirits by flailing your Wii-mote in the air, and yes, just the Wii-mote as nunchuk will not be utilized. The onscreen flashlight will shine where you point your Wii-mote at while slamming the device to a side has your character do a 180-degree turn for a hasty check on the back, while holding the B button thrust your character forward that tiny winy bit.

Several minutes into the game, you can briefly predict what's gonna happen next... One cheap thrill leads to another, for example, ghastly hands reaching out of nowhere to grab you or floating figures swirling pass the screen. These scare tactics soon turned monotonous, so much so that you can like, half expect what's gonna pop up next. Endless cycles of these second-rate chills almost single-handedly launched the game into a C-graded Horror flick emulator. The earlier mentioned attack sequences by Kayako will eventually get more frequent but are still relatively scarce in the earlier part of the game. This might be a smart move to avoid over-exposure of the Boss, though most of these encounters are notably more engaging and fun to play with, with the players having only seconds to shake her away with the Wii-mote.

While the crappy graphic are arguably intentional in order to achieve that much touted "Haunted House Experience", I'm pretty sure the choppy control is a result of shabby development. The aformentioned control of movement had, as a result, caused the already frustratingly slow game pace to achieve the impossible: Get even slower.

Fans of the movie series might be interested to find out more of the plot and its connection to the series. To those fans, it might serve you greatly to put away those thoughts. The characters portrayed in the game, despite being a family unit, had next-to-zero interaction with the other, let alone further connection to the movie.

To ensure that horrendous boredom can be contagious, much like the eponymous grudge, there's a laughable multiplayer mode called "Courage Test", thrown in for good measures. The second player's goal is to scare the first player by triggering "scares scenes". What lies in the player's arsenal of absolute fear and terrors? Blood emitting on the screen, a girl floats by, some insects flying by, etc. Point to note is that these silly interruptions does absolutely nothing to the character whatsoever. The second player has to wait 15 seconds after deploying a scare tactic before doing another one, so it is a tested and proven way to condemn both yourself and your friend in eternal hell.


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The Rundown
A major contender for "Lame Game Of The Year" and "Biggest Disappointment", this game is a textbook example of franchise-adapting with a bright idea and straight-to-hell execution. Despite the original Ju-On's film director, Takashi Shimizu's supervision, the game wasted its connection to the source material, thereby severely undermining the player's experience into the world of terrifying Onryō.

The Good
- The mother-and-son tag team of Kayako and Toshio still sends spine-tingling fear to those who "enjoyed" the movies
- Atmosphere of the game has been greatly emulated into the game

The Bad
- Just so you know, this game is FUCKING slow. It's so slow that you will think that you are practically crawling at top speed just like good old Kayako. A better game could probably be churned out of this train wreck having the player as Kayako, scaring the shit out of puny human and adding this element into the "Courage Test" mode just so that you can scare your friend silly.
- If the crappy camera is something they can blame on the "Haunted House Simulator" concept, then I supposed messy control and choppy graphic are too. Well, all that, in order to create an...
- ... Extraordinarily boring, singular gameplay.
- I was going to touch on the relatively short length. Then again, maybe it's a good thing.

And The Sequel?
No, not sequel for the game. The thought of that struck fear already. It's the long awaited sequel to the original series I'm talking about here. While the US remake series had gone Direct-to-DVD with The Grudge 3, and thereby for the first time not featuring the original team, Takashi Shimizu as the director, Takako Fuji as Kayako, talks of "The Final Grudge" were leaked early October, with it being the final entry of the original trilogy and an assembly of all the original players.

Nevertheless, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Ju-on series, two new Japanese Ju-on films titled Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo and Ju-on: Kuroi Shoujo premiered in simultaneous screenings in theaters in Japan on June 27th 2009 with Takashi Shimizu and Taka Ichise returning to supervise respective films with the two new directors at helm.


Mediocre

For more clarity on how the Game Reviews here works in The Daily Zombies, please check out "The Daily Zombie Rating System And Review Policy for Gaming".

"Cheaters never prospers"?

Who gives a shit about prospering, when you can maim, destroy, conquer, humiliate your way in the gaming world? Let the ends justifies the means here.

The inaugural entry for Cheaters Never Prospers is probably the hottest cheats in demand in the gaming world now. Available here is list of cheats and codes for all the multiple platforms carrying the title now, as well as methods to the unlockables. As more tactics to lie, cheat and steal will be gradually rearing its ugly and helpful head, we will be updating this entry regularly. Do check back here for updates.

A return to form for the one true king of wrestling game in its eleventh coming. The King was never dead, just unchallenged, but what the hell, Long Live the King!



WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
Developed by: Yuke's (PS3/Xbox 360)/ TOSE (Wii)
Published by: THQ
Platforms available on: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360,
Released Date: October 20th, 2009
Genre: Wrestling, Fighting
Rating content: ESRB: T (Teen) / PEGI: 16+ Blood, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence


















Since the release of WWF Smackdown! for Playstation One in 2000, the WWE Smackdown series had grown into a surprise evergreen gaming series, not unlike EA's best-selling FIFA series and Nintendo's neverending Pokémon series in the way that you can always count on getting the latest version to hit the stores. "Surprise"? In retrospective, it is indeed surprising to see how professional wrestling had evolved from the nineties, along with its accompanying game, to a different cultural status in modern pop culture. And if you ever find yourself puzzled with the level of focus WWE had indulged towards the promotion of the game, you can probably better understand how the game series had actually benefited the parent company themselves in opening up newer and younger demographics.

Being the eleventh outing in nine years, WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010, come bearing the unenviable responsibility of moving on with the same formula yet pressured with the game critic's call for evolution to the tried and very much true format. Over the years, we have seen "improvements" such as the introduction of Bras & Panty Match, the Road To Wrestlemania Story Mode and the strangely awkward General Manager Mode. Being big fans of the series since inception, it sure is a relief to state here that this latest incarnation is not just better than its predecessor, it is better than all its predecessors and stand proudly on the pinnacle of wrestling game, and right besides its fellow compatriots on the land of great fighting games. All the trials and tribulations testing out the new ideas had finally culminated into the ultimate wrestling game.

While I will be the first to admit that the main concerns over the standards of the series are mainly contributed to the roster, which in fact, is not a problem that only the game series experienced but what WWE had been trying to resolve. While a state of the wrestling world address will be prerequisite for the new gamers on this topic and we are obviously not touching on that here, the rationale behind the lack of star power has been a well-known fact, especially with the release of the WWE Legends Of Wrestlemania last year, which naturally further justified WWE's stance to prevent overexposure of the "Legends". However, the latest installment get to display the fact that well-executed gameplay can indeed save the day.


For the new comers, WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010, the latest outing in THQ's long-running annual wrestling series will be spotting a roster of 67 in-game Superstars and Divas on each console with the exception of the Nintendo DS version which features 30 superstars. The roster is then segregated into six classifications: Raw, SmackDown, ECW, WCW, legends and free agents. (For the full roster, please check the previous entry.)

The Road to WrestleMania story mode, warmly received amongst the game critic last year, is back with a vengeance, bringing another six character-specific storyline featuring a special Diva-based story with Mickie James and one specifically for one of the created wrestlers. As for the co-operative storyline this time round, Triple H and John Cena will be sharing the limelight. The other three stories will be featuring Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton respectively. Each stories will take you through an approximately twelve weeks worth of WWE matches and cutscenes. Some nice touches on this mode would be the additional features where the game provides you the optional and mandatory goals to meet (for example, in the case of HBK, ensuring that both Randy Orton and JBL gets their chance to "listen" to the tune of "Sweet Chin Music" will unlock his alternate outift) along the Road to WrestleMania. Goals such as breaking your opponent up, jumping off the top of the steel cage, echoes the type of goals hardcore WWE fan would want to do anyway, and increased replay value and additional challenges to unlock characters, costumes and areas. The fact that the standards of the storyline has also noticeably improved over last year's efforts also add up to a more realistic and exciting experience.


On the topic of story modes, before moving on to the ground-breaking revolutionary new stuffs that is changing the face of good ol' "Career Mode", allow me to touch on another slightly off-topic, yet inherently related topic. We all know that the Smackdown series had the Create-A-Wrestler mode since the inaugural title was released in 2000. But are you one of the millions, pause, and millions of internet forum-lurking, CAW (abbreviation for Create-A-Wrestler) formulas sharing, wrestling hero creating, jabroni? Well, I am. My signature character, Jin "Tekken" Kazama, (from the eponymous Tekken series) has been gracing every single incarnation of Smackdown and is currently into its eleventh edition. And this time round, it will no longer be necessary for you to painstakingly take down the CAW formulas. All you have to do is proceed to the SVR server, browse around for a decent CAW, download them, along with their created moves, created entrance and created Highlight Reel (an improved feature that will be touched on later). If you are a creator like me, just create your CAW and upload it to the server. This time round, the forum is the game! And I have not even touch on the altogether overhauled CAW mode. THQ had earlier place an additional emphasis on creating 3D models for all the clothing and parts that is available for the player to pick and thereby resulting in authentic looking created wrestler that can stand toe to toe with the real deal (the actual Superstar) without that cheap knock-off feel you always had but won't admit to. There is a layer limit system for the create-a-superstar mode whereby each item is given a point value and the player is able to attach up to 48 points of items, with hair, pants. coats and etc. Up to three alternate attires can be created for each created wrestler. A new feature called the Paint Tool is also introduced in which players can create their own design to use as a logo or a tattoo for the created wrestler. On top of that, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 versions featured a new mode called Superstar Threads which allows the player to also create three alternate attires for existing wrestlers in the game by customizing the colors of their attire. If you had been turned off creating wrestlers due to the relatively time-consuming loading time during the process, you might want to note that loading time of the menus has been tremendously shortened as compared to the previous iterations.


Building your created wrestler's attributes is also significantly different now. Player can even enter their created wrestler into matches as a computer-controlled character against a computer-controlled opponent and get to bank the points at the end of the match without involvement at all. An improvement over last year's mode would be that the player will be having the absolute liberty to apply the points to any attribute category they desired.

Another much-touted new addition to the game is the WWE Rivals feature, which allows the player to set superstars' allies and enemies which can be used to their advantage or disadvantage in exhibition matches with the inferference option on. As expected, setting one superstar as an enemy will increase the chances of this enemy for some run-in interference. The enemy will do their usual routine, including standing by the ring and breaking up pinfalls, using his or her finisher, or bringing the weapon. Likewise for the allies.


Back to the heavily evolved Highlight Reel features mentioned earlier, it is now a feature where you are able to record match moments (which will be automatically recorded and display to you after every match) and edit them into a Highlight Reel. For what purpose, you ask, other than the usual narcissistic purpose? Well, you can convert these created Highlight Reels into entrance movies for your created wrestlers. Meanwhile, an additional incentive for PlayStation 3 players would be the capability to upload their highlight reel videos directly onto YouTube.

But that is just scraping the surface of the online utilities available this year. The real gem of this installment had to be the WWE Story Designer mode. Hated WWE's occasional (okay, I admit, most of the time) lame-ass, outrageous writing? Try your hand on it then. A further evolution to the General Manager mode last seen in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, the player can now create storylines featuring Superstar or Divas from the holy WWE trinity of weekly shows, Raw, SmackDown, or ECW and set up pay-per-views with storylines, scenarios, and matches of their creations on calendars that can last for up to 10 years. How do you pull this off? By using a variety of preset options, with over 100 different scene animations (from cutting a promo in the ring to someone getting hit by a car) and 25 different locations to design each scene. The players will get to select whoever they want for the animation roles and the camera angles and music they preferred for the scene. And there's more. Elaborate designing options for scenarios included the ability to input whatever words you would like the Superstars/Divas to speak from your created script with the text appearing as the subtitles. Both the PS3 and 360 support USB keyboards for crafting your tales but do note that there is a limit to the number of characters that can appear in a scenario. Likewise to the General Manager mode in the previous series, the player can create storylines but this time they get to decide the longevity of the the storylines, the championship titles involved, the amount of superstars or Divas involved, and what takes place in the storylines. Match-making feature allows the player to set the match type or any available stipulation (you get to set up the health for individual parts of the body of a Superstar who got himself jumped backstage in a scene before a match) and winning conditions (run-in interference is fully up to you).


Both created superstars and actual WWE superstars and Divas can be integrated into the player's created storylines, scenarios, or matches. On the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, each storyline can feature up to 500 segments including 450 matches and 50 scenarios, while the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions have a limit of 55 segments. One setback to the mode would be the fact that created wrestlers only gets to have a maximum of ten appearances for technical reason (which is somewhat mystifying as Blu-ray disc had up to 25 GB per single layered). And guess what, all this control in creations of a potential ten years worth of storyline of WWE programming can be uploaded and (duh) downloaded by all players for free. This mindboggling amount of free contents to keep you busy on a game of this nearly infinite lifespan is a tremendous improvement in gaming itself. Every aspiring WWE writers would be trying their hands on this (I can even imagine Paul Heyman or Stephanie McMahon (the chief writer of WWE) giving a go on this too, pitching their latest ideas to Vince).

As mentioned in "The Daily Zombie Rating System And Review Policy for Gaming", Presentation had always played a big yet unnoticed part in modern gaming. With the amped-up efforts that can be noticed from the minor (like all endings of WWE's production, the ending of any match will brings with it the WWE copyright disclaimer banner displaying on the side) to the mild (long-time viewer of WWE will dig the fact that you will be getting the screen with the belt flashing around before the referee holds up the title when you are on a title match) to the more significant (much-improved loading times in general), the real improvement would be the removal of the old school HUD meter and the implementation of replacing it with a halo by the Superstar's feet. The blood mechanism also functions in a new manner where it behaves in an semi-fluid manner. It will flow from the forehead to the neck then to the chest and also affecting the player as well. Although the flowing movement of the blood will not be displayed directly and only skip from one state to the other in the thick of the actions, it still makes busting your opponent up more justifiable (not that it needs further justifying about, though). The presentation in general, has been greatly enhanced with all these small yet nice touches.

I don't know is it just me or that the grapple system went through some major overhaul as well but the grappling sure seemed smoother when executed. This was not reported in the earlier previews, if my memories served well. The increased number of grappling scenarios to execute special grapples on the sides of downed opponents probably contributed to that fact. Finally, the good old four strong grapples also made its much anticipated return, with players now able to switch between each grapples.


New match types are mandatory for all the series' annual entries. This year, Championship Scramble makes its debut. Setting preset intervals with the varieties of 5, 10 and 20 minutes until all five wrestlers are in the ring, the clock starts ticking until it expires. The last wrestler to score a pinfall or submission wins the match and gets crowned the champion of the desired title at stake here. It's really a weird stipulation to begin with, back when it was introduced at WWE's Unforgiven 2008 event, and in gaming terms, the same can be said.

Another new match type would be the Mixed Tag match and the Backstage Brawl match. Mixed Tag featured "girl and guy on girl and guy" tag action with an enforced stipulation that will turn off any potential wifebeater: When the girl tags in, don't think you will be having a good time messing her up as you will have to follow suit or face DQ and the theory applies for the guys as well. On the other hand, Backstage Brawl provides five battlefields besides the ring, providing objects along the way for your good old hardcore fun. An additional incentive for Nintendo DS would be the platform exclusive Ambulance match (given that it is silly match type which I don't give a damn anyway).

Match type mainstay, The Royal Rumble, known as Royal Pain for its complicated gameplay since the launch of the series remained as convoluted as ever though this time, it is positively so due to the drastic revamp. The mini-games will be coming in hard and fast with varied method for playing so that you won't get bored easily. Hated these mini-games, just like me? The introduction of finisher in Royal Rumble will get you pumped up then. One-hit-wonder move that can knock your opponents out of the ring when they are on the corner, ropes, etc. works just like the usual finisher. With 18 of these finisher to choose from (when creating moveset, you will be prompted to choose a Royal Rumble Finisher), ranging from Sweet Chin Music to the several alternate Codebreakers to throw your opponent out from the top rope, the Royal Rumble has indeed up its game.



The regular matches with every installment of the series operates the same way with some additional touches. For example, in the First Blood match, there are some specific moves that you can apply on your opponent's head to hasten the process of drawing the eponymous first blood (though Divas are still unable to participate in it). Other minor touches included: Matches involving hardwares (in short, Tables, Ladders and Chairs, etc) have characters wearing down in a more realistic manner; an additonal lighting is provided in the Ladder Match so you know the right spot to climb on; referees will be following the player around in the Falls Count Anywhere match.

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The Rundown
After nine years and eleven installments, it would seemed that THQ has finally gotten their hands on just the right formula to, for lack of a better word, layeth the Smacketh Down, on the videogames. And they can only achieved this with the assistance from, millions, pause, and millions of SVR fans, who had been lurking around the online message forums, whining and ranting on ways to improve the franchise. Thus, what better way for a payback to these fans, by implementing the format, allowing the fans to share their created wrestlers, storylines or finishers online.

While I'll be the first to admit that I would love to see TNA providing the challenge by coming out with a sequel to the reasonably decent TNA Impact, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is undoubtedly the one wrestling game to rule them all. Without a shadow of a doubt.

The Good
- The WWE Story Designer mode is a godsend for any true wrestling game
enthusiast
- Significantly improved presentations with the shorter loading time, smart placement of the HUD, the emulation of the feel of the actual TV shows , etc
- The Road to WrestleMania remains a good play
- Great-looking characters, arenas, cut-scene and almost everything else
- Royal Rumble gameplay living up to the excitement of the source
- Solid creation tools for the CAS mode

The Bad
- Created wrestlers only gets to have a maximum of ten appearances in the WWE Story Designer mode
- The actions still experience some minor hiccup with occasional clipping and animation issues
- The much-hyped revamped Create A Finisher mode is in fact slightly enhanced, with some updates and the inclusion of aerial finishers

And The Rock?
Yes, both The Rock and Stone Cold will be featured in the game, with more Legends to be announced. Though it has been rumoured that Vince McMahon, Dusty Rhodes, Bob Orton Jr. and Ted DiBiase Sr are also amongst the unlockables. Then again, there's always the DLC factor with third-gen consoles.



Outstanding

Ever noticed the naming convention of the Guitar Hero Series besides the main releases, like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metalica? Then perhaps you are somewhat puzzled by how "The Beatles: Rock Band" is being named? In fact, you should not. It's the freaking Beatles, after all.



The Beatles: Rock Band
Developed by: Harmonix (PS3/Xbox 360)/ Pi Studios (Wii)
Published by: MTV Games
Distributed by: EA Distribution
Designed by: Chris Foster, Sylvain Dubrofsky, Casey Malone
Platforms available on: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Released Date: September 9th, 2009
Genre: Rhythm game
Rating content: ESRB: T (Teen) / PEGI: 12 Mild Lyrics,Tobacco Reference


















Developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, all three of the usual suspects behind the acclaimed Rock Band series, The Beatles: Rock Band is the third major console release in the Rock Band rhythm video game series.

For the uninitiated, the Rock Band rhythm video game series simulate the rock band experience by allowing the players to play the songs by using the respective band instruments-shaped controllers. Featuring the visual depictions of the many differing eras of The Beatles' varied histories (from boyish music enthusiasts to bearded hippies) the game had the unenviable tasks of reliving 45 classic Beatles hits with additional songs and albums being made available for the game as downloadable content later on down the line.

Released globally on 9th September 2009 to coincide with the release of the new, remastered CD versions of The Beatles albums, the game will be featuring the actual sounds of the Fab Four, while retaining the basic gameplay features of the Rock Band series. This was made possible with the assistance and cooperation of Apple Corps (no relation to Bill Gates and his empire), a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by British rock band The Beatles to replace their earlier company (Beatles Ltd.) and to form a conglomerate. Giles Martin, son of The Beatles' music producer George Martin (who incidentally produced almost all major album by The Beatles), stood in as the music producer for the game, while Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr presented the game personally at the Microsoft press conference at E3 2009. On the other hand, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, widows of the late John Lennon and George Harrison respectively, also made a brief appearance at the event.

As mentioned earlier, the game will be retaining the basic gameplay features of the Rock Band series, but with The Beatles, you bet that there must be some changes. While the addition of a three-part vocal harmony system is mainly an improvement of the technical aspects, some changes were made for the sheer reasons that they are The Beatles. Picture this: The Fab Four booed off the stage due to players playing badly. That, of course, wouldn't be happening. Which is why instead of the "booed off" scene we known and hated whenever we sucked at the game, we get a "Song Failed" menu. Likewise, while the crowd usually cheer maniacally whenever the band are performing well, the cheers will not be noticeable. Some special audio effects like the whammy bar on a sustained marked note for the lead guitarist will be removed while it still does collect more Beatlemania/Overdrive points.

As with all Rock Band installments, new instrument peripherals were released and with this one, the theme couldn't get more blatant. Four new instrument peripherals modeled after those used by The Beatles themselves were introduced upon the launch. These include a Rickenbacker 325 guitar, a Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, a Höfner bass and a Ludwig drum set. While these peripherals are brand new, the functions remains the same as per earlier releases such as the Stratocaster.


While earlier reports indicated McCartney's wish to have all four members to be in hyper-realistic detail, the final decision to have more stylized, somewhat cartoon-like designs turned out to be a right call. Additionally, the animation for all four respective Fab Four are aided by motion capture provided by Beatles tribute bands while the designers reportedly researched on fashions of the 1960s to appropriately apply them to the respective different crowds in the varied locations featured.

The choice for the performance videos depicted in the gameplay proves to be interestingly distinctly deviations from the usual concert or studio performance that we are used to. With Apple Corps providing rare materials such as the stock photos taken during the iconic Ed Sullivan Show's performance when The Beatles performed their first live broadcast in the United States, Harmonic designers meticulously recreated the many realistic and surreal scenes.
Talk about real and surreal, venues appeared through out the game are as varied from The Cavern Club, Shea Stadium, Budokan, Abbey Road Studios and the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters to the psychedelic march in Magical Mystery Tour. Though you will hear complaints from the players for being not able to view the visuals as they are too engrossed with the gameplay.

Like the precedent Rock Bands, the opening cinema were produced by Pete Candeland of Passion Pictures, with help from animator Robert Valley and background visuals from Alberto Mielgo. But this one simply slays any potential comparisons with the previous opening movies. Clocked at two minutes forty seconds, the sequence, interspersed with obvious and the not-so-obvious puns and references to the music of The Beatles, provided a brief but nonetheless rich representation of the remarkable history of the Fab Four. Quite possibly, the best opening video for a video game thus far in 2009.



Till now, the sales have been encouraging, despite the enormous threat from another Rhythm Game giant, Guitar Hero's fifth major release. Comparison between both brands are inevitable and healthy though. While the game's relatively short lifespan are notably the complaints of most major game critics, the game had enjoyed mainly rave reviews since the release a week back.