Back in the May of ‘05 the first in the Forza Motorsport franchise was released, and in June ‘07 the second was released, now in 2009 we have the latest in the series, the cleverly named…Forza Motorsport 3! (Shocking I know, didn’t see it coming either.)

Graphics:Wow, is the only word I can use to describe them without the need for censorship, Forza 3 runs at a crisp 60 fps and is very smooth and appealing to look at. The details on the cars are second to none, every little crease is accounted for. You can perfectly see the carbon firbre weave on the Audi R8 (the hero car) in the lil visual you’re given at the start. Forza 3 also features real-time-tyre deformation, meaning when you turn into, lets say a left hand bend, the tyres on the right hand side of the car are going to compress, and you actually see it! The details on the tracks is awesome, these tracks are beautiful, from the small sea-side Itallian villages to the sweeping corners of the Nürburgring in Germany. These graphics are top notch. 9.5/10

Sounds:In Forza 3 there are many different cars and tyre compounds and exhaust manifolds, and so on and so forth, so you’d expect there to be a plethera of different and individual sounds that don’t distort (seeing as this is the 3rd gen of this game, you’d want it to be good) and you won’t be disappionted. Everything from the little buzzy engine in a Fiat 500 Arbath to the roaring V12 of the Audi Q7 sounds just stunning. The tyre noises are nice and clear and don’t distort among the engine noises. 8/10

Gameplay:One of the best I have ever played, my only beef with it is the fact you have to pick a default controller setup and can’t customise it just so, however minor problems aside, this game is one for everyone. Die-hard enthusiasts will love it every bit as much as much as their 9 year old sister, it’s very easy to get used to and wether you just want a quick blast round a circuit or sit for hours on end getting CR and modifying your car and tuning to your own spec, it’s perfect. There are 2 modes you can go into, Event mode, where you see you’re career by events similar to that of Forza 2 or another mode where you see it as a calender. My only major problem with it is the split screen mode was Forza 2’s weak spot, and I’m afraid to say it’s the same in Forza 3 due to same Proprietary engine having to split itself and you lose some of the feel of the game, but when someone does challenge you to a split screen race, as long as it’s less than 5 laps you won’t be throwing your controller at the TV. 9/10

Anything else:I had some minor problems uploading the additional content disc on to my HDD but after some perseverance it did upload, but I was ready to fall asleep and not bother playing the game when I had started the upload. The uploading itself is a quick and painless process, giving you additional tracks and cars.

Turn 10 have announced that the 1st expansion pack available to download over Xbox Live will be out from the start of December to new year.

If you have Xbox Live you will be pleased to know that inside every copy of the game will be a redeemable code that gives you 10 extra cars and 2 tracks.

Overall:Forza 3 is the best game I have played this year and the best racer I have ever played. Really great graphics and awesome sounds make for a very enjoyable gaming experience and the general gameplay and feel of the game makes it that 100% better. I give this game a; 9.8/10

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @MichaelB5522

The people at VGChartz published a snapshot of a fake ad found in the manual of Episodes from Liberty City, look at the bottom corner, and the torn bit looks to be some mountains. Could be where we’re heading next in the GTA saga. Also check out the lil red stamp, could be a March release date, which year, we don’t know!

Rising Star Games has a very busy start to 2010, with eight games in total due for release in February/March, including three titles from affiliate label Gamebridge.

Half-Minute Hero is on its way to the PSP in February, with puzzle game Animal Kororo due for release on rival handheld platform Nintendo DS. Papermates is also set to hit the DS in February, and Way of the Samurai 3 will be released for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms.

March is equally busy, and amongst others will see the release of the eagerly anticipated Nintendo Wii title Fragile Dreams. March is a completely Nintendo focused month for Rising Star, with two games apiece to be released for the DS and Wii.

2010 is looking to be an incredibly exciting year for Rising Star Games, and the following is a full list of the Rising Star/Gamebridge titles due for release in February/March 2010:

February 2010
• Animal Kororo (NDS)
• Half-Minute Hero (PSP)
• Way of the Samurai 3 (Gamebridge, Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3)
• Papermates (Gamebridge, NDS)

March 2010
• Avalon Code (NDS)
• Fragile Dreams (Nintendo Wii)
• My World My Way (NDS)
• Rune Factory Frontier (Nintendo Wii)

As a long time fan of the Sports Interactive series, I always look forward to playing the latest Football Manager games when released. Football Manager 2010 was no different, and when the FM2010 Demo was released I was very excited to start playing as my team of choice, Oxford United. It didn’t take me too long at all to get to January in the game, and having now started a new demo game as Manchester City; I feel that the time has come to provide my first thoughts on Football Manager 2010.

The first thing that strikes you about Football Manager 2010 when you start playing is the new interface. For a number of years now the Football Manager look has remained pretty consistent, the interface has now been completely revamped however and looks very impressive for it. I must admit that I had got very used to the old interface, and when I first played FM2010 the new look therefore came as quite a shock; it didn’t take me long to get used to the new interface however, and I do in fact feel now that it has been improved, and Sports Interactive has made the game even stronger in this area.

When you sign a new player in FM2010 you can now choose to hold a press conference, and this is a very cool feature to have been added to the game. Each year Sports Interactive just keeps making the game better, and this is definitely one of the new features that I’ve been incredibly impressed with having played the demo.

The 3D match engine looks to have been improved, and in addition to this, crowds have been added to enhance the game’s realism. One thing I have picked up on about the FM2010 Demo crowds is that when managing Oxford United none of the fans wore yellow shirts, and yet managing Manchester City there are plenty of sky blue shirts in the crowd (and plenty of shirts in the crowd for the opposition side also). Not really sure why the Oxford fans don’t wear shirts and yet fans from the Football League do but there you go; maybe this is something that will be resolved for when the full game is released. It would also be a nice touch if every in-game stadium was an accurate representation of the real life stadium, one step at a time though I guess, and I suppose it’s not too bad a situation when your home ground is given four sides rather than its real number of three.

There are some very interesting new features with Football Manager 2010, small tweaks that have made my favourite football management sim even greater, and once again Sports Interactive appears to have put together a very impressive game. It’s easy to shout touchline instructions in the middle of a match, the game seems more fun than ever to play, and overall here I definitely feel that some very positive tweaks and changes have occurred.

The initial signs are strong with Football Manager 2010, and I now can’t wait to play the full-game when it’s released. Football Manager 2010 is a game that I can most definitely see myself spending many happy hours playing over the coming weeks and months.

Well, not so long ago Song released a Slim-line PS3 and announced a 250GB, so Microsoft, bravely followed suit and (after a short leak on German Amazon) announced they would also be releasing a 250GB console. Well, there has been no confirmation if there will be any asthetic changes to the console, but what we do know, is this new console will be using the newest “Jasper” chip set, designed specifically to prevent RROD, so buy this new one when it comes out (at around £220) and you are almost confirmed that this console won’t get RROD. On the other hand, who the heck is gonna need all that memory? If you do need the memory or are just buying the console because it’s something new and shiny, I reckon it’d be a safe investment.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelB5522

Well, with the release of this game this week (Friday in the UK) I thought it fitting to bring you all up to speed with it. This game comes as a add on bought through Xbox Live or on a disc along with The Lost and Damned (a pervious GTA add- on) just as an FYI for those of you who are going to go out and buy GTA:IV along with the add-on disc, there is no need (that is if you haven’t bought GTA:IV already.)

Pretty cool I think, anyway, the game. This add-on sees the return of the infamous parachute, something that was missing from GTA:IV. A welcome return for this frankly brilliant feature, the chute was a big thing in San Andreas letting you hop out of copters and plummet to the ground or jump off a huge building.

Rockstar have been keeping their cards rather close to their chests on this one so not much news or rumors have been floating about (similar to that of Modern Warfare 2) I’ll be getting a review to you guys as soon as I can.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @MichaelB5522

Radio 1 has a very fun facing game up at the moment called FTW (Fastest Time Wins), where you can race as one of five characters; Fearne Cotton, Scott Mills, Zane Lowe, Chris Moyles, or Greg James.

With a choice of three different race tracks, Rush Hour, Studio Dash, and The Big Weekend, you also get to decide who you wish to race against and have to try and beat their time. When your racer of choice is on air you’ll get a speed boost which will help you achieve a faster time, and if you are able to beat your competitor then you’ll get to play the bonus game.

Radio 1’s FTW game is incredibly addictive, but also happens to be very fun, and if you’ve got a minute or two to spare then I definitely recommend having a few games.

Click here to play the game now, and see if you can beat my best score of 32.75 seconds (I always seem to make at least one minor error on the track so I’m sure that plenty of you will be able to beat me).

Championship Manager 2010 is to become available to Mac users as of November 13th, courtesy of leading Mac developers Virtual Programming. The game has been available to PC users since September 11th, Mac users are soon to have access to the football management sim also however, complete with the same features as its popular PC counterpart.

Mac gamers have been missing out on the fun for the last six weeks, thankfully that will soon change though, and I’m sure there will be many Mac users across Europe getting stuck in to Championship Manager 2010 come mid-November.

The game is to have an SRRP of £29.95, and will be available across Europe from November 13th in selected retail stores and online.

As a huge fan of Football Manager, I’ve experimented with many different teams and tactics in the series. I’m mainly a fan of managing lower level teams and trying to take them to the top; whilst managing Manchester City I was able to experiment with Brazilian wonderkids however, using my massive transfer budget to try out different options all over the field.

I built an unstoppable title winning Manchester City team with Brazilian talent at the core, and whilst doing so I was able to discover the very best in young Brazilian players and wonderkids.

Quite an obvious choice, but still not one to be overlooked; Pato. In real life Alexandre Pato is already making his mark in football, playing well for both club and country, and if you decide to sign him up in Football Manager 2009 then things will be no different. Pato is a player that just seems to go from strength to strength within the game, and if you’re able to sign him in Football Manager then he’ll score you plenty of goals for many years to come. He’s the sort of striker that you most definitely want in a title challenging team, and with the goals that this guy scores your team is bound to benefit from having Pato in the starting eleven.

A lesser known attacking genius is Cruizeiro’s Guilherme. He’s actually now joined Dynamo Kiev in real life and is doing an incredible job there, and if you sign him in Football Manager then he really shouldn’t let you down. After buying Guilherme for my Manchester City team he quickly became my star man, and when I had him playing alongside Pato upfront he was actually scoring more Premier League goals than Pato. He’s definitely a striker that’s well worth investing in, and as he’s available for a lot less money than Pato; Guilherme is a player that I’d most definitely highly recommend signing.

Douglas Costa is another player worth investing in, and if you’re looking to bolster your midfield then Costa is a good man to have in your squad. He’s definitely a quality player to have in your team, and as he’s recently been linked with Manchester United in the real world of football; it’s obvious that the game has got it right in making Douglas Costa a very special player.

Another player to have been linked with Manchester United in real life, Alex Teixeira is a very strong attacking prospect, and if you decide to sign him for your team then it’s likely that he’ll provide plenty of assists, and score a number of goals each season also. He’s a player that can be relied on to average around a 7 rating for the season, and if you’re going to sign Alex Teixeira then another player that you should also be looking at is Marquinhos.

Much like Alex Teixeira, Marquinhos is an excellent attacking player that you can expect a high average rating from, and these two can combine together nicely to provide a very effective partnership. Marquinhos will also score a lot of goals and provide a quality number of assists, and with these two in your attack you can expect title winning form from them. They provide fantastic quality attacking from the midfield, and can also be used upfront when required. These two players will supply the goals, and if you’ve got someone upfront such as Pato or Guilherme then there’s really no reason why your team shouldn’t become unstoppable in attack.

Manchester United’s Anderson is another excellent attacking player that’s worth signing in Football Manager 2009, and although he hasn’t yet set the world of football alight in real life, in Football Manager he develops nicely to become a very high quality player.

Defensively I’ve found Brazilian wonderkids a little harder to come by, one that has stood out however has been Real Madrid’s Marcelo. He’s a difficult player to get hold of as Real Madrid is very keen on hanging onto him; if you are able to prize Marcelo away from the Bernabeu though then you’ll have yourself a very high quality left back that can also play incredibly well on the left side of midfield.

Central defender David Luiz is another young Brazilian player that you really should look to sign, and if you’re looking for a good reliable defender then I’d definitely say that David Luiz is your man. Fabrico and Breno are two other Brazilian options to consider, David Luiz is the one you should really be setting your sights on first though, and if you sign David Luiz then you can be sure that you have yourself a very high quality player.

If you’d like to have a brilliant Brazilian between the sticks, then Renan is your man. Botafogo’s Renan and Valencia’s Renan are both excellent; Botafogo’s is the younger option though, so if you’re going for a real youth prospect then he’s the man you should be after.

So just to clarify, these are the young Brazilian players/wonderkids that I would well and truly recommend:

Goalkeepers:

Renan (Botafogo)
Renan (Valencia)

Defenders:

Marcelo (Real Madrid)
David Luiz (Benfica)
Fabrico (Flamengo)
Breno (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders:

Douglas Costa (Gremio)
Marquinhos (Palmeiras)
Alex Teixeira (Vasco da Gama)
Anderson (Manchester United)

Forwards:

Pato (AC Milan)
Guilherme (Cruzeiro)

The complete DJ Hero set list has now been unveiled, consisting of a massive 93 mixes in total. An incredible number of artists are featured in the game, with DJ Hero covering all sorts of different genres including Dance, Hip Hop, Rock, and Pop.

Whatever your taste in music, DJ Hero is sure to have a number of mixes to satisfy, and playing this game is bound to be an absolute blast.

DJ Hero is sure to be the game to play in 2009, and I for one just can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Here is the full DJ Hero set list:

• 2Pac – “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”
• 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
• 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”
• Afrika Bambaataa – “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express – “Get Down”
• Beastie Boys – “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow – “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie – “Rapture”
• Beastie Boys – “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
• Beck – “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” Beat Juggle
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
• Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction” vs. Tiësto – “Elements Of Life”
• Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac – “How Do You Want It”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones – “Fuzz And Them”
• Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies – “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
• Common – “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace – “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV – “Spooky”
• Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod – “The Edge”
• Daft Punk – “Around The World” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
• Daft Punk – “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”
• Daft Punk – “Megamix 1”
• Daft Punk – “Megamix 2”
• Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim – “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Queen – “We Will Rock You”
• Daft Punk – “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades”
• Daft Punk – “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars”
• Daft Punk – “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt – “Hella Good”
• David Axelrod – “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President”
• Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow – “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”
• Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice – “Genesis”
• DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code – “Annie’s Horn”
• Eminem – “My Name Is” vs. Beck – “Loser”
• Fedde Le Grand – “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys – “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt 2” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie – “Atomic”
• Grandmaster Flash’s – “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo – “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
• Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” Beat Juggle
• Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”
• JAY-Z feat. Pharrell – “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac – “All Eyez on Me”
• JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem – “My Name Is”
• JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”
• JAY-Z – “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
• Jean Knight – “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace – “Born To Roll”
• Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
• Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock – “Rockit”
• Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
• Kool Moe Dee – “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – “I Like To Move It”
• Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo – “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Wale – “Lookin’ At Me”
• Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
• Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
• Motörhead – “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia – “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes – “Theme From Shaft”
• Noisia – “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Paul van Dyk – “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Public Enemy – “Shut ‘Em Down” vs. Beck – “Where It’s At”
• Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice – “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Q-Tip – “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk”
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister – “Control”
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
• Shlomo – “Beats” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
• Street Sweeper Social Club – “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
• The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J – “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This”
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”
• Wale – “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie – “Hey Mama”
• Weezer – “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys – “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)