Blood Bowl

If you’re a fan of the Blood Bowl board game then there’s a good chance that you’ll thoroughly enjoy playing this title for the Xbox 360, if you have a PC that meets the minimum requirements for the Blood Bowl PC game however then you’ll probably want to buy this game for the PC rather than the 360. The reason I say this is because when comparing the Xbox 360 version of the game to the PC version; the Xbox 360 game suffers in key areas. Whereas the PC game offers you the ability to compete in online leagues and you can build up your team as you play against fellow human gamers; with Blood Bowl for the Xbox 360 there is only the option to play one-off games against other human players, and in terms of online gameplay you therefore don’t get anywhere close to the same experience that you’d get with the PC game.

With that out of the way, whilst the online experience may not be the same, the actual quality of gameplay is still quite strong for the Xbox 360, and although the occasional glitch may be experienced; Blood Bowl board game fans should be able to get many hours of fun out of this video game. As an Xbox 360 title you would perhaps expect a little more in terms of the quality of graphics and sound, if you’re a fan of the board game looking to play a good few games of Blood Bowl on your console though then the game should surely satisfy.

If you’re not someone that is familiar with the Blood Bowl board game then this may not be for you. Blood Bowl is a turn-based strategy game, and whilst it may be loosely based on the game of American Football, this is definitely not a pick-up and play title for fans of Madden NFL. Don’t assume that because you like Madden NFL you will also enjoy Blood Bowl; you may well be someone that will enjoy both games, it’s definitely not a given though, and if you’ve never before played the Blood Bowl board game then this is a game that may take some time to really get, particularly given the fairly sub-standard tutorial that is offered. A greater tutorial would definitely be of benefit here, Cyanide is clearly hoping mainly to target those that are familiar with the board game however, and this can be seen as the reason as to why the tutorial is not as in-depth as it perhaps might have been.

The game has eight playable races; Humans, Orcs, Wood Elves, Dwarfs, Skaven, Lizardmen, Chaos, and Goblins, and if you’re planning to play this one as a single-player title then there’s definite fun to be had in watching your team level up after each match. If you were hoping for an online mode to rival the PC version of the game then as previously stated you’re going to be left sorely disappointed, and although Cyanide has done a decent job in porting the game to Xbox 360, the PC game is still superior, and if you want to purchase the game then it’s worth checking those specifications to see if you’re going to be able to run the PC version on your machine.

Blood Bowl for the Xbox 360 is far from perfect, it does still remain a very playable game however, and whilst the PC version offers more for the gamer, this is still a title to look to if you want to play Blood Bowl on the screen as opposed to the table.

6/10

Graphics: It seems IW have just been plain lazy with the graphics for the main part of this game, they haven’t changed an awful lot, but when you do get the chance to dangle tantilisingly close to the edge of a gaping chasm in the Cliffhanger mission, you really do feel it and the snow effects further on in that mission are top notch. The little touches are what I appreciate the most though, for example when you spend a long period of time outside in the snow, your gun gets some snow on it and when you go inside, it melts. Amazing! On the whole the graphics haven’t changed much since CoD 4 however the little touches more than make up for it. 8/10

Sounds: The sound in CoDs of old were absolutley crapola, however IW have really cleaned up their act with this one, the gun noises are excellent and the voices of fellow soldiers is second to none. Even the engine noises from BMG (Big ass machine gun cars!) are very nice. 8/10

Gameplay: This is one of the CoD series’ very large up points, it’s brilliant. It’s the same controller layout which is very simple to use and is brilliantly laidout. The missions in this game absolutely rock, they range from driving a snowmobile full pelt down a hill to holding up in a fast food place, it is brilliant. The offline multiplayer is just as awesome, and as long as you don’t cheat and get your 3 year old cousin to play with you it’s just as good as online. The Spec Ops (that’s Special Operations) is a new multiplayer mode, similar to the “Nazi Zombies” that Treyarch spearheaded in the last CoD game, and the “Horde” in Gears of War 2, basically you and a buddy team up to fight wave after wave of bad guys (the same ones you encounter in the campaign) each wave gets harder and harder for example you might start out with 21 hostiles to kill, then in the next round it’s 25 hostiles and a jeep and so on and so forth. 9/10

Anything Else: The first expansion pack for this game is due for release in Spring 2010.

You get a nice shiny 48 hr Xbox live trial if you buy the Xbox version (obviously) which is nice and handy if your Xbox live runs out all of a sudden.

There are other “luxury” versions on this game, Hardened, Veteran and Prestige, depending on how much you want people to hate you.

If you’re like me and don’t have Xbox Live and henceforth can’t get updates, this game comes with an update preinstalled, enabling you to make an avatar!

Overall: This game is easily the best FPS shooter this year, with lovely little touches that I know will make you smile and cracking sound quality. Awesome gameplay and some nice additional features, this game is a must buy for ANY FPS fan. 9.7/10

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @MichaelB5522

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

With Blanka as my street fighter of choice, I set about recreating many happy memories of old, quickly feeling the Street Fighter memories flooding back to me. Electrocuting my opposition, I soon found myself getting incredibly into Street Fighter IV, finding it to be a very enjoyable video game.

If you were a Street Fighter fan in the past then you’ll no doubt still be one today. Many of the old characters still remain, and you’re quickly able to get down to gaming as you get used to the controls. You can spend many hours truly mastering the game and its huge variety of moves; alternatively you can just pick the game up and play however, and the option is there to get as much or as little involved in the game’s intricate workings as you like.

The aesthetics here are brilliant, with the traditional 2D screen scrolling included, with a nice modern touch in the way of the 3D graphics. The graphics here really do work well, and the game has been brought up to date to still be as relevant in 2009 as it was back in the nineties. The gameplay is as fun as ever, and although the years have quickly passed; Street Fighter is still yet to lose its cool.

The controls are incredibly responsive, and you’re happily able to play the game and get your moves in when you want to. There’s no waiting around for your character to catch up with your move selections, and this therefore provides for a very smooth and much enjoyable gaming experience.

The music here serves its purpose, adding to the gaming experience as a whole as you look to conquer your opponents. Everything about the game has just come together very nicely here, and it’s clear that much time has been spent in trying to make the game as perfect as possible.

Street Fighter IV is not a game that tries to bring anything new to the fighting game genre; Street Fighter is an unashamedly old school name, and as such the game therefore reflects this. Capcom doesn’t try and reinvent the wheel here, it instead opts to provide the quality Street Fighter game that we were all hoping for, and in doing so has provided many people with a lot of happy hours of quality gaming entertainment.

If you have played and enjoyed a Street Fighter game in the past then I really do urge you to go out there and purchase Street Fighter IV; it’ll definitely not be a decision that you regret, and you’ll no doubt spend many happy hours playing this one. Street Fighter IV is most definitely a game that has impressed me, and I can’t really provide any reason not to buy this game; it’s just a very good fighting game, and one that would sit very nicely in your collection.

9/10

When I first sat down with Legends of Wrestlemania I was excited to get involved in matches with some of my favourite wrestlers from years gone by. It’s fun to see your favourites in pixel form, and the game allows you to recreate/change history in some of the most high profile wrestling matches ever to have taken place.

Legends of Wrestlemania is a bit of fun for nostalgic value, when it comes to the actual quality of the gameplay however the game is seriously let down. The game is just far too easy, and although the simplistic arcade nature of the game may appeal to some; if you’re an experienced gamer looking for a challenge then Legends of Wrestlemania is definitely not going to provide you with that. The graphics are nothing special here, and whilst Legends of Wrestlemania definitely isn’t a bad game; it’s certainly not a very exciting one.

It didn’t take me too long at all to get bored of playing Legends of Wrestlemania, and although it’s nice to be able to play as some of your former wrestling favourites; the novelty of the game is quick to wear off, and the game does little to make you want to keep playing.

If you were a wrestling fan in the eighties/nineties then you’ll probably want to rent Legends of Wrestlemania in order to relive a few happy memories; I wouldn’t recommend investing in the game though as it’s unlikely that you’ll be wanting to play the game for more than a couple of hours. I’ve definitely played worse wrestling games in the past than Legends of Wrestlemania, the arcade style and incredible ease of the game doesn’t sit too well with me at all though, and in terms of gameplay it just doesn’t come anywhere close to matching the quality of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.

Legends of Wrestlemania is by no means a must have THQ sports title, if you were a fan of wrestling in the eighties/nineties though then playing the game at least once is a definite must.

5/10