Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Rock Weekend his party announced live on Xbox

Fans Celebrate the Culmination of the season as Football Awards Play and Play with Game Developer Neversoft

Gridiron fans are prepared to dance and win prizes on Xbox LIVE with Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock! Activision announced today that Xbox LIVE will host the Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock - Rock Your Party Weekend, a special event happening the weekend of great games, February 1-3, 2008 for residents USA And Canada. The 72-hour event to the players the opportunity to test their skills and axe grinding includes a Play & Win Sweepstakes that offers players who register and play, a chance to win numerous prizes. Before the big game, fans can test their talent against Neversoft, developers Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock, from 12 to 4 pm PST on Sunday, February 3.

Some of the prizes include Microsoft points, Guitar Hero Gear and a guitar wireless Xbox 360 faceplate signed by Slash. One lucky grand prize winner will take home the Home Ultimate Gaming Center, which includes a LG 50 "Flat-Panel HDTV 1080p plasma, an Xbox 360 and a BoomChair Elite - Wi-FX Wireless Gaming Chair.

Fans can register for Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock - Rock at the Fiesta weekend Xbox LIVE by downloading Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock GamerPics exclusively through Xbox LIVE for Xbox 360 video game market and entertainment system from Microsoft. Players also can register by visiting http://www.xbox.com/rockyourparty/ where they can get additional information on the terms, conditions and official rules.

Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with the new wireless guitars, newly added content and features including a multiplayer action inspired by the battle mode, head grueling battles, a series of exclusive content and unlockable visually impressive rock places. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders around the world to compete head-to-head in the status of real rock, and that through a riff stars and soundtrack including legendary master of tracks by artists like Aerosmith, Guns' N 'Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs on guitar Slash icons and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock is now available and is rated "T" for teens by the ESRB. For more information visit http://www.guitarhero.com/.

Call Of Duty 3

Whenever you think of a Call Of Duty game you think guns, action and tanks. Thankfully Call Of Duty 3 lives up to its previous titles and has all of these things packed into a nice singleplayer and multiplayer game.

The game itself is set during world war 3 during the german invasion of paris and as with all the previous Call Of Duty games, after the tutorial you are quickly given a gun and are forced to go through some nice and detailed levels. Throughout the game you are switched between certain countries fighting for the french in the war and although this can make the story a little confusing at times it does give the story some variety as you are put in different situations. Although the levels are fairly straightfoward they are far from linear and the graphics make the french countryside look great. The graphics are certainly not Gears Of War standard but they certainly reach their mark.

Some times there is a lack of variety in the main storyline as most objectives only ask you to defend positions destroy tanks or clear out a certain area but thankfully these objectives are quite fun anyway even if they are slightly overused. Overall the main storyline is longer then most others in the genre and should keep you busy for quite a while. The music and sound effects in COD 3 are also fantastic and are definatly one of its strong points.

Another excellent part of Call Of Duty 3 is its excellent multiplayer. Generally players can either participate in a number of team based games like capture the flag or participate in all out everyman for himself battles. Generally there was not too much lag and there were lots of games to play. The multiplayer aspect of the game will keep you occupied for quite some time after the main storyline is finished. Another thing to note on the multiplayer side of things is that unfortunatly there is no co op which is a bit of a letdown.

Overall, if you are a fan of the other COD shooters or even first person shooters in general then this is a game that you shouldn't miss.

Strength
*Great long storyline
*Great looking graphics
*Awesome Multiplayer
*Spectacular music
*Great AI

Weakness
*No co op
*Some close ups of scenery can look ugly
*Some missions can get boring due to a lack of new objectives

Source : http://www.videogamereview.com

Guitar Hero II

Ever since its initial debut, RedOctane’s Guitar Hero series has been a godsend for gamers looking to channel their inner-Hendrix, effectively replacing the air guitar and giving them a means to rock out. The first game was an instant hit, striking a chord with gamers through rock hits new and old. The second game turned the series into an all-out phenomenon and cemented its position in gaming.

Now, the sequel is gearing up to release on the Xbox 360, marking the series’ debut on next-gen hardware. GameZone recently received a preview build of the game, complete with the new X-Plorer Guitar Controller that will ship with the game this spring.

In most ways, Guitar Hero 2 is the same game that’s currently available on the PS2, which is by no means a bad thing considering how fun and painfully addictive the game is (and I do mean painful, as my arms are sore just thinking about it). The key differences in the Xbox 360 version stem from the introduction of ten exclusive new songs. These are: Toadies – Possum Kingdom; Deep Purple – Hush; Pearl Jam – Life Wasted; Rick Derringer – Rock N’ Roll Hoochie Koo; Rancid – Salvation; Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies; My Chemical Romance – Dead!; Iron Maiden – The Trooper; Ounce of Self – Drink Up; and Noble Rot – Kicked to the Curb.

Of the new tracks, both Possum Kingdom by Toadies and Dead! by My Chemical Romance are master tracks, meaning that they are the actual studio versions recorded by the original artists. The game also features all of the songs from the original PS2 version, bringing the current track total up to 74. The game will also have new songs for download via Xbox Live, but actual track dates and pricing details are unknown.

The game will make good use of achievement points, with 1,000 possible points you can gain. They range from goofball goals like failing a song on easy mode or refusing to perform an encore, to very difficult ones like beat every song on expert or get a 1,000 note streak in co-op.

The online elements unfortunately do not include the co-op mode (only playable with two guitars on one system). However, there will be leaderboards where you can compare yourself to other player’s scores and song rankings.

The Xbox 360 version of the guitar controller is also quite different. Modeled after the body of a Gibson Explorer, the X-Plorer Controller seems a bit smaller than the PS2 versions, but still measures at the same distance between the fret buttons and the strum bar. The fret buttons are square-shaped and not rounded off like the PS2 controller, and the front strap notch is actually behind the neck instead of the front side of the body.

Another key difference is the inclusion of a D-Pad and the Xbox Guide button, both placed below the Start and Back buttons to the lower left of the Strum bar. The guitar feels very comfortable and responsive, and I personally had better luck with it than I do with the PS2 one. The only problem I had was the whammy bar, which felt a little stiff and unresponsive when trying to gain star power on sustains.

Of course, Guitar Hero 2 will get a high-def boost on the Xbox 360, and the character models look great and feature added special effects. All in all, the game is looking to be a worthy investment for Xbox 360 gamers who have yet to get on the bandwagon.

source : www.gamezone.com

Silverfall – PC – Featured Game

Set in a world of fantasy dominated by the great, opposing powers of technology and nature, Silverfall gamers must choose between these forces in order to conquer all forthcoming quests and save the principal city from falling. Two companions will accompany them on their journey through the fascinating world of Nelwë. Decision-making is key throughout the game, as players’ choices impact both storyline and accumulation of skills. Features a vast, open fantasy universe offering complete freedom, from the flying zeppelin city of Cloudworks to the mage volcano of Brazer. 150+ creatures and bosses. Ability to create your own character from a choice of four races and release your inner beast by transforming into a fearsome, flesh rending were-beast. Capability of building your team of two from a choice of eight companions. Each of them has their own story, background, abilities and can endow you with quests. The way you treat them will alter their loyalties – they can become your friend for life or even a lover. Manage your character's evolution by choosing from 130+ skills and spells. Create precisely the character you want to play and adapt it to your style of play. Two multiplayer modes – the first allows the player to connect to any party, compose their team and play in co-op or PVP (up to eight players); the second sees the player compose a team at the beginning and play through the entire story together.

Virtua Fighter 5

[The first review is on the stands! The game is released on the 20th] Virtua Fighter 5 features an all-star cast of 17 fighters, including characters from the previous iterations along with two new characters named El Blaze and Eileen. El Blaze is a Mexican fighting champion who defeats opponents with his quick Lucha Libre fighting style.

Eileen, originally from China, uses a Monkey Kung-Fu fighting style that she learned from her grandfather, a former Kung-Fu master. Players are able to customize their characters by selecting from four uniquely patterned costumes and a wide range of attachable items that can be placed onto each fighter�s various body parts.

Virtua Fighter 5 delivers fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action as players head into battle, taking on a host of popular characters. Players not only achieve victory by defeating highly-skilled opponents, but also by competing for prizes which earn them in-game money allowing them to buy many items at in-game shop.

These items allow players to customize their ultimate warrior and become the top Virtua Fighter. In addition, the game introduces "Offensive Move", a new maneuver that allows players to easily approach opponents from the side, adding a more strategic element to the battle. The game supports 720p HD resolution. [Sega]

Source: metacritic

Game developer shoots down new OS

As Vista was grandly introduces to the world, computer game publisher WildTangent accused Microsoft's new operating system of ruining many common computer games. The US firm WildTangent alleged that the world's largest software maker "has gone overboard" by making Vista so secure it blocks or disable play.

Vista"breaks" games from Microsoft's online MSN service as well as from game website operated by Yahoo!, America Online, and RealArcade, according to WildTangent chieft executive Alex St John.

The operating system's parental controls that enable adults to restrict what children access with computers also blocks downloads of family-friendly games not rated by the Electronic Software Ratings Board, he alleged.

WildTangent said it spent s year crafting game console software that was compatible with Vista. The "Vista Ready Console" is available for free download at wildtangent.com. Microsoft did not respond to a request fot comment on Monday. AFP

Source: TSN

Naruto™: Ultimate Ninja™ for PlayStation 2 Featured Merchants

Experience the world of Naruto as you never have before. Join Naruto and his friends on their Ninja Academy quests as they battle the best in the land. Perfect your ninja skills to earn money and unlock tons of bonus content.

Source: http://www.videogamereview.com

Bioshock ( Xbox 360, PS3, PC )

This atmospheris shooter yakes place in a quai-futuristic underwater city that's abandoned, save for such mysterious creatures as "little susters" and "big daddies." the game, slated for a spring release, looks to redefine what a first person shooter can be, giving players a multitude of solutions for solving the adventure's various problems. We can't wait. LAT - WP

Source: TSN