Games Reviews
Guitar Hero: On Tour, Beijing 2008, Super Monkey Ball, Schizoid
Thursday, 17 July 2008
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Guitar Hero: On Tour -
DS, Activision, £44.99
Half the fun of playing Activision’s excellent Guitar Hero series is getting to strut around the living room with a plastic Gibson slung around your neck, so creating a handheld version was always going to be a challenge. But it seems to have worked: Guitar Hero: On Tour may not offer quite the same drama as its older brother, but the slot-in coloured buttons work admirably and the plectrum-shaped stylus – used to strum –works well and looks the part. Mastering the controls is tough to begin with, but once over that hurdle, it’s a great update on a modern classic.
Beijing 2008 -
PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Sega, £29.99-£49.99
With 38 different Olympic disciplines to choose from in this, the official game of Beijing 2008, you’d think that there would be plenty to keep the average gamer interested. And for the first few goes on this nextgen update of the classic Track and Field, you’d be right. But after an hour of button-bashing and control-stick-rotating, the only gold you’ll be in danger of taking home is one for joypad hurling – straight through the TV screen. It’s a poorly designed title that squanders its potential.
Super Monkey Ball -
iPhone, Sega, £5.99
It’s fair to say that Apple’s recent launch of its iPhone App Store heralds a new era for mobile gaming. The iPhone really is the perfect device to revolutionise the genre because every developer worth their salt wants to have a bash at creating a title for it. The 3-D racing game Super Monkey Ball has always been fun to play, and now, thanks to the iPhone’s lush colour screen, sharp sound and tilt technology, it’s become a must-play. Tricky and tantalising in equal measure, this downloadable gem iswell worth the £6 price tag.
Schizoid -
Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft, 800 points/£6.80
The only way to survive and prosper in Schizoid is to help out whoever you’re playing with, so Billy NoMates need not apply here. One player takes the helm of the blue spaceship, the other the red, and there are myriad red and blue aliens waiting to do you harm. Fittingly, the blue spaceship has to clear the aqua aliens while the red has to destroy the scarlet ones. Touch an alien of opposite colour and you’re toast. Schizoid is a cute co-op title that’s a little short on sparkling graphics, but long on team play.
