Lifestyle

Reviews - November 17, 2009

November 17, 2009 Edition 1

BRUTAL LEGEND Xbox 360 (EA)

School of Rock's Jack Black stars in a heavy metal adventure that will get your fists pumping and head banging.

Eddie is a rock roadie who wakes up in a fantasy world after an on-stage accident.

Armed with a magical axe and a super-powered electric guitar, he travels through a mystical land, recruiting armies of metallers to combat the forces of darkness.

Gamers are invited to play mini-game metal riffs to summon powers, weapons and buggies and send comrades into battle.

Brutal Legend looks a bit rough around the edges, but delivers laugh-out-loud moments such as the appearance of Ozzy Osbourne and Motorhead's Lemmy.

7/10

TEKKEN 6 Xbox 360 (EA)

Tekken has kicked the butt of fighting games for the past 14 years, but can the old warhorse knock us senseless in 2009?

The game's campaign mode suggests not. Travel across narrow pathways, bashing random enemies that appear from nowhere, in a story that seems to have been created by a toddler.

Luckily, there is more to Tekken 6 than this prehistoric adventure. Arcade mode gets down to basics, without all the idle chit-chat. Four buttons are assigned to each limb, allowing you to deliver a flurry of punches and kicks, before rolling away to safety.

Fast, furious and with a selection of lumbering meatheads and kick-boxing ladies to choose from, the game reaches new heights in multiplayer mode. Let the battles begin.

7/10

BAKUGAN: BATTLE BRAWLERS Wii (EA)

Pokemon steps aside for the latest card-based battle game, which makes poker look like tiddlywinks.

Like Dragonball Z, the game has Eastern appeal: big-eyed manga show-offs with purple hair and bad attitudes, shouting stuff and throwing playing cards about.

Begin by designing your own outlandish character, then take to the ring with a series of rivals. Lob a Bakugan - strange-looking critters that enjoy a good scrap - into a playing field.

Players use the Wii remote to guide the Bakugan, although anyone who thought Pokemon was dull child's play will be aiming it at the off switch.

7/10

WINDOWS 7 Microsoft

Like a pop star after rehab, Microsoft's new operating system is fitter, healthier and improved.

After the disappointing Vista, Windows 7 speeds up your PC's processing power - even when booting up - and recognises most apps without a mention or complaint.

But what does it offer PC games?

Windows 7 comes with Direct X11, a technology that lets developers improve graphics, and touch-screen abilities (used with compatible hardware) could spice up PC gaming.

9/10 - The Independent