Thu, 2 Sep, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Meet The Robinsons | £5.35/£5.39 | 365 Games | XBox 360 & Wii

Meet The Robinsons | £5.35/£5.39 | 365 Games | XBox 360 & Wii

  • What: Meet The Robinsons
  • Current Price: £5.35 | £5.39
  • Where: 365 Games
  • Platforms & Price Comparisons: XBox 360 | Wii

It’s a kid’s movie tie-in based on the 2007 animated Disney film about future family The Robinsons. As film tie-ins go, it’s not all that bad, thanks mostly to the way it nicks ideas from games like Zelda, Tomb Raider and Jak & Daxter. There’s loads to do here with an interesting enough mix of dungeon crawling and puzzle solving and lots of different, fun gadgets to collect. There’s some decent voice acting work on show but sadly the graphics don’t match up. Furthermore, the puzzles and combat are both just a bit too easy. So, it’s not a game that will change lives but at this price Meet The Robinsons might be worth picking up if you’ve got kids. Thanks to Mire Mare at Hotukdeals!

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Thu, 2 Sep, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Singularity | £17.99 | HMV | XBox 360

Singularity | £17.99 | HMV | XBox 360

  • What: Singularity
  • Current Price: £17.99
  • Where: HMV
  • Platform & Price Comparisons: XBox 360
  • Our Review: Singularity

The level of exposure that Singularity has received simply doesn’t match up to how fun it is. With a fairly derivative but entertaining plot and gameplay elements pinched from all over the gaming world, you are bound to have a good time with this game. It’s a bit disappointing visually and liberally sprinkled with glitches but the combat makes up for this. It’s very entertaining and solid and certainly appealing to gore porn fans like myself. Considering how new this game is, it’s impressive to see it available at this price already and well worth grabbing before HMV change their minds. Thanks to scott_w_1981 at Hotukdeals!

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Tue, 31 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Aliens vs Predator £9.99 @ Play [PS3 & XBox 360 Games]

Aliens vs Predator £9.99 @ Play [PS3 & XBox 360 Games]

If you missed the Aliens vs Predator deal that Felix posted last week then you can now pick it up from Play for just a couple of pennies more.

The Play price of £9.99 is £2 less than the next best for either console, £11.99 from Powerplay Direct and at most retailers it costs at least £13.

With Aliens vs Predator you get three games in one, giving you the opportunity to play in the shoes of the marines or the exoskeleton of the aliens and predators. Each section is made up of five campaigns with its own story that fits together with the other parts to provide an overarching narrative. As an alien you find yourself trapped in a laboratory by some mean scientists and you must make your escape so that you can head over to the marine’s base and cause some good old fashioned mischief with your face cuddling buddies. As a predator you must survive the rites of passage that allow you to shed your “Young Blood” status and join a mission party on a neighbouring planet.

These alien and predator segments are quite fun with some fairly unique gameplay hooks to grab your attention but the awkward control system does put a bit of a dampener on things. The marines section on the other hand is just a fairly standard first person shooter affair but it does offer some nice creepy moments and evoke a decent atmosphere.

It’s far from life changing but Aliens vs Predator is a damn sight better than its movie counterpart and certainly worth a punt at this price.

Thanks to Emera1d at Hotukdeals!

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Tue, 31 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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The Simpsons Game £6.80 @ Tesco Entertainment [PS3 Games]

The Simpsons Game £6.80 @ Tesco Entertainment [PS3 Games]

The Simpsons Game is pretty much a must-have for any fan of the show as, thankfully, it is not bad at all and stays very faithful to the source material.

If you hop to it and buy before midnight tonight then you can get The Simpsons Game for just £6.80 from Tesco Entertainment which is way cheaper than anywhere else. Even without the discount, it is still a fiver less than the next best price of £12.99 from HMV.

To get the game for just £6.80 don’t forget to use the voucher code: FTSL15-1 before midnight tonight.

I reached saturation point with the Simpsons a long time ago and haven’t watched it for years but thankfully the game feels more reminiscent of the classic days of yore than more recent, surreal or far too specifically topical, episodes. The dialogue is genuinely funny but unfortunately the initially witty lines get repeated ad nauseam and quickly become more tedious than entertaining. The graphics are spot on and the game looks just like the show.

Gameplay wise, it is really nothing special (and I actually enjoyed the Megadrive Simpsons game a lot more!) and it’s all over in far too short a time. It’s in this respect that it starts to feel like a typical tie-in game which is a real shame because the writing and graphics are of such high quality.

The Simpsons Game is a strange mix of great writing and unispiring gameplay that is unlikely to keep you entertained for long but at this price it’s certainly worth giving it a go.

Thanks to sliwka at Hotukdeals!

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Mon, 30 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition £27.93 @ The Hut [PS3 & XBox 360 Games]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition £27.93 @ The Hut [PS3 & XBox 360 Games]

Until the end of tomorrow, you can grab a copy of the Ultimate Edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for only £27.93 (usual price £29.93) from The Hut, using their August promotional code. This undercuts the next best price for either console (£29.89 from Send It) by just under £2.

Don’t forget to enter the following voucher code to get the game for the reduced price of £27.93: AUG20

In addition to the game itself, the Ultimate Edition includes the following: Battlefield 1943 — a full WW2 online shooter, Onslaught Mode expansion which allows you to play 4 player co-op in an attempt to thrust your squad to the top of the leader board, and four vehicle and two weapon unlocks.

This sequel to the excellent Battlefield: Bad Company builds up the successes of its predecessor to offer an experience which is even more fun and satisfying.  It’s a more focused and taut outing but it certainly doesn’t scrimp on opportunties for the player to go wild with anarchic glee and a reckless disregard for personal property.

There’s plenty of humour in the excellent single player campaign but, as is often the case with such titles, it is the multiplayer action which really shines here. It’s almost a physical impossibility to play on these massive maps, filled with well designed, powerful vehicles, where everything is wonderfully destructible, and not have a fantastic time.

Thanks to richx45 at Hotukdeals!

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Mon, 30 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Just Dance 2 £17.74 @ Choices UK [Nintendo Wii Games]

Just Dance 2 £17.74 @ Choices UK [Nintendo Wii Games]

The sequel to the wildly popular wiimote waggler Just Danceisn’t released for another month and a bit, but if you’re intending to buy it, it might be worth jumping onto the preorder wagon right now, thanks to Choices UK currently offering it very cheaply.

The Choices price of £17.74 beats the next best (£21.49 from Powerplay Direct) by over £3.50.

Despite being universally slated by critics, Ubisoft’s original Just Dance was an absolutely massive success in terms of sales and even received almost unanimous positive reviews on Amazon. I’ve not played it but those who have tell me that it is one of those games that somehow, despite the many, many glaring faults, manages to provide pure fun and entertainment (or maybe I’ve just been talking to drunks). So a sequel was inevitable.

The follow up will hopefully be considerably better than its shambolic forefather, thanks to a new and improved motion detection system and new play modes (duet, co-op and competitive). It contains over 40 songs, sourced from what the marketing team claim is “every different style of music” (apparently “every” type of music can be filed under the following categories: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, R ‘n’ B. Hmmmm…). Having glanced through the list of 44 songs, I am disappointed to see that once again the roster is pretty out of date, with the most modern of the tracks being from 2009 at the latest.

I suspect that Just Dance 2 will be of near-identical quality to its predecessor (why fix it if it makes you shedloads of money as is?) but I’m sure it will nonetheless top the Wii charts and win a legion of fans. Sigh.

Thanks to andy4diehard at Hotukdeals!

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Mon, 30 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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God of War III £20.99 @ Tesco Entertainment [PS3 Games]

God of War III £20.99 @ Tesco Entertainment [PS3 Games]

Apparently the days of the absurdly long-lived Tesco Entertainment voucher code are nearly up, so if you haven’t taken advantage of it yet then you might want to do so before Tuesday when it expires. You can use it to grab God of War III for only £20.99 (the normal price is £24.70), giving you a saving of at least £4ish; the next best price is £24.85 from Shop To.

To get the game for the reduced price of £20.99 don’t forget to add the following promotional code: FTSL15-1

It’s a few months old now but graphically there’s still very little that comes close to God of War III, it’s not just a great game but a shining example of what can be achieved on the current generation of consoles. The visuals really are awe-inspiring, not least in the incredible opening scene which is likely to be met with the sound of your jaw smacking the floor. The boss fights are similarly mind blowing offering combat on a scale never seen before (even in previous GoW titles).

Of course there is more to the game than great graphics; God of War III features the same addictive, satisfying and over the top combat that we have come to expect from the series. Little has changed in the battle system but it does feel a bit more polished and fluid. There’s also lashings of gore, gross out moments and ludicrousness making this an absurdly entertaining game and a must have for any PS3 owner.

Thanks to csiman at Hotukdeals!

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Sun, 29 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Final Fantasy XIII £12.24 @ Choices UK [XBox 360 Games]

Final Fantasy XIII £12.24 @ Choices UK [XBox 360 Games]

The XBox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII is the worst of a bad lot, the disappointing game’s consolation prize of nice graphics being considerably less impressive on the platform.

However it sold by the bucketload so I’m sure it’s worth mentioning that Choices UK currently have it available for just £12.24 right now, a price which slices over £3.50 off the next best (£15.99 from PowerPlay Direct).

Final Fantasy XIII is the tale of two, connected but opposed, worlds, Cocoon and Pulse. The cosy existence of the former is shaken and changed forever when a creature from the latter, a fal’Cie is discovered. As is usually the case with Squeenix titles, the story is often baffling and mildly frustrating but enjoyable enough in the main. Much like the tale, the characters are likely to grow on you, though there is a decent chance that you will find at least half the bunch absurdly slappable for the majority of the game.

The narrative is not so much intricately weaved through the game as crudely pasted ontop, playing out in seemingly interminable cutscenes, interspersed with periods where you can control your character’s progress down the remarkably straight paths that take you through your journey by pressing forwards with the analog stick and occasionally jabbing the A button. Thus the random battles (which the game would have you believe are non-random battles) actually come as something of a relief as it is in combat that some kind of fun can at last be found. Here at least you are able to make some decisions, although, of course, the game would prefer you did not, providing an “Auto Battle” option for those too lazy to select an action from the very limited list themselves and allowing the player to take control of the party leader only. Despatch with the fiends in your path and then it’s off down the invisible-wall strewn corridors once again.

The game is much lauded for its graphics but, cut-scenes aside (which are indeed, at times, breath-taking, even in their absurdity), I personally, cannot see what all the fuss is about. It would be churlish to say that it is a bad looking game but for a title so heaped in praise, it seems crazy that every straight line is beleagured with pixellation. Furthermore the Xbox version is not a patch on the PS3, with a noticeable difference in the textural quality and the level of detail.

Most critics hauled out a laundry list of problems with the game but then balked when it came to actually awarding their marks out of ten, leaving the game with the kind of high score that many of its other far more deserving Final Fantasy ancestors had received in the past. While it is certainly not without its good points, XIII is far from the excellent game that players expect from the Final Fantasy franchise and certainly falls way below the mark for a triple A title.

Thanks to AugQX at Hotukdeals!

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Sun, 29 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 £27.99 @ The Game Collection [Nintendo Wii Games]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 £27.99 @ The Game Collection [Nintendo Wii Games]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the bold and beautiful sequel to Nintendo’s original Mario Galaxy game and sees our portly hero shot into space once again for yet another Bowser-bothering adventure.

Like seemingly all Mario games, Galaxy 2 has held its price stubbornly, barely shifting once it dropped down to the £30 mark. So while £28 might sound far from impressive for a game of this age, it is in fact really rather a good deal and undercuts the next best price of £29.74 from Tesco by just under £2.

Mario is on his way to the castle for a bite of Peach’s sweet cake when he is apprehended by a super-sized Bowser, who, despite looking like he has eaten more than his fair share of sweet treats lately, kidnaps the princess in order to be the one who gets his mitts on her baked goods. So, dutifully our moustachioed hero heads into space to rescue his princess once again.

The plot is paper thin and very simple, in order to carry the game along without getting in the way of the action. While this is de rigeur for Mario games, Galaxy 2 feels particularly lightweight in terms of the narrative but thankfully the gameplay is more than engaging enough to completely excuse this.

Much like the storyline, it’s hard to praise the gameplay in terms of imagination; Galaxy 2 plays almost indentically to its predecessor. With an original game as excellent as the first Mario Galaxy, this really isn’t a problem but it would have been nice to see a little more innovation, if only in the form of a few more different power-up mushrooms/flowers. Nintendo have thrown Yoshi into the mix to stir things up a little but some people have found this to be more of an irritation than an appealing factor! I however enjoy the change in pace that jumping on the dino’s back provides and was pleased that he is only included in a select few galaxies to keep his appearances special.

The graphics are predictably awe inspiring, bright and beautiful, and it is such a joy to be reunited with the gravity scrambling physics-based gameplay. It’s hard to be annoyed at the lack of originality; the game is just filled to bursting with clever little details and as a whole it absolutely reeks of quality. If it aint broke, then please don’t start tinkering around with it!

I think I must be the only person in the world who actually preferred the original game, purely because I preferred the range of galaxies presented in that title and found the hub world a more effective and appealing platform for planet-hopping. Nonetheless, this of course, remains, in my mind as much as anyone else’s, a stunning achievement that is more than reason enough to dust off that Wii and ignore your other consoles for a while.

Just like its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a genuine must-have game that allowed Nintendo to prove, yet again, that when it comes to platforming, no one does it better.

Thanks to normsland at Hotukdeals!

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Sun, 29 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

Category:
Games deals

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Splinter Cell Conviction T-Shirt £2.86 @ Shop To [Games Merchandise]

Splinter Cell Conviction T Shirt £2.86 @ Shop To [Games Merchandise]

Shop To are currently selling off what I can only imagine was an oversized order of Splinter Cell Conviction T-Shirts for less than three quid! Considering the RRP is £14.99 and I haven’t seen this particular design anywhere else, this seems to be a pretty decent deal. The fact that it’s got a pretty uninspiring design, on the other hand, makes it a slightly less appealing prospect.

Conviction was a good title which shook up the Splinter Cell formula, with far more visceral proceedings and gameplay which offered a fair bit more carrot but a lot less stick. Thankfully this transition was handled well and the result was a whole lot of fun so it’s certainly a title that you can wear emblazoned across your chest without too much embarrassment.

It’s a black, short sleeved shirt but, beyond this, Shop To provide very little in the way of description. So it’s hard to say a lot about the t-shirt itself; they are keeping tight-lipped about the size and materials but I would imagine that you’d not be a fool if you bet upon it being a typical man’s large in cotton. The shirt looks to be a bog standard short sleeve and certainly doesn’t have the prettiest of designs but at less than £3 for a decent quality tee, anyone who doesn’t totally despise the game can’t really go wrong here.

Thanks to whizzkid at Hotukdeals!

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Sat, 28 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Pokémon: HeartGold Version £22.99 @ The Game Collection [Nintendo DS Games]

Pokémon: HeartGold Version £22.99 @ The Game Collection [Nintendo DS Games]

The original Silver and Gold instalments of the Pokémon series were some of the most well loved games in the hugely popular franchise, they’ve recently been reworked for the DS and a new generation of player and come bundled with the “Pokéwalker” gadget.

The Game Collection are currently offering the Heart Gold version for £22.99. Thi’s deal cuts over £2 off the next best price of £25.24 fromTesco Entertainment (but this price depends on the use of the voucher code FTSL15-1 which apparently runs out at last on the 31st) and it’s still around £30 everywhere else.

Like the original Gold and Silver, HeartGold is set in the Johto region and follows your now made-over male or female protagonist as they attempt to foil the evil forces of Team Rocket, defeat the region’s Gym Leaders and take on the Elite Four and hopefully “catch ‘em all” and fill their pokédex along the way.

The Pokéwalker allows you to import one of your pokémon and take it for a walk. It acts as a pedometer and allows you to convert your steps into “volts”, points which can be exchanged for experience to help you level up your pokémon.

Aside from this and the addition of a new mini-game, Pokéthlon, which makes use of the touch screen capabilities of the DS, the only differences between the new Heartgold Version and its original counterpart are superficial, most notably the graphics overhaul. Whether you see this as a reason for or against splashing out is entirely up to you though!

Thanks to hokuto_no_rob at Hotukdeals!

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Fri, 27 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days £17.95 @ Zavvi [XBox 360/PS3/PC Games]

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days £17.95 @ Zavvi [XBox 360/PS3/PC Games]

If you are after a copy of the new Kane and Lynch title but you missed the £17.99 deal from HMV, then do not despair, you can now get it for a couple of pence cheaper from Zavvi.

Whichever platform you prefer, you can make a saving by buying Dog Days from Zavvi. Each version is £17.95 which is £2 cheaper than the next best price for the PC (£19.99 from Coolshop), £4 cheaper than the next best price for the PS3 (£21.99 from Gameplay) and an awesome £6 cheaper than the next best for the 360 (£23.99 from Game)!

Like the original Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, this game is far from a perfect shooter. It’s far too short and the single player is uninspiring and leaves no lasting impression. The Co-op fares slightly better but it’s the multiplayer modes that have the most to offer. The main pull of the game is it’s unusual presentation, with the kind of shakey cam that was all the rage in horror movies ten years ago. However, this is a dubious plus point, some may love it and it certainly adds some much needed personality to proceedings but many may loathe it!

Thanks to andywedge at Hotukdeals!

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Thu, 26 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

Category:
Games deals


Split/Second Velocity £16.99 @ The Game Group [XBox 360/PS3 Deals]

Split/Second Velocity £16.99 @ The Game Group [XBox 360/PS3 Deals]

Recent racer Split/Second Velocity packs a great punch of fun onto its tracks and fans of Burnout will probably have a great time with the title.

Game and Gamestation are currently offering both the XBox 360 and the PS3 versions of Split/Second Velocity for just £16.99. This undercuts Tesco’s next-best price by £4 and that’s only if you still haven’t used their voucher code, otherwise the price hikes up to £24.85 at Shop To.

This is likely to fly off the virtual shelves but hopefully, with it currently in stock for both platforms at both stores, you’ll have your chance to get your mitts on a copy.

Split Second Velocity is a very slick and polished racer which gives an impression of real speed, helped along by some excellent sound effects. With its traps and weapons, it’s a bit like a souped up, less cartoony version of Mario Kart. The graphics are very nice, with the special effects and destruction looking particularly great. Like a goofy action movie, it’s all very silly but all the more enjoyable for it.

It’s a real shame that there is no split-screen four-way multiplayer but there’s more than enough fun packed into the game to justify a sub £20 spend.

Thanks to TanyaSpace at Hotukdeals!

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Tue, 24 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

Category:
Games deals

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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep: Special Edition £28.93 @ The Hut [PSP Games]

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep: Special Edition £28.93 @ The Hut [PSP Games]

It’s not long now until the next instalment in the Disney/Squeenix crossover series is finally released over here. I’ve already posted the best deal for the normal edition but there’s also a Special Edition available too. If you are after this fancy schmancy version of the game and want to be sure that you get it as soon as possible then the best place to head to is The Hut who are currently offering it for just £28.93.

As well as a copy of the game itself, the Special Edition also includes two art prints of scenes from the game and a 48 page hardback book: “The Art of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep”. Nice extras for sure but I will leave it up to you whether it’s worth spending an extra £10 for them.

Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the adventures of Sora, Kairi and Roxas etc which made up the existing titles in the Kingdom Hearts series. It tells the story of a young boy named Ventus who lives in the Land of Departure with his two close friends Aqua and Terra. The three of them all train with the Keyblade together and dream of becoming Keyblade Masters. However when it comes to the day of the Mark of Mastery exam which will determine their futures, things go disastrously awry and each of them finds themselves flung into a journey that will change each of their lives and the fate of their world.

In typical Square fashion, the story is more than a tad impenetrable and for those who have not played other games in the series potentially quite baffling. I’ve played some of the previous titles but not all but managed to work out what was going on after some consultation with other players. The narrative spans three separate stories, one for each playable character, which combine to create the complete tale. It’s a daft but entertaining enough story, brought to life by some great voice acting (bar the unfortunately monotone Aqua), provided by some surprisingly famous faces. The score helps to set the tone, recreating famous locations with classic Disney songs.

While it’s lovely that the Birth By Sleep has great graphics and an entertaining story, what is really great is the quality of the combat. It is instantly accessible and the basics are very easy to pick up but to master it is pleasingly challenging. If you pick the Easy difficulty setting then you can probably cruise through the game with some clever button bashing but I have seen friends nearly tearing their hair out trying to complete it on the hardest setting.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is a very good looking game that has clearly received a lot of care and attention in production. If you are a fan of the series you will be pleased to find that it answers a number of questions from the Kingdom Hearts universe, but in typical fashion it also poses some of its own. Whether you are a fan of the series or a newcomer who just wants an enjoyable romp on their PSP, this title is well worth investigating.

Look out for our review later this afternoon!

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Thu, 19 Aug, 10
Author:
Lydia Low

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Games deals

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Def Jam Icon £7.99 @ CD Wow [XBox 360 Games]

Def Jam Icon £7.99 @ CD Wow [XBox 360 Games]

If you are a hip hop fan then it’s well worth considering a purchase of Def Jam Icon as the whole experience feels well steeped in authentic head culture and isn’t too bad a fighting game either.

It’s actually pretty hard to pin down a retailer with the game in stock at all at the moment so it was a nice surprise to find that CD Wow have the 360 version of Icon in their sale, with a price tag of just £7.99, I’ve searched the interwebs high and low and the next best price I have been able to find from a retailer who actually has copies of it available is £21.96 from Game Seek.

Icon is the third of Def Jam’s series of fighting games, with much less wrestling focused gameplay than the previous titles. It features over 30 different rap artists-cum-fighters, including Ludacris, T.I., The Game, Big Boi, Ghostface Killah, Sean Paul, Kano and Young Jeezy. The story mode isn’t very deep but it has some nice humorous moments and it fits well around its characters.

It features a full, uncensored star-studded soundtrack which plays a strong role in the game. The background reacts to the beat of the music and sometimes it triggers events to occur, some of them hostile, such as columns of fire activated by the bassline of the song currently playing. The visuals are of similarly high quality but sadly the same cannot really be said about the gameplay. The moves are a bit wet and weak and the mechanics are inconsistent and slow running.

At this price Def Jam Icon is a good buy for fans of the genre but if you’re not interested in hip hop culture, the chances are, you’ll find little to capture your attention.

Thanks to whizzkid at Hotukdeals!

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