It snuck up on us like a ninja in the fog, Hothead Games have announced that a second DeathSpank game, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue will be coming to XBLA and PSN from September 21st.

Just like its predecessor, Thongs of Virtue will be filled with hundreds of weapons, armor, witty dialogue, crazy characters, strange villains and huge bosses. As always fun can be had in short uncontrollable bursts, or for hours on end, with a promised 10-15 hours of gameplay. Forget Sparkles the Wizard! Thongs of Virtue will see DeathSpank teamed up with Steve the Ninja if you have any friends that wish to take part in some unadulterated local co-operative play. Be sure to join DeathSpank in his quest for the six Thongs of Virtue that promises to bring much stuff, and fun to gamers.

DeathSpank was a tremendously fun arcade title that boasted huge amounts of gameplay and delivered, possibly one of the best downloadable titles that you can buy, we imagine that DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue will be not fail to deliver when it is released September 21st!

Dead Rising is back, and it’s bigger, better and with more zombie massacring goodness than you thought was humanly possible. We went down to the ‘casino strip’ of London; Leicester Square to have a look at Dead Rising 2 before its release on September 24th for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

An evening full of gambling and zombies proved to Gamercast that the zombie massacre genre is alive and kicking, and worth your hard-pressed time for a good sit down just to prove that you can survive a zombie outbreak with the best of them.

Dead Rising 2 breaks through the mould that Dead Rising made when it revolutionised the sandbox zombie game –by inventing it!- the hugely popular survival horror has lashed out with more weapons, more survivors, more psychopaths, and more customisation than you can handle!

Willamette Mall was massive and contained over 6 Plaza’s full to the brim with shops for your delight, Fortune City has its own Mall, not to mention many Casinos on the Vegas strip, a Hotel and an Arena, taking place over 3 days, you’ll not know what to do with yourself!

If that wasn’t enough, Chuck has an almost unlimited arsenal at his finger tips, with the combination weapons as an added bonus, every five minutes a new hilarious weapon can be found, or a great costume to wear, perhaps if you’re feeling adventurous a boob tube and high heels may be in order, just don’t let your daughter Katey see you! Not to mention that you have barber shops at your disposal, allowing you to change the colour and appearance of Chuck’s hair.

However for all of the fun hilarity, Dead Rising 2 is not for kids! Expect more gratuitous violence than before, now that Capcom boast over 7000 zombies on screen at once! That’s over 6000 more than we last saw in Dead Rising. With over 50 more characters in the sequel you’ll have survivors dropping left-right-and-centre as you attempt to save them from the psychotic maniacs that inhabit Fortune City.

Again Dead Rising seems like the perfect zombie massacre game, in the same sandbox genre that the original excelled at so well, with katanas, broad swords, tomahawks, serving trays, firecrackers, wheelchairs, you name it, Dead Rising 2 gives the player so much more to play with. Whatever you may have thought about the combinations, they are not a gimmick, and provide some of the most damaging and hilarious situations that you will find in the game.

Dead Rising 2 is pure and simple entertainment, if you don’t feel like playing the story you’ve always the option to mess around to your heart’s content, and the cathartic dream that is produced from the bludgeoning of zombies will never get old, whether it’s with a Spiked Bat, or a Foam Hand you’re looking at hours of bloody fun.

The story mode also gives a sneaky peak at the multiplayer which looks like an amazing romp, and it must be said that there has never been such care-free arcade fun as Dead Rising’s ‘Terror Is Reality’ which looks like the Running Man on steroids and is the one reason I would buy a gold subscription.

Dead Rising 2 will be everything that zombie fans across the world have been waiting for, and without the need to using a camera, your zombie massacring is far less interrupted than before, with bigger subtitles and no more Otis, Dead Rising 2 is everything that Dead Rising wanted to be.

Dead Rising 2 will be available on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 September 24th, and September 28th for Windows, until then you can play Dead Rising 2: Case 0 that is available exclusively on the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade for 400 MS Points.

The campaign eases you into the flow of the game, giving you simple missions to start with, such as getting from Point A to Point B, docking at Point C then controlling Boat 2 to Point D, progressing to missions where you must salvage other boats to safety, dodge icebergs in treacherous waters and make good of a bad situation, with missions ranging from very easy to very hard the missions are extremely varied and provide hours of interesting and satisfying gameplay.

Ship Simulator is full of different options for the boating enthusiast in you to keep yourself satisfied. With the campaign containing over 30 missions, free roaming in over 10 locations, 25+ different ships, single missions, and a multiplayer option you'll be at odds on which to tackle first. The three different campaigns are carrying out assignments for the good of the planet with Greenpeace, ferrying tourists around the world with the Tourist Tales, and sift the men from the boys in the Core Campaign that only the true sea captains will excel in.

Another new feature to the series is the inclusion of dynamic weather which makes this the first title in the series to do so, the weather is great and looks fantastic, especially in missions where the weather turns bad, a great way to experience it is in free-roam where you can turn on any weather that you wish. With the ability to alter the precipitation, wind and fog to extreme situations it's just a shame that there are no whirlpools to create. But with snow storms, dense fog, or even hurricane winds you're driving skills will be pushed to the limits!

The only true downside to the game is that in order to access the multiplayer and the single missions you are required to register with the forums at ShipSim.com, however on the forums you'll find all the help and tips you may require for controlling the ships, and even find some very interesting discussions on the game, and the ships within it.

The ship damage is slightly disappointing, rather than physical damage, your ship slowly begins to sink into the water, and the total decimation of the ship leads to an uneventful sink of the whole ship, that doesn't ask for a replay. Ship damage is also extremely easy to rack up for the inexperienced boat driver, which makes the lack of auto save slightly frustrating at times.

Ship Simulator Extremes is very easy to get to grips with, full of engaging missions, with the huge variety of boats, any fan will not be disappointed, as a simulator the game is exceedingly entertaining and the perfect example of a well made simulator, it may not be as extreme as the title suggests, however it is a jolly good ride 4/5.

Ship Simulator Extremes is available to buy now for Windows from all good retailers, as well as most online distribution platforms for an SRP of £34.95.

Telltale Games have announced details on their new Back to the Future games, most importantly of all the films' co-creator and writer Bob Cale will be consulting on the new platform, which means that the series should be just as great as the films. To celebrate the series' 25th Anniversary Telltale will be releasing the series this winter, just after the Blu-ray and DVD release of the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy on October 26th, that will feature all new restorations of the classic films.

Telltale have confirmed that the games will feature the likenesses of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, and Lloyd will be voicing Doc Brown for the full game series that they will deliver in five monthly episodes. The first images of the in-game depictions of Marty and Doc are available on their website.

Co-creator and writer Bob Gale's involvement on the series will further strengthen the links to the original series, consulting with Telltale on the characterisations, and storylines for the game, fans will find that the series will be true in both the spirit and adventure of the films.

Twenty-five years ago when I wrote Doc Brown’s line about ‘seeing the future,’ little did I realize that I would be traveling with him to work on this game. Collaborating with Telltale is an amazing opportunity to continue the adventures of Doc and Marty.

Telltale have announced the games will feature the DeLorean, and it will be making an appearance at Pax this weekend. We can't wait for the re-release of Back to the Future, let alone the classic series that will come from this great partnership between Telltale Games and Universal.

The Metroid series has been around since the mid 80s, originally designed by Makoto Kano of Kid Icarus fame, Metroid follows the story of a bounty hunter known as Samus Aran-Samus known to this day as being one of the earliest female protagonists in video games-has managed to find herself in over 10 games across a variety of consoles. This new title has been developed by Project M, who consist of staff from Nintendo and Team Ninja along with D-Rockets who produced the pre-rendered cutscenes.

Metroid: Other M takes place between Super Metroid (SNES) and Metroid Fusion (GBA), the game starts at the end of the final battle with Mother Brain in Super Metroid, almost straight after leaving Zebes while it's exploding Samus receives a distress signal from a dormant Bottle Ship, upon investigating this Samus bumps into Anthony Higgs, a previous colleague in the GF military and Adam Malkovich her ex-commanding officer, which was all explained in much detail in the cutscenes in the demo. After winning over her ex-commander she then joins them on their mission, and they split up exploring the ship, which is then pretty much where the demo ended.

In Metroid: Other M there is a large emphasis on seeing Samus' face, or at least I felt this when playing the demo, of course this isn't apparent while engaged in the gameplay, but in most cutscenes it was hard to miss Samus and her pretty face, however being the face of the game, you can't not expect to see her helmet-less through-out the game a few times.

The last five titles that were released with the Metroid name (excluding pinball) were first person shooters, and Other M has gone back to the roots of the originals by adding in platform-based controls to the game, placing the main portions of the game into this aspect. Third person mode is played with the controller on its side, allowing you to run, jump, shoot with her arm canon and turn into a morph balls, however my one favourite part of third person mode is the take-down moves that had to be performed on certain enemies, this featured a few seconds of action out of player control which made the move very rewarding each time it was performed.

First person mode is played with the Wii remote upright and is based solely around aiming, locking onto enemies and firing missiles, I felt that the first person mode of the game was the weakest part of the demo, I even found myself trying to play in third person as much as possible, only to be told by a Nintendo rep I had to go into first person for certain parts of the demo. Prior to play Other M the last Wii games I had played didn't using aiming with the remote so I was a little rusty, which would explain why I was quite rubbish at it. I imagine like most alien feeling camera systems, that you'd get used to it after playing with it more, and without people watching you play over your shoulder waiting to have a play themselves.

I must say Metroid: Other M was the longest demo I played out of all the games on show, the Nintendo rep who was watching me play congratulated me on actually finishing the demo as most people gave up after a while. Although it felt at times it dragged on slightly which was mainly down to watching a large amount of cutscenes. I do love a good cutscene however in a demo it feels I should be playing the game more and watching cutscenes in the full game. Either way the game was very engaging had great audio and the story captivated me until the very last second. Originally I was going to pass on Metroid: Other M, but I must say I was very happy to have played it, and I will definitely picking up a copy of the game on release.

Metroid: Other M is released exclusively on the Nintendo Wii on the 3rd of September 2010 in Europe, and we cannot wait to fill in the gaps between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.

More Sam and less Max, The City that Dares not Sleep continues where we last left off in Beyond the Alley of the Dolls and Max is a huge demonic being, with little option but to help your not-so-little-buddy, as Sam you need to save the day and the whole of New York city before it is destroyed by your own partner. The episode is very much so an impending apocalypse sort of affair, that we always come to expect when Sam and Max are involved, and although there is no musical finale, the episode will have you guessing at every turn to the fate of Sam and Max as the loveable duo that millions have come to adore.

The series started out with a simple trip to the Penal Zone, introducing Skun'kape, and the mysterious Psychic Toys, we took an amazing trip to the past in the Tomb of Sammun Mak, and visited a strange alternate reality with brilliant noir inner monologues of Sam in They Stole Max's Brain. In Beyond the Alley of the Dolls we were slightly disappointed at fending off the hoards of Samulacra, however the final episode has topped them all, ending with a big bang, a secret that not many would have guessed, and an ultimately climactic ending!

So far the Devil's Playhouse has been a big trip down memory lane, bringing back some old characters that we had not seen for a while, The City that Dares not Sleep is no different, and finally brings back Sybil and good-old Abe Lincoln, Mr Featherly also makes a strange unprovoked cameo, alongside Satan. However, seeing Abe Lincoln back controlling the army of lyric spouting Maimtron's brings back fond memories of the last two seasons.

With the lack of Max it was great to see that Telltale found a way to include the most brilliant psychic toys, and in fact for most part of the game it was interesting to play Sam and Max without the various hints and clues that the psychic toys provided, still the brilliant Astral Projection found its way into the episode in the more simpler and quaint form of slides, rather than film reels.

The best part of the episode is the second act that takes place in Max's body, in a Fantastic Voyage sort of manner, Sam and his team are taken to an oddly placed kitchen where his stomach should be, not to mention the cosy 70's style Living Room, and Arcade-ridden arm control room, the puzzles are great, and it is brilliant to know that over 20 years down the line, Sam and Max are still as randomly crazy as it has always been.

Max is a huge other-worldly demonic beast, and the question on everybody's lips when we saw him transform in episode 4, was; do we get to control him? Yes we can, Telltale thoughtfully gave us the ultimate option of controlling the 60ft tall beast, after buttering up an extremely pregnant woman, and solving a garishly simple, but subtle puzzle.

The City that Dares not Sleep is a brilliant end to another season of Sam and Max. The season blew a bit of fresh air into what some were perceiving as a stale franchise, the gimmick of the psychic powers worked brilliantly at reviving the anthropomorphic duo, and the dramatic twists and turns that the game takes never ceases to amaze, if you've not invested in the season yet, it was brilliant, and marked a perfect end to a well-loved franchise 5/5.

Sam and Max: The City that Dares not Sleep is available now for Windows, Playstation 3, Mac, iPad, and iPhone, if you haven't already purchased the third season of Sam and Max you can do so via the Telltale website where they are currently running an offer where you can get it for $19.95 for Windows.

Don't forget Telltale are making a big announcement this Thursday that puts together Penny Arcade, Sam and Max, Team Fortress 2 and Strongbad together, check out their website to see what the big news is!

So you've got me, my main weakness is a good seek and solve title, otherwise known as a hidden object game. I grew up with Where's Wally (Waldo for any American's reading) and when comparing the two you can of course see a lot of similarities, plus it's a test of your memory and vocabulary at times too which is always good for the brain. Hidden object games can be found on a variety of platforms now, on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii as well as of course on your computer. They're aimed mainly at the casual market, which is why there are so many of them on the shelves in your local game store, this of course makes it a tough decision to know which one you should spend your money on.

So I had a good long play of Amazing Adventures Around the World which was developed by SpinTop Games back in 2008. You play an adventurer and your task is to locate the world diamond, which of course isn't that easy to find, you have to collect every piece of the ancient tablet, which have conveniently started turning up in various locations around the world, once found they need assembling in order to inform you on the location of this world famous diamond.

So for each level you play you have to find 10 objects hidden amongst the environment, once you've found these you then solve a puzzle which could be anything from a word search, to a jigsaw puzzle or spot the difference; there's about six variations. You then need to complete 5 of these levels in different locations to finish a mission, which then gains you a piece of the tablet, along with an interesting fact about the location that you recovered the tablet piece from.

The game features a hint system for those odd object here and there that you just cannot find, so it does help you out in those sticky situations, however if you do find yourself not in the mood to find objects you can turn on the unlimited hint mode, giving you access to hints all the time, however this does affect your score.

As well as your main targets, very similar to Where's Wally there are other things for you to find on the side, in Amazing Adventures Around the World you are required (should you choose) to find gems, but there's a great pay-off in the end. Each level contains two gems, and if you manage to collect all 50 gems from the 25 different locations then you unlock two modes from the main menu which are 'Unlimited Seek and Find' and 'Spot the Differences'. Also don't worry if you miss any gems the first time round you play a level, you will re-visit all locations giving you the chance to find those pesky gems.

The Unlimited seek and find mode really did it for me, you're given all 25 locations and you just have to keep finding the objects you are asked to locate, until you've found everything in the entire level, the number of items varies from around 70-80. I feel that the unlimited spot the difference may have worked better if all the different puzzles were used and not just spot the difference, as I've never been a huge spot the difference fan. The spot the difference takes less time for you to 100% finish as you have a puzzle for each location, and then 10 differences to spot, so depending on how easy you find spot the difference you could get it finished all quite quickly.

Being a fan of seek and solve games it's hard not to enjoy one put in front of me, of course some deliver the game better than others. I felt Amazing Adventures Around the World is a great example of a brilliant seek and solve game, my only real issue with it being the repetition of visiting locations, but I understand the reasoning for this would be down to expanding the play experience without having to spend double the development time that would be required in order to do so. Even with the repetition I give it a 4/5 recommending it for all seek and solve fans out there.

You can pick up Amazing Adventures Around the World off Steam, PopCap Games or you can find it in your local game store, costing you between £7-£15 depending on where you purchase it.

The third episode in the season, helps to tide Doctor Who fans over whilst they wait for Series 6 to begin, and fans will not be disappointed, you may not be discovering a new exotic cityscape, or engaging in an old enemy of the Doctor, but you’re in the TARDIS, and you can walk around as much as you wish.

Fans of Amy Pond will be pleased to find that she is rather integral to the story, and saves the doctor for once, however unfortunately as usual she causes a lot of trouble when she lets ‘the entity’ loose on the TARDIS, however without companions the Doctor would have far fewer interesting adventures.

In an attempt to save the Doctor we (Amy) are invited into the Doctor’s Drawing Room, a tidy little room full of trinkets and keepsakes from the Doctor’s adventures, littered with facts mostly relating to the last three Doctors, but also very interesting to explore. Of course one thing Amy doesn't know is that hidden in the room is an extremely safeguarded prison for one very dangerous detainee, that would remove the Doctor from the face of the universe if it had the chance, not before long you'll get to meet this criminal.

The episode includes some nice puzzles, varied from the ones that we are used, not to mention the chance to prove your Doctor Who trivia in a small quiz that Amy must succeed in, in order to prove that she is who she claims to be.

Of course you’re all wanting to know about controlling the TARDIS, well it may not be exactly as you expect, however when the feature was announced for the episode it was rather difficult to know what to expect, especially considering that we are playing an adventure game, so it was pleasantly surprising when the control of the TARDIS turned into a mind puzzle of sorts.

The only problem with the episode is that you are rather limited in your exploration of the TARDIS because it contains a Lost Woods characteristic, and you are only given the main room and the drawing room to explore, you'll find that every other avenue takes you back to the main room, with the excuse that the Doctor really has to fix something with the TARDIS. It’s just a shame we didn’t see any of the far-stretching corridors that have been mentioned in the past.

An episode like TARDIS will never please all fans, however the episode is a great change from running around locations, and the option of walking around the TARDIS, alongside getting up close and personal with the different control panels makes this episode a must for anyone that loves Doctor Who 4/5.

The Crysis 2 Limited Edition will be available for no additional cost, while supplies last, and features four must-have in-game unlocks for the ultimate multiplayer experience:

Bonus XP – Players will jump into multiplayer battles with an edge by starting with enough experience points to gain early access to all 5 preset class load-outs.

SCAR Hologram Decoy – This special attachment to the SCAR will project a hologram image of the player, allowing them to confuse their opponents with the decoy.

SCAR Weapon Skin – This digital camouflage skin will allow players to add a personalized touch to one of the more popular assault rifles in the game.

Platinum Dog Tag – This special one-of-a-kind dog tag is one of over 250 that will be collectible in Crysis 2 multiplayer, helping to separate you from the rest of the field.

The Nano Edition is the one that only the most ultimate of Crysis fans will need, inside you get a copy of the Limited Edition version in a steel case, plus a 11" statue of 'Prophet' on top of a New York taxi cab, a high-quality art book, all packaged inside a backpack modeled after the Nanosuit's design. The Nano Edition will not be available in store, and will be available exclusively through the EA store, for pre-order at £119.99.

The Limited Edition can be pre-ordered now from all good UK retailers and the Nano Edition will be available for pre-order soon.

For the 24th until the 26th of August you’re able to pick up the amazing Plain Sight off Steam for a tiny sum of £1.60 ($2.00), saving you a massive 80% off it's original price of £7.99.

Plain Sight is a multiplayer arcade game all about suicidal ninja robots, you’ll need to fly through space across 14 multiplayer maps, battling up to 20 players as you try to destroy as many opponents as possible with your katana. As you destroy opponents you gain energy, collect enough energy and your robot will grow strong and bright, until its just a matter of blowing yourself up! The more opponents you destroy in the explosion, the higher your multiplier, the higher your score the more you can upgrade you ninja robot to do even more damage.

You can pick it up here, also if you've got some friends you want to play with you can pick up a 4 game pack for only £4.80! And while you're at it join the Gamercast Steam group and maybe we'll be able to play a nice big game together.

I have always held a high regard for Donkey Kong, it's one brand I know has always been brilliant and challenging at the same time, be it Donkey Kong Country on the SNES or Donkey Konga on the GameCube generally they're great examples of games, the Kong's have a lot of character. Honestly the Nintendo E3 press conference couldn’t of been better, it was almost the best of E3, to have a Kirby and Donkey Kong game announced within close proximity of each other was amazing.

Donkey Kong was of course first debuted in games back in the arcades in 1981 and although the first DK games were of a high standard the Donkey Kong name only stuck with me when Rare took our ape friend and turned him into a big name, then there were new Kong's sprouting up all over the place, creating a family for the once lonely Donkey Kong.

Now Donkey Kong is back for more in his first real platformer on a console in over 10 years (not including Jungle Beat) of course with Rare being under control of Microsoft Game Studios now, a different developer had to take this Country sequel in their own hands. Retro Studios are working on the title, who most people will know as the developers of the newer Metroid Prime games (Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2 Echoes, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption and the Metroid Prime Trilogy)

One thing I've always thought of with Donkey Kong games is instances of gruellingly hard tricky bits of gameplay, and it still lives up to those old feelings. There are limited checkpoints in each level and of course anything you pick up after a checkpoint you will have to pick up again if you die, like those pesky KONG pickups, You are limited to two pieces of health before you loose a life and this made it feel quite tricky, although having a good number of lives throughout the game managed to balance this out.

Like always though Mr Kong looks great in his environment, and was able to interact with it in a variety of ways, there were small dandelions which you could have Donkey blow them, or the small fruit around the levels which if hit they'd generally spit out a prize for doing so. One thing that felt slightly odd about the game was the increase in collectables to gather, it was more then I'm used to with a Donkey Kong game, although I'm sure this is added to enhance the playability and addictiveness of collecting everything so you can 100% the game. The game also features two-player co-op allowing one player to assume the role of Donkey Kong and the other Diddy Kong, overal this works well as Donkey Kong has usually had Diddy in his control in the past, this time it just means someone can control him even more.

I played two of the levels available which were Jungle Hijinx and Poppin' Planks, which both felt comparable to the original Donkey Kong Country titles, however there is an absence of Kremlings as the bad guys this time round. This time some evil Tikis have taken control of the inhabitants of the environment and once again they've stolen Donkey Kong's bananas which with the help of Diddy Kong he must get back, as you don't want those apes to starve. As of yet there's been no confirmation if the rest of Kong's family or their animal buddies will be featured in this revival of the series.

Unlike Kirby's Epic Yarn the control system wasn't explained right at the start of the game, and it felt quite sparse. Of course this isn't a huge issue, but with a lack of tutorials on the Nintendo Wii it could alienate some users, it was nice for a change to not be bombarded with tutorials.

Overall I really enjoyed playing this revival of the original Donkey Kong Country titles, it felt just right and had all the aspects that will feel familiar for those that played the originals. It gives you a similar nostalgic feeling, exactly like Kirby does and I can't wait to see what Retro Studios have done to the rest of the game as so far it's definitely on the right track and I cannot wait for it's release at the end of the year.

You take control of a demolition company, with your very own test site, it is up to you to master your equipment before you head out to the city where a host of jobs at construction sites are available. Take control of a large selection of extremely detailed construction and demolition machines such as the wrecking ball and excavator that will reduce any old building to rubble, then finish off the job with the jackhammer, or pneumatic drill for good measure. Of course explosives make their way onto the scene again.

With the money you receive from completing jobs you will be able to invest in new vehicles which will unlock more jobs, remember this is made by GIANTS, the creators of Farming Simulator which was an absolutely HUGE game, full of a wide range of vehicles, and tasks to keep yourself busy, so Demolition Company really looks like the simulation title of the year.

The next title recently announced is Police Simulator that blends simulation and real-time strategy. You are the police chief in control of the police force of a European city, it is up to you to co-ordinate police cars, police helicopters, special forces and other teams to make sure that law and order is maintained and that no crime goes unpunished!

You will need to monitor your force through the detailed and realistic city map and keep your eyes peeled for any event that may take place in your city, from car chases to riots you will need a cool head and appreciation of sophisticated tactics which will be needed to succeed. You will need to recruit and train your force, making sure that they keep in good health and do not overwork themselves. It's a great concept that has never really been pulled off before, and Police Simulator definitely sounds like it will be a very interesting experience.

Both titles; Demolition Company and Police Simulator will be available at the end of September for Windows, for an SRP of £24.99.

The very brilliant and obscure Suda 51 has announced a partnership of his company Grasshopper Manufacture and Hungarian developer Digital Reality for a new title 'Sine Mora'. The jointly-developed game will be available on both PSN and XBLA with other titles to follow.

Sine Mora will be an innovate shooter that mixes traditional side-scrolling gameplay with unique time manipulation mechanics. Whilst taking advantage of the newest in 3D display technology to deliver a horizontal side-scrolling shooter unlike any other. Through the alliance, both companies are aiming to provide new, innovative titles for the online gaming market, further titles and further information have been promised to be announced in the coming months.

“We think we can strongly benefit from having an ally such as Digital Reality in the digital publishing realm, who can provide long term online publishing services for their partners, and to gamers,” said Suda 51, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc.

Andras Peller, CEO of Digital Reality agreed. “The partnership with GhM is an important step for Digital Reality. This collaboration with a top-tier Japanese developer pursues the development of our publishing line-up offering creative freedom to developers for high value titles dedicated for the online distribution.”

We at Gamercast are crazy for Suda 51 and his company Grasshopper Manufacture, and can't wait to see what Sine Mora will look like, although it may not contain his trademark oddness that most of his games do, it sounds very intriguing, whether or not they create innovative titles will wait to be seen.

"I have heard many strange stories, while 3D mapping the landscape and recreating forgotten shrines. There are whisperings of mythical beasts, appearing out of the fog. What are these strange creatures? Visitations? The ghosts of long extinct creatures? Is an ancient feral world colliding with ours? There really are undiscovered treasures, and dangers, waiting for the gamer to experience. Venture onto Bracken Tor, pitch your tent, prepare for the dark, listen for the sounds and hope to survive the Time of Tooth and Claw", concludes Matt Clark.

Bracken Tor is expected for release Halloween 2010 in the UK with localised versions to follow for mainland Europe in 2011.

"TARDIS is a brilliant, brilliant adventure" says Steven Moffat. "It's funny, touching, terrifying, amazing - everything a Doctor Who episode should be. Since 1963, kids have wondered what it would be like to control the TARDIS. Now we're handing complete control of the most powerful ship in all of space and time to a generation of children. Everybody duck!"

Players will be able to find out exactly where those steps within the TARDIS lead, as you are finally given the chance to wander around, as well as to see the the Doctor's drawing room featuring treasures and artifacts from his many adventures, and a location specially created for the game that will form a part of the Doctor Who canon.

With the TARDIS stuck in a riptide, and the Doctor sucked into space, Amy Pond must explore the secrets of the time machine in order to restore normality to it, whilst uncovering the secrets of the TARDIS and unveiling two brand new monsters

James Moran's script will take players on a frantic, funny and surprising adventure that could only feature in a Doctor Who story. The first two episode of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games have been downloaded over 1.3 million times in the UK, and with the chance to pilot the world's most famous police box fans of the series should draw like moths to the flame for this episode.

Episode 3: TARDIS will be available simultaneously on PC and Mac from the Doctor Who website for free to UK households. Fans outside of the UK will be happy to hear that they can now purchase and download the episode on the same date, details will follow on their website.

With the recent announcement of a demo becoming available for Civilization V in the near future, along with a whole host of other announcements which are specific to gameplay, the system requirements have also now become available which are as follows:

Minimum System Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP (SP3)/ Windows Vista (SP2)/ Windows 7
Processor: Dual Core CPU
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX: DirectX version 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements:

Operating System: Windows Vista (SP2)/ Windows 7
Processor: 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX: DirectX version 11

Other Requirements: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries and Microsoft DirectX.

The official Civilization V website has a great community, keeping all fans up to date constantly with new information to keep everyone wanting more, the following items were announced on there first.

The announcement of a demo for Civ V was posted in the community section, informing fans that there will be a demo at some point before the release of Civilization V on September 24th (September 21st for North America) also don't forget there's a collector's edition coming out.

If you are interested in Civilization V we recommend bookmarking the official website as they're keeping fans up to date with changes to the game in comparison to the previous titles, for example changes to gold, happiness, workers, technology quotes and much more. You can even read about how there is now an official "Sid Meier's Civilization V Day" in Maryland on September 21st.

Are there any Lara Croft fans out there? Well I'm definitely one, and Lara Croft has been captivating gamers since the mid-90s her last real game was the epic Tomb Raider: Underworld, and now she's back for more in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

Lara Croft's new game is quite different to what you'd usually expect from her Tomb Raiding days, it's the first standalone, fully downloadable title developed by Crystal Dynamics (as when Tomb Raider Anniversary came out on the Xbox 360 Marketplace it was DLC for Tomb Raider Legend) and instead of the standard third person camera it now dons a set isometric camera and co-operative play.

"We put everything we could into our first downloadable adventure and we’re very proud of what we have created," said Darrell Gallagher, General Manager of Crystal Dynamics. "We designed a game that can be played in three ways; as a compelling single-player adventure, as a fun local co-op game and as a wider online co-op experience and we’re pleased that gamers will have the chance to play both single player and local co-op modes on their living room couches at launch, with online co-op allowing gamers to play across multiple couches arriving shortly afterwards."

Lara's adventure takes her on the search of an artifact called the Mirror of Smoke, however once she's found the mirror right at the start of the game she's ambushed by Vasco, however they didn't know or care about the curse it carried. This then woke up Xolotl who quickly wipes out Vasco's henchmen, only to leave Lara and the Guardian of Light, Totec. Lara then joins forces with Totec to stop the evil Xolotl from destroying the world and plunging everyone into an eternal darkness.

The game features single player and multiplayer modes so a friend can join in as Totec, however you can only currently play with another person locally, but online co-op will be coming soon and will be free, and as well as that there are a lot of plans for DLC and the first pack (if that includes the online co-op we are unsure) will be free for the first 30 days for those that have bought it on Xbox 360.

We briefly talked about Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light back when it was announced in March and I've kept a close eye on it ever since, and now I'm very pleased to say you can pick it up off on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade marketplace now! For 1200 MS Points (It will also be available on the PSN and Steam from September 28th for £14.99), so what are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Victoria II is a strategy game on a grand scale, less centered on warfare and more of a political strategy you are the driving force of your nation, pulling the strings from behind the scenes, if you're looking for a real time strategy you best look elsewhere, Victoria II is an inherently intelligent specimen of a game, and one that does not innately rely on battles, but rather the political implementations that go on out-of-sight of the public eye.

The best thing about Victoria II is that you can pick any nation, be it Madagascar or Japan, and take that nation and lead it to glory. You will of course be hard-pressed bringing a then uncivilised country such as Japan and bring it to such notoriety, but Rome wasn't built in a day! You'll find along the way you will have to leap over many hurdles, for instance, a staple country like the United Kingdom is already on the path to building factories and introducing capitalism, however Japan will be full of farmers and soldiers, administrators and factories are practically unheard of, so don't go in over your head from the get-go. Take on a powerful country like the United Kingdom in order to familiarise yourself with the way in-which you build and grow an empire in the 100 years that you are given.

Bringing Diplomacy, Budgeting and even Ideology to the table, Victoria II has you assess your nation as a whole, from choosing your political party, to changing the social and political reforms Paradox have practically thought of everything a player would deem important to control their empire with.

Victoria II is graphically simple, and yet beautiful at the same time, it may not be as flashy as most RTS titles that appear to strive for style over substance; Victoria II is a real strategy-fans game, and it is good to see that some titles still stick to the importance of critical gameplay mechanics over pretty units. This said, on occasion the different screens can be difficult to read at some points, and you may need a keen eye to distinguish artisan's from the RGO's, but aesthetically the game is put together extremely well.

The game is quite complex, however thankfully for those that are unable to catch onto such complex titles quickly, Paradox Interactive have very kindly included an online strategy guide that will allow you to read up on the game, this along with the in-depth tutorials will give any player a head-start on the way that a ruler must go about keeping their nations in order.

Unlike Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, you now have full control over your empire, historical events are not forced onto you, instead the game checks to see if you are indeed progressing in a way that a certain event would occur and introduces it as you would expect, this is a brilliant touch to the game, making it less of a historical political strategy and more of a 'Man in the High Castle' alternative reality Bizarro World of sorts which gives the player the absolutely biggest scope ever demonstrated in a game to date.

Victoria II is a beautifully crafted and intelligent grand strategy, and from being handed such a vast blank slate, it will provide many hours of gameplay, not to mentione the interesting answers to the question of how the world would work if it were ruled by Australia. There's a whole world out there for you to control and it isn't going to progress without your guiding hand 4/5.

Victoria II is available now at all good retailers, as well as most digital distribution platforms for the SRP of £34.99, who will you attempt to rule the world?

So BioShock 2 came out back in February thanks to 2K Marin, and the original BioShock back in August 2007 which was developed by Irrational games. Three years on Irrational Games have taken back their name and are now developing BioShock Infinite.

BioShock Infinite is set before the two previous BioShock titles in 1912, 48 years prior to the first BioShock, and you will no longer find yourself in the confines of Rapture as development of the underwater city was only finished in 1951. Players are placed into the immense city in the sky known as Columbia, a floating symbol of American ideals and the ultra-nationalism of the overly patriotic American.

"But when it came to begin work on BioShock Infinite," said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, "we only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption." Levine continued, "In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change."

You assume the role of a Pinkerton agent known as Brooker DeWitt who was sent to Columbia to rescue a girl called Elizabeth, who had been imprisoned in the city since she was a child. Also Elizabeth is said to have special abilities which augment Brooker, we’re unsure on what specific abilities these are but it seems like she can slow down time, we can't wait to find out what other augmentations are available in the game. There are promises of combat indoors and outdoors, so we look forward to seeing if there's a chance to fall to your death like Brooker does in the trailer.

BioShock Infinite is planned for release at some point during 2012 on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows, although sadly the Windows version isn't currently down as being Games for Windows Live, which means no achievements for pc gamers, however we will let this pass as we cannot wait for the newest installment to this series.

Along with Microsoft's other announcements of the launch games for Windows Phone 7 and Age of Empires Online, they have officially given a release date for Kinect, the new Xbox 360 accessory that promises a controller-free environment for those that want a new way to control their console and games.

Kinect will launch on the 10th of November this year, on a bit of a strange date as it’s a Wednesday. We expect a large amount of the games announced to be out either on the 10th or in the following weeks.

Gamescom 2010 has been called the European premiere of Kinect, showing the largest breadth of games to date, including more than 15 exclusive Kinect games, as well as new gameplay features/levels for Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, Kinectimals, Dance Central and Kinect Joyride. New games have been announced such as Fighters Uncaged, DanceEvolution and support for Kinect in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, and we’re sure there’s more to come while Gamescom is underway.

The team at Gamercast cannot wait for Kinect to come out, we've even got a deposit sorted, it's coming out at a great time of the year just before Christmas, meaning there should hopefully be more titles announced in the upcoming months, or we hope so. It's early stages for this new accessory and we hope it does well as it is quite fun playing a game without the controller.

"Having seen how Deadly Premonition split reviewers' opinions in America, gamers are itching to get their hands on it to judge it for themselves," says Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games. "We have high hopes for what can only be described as the most distinctive survival horror game that has ever been released - it's going to be interesting to see how the game is received over here. It's a cult classic in the making."

Deadly Premonition is a fairly controversial title that's score's have been all over the chart, with Destructoid most famously awarding the game 10/10 naming it as a "Judged as a piece of entertainment, as a game that consistently surprises and amazes and leaves jaws hanging, I have no choice but to say that Deadly Premonition goes above and beyond." Whereas IGN called it "Awful in nearly every way… Terrible controls. Terrible pacing. Terrible sound effects. Terrible visuals." with a 2/10. Thankfully Rising Star Games have deemed the title important enough to see what UK horror fans will make of the title.

Deadly Premonition is an open-world game set in Greenvale, a secluded town in North West America, playing as FBI Special Agent Francis York you will need to investigate the shocking, ritualistic and brutal murder of a local girl.

Deadly Premonition will be available this Autumn exclusively for the Xbox 360 for £24.99.

Also don't forget you can pick up Dead Rising 2: Case Zero for a tiny 400 MS Points on the 31st of August for a fix while waiting for Dead Rising 2 to come out, this is of course an Xbox 360 exclusive only.

It's almost every little boy's dream to fly through space, to defy the laws of physics and go where no man has ever ventured before, unfortunately however most little boys will never live out that dream, from sheer lack skills or determination, you can choose, thanks to the wonderful world of video games however every person can live out their dreams - no matter how strange- on a daily basis. That's why we love Excalibur Publishing so much, in bringing the eccentricities of the obscure simulations anyone can be a bus driver, a pilot, a truck driver, even an astronaut.

Their newest title is Space Shuttle and Apollo Simulator, a double pack containing the two aforementioned titles. Apollo Simulator focuses on the famous Apollo 11 mission where man first landed on the moon, and allows you to experience the mission from take-off to re-entry on Earth, and allows you to pick whichever section of the mission you would like to play, or better yet you can experience the whole mission in one. There's even the addition of the Apollo 15 mission where they used the first Lunar Rover, and the option to have free exploration in a Lunar lander.

Unfortunately Apollo Simulator is particularly dated, and the game itself is actually Apollo Simulator 2006, which is unfortunate because if not for the lack of graphical power the game itself is put together very well; from the command center recordings used to the intuitive controls system it would look absolutely beautiful with some photorealistic shots of the earth or the moon.

Space Shuttle Simulator is a lot more presentable than it's fellow Apollo, and gives the player a lot more variety in their missions; although you will not find yourself walking all over the moon there are a multitude of different environments, and with a mission editor the longevity of Space Shuttle Simulator is slightly higher than that of Apollo, but missing the historical charm of the Apollo 11 landing.

The only issue with doubling the two together in a pack is that the controls in both games are very different, which can make it very confusing when switching between the two, and makes mastering the controls that less satisfying when you realise that you have to do it all over again. The controls in Apollo simulator are much more simplistic to remember, however Space Shuttle Sim has possibly the most fiddly controls to remember in a simulator to date, but just like Tow Truck Simulator and particularly intricate simulation titles you will find that soon enough you have caught onto the functions that you will more regularly use.

There is of course an explanation of each process in the manual, however there is so much it will take a while - and a few failed shuttles- until it all sinks in, however once you've got the ball rolling you'll feel as intelligent as the most intelligent person on the planet, and the satisfaction of a successful moon landing or docking procedure is exquisite.

If you are very interested in Space then the pack will predictably be right up your avenue, however it's about as technical as simulators come and more so, for those unaware of the exact sequence that a shuttle goes through, or the docking procedure that a ship must take, you may not feel very welcome, and the downfall of the game is that without an actual tutorial players wishing to find out about the majesty of space travel may feel a little alienated. The interior of the shuttle's look about as complicated as the real deal, and they don't just let anyone fly into space for a reason!

All the little problems such as the controls and general graphics can be forgiven, as at heart the pair are a couple of true simulators, and if you do have a joystick, make sure you use it for the ultimate experience of flying through space 4/5.

Space Shuttle Simulator and Apollo Simulator is available now at all good retailers for the SRP of £24.99.

So with Gamescom officially started, at least in terms of announcements, Microsoft have announced one of their newest games in development, which was a surprise as I must say I didn't see it coming, Age of Empires Online, which is of course a new addition to the Age of Empires series, this time in development by Robot Entertainment while also working alongside Microsoft Games Studios.

If someone ever asks me what my favourite RTS is I'll usually say Age of Empires II, and I know a lot of people who will agree with me, Ensemble Studios made a great game that will perhaps never be forgotten. Now with Ensemble disbanded and the founders now at Robot Entertainment we can only imagine Age of Empires Online will be a great slice of the RTS we all know and love.

Set in a persistent online world that players will be able to jump in and sculpt your own Greek civilization, there have also been promises of others to choose from at launch and post-launch. During play you will have the ability to take part in quests as a loner or along with your friends, allowing you to grow your village into a massive empire. Age of Empires Online takes full use of Games for Windows Live, allowing multiplayer in the form of co-op quests and competitive matches, as well as that it boasts in-game chat, online profiles, friend lists and of course achievements. One thing to note though is because it's an online game, there is no offline play available.

"Today, we’re bringing powerful, inventive gaming experiences to the Windows-based PC," said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Over the years, our PC heritage captured the hearts and minds of millions of players. Reinventing these iconic franchises with social, shared experiences at their core marks the beginning of our return to PC gaming in bold new ways."

Age of Empires Online promises to offer enjoyable gameplay to long-time fans and newcomers of the series, for any of those interested in the sound of Age of Empires Online you can sign up for the closed beta here on the AOEO website, of course this doesn't guarantee you entry in the beta, but from signing up you may have a chance to participate.

We imagine some may be unhappy with the visual style that Robot Entertainment have chosen for the game, however I think it looks great, if you want to play a dark and slightly dingy looking RTS you can pick up StarCraft, I believe Age of Empires Online is going down the right track and I will definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Age of Empires Online currently has no confirmed release date other than at some point during 2011, also no details have yet been announced on pricing, and as this is a digitally distributed game only we wouldn't be surprised if it was free to play with micro-transactions.

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming takes away from the traditional Harvest Moon gameplay and branches the series into a puzzle game that will put the player's farming skills to the test. Gamers will take on one of 12 playable characters in a variety of modes including Story, Mission and Score Attack where each crop is represented by a icon and colour and must be matched as quickly as possible in order to harvest the crops.

Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley will be coming exclusively to PSP, marking the biggest Harvest Moon adventure to date on the Sony handheld. The story surrounds the inhabitants of Leaf Valley joining forces to save itself from destruction, however it will be down to the player to decide how they will go about saving it, with the possibility of 16 different paths.

As with all Harvest Moon games your aim is to progress via the growth of crops and raising animals whilst in your spare time mining ores and gems to upgrade your tools in order to save Leaf Valley and the family farm, skills and money will be gained in part-time jobs, and it will be necessary to earn the trust of the villages in order to get their help.

"The Harvest Moon series is Rising Star Games' longest standing and most successful franchise," says Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games. "Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming and Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley both push the boundaries of the Harvest Moon series, bringing new challenges and styles of gameplay to the classic collection."

Although Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming may be taking a step in the wrong direction for the series, a match-em-up can never fail to engage a player, so we are very happy to say that both titles will be released this Autumn/Winter for their respective consoles.

Microsoft today announced the list of Xbox Live-enabled launch titles for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 launch later this year. For those not in the know Windows Phone 7 offers integrated Xbox Live support, sign-in with your Live ID and your avatar shows up in the game hub, along with your achievements and friends. You can customise your avatar with new gear right on the phone, and of course unlock achievements in Live-enabled games.

Below is the impressive 63 strong list of confirmed launch titles, like the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 new games will be released weekly.

• "3D Brick Breaker Revolution" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Age of Zombies" (Halfbrick)
• "Armor Valley" (Protégé Games)
• "Asphalt 5" (Gameloft)
• "Assassins Creed" (Gameloft)
• "Bejeweled™ LIVE" (PopCap)
• "Bloons TD" (Digital Goldfish)
• "Brain Challenge" (Gameloft)
• "Bubble Town 2" (i-Play)
• "Butterfly" (Press Start Studio)
• "CarneyVale Showtime" (MGS)
• "Castlevania" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst" (MGS)
• "De Blob Revolution" (THQ)
• "Deal or No Deal 2010" (i-Play)
• "Earthworm Jim" (Gameloft)
• "Fast & Furious 7" (i-Play)
• "Fight Game Rivals" (Rough Cookie)
• "Finger Physics" (Mobliss Inc.)
• "Flight Control" (Namco Bandai)
• "Flowerz" (arbonated Games)
• "Frogger" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Fruit Ninja" (Halfbrick)
• "Game Chest-Board" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Card" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Logic" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Solitaire" (MGS)
• "GeoDefense" (Critical Thought)
• "Ghostscape" (Psionic)
• "Glow Artisan" (Powerhead Games)
• "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
• "Guitar Hero 5" (Glu Mobile)
• "Halo Waypoint" (MGS)
• "Hexic Rush" (Carbonated Games)
• "I Dig It" (InMotion)
• "iBlast Moki" (Godzilab)
• "ilomilo" (MGS)
• "Implode XL" (IUGO)
• "Iquarium" (Infinite Dreams)
• "Jet Car Stunts" (True Axis)
• "Let’s Golf 2" (Gameloft)
• "Little Wheel" (One click dog)
• "Loondon" (Flip N Tale)
• "Max and the Magic Marker" (PressPlay)
• "Mini Squadron" (Supermono Limited)
  
• "More Brain Exercise" (Namco Bandai)
• "O.M.G." (Arkedo)
• "Puzzle Quest 2" (Namco Bandai)
• "Real Soccer 2" (Gameloft)
• "The Revenants" (Chaotic Moon)
• "Rise of Glory" (Revo Solutions)
• "Rocket Riot" (Codeglue)
• "Splinter Cell Conviction" (Gameloft)
• "Star Wars: Battle for Hoth" (THQ)
• "Star Wars: Cantina" (THQ)
• "The Harvest" (MGS)
• "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
• "Tower Bloxx NY" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Twin Blades" (Press Start Studio)
• "UNO" (Gameloft)
• "Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet" (i-Play)
• "Zombie Attack!" (IUGO)
• "Zombies!!!!" (Babaroga)

I don't know about you but I can't wait to start getting gamerscore while on the move.

Lace Mamba Global have announced that they will be working in collaboration with Finnish developers Shiver Games to bring Lucius, a new 3rd person mystery horror -with a twist- to worldwide audiences for Windows in the first quarter of 2011 through both retail and digital platforms.

You assume the role of Lucius; the son of the devil, who has the messy task of clearing a mansion of it's residents, to do so you will have to orchestrate 'accidents' so that no one will suspect you. With only simple household items at your disposal as you create more 'accidents' you will gain supernatural powers to allow his accidents to look far more accidental.

Eventually you will be able to control objects and people with Lucius' mind without touching them, and encourage the weak-of-mind to cause destruction and pain. In the style of such games like Dungeon Keeper and Kagero Deception with the 'accidents' of Hitman: Blood Money, it's up to you that Lucius is not stopped, and if is executed as well as it sounds we think it will be one hell of a game!

Lucius will be available in Q1 of 2011 on Windows.

With such involvement from the teams it looks as though the authenticity of the title, not to mention the mix of simulation and arcade gameplay is propelling it towards perhaps being the greatest F1 game made so far. Gamercast can't wait to be blown away by this game. Roll on September 24th Hispania awaits me.

F1 2010 is scheduled for release September 24th just before the Korean GP, where it will be available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows, are you looking forward to it as much as we are?

The game does suffer very slightly from a lack of a tutorial before playing a single player campaign, there is a very informal introduction to the game, however there is no real additional help for you along the way, the game does take a little getting used to because of this, but as soon as you begin sending your fleets to collect colonists from your home nation and establishing trade routes you'll find that you are a pro at colonisation.

The only small issue with the game, -and it is very small- is that there is no real indicator of how building constructions are faring, for instance you can choose to construct a building, however there will be no indicator of the progress on the building, and you will only be informed exactly how long the construction will take, so you’re rather in the dark about the matter until the message arrives in their inbox informing you that the building is complete.

If you have never come across a trading game before, surely you will of heard of Elite, or perhaps Freelancer, in a similar fashion to these classic titles Commander: Conquest of the Americas focuses on your trading prowess, and asks you to build an empire through trade in the bountiful resources that only the New World can produce. Of course the ultimate goal is of controlling the New World which along the way may mean taking over other colonies, but the prevalence on protecting your precious trading routes from blood-thirsty pirates is always key. There is of course also a heavy reliance on levelling your colonies, it is of high importance to make sure that one day, your lowly tobacco leaves can be made into cigars, because most resources sell at a very low price, and without the evolution into more luxurious items you'll find your colonies rather miniscule in comparison to what it could be.

The advisors present in the game are somewhat reminiscent of the advisors that Sim City 2000 employed, informing the player when they are on the right track, occasionally dishing out rewards, and getting down-right angry when certain advice is ignored, however they act as a guiding hand which comes in handy when it is not obvious what the next step should be in progressing your colonies.

The only real trouble with approaching a title like Commander: Conquest of the Americas is that you will need some prior knowledge of ships from the era, or it will take a little getting used to the different varieties of merchant ships, the different speeds not to mention how much defence each ship has, these are of course all explained to you via stats, but it can get a little daunting for those uneducated in the field of ships. However thanks to the Battle and Quick Battle Modes you can discover the seaworthiness of each vessel at your disposal with ease, and the satisfaction that it won’t cost your colony a penny!

On a whole the game is a little slow to begin with, but as soon as you get your trade routes rolling, your colonies begin growing hugely before you know it and your sphere of influence will grow across the New World. With such beautiful ship combat rivalling that of the hugely popular Sid Meier's Pirates you'll find yourself engaging with every battle you come across just for the experience; Nitro did however add in a handy auto-battle just encase you get tired of crushing your pitiful enemies with your monstrous galleons.

Commander: Conquest of the Americas is a very well-polished trading title, with fabulous sea combat, and an extremely intricate trading system you'll be hooked on one or the other, fans of trading games will be greatly pleased with the title, however those that have never ventured into the genre may feel a little lost and isolated. Nitro Games know their element and it is very obvious in Commander: Conquest of the Americas 4/5.

The lights go down, the cutscene rolls, and suddenly we are transformed to the late 1950s with songs like the Book of Love and other pop classics blasting out on the radio, after a sharpish nose around Vito's house and a talk on the phone, you'll find three beautifully crafted cars from the era to complete your mission with, and once you've chose one it's off to your waypoint. You are introduced to the world of Empire Bay, the sights the sounds, as well as Vito your character and friends; made-man Henry and Joe that will aid you on your mission.

Your objective is a straightforward contract hit on a person known only as 'The Fat Man' with a mix of driving, shooting, a car chase and a showdown in a distillery players are shown a snippet of the action that they can expect in Mafia II. The combat in the game is fluid, and the effect of guns such as the shotgun is devastatingly satisfying and with destructible environments to boot the action can't get anymore exciting. The cover system like in most games works really efficiently, you wont find yourself getting annoyed as you get your character stuck behind a wall they cant shoot from, and thankfully it isn't ridiculously easy, so don’t expect to go in guns blazing as Rambo any time soon. The demo mission itself can easily be finished in the time you are given and gets you suitably yearning for more.

Of course the game isn't only about the action and violence, in our hands we have a living, breathing city, Empire Bay looks and feels nostalgically like Mafia's Lost Heaven, but is so much more beautiful and a heck of a lot more interactive, so don't just delete the demo when you've played out the mission, take 10 minutes to have a look around, buy a hotdog for $0.20, or sharpen up Vito's attire, heck you can go on a Grand Theft Auto spree if you want, and don't forget there are gas stations... although we are only given a small piece of Empire Bay, what we are given is astounding, and we can't wait to explore the rest of it. Oh and best of all, the speed limiter is back!

Everything down to the clothes people wear, the way they talk and the innocent manner in which the city lives and breathes is perfectly sculpted to give players a true immersive dive into 1950s America, the orchestral soundtrack is as beautiful as it was in Mafia, and although you only get 10 minutes of play time in the demo, it is clear that once again 2K Czech, formerly Illusion Studios have crafted a masterpiece.

Mafia II is out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and Windows on August 24th for those lucky Americans, however we'll have to wait til August 27th for our release, but who cares about a couple of days when you can spend the next 10 minutes in pure 50s Americana bliss.

MumboJumbo developer and publisher of the Samantha Swift games have now announced that the newest title Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate can now be downloaded exclusively at BigFishGames .

Samantha Swift for those unaware of the games are a series of hidden-object games, think Where's Wally but instead of searching for Wally you've got a list of objects you must find so Samantha can continue on her adventure.

"This chapter really takes a closer look at Sam’s arch nemesis, Markus Payne, while also exploring the lore of the Fountain of Youth," said Mark Cottam, CEO of MumboJumbo. "We’re really excited about the quality of this game—this has a great story with mystery and intrigue, lots of puzzles to solve, and a nice mix of adventure and hidden-object game play."

This fourth title in the Samantha Swift series features six missions, and also an unlimited hidden object mode if you collect all the Swift Birds in the adventure missions, which sounds absolutely great, however would be a real time sucker. In her newest adventure Samantha is following the trail of Cortez, however she is interrupted by M'Alice, Samantha then follows her and goes on the search for the Emerald of Judgement, only to discover she's then on a quest to uncover the Fountain of Youth.

Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate can be bought for the next 30 days exclusively off Big Fish Games for $6.99, we're hoping it'll find it's way onto Steam, however as Samantha Swift and the Mystery from Atlantis never made it's way to Steam we're not keeping our hopes up.

"We are delighted to work with the creative genius of Tim Schafer and the entire Double Fine studio," said Martin Good, Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services. "Delivering high-quality content across a variety of digital distribution platforms is an important growth initiative for us, and we are pleased to do so with two titles whose potential appeal could encompass both hardcore and casual players."

Costume Quest unfolds on Halloween night across a suburban neighbourhood, a village carnival and a monster-infested shopping mall. You play part of a group of young friends who must rid their neighbourhood of monsters using their homemade costumes! Players can go door-to-door collecting candy, cards, quest assignments and more as they prepare themselves for combat mode where they transform into larger-than-life versions of their costumes in an attempt to destroy the monsters.

From the mind of Double Fine’s lead animator the famous Tasha Harris Costume Quest looks absolutely fantastic, and it is great to see Double Fine turning to downloadable titles as opposed to full games, mainly because they take less time to develop and ship, and there is definitely a lot of money to be had in the XBLA and PSN titles, and the screenshots look amazing to boot!

Sorry, we don't usually like to spam our readers with screenshots, but we just couldn't help! You need to see the different states the game takes in order to soak the potential brillance of it in!

Electronic Arts have announced The Sims Medieval a new series currently in development that places Sims into the Middle Ages, allowing players to create heroes, venture on quests as well as building and controlling a kingdom.

“The Middle Ages is a time of intrigue, legend, and excitement. It offers a perfect backdrop for a brand new series from The Sims studio due to the limitless stories that can be told,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims Studio at EA. “The Sims Medieval offers a new way for players to experience The Sims which we hope fans will enjoy, and it features gameplay that fans of strategy and role-playing games will find appealing such as controlling an entire kingdom and quest-based gameplay mechanics.”

In The Sims Medieval players get the chance of building up a medieval kingdom, controlling many characters from Kings and Queens, to Knights and Wizards, Blacksmiths and Bards. Unlike the core Sims titles Medieval will be far more story based, giving the player quests such as crafting a legendary sword or arranging a royal wedding, and every quest will play out depending on which Hero Sim the player is in control on at the time.

The destiny of the kingdom is in the very hands of the player, whether you wish to build up the kingdom internally or through conquer new territories. Or perhaps you will take on quests in pursuit of fame, rather than on the health and wellbeing of your people. At the beginning of every new game, players will need to select an ambition for their kingdom which will start them on a new set of stories.

Less of a simulation, The Sims Medieval is crafted to create an immersive medieval world, with quest-based gameplay. Players can customise every new Hero that comes to the kingdom; selecting their traits and their fatal flaw in particular. As well as sending your Sims out on epic quests, Players will need to ensure that their Sims are carrying out their daily responsibilities such as healing the sick, trading for exotic goods, or forging armour. Your options are endless, whether you wish to have a baby, or compete in a tournament this is a time of romance and chivalry and the Players have control. The Sims Medieval will be available for Windows and Mac Spring 2011.

EA's Play Label recently announced a new title to add to their list of upcoming games; Create, being developed by EA's Bright Light Studio, who have recently announced games such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Spare Parts have now announced this third title of theirs to be in development.

Create is labelled as being a must-have game this November that promises to bring the whole family together to help solve all the puzzles that Create throws at them. Along with more content unlocking as you play through the game, from solving the challenges to customising the world, promising lots of rewards for the player.

"Create uses families’ imaginations to develop new ways to play together that are both fun and challenging," said Harvey Elliott, VP and General Manager at EA Bright Light. "We wanted to design a game where the entire family can explore, decorate, and solve challenges where no solution is wrong and the only limit is the imagination."

All content created in Create can then be shared on the console online for other players to download and also on the official Create website then in a similar way to Wario Ware DIY your friends can then alter your levels and send them back your way to see if you can then solve them.

Create is set to be released sometime this November for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Windows, Mac and Playstation 3. The Playstation 3 version is also set to feature Move support, we only imagine this means the PS3 version will feel very similar to the Nintendo Wii version. It'll be interesting seeing how well the sales of Create will do, we'll definitely be keeping an eye on it for now.

For those of your locked away in a cupboard for the past 3 years, Zuma’s Revenge plays like everyone's favourite match-three game Bejeweled but with a twist! Rather than throwing balls from the sky, or messing around with them on a grid, the object in Zuma is as a little frog, to spit balls at other balls in a string to match three. Oh, but there’s a catch; the balls are moving, and if you can’t get them to stop, or halt their movement enough then they’ll end up eaten by the Aztec skull at the end of their path.

If you have never played Zuma before it will take a little getting used-to, however once you are a few levels in you will find yourself hooked! The game is all about chain reactions, getting your timing right, and using the full extent of the power-ups at your disposal. The player must reach the state of “Zuma” by which time balls will stop being added, and the player must remove all of them from the level in order to progress.

Zuma’s Revenge does not change the formula of Zuma very much, the core of the game is still there, which is no surprise as it shifted 17 million copies, alternatively PopCap have added to the engaging gameplay by the way of three new powerups, that were missing from the original so much you'll wonder why they weren't present in the original. Best of all of the three powerups is the Lightning Bolt that allows you to remove every ball of the colour you choose from the level which works really well at producing chains and getting rid of the balls that may be hindering your progression. Another powerup is the Tri-Shot which fires three cannon balls in a spread across the balls which works extremely effective at clearing a path, and then there is the Laser that allows you to remove four balls from the level which again works well at producing chains or activating other powerups that are essential to your survival.

There is also the inclusion of boss battles in the game, working in a rather clever style like Space Invaders you are required to shoot at the boss on a rail however the boss is protected by strings of balls, which you’ll have to destroy in order to get their health meter down, as you progress through the island each boss battle escalates getting more and more tactical in terms of the way that you must defeat them, which was very nice to see in such a simple game.

With 60 stages in the adventure mode alone, Zuma’s Revenge will have you hooked for hours, especially when you get up to the high 40’s where the game begins to get really challenging with an additional 6th colour ball introduced. Then of course there are 60 stages in Heroic Frog mode, 60 Challenges and 10 extremely difficult Iron Frog levels, if you think you are hardcore, I’m sorry to announce that you’ve met your match! Complete the Iron Frog gauntlet and you can fully pronounce yourself a proper gamer!

As always PopCap just go to show that they are the King of casual gaming, and every title that they release is simple, unadulterated fun, although it may not be at absolutely huge as Bejeweled in terms of audience reach, the Zuma franchise is one that is wholly addictive and approachable as a game, if you've never encountered one of PopCap's games before and are looking for something with a bit of a challenge check out Zuma's Revenge! You won't be sorry! 4/5 Just don't go complaining to me about how challenging the game is!

It's Friday, and the question on most gamers minds will be; what game to buy today. Rather than look to the new releases this week of which there were not many, perhaps those of you looking for a game to engage you over the weekend should turn to a recently released 4X space strategy that will get you hooked!

Our readers may recall our review of the engaging epic space opera 4X game Armada 2526, we have had the privilege of an exclusive interview with Ntronium Games’ founder Bob Smith, who with a small team made an extremely adventurous strategy title. The title Armada 2526 is the sequel to an early example of the space opera genre Armada 2525. Since Bob’s work on this title he has worked on numerous strategy titles, most notably the Total War series of games, for which he worked on for seven years from Shogun through to Medieval II.

Gamercast: For those of our readers unaware, what is Armada 2526?

Bob: Armada 2526 is in the grand tradition of space opera 4X games where you guide your chosen race from its first interstellar expansion to galactic domination. Most of the game is turn based, but the battles can be fought out in real time so you get the full visual effect.

GC: What makes it any different to other 4x space strategy titles? Why should our readers pick Armada 2526 over a title like Galactic Civilizations II?

B: Space strategy games have been drifting off into their own super specialized niche that emphasises micro management, oversized technology trees filled with incremental improvements, and winning by superior ship design, rather than strategy or tactics.

Armada 2526 is a reaction to this, sweeping aside a lot of economic micromanagement, making each technological improvement significant, focusing the gameplay on strategy, intelligence and manoeuvres, and allowing you to have fun building a huge space empire in a reasonable amount of time.

GC: We are really interested in Ntronium Games’ design philosophy, are these all traits that you have wanted to have in games for a while now?

B: I try to make games that reward players for focusing on the important tactical and strategic decisions, don't always give you perfect information, so that there is some room for flair and intuition, and that don't require too much micromanagement.

GC: What did you find the most challenging aspect during the development of Armada 2526 compared to your work on the Total War series?

B: It's a very different experience doing a project as a start up indie studio compared to working on the fifty strong team on TW. Working on TW is a bit like herding cats, you have a bunch of often very talented people all with a slightly different vision of how the game should be. Some parts turn out awesome, but it can be frustrating when people are pulling in different directions and features don't work well together, or there are obvious missed opportunities.

With Ntronium the vision is more singular, but the frustrations come from not having the resources to do everything you'd like to. Not to mention the difficulties of wearing the programmer, designer, art director, pr and business hats all at the same time.

GC: To elaborate on a few issues that we had with Armada 2526, we’d like to ask a few more in-depth questions in regards to some of the design choices of the title.
Why is the game constrained to hot-seat gaming as opposed to online multiplayer?

B: Well the truth is people overwhelmingly play strategy games in single player mode. If you're doing a big budget production with 20 man years of programming budget, then you can afford to have someone spend six months doing something that only a few percent of your customers will use. If your budget is rather more modest it makes no sense to spend a larger portion of it on something that 90 plus percent of your customers won't use.

GC: You chose race-specific traits and victory conditions, over many exclusive ships and technologies, what was your reasoning for this?

B: The idea comes from asking the question "what constitutes victory?", to which the answer depends on what your objectives are. So I defined the victory conditions for each race in terms of what they would consider doing well. This also helps you role-play each race and gives you credit for acting in character.

The game does include a fair number of race specific ships and variations too, but not race exclusive techs, as they imply that the laws of physics are different for each race.

GC: The real-time battles have the possibility of some really dynamic camera angles in mid-fight, why did you choose to use the top-down view as a default?

B: The game casts you as an admiral rather than a fighter pilot, and I wanted players to be able see the whole battle clearly unfold. The game lets you get close up with ship's eye views which look cool, but aren't really practical for controlling a complicated battle. They're great for when you're paused or just mopping up though!

GC: For a bit of variety we’d love if you could answer these questions as well, that have slightly more of a lighter-tone.

We loved getting deeply involved in the turn-based elements of Armada 2526, conquering the galaxy and discovering every planet we could find, what was your favourite aspect of Armada 2526?

B: I had a lot of fun selecting the music for the game. I enjoy working on the A.I. too, and while it's often frustrating, it's a good feeling when it does something unexpected, but smart.

GC: If you had an unlimited amount of development time and money would there have been any changes you would have made to Armada 2526, and what would it be?

B: Well it'd be easy to spend money on prettier graphics, better sound effects etc, but aside from that I'd like to have included internet multiplayer, and with a sufficient budget you could have a lot of fun making the aliens talk.

GC: Considering that Armada 2526 was the spiritual successor to Armada 2525, might we see an Armada 2527 in the future?

B: In the future maybe, but I have no immediate plans. 2527 needs to wait until either budget or technology allow 2526 to be significantly improved, or I have some really fresh ideas to take the genre forward.

GC: Do you have another title in the works?

B: Some ideas that are firming up, but nothing definite yet. Most likely the next project will be something historical.

We love to support small games companies at Gamercast, and for the team at Ntronium Games we wish them the very best for Armada 2526 and their next project in the works. Armada 2526 is available now for Windows, hopefully everyone will get just as hooked on the game as we did, as a 4X space opera game with a lot of heart, it’s one strategy title that we won’t forget anytime soon.

Victoria II is scheduled for release August 13th and will be published Worldwide by Paradox Interactive, and will also be available for digital download on all leading digital distribution platforms such as GamersGate. As always, Paradox have released a new trailer to celebrate the occasion.

If you pre-order the game now you will be given immediate access to bonus content, including the official Victoria II soundtrack, an exclusive in-game operatic musical piece; "Lament for the Queen" as well as the manual, a techquide, map and forum codes that will give you access to a Victoria II strategy guide for when the game is released.

Victoria II will be available come August 13th for Windows either digitally or from leading retailers for an SRP of £34.99. Keep an eye out for our review of Victoria II soon on Gamercast.net!

With the choice of 7 different European factions, it is up to you to conquer the New World, found new colonies and manage their resources, production, military and much more as you watch them develop into a full blown empire.

Choose to command ships in an RTS fashion or take direct control of them as you engage your fleet with ships of an enemy nation, or blood thirsty pirates.

Keep an eye out for our review of the interesting historic real time strategy, and if you are unsure of the game, you can check out the demo. Commander: Conquest of the Americas is available now in stores, and digital distribution platforms such as GamersGate and Steam.

Following the Bioshock 2 DLC The Protector Trials, which came out only a few days ago, 2K Games have now announced the first piece of story-driven single-player DLC which also happens to be the final piece of the Bioshock 2 DLC in development.

Minerva's Den is an all new separate story, putting the player in control of a brand new character who has chosen to team together with Brigid Tenenbaum, to try and remove an evil dictator's hold. Minerva's Den is a whole new district to Rapture containing new weapons and plasmids, more dangerous Splicers, harder security bots and even a new variation of Big Daddy.

“Minerva’s Den is a substantial addition that will give players more of what they’re looking for: more story, more narrative, more gameplay and more of Rapture,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The core team has created an exciting product that further enhances the mystery and allure of the world of Rapture. Minerva’s Den will be a fitting conclusion to the Bioshock 2 saga.”

Hopefully with Minerva's Den being the final piece of DLC, 2K Marin will end it off with a bang, creating something that won't be forgotten, as of course this will be the first piece of story-driven DLC for the Bioshock series as well as the final for now.

Minerva's Den is set to come out this fall on Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows with no current confirmed date or price as of yet. I honestly cannot wait, as Bioshock 2 ended too quickly in my eyes, and I can't wait to delve back into Rapture and I'm sure others feel the same.

For those of you unaware, Daedalic Entertainment are the German studio behind the highly acclaimed The Whispered World, an adventure game that took our hearts and imaginations. The publishing agreement will see the long awaited release of their critically acclaimed Edna and Harvey: The Breakout, as well as new titles, A New Beginning and Deponia;

Edna wakes up in the padded cell of an insane asylum, with no memory she doesn't known how she ended up there, but she is certain that she has been wrongfully imprisoned! It's ok though, because she knows that she has to escape, it's alright though, because her stuffed toy bunny Harvey totally agrees with her! Edna and Harvey is an insane point and click that takes away the particle effects and physics engines of recent games and relies solely on story and character just like the classic point and clicks everyone used to enjoy.

A New Beginning is a cinematic, eco-thriller, with an impending global climate cataclysm threatening the world, taking place at locations around the globe. Players will need to try and save a world hanging in the balance in a story taken from the headlines of the day, dealing with the most defining issue of our time.

Deponia is a fast-paced comedy in what is being claimed as one of the most unusual love stories in gaming history. In a story filled with twists, it's off-beat characters live on the trash planet of Deponia, a unique world in the style of Adams, Pratchett and Groening. Deponia is brought to life through Kuvaq the improvised village built inside the trash heap, to the swimming black market and the dark corners of the elevated planetary railways. With detailed, hand-painted backgrounds in widescreen format and top-quality animation Deponia sounds like it will not be an adventure game to miss.

Carsten Fichtelmann, Managing Director of Daedalic Entertainment added: “This partnership will bring our eagerly awaited upcoming titles to new audiences in the United Kingdom and other key territories. We’re very much looking forward to working closely with Lace Mamba Global and making this partnership a successful adventure for all parties."

Unfortunately there is no word on release dates yet, but keep an eye out, we'll defintely be keeping up to date with any news on Deponia, with an art style as beautiful and eye-catching as The Whispered World a great story will be the icing on the cake!

The main point that stands out is the £149.99 price tag on the game, the most I've ever forked out on a collector's edition of a game yet was £125 for the God of War III Ultimate Trilogy edition, which to be fair has three games in it, but I must say that this Signature edition does look worth the money in style and presentation. You get the following items in this very special edition.

• Metal sculpted box finished in SLS AMG Obsidian Black
• Exclusive GT branded SLS AMG 1:43 model car
• GT leather wallet containing Signature Edition competition entry card
• Branded USB key with Polyphony/Mercedes-Benz trailer
• GT branded metal key fob
• Signature Edition coffee table book featuring the beautiful cars and locations of Gran Turismo 5
• 200 page Apex drivers magazine with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more

This is a collector's edition for those hardcore GT5 fans or car enthusiasts, we're very sure it'll sell out, although sadly Sony haven't limited the number so it's hard to tell just how many there will be in the world. If you can't make your mind up over the price or if you should pre-order it, think of it as an investment, expensive collector's editions usually sell out like hot cakes, making it worth while to have it in your collection.

For those like myself that have been waiting for some single player Bioshock 2 DLC you have to wait no longer, as finally the "Protector Trials" pack is available to purchase. The third piece of Bioshock 2 DLC to date, the two previous pieces; the Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack and Rapture Metro were solely focused around the multiplayer.

The Protector Trials are separate from the storyline, and put you back in control of a Big Daddy while defending his Little Sister against waves of ADAM addicted Splicers trying their hardest to get the ADAM from your Little Sister. It consists of six new maps, which each have three difficulty levels, some new pieces of unlockable art and seven new achievements.

"The team at 2K Marin has been working hard ever since the launch of BioShock 2 to develop ways for gamers to extend their time in the single-player world of Rapture," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "I'm proud to announce the first of these experiences, the Protector Trials, which takes players back to some of their favorite places from the original game and features some of the biggest challenges that fans of this series have ever experienced. This is just the beginning. More single-player content is on the way that will deliver more of the intense action and story-driven gameplay that fans have been craving."

We're glad to hear that there is more single-player DLC on the way, especially from claims saying it'll be more story-driven, we only hope it comes sooner rather than later, as an extension on the story of Bioshock 2 would be great. The Protector Trials can be bought off the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 MS points and the PSN Store for £4.99 now, so what are you waiting for? Go protect that Little Sister!

Dead Rising 2 will be having an Outbreak Edition and a Zombrex Edition. The Outbreak Edition is a GAME exclusive in the UK and is currently priced with an RRP of £69.99, it contains the following items:

12" Zombie Figure with cone and Serv-bot head
A download token for a theme
Additional content which is specific to the console

All the details on the specific DLC or contents of the making of DVD haven't been fully announced for the UK, although we're sure more details will arise soon. We would presume that the second disc in the image might be a making of DVD like in the Zombrex edition.

Then you've got the Zombrex Edition (UK edition) which is available in a variety of stores with an RRP of £59.99, it contains the following:

A Making of DVD
Steelbook drug themed case
Zombrex pen

Sadly the UK edition is not as content heavy as the North American version which also includes Zombrex branded items which are a prescription notepad, safety card, prospectus and art book, making the team at Gamercast extremely jealous of the North American Zombrex Edition.

Dead Rising 2 is due out the 1st of October on PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows, (The PC version doesn't get a collector's edition) also don't forget if you need more zombies before then you can pick up Dead Rising 2: Case Zero on the 31st of August exclusively for the Xbox 360 for a mere 400 MS points.

EA Games have announced their line-up for the next London MCM Expo, where they will showcasing Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honor at the Excel on 29-31st October which marks the end of the month-long London Games Festival.

Having brought Dead Space to the London MCM Expo, Midlands MCM Expo and Memorabilia back in 2008, Electronic Arts and Visceral games return to show visitors an extra early sneak peek of the much anticipated sequel before it hits shelves in January 2011.

At the show will also be Dead Space 2’s writer and award-winning British author Anthony Johnston, best known for his post-apocalyptic comic Wasteland, Johnston has attended the show on numerous occasions with artist Ben Templesmith to promote the Dead Space graphic novel. Johnston also helped out on the original Dead Space script, as well as penning the Wii title Dead Space: Extraction, and he will also be writing the script of Dead Space: Ignition.

Don’t forget that at the 18th London MCM Expo you will be able to play Marvel vs. Capcom 3 before its release, as well as the hosts of other games that will be announced before it’s tour of the Excel centre October 29-31st.

Publisher Destineer have announced a partnership with Digital Leisure Inc. to develop a Dragon’s Lair Trilogy that will bring three timeless arcade adventure games together on one disc for the first time! Exclusively for Nintendo Wii, Dragon’s Lair Trilogy will contain the arcade hit’s Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp and Space Ace, really they should have called it the Don Bluth Trilogy, I know I’d be sold on a title like that!

Gamers of all ages will be able to experience the stunning animations and engaging storylines from the legendary animator Don Bluth, setting you in fantasy tales that feel like they are out of the 1980s good old fashioned story telling with the warm-fuzzy nostalgia of films like Labyrinth and Willow.

All three title will contain remastered animations, and will be available to play in both standard and widescreen formats, old fans can relive their days playing the games in the arcade as each game will come with the original arcade gameplay modes, and new comers to the series, behold the majesty of Don Bluth’s timelessly beautiful animations.

The most surprising feature and a definite selling point for myself is that the trilogy will come with a ‘Watch Mode’ that will allow players to view all of Don Bluth’s animated sections of all three games without the need to be on the lookout for viable directions to move in, so your full attention can be placed on the engaging videos.

We recently relived the classic story of Dragon’s Lair for DSiWare, so we can’t wait to see if Dragon’s Lair Trilogy will see its way to UK Shores. For the time being the Dragon’s Lair Trilogy will be available this Autumn in the US for an SRP of $29.99 exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.

I've had my eye on Epic Mickey since it was announced, dubbed Warren Spector's new project I knew this game had to have credibility. As you would guess from the name of the game it's another Mickey Mouse game, but this isn't your average Mickey voyage (not that Castle of Illusion and Land of Illusion weren't two of the best games of their time) with a title like Epic Mickey players should immediately know this is something else.

Now those without prior knowledge to why Warren Spector jumped on this new Mickey game, you wouldn't believe it but Spector is a big Disney fan, during University his Master's thesis was looking over the evolution of Disney characters. One of the reasons that he has a large amount of enthusiasm towards Disney, is purely because no other company has managed to even be on par with them, they have characters who have stuck in people's hearts and imaginations for years and years, Mickey Mouse has captivated children since the late 20s and is still loved by them today.

Being a game with Warren Spector's name on it, it features the usual moral choices, however not so much evil and good, more mischievous and good, allowing you the choice to paint things (good) or use thinner (mischievous). The game feels very much like a good N64 platformer, which may or may not sound good to most people, but that means it ranks very high in my books.

The game felt very dark in the levels of the demo, but the silhouettes of characters were easily recognisable and Mickey of course looked fantastic, his animations were fluid and he sat nicely in the wasteland world. Like all the other games I had the chance to play at the Nintendo event, the Wii is really starting to be pushed graphically, which is of course what you would expect for a console that has been available for almost four years now.

The story of this epic adventure starts with the evil (I always found him scary) sorcerer Yen Sid (Fantasia) who had created a Disney theme park called Cartoon Wasteland which was where he put all his rejected creations-stored on a table in the form of an intricate model-so for example he'd put the broomstick from Fantasia in there. This all got faffed up by Mickey who when venturing into a mirror in his house, turned up in Yen's study, while fiddling about Mickey accidentally spilt paint and paint thinner on this model. Hearing Yen returning Mickey panicked, cleaned up and ran away. This 'accident' then created a being known as the Phantom Blot, who then took over the Cartoon Wasteland, scaring its inhabitants into hiding.

Now years later Mickey is dragged back into this mirror and taken into the Cartoon Wasteland, this is then where Spector's Disney history comes to shine, as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit-the Wasteland's first resident-has now become jealous of Mickey's fame (as Oswald was created before Mickey but didn't strive to fame like Mickey, and his jealousy seems to have been manifested by the Phantom Blot) and Oswald has created a plan to get rid of Mickey.

In order to save the day Mickey has to stop the Phantom Blot, get Oswald to trust him again, whilst also saving the Cartoon Wasteland (if you want to that is), of course this is a brief synopsis and the whole story is much more detailed, but hopefully you can get an idea of the general setting of the game.

The controls are pretty simple, but may be slightly hard to manage for a beginner to the Nintendo Wii, the Nunchuk's analogue stick controls Mickey's movement, and the trigger on the Nunchuck applies thinner. The d-pad on the Wii Remote controls the movement of the camera, the right trigger applies thinner and the A button will make Mickey jump. A downside with the jump is that it felt very harsh, other players at times had some issue when jumping and landing on the platforms, making it slightly hard to judge the jump occasionally. I only had one issue with a jump, however the rest of the time I was jumping around fine. The only motion of the Wii Remote I was informed of was if you shake the remote Mickey then performs a standard attack if you want to stop any enemies from hurting you.

Paint and thinner can be used on characters in the world and 'toonish' objects in the environment, generally you should be able to tell the difference with what you can and can't remove from the style the object is textured/appears in the world. If notice any transparent objects through-out the world, this means it can be painted into the environment, also when applying thinner to objects they then have this transparent look. When using paint you can fully paint an enemy to turn it into an ally, which then means if you're in a tight spot and your new ally is in close vicinity they'll come to your aid. Also for every good deed you perform you have a blue bar that increases, this then gives you a guardian that floats around Mickey (a maximum of three can be active at once) and the split second one of these touches an enemy they'll immediately become an ally. This works really well when in a tight spot with no paint to hand.

As well as distinct choices over what you can do when playing the game, you can actually just not do some tasks, (warning spoilers below) to explain better in the level that I played you had to remove the anchors keeping Smee's boat dragged down in the water. As a player you have the choice to:

1. Remove all the anchors and sail away on the boat, ignoring the poor pirates who have turned into robots.
2. Use thinner on the machines that have turned the pirates to robots so that they can never turn back to being human, and finally sailing away on Smee's boat.
3. Or use paint on the machines that have turned the pirates to robots so that they can return to normal and then sail away on Smee's boat, feeling happy with yourself for doing such a good deed.

This was only for one task, so you can imagine there will be a large amount of subtle choices you are faced with through-out the game, I know I'll always be doing the good deed though.

Overall the demo that I was able to play was a great vertical slice of the game, that showed all that I needed to know about the game being as brilliant as I imagined it would be, Epic Mickey is set for a release this Holiday. This is one game I definitely recommend and will be buying straight away, another great reason to stop my Wii from gathering dust.

There was an array of different items on show to display the 3D effect that the 3DS generates, however I was slightly disappointed by the small amount of playable games to demo, but it is still early days in development, especially with the 3DS probably not hitting European shores until 2011.

In total there were three playable games which were Nintendogs + cats, Pilotwings Resort 3DS and Hollywood 61, and then there were a whole host of trailers and interactive trailers (you could move the camera around slightly with the analogue stick) such as Resident Evil Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater the Naked Sample, Mario Kart, some stock footage clips and the new Dreamworks film Legend of the Guardians the Owls of Ga'Hoole.

As well as the games and trailers they also had the 3D photo taking capabilities to show off, which while being cool made me think it may be too gimmicky to have a 3D photo, just because of the lack of uses you have for it, other than showing someone else your 3DS with the picture on the screen, of course time will tell to see if it gets any more interesting features for the 3D photos and if there would be any means of putting it across on other devices.

The games available to play were quite enjoyable short experiences; however they still managed to show off what was needed in order to let everyone see the potential of how the handheld is able to perform. Of course as time goes on the 3DS will be pushed to its limits and even more impressive games will see the light of day.

Nintendogs + cats was very impressive, it has come leaps and bounds since the original Nintendogs on the DS five years ago, the Labrador in the demo had a more fluffy adorable look, and the dogs all had smoother less rectangular bodies. The demo allowed me to put items on the dogs, like hats, or throw around a tennis ball or a few other items. When playing Nintendogs you of course act as more of an observer because you spend more of the time watching the dog as opposed to play as the dog, this meant that the 3D really paid off here.
I was also told that with the camera on the inside of the 3DS would get to recognise as you play the game and after so long if you put your face close to the screen the dog would lick it.
Sadly however the big sell in my eyes which is of course the cats were not available in the demo, which was a huge disappointment as I was extremely impressed with the dogs and I imagine the cats will be equally as captivating.

Pilotwings Resort 3DS was a great example of 3D (as would Kid Icarus) because while in flight you get to see buildings and environments from different angels as you could when running around on the ground, the demo involved you taking control of who I'd associate with as Lark and Goose, Lark being the kid with the jetpack, who needs you to burst five balloons in an allotted time. There were a large number of balloons in the level though making this objective easy. Goose is then the aircraft flight, which required you to fly through a series of rings as an objective, the rings only appeared once however and disappeared if flown by, making this level slightly more challenging. Being called Pilotwings Resort 3DS instead of the usual characters we would associate with Pilotwings (or that I would) the game features the Wii's Mii characters, similar to Walk with Me on the DS and having a Wii Fit style objective screen. Even though the game was short it was enjoyable especially because it was really helping show off the capabilities of the 3DS, even if the analogue was a little sensitive for flying an aircraft.

Hollywood 61 was another demo which I hadn't actually heard of prior to checking it out, penned down as being in development by Ubisoft, Hollywood 61 appears to be a murder mystery title full of puzzle solving and very cheesy looking actors. There were two puzzles to fix in the demo one having to do with mirrors and a stage light and another was changing the camera angle to read a hidden message. Overall it felt like it would be an enjoyable puzzle game, with the only downside being that it felt like I should have a little more control over the avatar you play as.

Overall I can't really tell if the 3DS shined most when playing a game or watching a trailer especially as the numbers weren't exactly even, it felt quite natural watching a trailer, however when playing Pilotwings especially it felt that as I was intently trying to burst balloons and fly through rings I was almost not noticing the 3D as I was more focused on my target than watching a world with 3D depth. However that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to this new piece of Nintendo hardware, and I can't wait for a confirmation of date, as well as what games will come out on launch for it, as I'm sure it will be a day one purchase for me like all of Nintendo's handhelds. I recommend everyone to keep an eye on the 3DS as I'm sure it will prove to be an interesting new handheld console.

DeathSpank is a true story, ok so perhaps that part was a lie, but it's humour such as this that begins DeathSpank on a path to glory, and from the get-go you know that you are in for one hell of a ride. Centred on our likely hero DeathSpank; Dispenser of Justice, Vanquisher of Evil and Hero to the Downtrodden, who is on the quest to becoming a true hero, worthy of the mysterious artefact, known only as ‘The Artifact’. Many other heroes have attempted to grasp it's power but failed, however DeathSpank is so awesome that he's going to have a bit of a hard time getting the Artifact with so many dangers in his path.

The great thing about DeathSpank, is it takes itself seriously as a game, but as a concept throws satire, parody and just general laugh-out-loud humour throughout the game as much as it can. Best of all that most players will undoubtedly find annoying is the complete over-the-top spirit of the game, each dialogue with non-playable characters will be delivered via DeathSpank's condescending manner; 'Good Evening non-important person' will have you splitting your sides at the insane quests that you will be given.

The most entertaining parts of DeathSpank come from the inhabitants of the world, spoilt orphans, taco vendors and Spelunkers are but to mention a small fraction of the colourful characters that you will meet, however the best character in the game must be Eubrick the retired, an old hero that will re-tell his stories of heroic deeds, that are all really a selection of overtly boasted lies, best of all is the tale of how he sold his sidekick, for information on the secret of Monkey Island, unfortunately DeathSpank doesn't care for the information so it's officially true, we will never know!

If you are reading this then you probably already know that DeathSpank is most comparable to the classic Diablo, however you cannot get away from the fact that it is the undeniable truth; you are placed in a colourfully vibrant world full of interesting characters and screwball quests, not to mention that the game is utterly full of loot. The simple bizarreness of the game sneaks up on you when you least expect it, minding your own business killing goblin type creatures is your normal walk in the park, however it's quests like having to buy a mobile phone to encourage an orphan to jump into your sack of orphans, or finding a disguise for a Leprechaun snitch that make the game one of the most entertaining forays this year.

To say that the game is full of loot is an understatement, there is so much different and varied loot in the game you will be tearing your hair out in disbelief, not only that but each item is individually modelled (so that you can see what you are wearing all the time) and has its own unique hilarious name and descriptions, and when you're holding items called the Poop Hammer or Fire Axe 2: Fire Harder you know that you are in for a treat.

A nice addition to DeathSpank is its local co-op, at any point during the game pressing start on a second controller allows a friend to take on Sparkles the Wizard to aid DeathSpank in his quest; and with an extremely handy health restoration spell you'll never want your friend to stop playing. The only downside to the local co-op is you do simply play as an aid, there are no pick-ups for Sparkles, he doesn't have his own health, and the other player will not receive any achievements for their work, however having a second player around is a lot more fun, you've just got to convince your friend to join in, even though there's no formal record that they have actually played the game at all.

A rather strange addition to aid the gameplay in DeathSpank is the hint system for quests which works similarly to games such as the recently released Puzzle Agent or Professor Layton; perfect for the real adventure-gaming quests, a great example of which is a quest where a cog was required to get a dam working, the closest item in your inventory being a wooden wheel, it took a lot of association before you realise that if you were to drop it off at the nearby termite hill you’ve suddenly got yourself a cog. Quests such as these sprouted up every-now-and-again and although rather unexpected gave a nice breath of life to some of the other quests which are your general ‘kill x amount of x to finish quest’.

The difficulty in DeathSpank is not too high, as there is no real failure state; death merely leads to a proportion of your money being dropped and a respawn at a local outhouse. That said there are a fair amount of difficult enemies that will take more than your basic hack-n-slash technique, and in all, the combat in the game is fairly acceptable as it stands, plus with the justice meter that gives a lot of weapons very powerful special moves and the occasional runestones that allow DeathSpank to dish out some truly devastating attacks, you'll find yourself actively playing the game and not just mashing buttons!

Complete with gamer pictures and avatar awards, DeathSpank is possibly one of the best Xbox Live Arcade games for a long time, not only does it contain over 15 hours of gameplay that is full of side quests and a huge expansive map, you will find yourself hooked on the Diablo nature of just-one-more-quest for many days on end.

DeathSpank just goes to show, that it is possible for a game like World of Warcraft to actually be entertaining and not just a grind, DeathSpank is full of vibrant characters, art and sound, and the fantastic humour of the game only makes you wonder exactly why you still have your subscription to WoW open when there are far more enjoyable and entertaining games out there for as little as £10. 5/5.

DeathSpank is available now on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network for 1200 points and £9.99 respectively, if there's one purchase you’re going to make this year, make it DeathSpank, you won’t be sorry, I wasn’t!

Everyone knows the Halo brand by now, or at least everyone should, the series thats sold millions of copies worldwide you can't not know about Halo, especially its new addition to the franchise; Halo: Reach. Taking place on the planet Reach and set in the Halo timeline just before the first Halo, the Noble team have been called in to check out some strange activity, only to find the covenant have landed and are attacking at full force.

The whole Gamercast team are big fans of the Halo series, and we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a Halo: Reach preview event that gave us the chance to have a hands-on with the new Firefight modes, a look at Forge 2.0 and the start of the campaign, at the underground Churchill War Rooms in London, which turned out to be a great setting for some multiplayer fun.

Bungie claim Halo: Reach to be the most ambitious game developed at their studio so far, through boasting the most content in a Halo game to date, as well as being improved in a technical sense with their updated engine, customisation and improved enemy AI.

One of Halo: Reach's exclusive features is the all new credit system; credits are given for everything that a player does in Reach, and are not limited to multiplayer. These credits act as a currency allowing you to unlock a variety of upgrades for your Spartan which can be bought from the 'armory', all of these upgrades are purely for aesthetical value, rather they act as a trophy reward of sorts. However these incentives of war can be seen on your Spartan in not only the multiplayer and Firefight but in the campaign also.

Firefight was the first item shown detailing all the changes that have been made since the introduction of Firefight mode in Halo: ODST, to start off it now has full Xbox Live matchmaking support, which means if your friends are too busy in match of their own you can now be plonked into a match, so you wont have to wait around to join in on the fun.

The other new additions to Firefight are mainly in the form of customisation, an example of this includes, the number of waves of enemies, number of rounds, what enemy types are in waves, when skulls are active, what weapon drops appear, player traits, respawn times, starting lives, and even custom skulls. There is way more customisation than listed, and it really turns Firefight into a community experience giving you the chance to share your custom games with your friends and others to play, which will of course make great games for tournaments between friends, I honestly can't wait for some Firefight tournaments to start happening.