Ninja Gaiden II

Four years ago, Team Ninja restart the Ninja Gaiden series, with a new game for the Xbox. Led by Tomonobu Itagaki has created a game that would become famous and infamous by the fast action, incredible graphics and gameplay very spicy. With the remake, Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PlayStation 3, the series was adapted for the high definition era. A sequel could then of course inevitable.

* Story

In Ninja Gaiden II, we again assume the role of Ryu Hayabusa, whose clan descended from the legendary dragons who for centuries have fought against the evil Fiends. In part one, the Dark Dragon Blade, where the Hayabusa clan Monitored, was stolen by the Vigoor Empire and the villagers of the clan were massacred. As an avenging angel Ryu has subsequently fought through hordes of soldiers and Fiends, to the dark sword eventually get back and destroy. Thus he was able to protect against a huge evil the world.


About a year later, the rival Black Spider Clan put his sights on another evil artifact that the Hayabusa clan hid, called the Demon Statue. Astute readers feel it coming: Ryu must once again save the world and many enemies threading on the spit, so that the good will prevail. Rachel, the female fiend-hunter in the first part played a central role in further not too strong story, seems to have left. Absconded

Itagaki's love for female beauty is fortunately not gone in Ninja Gaiden II Sonia makes her debut. This CIA agent is just as blonde, busty and scantily dressed like Rachel, so you as a player have to miss anything. At the beginning of the game is Sonia looking for Ryu, to warn of the plans that the Black Spider Clan with the demonic statue has him.


The clan is planning to awaken. Utmost evil, an Archfiend, alive with the help of this statue Bad guys never come into their own. To ward off evil Ryu should also play against three Greater Fiends, accompanied by their queen and her subjects.

Ubidays 2008: Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

They're back: the maniacal bunnies from Ubisoft. What does the name of Rayman in this new title is anyone's guess, because it platformkaraktertje of yesteryear to confess. In nowhere Apart from this, we can not blame Ubisoft rabbits be charged. Contention again Of the first two parts are quite a few copies. Although they were not appreciated by everyone, the Rayman Raving Rabbids games were often laugh at their hand, thanks to the adolescent humor in the series.

Those who then bothered the farmer, fart and scream humor will not be charmed by the third title in a row, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party. The disturbed bunnies, who wanted to take over the world in the previous game have it in this new part feature on your television. The starting point for the different thematic mini-games is that the animals do everything to disrupt. Programs and commercials

Although this is the third part in the Raving Rabbids series, you can not say that Ubisoft utilizes the concept in an easygoing manner. A large and striking change is that TV Party partly uses the Wii Balance Board. Of the approximately fifty mini-games will be twenty playable with Nintendo's inventive controller. The way the Ubisoft Balance Board while using unique.

Ubidays 2008: Soul Calibur IV

The year 2008 will not go down in history as a fruitful year for the developers of fighting games. There will probably be no more new games appear in the Tekken, Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter series, Street Fighter IV or even released this year, this year is very doubtful. All eyes are therefore focused on the fourth installment of Soul Calibur, which should appear in early August as the first next-gen game in that series.

Soul Calibur IV is displayed for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, and both versions are, apart from a number of characters, identical. The preview version we played during the Ubidays contained four playable characters. These were veterans Siegfried and Mitsurugi, the Xbox 360 exclusive character Yoda - Star Wars, for the ignorant - and newcomer Hilde.

The Soul Calibur series is all about fighting with different melee weapons. In addition, each character has its strengths and weaknesses, but the balance was in the first three parts fine. Even now, it seems that the case. Newcomer Hilde seemed at first a little impressive lady in armor, fighting with a short sword and a spear. The short sword does little damage, but is useful for stooping close combat. With the lance we could initially do little damage to our adversaries. That changed when we became familiar with a few key strokes, that we could go. Seriously our adversaries to attack The new characters ask some getting used to, as it turns out.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

It is remarkable to see what impression the first Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation has ever made for me. Although published Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, in recent years, but during the installation procedure of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, my thoughts wandered off to MGS mainly on the old gray Playstation. If yesterday I remember the fight with Revolver Ocelot, the sniper duel with Sniper Wolf, and how I hid behind the benches in the office of Psycho Manthis. That final confrontation actually supposed to stand as a classic in the books if only because of the trick where you had to stop at the second gate. The Playstation controller

Metal Gear Solid 4 is full of references to the story that followed. In the previous games You can play MGS 4 or if you do not know the previous games, but that makes the story a lot less interesting. And that's a shame, because the story is one of the most important aspects that Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear Solid, the series has given its strength. Therefore, especially for those who really have no idea what it's about, first a brief summary of the Metal Gear story so far.

Metal Gear Solid (1999)
* Metal Gear

Central figure in the Metal Gear series is Solid Snake. Solid is artificially 'conceived', thanks to a topsoldaat called Big Boss. To prevent the perfect genes of Big Boss in enemy hands fall, the U.S. government has ever made sure that he could not reproduce. However, three clones are made of DNA samples. A clone was all dominant genes (Liquid Snake), another got the recessive genes (Solid Snake) and number three was a one-to-eenkopie Big Boss (Solidus Snake). The latter clone was under a different name, President of the United States. However, he was also a member of the criminal organization Cell Death, and was killed in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Solidus' adopted son Raiden is the main character in that game.

Liquid and Solid grew into opposites, which mainly Liquid stood on the side of "evil". This was best reflected in Metal Gear Solid, where Solid Liquid prevented the massive current tank Metal Gear REX would steal. Liquid seems to die at the end of MGS, but he returns in the body of Revolver Ocelot. The character in which the body of Ocelot is combined with the spirit of Liquid Snake's since been through life as Liquid Ocelot.

* Confusion

Except Liquid Solid Snake another arch-enemy: Big Boss himself. In the first game of the game series Solid discovered that Big Boss is playing a central role in a criminal conspiracy, it has provided on Metal Gear TX-55 prototype. He seems to kill him, but Big Boss returns in Metal Gear 2, which are published for the first Metal Gear Solid game. Not least in chronological terms - it even beats Solid his father, who then will not return. In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Big Boss While playing the lead role, but this game is set in the 60s of the 20th century. Created some confusion around the release of MGS 3 Solid as a clone of Big Boss is so much like him. There was some doubt about who the protagonist was: Big Boss and Solid Snake. This was reinforced by Big Boss in the game was provided codenamed Naked Snake.


And now the step to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. While Solid Snake by accelerated aging with health suffers, he is put to work by his former client, former Colonel Roy Campbell. He must go to the Middle East, where Liquid Ocelot is signaled. This in a world where everything is overshadowed by the power of The Patriots, an AI system that seeks total control.

Rise of the Argonauts closer look

Developer Liquid Entertainment has ambitions. According to CEO Ed del Castillo computer games are still not commonplace, but Liquid's action-RPG title Rise of the Argonauts need to change this.

Games should be as popular as movies and they should be just as accessible and compelling as the average Hollywood production, says Del Castillo. Although there is still a long way, but according to the makers a step in the right direction put. With Rise of the Argonauts A major problem in the average rpg, according to Del Castillo, the action continues to be interrupted. Are you good at chopping, the game should be shut down to repair a weapon or exchange, or to drink. Magic potion Furthermore, there is an ugly hud in the way that distracts from what really matters: the adventure. Del Castillo wants statistics play a less prominent place, therefore, Rise of the Argonauts gets no hud which is visible by default. There is a hud, but it must be turned on if the player wants to see him. The in-game footage to give as much information about the strength and health of protagonist Jason and his opponents that health bars are unnecessary. The characters in the game will be visible injuries, where a player may result if he is on the winning or losing. Detract


* Greek myth

Rise of the Argonauts is an RPG in which the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts is reenacted. Thinly The search for the magical sheepskin is central, but otherwise gives Liquid its own interpretation of the myth. The game begins with the wedding of Jason. Before the ceremony is consummated, the bride - Princess Alceme - murdered, however. They can be brought to life with the help of the Golden Fleece again and so is Jason for looking. For those who do not know the myth: this film is in fact a mythical sheepskin.

Race Driver Grid

Codemasters has long been one of the best racing series in the world at home. For years wore DTM, Formula 1 racing cars under the banner. The developer-cum-publisher chooses to Race Driver Grid for another way. More arcade and more variety to ensure a larger audience. For although the Race Driver series always stood a better chance in the media, the sales figures were often disappointing. The question is whether the change of course no loss of quality.

In my first encounter with Grid I was skeptical. The game did mostly think of games like Project Gotham Racing and Need for Speed, while I'm racing on circuits where Codemasters clear so is stepped down. Precisely charmed A first hands-on took some of the doubts. Still, the fear remained, in the Grid variation where Codemasters looking for, would be found in the paste as many different types of races in succession. A rather uninspired method.

This fear is unfounded strange and actually, when it comes to Codemasters. The British show for years to make. Outstanding racing Moreover underwent another successful game series, Colin McRae, the same evolution. The last part, Colin Mcrae Dirt, was very well received. The game offers a variety of new forms of rallying, elaborated as racing with the World Rally cars. With the same depth Codemasters Dirt provided as additional depth, put a brand new engine in, and promised that engine can also be used for Race Driver Grid.

Overall, the change in Codemasters Colin Mcrae Dirt carried through very similar to those in Grid. In Grid mainly on the expansion. No longer are only races on the official circuits key, also street racing and drift races make their appearance in Race Driver.

Big Brain Academy - Wii Degree, Wii Review

General: The goal of Big Brain Academy is to train your brains in a fun way. You do. Dissolve increasingly small puzzles as quickly as possible There are puzzles in five categories: - Recognize - Remember - Analyze - Count - Visualizing The game consists of two parts, one solo and multiplayer part. The solo part you can puzzle out the different categories of exercise you can do a test. In a test you get 10 puzzles by category, you need to solve. Approximately 5 seconds per puzzle At the end of the test, your brain is "weighted" and you will get a score. The nice thing about the test is that you can compare your high score, you can see results, so if you improve. Also you can see how well you performed in each category. So you can practice your downfalls in the practice area, and then look in a test or your improves. In multiplayer you can do the same test, but against each other. Here are also some puzzles in that are not in the solo part. Gameplay: To play big brain academy you only need the Wii remote. This is used as a wireless mouse, to point and click. I believe it is an excellent choice to keep the controls. Simple It is finally to train your brain in this game and the simple use of the Wii Remote allows you to not have to think about control. A drawback of the game is that the questions are in English. For most of the puzzles is not a problem, because every time the same (eg search the differences). In a few puzzles however, the question every time varies. For people who do not speak English it is difficult. A second disadvantage is the narrator. If you have created a test tells "the professor" your score and what you've done. This is not necessary, and an irritant. He has included a lot of phrases that you need to click away unread post 2 times. Pity. Ultimately, you are still only interested in your items, which are does, however, very nicely displayed in a graph. Personal opinion: I like big brain academy a very fun and addictive game. The nice thing is that exercise really helps. After a while you'll really remember things better, or at least in the game. The puzzles have enough variation even after quite a few times to still be challenging. For me, a must!