City life world 2008 edition is an updated version of city life 2006 but with changes and extra content. It also features over a hundred new buildings and famous landmarks.

This is my first play of a city life game and didn’t expect some of the content to be in the game , for example different societies which are quite confusing at first but once you get the hang of all its features it gets really addictive!

The first things i used was the build feature, its very easy and you can build pretty much anyway you want. At first you get to build basic homes, a range of luxuries, services, shops, businesses, road types.
All roads are automatically put in between your structures which is a really good thing and saves a lot of time.

Its easy to get carried away when building and that’s where your management comes into place. For every home you build you have to accommodate each one with a job or business, if you don’t the home they usually start in gets downgraded to the poorest (have nots) or they can complain about the lack of services in the area, so when building homes you have to make sure you build shops, businesses and other needs to help this.

Societies are split into several groups ranging from poor people right up-to the richest people ranging from have-nots to elites, they all have their own style of homes from slums to expensive pads ,you have to balance those societies into their own estates so there is no clashes.

The worst that can usually happen is a culture clash, for example blue-collars and fringes don’t get on well and usually riot when they live close together so you need to split them into their own areas.

Eventually as you start to unlock buildings its essential that you build higher class jobs so that certain members of your city will move up-to a higher class society eg blue collars will turn into suits and fringes will turn into radical chicks. Putting suits and radical chicks together will eventually make elites, so basically its like a tree you have to climb. you need to unlock the highest class citizens and jobs but at the same time keep a balance of other lower class citizens to accommodate low class jobs eg grocers, teachers etc. 

I think the whole citizen thing is a brilliant feature in the game. The main thing is to not get carried away with too many city luxuries and needs such as restaurants, school, police stations etc. Although your city will need them , its better to get businesses built first to keep your city in profit.

OK one poor point from the game is the tutorial. Its basically just a series of clips and text and doesn’t explain a lot, if there was a tutorial scenario it would have been so much easier and quicker to learn the game.

The graphics in the game are fair but still pretty pleasant, its fun to look at buildings and zooming into floor level to check all the city activity. It can stutter or freeze sometimes when zooming or when preparing to lay a new building or other item, there are some really decent looking buildings and items but they aren’t at a really high level of detail. but other than that i think its decent enough to keep you playing. This game doesn’t require a top end PC to run but even at high settings on a decent PC there are still stutters and glitches, but these minor things wont put you off the game and updates could sort it.

The music and sound effects in the game suit it well, although the music can get on your nerves after a while. Like any other city Sim that’s all you really need with this genre of game.

Its a fairly addictive and challenging game with some good visuals and nice ideas put into it. I have to say its a hard game, the tutorial doesn’t give you a lot of help and seems rushed but don’t let that put you off because its definitely worth a buy. Its a game for Sim fans but even if you haven’t tried a city Sim before give this one a try, it might go down well.

Game-play 8/10

Graphics 8/10

Sound 7/10

Longevity 9/10

Overall 8/10

2008 World of Warcraft Arena Tournaments to feature competition on dedicated regional tournament realms and more than $200,000 in cash prizes

PARIS, France. – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans to launch a new type of tournament competition using the Arena System in World of Warcraft®, its popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The tournaments will take place on special realms that allow competitors to instantly create level-70 characters with epic equipment, placing the focus on tactics and execution rather than normal adventuring.

“eSports is one of the most exciting facets of online gaming today,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re pleased to expand World of Warcraft’s tournament options for players who want to focus mainly on the competitive aspect of the game.”

The tournaments are scheduled to start in April with two rounds of online qualifiers in Europe, South Korea, North America, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Each qualifier round will have a per-competitor entry fee - 15€/£12 in Europe; 20,000 won in South Korea; $20 in North America; and NT$450 in the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau - and will run for six weeks. During this time, teams will play 3-vs.-3 matches on the tournament realm in their region, with the top four teams from each round advancing to the regional finals to compete for more than $27,000 in cash prizes. Winners from each region will then be invited to a global championship event to compete for $120,000 in cash prizes, including a $75,000 grand prize.

Stay tuned to www.wow-europe.com for further tournament details.

Single-player, multi-player and split-screen downloadable packs now available for Overlord^TM on Xbox 360.

Friday, February 15th 2008 – 10am UK – Heralding the return of the Overlord and his Minion horde, Codemasters® today announced the launch of new downloadable content packs for Overlord™, including the game’s single-player expansion Overlord: Raising Hell™.

The new content is now available from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and comprises of one free and two premium download packs; the premium packs are available for 800 and 400 Microsoft Points respectively.

Downloadable Content Pack Details:

OVERLORD™: RAISING HELL

• Devilishly good single-player expansion pack.
• Includes new Abyss levels and Dungeon Challenges.
• Premium pack: 800 Microsoft Points from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Go deeper into the Overlord’s twisted world as this single-player expansion pack opens a series of hellish new levels, each a supernatural abyss for the game’s five domains: Mellow Hills, Evernight, Heaven’s Peak, the Golden Halls and the Ruborian Desert.

Access to each abyss is via a portal, which opens once a kingdom has been successfully conquered and the previous ruler banished to a personal hell within. However it’s not just the fallen heroes that have been dragged into the abyss: the Overlord’s newly loyal peasants have also been taken down into hell too.

With the undead denizens of each abyss on the attack and threatening the Overlord’s reign above ground, there’s only one thing for it: assemble a Minion army, descend into each abyss and embark on a fresh wave of tyranny in order to return the serfs to their homelands, defeat the fallen heroes once and for all, and claim the throne of the underworld.

OVERLORD™: CHALLENGE PACK

• Seven all-new multiplayer maps, including “Capture the Maiden”.
• Deviously difficult Legendary Single Player Mode.
• Premium pack: 400 Microsoft Points from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Come and have a go if your Overlord’s hard enough. All new pillaging fun with seven additional online multiplayer maps, including the competitive ‘Capture the Maiden’ map and ‘Protect Your Power’, where players must defend the Overlord’s tower against waves of enemy attack.

Putting the Minions through their toughest workout, the Challenge pack also introduces a ‘Legendary’ difficulty mode, which challenges players to achieve Legendary status by using their most aggressive Minion managing skills to complete the single-player game under exceptional bad-ass circumstances.

OVERLORD™: SPLIT-SCREEN MULTIPLAYER PACK

• FREE downloadable multiplayer content pack for Xbox 360.
• Enables split screen play on all existing multiplayer maps.
• Plus adds a hot new ‘Rocky Race’ multiplayer map

This free content download enables players to go head to head on all of the game’s original multiplayer maps in a new split screen mode. The update also introduces a new multiplayer map, Rocky Race, which sees a pair of Overlords working cooperatively to survive the onslaught of an arch rock giant on the rampage.

All content packs are now available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 and require players to have a full copy of Overlord in order to experience the additional content.

Eidos Interactive Ltd., one of the world’s leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, has confirmed that Death Jr.: Root of Evil, a spine-tingling, humorous platform shooter from developer Backbone Entertainment, will be released on Nintendo Wii in summer 2008.

Take on the role of the Grim Reaper’s teenage son, Death Jr., as he and his friend Pandora, whilst arguing over a cocoon they’ve collected for a school biology project, accidently release an evil and powerful spirit called Furi. In order to stop Furi and her hordes of nasty minions, Death Jr. and Pandora must team up with their wacky group of friends and fight their way across a series of crazy, fun-filled locations.

“Death Jr.: Root of Evil is a compelling and action-packed game experience coupled with lots of humour as gamers play as the Grim Reaper’s misfortunate teenage son,” said Ray Livingston, Brand Manager at Eidos. “Played solo or together with a friend, Death Jr.: Root of Evil is a great addition to your Wii collection if you enjoy fun-filled, challenging platform games.”

Play as Death Jr. or Pandora or choose to play cooperatively with a friend using both characters. Battle your way through 19 levels, fighting over 60 unique enemies and bosses in a seamless blend of 3D platforming and intense shoot ‘em up action. Use Death Jr’s famed scythe and Pandora’s whip, as well lots of cool upgradeable weapons including everything from twin pistols to C4 Hamsters! Unlock new exciting moves and combos and learn to perform them to great effect using the Wii Remote.

Death Jr.: Root of Evil is set for release in summer 2008 on Nintendo Wii.

Action Thriller Pits Players Against a World of Creeping Terror

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. February 15, 2008 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced Deadly Creatures™, an original action thriller title coming exclusively to the Nintendo Wii console in 2008. Developed internally by THQ’s critically acclaimed Rainbow Studios, Deadly Creatures throws players into a venomous world of desert terror, where the greatest victory is survival. Players will follow the entwined adventures of an armored scorpion and a stealthy tarantula as they struggle against a variety of creatures including vicious Gila monsters, tarantula wasps, black widows, and the most dangerous predator of all – Man. Deadly Creatures takes full advantage of the Wii’s unique motion-based control scheme and allows players to fully experience every pounce and tail sting.

“Deadly Creatures is an amazingly innovative game concept, and exemplifies THQ’s commitment to creating original new IP for the Nintendo Wii platform,” said Randy Shoemaker, director of global brand management, THQ. “With Deadly Creatures, we are raising the bar for all 3rd party Wii titles, and focusing on deep, compelling gameplay for a largely untapped audience of Wii gamers.”

“Deadly Creatures is a creepy, cinematic thrill ride, where the distinction between predator and prey can shift around every corner,” said Nick Wlodyka, executive producer and general manager, Rainbow Studios. “With brutal motion-controlled combat, a dark compelling story and some of the best visuals to date on the Wii, we are excited to bring Deadly Creatures to a large core Wii audience that hungers for a new experience.”

About Deadly Creatures

Deadly Creatures is a 3rd person action thriller set amidst a desert world of venomous terror, built exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Players will control an armored Scorpion and a deadly Tarantula as they fight for survival against Gila monsters, lizards, black widows and many more terrifying creatures. Featuring intuitive motion controls and a deep combo-based combat system, Deadly Creatures is a thrilling mix of brutal creature-crushing action and suspenseful exploration of vast 360 degree desert and man-made environments. Gamers will explore this darkly compelling story through the eyes of two of the world’s most deadly creatures.

Epic Collaboration Creates First Music-Based Game to Feature One Band

Free Download of “Dream On” Offered to Commemorate Alliance

Santa Monica, CA – February 15, 2008 – Fire up the fret board, crank the amp to 11 and get ready to rock this way with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith®, the first game built around the legendary music of America’s Greatest Rock ‘N Roll Band: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. Slated for release this June, this latest installment from the franchise with the #1 best-selling video game in 2007, puts players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer. Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s GRAMMY® winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers.

To celebrate this historic, ground-breaking collaboration, Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” The song will be available for free from February 16-18 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history.”

Steven Tyler says, “Any band that can go from ‘Don’t Want to Miss A Thing’ (Aerosmith’s #1 smash hit) to the ass-kicking ‘Sweet Emotion’ to the cheekiness of ‘Love in an Elevator,’ to the classic ballad ‘Dream On’ shows why Activision chose us to headline this game based on the diversity of the Aerosmith catalog. Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies.”

Perry adds, “On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats-and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business.”

“We are extremely excited that Aerosmith chose to team up with Guitar Hero, bringing one of the world’s all-time best-selling artists together with one of the biggest video game brands, to deliver a new and unique interactive way for our customers to connect with artists and their music,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. “This partnership will give Aerosmith, a band that has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, a powerful and innovative platform to reach their fans and new audiences.”

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these quintessential rock legends to the interactive realm to create the ultimate gaming experience. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 15-2008 – Three Melons has teamed up with LEGO to create its latest Flash Web-based advergame: LEGO.com Indiana Jones. The game features Indy as its main star and easy to learn, hard to master gameplay suitable for players of different ages. “LEGO is an amazing client to work with and being able to play with Indy was something amazing for the team”, said Mariano Suárez Battán, Captain Melon (aka CEO) at the studio.

“We wanted to keep true to the Indiana Jones story, provide astounding visuals and mouse driven gameplay that allows everybody to play but makes it complex to achieve the maximum score possible”, declared Pablo Mayer and Augusto Petrone, Producer and Lead Game Designer respectively in the project.
Brent Hill, the internet content manager of LEGO Playthemes commented: “The LEGO Indiana Jones online game sets a new bar for wickedly-fun play, integration with our global communication strategy, faithfulness to the storyline and excellent adherence to the LEGO brand values (and have you seen the graphics? They ROCK!) Three Melons have far exceeded our brief and I look forward to partnering with them more in the future!”

The game is now live and ready to be played online at: http://indianajones.lego.com/en-US/Games/Default.aspx

3D Fighting Game for Nintendo DS^TM Destined to Ship Soon

LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 15, 2008 - TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), publishers of interactive entertainment software, announced that they have completed development on NARUTO^TM: Ninja Destiny for the Nintendo DS^TM handheld system. Featuring scenes, characters, and storylines from up to the 140th episode of VIZ Media’s hit animated TV series NARUTO, NARUTO: Ninja Destiny brings incredible 3D ninja combat to the DS for the very first time. Easy to play and difficult to master, NARUTO: Ninja Destiny is expected ship to retail stores nationwide on February 26, 2008.

Players can soon take their ninja battles on the road with NARUTO: Ninja Destiny, the first 3D head-to-head NARUTO fighter for the Nintendo DS. Any aspiring ninja can unleash powerful jutsu and take advantage of items to brawl his way to victory against 16 different characters. Dual-screen combat will allow fierce battles to unfold on the top screen while special power-ups can be strategically unleashed on the touch screen for fast, frenetic action. Core fighting game fans and casual gamers alike will find plenty to enjoy, thanks to a combo move system that is both intuitive to pick up and challenging to master. With new characters, stages, and a much-improved frame rate, NARUTO: Ninja Destiny offers new content over the original Japanese version while offering a slew of popular gameplay options like the intense single-player story mode, versus mode, and wireless two-player battles.

For more information on NARUTO please visit www.naruto.com. For more information on NARUTO: Ninja Destiny, please visit www.NarutoNintendoGames.com.