Game Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10+)
Game Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS, DSi
Release Date: January 18, 2010
Buy this at: Amazon for $27.99

I am the casual gamer in the house. The term casual gamer means various things to various people. What it means to me is that I watch Dom play console games all the time and I have fun doing it. When it comes to my own gameplay experiences though I feel more comfortable working with computer games and Nintendo DSi style handheld games. That being said, I vary in the type of games that I like to play. I love the Mario series, but have never really made an attempt to pick up Zelda. In all honesty, I have never really ventured too far into the RPG realm.

It’s no surprise to anyone that knows me that Glory of Heracles would be the one game to get me involved in playing an RPG. I have always been enamored with all things Ancient Greece, so this game was made for someone like me (though other people should like it, too). This particular series is one that is already established and quite popular in Japan. Nintendo chose Heracles (Hercules had this been an Ancient Roman series) to be the first US title and though none of the subsequent titles have been announced yet, I am hoping that this is just one of many that have the ability to be released here.

The story for the Glory of Heracles is pretty simple. You play as the character Heracles (though you can control his group during battles and concerning weapons and magic decisions). When the game begins Heracles has lost his memory. Despite not knowing who he is, he pairs with another immortal and together they learn that he is Heracles, the Ancient Greek hero who is also the son of Zeus. This leads to the decision to head to Mount Olympus, so that he can get some answers about what is going on!

The story is fairly lighthearted, which is not to be expected in a game with Gods and Ancient Greece, but that is really part of its charm. Originally, one might assume that E 10+ would not be an appropriate age for this type of game. However, with the lightness of the story, the battles and RPG aspects are what parents would need to worry about. Keeping that in mind this should be fine for a mature ten year old, though I wouldn’t go younger than that and I would keep an eye on the game and your child’s reaction to it (as I would any young child playing a game).

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars

If you have never played an RPG like Glory of Heracles you will not need to worry because every major action comes with a tutorial before you perform it and there is a help button to help you out if you’ve forgotten what to do. As far as battles go you also can automate the entire process by using the auto button. This lets the game system pick weapons, magic, or skills that each person uses during the battle. I avoided auto for the most part, except to try it out, but it’s nice to know that the feature is available, should I want to use it.

At the heart of Glory of Heracles you have a battle game. You fight your way to Mount Olympus. In the beginning, through the first two big bosses, you might get the impression that the game is going to be easy. It’s true that it is easy, especially in these areas, but I think it’s easier in the first two sections because you’re getting a chance to learn the game and become comfortable with the setup.

You travel through towns and cities as well as through forest land. On your way you encounter fairies and people that help you along your way. The overly religious crowd may not like the idea of having to stop at temples and pray to various Gods to learn specific skills that will be bestowed upon you for use in battle. I didn’t have a problem with this and most people will be just fine with it, but it’s worth noting.

In battle you can use magic, skills, or weapons and all your options are fairly easy to figure out. If a specific magic spell or skill affects one of the creatures you’re battling in a positive or negative way you will learn about it on your screen. If it’s not going to affect them you can switch to another method before locking in your selection. You pick battle plans for all of your team and then they fight it out, one action and one defensive action per person in your entourage per turn. Skills advance as you go along and you are able to pick up different spells and weapons that help you in battle, too.

You will notice treasure chests as you wander through the various areas. A tap of the stylus on the lid will open the box and put the items inside of your inventory. Likewise, you can pick up other items that you find on the ground if they will be of use to you in some way. All in all, it’s a simple concept and while it’s easier than it could be, it does offer a few different challenges, which makes this game worth playing.

Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars

The great thing about Glory of Heracles for people that feel they aren’t competent gamers is that you can work the majority of the game using the stylus. When you lead Heracles through the forest and the various cities and areas you can make him walk by moving the stylus along the map. You just drag it ahead of him to make him run and keep it closer if you want him to walk. When its battle time you tap the option you want, whether it be auto or you choose to set up the battle on your own.

If you are feeling lazy, auto battling makes things quick and easy. It’s also a nice option when you’re just not sure what you’re doing. Of course, with the pace of the game you should do fine with or without auto. If you are not big into the touch screen you can use the control pad to work the game in the same way that you would have on any of the older non-touch screen systems.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

The truth of the matter is that most handheld games suffer when it comes to visual quality. The graphics appear to be 2D style and while acceptable they fall on the side of generic at times. For example, when you go into most buildings it looks as if tables, chairs, and other interior designs have been pasted in to each place. This doesn’t make the game bad, but it is one of the poorer designed portions of the game. It would have been nice to see more diversity here. However, on the positive side the colors are good and the graphic detail (in terms of lack of error) is also quite impressive.

In future titles I would love to see the game developers play around more with the areas and switch things up a bit. Still, for what is here, I was never upset with the graphics. Diversity certainly would have added to the game, but the lack of it didn’t hurt it either. The best part is definitely battle mode, which produces explosions and other magic attacks that make watching and playing a small visual treat!

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars

Most games have typical game music. Battles produce the most exciting sounds and when you’re not battling there is generally music that plays throughout all of your actions. This is fine when you start playing, but it gets old rather quickly. The music here isn’t so bad, though I admittedly tuned it out and didn’t notice a lot of it after a while of playing.

The dialogue is always easy to hear, the music is typical of an RPG and the bangs and booms of battle only increase the exciting parts of the game. All in all, it’s typical handheld RPG music. It’s by no means comparable to a console game, but for a DSi game it works just fine.

Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

As I do not have a disability I just have to go off of common sense here. What I can say, before anything, is that you will have to have enough mobility to at least hold a Nintendo handheld, otherwise Glory of Heracles is not an option. If you can hold a handheld you have the ability to use the stylus or the control pad, so people of varying hand strengths can pick their options. Obviously, this game is not going to be for everyone, but if you are able to work a handheld game system you should not have any problem playing Glory of Heracles.

I initially requested to review this game by Nintendo because I love Ancient Greece. I was not familiar with RPGs and never thought I would like them. Still, I wanted to give this RPG a try. I am very glad that I decided to take the plunge. Glory of Heracles is a fun game that takes the time to walk you through all of the steps necessary to succeed. I never felt lost as everything was explained as simply as possible. While portions of the game felt a little too easy, challenges were present that make the game worth playing from beginning to end. If you like RPGs you should check Glory of Heracles. If you are not familiar with this style of game, but are curious, this is also a good choice to wet your feet with the genre. Glory of Heracles comes highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS, Glory of Heracles, Ancient Greece, Gods, Zeus, Mount Olympus, RPG, Battle, E 10

It’s like The Sims meets Sim City in Kingdom form. Build your kingdom and help your settlers thrive in the new sequel to the ever-popular PC game, Settlers: Rise of an Empire. The game, Settlers 7: Path to a Kingdom looks adorable. I am more of the PC-gamer in the family and just by checking out the well made graphics and fun game premise,

Ubisoft has taken great strides to improve upon the gameplay provided in Settlers: Rise of an Empire. With better graphics, more interactivity and the ability to create a stunning kingdom with original characters and different construction scenarios, everything to hope for a sequel and more is available in Settlers 7.

One area that had to be explored when creating this game that I would never have considered was the economy created by your kingdom. The following video discusses how the developers made various ways for game players to develop a thriving community while playing Settlers 7. It is fascinating to hear what into the development process for this game. You can check out the video right here on Gamerrazzi.

To find out more about Settlers 7 and the original Settlers PC game, visit The Settlers Ubisoft website.

Settlers 7 is set to be released by Ubisoft sometime in early 2010.

Technorati Tags: Settlers 7, Path to a Kingdom, Ubisoft, Video, Economy, PC, Gaming, PC Game, Setters: Rise of the Empire

I have been a Diner Dash fan since the days when Flo took over her first restaurant. When she became a Hometown Hero, I was on the sidelines cheering. I have played all of her games, so when Flo got her own Avenue and was taken in a somewhat new direction, I was there waiting to play the game to see what she had in store for me. Sadly, I have to admit I am majorly disappointed in what is offered in Avenue Flo.

Avenue Flo uses many of the Dash characters (Flo’s friend, Quinn is a major player here), to create an adventure. Gone are the days of the pressured, frenzied dash to get the restaurant fixed and filled with paying customers. Now it’s more about a friend helping out another friend. You travel the neighborhood (Flo’s neighborhood) in search of items. Your adventure is not timed, though playing leisurely still only equals about three hours of game play on the main adventure. When your main adventure is done you can play in activity mode, but if you’ve beaten the game you’ve already played through these activities before and you may find (like I did) that it was pointless to replay these sections.

The only benefit to activity mode is that each activity, which is taken directly from activities you have to do in the main game (dough rolling, bead patterning, boxing up pet supplies, organizing clothing displays, etc.), is timed. The goal is to get the activity done in expert time. You can redo these activities if you don’t get them done in expert time the first time you play, but the second time around, doing them seems so easy it is pointless. Each activity has ten levels of play. They are supposed to get progressively harder as you move up through the levels, but if you do the activity for each level once, redoing it makes the task simple.

The idea behind the story is that Flo and Grandma are running a diner together. Quinn, who is Flo’s roommate, calls in a frenzy because she is working on a wedding and everything is going wrong. The cake isn’t working out, the bride’s dog is missing, the butterflies all flew away, the dress has problems, and the rings are missing! Quinn can’t leave the ship where the wedding is being held and the bride doesn’t know that there are any problems, so it’s up to Flo to save the day.

Part of the depressing part comes in the over-casualness of the game. There are no time limits. You are given specific duties (find dye-remover, get dog treats, find the butterflies, etc.) and you have as much time as you need to get these things done. Along the way, you collect bottles to recycle them. When you do, you can cash them in for tokens to use on the subway. The subway advances you to new areas once you’ve completed all the tasks in a specific neighborhood. There are three neighborhoods where you go and once you’ve finished up you get on the boat to deliver the final items for the wedding to Quinn.

As you play, the story develops to give you clues as to who the wedding ruiner is. If you’re using any thought process at all then you should figure it out within the first 30 minutes. It doesn’t take long. The daughter of Mr. Big, a big time executive, is marrying a pizza maker, so a lot of people could be seemingly unhappy with this match. Not only is dad a suspect, so are some of the ex-boyfriends. Like I mentioned though, it’s not hard at all to spot the culprit.

The graphics are on par with the other Diner Dash/Playfirst games that have been recently made. The voice overs are competent enough and the music is as annoying as ever (never fear, it can be turned down or off). It’s not the game production that fails, it’s the length and the storyline that I wasn’t fond of. When you only get 2-3 hours of game play (when taking your time no less), $19.95 seems like a big price to pay for any game.

If you are a Flo addict and feel the need to play this game, I would highly recommend downloading it and playing the free trial. Sure, you only get an hour’s worth of play, but in that time you could be on the second or even the third and final level. There is no point in paying for something that was thrown together as quickly as thus was. I am all for an adventure Flo storyline, but they needed to put more work into this and until they do I just cannot recommend purchasing it.

To check out the game for yourself, visit the Playfirst Avenue Flo website.

Holiday Recommendation Rating: .5

Technorati Tags: Playfirst, Flo, Diner Dash, Dinertown, Casual Games, Game Review, Avenue Flo, Skip It, Holiday Recommendation Rating, PC Game, Storyline, Quinn, Wedding Dash, Mr. Big

The following is the game play trailer for the upcoming Harvest Moon Farming Frenzy game. Perhaps it’s the smaller platform, but this just doesn’t seem to hold the same interest level for me. What do you think? Are you looking forward to this one or is it just me?

-Please Note: Loading time for the video will vary based on your individual computer. If you see a blue Q that means it is loading. Load time should only need to occur once.

Technorati Tags: Harvest Moon, Farming Frenzy, Farm Game, Natsume, Nintendo DS, Portable Game, Game Play Trailer

Game Rating: E for Everyone
Game Publisher: Alawar
Platform: PC
Release Date: 2009
Buy this at: Alawar, Amazon

One of the best things about my job is that I get to review things. Anything is a potential topic for me, but one thing that I love to review is computer programs. I love casual games especially. It’s not that they are my favorite type of game, because they aren’t. It’s more that they allow me plenty of goof off time that I can still technically call work. When I get tired of writing other reviews and need a few minutes to myself, I just load up a casual game. I’m not loafing or being distracted. No way! I am working! Life doesn’t get much better than that.

The most recent game that has kept me sane from work madness is Amelie’s Café. Filled with many positive and a few negative aspects, this game from Alawar is sure to be one of their new hits as the year rolls on. The game offers above average graphics, a cute storyline, and plenty of fun to be had all around. There are a few things I would have changed, especially what happens the deeper into the game you go, but we will save that for later in the review.

Story:
Amelie is a nice young girl that is trying to do everything to keep her grandfather’s café alive and running. Short of cooking, Amelie is in charge of management, serving, cleaning, and even decorating! While grandpa is away travelling the world, the task of fixing up this rundown shack of a café is all up to Amelie. In order to make the café a success she will need to balance managing duties with waitressing and just about everything else, otherwise the café will be sure to fail!

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 4 out of 5 stars

Features:

Amelie’s Café is pretty basic when it comes to one of the food genre games out there. You’re running a restaurant and you’ve got to do it well to move on. The only big problem I see here is that they add quite a bit of tasks and some of them do not feel like they go together. For instance, it is your job to task your chef with making a certain food. At any given time you have about five chef stations.

Depending on how messy your chefs are (they have their own personalities and can be upgraded to be less messy) you will need to clean their station by clicking on a brush before they will continue cooking for you. This is fine, but no matter how many brushes you need, you can only carry one at a time. If this was the rule for all items, I wouldn’t be complaining, but since you can carry two food items I don’t see why you cannot carry two brushes. If that had been the case the game may not have been so frustrating at times.

Don’t get me wrong I love a good challenge. I just don’t like inconsistency very much. One other thing I am having a hard time grasping is the bonus system. There is a matching aspect to this game that allows you to have special additions that are meant to make your game easier. These things include the ability to freeze the customer’s patience level, to clean the grills, and to add extra money to your total. When you complete chains you receive these icons and need to match them up three in a row to get any of the bonus options. In most cases they end up being a pain though. Freezing people and extra money are nice, but in cases like the grill cleaning, I noticed that the grills (which are all cleaned at once) are never clean enough to make a difference.

There are three cafes to play and anywhere from 15 to 24 days to play in each café, so there is quite a bit of game play here. This doesn’t include the endless play option, which allows you to play without moving levels.

I had plenty of fun playing Amelie’s Café. I think I would have liked it more if it wasn’t so hectic and there were a few more options that allowed you to do more at one time. Still, I had no problem moving up on most levels and I did have a good time. In the diner game space, this is a pretty good addition.

Replayability: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
In this situation it seems unnecessary to even write about control usage. Your mouse serves as your controller in this fast paced, point and click game. Other than your mouse, no controller (not even the keyboard) is necessary.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
I didn’t have any problems with the visual aspects of Amelie’s Café. The graphics are cute and they manage to compliment the story quite nicely. For a casual game the graphics are top notch with good colors and a nice level of detail. Granted, this isn’t something you would see from the likes of a Playstation3 game, but for a casual game this works just fine. Overall things look pretty darn good.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
Amelie’s Café offers your average happy go lucky, casual gaming experience music. I try to block all of the casual game music out, but when I am reviewing I will leave it on long enough to know how good or bad it is. Amelie’s Café wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t standing out either. I was actually able to ignore it being on without much of a problem. While that works perfectly for me, if you like game music it might not be for you.

Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Alwar offers the try before you buy download that lets you test out a game for an hour before you buy it. I highly recommend downloading Amelie’s Café and playing it for an hour. You can get pretty far in the first hour and it will give you a nice glimpse into what to expect from this game. If you like the fast paced, food service games you should like Amelie’s Café. Overall this is a fun and challenging game with nice graphics. Alawar continues to do a great job of making entertaining games in the casual gaming space.

Overall Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Alawar, Games, Casual Games, Try Before You Buy, Download, Food Service, Diner, Point and Click, Amelie’s Cafe

Dear Nintendo,

I am a girl gamer. In the space, I rest somewhere between hardcore gamers and casual gaming. For a long time, this made Nintendo my console of choice. I was ten when I got my first Super Mario title back on the old NES. I had a Gameboy, a Super NES, a Nintendo 64, and now I have a DS and a Wii. I will probably, at some point upgrade to the DSi, as well.

There is no question of my love for the legacy of Nintendo, especially when it comes to Mario, but you and me have some problems and they are bad enough to make me consider breaking up with you. If things continue on the way they are I will have to leave you for Microsoft. Hell, I admit it, I have been spending more time with them anyway.

E3 is your shining moment. So, I fail to understand why you spent all that time patting your own back when you failed to show a major result. Granted, you had a few things that were decent enough. Titles like the multiplayer Mario, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Kingdom Hearts, and Golden Sun are exciting. They make me proud to know you. That’s where my pride ends though.

As a girl gamer, I have lost respect for you. The idea that Style Savvy will appeal to a 20-something (unless she was dropped on her head about 7,000 times in her childhood) is simply ridiculous. At least Microsoft was honest, and labeled their tween drivel as something for tweens.

The only thing that was possibly worse (if that was possible) was the invention of Women’s Murder Club to draw casual gamers and readers into the same space. That would be fine if it looked interesting or innovative, neither of which was accomplished, in my opinion.

Pardon my French, but Fuck you Nintendo. Girls like more than fashion and Lifetime friendly books that aren’t even considered literature when it comes to their games. We are worth more than dumbed down, washed out titles that children would play. If you want to impress a girl, especially this girl, why not create a game for women that is intelligent, fun, and marketed for someone over the age of 9.

If this keeps up, Mario will not keep me with you. There is no way I would buy a new system just for one lovable plumber. You’re safe for now because I already own a Wii, but you’d better act quick because when the new consoles come out…and eventually they will…you will be the last in line for a purchase if this drivel and degradation continues.

I used to love you, but now I keep you in my closet, in hopes that one day we can have a tender moment again. Why you are making that impossible for me, I will never know.

Technorati Tags: Nintendo, Girl Gamers, Games, Style Savvy, Women’s Murder Club, Lifetime, Wii, DS, DSi, Women, E3, Disappointing, Mario

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS2
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $29.99

I am probably the biggest Country Music fan in my house and on most days that isn’t saying a whole lot. Some of my favorite Country artists include Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Mindy McCreedy, Colin Raye, The Charlie Daniels Band, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Carrie Underwood, and Trisha Yearwood among others. These people all have one thing in common. None of them are present on the SingStar Country game!

The fact that Garth Brooks was not on here just floored me. The fact that the Dixie Chicks made one of the mainstream discs, but not the Country was also quite a surprise. Still, the thing that surprised me the most was not some of the missing artists that have defined Country music. It was the artists that did make the cut. In my opinion there were three categories here.

-Good Artist/Good Song (this one was pretty rare)
-Good Artist/Unknown or Less Important Song (we knew who they were but were surprised by the song choice)
-Why are they on here in the first place?!? (a few of the singers felt kind of unnecessary)

Part of the first and second group included artists like Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and Rascal Flatts. The third group included names like Jewel (I like her, but don’t know if I would classify her as Country), Jessica Simpson, and Miranda Lambert. Likewise, while I like people like Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins I don’t see how they made the cut more than once when other big names were not represented, at all. I had high hopes for Country, but felt slightly let down by the selection. Of course, I realize that true blue Country fans may be more comfortable with this selection that has been offered.

Like the other SingStar titles, Country is fun. It was not as fun for us as the other titles because it’s missing some vital Country performers and we weren’t as familiar with the genre. If you’re a big Country fan this is going to be highly recommended. If not, you’re going to want to tread lightly and read the track list before making the final decision on whether or not to purchase this.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Features:
As with all SingStar, titles you have the same basic features. You are able to play the game using online or offline components. If you own a Playstation Eye you can make music videos of yourself. If you don’t own an Eye, but want to see other videos that people have made, you can go online and rate the videos that others have created.

Other than that, the main feature is going to be the music. In the case of the SingStar Country game, I have to say I was excited about some songs and not about others. When I think Country, I immediately think certain names. While some of these names are here, many of them are not. Granted, I am not a huge Country music fan, so this disc may be better suited for fans of the genre, but there is plenty of Country songs and artists that I like that just weren’t here.

Nevertheless, I still had fun playing though and wouldn’t hesitate to look up the second volume for Country when/if it comes out. Hopefully, if it does it includes some of the Country music staples that fans and non-fans of the genre can both enjoy.

The titles included in SingStar Country are:

Alan Jackson: Chattahoochee
Alan Jackson: Good Time
Big & Rich: Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)
Blake Shelton: Home
Brad Paisley: Online
Brooks & Dunn: Boot Scootin’ Boogie
Brooks & Dunn w/ Reba McEntire: If You See Him/If You See Her
Bucky Covington: It’s Good to be Us
Faith Hill: Red Umbrella
Gretchen Wilson: Redneck Woman
Jessica Simpson: Come On Over
Jewel: Stronger Woman
Johnny Cash: A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line
Josh Turner: Another Try
Keith Urban: Days Go By
Kellie Pickler: Red High Heels
Kenny Chesney: Big Star
Lady Antebellum: Love Don’t Live Here
Martina: McBride: A Broken Wing
Miranda Lambert: Kerosene
Montgomery Gentry: My Town
Montgomery Gentry: What Do Ya Think About That?
Rascal Flatts: Bless the Broken Road
Sara Evans: Born To Fly
Taylor Swift: Our Song
Terri Clark: Girls Lie Too
Trace Adkins: Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
Trace Adkins: You’re Gonna Miss This
Willie Nelson: Pancho and Lefty

The great thing about SingStar is the compatibility of all of the discs. If you own a PS3 these should still play in your player, assuming you bought one with the backwards capability intact. Another nice thing is that you can interchange the discs during your game. Just hit the switch disc button and you can put in a new disc and continue to play the same game. This helps to make sure that everyone gets to play with the disc that they like the most (assuming you have more than one). SingStar is one of those rather addicting titles that offers at least a few good songs, if not more, per disc. That being said, if you buy one game you will end up buying more. That’s just how SingStar works.

There are a few mainstream Country songs here, but not enough to satiate the person that isn’t a big fan of Country. In the next release, Sony might want to consider adding more Country that all people will enjoy and be able to recognize, as that can only lead to a more successful title for them and for SingStar.

Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
The controller is used sparingly here, so people that have a problem playing games because of all the various options and buttons will feel right at home. The only time you even use the controller is to select a song, choose how you are playing (battle, solo, or duet), or to switch a disc. You can also use the controller to deal with online functions of the game, but those are completely optional based on your own interest in them. This is going to be one of those rare games that just about anyone will be able to handle in terms of using the controller.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
I have yet to encounter a SingStar with flat out bad quality and you won’t hear me say anything different here. The quality is excellent. The videos are on the new end for many and the old ones still aren’t that old, so the quality remains good. The important part is the lyrical karaoke text, as well as the music bars that show you where the golden notes are and how long you need to hold the notes. Even when the video is of a lesser quality the text and bars are easily able to be seen and read. It’s never a problem when it comes to that.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
SingStar Country may not have my favorite music, but what is here sounds good. I would have loved to hear a better mix of music, but all of the music was static free and sounding as good as it could under the circumstances. The sound made everything sound new as it was free of any distortion or audio problems that occasionally plague video games and movies. All in all, it’s a good set for the Country loving SingStar crowd.

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
This is the one SingStar title that we play sparingly. I have considered going online and purchasing extra tracks to make this more enjoyable, but haven’t checked to see what is available and don’t know how much I want to shell out to make this game more enjoyable for me. At present, I play it enough to make it worth paying for, but not enough to be considered one of my favorite games.

Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
SingStar Country is probably one of my least favorite SingStar titles. The logic here is simple. If you do not like Country, this game is not going to change your mind about the genre. Unfortunately, some bad music choices made sure that a mainstream audience wouldn’t have much love for this particular title. On the other hand, huge Country fans should really enjoy this.

If you’re a fan of Country this is definitely the SingStar for you and I highly recommend that you pick it up. However, if you’re not a raging fan, you might want to stay cool and wait for the second volume to come out in hopes that it has some better songs for a wider range of people.

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS2, SingStar Country, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS2
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $29.99

Hearing that anything Pop is being offered to us can be a catch 22. Many of the most popular forms of music fall under that genre these days. However, when it comes to music we can be a bit non-conformist. To put it mildly, we aren’t always big fans of pop. So, when we received this SingStar title
the first thing we did was turn the case over to find out who was on it. Many of the names we know and like, but there were a few (Ashlee Simpson) that we didn’t like or (Boys Like Girls) weren’t too familiar with.

We found after playing this that some styles of music are much easier for some of us to sing than for others. For example, I am not bad at pop (I ruled this disc), but Dominick offers more strength when jamming to SingStar ABBA, Legends, and some of our other titles. Of course, we would flip flop in each game based on the song and singer, but for the most part, the fact that I knew a lot of the songs here really helped out a lot.

Your comfort and enjoyment level when playing any SingStar title is going to be relative to the genre of music and the familiarity of the songs in the game. With Pop 2 I didn’t have much of a problem. We didn’t sing ever song, though I know about 90% of them well enough to do well in this game. Meanwhile, titles like ABBA were a little more intimidating because I am not as well versed in their music. That being said, this is always going to work best  if you’re choosing the games that have the songs you know and love. In my case, I love Pop 2 even though I wasn’t sure how I would feel when it first arrived.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars

Features:
The main features for SingStar Pop 2 are the music videos that are available for the game. These are listed below.

3 Doors Down: When I’m Gone
Ashlee Simpson: Boyfriend
Avril Lavigne: My Happy Ending
Boys Like Girls: The Great Escape
Cartel: Lose It
Colbie Caillat: Bubbly
Dixie Chicks: Not Ready to Make Nice
Duran Duran: Ordinary World
Evanesence: Bring Me to Life
Fall out Boy: Thanks Fr Th MMRS
Fergie: Big Girls Don’t Cry
Gwen Stefani Feat. Akon: The Sweet Escape
Jennifer Lopez: Jenny From The Block
Lifehouse: First Time
Lily Allen: Littlest Things
Lloyd: Get It Shawty
Maroon 5: Makes Me Wonder
Matchbox Twenty: How Far We’ve Come
Michelle Branch: Breathe
Nelly Furtado: Promiscuous
Norah Jones: Don’t Know Why
Pink: Who Knew
Peter Bjorn and John: Young Folks
Plain White T’s: Hey There Delilah
Rihanna: Umbrella
Santana Feat. Chad Kroger: Into the Night
Steriogram: Walkie Talkie Man
Sum 41: Fat Lip
The Hives: Tick Tick Boom
The Outfield: Your Love

This music is all rather current pop music, which should be the case considering the theme of the title. However, it is not the only disc that you can use when playing SingStar. All of the titles are compatible, so if you’re playing one disc and want to switch, you are able to do so without ending your game. You don’t have to go through the trouble of starting over. Just hit the switch disc button and you’ll be able to play any other SingStar title in your collection.

Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
As I stated in previous SingStar reviews the controller is not used much. It’s only picked up for things like choosing songs and dictating whether you’ll be singing solo, duet, or battling. So, as far as the controls go, you will only be using the directional buttons and the select or back button. Nothing else really matters in terms of the controls because you will be using the microphone for the majority of the game.

Even when you go online to use the SingStar Internet Features, the controller work is basic and consists of back, select, and left/right, unless you are using the specific community features, which add in things like messaging others in the community. In addition to messaging, you can make your own music videos (Playstation Eye is needed for this) or you can rate others that have posted their own videos.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
Considering the newness of Pop 2, the videos looked excellent, as did the rest of the visual aspects of SingStar. The bulk of the visual content is in the videos, so things are looking good for this title. The colors are all bright and the quality is high. The lyrical text and note bars are clearly labeled. They are easy to see, so there is no worry whether or not you’ll be able to read the lyrics. It’s just a matter of getting them down that you will need to worry about. The menus all look great and there was never any issue with noise or any other unpleasant visual problems.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
SingStar Pop 2 is a game that revolves around music. If the audio isn’t any good than there will be problems from the get go. Luckily, the audio here is perfect. The music is clear, the vocals sound just like you remember from the radio, and there is nothing to complain about, at all. You could easily turn this on just to hear your favorite songs, though once it’s on I have yet to meet a person that isn’t ready to sing along!

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
This SingStar title is going to be dependent on how much or little you like Pop music. Dominick is not as familiar with pop as I am, so when we played, he ran into more problems than I did. He likes playing this title when we do, though I suspect it is not as much as when we are playing one of the others. When it comes to me, I know more about pop than I am willing to admit. As a fan of 3 Doors Down and other bands on this game, it’s no wonder that I had a great time playing this. This is a must for pop music fans.

Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
SingStar Pop 2 was our second jump into the world of SingStar. What I learned is that some titles just work no matter how campy they may seem. My first impression of SingStar would be that it would be mildly fun, but that it would not be played regularly. These days it’s becoming quite regular to the point of being played at least every few days. This is definitely something a music fan will get their moneys worth from.

I am starting to learn with every additional SingStar title that we play that you simply cannot go wrong with Sony’s sensational singing game! Not only that, but with backwards compatibility (if your PS3 has it) you can play these on the PS3 along with your other PS2 titles so you won’t have to worry about making the switch to PS3, assuming you haven’t already.

Overall Rating: 4.83 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS2, SingStar Pop 2, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $59.99

SingStar has been around for quite some time. It’s a popular game on the Sony Platform for the mere fact that it works for nearly everyone in the entire family. It’s a casual game based on singing skill. Of course, even if you cannot sing to save your life you can still have fun playing this. It’s good to just goof around with friends playing SingStar because it’s just one of those games where everyone has a good time.

If you’re one of the lucky people that happens to have a Playstation 3 with backwards capability (not everyone does) then you can enjoy a wealth of different SingStar titles. Everything from 80s and 90s to Country is available with more titles being released all the time. We are lucky enough to have one and since we have received SingStar Vol. 2 we have begun to amass quite a Sing Star collection. In fact, at last count I believe we were up to six titles. In addition to this review, you will soon be able to read reviews on Sing Star titles such as 80s, ABBA, Legends, Country, and Pop Vol. 2.

The goal is simple. You have to sing your heart out. The hard part will be getting those lyrics down in the right beat with the right tone, rhythm, and pitch. Other than that, it’s a piece of cake! The best thing you can do is choose a title with artists and songs that you are familiar with. If you haven’t ever sung the songs or don’t know them very well it’s going to be much harder than if the song is like second nature to you.

When we were approached about reviewing SingStar I wasn’t sure how much we were going to like it. Both Dominick and I are able to sing well enough (him much better than I), but we don’t often play games like this on our console systems. However, as soon as we started playing SingStar we were blown away by the amount of fun we had. In fact, we played for hours and have since played more than a few times with each of the titles that we own. It was an absolute surprising amazing time!

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars

Features:
SingStar Vol. 2 can be purchased in the microphone bundle like we were given or as a standalone with just the disc. Obviously, purchasing it with the microphones is a little bit more expensive, but it ends up being a one time purchase, so it’s not all that bad. All other discs can be picked up as standalones, which means they will range in price from about $19.95 to $29.99 depending on the specific title.

Playstation Eye owners can hook up their cameras and make music videos of themselves to share on the Network. You can also meet others, purchase extra songs, and rate videos of other people that have uploaded their own content. Of course, you don’t have to use the online portion of the game if you don’t want to. You can use all of the offline features and still have loads of fun.

When it comes to basic features, the main thing you are looking for in a SingStar title is going to be the music that is included in each disc. In this case the music for Vol. 2 is as follows:

Aerosmith: Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
Bad English: When I See You Smile
Bobby Brown: My Prerogative
Boys Like Girls: Hero/Heroine
The Bravery: Believe
The Cure: Pictures of You
Elton John & Kiki Dee: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Eminem: Without Me
Gavin DeGraw: In Love With a Girl
Gnarls Barkley: Run (I’m A Natural Disaster)
Goldfrapp: Happiness
The Killers: When You Were Young
Lit: Miserable
The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin’
Natasha Bedingfield: Unwritten
The Offspring: Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
Panic! At the Disco: Nine in the Afternoon
Paramore: CrushCrushCrush
Phantom Planet: California
Pink: Just Like A Pill
The Police: Don’t Stand So Close to Me
The Proclaimers: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Radiohead: Street Spirit
Rise Against: Prayer of the Refugee
Sara Bareilles: Love Song
The Shins: New Slang
Tone Loc: Funky Cold Medina
Weezer: Beverly Hills
Yael Naim: New Soul
Young MC: Bust A Move

As you can see there is a mix of new and old music here that will suit a range of tastes. Of all the songs listed, we have tried out most except for the few that we have never heard of. Some of them, like “Don’t Go Breakin My Heart”, “California Dreamin”, “My Prerogative” and “Pictures of You” were easy because they were songs we knew fairly well. Then, there were songs like “Without Me” that we knew exceptionally well when we would sing it all the time, but have since lost any skill for rap as it’s been awhile. So, in that area some practice will be necessary. Even on the hardest song we had fun and we laughed, a lot!

Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
I hate to even list controls because really you don’t make use of the controller all that much. You will use your directional buttons to find a song and press a button to select, but that’s about it. You will also select for the type of play you will be doing (battle, duet, solo). Other than that it’s just you and your microphone.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
The main thing that you watch in terms of visual quality is music videos. The quality has it’s moments of excellence and some not so good moments. However, the most important thing is that when you are singing/playing you can see the words and notes properly. This is never, ever a problem. The way I see it is that Sony cannot possibly clean up every video that goes into a SingStar game. That being said, most of the videos are decent quality. The parts you need the most though are perfect as are the non-music video aspects of the game.

Note: The rating focuses more on the game’s visual quality as opposed to the imported music videos that are included for game play.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
The audio quality is one of the most important things here. If you can’t sing the best thing you can do is try to mimic the musician singing in the video. The music here needs to be perfect and it is. Everything is easy to hear and understand. While the mini-clips of music can get a bit annoying if you leave them on without starting the game, everything else is right on target. Each song sounds as if it had been produced recently. Sony did an excellent job with the audio options for this particular SingStar title.

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
How much or little you play this will likely depend on your interest in singing. If you absolutely hate to sing this will not be the game for you. However, if you like to sing and love karaoke then you might just find that SingStar Vol. 2 (and many of the other SingStar titles) were made for you. I cannot speak for everyone, nor would I try, but I have to say that I am addicted to SingStar and I am not all that ashamed to say it!

Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
SingStar Vol. 2 was surprisingly enough one of my favorite games of the year. It’s a great family game and it’s plenty of fun for group or solo play. If you want to practice your vocal skills this can help you to do so or you can just mess around with friends for some good clean fun! This particular SingStar is filled with great music, some of which is brand new and other songs that classify as golden oldies. In the end, that means you have something for everyone. Considering the fact that most video games are more expensive than this and this is one that is suitable for all sizes, you really cannot go wrong in choosing SingStar Vol. 2.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS3, SingStar Vol. 2, Eminem, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

AUSTIN, TX – November 24, 2008 – Pangea Software, Inc. is proud to announce that it has reached one million downloads worldwide in game applications for the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod® touch since the App Store launched in July of 2008.

“The App Store is off to a solid start with thousands of successful game apps launched since July,” said Brian Greenstone, President and CEO of Pangea Software. “With so much competition, I’m honored that consumers have chosen to make our titles the top sellers for the iPhone and iPod touch. Our games are well on track to outperform our expectations for the year.”

The unique games offered by Pangea Software have truly captivated audiences across the globe by offering the most diverse game play available for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Pangea library of games now includes a selection of five innovative applications including the extremely addictive Enigmo, a physics based puzzle game named as a “Showcase Winner” at the Austin Independent Games Festival and voted “Best iPhone Game” at Apple’s 2008 World Wide Developer Conference. Other popular games include Cro-Mag Rally, Billy Frontier, Bugdom 2, and Nanosaur 2: Hatchling.

For more information about Pangea Software or its products please visit: www.pangeasoft.net.

To purchase applications by Pangea Software, please visit the App Store at: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=281736538.

About Pangea Software:
Founded in 1987 by Brian Greenstone, Pangea Software, Inc. is a versatile and progressive software developer that is independently owned and operated. Based in Austin, TX, the award-winning Pangea team is focused on creating original titles for the Apple/Mac platform that are fun for the entire family.

Technorati Tags: iPod Touch, iPhone, Pangea Software, Videogame Downloads, Apps Store, Press Release