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By Glen Atwell and Shaun Inguanzo
Console: Wii
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Glen Atwell
Super Smash Bros Brawl to launch on 26 June

Super Smash Bros Brawl release date
Super Smash is coming to Wii in June!

Wii owners rejoice, Nintendo has announced it will release the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros Brawl on 26 June 2008.


Here's what the Big N had to say about its upcoming brawler:

The first Super Smash Bros for Wii is an action packed fighting game that includes more moves, more levels, online battles, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, a variety of control options, a host of playable characters, and even an adventure mode that's a full game in itself!

Super Smash Bros Brawl is a game play experience where characters from around the Nintendo universe meet up in Nintendo locales to battle it out. Choose from a number of iconic and new characters including Mario, everyone's favourite plumber; Meta Knight, the sword-wielding nemesis of Kirby; Pit, the angelic archer from Kid Icarus; Zero Suit Samus, the powerful Metroid series heroine; Sonic the Hedgehog from SEGA, and Solid Snake the solider from Konami's Metal Gear series, among a host of others.

Jump and brawl your way through the Nintendo themed stages; pit up to four players against one another in a brawl to see who is the last one standing.

Thanks to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection you can brawl with friends or strangers, share photos, swap replays, team up for challenging mini-games, and send custom made stages or screenshots to friends.


The adventure mode 'The Subspace Emissary' is a new mode for brawlers where you fight your way through enemy packed side-scrolling levels. Meet up with other characters, take on bosses, or even play two player cooperative.

In this mode the world of Smash Bros is invaded by the Ancient Minister and his army of creatures. The Ancient Minister is turning characters into trophies to harness their power, and eventually all the characters must work together to defeat the invading creatures. The Subspace Emissary is a fully-fledged game of its own!

Super Smash Bros Brawl Wii
I love you, Pikachu.

Customise your Super Smash Bros. Brawl experience as you select your favourite Nintendo music to brawl to, and choose the control scheme that suits you best.

Control options include the Wii Remote alone, Wii Remote with Nunchuk, Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller, giving brawlers an endless amount of ways to play.

Super Smash Bros Brawl is an encyclopedia of Nintendo's video game history; it's a brawling, battling adventure that retains all the familiar features of the series, whilst bringing a variety of extensive new elements, ensuring infinite replayability.

The previous instalment in the series, Super Smash Bros Melee is the best-selling game of all time for Nintendo GameCube with 7.41 million copies sold worldwide.

Visit www.SmashBros.com for more Super Smash Bros Brawl information.
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Time Crisis 4 Review

May 14th 2008 11:05
Console: Playstation 3
Article: Review
Score (out of 10): 7.5
Author: Glen Atwell
Time Crisis 4 is fun - and I'm a left hander

Time Crisis 4 Review PS3
High resolution box art within - Click if you dare!

With a new G-Con weapon, polished graphics and improved game play, Time Crisis 4 is a blast - even for left handers.

I don't believe left handers to be a curse or blight on the modern day, so when I ripped the new Time Crisis 4 gun out of the box and realised it was only useful for right handers, I was pretty peeved.

Around 13 per cent of the world's population is left handed. It would appear this is news to the development team at Namco.

On that note, let's now educate Namco on the humble lefty:

ABC reveals that left-handers have higher health risks, but possess the element of surprise.

New Scientist categorically states that left handers are superior in hand-to-hand combat

Left handers even have an international recognition day, and have better creative skills and spatial awareness than their right-winged counterparts.

Ahh... I've waited years to get that off my chest. With all that information, it's a wonder Namco didn't release the G-Con as a left handed only model.

Time Crisis 4 left handed
Don't worry, I clipped my fingernails after seeing this photo!

Anyway, let's get back on topic.

Time Crisis 4 is a pleasant surprise. It's fun, easy to play and has lots of features to keep you coming back. It's arcadey by name and arcadey by nature - so don't feel stupid when you reach for coins in your pocket when the 'game over - continue?' screen appears.

The G-Con gun is the brains trust of the entire operation, and for the most part, it's functional and easy to use. Aside from its discriminatory features, the G-Con is wired and connects to your PS3 via USB.

A set of weird looking LED sensors also come bundled and need to be plugged into the USB port too.

The review copy sent to us had clearly been used before (we've codenamed it the community bicycle) and I felt like I was untangling Christmas tree lights during setup. Hopefully brand new, boxed versions, come without the tangled hassles.

Once you're all plugged in, you'll need to calibrate the G-Con. I love calibrating things. It might be a faulty gene, but I always calibrate equipment twice, then again if I feel the urge.

Soon you'll launch into the single player arcade mode, where terrorists are again threatening to destroy the world.

In the Prologue, you'll meet Terror Bytes, a new biological weapon consisting of cute, little bugs and large incisors. It's a humorous combination.

The arcade mode is short, but very sweet. The graphics are polished, certainly not the best we've seen, but smooth enough to make you intermittently salivate, and for me, that's good enough.

Sound is mostly cheesy BGM, you'll quickly turn the music down and turn the SFX up.

I loved the multi-screen challenges, where gamers must use the G-Con to alternate viewpoints and keep multiple streams of enemies under control. It's fast, frantic and addictive.

Once you're through with the arcade mode, the complete mission mode will keep you coming back for more. Then there's mini games, and then plenty of unlockable content. Enough Time Crisis action for the whole family on a rainy day.

At around A$110, the game and peripheral bundle is a pricey package. But after spending so much of my hard earned childhood pocket money on the arcade version, it's a steal in comparison.

If you're seeking a satisfying blast, or simply want to live out your murderous desires, go and grab it.
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Console: Playstation 3
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Shaun Inguanzo
Namco ensures left handedness is a disability once more.

g-con gun for time crisis 4 screenshot
The new G-Con light gun: right-handers only, thanks.


LEFT-HANDEDNESS appears to still be classed as a disability if the design of a new light gun for the PlayStation 3 is anything to go by.

Gamer Herald has received a review copy of Time Crisis 4 complete with new G-Con light gun.

Overwhelmed by excitement, Gamer Herald's Glen Atwell waited for me to call 'action' before emerging from behind a desk to rip open the Time Crisis box, before ducking to take cover just a few seconds later.

Glen, a left-hander, withdrew the nifty new G-Con only to find that holding it felt more like the Tree pose Yoga exercise in Wii Fit rather than a sleek, virtual killing device.

g-con gun for time crisis 4 screenshot
Criss-cross: Left handers can shoot bad guys while performing martial arts poses, Namco's G-Con design implies.


It seems the G-Con's front handle, that allows you to hold it like an SMG, has been placed on the left hand side of the gun to favour right-handers who pull the trigger with their right hand.

Lefties, however, who want to pull the trigger in that foreign, distasteful way (with their left hands) have been condemned to contorted maneuvers, unless they comply with the will of right-handed people.

But even yours truly, a right-hander, can't believe that Namco would release a gun favouring right-handers.

It's as annoying as the Logitech mouse design that are moulded for right-handed use.

So, left-handers, how do you feel about this video game based discrimination?

Will you still play Time Crisis 4 on the PS3, and what scenarios have you been in where a video game or peripheral has favoured right-handers before?

Meanwhile, Glen will have his left-handed impressions posted soon.
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Console: Wii
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Shaun Inguanzo
EA announces new Skate game to use Wii Balance Board

skate it! wii screenshot
Low res, low textured glory. But if the Wii Balance Board works, who cares?

[ Click here to read more ]
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Console: All Consoles
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Shaun Inguanzo
And it's go, go, go for Codemasters

Codemasters is now developing racing games using the Formula One license.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Console: Wii
Article: Review
Score (out of 10): 7.5
Author: Shaun Inguanzo
Can you get fit playing games?

wii fit review
The Hula Hoop game is classed as an Aerobic Exercise, but lasts just one minute. Go for a run afterwards.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Console: All Consoles
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Shaun Inguanzo
The Big Daddy of films?

bioshock game becomes film
"Please turn off your mobile phones, or Big Daddy will drill a hole through your face."

[ Click here to read more ]
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Console: Xbox 360
Article: Hands On
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Glen Atwell
It's all about the race

Race Driver Grid preview
Race Driver: Grid is genuine GT5 competition

[ Click here to read more ]
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Australia's Top 10 SingStar Songs

May 11th 2008 04:36
Console: Playstation 3
Article: News
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Glen Atwell
Aussie classic tops SingStar most downloaded list

WITH more than half a million SingStar microphones in Australian homes and tens of thousands of song downloads from the SingStore, the nation's most loved tune has been revealed


[ Click here to read more ]
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Haze Demo Review - PS3

May 11th 2008 02:56
Console: Playstation 3
Article: Hands On
Score (out of 10): No Score
Author: Glen Atwell
Does Haze amaze or daze?

PS3 Haze Demo Review
Haze - Nectar of life

[ Click here to read more ]
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