Banjo-Tooie & Virtua On T - Now Available On Xbox Live Martetplace

just a small, but late, announcement that Banjo & Kazooies second outing, called "Banjo Tooie" is now available to purchase from the xbox live marketplace, the game itself features all the crazy jokes and antics from the previous banjo game but with more moves, bigger levels and more badass bosses - the full game costs 1,200 MS, so its one of the more expensive titles on the marketplace, but in my eyes its worth it.

Another new release, which came as a surprise to me when i first heard about it, is the classic mecha-sim game "Virtura ON-T" by SEGA. The game features the same gameplay found in the ORIGINAL ARCADE version except with High Definition graphics and 1 on 1 online mode, so if you like fighting and robots (which i do) then you will enjoy this release. Virtua ON-T also costs 1,200 MS Points.

So to be blunt, two great new games, alot of MS Points to be spent!

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Has Arrived - Pictures & Impressions!

Last Week saw the re-release of "Square Enix's" CGI Anime master-piece "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete" onto Blu-ray and earlier this afternoon it arrived through my mailbox.

This recent re-release has gone over a huge "OVERHAUL" including the whole film being re-done in FULL 1080P High Definition, plus "batle-damage" emotion has been added where characters such as clouds clothes will get torn and they will stay torn throughout the movie - over features include an additional 40 minutes of scenes in the main movie intself, an anime styled episode relating to Denzel (a character in the main movie) and reminiscence of final fantasy VII. So alot of work has been put in to make a great GCI Anime movie into one of the most amazing high definition experiences of your life!

Now i can spend hours talking about the film, its transfer and its special features etc, however im not - i just want to show off the boxset itself, as when Final Fantasy VII was released in Japan it had 2 different versions - the main version is just the film itself in a standard black blu-ray case, however the 2nd version, and the rarer version, is the "Final Fantasy XIII Trial Edition Set" (which is the one i purchased). The Trial Edition set contains the full "Final Fantasy VII Film on Blu-ray" and on a seperate BLU-RAY Disc a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII - sadly the game is all in japanese with no english subtitles (unlike the film which is in English) - but the demo does offer how amazing (in terms of visuals and graphics) on how the final version will look.

The Trial Edition set, as you probably guessed, is a 2 Blu-ray Disc set - the first disc being the actual "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete" film (Region Code A - Meaning it will only play on Japanese and USA Blu-Ray Players) and "Final Fantasy XIII Trial" Game (REGION FREE - Will play on any PS3 Console).

The Packaging is, as you would expect, is small and special, as the discs themselves are stored inside 2 seperate see-through plastic blu-ray cases with inserts in both cases. The insert for the film is just a picture of the cover with some japanese writing and the insert for the game is a mini-manual telling you how to play Final Fantasy XIII. These case's then slide into a small plastic box (which has cloud on the front and shiny logo of the movie title) - so it all stores away nicely. The only problem i have with it is the backing paper which tells you whats inside the box (i.e. special features, trial game etc) has no-where to go (other than folded up inside a blu-ray case) once you have opened the set up. Another key thing to mention is that the plastic on the cases do feel abit "breakable" so if you drop it it will most likely crack - also the cases do slide out of the outer box VERY easily so if you want it in "pristine" condition youll have to take care of it.

This final fantasy set is now available to buy in japan and will cost you around 50 GBP, including postage (or shipping) to import it - which if you are wanting this set i would buy it now as these as STRICTLY LIMITED, the blu-ray movie on its own is around 35 GBP, including postage. As i mentioned before the movie does come in ENGLISH or JAPANESE, but the game itself is STRICTLY JAPANESE.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is also coming out on Blu-ray in the USA and it is due out sometime in June and will retail for around 25 GBP - No UK or Europe release has been announced as of yet (hence why i bought this version) - anyway ill leave you with some pictures of this boxset, Enjoy!

Virtua On - Xbox Live Arcade Release Date Announced

SEGA announced today that the classic arcade robot-mech simulator "Virtua On" will be arriving on Xbox Live Arcade next wednesday (April 29th) and will cost 1,200 MS.

This is the same day and same price that RARE's "Banjo Tooie" is due for release.

Unlike previous XBLA games Virtua On is getting ported from the original ARCADE Source code instead of its "Dreamcast" or "Sega Saturn" console ports - so the game will feature, much like Outrun Online Arcade did, a true arcade game.

Virtua On will feature refreshed High Definition gaming, similar transfer to what Outrun went through and it will feature a solo (arcade) mode and multiplayer (online) modes - not to mention a "spectator" mode where you will be able to watch other peoples fights online. You can see a list of achievements for the game here aswell.

The only question remains, with these BIG (for me) titles due out this wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade, which one will you be getting?

Handheld Console Cases - Are They Really Worth It?

Everytime i have had a portable console, such as PSP, DS, GBA or even a Gameboy - i have always gone out and bought a case for it - however whenever i get a mobile phone i never get a case for it - so are handheld console cases really needed? - or is it just another gimmick to get you to fork out more money?

Well cases are a good thing, they protect your console from damage, for example knocking it off a table or leaving it in a draw full of wires (USB Metal Edges sometimes can cratch the screen of a PSP or GBA). They are also (sometimes) handy for being able to carry a game or two inside a pouch (either on the back or front of the case) - as the last thing you need is to only play one game throughout your journey.

However when you come to use your console you usually have to take it out of the case and leave the case somewhere or if your console fits into the case you have a tough time playing as when your trying to play the console you are unable to reach all the buttons. For example my PSP Case is a case only, you put the console in and take it out when you need it, but my DS Case has been desigened for the console to remain inside the case - you can reach most of the buttons, however the plastic cover gets in the way and holding the console feels abit odd - so i have to take it out when i want to use it.

The DS Case i previously owned and use was good, it looked cool, it protected the console, it clipped to your belt / bag and had a touch to fit 3 DS Games inside, but it was just the annoyance of it inside - so when i got my DSi i finally decided to look for a different kind of Case and this is when i found Bigben Interactives "Flip-Case".

BigBen Interactive are a fairly new game accessory making company, which for the minute, are mainly making DS and Wii accessory packs (the first one i tried was their House Of The Dead Overkill Wii-mote Holder Gun - which was perfect! (check out the blog post i made about it here.) - but there new DS and DSi Flip-cases are just as good. They are great to look at, feel strong and are easy to use.

The DS Flip-cases are similar to womens purses as it just as one metalic button on top to keep the whole thing sealed, pop it open and you instantly have access to your DS. Whats best is that you can easily take the console out of the case or you can leave the console inside the case and still play as you would normally - its very simple and effective, let alone protect your console from any bumps or falls. But wait there is more, there is nothing stopping you from getting to the SD Card slot, headphone socket, your DS Stylus or the volume controls - even ejecting a game is simple enough (just pull the top part of the case backwards).

So to put it blunt BigBen Interactive have done it again with a nice range (in a variety of different colours) of DS and DSi Flip-cases. The DS Flip-cases cost between 8 GBP to 15 GBP and are available in around 5 different colours, the DSi Flip-cases cost 15 GBP and are only available in black or white. Each case comes with a extra stylus aswell - which fits inside the case so your always carring two DS Stylus's with you at any one time. If you own a DS or a DSi id recomend you to check these cases out as they are rather good.

So are console cases worth it? - most of the time not really, not unless you get one similar to a flip case where you can easily play the game. But console cases do come in handy to store a console in a draw without getting it damaged.

Cafe Hold Em Poker Now Available On N-Gage Platform

Digital Chocolates, mostly refered to as DChoc's, third N-Gage game has finally arrived onto the platform and yet again they manage to put fun back into a card game.

Cafe Hold Em Poker is the first N-Gage title by DChoc to not feature an online mode, of sorts, as the previous two titles you could host a room, and join a room, and you would be able to see other people in that room playing solitaire or sudoku, fair enough you can not interact with them - but everything you do inside that room unlocks awards and gives EXP to that room. However in Cafe Hold Em Poker nothing of the sorts is available (however i recently announced N-Gage Poker title has said to have up 6 players online).

The game itself is 2mb to download, so yet again another small game to download, but once installed it takes up 3mb of storage. The game also costs 6 GBP, which is a fair price considering its a 3rd party game and most 3rd party games cost around 8 GBP.

DChoc Cafe Hold Em Poker is now available for you to download and try via the N-Gage Application, so go ahead play some cards!

Lego Rock Band Is Real!, Confirmed for Summer Release

First it was Star Wars, then Indiana Jones and then most recently Batman - now LEGO takes an odd twist with the recent music sensation ROCK BAND.

As you can see from the picture LEGO Rock Band is real and will be rocking into your living rooms later this year, early estimates say Summer 2009 USA, well thats if you plan to purchase it that is.

Nothing has really been mentioned about this game other than its going to be "Rock Band" gaming style with crazy lego antics - which if the other 3 lego games is anything to go by, it will be alot of fun!

The only tracks to be announced so far are:

* Blur: "Song 2"
* Carl Douglas: "Kung Fu Fighting"
* Europe: "The Final Countdown"
* Good Charlotte: "Boys and Girls"
* Pink: "So What"

even thought 5 tracks have been announced im already liking the line up but im guessing the game, much like Rock Band 1 and 2, will feature over 40 tracks and hopefully songs from Rock Band 1 and 2 will be able to be ported over for more Lego fun! - So if you like Lego and Rock Band id keep your eye out for this one!

Ultimate Megadrive Collection Games Get Ported To Xbox Live Arcade

If your an achievement junkie, like i am, you may have noticed recently that on Xbox 360 Achievement websites alot of "SEGA" related Xbox Live Arcade titles have been announced - however if you look even more closely the titles that have been announced so far have all been from segas recent "Ultimate Megadrive Collection" Game.

So far 5 (out of like 30 games) have been announced for release this year on Xbox Live Arcade, one of which (Sonic The Hedgehog 3) i was happy to hear about - but the others im not that interested in. For example the games (achievement wise) that have been announced are "Comix Zone, Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Phantasy Star II, Shinobi and Altered Beast" and im guessing alot more in the coming months will be announced.

Each game will have 200 Achievement points, some fairly easy, and each game will cost between 400 - 600 MS - and in all honesty will look exactly the same as on the Ultimate Megadrive Collection. So the question remains - is there a point to re-release them again in HD? - Id say YES, mainly because this time you can buy the games YOU LIKE instead of having a disc full of games you do not like - as for me Bring on Sonic 3!

HD-DVD Clearout At Gamestation

HD-DVD (High Definition DVDs) may be long and gone however UK Based gaming retailer Gamestation are still selling a handful of brand new and pre-owned HD-DVD Movie titles.

If your lucky (or strange) enough to own an HD-DVD Player or a HD-DVD Drive for your Xbox 360 you can pick up some cheap high definition films and this is the reason for this post.

Gamestation sell HD-DVDs and have done since the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive was released, well now all their current stock, except for Shrek The Third, has been reduced to £3.99 or for a limited time only you can buy ANY 5 films for £10, thats £2 per film - which is cheaper than renting from a DVD Store or ordering it from Sky HD Box Office.

I Do have to admit that the selection of films can be pritty poor, but i managed to rustle up a few decent favourites - for example - the ENTIRE Harry Potter collection is available on HD-DVD and is available on this offer, so i grabbed Movies 3 and 4 (as i already own the 5th film on HD-DVD). Other popular films include "Shaun Of The Dead, Corpse Bride, Hot Fuzz, Blood Diamond, World Trade Center and American Gangster" are also included in this amazing offer, some films, such as Blood Diamond, are still £5 to buy on standard DVD.

So abit of advice for you, if you own a HD-DVD Drive (or player) and your looking for some cheap films - check out the HD-DVD Section on various websites and call into your local gamestation store to see what HD-DVD Films they have on offer for you.

Banjo-Tooie Release Date & Price Confirmed!

Just a simple post that the original Banjo-Kazooie sequal, titled, Banjo-Tooie will be released on Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday 29th April and will cost 1,200 MS Points, which is around £11.

If you logged onto Xbox Live Marketplace over the weekend you may have noticed a "Happy Easter" trailer and 2 picture packs, these were both "Easter" specials to promote the release of Banjo-Tooie, and also to show off the "Stop n Swop" feature that, after 10 years, finally makes it to the game.

Just like in Banjo Kazooie:Nuts and Bolts, if you collected all 100 Jiggies and 900 Notes you would unlocked 6 eggs and an ice key, collect the eggs and ice key in Banjo-Kazooie and then load up Nuts & Bolts you would unlock 7 additional boxes that would unlock additional items for your cars and planes, well these feature is now available in Banjo-Tooie and it will unlock a few new moves (which can not be learned in any other way other than finding the eggs in Banjo Kazooie).

So the bear and bird comical action will re-commence on Xbox Live on 29th April and will cost 1,200 MS Points, go on treat yourself!

Outrun Online Arcade Now Available On Xbox Live Marketplace

Outrun Online Arcade has finally arrived on the European Xbox Live Arcade Severs and it seems to be a sucessful hit (espically since 8 out of 10 online friends are playing it).

Outrun Online Arcade is , to put it bluntly, a High Definition remake of the PS2 and PSP Versions of Outrun: Coast 2 Coast, but will also include tracks and music from the "Ountrun 2 SP" Arcade Game.

The game itself consists of 10 different ferrari cars, 15 different courses, over 5 different music tracks and a handful of mini games - not to mention a variety of different gaming modes, such as standard arcade, heart mode (try not to damage the car) and time attack mode and then there is an online mode where up to 6 players can race against each other!

Outrun Online Arcade is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace and costs 800 MS Points, which is alot cheaper than i was originally expecting as i was expecting 1,200 MS Points and is around 360mb to download.

There is also a Playstation Network (PSN) version of the game coming out, however sega have not confirmed a release date for it yet, but it is due out in April - so im going to guess it will come out this friday or next friday and it will cost around £7 / £8 on the Playstation Network Store.

Resident Evil 5 Versus Mode Add-on Now Available

Resident Evil 5 has been out less than a month and it is already reciving some DLC - usually this would be great news, as it shows the development team is showing comitment to the game, however it seems to me (and a few other Resi Fans) that this is more than just a simple "cash-in".

The New Downloadable Content, which was released today on Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Store adds 2 new multiplayer modes, once of which is called "SURVIVORS". Basically the survivors from the resident evil series, such as Wesker, Jill, Chris, Sheva etc are now all playable characters and the main aim of this mode is to kill everyone, yes its just a simple deathmatch. Play on your own in a free-for-all type match or team up with a friend and play co-op deathmatch, however only 4 people can play in a match at one time, so it will be 2v2 (team deathmatch) or 1v3 (solo deathmatch).

The Second mode, this is one that interests me, is that the DLC will also come with "SLAYER", this is where you and a team-mate (and maybe another 2 online characters) can stand and fight against a hoarde of zombies - basically its similar to gears of war 2's hoarde mode but not as much fun.

So far the package seems great, but this is where the plot thickens. The "VERSUS" DLC Add-on is only 1.86mb in size and costs 400 MS (4 GBP) - which suggests that CAPCOM was originally planning to include this in the main game itself, but decided against it (for what reasons im not 100% sure), as most DLC, espically as interesting as this, would be over 100mb and cost 800 MS (£8). If you have the money to spend on the DLC, then go ahead - but dont expect alot from it.

Worms World Party Explodes Onto N-Gage Platform

The highly anticipated "Worms World Party" has finally arrived onto the N-Gage platform and it has come with a BANG!, and i say this as right now on the N-Gage Forums, people are goin crazy with online matches and for once having an extremely good time online with very little trouble!

Worms World Party is in a sense exactly similar to the original n-gage version with worms except with updated visuals, better controls, different levels and a variety of new weapons, over 30 weapons if i remember correctly, so thats alot of different ways to destory (or whack) your opponents worms out of the game!

The game itself is 4mb to download, but requires 8mb worth of storage on your phone - so yet again another small sized download but contains alot of fun (espically online). Worms World Party, most commonly known as WWP Costs 8 GBP to buy and believe me its worth every penny!

Worms World Party is now available for you to download via the N-Gage Application, and will be shortly available on the N-Gage Showroom on the website.

Xbox 360 Outsold by PS2 In Japan!

Microsoft's Awesome Xbox 360 may be bringing in huge figures in Europe and USA, however over in Japan the Xbox 360 is yet again struggling, figures were recently released today that the Xbox 360 is the least sold console in japan, and with the obsolete PS2 beating it by over 500 Units.

The Figures for the past month (March - April) in japan are as follows:

Console Sales:

PS3: 22,825
Wii: 17,276
PS2: 5,246
360: 4,849

Handheld Sales:

DSi: 57,401
PSP: 54,148
DS: 8,408

Last month the Xbox 360 did sell more than the PS3, and PS2 as it had STAR OCEAN 4 released onto the console, but now that release has gone and no-more RPG games are due out soon, the xbox 360 has dropped, where the more favoured PS3 and PS2, as they both feature alot of japanese RPG games and huge RPG Fan-base, are still going strong.

It has always been a known fact that the Xbox 360 didnt have a strong fan-base, but now this just prooves it and im guessing when the other RPG games are released for the 360 later in the year, that that will drag in more japanese gamers to buy the console.

Nintendo DSi Out Now - A Look At Nintendo's Improved Handheld!

Its finally arrived, Nintendo's improved DS lite has finally arrived in Europe and even though the technical specifications dont look much different, compared to the original DS lite, there is alot of differences to be noticed - and thats before turning the machine on.

The new "Nintendo DSi" (or Nintendo DS Internet, as it has been dubbed on some forums) is, in my opinion, a few centimetres bigger and slightly heavier than the original DS - but feels completely different, not to mention a slightly small design change.

The Original DS is shiny and fingermarks are easily noticable after a peroid of time, much like the PS3 and Samsung TVs, however the new DSi is the solid non-shiny charcoal black (or ice white, depending on which one you buy) - similar to an xbox 360 elite or a standard Panasonic TV. The DSi also feels different, more like a harder rubber than shiney plastic and im guessin over time the DSi will still look as good as when it was first used.

Other Differences to mention, espically the the DS (Double Square) Logo that you usually see on top of the DS is not present in the new DSi machines, instead its just a dull top with a small circle in the corner for a camera - the DSi aint winning any awards for looking cool at the moment.

However there are other more noticible differences, such as the GBA Slot (aka Slot 2) has been removed, so no more playing GBA Games on your DS or even playing Guitar Hero DS Game on the new DSi. Other small differences include:

* Power Button changed from a "Slide Switch" To A Button
* Power Button on the inside of the machine, instead of on the right hand side of it
* Volume is now 2 buttons like on a TV remote, instead of it being a slide switch
* Volume button is now on the left hand side of the unit instead of on the front
* Charging Indicated now added, so there is now 3 lights shining, instead of 2
* Charging, Power and Wifi Indicators are now highlighted
* Charging, Power and Wifi Indicators are now on the left side of the DS, instead of the right
* Both DSi Screens are slightly bigger than DS Screens
* The Left & Right shoulder trigger buttons stick out more - More comfortable and easy use
* SD Card slot to save DSi Store games and Pictures

Those are the main differences, in terms of appearences - which even though they are "slightly different", it still makes the DS and DSi two totally different machines, however its not only just the style and shape of the DS thats changed, its also the operating inside thats changed.

The new DSi is on the left, and the old DS (well the Guitar Hero Edition) is on the right, as you can see the OS for the DSi is completely different from the old style DS menu.

The original DS Menu was easy to use, if you wanted to play a DS Game, you tap the top box, for GBA Game you tap the bottem box etc, well with the new DSi Menu you have to scroll (or tap the scroll bar) along to move to DS Game Box, Camera Box, Internet Box or DSi Shop box - which in my opinion looks like a watered down version of the Wii Channels on the Nintendo Wii.

The new DSi Menu does take a fair few minutes to get used to and , for a handheld console, is rather in-depth - plus not to mention every new feautre has an introduction on how to use it - which is a good thing as their is afair amount of options to choose from - espically in the camera.

The new DSi OS also, much like the Wii, requires new firmware downloaded onto the device, this is done Via Wifi connection - when i loaded up the DSi Shop, which is indentical to the Wii Shop, it asked me to download and install a firmware update - once i had installed it i could go to the Shop and download the FREE DSi Web Browser, which is powered by Opera and acts the same way as the Internet Channel does on the Wii.

One main thing people were looking forward to on the DSi were the two built-in cameras, which are 1.3 Megapixel in quality, which is not much compared to Samsung's 8 Megapixel and Nokia's 5 Megapixel phones, however the quality on the DSi screen makes it look alot better.

As i mentioned the DSi has two built-in cameras, one underneath the top screen and another one on the lid (right hand corner) of the DSi and at anytime, when taking pictures, you can swap between the two cameras.

Once you have taken your picture you can then start to edit it by changing effects and colour such as Mirroired effect (as shown in the picture) or making the picture into a negative - so even without a game cartridge, the DSi can be alot of fun!

There is alot of difference in the DS and DSi, mainly thanks to the different OS (Operating System) layout and built in memory, which again uses "Blocks" like the Wii System memory uses, however the list of differences, OS wise include:

* Navigation menu instead of 4 Square blocks
* Easy Access to DS Menu & Settings
* Exit from Pitochat without Restarting the machine
* DSi Camera Mode & Editing (Take photos and play around)
* DSi Sound Mode & Editing (record music and play around)
* DSi Store (Download mini games and other programs)
* DSi Download & Play Mode
* Opera Powered Web Broswer (Free Download from DSi Store)
* Advanced Options for Wifi Connection

As you can probably guess, its the same games used on the DS that are used on the DSi, however DSi games are expected within the year which will use the in-built cameras and these games will not be compatible with a standard DS, also on another note illegal DS Cards such as R4 Will not work on a Nintendo DSi - this is due to a different operating system and not only that new firmware every so often will stop the games from working.

The Nintendo DSi is now available in Europe for 150 GBP, and the console is expected to be released in the USA on Monday (5th April). But for now check out the pictures of this "interesting" gadget, Enjoy!