Look to your left. There’s no use denying it; there sitting beside you is your imaginary friend, right? Tommy... or Trevor...? Yeah. Well it’s time to say goodbye to him I’m afraid, because you’re soon going to be saying hello to Milo, who is a far better buddy then him... sorry Trev. Well, maybe not, but that is essentially what Milo is looking to be at the moment: a friend who is way better than the ones you’ve already got in that he never asks you to lend him money or games which you’ll never see again!

In all truth, Peter Molyneux (Milo’s creator and game designer luminary known for the likes of the Fable series- notice Milo's hobb tshirt- and Black and White) isn’t saying anything much about what exactly Milo is at all, which has led to speculation as to whether or not Milo is going to have a proper storyline to play through or whether he is just going to be a human Tamagotchi or Nintendog. However, Molyneux has claimed that it is the former, with some kind of narrative driving the game on with an adventure some description. So Milo won’t just be a bright kid who you can enjoy an intelligent conversation with for a change, he’s going to also be the lead character in some kind of story.

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Want a way to magnify the stench of BO which fills your room after endless hours of mashing those buttons on your favourite game? Then Project Natal (this a codename, the real name has yet to be announced) should be right up your street as you are now going to be physically, not just mentally, involved in your games, flouncing around the room and leading anyone who happens to pass by your window develop a concern for your sanity.

Well, maybe not. But Microsoft’s upcoming Natal technology is absolutely going to have you on your feet and doing what the hero on screen is, rather than just sitting on your rear end and letting them do all the work. It really does have potential to add a whole new dimension to your Xbox 360 experience, maximizing the outer body fun you can have when playing a quality title.

You’ve most likely heard of this intriguing product and have probably already formed your own opinions on the concept. Lots of people are filled with apprehension, not entirely sure if one of these little cameras will find its way in front of their television sets as enhancers to their gaming experiences. I, myself, am at two minds about this technology, so let’s take a look at what exactly Natal is and can do.

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Bioshock multiplayer probably wasn’t too high up on the list of things we wanted to see included in Bioshock 2 given that it was everything apart from the guns that really made the game (and its sequel) really stand out. Turns out that maybe we should have wanted it all along as it’s turned out very well indeed.

If you’ve heard that the multiplayer takes place before the events of the first game, then you heard correct. However, don’t expect to gain any more particular insight into the fall of Rapture as all it really means is you’ll revisit some familiar locations that have less rubble and destruction than you’ve previously seen. This time though you’re one of the psychotic Splicers.

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It’s All Coming Apart Nicely

If any first person shooter has what it takes to demolish the throne on which Modern Warfare 2 has sat so smugly these last three months, it’s DICE’s forthcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with its so called ‘Destruction 2.0’. As fans of the original will already know, the BC franchise is predominantly defined by its emphasis on destructible environments in which players - no doubt with the wide-eyed grin of a blissful but demented pyromaniac –  can obliterate the picturesque scenery with an arsenal of heavy weapons and armoured vehicles. Indeed, in terms of gaming catharsis, it really doesn’t get much better. Especially when you find yourself using a grenade launcher to hollow out some urban, three bedroom town house in which your opponent pathetically cowers until all that’s left is a thin, two story façade you could probably knock down with one tap of your finger.

But, according to so many Bad Company reviewers, therein lies the rub. Because whilst it’s all very well to tear great gashes through windows and walls and drown your enemies in clouds of smoke and debris, BC was a game which never quite let you go far enough. Buildings fell apart yes, but never fully imploded no matter how hard you huffed and puffed with every powerful ordinance at your disposal. Instead, pre-determined pieces of debris would fall from structures like jigsaw pieces whilst, in complete defiance of real-world physics, large sections would remain insolently upright and indestructible.

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Almost a month has passed since Ubisoft ushered us back into the world of Assassin’s Creed with their disappointing first of two DLCs: ‘The Battle for Forli.’ Set half way through the main narrative of ACII, this game saw Ezio fight for Forli as well as to protect the precious piece of Eden he had recently acquired. Not that he did a good job, however, as the DLC closed with it being stolen by the sinister monk, Savonarola. And so this set the scene for the next helping of ACII DLC.

Today, when browsing the LIVE Marketplace, I noticed that the DLC had been released slightly earlier then I had anticipated. Like ‘The Battle for Forli,’ it was also priced modestly at 320 MS points, so hoping that this wouldn’t mean another second-rate experience, I downloaded it and was pleasantly surprised.

While this is not by any means amongst the best DLCs we’ve seen, this is still a decent entry on Ubisoft’s part, and I did rather enjoy spending some time back on the sunny surface of Florence after spending a large amount of time in the dark deep beneath Acre on ‘Dante’s Inferno.’

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When it was announced at E3 back in 2005, Alan Wake had Xbox and PC gamers salivating over the promise of a psychological thriller in the style of Twin Peaks or the X Files. Early screenshots of the game boasted impressive visuals and the game seemed to be on track to blow our minds in 2007.But then something happened, Remedy, the studio behind bullet time ballet Max Payne, announced the game “still needed time” and the released date was depressingly pushed back. Gamers didn’t really seem to care however, distracting themselves with the big name titles such as Halo 3 that had the good graces to come out on time. By early 2009 when the game was put back again most people had given up on Mr Wake, and waited for the inevitable announcement that the project had been shut down.

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Visceral Games visionary of the classic poem “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri, which foretells the author’s vision of hell is absolutely grotesque and demented. If you think you know what hell looks like then think again. I can assure you this is one of the few video games that will make your skin crawl and leave you feeling squeamish.

Players take the role of the protagonist Dante, who upon returning home finds his beloved Beatrice murdered with a sword plunged into her lower abdomen. With Lucifer in full possession of her soul she is dragged into the depths of hell. Dante descends himself into hell to rescue Beatrice and ultimately redeem himself, as he realizes that he’s paying for his sins and facing his demons.

Visceral Games have played the common factors of the poem and made it into a game which overall sets the basis for levels. As stated in the poem there are nine circles of hell which are named: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each of them has a distinct environment and demons within them. Sometimes this is not the case as other enemies from distinct circles cross over in levels.

Many see the game as God of War, in more or less every way, shape and form. The reason for this is because the level designer, who worked on the God of War franchise, joined Visceral Games development team for Dante’s Inferno. There’s no denying that Dante’s Inferno uses God of War as a strong foundation, however it makes up for unoriginality in other areas.

Take the cross for instance it’s a great weapon for spamming attacks with and keeping enemies at bay. The cross is great fun to use as there’s no limit on the amount of times it can be used. The upgrades for this weapon are irresistible; they literally make you feel as though the wrath of god is in your hands.

As opposed to the cross the scythe is equally a blast getting to grips with. This is your primary weapon and a dominating one too, depending on how you coinsit it with the cross and magic to devise combos.

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Manic Monkey Mayhem for the iPhone and iPod touch is available on the App Store for £2.99 and offers a solid game concept, good presentation and lots of games but disappointing controls and game play, giving it big potential from a future update.

A port over from the WiiWare game of the same name it has retained the humour, presentation and concept as the original and brings with it plenty of content and games, which goes some way to justifying the £2.99 price point, consisting of a 3 part campaign (plus tutorial) and 3 additional game modes: Greatest Ape in which you must outlast the other opponents to be crowned Greatest Ape, Minute Monkey in which you compete for the highest score in a minute, and Ape Team which pits you in teams against an opposing team.  Assuming you enjoy the mechanics and concept of the game there is plenty of content to Manic Monkey Mayhem, certainly enough to give you a long-time app on your device that you'll come back to again and again.  Similarly, if you really enjoyed playing this on another platform you will most likely enjoy playing this on the iPhone/iPod touch as well.

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In the same way that they did with 'Fable II,' Lionhead are going to be releasing episodic 'Developer Diaries,' each revealing to us various differant aspects of their upcoming game: 'Fable III.' Within this first diary, you will find numerous hints as to what we might find when we return to Albion, just be sure to scan the backgrounds behind the talkers otherwise you might miss the hints at underwater levels and an awesome Albion version of the famous 'Your Country Needs YOU' poster.

As to the game, here are some of the facts revealed in this diary:

• The loveable dog will be back.
• The graphic style will be similar to 'Fable II's.
• Loading screens are still here *sigh*.
• There's going to be a new 'Extreme Morph' emotion.
• You weapon's appearance will reflect the way it is used.

Here are some facts Peter Molyneux has announced additionally:

• This game will not be entirely Natal based *phew*.
• The touch mechanic will allow you to take the homeless by the hand and watch them resist as you lead them to the workhouse, or watch them obay eagerly as you take them to your home.
• In co-op, you'll both get to play your own heroes.
• Magic powers will be much more effective and spectacular.
• The graphic style will be sharper, if similar.
• There are two more cool features yet to be announced...

To me, this wait for 'Fable III' is becoming increasingly like torture. But the wait shouldn't be much longer, as Molyneux has confirmed that we will be seeing this game at some time this year.

On the surface of things, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Review looks like to be the rightful successor to Marvel vs. Capcom 2; the spirit of teamwork, hectic, over the top fighting and a hugely accessible gameplay. But in practice? Well we can thank Capcom and developers Eighting for not just delivering an exciting fighting game, but also giving Wii owners a title they can be proud off.

It’s a given that many won’t know much, if any, about Tatsunoko and may feel they are an odd choice when compared to X-Men, Marvel and SNK characters. This is perhaps why we don’t get as many characters when compared to most of the other vs. series games. However, what we do get is a fine selection itself, though you have to ask where is Ken? And why is the Mega Man in Ultimate All-Stars the one from Mega Man Legends? Minor quibbles aside, you’re bound to have fun with characters familiars such as Ryu and Morrigan, to new stars like Yattaman-1 and Polimar.

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First off all we’ll just say you can read this review without worrying about plot spoilers for this game and its predecessor because we’re not cruel / stupid and can’t encourage you enough to go and play through the first classic game to fully enjoy this one. So there’s no need to read with one eye open from behind the sofa.

All you really need to know is that in the first game the player found themselves at the hidden underwater city of Rapture after a plane crash. Unfortunately everything had gone completely mental as all the citizens had been busy messing around with Plasmids that altered them genetically, giving them superhuman abilities. After taking it overboard, the Utopia fell before coming into fruition leaving its citizens wrecked of body and mind as they became known as the Splicers. Horrifically the city’s little girls, later dubbed the Little Sisters, were put into a trance and forced to collect Adam (Plasmid currency) from corpses. Players could choose to liberate them from this haunting nightmare or murder them to get extra Adam supplies. Well, after you disposed of their guardian first, the ominous Big Daddies.

The story now resumes ten years later but the Little Sisters and their lumbering protectors are still found wandering Rapture’s art deco halls, constantly wary of the threat of the Splicers. This time around you find yourself in a different part of Rapture and in some very different shoes. The huge boots of the first Big Daddy no less, who has been awakened to try and help… well, I said no spoilers.

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Rockstar has revealed a selection of pre-order bonuses available from retailers in the United Kingdom. Red Dead Redemption is being released on 30th April 2010, if you’re interested in purchasing the game I recommend you check out these pre-order bonuses. Bonuses include a special war horse, gold weapon pack, deadly assassin outfit and a Brady Games mini guide. Check out the press release below in Rockstar’s own words:

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Cast your mind back a year ago, when you might have felt a large time gap in your day-to-day routine. This was quite possibly because you had just finished your hunt for the last of those pesky gargoyles in Lionhead's impossibly addictive Fable II and it was time to come to terms with the fact that you had finished the game. Whether or not you then had to attend Albionics Anonomous meetings is your business, not mine, but rest easy, for rumour has it that the production Fable III is drawing near an end, and soon enough you will once again be roaming the lands of Albion, but as its ruler.

You might already have a basic idea on what Fable III is going to be about, but for those who don't, you're going to play the child of your Fable II hero (if you have a Fable II saved game, of course) who has become the ruler of Albion, but has since been murdered for the throne. It is therefore your quest as his heir, during the first half of the game, to take back the kingdom that is rightfully yours from this tyrant. In the second half, you're going to go about having an awesome time as the actual ruler, making difficult moral decions which will shape your appearance, personality and even your entire kingdom dramatically! I know, I can't wait either!

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Battle Blasters is a one-on-one beat-em-up-come-shoot-em-up that packs a real punch.  Available now for £1.79 it's an addictive game with surprising depth that will provide you with hours of fun.

The game concept is simple enough: you will be pitted in 1 on 1 fights against each of the 6 characters in a tournament and to progress you must beat them in a best of three match.  Losing doesn't mean you have to start again, you can replay the match you are currently stuck on as many times as you like, and with whatever character you like; a welcome feature for a pick up and play title.  The game play can get fast, frantic and exciting.  Matches are out of 3 rounds and at 1-1 with not much health left on either side there's an excitable tension that will see you dodging their shots and firing off yours whenever you can, resulting in a small leap of joy or nearly throwing your iPhone across the room.

If the concept is simple, the controls are slightly less so.  Moving firing, blocking and special attacks are all done with a touch or swipe of the screen and there is often a lot to do at once, requiring fairly frantic, complex movements and practice which may deter non regular gamers. This could be a reason why non gamers may struggle but it might also the reason gamers will love it.

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Play it with a friend. Seriously. Army of Two: The 40th Day may allow you to take it on with an AI partner, but to do so would be doing the game a disservice, and result in a poorer experience for yourself.

EA Montreal built the game from the ground up as a two man operation, and whilst it’s serviceable when you’re on your own, it’s only really in co-op that the game begins to shine. Commands can be given to an AI partner, but that can never compare to screaming into a headset, or better yet to the person sitting next to you, to flank the heavy who can only be taken down from behind.

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