FIRST LOOK  Animal Crossing: Lets go to the City
Nintendo, Christmas 08

Pack up your fishing rod and get ready to build a new home; after a long wait the new installment of Animal Crossing is almost here.

With many new features such as the Wii Speak accessory, enabling you to chat to other players in the game, you get to control and shape your own little world. Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can also send friends letters and items and even go visit!

The world passes in real-time meaning you can experience days, evenings, and summers and winters as they happen. You begin by moving to your new town where you can make friends, and collect new furniture, wallpaper and carpets to make your house a home. Alternatively, simply while away the hours with a spot of fishing or gardening - there are no pressures in the world of Animal Crossing, you can live the life you wish to lead.

New to this game is the ability to jump a bus to the city to explore and take part in many more activities, making the Animal Crossing world bigger than before. Highly addictive and yet amazingly chilled out, this game is one of the must-haves to end 2008.

 Sims Animals
EA, Out Jan 09

Following on the animal/simulation theme, Jan 09 sees the release of a new Sims Spin-off: SimAnimals. For the first time in a Sims world, players can engage with the wild world of animals in their natural surroundings. You’re challenged to engage, touch, move and try to control a wide range of animals as you journey deeper and deeper into the forest. Using an on-screen animated hand, you can reach out and touch, pick up and move everything in the game from foxes and bears to trees and flowers.

Based on how you treat them, the animals will come to know and love – or dislike you! There are lots of goals; discover secrets, unlock forest areas and uncover one-of-a-kind objects and wild animals, some with special abilities, by successfully completing tasks. It’s survival of the fittest, as you find out who the troublemakers are and who the good guys are to make sure everyone gets along – or not!

Gamers who like a more relaxing gaming experience rather than full out action or brain taxing titles are spoilt for choice this winter. Which will you pick – or will you go for both?

PREVIEWS

Tomb Raider: Underworld
Eidos, £49.99 PS3, X360,  £39.99 Wii, £29.99 PC, PS2, DS
DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360, Out 21st November
Rating: BBFC 12+/ PEGI 16+
The most immersive Lara adventure yet, Underworld is dark, foreboding and deliciously playable. The series has evolved a lot over its 10+ years of life, and this latest outing has Lara looking more lifelike than ever before. Thanks to a huge number of new animations she looks more human than videogame, and new technologies allow her to interact with the exotic places she explores in a huge amount of detail. Keep your eyes open, as you can use a lot of what you can see – both to solve puzzles and to fight enemies.

With often flummoxing and frustrating puzzles and platform levels to work through, both your fingers and your brain will get a work out, but you’ll be glued to your screens thanks to the amazing graphics and gripping storyline.

The ancient ruins that you explore  - scratch that, everything you explore! – is so beautiful that you constantly want to see what’s round the corner and the same goes for the gargantuan storyline. We’re not going to give any more away, but our preview of ‘Underworld has definitely left us wanting more. If you feel the same way, keep your eye out for our Lara feature in the next issue!

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King,
Blizzard Activision, £24.99
PC/Mac, Out 13th November Rating: 12+

World of Warcraft’s big expansion Wrath of the Lich King hits stores this month, giving gamers an even bigger and better world to explore, quest and of course loot. With the ability to level your character to a new cap of 80, and the addition of a huge number of new dungeons and realms to visit, you’re going to be sucked into the world of Azeroth for a few more years at least.

Invited to try out the Beta pre-launch, here at Flipside we’ve got to experience the lush new landscapes, and possibly the biggest new feature in the game; the Death Knight first hand. This new class is multi-talented and multi-functional, so whether you like casting spells, hitting people with big axes or defending the weak, you’ll enjoy playing this new character.

Having seen the development process of some of the group dungeons, gamers have got a lot to look forward to. As each area has its own look and feel, so do its dungeons. With such an expansive world to explore we haven’t seen it all, but having visited a few of the zones, gamers can look forward to questing together in amazing ice caverns and Titan-esque ancient cities to name but a few.

World of Warcraft takes gaming to another level but no need to feel overwhelmed – the game is both easy to return to or pick up for the first time, and with its MMO gameplay you’ll have hundreds of other gamers there to help you on your way, and become firm friends!

Expect a full review in our next issue, alongside a report of the antics at the 2008 Blizzcon convention…

Guitar Hero World Tour
Activision, Prices range from £49.99 (game only) to £149.99 (band bundle – guitar, drum and mic controllers)
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360, Out 7th November
Rating: 12 (TBC)

Flipside readers and Guitar Hero nuts Callum Black and Caroline Longley got a sneak preview of the new World Tour version…

“As we stood outside the fading front door of Camden’s very own Electric Ballroom, it was difficult to know what to expect. A quick phone call and the door was unchained, we walked uneasily into the dark club, and directly onto the completely deserted main stage. With a flash of light the stage was lit up and the familiar opening notes of Beat It were pumped into the room; the stage occupied by real live Guitar Heroes! Ok so not exactly heroes…as the first clear notes turned into the whine of missed cues and the somewhat less than ‘thrilling’ singing shattered the song, the magic was broken. Nevertheless this was our first introduction to Guitar Hero World Tour, and what an intro!

“As the final notes faded into the silence we were ushered onto the stage, the heroes reluctantly relinquished their weapons and it was our turn. In a blur of fumbling drumsticks the song was set, the rumbling baseline once more filled the room and Survivors Eye Of The Tiger hit us. What followed was a crude representation of the Rocky classic, worthy of a knockout from the man himself. Regardless of our performance the game speaks for itself.

“For those without a musical bone in their body it is a chance to feel the power of being in a band, without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. This has other advantages, despite being immense fun for anyone willing to try, the sad fact is that without practice you will be making a complete fool of yourself.

“My pal Caroline, who’s well handy with the current version of Guitar Hero, also thought it was the business. ‘It is amazing, it’s super cool but way too good for me,’ she says.

“It’s out in November, for around £150 for the ‘band in a box’ bundle, which considering the technology is not too bad. So buy it, practice and knock those cocky ‘real bands’ off the charts!”

REVIEWS

LEGO Batman: The Video Game
Warner Bros, £49.99 on X360, PS3, £39.99 on PS2, Wii, £34.99 on PSP, £29.99 on DS, PC
DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360, Out Now Rating: 7+

The LEGO series returns with the chance for gamers to take on the role of the Caped Crusader and his rather camp side-kick Robin. As you play through the many story-led chapters based in Gotham City, you’ll get to control the Dynamic Duo and also see the other side of Two-Face’s coin by fighting as classic criminals like The Penguin and Catwoman too. Jam-packed with levels and characters this is a brilliant value-for-money purchase as well as being a blast of gaming joy.

With a stylised feel reminiscent of the 1960’s era TV but modernised with the music from the 1990’s movie outings, it still produces that warm happy feeling we’ve got from all the LEGO games.

A perfect mixture of old and new, classic features such as Freeplay and Stud and Brick collecting allow you to unlock tonnes of extra content including bonus levels. But with the ability to try out all the Batman and Robin suits as well as new types of levels that let you drive the Batmobile and Batwing, there’s nothing missing from what might well be the best LEGO adventure yet…

We reckon… 5*

Sonic Unleashed
Sega, £49.99 on PS3, X360 and £39.99 on Wii, £29.99 on PS2
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360, Out 28th November
Rating: 7+

Some believe in recent adventures that Sonic had lost his way, but this latest adventure; Sonic Unleashed, brings together the best of old and new gaming to give you a top gameplay experience.

We loved the use of both 2D and 3D throughout the game and also the addition of ‘day and night’ gaming with the introduction of Sonic as a monstrous werehog! These features have led to a wide variety in gameplay, without taking anything away from the Sonic features we know and love – like speed!

Reviewed on the Wii, controls are simplistic, giving you a chance to get into the action from the word go, but also taking advantage of Wii movement features to get Sonic zipping about in both forms. Graphically the game also looks great, with new technological additions giving the game’s look an extra shine.

With what we feel is a stronger storyline than normal, this game harks back to the golden days of Sonic with a sprinkling of quality new features, widening its appeal. Sonic fans should more than enjoy this, and newbies should def try this out. It’s a worthy purchase.

We reckon 4* 

 Little Big Planet
SCEE, £49.99
PS3, Out Now
Rating: 7+
A gaming revolution is upon us, and its name is Little Big Planet. Based on creativity and community, this game is something new, and we love it. Fronted by the cute, customisable sack-man, you can play through a platform-based story mode where you explore, solve puzzles and collect literally hundreds of items to help you customise your character, home, even world. You can even create your own stickers etc and build detailed levels from scratch and its totally simple: you learn all you need by just playing the game. It’s all about imagination – if you can dream it, you can do it.

With a focus on multiplayer online gaming, players meet on a blue and green planet scattered with individual plots – and use their character’s abilities to play, create and share what they build with other gamers throughout the world via the PlayStation Network.

An innovative idea, Little Big Planet brings community to the forefront as gamers come together to make their own personal worlds evolve. Kooky, accessible and fun, this is a game you’ll really get attached to as you make your ideas reality.

We reckon… 5*   

Other great games to look out for this month..!   Things are really hotting up with the run up to Christmas building momentum and some amazing games are coming out this month. Tom Clancy’s EndWar offers the most accessible strategy game to date and everyone should give it a go; whether you’ve been a fan to date or not. Entirely controllable via voice commands it’s so much fun to play and the multiplayer experience takes things to the next level. Hire it or buy it, but definitely try it out…Fable II is now in stores too, with epic adventures and humorous gameplay to keep you hooked for many an hour…Then there’s Mirror’s Edge, which offers something more contemporary; futuristic even, with the cel-shaded beauty of this free-running game. You play Faith, a runner with a mission, and in its first person view, every collision, jump and impact is acutely felt. Heights create real vertigo, movements flow naturally, collisions and bullet impacts create genuine fear and adrenaline, you really feel in the game…We’re off for the school holidays next month, but December’s chock-full of more top titles. Don’t miss out on games like Animal Crossing and Prince of Persia next month, and we’ll give you some full reviews of Christmas’s best titles when we return in January…