It's time to celebrate all things Sonic! Not only do we have a copy of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing to give away (on your choice of platform), but one lucky winner will also take home a limited edition Ryu Hazuki figurine, as well as a Collector's Edition of the Sonic Classic Collection for DS.

About Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Get ready for the ultimate racing showdown with Sonic and his SEGA friends! Can Amigo scramble Dr. Eggman? Will AiAi say bye-bye to Tails? Are you gonna be faster than Sonic?

In a frantic battle to the chequered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in mediaeval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA. Fan favourites such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more will join Sonic in their custom built vehicles, revving their engines and jostling to stay ahead of the pack. Each character will race around the track in cars, planes, motorbikes, and in AiAi’s case – a banana mobile! Secret short cuts, swift handling and avoiding strategically placed obstacles are certainly the best way to get to the top of the podium.

Rockstar today released part three in the Red Dead Redemption Gameplay Series of videos. Entitled “Life In The West”, this trailer takes a deeper look at the struggle for survival on the frontier, from the everyday activities of life on the land such as breaking horses and herding cattle, to the use of stagecoaches and trains for fast travel.

 

Shatter, the award-winning retro-inspired brick breaker from Wellington-based studio Sidhe, is now available for PC download on Steam.

The PC version of the game features new PC-exclusive game modes, Steam Achievements and leaderboards. It’s priced at USD$ 9.99.

“PC gamers can now experience the fun, frenetic action of Shatter with new modes, achievements and leaderboards,” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe. “We've continued expanding the game to bring modes to the PC version that will appeal to both new players and those familiar with the PSN version.”

 

I’m going to be straight up with you – I really don’t like the SOCOM series.

From the PS2 releases where you barked out vocal orders through the included headset – orders that the game would understand seemingly when it wanted to, to the early PSP efforts that were, well terrible to say the least. Thirty minutes into the first SOCOM game on the PSP I vowed never to play another SOCOM game ever again – and I didn’t until Fireteam Bravo 3 arrived on my doorstep.

To be honest, the UMD sat there on my kitchen table getting the occasional sideways glance of nervous cynicism for a good couple of days before, with the help of a little Dutch courage, I slid it into my PSP and prepared for the worst.

 

If we had to pick three words that we come across far too often in our daily trawl through gaming news and press releases, they must surely be “grim,” “gritty” and “dark.” It’s as if a game’s success hinges on its ability to identify with teenage angst.

Occasionally, that’s quite true. But given that the coveted audience for videogames is the disposable income-endowed 15-35 year old male (and given that the average 25 year old hasn’t just sat down at their console in a huff after telling their mother they didn’t ask to be born) we’re going to go out on a limb and say that games needn’t be grim, gritty and dark to be successful.

Here are two words we almost never hear in communications from developers and distributors: “fun” and “entertaining.” We think that’s rather curious for an industry housed under the umbrella term Interactive Entertainment.

 

Car combat games seem few and far between these days so when Bizarre Creations announced Blur last year at E3 I didn’t know what to think - the angel on my shoulder was confused whilst the devil on the other was rubbing his hands in excitement.

The brains behind the very successful Project Gotham Racing series on Xbox are branching out this time, with their next game being released on multi platform. So when I was offered an opportunity to try out the new multiplayer beta released earlier last week, I jumped at the chance.

The game promises support for up to 20 players at a time, all battling it out over a variety of tracks. There's plenty of jostling, swerving and ramming each other as you try to pick up weapons and shields in order to give you that edge over the other players. The most important feature in these sorts of games is balance, and Bizarre Creations seems to have nailed that - even if some of the ideas do mimic the classic Mario Kart game.