World of Warcraft is an international phenomenon. With millions of subscribers shelling out $15 a month just to play, Blizzard is in a pretty good position to keep pumping out expansions and patched content, leading more and more people to become sucked in to the world of Azeroth. Yet as of late, some people have said that WoW has lost a lot of steam with the recent expansion, leading a lot of core gamers to make the claim that “the game is too easy”.

Enter World of Warcraft: Cataclysm; the newest expansion, and Blizzard’s latest attempt to make the game “hard again” – an admirable conviction in which they succeed. But Blizzard hasn’t just made the game more rewarding for hardcore players: they’ve also redone every level 1-60 zone in the entire game, and streamlined the entire questing and leveling experience as we know it. Read on to find out why you may want to get back into World of Warcraft. Read more… »

I’m sure this has happened to all of us. You’re hanging out with some friends playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band (whichever rhythm game you please) and the conversation inevitably turns to “Man, what songs would be awesome to play but will never get into the game because EA or Activision doesn’t care about X music scene?”

How great would it be if there was a rhythm game just like Guitar Hero where you got to choose which songs you play? Well, if you’ve asked yourself this, chances are you’ll want to check out Rhythm Zone, an indie gem that allows gamers to play a Guitar Hero-like game with their own MP3s. But a good concept does not instantly make a great game. Is Rhythm Zone a must have for music gamers, or does it miss a beat in its execution? Read on to find out. Read more… »

You may already be familiar with this week’s big title if you have an iPhone. However, now Wii owners have the opportunity to enjoy Different Cloth’s lilt line.  lilt line is “an award-winning rhythm racing game with a dubstep soundtrack and a visual aesthetic that will confound your senses and rock your soul.” lilt line makes its way to the Wii-Ware service  as Gaijin Games’, the developer behind the Bit.Trip series, first attempt at publishing. Lacking a touch screen, lilt line‘s Wii release reportedly features similar controls to those of Bit.Trip Beat.

I had the opportunity to speak with Gaijin Games CEO Alex Neuse  in Los Angeles during E3. He seemed excited, but a little nervous about lilt line and Gaijin Games’ first foray into the publishing world. Do these guys a favour and try out lilt line. A free demo version is available via Wii-Ware for a limited time, so you really have no excuse not to at least try this sweet rhythm-racer out.

Hit the jump for the rest of this week’s releases.
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Now here’s a sentence I didn’t think I would ever be writing at one point: Gran Turismo 5 is here. Complete. Finished. Ready for retail. I know, I’m just as flabbergasted as you are. And yet here I am cradling a real, physical copy of Polyphony’s long overdue new-born baby.

Kaz Yamauchi’s devoted drive for perfection has meant that GT5 has been in development since the dawn of time, incurring several disappointing delays – it was originally meant to leave the forecourt in 2008. Mind you, this is the same developer who stated Gran Turismo PSP would be a launch title.

Over four main iterations, Gran Turismo has enjoyed considerable success and recognition for shaping the racing simulation genre, creating a global icon whilst sitting safely in a class of its own. Times have changed however, and as 2007’s Gt5 Prologue became GT5 Prolonged, the competition has become ever more turbulent since GT4’s release back in 2004, with the likes of Forza Motorsport shadowing its slipstream. Can Gran Turismo get back into the race or has it run out of fuel after such a long pit stop?

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