A bad script and even worse voice acting strips any sense of magic from the plot line, instead leaving you with an overlong, fairly basic first person shooter game. In Na’vi mode, you can use a variety of melee weapons that offers some entertaining combat options. However, in RDA mode, the completely lack of interesting choice only points out the technical glitches the game is prone to with even more stark clarity. AI characters often make moves that offer no logical sense, and even you can end up stuck in weird positions.

The scenery, although impressive at first, quickly becomes about as humdrum as the game, offering little but monotony and distinct sense of deja vu. It might be helped by decent vehicle play, except that when you’re in a vehicle the camera bounces so violently that all you’ll want is the monotony of walking through the jungle back. While the 3D aspect of the game is a nice feature (if you have a hi-def TV, anyway), it certainly doesn’t make up for the variety of ways in which the game fails to be anything interesting.

Xbox Elite Console

As the Holiday Season continues, many people might still be trying to decide which gaming console to purchase as a gift – either for the full family or just a single person. That’s one of the things you should consider when choosing what type of gaming system to purchase. Should you get the Nintendo Wii? The Playstation 3? Or how about the XBox 360? It can all be a little confusing until you take a look at the gaming systems.

Nintendo Wii for Families

While not necessarily just for families, the Nintendo Wii makes a great gift for an entire family, with games that will keep them entertained (and in shape depending on what games you get – the Wii fit is a good gift.) That’s not to say you can’t get a Nintendo Wii for a single person, but it makes a terrific group gift on your holiday list.

Playstation 3 for Roleplayers

If you’re getting a game station for someone who is into role playing and strategy games, the Sony Playstation 3 might be the best game system to purchase in 2009. With a great selection of games (of all types), the system is made for solitary gamers who occasionally like to get online to challenge others.

XBox 360 for Halo

Xbox 360 online is a hit with many people who are really into gaming, making this system a winner for them. With a lot of great online games that will keep them busy for hours, the Microsoft Xbox 360 might cost a little more, but it’s worth it. If you can, go for the extra storage. There’s a lot of great deals out there this year.

The Winner?

Well, that’s up to you. As mentioned, these game consoles are good for anyone really, because they have such a wide selection of games. Do you disagree or agree with our generalized look at gaming consoles circa Christmas 2009?

Let us know
in a comment below!

The authentic Nerf foam is probable what most people like about this controller because it’s so comfortable. Beyond being comfortable, however, it can really heighten your gaming experience when playing Nintendo Wii racing games.

There are many other cheap racing wheels for the Wii available, but the Nerf foam really makes a difference in this one. And when you consider the price, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular with so many people.

You haven’t played Mario Kart until you’ve played it with this racing wheel from Nerf. It takes the game to a whole other level. And you don’t have to worry if you crash and accidentally “toss” the controller to the ground. It’s Nerf, man.

There are some people out there who won’t like it for one reason or another, but there are many reviews for this product that go on and on about how well they like it. The racing wheel seems to be a “love it or hate it” type of item.That said, there are quite a few people who love it and chances are you may be one of these people.

For the price, it makes sense to get two or three, especially if you have big Nintendo Wii parties with lots of people. This may not be the best piece of Wii equipment you ever buy, but it just might be one of the funnest. If you’re into racing games, you really want to give this racing controller from Nerf a chance. You might just find that it’s Nerf-tastic.

If you have one, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

Playing as Eric Simmons, a famous mountain climber scaling Mt. Chomolonzo in Tibet, you search for your missing brother, Frank. This might be a straightforward enough quest if it wasn’t for the mountain’s resident goddess, who’s definitely tired of all the bustle through her world. Searching Buddhist temples or Sherpa villages is all required as you try to puzzle exactly what happened to your brother, and if that and the weather wasn’t enough to deal with, there’s another problem – you’re constantly being assaulted by angry spirits.

From that somewhat mismatched description, it would be easy to write off Cursed Mountain as a bumbled mix of too many genres. Instead, I encourage you to give it a try. The details put into the hand drawn cut scenes add a classic feel to the story. What’s more, the supernatural element to the game, which could so easily feel forced, is actually real treat because it’s all based in real religious teachings of the area. Accurate descriptions of actual rituals and artifacts used in this culture create an eerie, believable world that it’s easy to get lost in.

Of course, the rather significant downfall of this game is in the motion controls. Forced to use the controller as countless objects during the course of the game, only a few functions are easy and work every time. Several complicated but required moves are wretchedly hit or miss, often resulting in an abrupt and untimely death. This frustration often pulls you out of the spooky and involving world and abruptly back into the real one, often with your own kind of curses in abundance.

Perhaps the  worst of this derivative and uninspired game’s sins is the completely  fixed camera angle. With no control over your view of the environment,  you’ll often find yourself being attacked from off screen and unable  to fight back. When your screen does eventually shift, the controls  often won’t adjust accordingly, leading to ridiculous and unnecessary  mistakes.

Follow this  up with an unfailingly irritating automatic targeting system and you’ve  got a true mess. While you can switch from the target automatically  selected for you by the game, if you don’t do something quick enough,  the game shifts you back to its previously selected target. This often  means you’ll be surrounded by shooters but inexplicably wasting your  time trying to get a power up instead of defending yourself.

The control  layout is yet another flaw in this game. With a single button frequently  having multiple control functions, it’s all too easy to duck for cover  when you mean to roll, or to don your accelerator suit when all you  were trying to do is open a door.

At least the  accelerator suit is cool, speeding you up to inflict maximum damage  and playing some classic retro music. If the whole game had managed  to capture that gleeful enthusiasm, it might have been worthwhile. But  then, I felt the same way about the movie, too.

Sports packs are nothing new – they popped up right when the Wii came onto the market. The novelty of them is matched by a few inconveniences, which generally means that you either love them or you hate them. The new Nerf Sports Pack probably won’t change that opinion in the slightest.

Fans will love the lighter weight and softer texture of the equipment, which translates into less unintended injuries to fellow players (and hapless lamps). Having even a fake golf club in your hand encourages you to work on your stance, and swinging even a small foam bat or racket is just more fun than swinging a plain controller.

However, people who got hung up on the inconveniences of sports packs before will have the same complaints with this product – sometimes the responsiveness of the Wii suffers a bit for the added heft of the controller, and more irritatingly, the controllers have to be switched out fairly often. This quirk is especially exasperating while playing baseball – while it is possible to pitch with the bat attached to the controller, it certainly seems inconvenient and more than a bit silly.

So, while this product won’t change your mind one way or the other about sports packs, it’s not a bad investment. At a reasonable price, it is well made and might be worth the extra cost to have a more accident-proof way to better imagine yourself sweeping the World Series.

“Diabolik: The Original Sin represents for us the effort to create an international success based on a well known Italian comic story. We strongly believe Diabolik is beloved and admired by anyone because anyone secretly admires his wildness and transgression.” Said Fabrizio Vagliasindi, Black Bean Games Head of Marketing.

The main character in the game is pretty cold. Diabolik  is an anti-hero, a skilled thief and a master of disguise who loves luxury, expensive cars and hi-tech gadgets. He can be merciless and he has no concern for anyone but himself and his one true love, Eva.

Eva, the only woman who can keep up with him, likes being involved in mysterious and complicated stories. Diabolik and Eva make up a great if unconventional couple. They’re both lovers and partners in crime.

“After years of mutually profitable collaboration, we’re excited about this long-term partnership with Black Bean,” said Riccardo Cangini, CEO of Artematica. “Finally an Italian joint-venture showing the skills and the determination required to obtain a relevant position in the international market.”

It looks like this game is going to excite a lot of people. If you like comic books or just video games that are a little different (in a good way) this may be right up your alley. It looks like it’s going to be well suited to the Wii and Playstation controllers … as you know, sometimes games don’t make the translation from PC very well.

If you’re wanting to play this or have any comments on Diabolik: The Original Sin, leave a comment below.

CID the dummy is set in a near-future version Earth where people have become obsessed with safety. Whether it’s surviving a steamroller or even a book, everything in the future is safety checked by the Crash Impact Dummies. CID is one dummy, but he’s bored with life. He wants to adventure … with you!

CID can climb walls, swing on ropes, burn obstacles, destroy exploding barrels, use lifters, bounce on springs and with a neat head butt destroy walls. Game environment interaction is VERY important part of the gameplay. This is one reason you might like it, especially if you’re into this type of game.

There are, of course, a lot of enemies for CID to battle in this immersive environment. This looks to be a very fun game. It won’t be for everyone maybe, but it’s going to be popular for a lot of people.

Sure, a crash test dummy is an unlikely hero, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a likable her. And CID is likable, for a dummy.

Here’s how Oxygen (who came up with the game) describes him:

CID is a young, funky Crash Impact Dummy. He’s knows he’s cool, he knows he’s street, he knows he’s widdit. He’s not really sure where he’s heading in life. He kinda knows he’s destined for bigger things, but he’s stuck in this damn job…. He’s got a quick sense of humour, and uses his wit as a defence.

Sounds kinda fun, huh? This will definitely be a video game to watch. If you have any thoughts about CID (or know any dummies – crash test or otherwise – please input your comment below.) Thanks!

The Chronicles of Riddick Assault on Dark Athena contains a new full-length Chrons of Riddick campaign plus a high-def pixel-by-pixel remake of the original Escape from Butcher Bay. This is the first time Riddick has a multiplayer arena, with six online multiplayer combat modes including the unique Pitch Black mode. (Remember that movie anyone?) As mentioned, it kinda shows that it’s the first time the game has multi-player. At least it’s a step in the right direction.

Vin Diesel brings his vocal talent to the game, which is a plus for his fans. Beyond that, it just kinda makes your character tougher, you know?

The Chronicles of Riddick was released in 2004 by Universal Pictures and since then, it’s been branching out as a pretty interesting franchise. Oh, it’s no Star Wars (or Star Trek for that matter), but it’s not bad either. Hopefully they’ll keep coming out with new games. This one doesn’t suck too much, but it just feels like they could’ve done a little better.

That said, it’s still something you should check out if you’re into FPS. If you’ve played The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

The game has the same controls as Excite Truck. If you’re not familiar with that, it’s one of those video games you can just “pick up” and magically know how to play. Well, that game was so popular this is a spin-off with … well, excitebots! Heh. How can you not like a name like that? You can even choose to be the frog. Ribbit! Ribbit!

Nintendo Wii is coming out with some great games and this is one of them, especially if you like action racing games (or frogs.) As with Excite Trucks, this uses the special Nintendo Wii Driving Controller, which is kinda cool. (At least I like it. If you disagree with me, first – how dare you! Second, leave a comment so I can defend myself at least!

Ok, back to the video game.

Up to six of your friends can race online via a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in both the Excite Race and the Poker Race modes. Broadband Internet access is required for online play. (Duh.)

You can activate in-race mini-games including:

• Soccer
• Bowling
• Darts
• Clowns
• Sandwiches

What other game combines high-speed robot racers with bowling, poker, clown faces and sandwich making? Not many. Leave it to the Nintendo Wii to come out with such a game.

If you have any Excitebots: Trick Racing stories, we really do want to hear from you. (Seriously – some night I lay awake for hours wondering why there are no real comments on the blog. Smile. Just kidding. It’s free to join the conversation, though!)

Til next time, excite your bot.