What we’ve never had though, in games as a media format as well the musical talent that graces our pastime, is recognition of the talent involved in creating an atmosphere that stands up to the best of the best in other media formats, including film and music.  There is, however,  a group who wants to change that very thing and as some music in games can be considered classical, this ever growing group have endeavoured to try and get video games music into the Classic FM hall of fame and with your help they may well achieve it.

Voting for the Classic FM 2012 Hall of Fame is now open – every year this run down of the 300 greatest pieces of classical music features amazing compositions from the greatest composers in history along with fantastic movie scores, BUT, to anybody’s knowledge it’s never featured any orchestral tracks from video games.

This MUST change!!

From now until voting closes on Feb 29th I’m asking all fans of video games and video games music to visit the voting site at http://www.classicfmhalloffame.co.uk/ and vote for classical interpretations of their favourite bits of video game music.

To make a real splash though, I’m hoping that everybody who does vote chooses Nobuo Uematsu’s “Aerith’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VII for at least one of their choices so we can really push it up the chart – and for anybody who wants a reminder of what that sounds like, here’s a link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TXO5CO/ref=dm_dp_trk3

This is a UK radio station, but voting appears to be open worldwide so please let everybody you know who loves video game music to come “like” this page and vote. Let’s get video game music the recognition it deserves.

For more information, please head across to their official Facebook page or follow @ClassicVGMusic and keep up to date with what’s going on.

Related posts:

1. Spectrum games coming to iPhone
2. Square Enix announces PSP exclusive games for 2011
3. Mad Maestro reborn for the DS

The popularity of online gaming was also evident on Spil Games’ platforms. The amount of people playing in 2011 soared to 170 million, up by 40 million year-on-year. These impressive numbers scored Spil Games the number one slot as the most-visited online gaming property in the world*.

Online gamers have increased their online playing time from 38 to 85 minutes per month. In the UK, the most popular game last year was Family Barn, whereas globally Bubble Shooter takes the top spot.

“What we’ve noticed over the past year is that more people are playing more online games – and for longer,” said Peter Driessen, CEO of Spil Games. “The benefit of social gaming platforms like ours is that they encourage players to create, connect and share. 2011 marked the year online games came of age, and we expect the number of players to continue to grow, cementing their position as the most dominant way we’re playing.”

Highlights from the State of Gaming Review:

• By the end of 2011, four of the top five games for women were social or had a social element
• Teens prefer racing games, particularly those in which they can show off their achievements to their friends.  They submitted more than 33,610,844 high scores in 2011
• Social games are especially popular with girls, with Pet Party being played the most
• Overall, gamers around the world notched up 11 billion gameplays in 2011 – that’s 350 games every second
• The busiest day of the year was 17^th December and people are most likely to play on a Saturday
• The city with the most online gamers was Cambridge
• Source: comScore Dec 2011

Related posts:

1. Codemasters set to launch free to play F1 online game
2. DC Universe Online goes free to play on October
3. DC Universe Online is now free to play

Riding off  the back of the location video and screens this week, Rockstar seem hell bent on whetting your appetite with a deluge of screenshots and trailers before the game releases in March.

Related posts:

1. New Max Payne 3 screenshots emerge
2. New Max Payne 3 screenshots arrive
3. Rockstar lift the lid on their research into Max Payne 3

Top Gun Hard Lock features aerial dog-fighting at jet speed, with the flair of a modern day action movie blockbuster! Tail-gaiting MiGs at Mach 2, this mass market action game thrusts you right into the DANGER ZONE.

The titular Hard Lock mode allows players to engage the enemy during dogfights, enabling them to lock on to targets and not only unleash their powerful arsenal of weapons, but also perform dazzling aerial combat manoeuvres such as barrel rolls, Immelmans, loop-the-loops and hard banks. These manoeuvres offer an explosively satisfying visual payoff that keeps players right at the heart of the action.

The single-player story campaign offers 15 challenging missions set across diverse backdrops. Set in the Top Gun universe but brought up to date with a modern day setting, the story makes as many twists and turns as the jets themselves, as a new wave of elite Naval aviators – fresh out of the Top Gun Academy – protect the skies. In addition to the lengthy single-player campaign,Top Gun Hard Lock also features Danger Zone mode. This mode pits a single player against wave after wave of enemy forces, including ground targets, bombers, fighters, enemy aces and more. Exceptional flying is rewarded with medals, trophies, achievements and unlockable content.

Fans of multiplayer are well catered for too, with three distinct modes for up to 16 players. Deathmatch mode offers a thrilling free-for-all battle, enabling competitors to select any aircraft and weapon load-out from those unlocked in the main campaign. Team Deathmatch splits players into opposing forces for team-based play, with whichever team scoring the most points within the time limit taking the glory. Fans of co-op play can enjoy three separate missions; Carrier Strike, Base Defence and Aircraft Escort, in which up to four players defend their charge against waves of enemy AI units attacking from different directions. Players must work together to defend against enemy attack at all costs.

Tying all of these modes and features together is an intuitive and unique control scheme that allows players to pull off spectacular combat manoeuvres with the deftness and swagger of a true Top Gun ace. Coupled with numerous customisation options – including a variety of decals and paint schemes – Top Gun Hard Lock offers one of the most accessible and exciting aerial arcade action games this generation. Enhancing the experience further are a selection of officially licensed aircraft including iconic jets such as the F14D Super Tomcat, F22 Raptor and F/A-18F Super Hornet.

Developed in the UK by Headstrong Games, a division of Kuju Entertainment, and under license from Paramount Digital Entertainment, Top Gun Hard Lock will be released in Spring 2012, for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC DVD and download. The game is rated PEGI 12+ in Europe and E10+ by the ESRB in the US.

Related posts:

1. 505 Games announce underwater shooter, Deep Black
2. Hello Games announce their new project
3. Ten co-op games that aim to please

Whether you’re a gaming pro or just looking for a fun new way to connect with friends – either at home or on the go, House Party and Must Have Games has something for you. If you’re at CES, you can check out these games in the Microsoft booth, although you’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the full experience.

Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party

Beginning 15^th Feb, Xbox LIVE will deliver four back-to-back releases of the best downloadable games, with one new title a week. Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party provides ongoing fun for you and your friends, in your living room and across the globe, bringing four more of the most highly anticipated titles to your Xbox 360 console. The latest House Party title line-up includes:

• Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (Microsoft Studios): In this brand-new stand-alone experience, Alan Wake fights the herald of darkness, the evil Mr. Scratch. A thrilling new storyline, hordes of creepy enemies, serious firepower and beautiful Arizona locations, combined with a fun and challenging new game mode, make this a must for Alan Wake veterans, and the perfect jumping-on point for new players. Can you survive until sunrise?

• I Am Alive (Ubisoft): One year after a worldwide cataclysmic event has wiped out most of human civilisation, a man struggles for survival. Faced with an insecure, decaying and hazardous world, he scours a desolated city, searching for his long-lost wife and daughter. Survive the suffocating, murky streets covered in dust. Climb the teetering remains of last-standing skyscrapers to reach breathable air and find untouched resources. Explore the crumbling ruins of a once-thriving metropolis. Discover a changed human condition, punctuated by distrustful survivors, dangerous armed gangs and victims in need.

•  Nexuiz (THQ): For centuries, the Kavussari and the Forsellians have waged war. They have a fragile truce but, because of their seething disgust of each other, still pit warriors against each other in arenas rather than on the fields of war. These episodes of lethal combat are broadcast throughout the galaxy as entertainment — a spectacle known as The Nexuiz Competition — an arena-based first-person shooter where you can alter the rules of the match and the laws of physics while dominating opponents in ever-changing hostile environments.

• Warp (EA): “Warp” is a puzzle-based stealth action game where you play as Zero, a lovable-yet-lethal orange alien with a big score to settle! Captured by the villainous Commander and imprisoned in his underwater facility, Zero must plan his ultimate escape using his arsenal of alien abilities — warp, frag, echo, swap and launch.

Must Have Games for Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone

Once again, Must Have Games brings the biggest names in mobile games to Xbox LIVE for Windows Phone. Kicking off in early February, one smash title will be released each week, complete with Xbox LIVE Achievements, Leaderboards and more. The second wave of Must Have Games for gamers on-the go includes:

•  · Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts): It’s time to fulfill your need for speed. Drive up to 20 precision-performance cars in adrenaline-fueled showdown across 24 day-and-night tracks. Take it to the limit in 48 total Cop and Racer Career Events, collect bounty, and rise to the top of the ranks.

•  · Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp (Microsoft Studios): Wage war on a tiny scale in “Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp,” which brings the fun and addictive shooting gallery mini-games from Xbox 360’s “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” to your Windows Phone.

•  · BulletAsylum (Microsoft Studios): Annihilate invaders with a wall of firepower in this insane arcade shooter. With an insane amount of firepower at your fingertips, vibrant graphics and an all-you-can-shoot buffet of alien hordes to destroy, “BulletAsylum” will blow you away!

•  · Chickens Can’t Fly (Microsoft Studios): Join the ranks of our scientists and see what chickens are capable of! Countless hours of fun await you: fall down an experimental pit, avoid obstacles, use power-ups and power-downs, gather corn, and make it through to the end. Use the skills you learn to get a high score in Survival Mode and show off to your friends on the Xbox LIVE and global leaderboards.

•  · Splinter Cell Conviction (Gameloft): Unleash the ferocious skills of renegade agent Sam Fisher, a highly skilled Special Forces operative, and fight a corrupted secret agency to get your daughter back. Run, jump, fight and shoot using a handgun, a shotgun, an AK-47 assault rifle and a bazooka, or maintain stealth by improvising with nearby objects. You are now a renegade spy agent; you don’t follow any orders except for your own rules of engagement.

Related posts:

1. Xbox Live House Party titles announced
2. Haunted House now available on Xbox Live
3. Top Xbox Live titles going half price in a one day sale

Available on Xbox LIVE for 400 Microsoft Points, the action-packed game add-on includes three icy cool new slopes to keep the all-ages fun going throughout the ski season and beyond. As a free test run, players can download the ‘Pitch Black’ course free of charge to get a taste of the new content and a leg up on the competition.

Dare to take on Midnight Mountain with the new Skiing content that is sure to get hearts pumping. Set against the cloak of night, the “Midnight Mountain Ski Pack” provides an avalanche of fresh downhill fun with three floodlit ski runs. The Ski pack is available in all modes and includes new achievements to test speed and agility and Challenges to send to friends both online and offline and in the Challenge Play mode on Xbox LIVE.

The three new courses in the “Midnight Mountain Ski Pack” include:

• · Backwoods Blast – A high-adrenaline precision course through the forest with narrow straights, dizzying twists, and steep rollers to put your focus to the test.
• · Pitch Black – For skiers who like to get airborne, this terrain-heavy course sports big jumps, steep banks, giant rollers, and vertical drops, where jumping is the key to getting a great time.
• · After Hours – An Advanced Slalom course built for more gates and a faster rhythm – ideal for speed fanatics and classic racing fiends.

The “Midnight Mountain Ski Pack” is the latest in a series of game add-ons released for “Kinect Sports: Season Two.” Additional downloadable content will be made available in 2012, each release including some element of free content to keep you on the field and in the game. Stay tuned for details about “Challenge Pack #2,” coming in February 2012, and even news of a whole new sport!

Related posts:

1. Golf Pack DLC coming to Kinect Sports Season 2
2. Kinect Sports Season 2 darts competition incoming
3. Kinect Sports Season 2 – Review (360)

2011: Biggest year in Xbox history

Microsoft announced that Xbox 360 was the top selling console in North America in 2011.

• · Xbox 360 has sold more than 66 million consoles, with nearly 40 millionXbox LIVE members around the world.
  • · Kinect has sold more than 18 million sensors around the world.
  • · Xbox 360 with Kinect was the must-have gift this Christmas, selling almost 800,000 Xbox 360 consoles on Black Friday alone.

Transforming TV through the power of Kinect

Microsoft showcased how Kinect and leading TV and entertainment providers deliver extraordinary experiences on Xbox 360 globally.

• · More TV is coming to Xbox LIVE; in December, Channel 4OD and 5 On Demand launched on Xbox, with more to come. With more than 50 active and announced partnerships worldwide, more live TV and on-demand TV will be lighting up Xbox 360 consoles around the globe this year.
• · Xbox 360 owners are excited about this new, fun, and interactive way to enjoy their favourite content:
  • o In December more than 60 percent of U.S. Xbox LIVE Gold members used entertainment apps on Xbox LIVE – for an average of an hour a day each.
  • o The number of people using entertainment apps on Xbox LIVE increased by nearly 50 percent globally from November to December.
  • · We are going to make TV more social and personal; from watching to engaging, from passive to active.

• The hours of video consumed globally on Xbox LIVE increased 140 percent from 2010 to 2011.

In close collaboration with trusted brands such as Sesame Workshop and National Geographic, Kinect for Xbox 360 is delivering a new kind of interactive learning experience that places children inside their favorite television shows and storybooks and allows them to engage, interact and learn in entirely new ways.

Not just fun and games; the ‘Kinect Effect’ inspires new industries worldwide

Just like Kinect for Xbox 360 is helping to reinvent games and entertainment, companies around the globe are exploring how Kinect for Windows will help them to re-invent their industries.

• · Microsoft announced the Kinect for Windows commercial program launching 1^st Feb 2012. Through the commercial program, Kinect will reach far beyond entertainment to revolutionise education, healthcare, manufacturing, science, and more.
• · Microsoft is already working with more than 200 innovation leaders including United Health Group, American Express, Mattel, Telefonica, and Toyota to utilise Kinect in revolutionary new ways.

Related posts:

1. Kinect celebrates its first anniversary
2. Xbox Live dashboard update ready to go in December
3. Xbox 360 celebrates its 5th birthday – we love you mate, we really do!

Kinect for Windows will be available, in limited quantities at first, through a variety of resellers and distributors and will include a one year warranty, access to ongoing software updates for both speech and human tracking, and our continued investment in Windows-based research and development.

We love the innovation we have seen built on Kinect for Xbox 360 – this has been a source of inspiration and delight for us and compelled us to create a team dedicated to serving this opportunity. We are proud to bring technology priced in the tens of thousands of dollars just a few years ago to the mainstream at extremely low consumer prices. And although Kinect for Windows is still value-priced for the technology, some will ask us why it isn’t the same price as Kinect for Xbox.

The ability to sell Kinect for Xbox 360 at its current price point is in a large part based on a consumer buying a number of Kinect games, subscribing to Xbox LIVE and other transactions associated with the Xbox 360 ecosystem. In addition, the Kinect for Xbox 360 was built for and tested with the Xbox 360 console only, not with any other platform, which is why it is not licensed for general commercial use, supported or under warranty when used on any other platform.

With Kinect for Windows, we are investing in creating a platform that is optimised forscenarios beyond the living room, and delivering new features on an ongoing basis, starting with “near mode” (see my earlier blog post for more about this). As well, we will be supporting the Windows Embedded platform to enable a range of intelligent systems scenarios, as described by Windows Embedded General Manager Kevin Dallas. We are building this platform in a way that will allow other companies the opportunity to integrate Kinect into their offerings. We have invested in an approach that allows them to develop in ways that are dependable and scalable.

We have chosen a hardware-only business model for Kinect for Windows, which means that we will not be charging for the SDK or the runtime; these will be available free to developers and end-users respectively. As an independent developer, an IT manager, a systems integrator, or an ISV, you can innovate with confidence knowing that you will not pay license fees for the Kinect for Windows software or the ongoing software updates, and the Kinect for Windows hardware you and your customers use is supported by Microsoft.

Enthusiasts or academic users who have created applications based on our beta SDK and the Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware may continue to develop for a limited period of time on the current Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware using our version 1.0 SDK. However, non-commercial deployments that were allowed using the beta 2 SDK are no longer permitted – non-commercial deployments, as with commercial deployments, will require the fully tested and supported Kinect for Windows hardware and software platform. Developers who have existing non-commercial deployments using our beta 2 SDK may continue using beta 2 and the Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware; to accommodate this, we are extending the time of the beta 2 license from June 16, 2013 for three more years, to June 16, 2016. However, we expect that as Kinect for Windows hardware becomes readily available, developers will shift their development efforts to Kinect for Windows hardware in conjunction with the latest SDK and runtime. The combination of Kinect for Windows hardware and software creates a superior development platform for Windows and will yield a higher quality, better performing experience for end users. Note that for Qualified Educational Users, we will be introducing special pricing for the Kinect for Windows hardware in the near future.

Now that we have created a fully supported Kinect platform for Windows, the Kinect for Xbox 360 hardware manufactured in the second half of 2012 will only be compatible with the Xbox 360 platform – devices manufactured before this change will continue to function with Windows and can be used for internal and non-commercial development as described above. In addition, we will be focusing our Kinect for Windows team R&D investments solely on the Kinect for Windows hardware and software platform once this transition occurs. This change will allow us to ensure the best possible experience through Windows-optimised hardware and software, and allow our Xbox 360 platform team to do the same on Xbox.

We are excited for the new possibilities that Kinect will enable on the Windows platform, and to see how businesses and developers reimagine their processes and their products, and the many different ways each Kinect could enrich lives and make using technology more natural for everyone.

Related posts:

1. Kinect celebrates its first anniversary
2. Windows Phones to support PEGI Express
3. Your Kinect Experience road trip detailed

• Likes

  • Fluid control system
  • Well designed tracks
  • The Lab is a great addition
  • Sandbox provides endless possibilities

• Dislikes

  • A little confusing at first

With the news that Joe Danger was coming to the 360 a few months back, as a Special Edition a lot of people were shocked.  Hello Games had decided to unleash game design nirvana on both major formats for all to enjoy.  Little did we know at the time that Hello Games had actually ran out of money last year, releasing a somewhat incomplete game onto the PS3, but Xbox 360 owners were about to see Hello Games’ full vision of Joe Danger come to life for a price point of 1200 MSP.

So what is so special about Joe Danger you ask?  Well, this comes down to two things really.  One is that well designed games that plays to the great influences of games past will always find their way to the top and two, Joe Danger, underneath that gloriously addictive gameplay, is a story of David vs Goliath, quality over substance and a delightful narrative of how a small studio, through passion, love and dedication can produce what could be the digital game of the year, proving what we already know.  It’s not about how much money you have to throw at a game, it is how you utilise the money you have to make the game you envisioned.

So, I am going to assume that you have never played the game on PS3 before and let you know that the game is all about the most determined stuntman ever.  After being at the top of his game many years ago Joe Danger had an accident that threatened to stop him from walking again.  Cue, the dramatic comeback and spending the next few hours navigating Joe over well designed side scrolling tracks to collect a variety of stars that enable you to advance through the tracks.  Ramps, barrels, ledges amongst other items are all there to provide enough obstacles for you to either trick off of or to slow you down on those all important combo runs, tricking your heart out using the left and right bumpers, that will put you on global leaderboards so you can see where you stand amongst the rest of the community.

When you first start out the game can seem a little confusing.  Your initial reaction is to speed run and collect as many stars as possible along the way, completely forgetting the finer points of Joe Danger SE as they are not explained clearly enough.  The plus side, however, is that the control system and the very essence of the easy learning curve will make you forget about such minor foibles and open up the joy that was found in titles from the 90′s and earlier, like Excitebike, Kickstart etc.

It’s only when you complete the first few courses and find out that you need to spend stars on unlocking new courses that you realise you need replay each course to gather the major star collections in order to progress.  It is this point, when you return to each course and start to hone in Joe Danger’s finer points of it’s well crafted gameplay and understand how deep, but yet thoroughly enjoyable each level is.

The collection is stars is very necessary to progress and sometimes can become an obsession due to the way that these stars are gained.  Whether is be searching for hidden yellow stars, collecting all of the purple stars on the course, collecting the DANGER letters, beating the track in a certain time or collecting all of the bonus coins there is a lot of variety that will keep you coming back to attempt each track time and time again.  To add to the variety too each course is laid out on various tracks which you can move onto in various intersections by a quick press of the D-pad.

To add to an already stellar single player experience is The Lab, a section of the game for purists rather than a casual run.  As with each course on the single player, difficulty levels start to build up throughout the game and timing starts to become essential towards the latter part of the game.  The Lab, takes this ethic to the max from stage 1 in a series of well presented short runs that require the right button presses at the right time to be able to complete the tracks in as quickest time as possible, whilst learning new skills and techniques to take into the single player experience.

Pro medals are also dotted throughout the game which will unlock various items and characters along the way, introducing a new way to play the game which also encourages you to explore various routes to find that perfect run.  Split screen multiplayer is also available for you and a friend to compete head to head in and mimic some of the competitions against Team Nasty from the single player events.  Last but not least, when you think that you’ve exhausted all of the possibilities within the game itself you will find in the menus the Sandbox, where you can design and share a course you’ve created with your friends, a feature that although seems a staple part of games like this nowadays but provides longevity beyond the games’ asking price.

Overall, Joe Danger SE is a testament to what I have always believed for years.  That David can take on Goliath and win on a limited budget.  All that it takes is some people with passion, design flare and an understanding of what makes games great.  From the happy and vibrant colour palette to the big grin on Joe Danger’s face, even when he gets hurt, to the design of the courses and the wanton need to go and revisit each track time and time again to combo the whole track and rack a ludicrous score for the leaderboard, Joe Danger just sucks you right in and never lets you go.

Admittedly, Joe Danger has turned up late to the 2011 party but is has proved in a very short space of time how a game can be designed to incorporate the fun factors of the golden era whilst engaging the consumer in something very rare in today’s society of rebranding franchises.  Joe Danger appears on the surface to be a racer at heart but peel away a few layers and understand the title more you will find a platformer amongst other genres in there too.  Joe Danger will see the year out in style and provides the perfect title to steal our Digital Title of the year award.

Related posts:

1. Free Christmas DLC coming to Joe Danger SE on XBLA
2. Joe Danger coming to 360
3. Swarm – Review (XBLA, PSN)

For those of you that have been lucky enough to play Joe Danger SE already, get ready to be treated to a quad bike that completely changes the dynamic of your vehicle as well as a santa costume for Joe to wear too.  All this will be free but for a limited time only.  Once Christmas is over, it will disappear so as soon as you see it, you better download it.

Joe Danger SE has already become the highest rated XBLA game this year and looks forward to take the crown for 2011 and would be well deserved to.

Sean Murray, founder of Hello Games said of the the new DLC for the previously PS3 exclusive “I think of the Quadbike a bit like unlocking Luigi in Mario Galaxy. Suddenly the controls and handling are different, and every level has to be relearned and replayed. The ATV is faster for instance, but very bouncy”

Joe Danger Special Edition is available now on XBLA for a very reasonable price of 1200 MSP.  If your on the fence about the title then look for our review very soon.

Related posts:

1. Joe Danger coming to 360
2. Joe Danger DLC out now
3. Left 4 Dead 2 free weekend coming soon