GAME CENTRAL: So, you wannabe a Rock Star? (From Asian Image)

GAME CENTRAL: So, you wannabe a Rock Star?

3:57pm Wednesday 20th August 2008

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All the latest games reviews and news with our resident games expert CHRIS DAVIES.

>>ROCK BAND Developer Harmonix Publisher EA Out now on PlayStation 2 / PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 (coming soon on Wii).

There's never been a better time to be a gamer, especially if you're a typical bloke. You've got the most realistic football games ever made, FIFA 08 and EURO 2008; you've got Gran Turismo 5 and all the expensive cars you could ever want. But it gets even better. Not only can we rekindle long lost dreams of wonder goals and owning Ferraris, but we can dust down our old shades and become rock stars too.

Rock Band is from the developers that brought us the Guitar Hero series. This time, not only do you get a guitar controller, which does look like a toy - but trust me, you will forget about this when you're jamming - you get a drum controller as well, featuring four drum-pads and a pedal. Also included is a microphone, but most rockers will want to grab the guitar or drums first.

With the guitar you can choose to play the guitar or bass section of a song, meaning that if you purchase a second guitar controller (and you can gather four people together), you can play as a band, with all the instruments being utilised.

There is no better multiplayer game around, offline or online. The feeling of working together and performing dozens of songs, with a huge catalogue available to purchase online, is second to none. As someone who has never played the drums before, it gave me a real sense of achievement to find myself improving with practice.

The only problem with all of this is the cost; the game and instruments sell separately, and with the game retailing at £49.99 and the instrument pack at £129.99, rocking out is expensive! (9/10).

>>METAL GEAR SOLID 4 Developer Kojima Productions Publisher Konami Out now on PlayStation 3.

Within two months, two massively successful titles in the world of gaming have moved onto their fourth iteration; Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4.

Whilst GTA is the more famous (or should that be infamous) of the two, MGS is incredibly popular series. When it was first released on the original PlayStation in 1998, its approach was so different from other games at the time - requiring you to sneak past guards without being seen, rather than simply shooting them - it became an instant hit. It created a new genre, "stealth", requiring tactics, patience and the ability to think quickly when discovered.

All of the MGS games received critical acclaim, but were known to feature obscure storylines and unbearably long cut-scenes (in-game videos where you watch the story's plot develop without actually controlling anything).

MGS4, the final game of the series, still has these same characteristics. It's a game that feels very much like it is stuck in the 90s; movement is stiff, clumsy and frustrating. Not only that, but if you are killed in the middle of a section you've spent thirty minutes on, you have to start again from the beginning, at which point I will usually stop playing.

The game also features online play but compared to the likes of Call of Duty 4 it is slow, tedious and ultimately no competition.

The game is visually outstanding and the stealth element of the game is genuinely thrilling, but the complicated and bizarre story (featuring clones and walking tanks amongst other things) is off-putting.

Whilst enjoyable, I could only recommend the game to those desperate for something different, and those who have to know how the Metal Gear Solid saga ends. (7/10).

>>News.

Development of The Getaway on PS3 (a GTA-style game based in a photo-realistic London) has been scrapped. Sony issued a statement that claimed resources and budget costs would be better allocated to "projects closer to completion".

But it's not all bad news; a new Call of Duty game has been officially announced. The fifth game of the series, "World At War" (featuring the Pacific War battles of World War II), will be developed by Treyarch and is due to arrive in late 2008 on PS3, 360, Wii and PC.

This month's biggest game releases: Buzz! Quiz TV (PS3) on 4th July, Unreal Tournament III (360) on 11th July, Guitar Hero On Tour (NDS) on 18th July. Release dates are subject to change.

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