Looks like Farmville on Facebook could soon see a rival, a rival with credentials and experience.
Marvelous the team behind Harvest Moon, the farming SIM which a lot of folk see as Zynga’s inspiration, is returning. Returning to Facebook, no gaming details have been released as of yet, however as well as Facebook this latest incarnation could well be heading to other social sites such as MySpace.

Harvest Moon could be hitting face book as soon as this Summer, so be prepared. Could we be seeing one of the biggest Social Sites gaming battles? Only time will tell.

For the full story visit http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/03/marvelous_bringing_harvest_moo.php

The voice acting is great, the quality of the audio is realistic, but like every good point, it’s weighed down with a negative. The voices aren’t believable because the syncing of the lips is completely off. The characters could be saying something completely different to the on-screen dialogue and audio. It not only comes across as a letdown, but a job half done in a way, The game, besides the major good points (which always have a downside), relies on neat little pluses. Leanord, the protagonist can turn into a giant knight when he garners enough power. Usually I’d be too distracted with the other admirable features to reflect on such a miniature feature, but there are no admirable features to hopelessly be distracted by. Some of the redeeming factors are the very interactive world. Talking to characters is delightfully refreshing when trying to garner information for your quest. The lovely, colourful and warm world I talked about earlier isn’t seen enough in the game. Cavers and such are seen as bleak, dark and dirty environments, obviously intentional, but I fail to understand why the game isn’t set more in the beautiful world they spent so much time building and growing. I guess we’ll never know the answer to that question. The thing that confuses me about the whole thing is the pre-release advertising campaign pre-Japan release. The game was touted as the “ultimate next generation RPG”, the “game to define all games” and a “brand new experience for the user”, and then they have the nerve to release the game side by side with Final Fantasy XIII. I just don’t realize it. Why tout a game so big, and the release it alongside the long awaited release of a game in the series that defines the role-playing game genre? Were the developers psychopathically convinced they would topple the almighty Final Fantasy? If they did, they must be really confident in their efforts, because quite frankly, I’m not. The game, which has some genuine delightful features, is held down by the dreaded disappointments. Sure the story is lengthy, but what’s the point if it’s no fun? The environment is rich, colourful and welcoming. But why bother making a world such as this, and set the majority of the combat peaks in dreary caverns and caves? The combat is well structured and entertaining, with some interesting creatures to take down, but why have that if you plan on making the enemies an easy takedown? Perfect reasons why there’s a catch to everything in this game. There’s nothing overly exciting to this game, and if there ever was, it was dragged to its knees by another pesky downside, and has sunk into obscurity by release. The ones that are still evident are still struggling, which, unfortunately, makes the game a struggling mess.

61/100

But does this game work well on the iPhone, does it serve value for money, is it a game you’ll be playing for a long time to come?

The game opens up with a nice video showing the heroes, Cocoto, Shiny, Neuro and Baggy who follow fairy to a new Circus in town (well in this case a green field). It’s then that Fairy is kidnapped by the evil, sinister, clown ringmaster. The game begins. There are five levels to complete, each ending with a boss fight. The bosses are quite creative with a gorilla and Zeus like god appearing.

To reach the bosses you have some simple mini games to complete, each being a variance on a shooting gallery with different criteria to meet. The first type of mini game called protect fairy, sees you protecting fairy from enemies, by shooting them before they reach her. You have a time limit in each mini game, which adds to the tension. The Ball Trap sees you having to shoot a number of targets within the time limit given this can be any thing from eighteen seconds to thirty. Kill the bad guys is as it states, a mini game where you have to hit a number of bad guys before the time runs out. The main difference here, your friends tend to run onto the screen as well, requiring careful targeting. Hitting one of your friend’s results in your score being deducted. Targets and models sees you matching the model shown to shoot the matching model, once shot the model changes to a different picture, the cycle begins again until the timer runs out. Again you have to hit so many matches to carry on to the next round.

Targets and traps see you shooting at targets, with some targets being your friends, so again tread carefully and aim for the right target.

As well as the targets appearing, during the shoot-outs balloons also float across the screen, some are good offering power ups, including extra time and multiple shots. There are also bad balloons, which penalise you with actions such as less time and a dizzy effect. The dizzy effect basically makes the screen shudder, making the targets slightly more difficult to pick out.

The levels do vary offering slight differences to the main mini games. Keeping it fresh, the graphics are well drawn with animation being quite simple yet effective. Its a nice colourful game with lots of personality. The music fits the game nicely being quite whimsical and creepy at times.

Controls for the game are very simple yet work perfectly, you tap the targets to shoot. Yes that’s it, a nice simple tap the target.

Overall this is a fun little game, nicely put together. However one does get the feeling that this has been made for the younger generation. Also I completed the game in under an hour! There are practice modes and online multi player to make the game longer, but after the first run through it can get boring rather quickly. Perfect for a five-minute session, that’s about it.

68/100

The game I have to say does look great, the only downside could be the controls as they are shown as virtual buttons and joystick on the screen. Another possible downside could be the addition of only eight characters. This could be solved however as there are some rumours flying around suggesting Capcom might release additional characters as special DLC. However Street Fighter IV on the move, for just £5.99, to me shouts BARGAIN!

This is a huge honour for me to be on the cover with Tiger Woods as I grew up idolizing Tiger. The Ryder Cup has always been my favourite sporting event, and the tournament is being played at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales in 2010. Also, I’m hopeful to have an opportunity to represent the European team later in the year – it’s all very special.

This probably won’t interest you unless you’re a golfer, but you can’t deny it’s some changes in the right direction.

In all there are ten campaigns to sink your teeth into, three tutorials (which you must complete without feeling totally lost), the invasion of Saxony year 1756 and the remaining seven are year long campaigns. Like all good RTS games you have to manage to meet certain criteria to enable victory on your part. The depth to this game is staggering, in fact at times you can feel overwhelmed with all the options open to you. The game allows you to take control of the Soldier King, Frederick II, saving Prussia. Alternatively you can opt to destroy Prussia by taking control of the coalition forces of Austria, changing the course of history forever.

Graphically the game is nothing spectacular, it is well presented with a top down map showing all the regions. Units are displayed with either plates showing a portrait of the commanding General or as 3D models with octagonal base. The top of the screen has a panel showing weather condition, the state of roads, terrain, which faction the region is controlled by and finally your detection rating. The detection rating shows you what chance there is of the enemy detecting your forces, when entering the area. Next to this panel are icons indicating national morale, engagement points, money, conscripts and war supplies. At the bottom of the screen you have the mini map allowing for quick glances to the enemies and your units locations. Next door to this you have the unit panel which shows relevant information with regards to the selected units. Even though you find yourself in battle, you never see the actual fight, instead after the skirmish you’ll be able to read the detailed battle report after each round.

The rest is pretty much your bog standard RTS fair with a few new tweaks thrown in for good measure. There’s a new way for recruiting new military units as well as a new Hierarchy structure, giving you advantages and disadvantages in battles. All of these systems can take a while to get used to but thankfully by hovering the cursor over the item, a small description appears giving you an idea of what you achieve with the option.

Movement of units is completed fairly simply, via drag and drop. Orders can be issued via a panel next to the mini map. You can group units together under one general, as long as they have the required command points, then group these further under one general marshal (again the general in question has to have the required command points). This is where the game can get a little confusing, to be able to issue certain orders your army needs to have the relevant command points. If they don’t this can then lead to a disadvantage with certain orders out of reach and other negative points.

The controls themselves work really well, offering easy navigation and a whole host of short cuts to remember. The short cuts make sense though and prove useful to remember. The music adds atmosphere to the game, although can get annoying as it seems to repeat the same tunes over and over.

Fighting in this game like many wars is not always the best option, you can be quite sneaky throughout the game by simply outmanoeuvring the opponent. You can deny your opponents food by making deals with neighbouring countries, or you can simply capture their key resources. Reducing their morale and will to continue fighting. This adds a hidden depth to the game which proves quite interesting as you try different methods to outwit them without committing your units to battle.

Rise of Prussia proves to be quite an in depth strategy game, a game that veterans of the genre will enjoy immensely. If you are new to the genre though this game can prove quite frustrating at times trying to take in all of the information at hand, persevere though and it can prove to be quite the delight.

85/100

When you first start up GoDVD you are presented with the featured list. Showing the hottest new titles launched from blockbuster movies to the latest keep fit DVD’s, the featured list begins your tour of a massive choice of quality titles. All of the titles have a description, along with actors list , the name of the director plus a thumbnail of the cover. One of the best things about this app is the information provided relating to each title held in the database.

The simple to use interface is your general iPhone app, at the bottom you have the featured category, browse, search, favourites and about icons. By clicking on one of the icons it takes you straight to that part of the app.

You can browse titles by genre which is also subdivided into various categories for instance you choose the category TV, you then get some more choices including Classic TV, Comedy and British Television. Once you find a title you like you can then view more information by simply tapping on the picture or title, this then brings you to another screen with all the relevant details pertaining to this title. You can then buy it straight from Amazon or email the title to a friend.

You can also search the app for titles with keywords such as title, name of your favourite actor or director. The search is simple, yet very fast at bringing back the results on screen. The best thing about this app though has to be the choice, you can pretty much search for anything on here from Thundercats to The Twilight Saga. Popular TV shows, self help titles all can be found on this little app for you to research and buy. Another plus is the apps linking straight to Amazon for purchases, you know straight away that the price is reasonable and you are going to get a fast quality service.

A very nicely made app for DVD and Blu-Ray collectors out there, looking to research their next buy whilst on the move. Very clean easy to use and the best bit it’s free. Hopefully we might see more features as time passes. Perhaps trailers to watch if we like the look of a title, or even perhaps they could build their own review base for users of the apps, allowing you to see what others think of the titles, before you buy.

80%

The thing is, a GoW clone on the iPhone would be doomed for fail … this one isn’t … because it isn’t a God of War clone. But the name suggests it! Anyway, nom this isn’t a God of War clone, it’s actually a neat little platformer.

The idea is to run along collecting goodies like souls and stuff, along with avoiding obstacles by jumping over the pesky little things. It’s quite fun and offers some very quirky entertainment.

Not only that, but the game tends to offer something new with each level which is nice, but probably not enough – we’ll look at that a little later. Now this may sound like a cool little game, but the best is yet to come.

Visually, I love this game. This is another case of make-the-best-of-what-you-have. The iPhone is very limited when it comes to power for games, so it’s no secret that App developers need to make simplistic graphics to accompany their Apps. This goes beyond simplistic somehow, and allows colour to burst from your iPhone.

As you can imagine, the game is set in hell, so a red colour scheme is used. To be more specific, a lava type red colour, inducing multiple shades of lush colour as the background, with complimenting foreground visuals. Sorry for going into salesperson mode, but graphically, this game is the sex.

It does have its downsides though. One thing I mentioned above was the introduction of something new every level. If this weren’t included the game would get old quick. Even with this feature, the game gets old, but not as quick.

After a while, you’ll begin to get that dreaded repetitive feeling in your stomach that no gamer likes. It’ll soon be a case of same old, same old. There’s nobody to blame here unfortunately, the developer made a gameplay element that worked well, but didn’t work long term. It’s like a little pimple that you can’t get rid of, and it sort of spoils the game after a while.

For the time being though, along with an amazingly competitive price and a simply stunning visual element, I honestly can’t tell you not to pick up this addictive little App.

81%

Hive is very intellectual, which is a major decided point for many people. You don’t see many intellectual Apps, so this one is a nice change. I love nice changes, and it turns out that this App is full of them.

One word that I tend to identify with Apps is “polished”. It basically defines Apple, the iPhone and the App Store and content. Hive is a perfect example. Polished is the perfect work here.

The game stems from a board game, but has a polished, clean and somewhat futuristic feel to it, but still managing to stick with the original roots the game has – which is nice.

The big question here is can all theses nice touches compliment the most important thing here, the gameplay? I would say yes … after about two hours. Why would I say two hours? Because this game has a shockingly steep learning curve.

You’ll spend literally hours trying to grab the idea of the App if you’re a newbie and the helpless tutorials give some light instructions on how to play it which, evidently, doesn’t amount to much.

Once you get over this however, you’ll realise you’ve battled your way into what can only be described as an addicting turn based strategy game. You’ll find yourself playing this on the bus, in a waiting room; I even played it walking down the street a few days ago.

Another downside however is the AI. The game, even on its harder difficulty, is pretty easy. This probably helps with the learning period, but if that’s why they made it so easy, then they made a vital mistake – they left out the core element of any type of game ever: competitiveness.

Without any challenge, who would want this? But don’t worry, it isn’t easy either, I just feel it could be a little more challenging.

Overall I think it’s a very good game, the only things that take away from it is the steep learning curve and the easy AI after you get through the learning process. Other than that, I can’t fault this as it’s addictive fun, and after playing it, you can boast to your friends your “intellectual”.

77%

Well we may as well do things backwards and start off on a good ole’ positive. The game is long. It stretches to over thirty levels, which is impressive in comparison to some of the shameful Apps populating Apple’s store.

The quantity is clearly there, but I’m afraid the quality is absent. The game touts a number of negatives that just sort ruin the game without meaning to whatsoever, and I think I know why. The developer, in my opinion anyway, went for the retro look. You know, that trend where a game looks so old it’s cool? Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out like that, and it resulted in falling under “cools” ugly sister: the “we tried to make it look cool by incorporating oldie features, but instead made it look stale and cheap” sibling.

So what old features are here? Well for one, you’re greeted with the music, which is like a tossup between retro games that were bad and an auto-playing midi track on an amateur website. Again, the developer got this blatantly wrong here, and if I can see what angle they were going for that turned sour, how come they didn’t see it?

So graphics and sound are gone, surely the gameplay element can revive this? No, not really. The core idea of moving around is as dodgy as hell. The character moves way to fast, and getting him to turn his head is a bloody challenge. There’s a nice little “X” to the right of the screen, which is the trigger for the gun in a sense.

I understand the developer, I really do. I know exactly where they wanted to take this game and the type of feel it would ultimately have, but it’s non-existent. Instead, we’re left with a heap of failures that maybe could have been avoided. Maybe some updates can save this from utter failure, but until then, I’m not at all convinced.

[review pros="Lengthy game, which is nice." cons="The developer has great ideas, but the execution is poor, leading to a damp FPS experience." score="61"]

A pleasing App indeed is the one up for review today. This little gizmo is called Calorie Tracker Pro, and upholds both the quality and diversity spoken about earlier.

So who exactly is this aimed at? At first, I honestly imagined only consciously overweight people would find this useful but I was wrong. One of the review requirements is to actually use the App for some time, and give it my verdict so I started logging my meals into the App and such thinking I’d get nothing out of it.

This is where my first concern was dismissed. Just to clear something up, I am in no way overweight – I am happy with my weight and food regime and didn’t for the life of me think this would come in useful. It did. For the first day or so, I would feverishly use the App to track how many calories I’ve consumed and such.

My second concern, however, wasn’t dismissed. Don’t take my word for this, as quite frankly since I wouldn’t go out and buy this for obvious reasons, but I found myself forgetting to use the App after a while, leading to the accuracy going out the window and ultimately I abandoned the idea of adding food.

The idea is great, and it’s executed really well, but whether it can hold onto users is another story. Overlooking this however, you have a solid, useful and easy-to-use App with some nice features (such as the ability to view how many calories you’ve gained by looking at the number over the icon) and it’s one of the better iPhone Apps.

[review pros="Really nice interface, and very useful." cons="I'm not sure if people will use this after the first week or so." score="78"]

So we’re entering the third game of the series, and it’s looking really nice. The game, touting the explosive return of Kratos, is set for release next month, and since we love trophies, we thought it only fair to share with our readers what they are (well that’s obvious):

Bronze

• Mr. Hand
  Discover the secret ‘Hades Arm’ room
• Hit Man
  Perform a 1000-hit combo
• Rip One!
  Rip apart 1 Olympus Sentry
• Nice Tan
  Blind 100 enemies with the Head of Helios
• Obedience School
  Deliver 50 kicks to Hounds
• It’s getting hot in here…
  Burn 100 enemies with the Bow of Apollo
• Souled Out
  Summon every Soul with the Claws of Hades
• Bloody Hell
  Cover Kratos in 500 buckets of blood by killing the enemies
• No Guts, No Glory
  Gut 3 Centaur Generals
• Hitting Your Stride
  Upgrade any weapon to the next level

Silver

• Eye Candy
  Collect all of the Gorgon Eyes
• Feather Plucker
  Collect all of the Phoenix Feathers
• Are You Horny to Win?
  Collect all of the Minotaur Horns
• Maxed Out!
  Completely upgrade all weapons

Gold

• Vengeance Complete
  Beat the game
• Up to the Challenge
  Beat the Challenge of Olympus
• Unhuman
  Beat Titan Mode
• Priceless
  Collect all of the ‘Godly Possessions’

The list may look slightly skimpy, but there are 18 secret trophies not yet revealed, and of course the confirmed platinum trophy. This is the first game in a while that I genuinely want to get the platinum, so that has to be a good sign.

So what does this mean for gamers? Well it means they’ll need a serious amount of free space on their drive to begin with. My main concern here is how much of the 360 market the developer is cutting off here. They’re basically blocking out all Arcade owners. After all, who is gonna install one game, worth 18.3GB on a hard drive with a factory capacity of 20GB. It’s insane!

[Thanks, Ve3tro]

But let’s consider the competition: Assassin’s Creed II, Modern Warfare 2, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. One movie tie-in game, and two sequels to a successful franchise. And one of them has a story that can be summarized in about ten minutes, the other one’s Assassin’s Creed II.

Now, this could be because WGA requires that the game’s writer be a member of the Guild, and that’s what I’m remarking upon. More and more game writers join the WGA, pointing to the Hollywood productions that video games have become.

It went from “BUT YOUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE” to “Objectivism and agendas!”