Retro Games Test/Wii Fit

Following the Mario Kart episode two weeks ago, this weekend we decided to playtest every single iteration from the SNES to the Wii. While we were at it, we went back to many long abandoned games to see if the years had been kind.

Then Tony reveals some surprising perspective on UEFA 2008 and Alex sings the praises of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which he saw recently on Blu-Ray.

We finish on an appraisal of the newest offering from the Nintendo gimmick-machine: Wii Fit. Find out if it's a total waste of time and money in this, the most physical and nostalgic episode of Digital Cowboys to date.

We released this week's episode early to make room for hard GTA IV playtime. A thorough review will be here next week.

Our First Anniversary!

In this extra large episode, we round up some of the games we've been playing in the past few months. Paul and Tony review In Bruges, Paul talks about [Rec] and Happy-Go-Lucky and Alex reports on Control and some Disney movies that proved a lot less enthralling than Sleeping Beauty and Enchanted.

Two particularly weighty bits of news are discussed: one, the systematic destruction of piles of retro games from the UK's second-largest game retailer; and two, the possibility of more instrument peripherals for the next Guitar Hero game ON TOP of what we'll have to shell out for Rock Band.

Then we crack on with the focus of the show which is the upcoming Games and Movies we're most excited about. We choose two each from both categories and explain why we're champing at the bit to experience them. Rock Band, GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid 4 are not on the list as they're the obvious ones.

Thanks to all of our listeners for the past year's loyal service. Why not celebrate by writing us a review on iTunes. We're aiming to crack our way onto their radar this year.

Next week: the first of many planned special focus episodes.

The Best of Episodes 1-51

Since we're a year old this week, we'd like to kick off our celebrations with a look back over the past twelve months.

This is a great one to start with to get a flavour for the show so let everyone you know in on it. We'll be back very soon with some more mature journalism but for now enjoy some of the funniest, rudest and most heated moments of the past year. Also included are some exclusive snippets you won't have heard.

Warning: DEFINITELY not one for the kids.

Name: SingStar
Format: PS3
Developer: London Studio
Release Date: December 5 2007
Reviewer: Alex Shaw

The original SingStar was released on the PS2 in May 2004 to generally positive reviews. It was praised for its easy accessibility, versatile track list and multitude of gaming modes, but also criticised for the very specific nature of its note chart. While it followed the model of a classic karaoke machine, the double-edged sword of its points-scoring nature meant that songs had to be sung in a set manner, allowing you to see exactly how well you were doing but also no real creativity while singing. This meant that if trailer-park chanteuse Christina Aguilera were to attempt her own song, Genie in a Bottle, she would have to ensure she stuck to the exact vocal pattern she created in the original track. This would mean that achieving the coveted perfect 10000 score would prove difficult, even impossible for a showboat like her.

Regardless of this, the game proved a huge success in Europe, spawning many additional song packs including Party, Pop, Rocks!, 80s, 90s, Anthems, Legends and R&B. Its initially girl-oriented audience has widened over the years to the point where the new version has a cool-looking gent on the cover, validating the more self-conscious guy’s inner desire to grab a mic and make like Blink 182.

In December 2007 SingStar was finally given its current generation console update. Some things were different. Some have changed. Gone are the sparse, white menus, replaced with a welcoming HD front-end offering access to the SingStore and your online profile. These are the two key facets of SingStar on the PS3 that set it apart from its earlier instalments. The SingStore itself is at this moment four months old and boasting an impressive girth of 200 downloadable tracks. At 99p a go it is unsurprisingly easy to find yourself loading your cart up every time you pop in, and each time you do an old favourite or something new is brought into the SingStar format in what has proved to be a very pleasing manner. It is this feature above all others that set SingStar on the PS3 up as something different to its predecessors. The initial thirty songs are a fine mix, sure to contain at least one song that everybody knows, but soon you will find yourself hankering for more and it’s the expandability that makes this a truly lasting game; almost a platform in itself.

If you are lucky enough to acquire a PS3 camera then the other feature opens out before you; namely the ever-growing online community of SingStar players each able to download half-minute snippets of themselves performing. You don’t need the camera to view the videos of course, but anybody with a sense of fun would want to get hold of one anyway after seeing what these people can come up with. Some are great, some are plain awful and a few are genuinely inventive, their creators utilising their thirty precious seconds to truly entertain. This reviewer has seen Chewbacca dancing for joy (presumably over his new Star Wars PSP), singing fruit, chin-people, cross-dressers and the most ridiculous pair of pyjama bottoms ever. The interface shares a similar flavour to YouTube and Facebook, allowing you to make comments, keep friends, rate videos and be rated. It gives a grander sense of scale to the game and seeing everyone performing the songs we have in common creates an unusual sense of unity for a console game.

On the subject of performing we come to the great divide that is an undeniable part of the SingStar experience. There seems to be two very distinct ways of playing, depending on which of two ends you want to achieve. Firstly there is performing a song; actually getting up on your makeshift stage and belting out Life on Mars in a manner that would make Ziggy proud. This makes it a fun experience for you and everyone else involved, and can leave you with a score that is mostly admirable. The other way is the calculated discipline of getting your voice to follow the sliding pitch bar without missing a single note. Unfortunately this is where the game falls down for the average person. Trained singers will likely be able to control their voice so that it sounds effectively like the original track, whether they channel the original artist or not, and still hit the notes, but the other 98% of the population will come off sounding more like what Alan Partridge would refer to as a trapped boy. A horrible, monotonous whine will escape your lips, interrupted only by the occasional swiftly stolen breath and instrumental pauses, and everybody in the vicinity will feel their flesh crawl and desperation to leave the room. It is a weighty choice when deciding whether to play for points or for the general fun of the SingStar experience, which when done right can make for a truly memorable party, often captured forever in a grin-inducing scrapbook of pictures and videos thanks to your camera. Those who can genuinely sing need not worry, but if you have that much vocal control, you should be doing it for a living anyway.

It is significant that Harmonix’s Rock Band has a far less stringent requirement from its vocalists on the Easy setting. Since the front man is the mouthpiece of the band, a player desperately playing for points and singing technically correctly but droning abominably would swiftly destroy the rhythm and morale of the rest of the group. However, Rock Band’s note charts have a forgiving flow to them allowing for that all-important performance to shine through. On Expert it’s a different story, though, and many a slapdash vocalist will have to be rescued by their teammates repeatedly should they attempt it. I myself save the high score attempts for times when nobody else is around to feel the pain.

SingStar PS3 is a significant step forward in the series, broadening its horizons extensively. Now when you have your family over you can let them browse through the store until they find something they are prepared to sing and then video them while they’re at it and keep the clip for all time. As far as future instalments go, Vol. 2 is due in June and promises harmonising on duets (singing different lines over each other on tracks like California Dreamin’) and PSP interactivity with the SingStore. Hundreds of tracks will no doubt be released in various European languages (fingers crossed for Cochise by Audioslave, already on a song pack in the USA) but perhaps some editing tools would be a wise element of future DLC, to ensure that the submitted videos remain fresh from those who enjoy channelling their inner star. If you’ve never played before, own a PS3 and this appeals to you then now is the time to take up the mic, but if you’ve been annoyed by the playing system in the past then little has changed to make it easier to get a high score and still sound human. This reviewer’s advice: let the points go and just sing your heart out.

Rating: ****

Dark Sector/Mario Kart Wii and DS.

This week Tony reviews dark, gritty glaiver Dark Sector and discusses whether it's really worth playing in a world where Gears of War exists.

Then Mario Kart in all its forms is discussed. The recent release on the Wii, packaged with a super-duper new wheel accessory that has proved to thousands of die-hard Nintendo fans as useful - if not less so - than that camera for the Game Boy Pocket, is the main focus of conversation.

Alex just saw Enchanted on Blu Ray and followed up with the Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty. Long-time listeners will be able to predict fairly accurately what he'll say about the current glut of animated movies when held in comparison with fairy-tales of this caliber.

We finish on a fairly crucial new career choice for one of the Cowboys.

Next week: a double helping of DC. Firstly, a collection of the best moments from the past year; and secondly, a super-sized anniversary episode as we turn one year old.

Son of Rambow

We start with good and bad news about the European release of Rock Band.

After that, Paul reviews Never Back Down and Meet The Spartans, Tony talks about Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Sega Superstar Tennis and Alex discusses the film Junebug and new XBLA game Ikiruga.

Finally, we round off with a full review of one of the most fun, inventive and charming films about - but not necessarily for - kids in ages: Son of Rambow.

Well, it's sure been fun bringing these clips to you over the last few days. We have one more left to show you and here it is.

We just finished adding the final sound mix to a crucial scene in the film and couldn't wait to share it with you guys. So, without further ado...

By popular demand, here is another clip from Digital Cowboys - The Movie. We had a superb time in Bombay and it's really great to see the film starting to take shape.

Here is an exclusive clip taken from the forthcoming film, Digital Cowboys - The Movie. We hope you enjoy it.

27 Dresses/Heavenly Sword/The Orphanage

This week Paul reviews the latest the rom-com about weddings, 27 Dresses, starring pretty woman Katherine Heigl as a woman who has played bridesmaid an average of once a year for her whole life. Find out if it breaks the mould.

Tony and Alex fully review Heavenly Sword now that Alex has finished it and appraise it for the acting and motion capture and also how digital acting has lately become much better in both movies and video games.

Finally we all take a look at the psychological horror/drama/thriller El Orfanato (The Orphanage). It's the first film from director Juan Antonio Bayona and is produced (very significantly) by Guillermo Del Toro. As a ghost story featuring tormented children it follows in the shadowy footsteps of The Sixth Sense, The Others and Del Toro's own The Devil's Backbone. Find out if it can live up to this grand pedigree in our in-depth review.