Electronic Arts Game Reviews
Review Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (DS)
More hogwash than Hogwarts
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince is, as I’m sure most of you are aware, the latest entry in the massively popular series concerning the teenage wizard Mr. Potter. For those muggles out there unfamiliar with the plot “The Half Blood Prince” is where the epic tale of good versus evil really heats up; the...
Review Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Wii)
The world's most famous wizard returns for his second Wii adventure
After being so pleasantly surprised by Harry Potter’s previous Wii outing we approached this latest title with a fair degree of expectation. Promises of realistic potion-making, intense Quidditch matches and generally improved presentation echoed through the office as the disc was...
Review Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)
Will Wii MotionPlus help EA land this golf franchise on the green, or is it just a sand trap for your wallet?
The Tiger Woods games are the current ‘serious’ golf games for PCs and consoles, but let's be honest: how seriously can you take a game of golf that you play with a keyboard or analogue sticks? Tiger Woods 10, (the 12th game in the Tiger...
Review Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)
It's got the courts, it's got the players and it's got MotionPlus support. Does Grand Slam Tennis provide the definitive Wii tennis experience?
It's here, people. After months of feverish anticipation, Wii MotionPlus is upon us. Finally, Wii owners the world over will have access to the kind of precise, fluid and nuanced motion controls that...
Review Boom Blox Bash Party (Wii)
Spielberg's block-based baby is back for another helping
The original Boom Blox - a collaborative effort between big-shot Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts - proved to be both innovative and enjoyable, especially when playing with friends and family. Due to the success of the original, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise...
Review NASCAR Kart Racing (Wii)
Can NASCAR Kart Racing raise the bar previously set by Mario Kart Wii?
Mario Kart Wii has been on the market for over a year now and is regarded by many as the best racer on the platform. Due to its success it’s no surprise that some developers have tried to make their own clone of the game. While many of those clones have ended up pitifully,...
Is this the definitive version of Trivial Pursuit or does it raise too many questions?
Let’s face it: with the wider and more diverse spectrum of gamers that the console is now catering for, the Wii isn’t short of party-type games. We’ve seen countless conversions of popular board games springing up throughout the Wii’s life so far – many...
The Sims franchise enters the animal kingdom
The forest is tranquil. The birds are flying peacefully in the sky and the bears are patrolling the ground. Swans swim swiftly downstream and rabbits hop around in the meadow. What could possibly go wrong in a paradise like this? But wait, the predator levels are increasing in the area, outnumbering its...
Creating your own city isn't nearly as fun as it sounds.
When the Virtual Console launched alongside the Wii in November 2006, SimCity was the flagship title for the SNES. Though the graphical limitations of the SNES resulted in a rather dated experience, the core gameplay held strong and the game managed to show newcomers to the franchise that it...
Review Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure (DS)
Henry Hatsworth stars in one of the Nintendo DS' best puzzler offerings
First looks can be very deceiving. Just by taking a quick glance at Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, it isn’t difficult to assume it’s aimed at younger audiences wanting in on a simple and fun puzzle experience. Surprisingly though, there’s actually a rather...
Can EA's cute MySims get the party started?
Over the past year or so, Electronic Arts has been catering to the casual audience on the Wii and Nintendo DS through the MySims franchise. Since the launch of the series back in September 2007, it has gone on to become a worldwide hit. Given Electronic Arts' previous track record for milking winning...
Easily the softest shooter on Wii.
For those that don't know what Nerf is, it's a brand of children's toy which became hugely popular in the 80's and 90's and continues sales today. The toys sell as a vast range of guns which shoot foam projectiles or "darts". Nerf N-Strike is essentially a light-gun-mini-games title developed by EA Salt...
Tony Hawk has a new competitor for the skating crown..
When Skate originally appeared on the Xbox 360 and PS3, it was something of a revelation to skateboarding fans who had previously only had the Tony Hawk series to contend with, each iteration proving to be similar to the last. Rather than focus on huge combinations of tricks like the Hawk, Skate...
Review Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (DS)
Your chance to have your very own Pet Shop...
Even though Littlest Pet Shop Winter is clearly aimed at a younger audience, I found the game strangely addictive for a while. Defined as “a special place where your pets will come to life and you can play with them in a whole new way,” the aim of the game is to adopt all of the pets (20 different...
Review Need For Speed: Undercover (DS)
EA attempts to cram a living, breathing city into the DS - the results aren't pretty...
It’s easy to be pessimistic about EA’s Need for Speed franchise. Considering the staggering number of titles to bear the brand name (this is the 12th game since the franchise’s inception in 1994), there have been precious few true classics. However, we...
Review Need For Speed: Undercover (Wii)
Need For Speed is back with its latest career adventure, it's time to go Undercover.
You play a wheel man, hired by Federal Agent Chase Linh (played by Maggie Q) who is sent out, undercover, into the world of illegal street racing and other criminal activities. You'll need to progress through events and earn the respect of fellow criminals, getting...
Review FaceBreaker K.O. Party (Wii)
Ever wanted to break someone's face? Well now you can!
Legendary names like Hatton and Calzaghe might give you the impression that boxing is a serious sport, however these are not the views of EA Freestyle. So here we are, introducing their new box-em-up descriptively named, FaceBreaker, Knock Out Party for Wii. You'll instantly realise that this...
FIFA returns once again, its time to kick off season 08/09.
FIFA is the longest running video game footballing franchise. Some ten years ago they lost their place on top of the video football pile by new upstart Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). Hard work and innovation have now seen a resurgence in FIFA's critical reception. Testament to this is the...
Review NBA Live 09 All-Play (Wii)
It's that time of year again, basketball fans get ready for NBA Live 09.
NBA 09 combines EA strong basket balling franchise with their solid controls on the Wii. We see this more clearly than ever with the family friendly controls that, along with FIFA 09 Wii, Madden 09 Wii and Tiger Woods 09 Wii, complete the All Play set for 09. Sports games...
Review Celebrity Sports Showdown (Wii)
EA Freestyle invite some celebrities to come play a Sports Showdown, but who gets embarrassed?
EA sports freestyle want to throw Wii gamers yet another party, this time in the form of Celebrity Sports Showdown, a 12 sport strong mini-games package with the added promise of celebrity glamour. Aimed clearly at the casual, multi-player market EA have...
Spielberg takes time off from resurrecting Indy to bring us the Wii’s very own version of Jenga
When someone like Steven Spielberg puts his name to a product you know you really should sit up and take notice. The world renowned director of Jurassic Park, ET and countless other films that have made a small fortune at the global box office,...
The way of the warrior is one of balance and harmony.
Wolf-san! EA invite us to join them in the secret ancient world of the Japanese Ninja. Bringing together a handful of mini games, the developers aim to train your senses in the martial art to help you reach a higher power. The way of the warrior is one of "balance and harmony". The...
Ninja Reflex is essentially a minigame collection in the same vain as Brain Training, Maths Training, Sight Training, Potty Training and Learn-To-Walk-With-Nintendo. Ok so I made the last two up but you get the idea.
The only real exception with Ninja Reflex is that instead of teaching you everyday things, this game teaches you how to be a ninja –...
Review Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Wii)
Lt. Berg must defeat those ever-baddies the Nazis in this latest from the Medal of Honor series.
EA bring another Medal Of Honor title to Wii, this time built from the ground up for the system and features the oh-so familiar style of the series. Although Medal of Honor might be a minor side-note on the CV of a certain Steven Spielberg the series has...
Review Skate or Die! (Virtual Console / NES)
Hop on your board and take part in five extreme skate events!
Long before the Tony Hawk’s franchise made skateboarding games mainstream the cool kids got their kicks on Skate or Die for the NES. The action begins in Rodney Recloose’s skateboard shop. He’s a crazy middle-aged dude with a blue Mohawk who organises different event such as...
Dancing seems to be everywhere right now, so why not in your pocket?
More musical mayhem hits the DS in the form of the discotastic Boogie, a smaller, simpler sibling of the Wii title released a few months ago. The concept is quite simple, its a dancing game, pretty much in the vain of the infamous Dance Dance Revolution but with a few twists thrown...
The orcs have overrun the mountain, can you get to the bottom and save the King?
Your father, Eöl, has recently passed away and so you are travelling to meet one of his old friends, a Dwarven King named Brahm. Eöl and Brahm once fought together in a great war aided by magical weapons gifted to them by a powerful wizard. Eöl was given a talking...
Review Need For Speed: ProStreet (Wii)
EA go back to basics with the latest entry in the stunningly successful NFS series - has the company done enough to bring back old fans?
Need for Speed has been with us for over a decade now. Since making its debut on the ill-fated 3DO console, EA’s premier racing franchise has gone from being a fairly inoffensive car fan’s dream to a loud and...
Your starter for ten: Is EA's latest franchise worth a look?
Quiz games are something of a pet peeve for me. Being a hot-blooded male I obviously loathe TV quiz shows, and the particularly cynical side of me can see straight through the numerous dial-in competitions that exist purely to generate additional revenue for TV stations. However, the...
If your memories of the school playground feature scary bullies and kiss chase, then you might want to let EA's latest kiddie-friendly title repair the damage.
There was a time when publishers were seen as the trendsetters in this industry. When Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto it tapped into the consciousness of the gaming public, triggering a...
