The Nintendo DS is so popular because it has attracted non-gamers to the take up gaming. You can’t exactly imagine your mum or dad enjoying Halo or Resident Evil but you could probably find a game on the DS that they might play. The success of Brain Training, Nintendogs and Cooking Mama shows that console gaming doesn’t have to follow the formula of shooting, fighting or racing. By creating innovative games and treating the DS more of a teaching aid than a console games publishers have created a whole new market for their games.

Avanquest’s Pass Your Driving Theory fits in the educational category of Nintendo DS games. It is a must for all those about to sit their theory tests. A theory test costs £30 and must be taken before a learner can even sit their practical exam. The game gives players invaluable practise before the exam and gives them the edge on passing the test. Not only could the game help a player pass their theory it would save them money and speed up the process of taking a driver test. If you fail your theory you have to reschedule, pay for another test and delay the whole process of qualifying to drive.

Pass Your Driving Theory is an essential interactive guide, it includes all 1265 official DSA questions for both cars and motorcycles along with explanations. It helps track a player’s improvement as past test scores are saved.

The game has been developed in partnership with LDC, one of the UK’s largest driving schools. LDC are offering a free driving test worth £26 to everyone who buys a copy of Pass Your Driving Theory.

Gaming Excellence

Maybe it will be a case of sour grapes this Christmas if you can’t get the one present that everybody wants but after Spring 2009, there is a fair chance that the demand for this WiiFit may experience a drop if you’re just keen on maintaining fitness levels.

Huh? Drop in Demand for a WiiFit? Yes, I’m suggesting that on the grounds that not everyone may want a WiiFit if they prefer the “home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach” under the personal (read virtual) supervision of Bob Greene is preferred (Bob Greene – who? Bob Greene aka Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer). Here’s the first trailer for you -

The EA Sports Active comes with two leg straps, a resistance band and a health book and the entire package is priced at $59.99. And you don’t necessarily need the balance board but it will be compatible.

The buzz seems to be that Electronic Arts’ latest offering is going to rival the Nintendo WiiFit but honestly, I’d like to refer to that statement as strategic intent. Well, if not kindly help me understand – how is the EA Sports Active going to match the fun element provided by the WiiFit vide games such as Ski Jump and Soccer Heading? I believe that EA Sports Active doesn’t even claim to match the fun you can have on the WiiFit.

They definitely have priced it right for half of what you can do with the WiiFit but will EA Sports Active displace the WiiFit as is being suggested? Let’s wait and see!

I went to the cinema last night and an advert for Resistance 2 came on. Wow, these games ads are becoming like movie trailers in their own right. It was incredibly cinematic. The plot seems to be worthy as some great blockbuster. Alternative history, alien virus, a soldier infected with said virus with only 19 hours. Like all Hollywood movies it’s left down to the Americans to save the rest of the world.

You’ll have to wait another 2 weeks before it’s released though, you can buy it from the 28th of November

Today is a huge day for games releases, as many of the year’s big blockbusters are released in the final stretch towards Xmas.

The epic Gears of War 2 was unleashed last week, but today brings a range of titles for all ages and on all formats.

Mirror’s Edge (PS3/Xbox 360/PC): Step into the shoes of Faith, an agile courier in a Utopian paradise with a seedy underbelly.

See the action through her eyes, become immersed in a groundbreaking first-person action adventure as Faith performs acrobatic movements to combat the urban jungle.

Discover who framed your sister for murder, fight for survival and uncover a conspiracy that leads all the way to the corridors of power!

Call of Duty: World at War (PS3/Xbox 360/PC): The sequel to the hugely successful ‘Modern Warfare’ takes the story back to World War II, shifting between the Pacific and European theatres.

The visceral experience of combat can be shared, as the main campaign can be tackled co-operatively with up to four players. Plan tactics and strategies, work as a team to advance.

The class and perk-based multiplayer is retained for World at War, with new maps, the addition of vehicles and new weapons sure to test even Call of Duty veterans.

Guitar Hero : World Tour (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/PS2): This latest installment to the Guitar Hero franchise introduces drums and vocals to the guitar gameplay, enabling you to rock out with even more friends!

Guitar Hero : World Tour offers the biggest ever selection of on-disc music in a rhythm game, with an 86 master tracklist including artists like Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Metallica.

There’s a good reason why this man is dressed like a cow and it’s the release of The World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King.

The game certainly does strange things to a certain type of gamer. Addiction is a real problem and the release of this version includes parental controls, and bonuses for rest stops when you actually stop playing the game. This is really important as people have been known to die playing this game. No, not die in the game as their characters, they die in real life because they sit in front of their computers for 24 hours and then drop dead.

I can understand gaming addiction, when Max Payne was first released, man…..I knew I had to give it a rest when I started dreaming in bullet time. I also picked up a nasty Quantum of Solace problem, I was up till 1 last night trying stuck on a roof in Sienna, desperately trying to find a way out. I digress….

This game is incredibly popular and that is why gamers queued over night the world over, so they could get their expectant little mits on it. Some wore costumes like the chap in the above photo. The Lich King promises more of a story immersing gamers from the start in the Lich King tale. Players can also get new powers for their characters. There are also a new range of super-heroes called the DeathKnights. This goes over my head a bit, I don’t really understand this game or the attraction but I know that I am in the minority.

For all you hardened WOW fans out there, next time you’re playing keep hydrated and (to misquote Russel Brand slightly) if you feel like you’re starting to die then stop.

The Guardian

Wii Music

Wii Music is now available on Play.com. As with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Play.com has once again beaten both Amazon and HMV in its release. At the moment it costs £29.99 but expect  Amazon to undercut the competiton with its usual aggressive price-dropping tactics.