Need For Speed Carbon: Own the City @ PocketGamer

Ask the typical Trisha viewer about video games, and they'll probably look momentarily confused before a lightbulb moment – Need For Speed! Because if there's one franchise that embodies current mass-market gaming tastes, it has to be EA's all-pervasive racing mod 'em up.

Fact fans note: a Need For Speed game has achieved the Christmas number one spot for the last two years running, and you can guarantee this latest iteration will be thereabouts once again.

This isn't to criticise popularity for its own sake, but Need For Speed is fast becoming the Police Academy of the games industry. We're half expecting to be playing Need For Speed Party Time: Assignment Miami Beach next year.

The subtitle of 2006's DS variant continues in the usual vein. Own the City? How? By racing around in a yellow Golf GTi and indulging in gratuitous smack talk? It's a bit ludicrous, although it does contain a nugget of design truth too, as the game sees you driving around the usual gritty urban environment, challenging your rivals to street races.

Assuming you win, then you get to take back that part of the city under your dominion. The goal – getting to own the city – even in a yellow Golf GTi.

Let's get one thing straight, the DS version of Need For Speed Carbon isn't a disappointment because it sticks to a tried and tested formula. It's a disappointment because feels rushed, lacks long-term challenge and fails to play to the DS' and the franchise's core strengths.

Most obviously, the DS wasn't designed for fast 3D racing, as Need For Speed Carbon's blocky textures, scenery tearing and twitchy handling attests. The game runs at a reasonable clip of speed, but when you hit the 'nitros' button, a lurid warping effect kicks in, blurring the screen and making navigating anything other than a straight road next to impossible.

The series' other notable strength, the customisation of vehicles with engine parts, spoilers, decals and rims, is also compromised by the general visual paucity. There are certainly plenty of parts to fiddle around with, as well as the opportunity to get your hands on 50 vehicles, but you will be hard pressed to notice much difference onscreen.

Equally, enabling players to design their own decals via the touch-screen is a welcome touch, but when your efforts translate into a barely discernible mush when placed on your vehicle, it's a bit disheartening.

Indeed, the art design lacks punch and clarity throughout – the entrancing neon cityscapes and souped-up vehicles that work so well on next-generation consoles appear grey and drab here.

Some sophistication has been attempted in terms of vehicle handling; along with braking and a sharper handbrake, the D-pad can be pressed in either of the forward diagonal positions to execute a narrower turn. But it's seldom necessary in practice. Rivals rarely mount any real challenge, and at speed the cars simply can't react quickly enough to sharper twists in circuits. Stick to boosting on the straights and a cautious approach to cornering and you should win every race.

So, any positives? Well, yes. Get into the rhythm of the races and there's a certain amount of entertainment to be extracted.

There is also one good new feature: wingmen. These buddies can be called upon to help you beat your rivals using typically street methods such as ramming them out the way. Another option they enable sees you regaining your nitro power if you can follow their neon trail, like a sort of boost slipstreaming. Their artificial intelligence is sometimes wayward, but together with the 'rewind time' option that you can unlock, they are the most interesting areas in the game by a long shot.

The developer should also be praised for using the DS's second screen in novel ways, too. You can customise your vehicle's dashboard with different dials and even fluffy dice, giving you a vehicular affinity not reflected in the other iterations of the game. It's a cute touch, if hardly a saving grace.

Perhaps most disappointing is just how short the game is. Experienced players will be able to polish off the single-player element inside four hours, the multiplayer mode is limited to two players, and the career mode is also accompanied by a simple revenge plot that doesn't so much border on the risible as cross the line and set new standards in game narrative pap. For us, it's the final nail in Own The City's inner-tube.

While Need For Speed Carbon may well offer a joyous experience on the other platforms and go on to dominate the charts, the DS version is a classic example of unsuitable original material and rushed porting. Even given the paucity of decent racing games on DS, we suggest you drive on by.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT® THE BURNING CRUSADE™ @ Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment® announced today that World of Warcraft®: The Burning Crusade™, the highly anticipated expansion to the world’s leading subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft, will be in stores on January 16th in North America and Europe. The expansion will be available in a similar time frame in Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore as well, and availability for mainland China and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau will be announced in the near future. In addition, Blizzard today announced that the subscriber base for World of Warcraft has reached a new milestone, with 7.5 million players worldwide.

"While World of Warcraft has continued to grow rapidly along with its player population, The Burning Crusade will represent our single largest addition of new game content and new features to date,"said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "With this expansion, we’re looking forward to offering the same level of quality that players have experienced in World of Warcraft so far, and we’ll continue balancing and play-testing up until launch to ensure that The Burning Crusade achieves that goal."

In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, players will be able to advance their characters up to level 70, unlocking a world of power and possibilities along the way. Additional features coming in The Burning Crusade include two new playable races (the Blood Elves and the Draenei), flying mounts, new talents and abilities for all character classes, the new jewelcrafting profession, new magical weapons and armour, and many enhancements to player-vs.-player action. The expansion will also lead veteran players through the fabled Dark Portal and into Outland, former homeworld of the Orcs and site of a series of cataclysmic events that helped shape the history of the Warcraft® universe. In this shattered world, players will encounter new challenges and dangers in the form of new outdoor zones, quests, dungeons, never-before-seen monsters, and much more. Over the course of their new adventures in The Burning Crusade, players will grow in experience and power as they uncover the rich lore and mysteries of Outland and do battle with the demonic forces of The Burning Legion.

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Gods & Heroes: The Soldier Feat Tree @ MmorpgDot

MMORPG.com Feature: Gods & Heroes: The Soldier Feat Tree - Levels 1 to 20

Soldiers embody the very spirit of Rome and are the Republic's most steadfast protectors. Renowned for their courage and prowess in battle as well as their mastery of a variety of deadly weaponry, Soldiers are the most formidable warriors Rome has at her service.

Their role in the world of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is much more strategic and tactical than the typical warrior class character, however. Their rigorous discipline makes them capable of holding their ground against massive assaults by the barbarian hordes looking to overrun Rome's borders, meaning they are as skilled at defense as they are at offense. Additionally, their bravery and loyalty in defending Rome runs so deep that it is often inspiring to other Romans who are taking up arms against the enemies of the Republic.

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Pirates of the Burning Sea: Dev Log: Beta @ Mmorpg

Over at Pirates of the Burning Sea, Misha has released a new Dev Log that gives us an update on the MMOG's beta.

Beta Update

I've managed to duck Aether since May but he finally caught up with me... I can't even begin to list all the changes to the Beta since May. We've added tons more people, established a regular schedule for the sessions and then changed that schedule, and I've got new GMs helping me to the point I no longer have to work the weekends to run the Beta. This makes for a much less cranky Misha!

Currently, our schedule is very focused on North/South American availability. If you're a Beta tester not in my hemisphere, chances are you can only play once per week. By far, the most whining I hear from Beta testers is that they don't get to play, er, test often enough. ;-)

We've changed the process of updating the Beta so that we can put out a build for testing and, if it doesn't work out, we can easily go back to the previous version or put out another build. One side-effect of this is that we sometimes run an extra session or run a regular session longer than usual as we try to put that build through its paces.

Read the whole journal here.

Nintendo DS Lite in the running for TIME's Gadget of the Year 2006

The DS Lite is one of 8 products up for TIME Magazine's Gadget of the Year this year!

This is probably where you are expecting me to rally support and encourage you all to go vote for the DS. Judging from the preliminary results so far, I don't think that will be necessary.

At the time of this writing, the Nintendo DS Lite is leading the competition with an astounding 58% of the overall vote. The next highest device, the Apple MacBook Pro, has only 28% of the vote, a full 30% behind the DS.

So, if you feel so inclined you can head over to TIME's voting page and make your voice heard. No pressure though, cause the DS has this one in the bag.

Major Nelson: Fix on the way for Xbox 360 1080p problems @ EngadgeTHD

Microsoft just rolled out the much awaited update to the Xbox 360 dashboard including -- among other things -- support for 1080p over VGA and component but for some gamers and error screen was all they got. The company still hasn't said exactly what it believe is causing the issue, although some have said it may be due to either frequency supported by the VGA cable or the way it syncs with monitors, but Major Nelson confirmed on his podcast this morning that engineers are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. The TVs that suffer the problem appear to be some Sony (most notably LCD XBRs) and Samsung models that should be able to accept the 1080p input but as of yet, don't. Affected owners should hopefully have their mere 720p experience rectified soon, but will it be in time for the HD DVD player launch?

Exploring Middle-earth: The Ford of Bruinen @ The Lord Of The Ring

As travelers head east toward the Misty Mountains, leaving behind the barren Lone-lands and the treacherous hills of the Trollshaws, the roar of the River Bruinen, or "Loadwater," fills the air. At the Ford of Bruinen, where the Great East Road crosses the mighty river as it approaches the Valley of Rivendell, the swift waters can be easily crossed at these shallows just below the picturesque falls. Many adventurers, however, tell tales of sensing the presence of great and natural power emanating from the river, protecting the hidden valley of the Elves, which lies just beyond the ford.

The approach to Rivendell is at once awe-inspiring, tranquil, serene, and also potentially dangerous for travelers through this land. The Ford of Bruinen is well-known to readers of The Lord of the Rings as the location where Frodo made his last flight to cross the waters of the Bruinen in the hopes of making the safety of Elrond's home in Rivendell. It is also well-known that the Elves of Middle-earth, and especially those that dwell in the valley of Rivendell, are fiercely protective of their home against the darkness encroaching on the lands. Travelers would do well to declare their friendly intentions as soon as the roar of the Bruinen is heard, for the guards of Rivendell seldom make their presence known and can strike swiftly and silently at any they do not welcome as friends.

SEGA and Marvel bring Iron Man to the next-generation @ XboxWay

Directly from San Francisco and London, a double announcement arrives, from SEGA and Marvel, on an alliance for the production of a series of video-games with Iron Man as main character.

Iron Man

The famous American software house, SEGA, has, in fact, been able to acquire exclusively the rights on Marvel intellectual property and the first game born from this marriage will be the official game of the movie which will hit cinemas on the 2nd of May 2008.

"SEGA is an excellent partner to bring our Iron Man franchise to the next-generation consoles," declares David Maisel, Marvel Entertainment Executive Vice President. "SEGA is a powerful firm in video-games world and has always been able to produce excellent software. We are very proud of being able to take Iron Man to cinemas on 2008 and to have done this alliance with such a great partner to take simultaneously Iron Man to the video-game world."