That old family gaming warhorse - Star Wars - is back in the light this week with the release of The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes for the Wii, DS, PS3, Xbox360 & PS2.
Whilst Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend steal the headlines this week there's still a number of excellent family gaming titles out to entertain everyone of all ages.
Wii Fit Plus is Nintendo's upgrade of the original that brings several new aerobic, muscle and balance training exercises to the table. In this sequel calories can also be counted thanks to the new MET value and the added training plus mode that brings some fun and often hilarious new games to make Wii Fit Plus something very special indeed. You can either buy Wii Fit Plus on its own if you have the Balance Board already, or opt for the full pack if you are new to Nintendo Wii fitness.
Wii Fit Plus screens on GamePro.com
Peppa Pig: The Game on the Nintendo Wii brings one of the most popular children's cartoons to the home console and is full of exciting minigames and activities. Playing as either Peppa or George, kids will instantly feel at ease with the simple Wii controls and the mixture of fun minigames means that there's an activity for everyone - even the parents! The easy gameplay and integration with Peppa Pig DS opens up a world of entertainment and education that's snortingly good fun for kids of all ages.
Stripping away the hardcore ingredients that made Guitar Hero 3 and World Tour so difficult to get into, Guitar Hero 5 changed its spots and became a wonderfully easy game for everyone to get into. With the annoying gameplay mechanics of the previous iterations eliminated, we found the Avatar support and the overall accessibility opening the experience up to the more casual players of my family.
Coming to this after the amazing Beatles Rock Band experience I was sceptical that anything Guitar Hero could throw my way would be special. After all, the only direction you can go after the Fab Four is down, especially when it comes to how accessible their music is. But to my surprise Guitar Hero 5 blew off its own hardcore shackles and opened up a new side that was true family friendly gaming and less oppressive than I'm usually accustomed to. This newfangled approach was oddly served by a bizarre and awkward playlist that tried to be everything to everybody and yet appealed to no-one.
Guitar Hero 5 screens on GamePro.com
My posts are usually objective, mildly authoritative and thoroughly third person. Here though, I want to share something more personal - to track one particular journalism journey I've had the past year that started with an unusual idea and resulted in a BBC TV appearance.
As I write this, I sit back on my sofa having just watched Rebecca Mayes appear on Charlie Brooker's BBC Four video game show. Watching the show I had something of an epiphany. The Internet gives incredible power to everyday people - armed with some imagination, talent and dogged hard work anyone can get their ideas to the screens of thousands.
Need for Speed has been in denial for years. Finally, it admits its split personality and creates three separate racing games. Shift is the game focused purely on simulation racing - in addition to Nitro's more casual gaming approach on Wii and DS and browser based World Online.
The previous Jekyll and Hyde nature of the series meant that you never quite knew what to expect when you opened the box. Carbon returned to the open world and illegal street races of earlier iterations, then Pro Street cleaned up its act in preference of high performance track races before Undercover headed back to police chases and leggy detectives.
Need for Speed SHIFT screens on GamePro.com
Two big releases this week and also the arrival of the PSP Go - Sony's latest iteration of their handheld that's slimmer, thinner and without the UMD drive. But if you're slumming it with the previous versions then Gran Turismo gets its long-awaited release onto the PSP with over 800 models and 30 tracks from around the world.
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Halo 3: ODST continues the epic Xbox 360 franchise and tells the story of the infamous Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as they defend New Mombasa from Covenant attack. Leading up to the events in Halo 3, players leave Master Chief for a while as they assume the role of a new character - the Rookie. With a new open-world structure and a story told via flashback, Halo 3: ODST on the XBox 360 console takes the Halo franchise into darker territory as the Master Chief is nowhere in sight and the Covenant are more dangerous than ever. Expert family gamers, prepare to drop.
Halo 3: ODST screens on GamePro.com
Fifi and the Flowertots for the Nintendo DS is a collection of mini games and puzzles for children a little older than when they first watched the realted TV show. There are fifteen different games to play including wordsearch, sudoku, spot the difference and jigsaw. Each game has three different difficulties and medals for kids to win, which promotes a sense of pride and motivation. Although Fifi and her garden companions are aimed at preschool children, this DS game raises the bar for those a little older.
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