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The Just Dance series has been cleaning up for a couple of years now over on the Wii, with would-be hot-steppers using their natural body motions in conjunction with the Wii remote to get their groove on.  Just when it was looking like things wouldn’t change for the series, Ubisoft made a startling announcement that Just Dance 3 was going multiplatform, including PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  This offered some promising ideas for the Move and Kinect, possibly offering players a better way to get into their rhythm.  However, after a few hours with it, we found it’s just the – mind the pun – “same old song and dance”.

Now, if you’ve never played Just Dance before, part three might be your cup of jive.  The game features a wide array of strange dancing characters on the screen, including “smiley mummies”, a dude in a frog costume, whom you must follow with on-screen prompts.  these prompts appear on the corner of the screen, so they stay out of your way while still giving you an idea what move comes next.  The dances range in difficulty, but the game is quite forgiving when it comes to your accepted dance moves.  you can either track just the upper half of your body, or both your arms and legs, if you feel like you’re up to nailing the choreography.

The problem is, while it’s fun to dance along with the right sort of game, Just Dance 3 clearly isn’t it.  Ubisoft kind of missed the point of accurate Kinect tracking with this game, and as a result, it’s way too easy to nail a perfect rating.  you never really learn about dancing because of that, making this an ideal party game – and little else.  even Harmonix’s Dance Central – and its upcoming sequel – offer some sort of learning tutorials so you can understand what these dances are all about.

What’s more, the moves don’t exactly look that hot.  We tried to get through Cee Lo’s “Forget You” by following this guy on the screen, and he looked like he was having muscle spasms, rather than working out a natural routine.  Some folks might be into that, but we were looking for something that chained a bit more naturally, not “lemme jump up here and go into a half lawnmower."

If you CAN tolerate the forgiving gameplay and somewhat iffy dance routines, you’ll probably have some fun here.  Just Dance 3 does support multiplayer, including up to four players in the action through multi-layered stances.  That alone should make Just Dance 3 a must for groups.  What’s more, if you’re REALLY talented (or just need blackmail material), you can record your sessions and share them with others through Xbox Live.

Visually, Just Dance 3 seems a bit prehistoric compared to Dance Central.  The pre-recorded dance routines, while vibrant, aren’t that interactive, and without any indicatiors to tell you how well you’re doing, you’re stuck watching a bland grid of yourself in the upper corner.  still, at least Ubisoft made it worth looking at compared to stoic music videos or, even worse, real dancing idiots.

The song list is mixed with both upbeat hits and disappointment.  We’re not sure what inspired Ubi to throw in Kiss’ “I Was made For Loving You” as a DANCE song (Rock Band, maybe, but dance?), nor Danny Elfman’s “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Other hits, however, are spot on, including Duck Sauce’s catchy “Barbra Streisand” (which, thankfully, doesn’t actually include Streisand), Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1000 Dances” (NA NA NA NA NA!), and Bananarama’s surprisingly catchy “Venus” (which is also in Dance Central 2, by the way).  You’ll like some of these songs, but skip others.

Just Dance 3 could’ve really gone a long way had the folks at Ubisoft really involved Kinect interaction beyond other dancing copycats.  instead, it just follows the straight and narrow, and while party people may get a kick out of it, it’s hardly the ultimate dancin’ machine.  something tells us those honors will go to Dance Central 2 when it releases next week.

For the first time in franchise history, two games under the Call of Duty banner–Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2–will be simultaneously allowing players to earn double the normal experience points this weekend. It’s being billed as a celebration of the upcoming Modern Warfare 3′s Prestige Shop, but it’s safe to say that publisher Activision wouldn’t be too upset if the move steals some thunder from a certain other rival war-based FPS that launched today.

In a video on the Modern Warfare 3 Facebook page, Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling explains that every time you prestige in MW3, you’ll get a “prestige token” which can be used to unlock things like an extra custom class, or allow you to “choose one piece of gear from your custom class to keep unlocked from rank 1 of future prestiges.”

As a side bonus–and one that ties directly into the coming double XP weekend–anyone who has prestiged in Modern Warfare, World at War, Modern Warfare 2, or Black Ops will receive associated day-one prestige tokens to spend in Modern Warfare 3 on launch day.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is due out for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on November 8.

What’s more relentless than zombies? Video games about zombies.They’ve been good (“Resident Evil”) and bad (“Rock of the Dead”). There are serious games like “Left 4 Dead” and comical games like “Plants vs. Zombies.” The dead have even risen in scenarios where you wouldn’t expect them, like “Call of Duty” and “Red Dead Redemption.” and they never stop coming.at some point, though, exhaustion has to set in; for me, it happened with last year’s tedious “Dead Rising 2.” So I’ve been dreading “Dead Island” (Deep Silver, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99; PC, $49.99), in which zombies take over a South Seas resort — even though I could really use a tropical vacation.much to my surprise, Polish developer Techland has brought some fresh ideas to the genre. It’s hardly a dream vacation, but “Dead Island” is more intriguing than the typical slash-and-run gorefest.The drama takes place on a fictional island called Banoi. Your character wakes up after a night of carousing to discover that most of the people on the island are afflicted with something much worse than a hangover. After fleeing your hotel and meeting up with some fellow survivors, you have two goals: rescue other noninfected humans and find a way off Banoi.The open-world structure of “Dead Island” distinguishes it from the competition.instead of following a linear plot, you usually have a variety of side missions you can tackle in between major story events. It’s closer in spirit to “Grand Theft Auto,” and you can run over pedestrians without feeling guilty.The missions generally boil down to finding and retrieving someone or something, but the settings and monsters you meet are nicely varied.The first part of the game takes place on Banoi’s sunny beaches, but you eventually have to explore the island’s slum-infested city — which looks like it wasn’t very pleasant even before it was overrun by flesh-eating ghouls.you have to scrounge up whatever weapons you can; initially, all you have to defend yourself with are broomsticks or kitchen knives. Early on, though, “Dead Island” lets you modify your gear, so you can add nails to a baseball bat or build an electric charge into a machete.Guns do become available eventually, but ammunition is scarce, so you have to use them sparingly.The ability to upgrade your weapons as well as your own survival skills adds a welcome role-playing element to “Dead Island.” and I enjoyed the freedom to explore its expansive environments, although you always have to be on your guard for hungry monsters.Unfortunately, the adventure is regularly undermined by technical issues. some, like zombies getting stuck in doorways, are forgivably laughable. But when they cause your weapons to disappear or make it impossible to complete a mission, you’ll feel less charitable.Once, when I had to reboot after a game-stopping glitch, I was transported to an entirely new zone of the island — with no indication of what I should do or how to get out. (The solution: another reboot.)“Dead Island” also constantly badgers you to team up with other online players; on its default setting, other humans can join your game without even asking your permission.instead of enjoying the company, I found them irritating — especially when I had to wait for them to catch up before I could escape a particularly dangerous situation.There’s much that’s fresh and inventive about “Dead Island,” but it feels like it was released with barely any play-testing.It’s often exciting and occasionally terrifying — but its deadly glitches too often kill the mood.two stars out of four.Online:deadisland.deepsilver.com/

• Return to Paging Mode

A while back, Eurogamer ran a report revealing that full-resolution stereoscopic 3D using the HDMI 1.4 standard was coming to the Xbox 360. five months on, Batman: Arkham City is the first shipping game to utilise it.

Previously there has been some confusion as to whether the Xbox 360 hardware is physically capable of carrying the HDMI 1.4 stereoscopic 3D signal. there was some concern that the older HDMI 1.2 standard supported by the Xbox 360 couldn’t be extended in the same way that the HDMI 1.3 controller in the PlayStation 3 was repurposed to support the new standard.

However, the release of Batman: Arkham City confirms that from a hardware perspective, any Xbox 360 with an HDMI port can offer the same level of support as the PlayStation 3. our analysis of the game confirms that the two consoles are both outputting the same 1280×1470 60Hz signal. This comprises of two native 720p images, with 30 lines of blanking information between them.

So how is HDMI 1.4 output possible on older consoles? It turns out that the new standard is rather conservative. a 1280×1470 framebuffer actually requires less bandwidth than native 1080p – and both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have supported that for ages. even 3D Blu-Ray movies only run at with the equivalent bandwidth of 1080p at 48 frames per second – well below the 1920×1200/60Hz max of the interface. So HDMI 1.4 support on an HDMI 1.2 console boils down to making the hardware output a custom resolution and nothing more.

In terms of Arkham City itself, the game uses the same TriOviz technology as Gears of War 3 – though the Epic title was restricted to the half-res side-by-side functionality we’ve seen on other 360 stereo 3D games. Curiously though, while both games seem to be operating at native 720p on both platforms – as we would expect – the Xbox 360 version seems to have a one pixel wide blur across the whole image.

While TriOviz still uses the reprojection technology to extrapolate two images from one main render, the algorithm has advanced significantly since its debut in the GOTY edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and has far fewer reprojection artifacts than what we saw in the Enslaved Pigsy’s Perfect ten DLC, which featured an earlier version of the TriOviz tech for 3DTVs. We’ll be talking to the creators of TriOviz in more depth shortly, and discussing the 3D effect in our upcoming Batman: Arkham City Face-Off.

Video-game makers are displaying some deft footwork these days.

When interest in music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band declined, developers simply sidestepped and took a spin at making dance games.

A new line has begun hitting stores:

•Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft, $40, out now, for Nintendo Wii and Kinect; out Dec. 6 for PlayStation 3; ages 10 and up) features more than 40 songs (Katy Perry, Cee Lo Green, the Pointer Sisters and LMFAO); available for the first time on Xbox 360 or PS3.

•Dance Dance Revolution II (Konami, $50, out today, for Wii, ages 10 and up) has more than 50 songs, including tracks by Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus. The game lets players use the wireless Wii remote and two dance pads for increased difficulty.

•Dance Central 2 (Microsoft/Harmonix, $50, Oct. 25, ages 13 and up) adds voice commands so players can say “Xbox, dance” or “Xbox, pause.” Artists include Daft Punk, Donna Summer and Lady Gaga.

•Everybody Dance (Sony, $40, Oct. 18, ages 13 and up) has a 20-player party mode and songs by Outkast, OK Go and Willow Smith.

Consumers bought more than 8 million dance games last year in the USA, a fivefold increase over 2009, according to market tracking firm the NPD Group. so far this year, sales of dance games are three times that of 2010. “2011 is poised to be the biggest year ever for this genre,” says NPD’s Liam Callahan.

Gesture-based controllers bring a new twist to the genre popularized by Dance Dance Revolution, which came to PlayStation in 2001. in DDR, players match movements on screen with fast footwork on a floor pad connected to the system.

But the success of Just Dance— 15 million sold worldwide since Ubisoft launched the Wii series two years ago — showed that players liked the freedom of movement that the motion-tracking Wii remote allowed. “Motion gaming (made) it more natural, where you can actually dance in front of the television,” says Ubisoft America’s Tony Key.

Xbox 360′s Kinect and PS3′s Move motion controllers should make them into more realistic dance machines for Just Dance 3. Both are considered technically superior to Wii’s motion tracking since they use cameras. (Kinect tracks players’ bodies; Move tracks the handheld wireless controller in 3-D space.)

Also new in the Xbox 360 version of Just Dance 3 is a “Just Create” feature that lets players add their own dance moves.

Other dance-related games coming from Ubisoft: Just Dance Kids 2 ($30 Wii, $40 Xbox 360, Oct. 25; PS3, early December, all ages), The Black Eyed Peas Experience ($50, Xbox 360 and Wii, Nov. 8, ages 13 and up) and ABBA you Can Dance ($40, Wii, Nov. 15, ages 10 and up).

With dance games targeting various ages and game systems, “we should be able to bring the dance juggernaut into even more homes,” Key says.

In developing a sequel to the 2.5-million-selling Dance Central game, developer Harmonix “really focuses on multiplay,” says CEO Alex Rigopulos.

To promote Dance Central 2, publisher Microsoft today launches a three-chapter video marketing campaign — a girl and a boy who play the video game are destined to meet on the dance floor.

Overall, dance games have helped gamemakers keep the music genre alive and “further cement video games’ place as a pop-culture staple,” says Scott Steinberg, author of MusicGames Rock, a new book on the video game industry.

The common argument when reviewing sports video games is that the titles provide the same thing every year, only with updated rosters.

While this is true, diving deeper into the game and looking at the little things that have been tweaked is where you find the subtle nuances which make NHL 12 from EA Sports a whopping success.

Focusing on game-play and features, here is a review of the hockey’s worldwide best-seller available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Gameplay

Controls are the same as they have been for years, and they still rock. For those new to the game, this basically means that the left analog stick controls where your player will move on the ice and the right analog controls your players stick.

While navigating skaters around the playing surface, it’s obvious that loads of work went into fine-tuning the physics and graphics of NHL 12. Players travel so realistically that it makes even last year’s NHL 11 seem prehistoric.

Noticeably pickier than its predecessors, passing in NHL 12 requires pinpoint accuracy. this new feature will call for a slight adjustment for seasoned players, but may be frustrating to first-time users.

If a pass is guided with poor aim, you could end up mistakenly icing the puck or causing a turnover. it makes the game harder, but also simulates real hockey.

Another new aspect of realism is that goals are more likely to go in if there is traffic in front of the net.

In the past, point shots often ricocheted off of players and into the corners.

Now pucks change trajectory with slighter variation, going through screens and allowing for a lot more quality scoring chances on unsuspecting goaltenders.

For the fans of Don Cherry’s Rock ’Em Sock ’Em videos, you’re going to like the fact that you can crash the net and, should you feel especially aggressive, get into goalie fights.

More hard-hitting features include glass-shattering bodychecks and the ability to send a player over the boards and into the bench with a big hit.

Lastly, being able to score on an empty net from the defensive side of centre ice is actually feasible in NHL 12.

In earlier versions, clearing attempts often seemed magnetized to the glass for some reason, but now shooting a puck into the empty net from your own end is as easy as it sounds.

Features

A key trait included in this year’s title is the fact that you can unlock, yes I said unlock, NHL legends and put them on your favourite team in “Be a Legend” mode.

Starting as Jeremy Roenick, you can work your way up a list of phenoms including Chris Chelios, Borje Salming, Steve Yzerman, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux and, the great One himself, Wayne Gretzky.

To unlock the greats you must reach performance milestones within the “Be a Legend” section of the game.

After a huge marketing campaign hyping the fact that you can use NHL legends, the reality in which you have to unlock them is quite disappointing.

Also, I would’ve liked to see Bobby Orr, Mark Messier and Joe Sakic included as legends, but I digress.

“Be a Pro” mode is back this year where, starting at the CHL, AHL or NHL level, you can build the career of a custom player by climbing the ranks in hockey’s hierarchy.

Responsible for controlling your player exclusively, at ice-level, this option offers a different look for those tired of standard game-play.

For the first time ever female characters can be made in the custom player sections and included in “Be a Pro” mode.

The groundbreaking addition was made possible thanks to a 14-year-old girl from Buffalo, N.Y., named Lexi Peters, who wrote EA representing the voices of all girls frustrated by the lack of female inclusion.

Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field is a newly offered setting for games when feeling the need to get your Winter Classic fix. any teams can suit up and compete on a dark and snowy football stadium, a feature that at the very least is really cool.

Overall, NHL 12 is a whopping success for the EA Sports hockey franchise.

With improved graphics and realism, the title offers the most authentic hockey experience gamers have ever seen. Though maybe initially difficult for beginners, there are countless options to choose from in order to polish your skills.

Through the array of new features and visual improvements, coupled with replay ability that comes naturally to sports games, NHL 12 provides an excellent option for gamers this fall.

If rated out of 10, this game deserves a solid nine.

Red Dead Redemption is an action packed video game developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox by the well-known RockStar San Diego. the ultimate version of the game is scheduled to be released by the mid of 2010. And not to mention the eager fans counting down the moments.

The game is made on the same line as the GTA series; however Red Dead Redemption offers a far wider scope to the gamer for experiencing with the game environment. Red Dead Redemption makes it possible for the players to determine how he would like to play by giving dozens of possibilities. the sense of morality present in the game, provides an extraordinary touch to the game. It is set around the final days of the American Wild west.

Red Dead Redemption is going to be available on-line on Amazon which has already opened its bookings expecting the usual rush and obsession for it.

The game play is quite remarkable. You can find somewhere almost 40 animals that are waiting to be hunted on participants steps. the various places and accents have given it quite a realistic appealing to it. An extra nice thing is the range of guns which has gamer has got accessed to.

The arena is actually large, spanning three distinctive areas and check posts having different types of inhabitants. Red Dead Redemption consists of many gun play and combating sequence with a third person perspective from the player. this game has even an option of on line play where in a maximum of 16 people can fight with each other in a single session of the game.

The product is compatible with Xbox and PlayStation. It can be played in PC as well with a PC version which will be available soon, although it is not confirmed by the developer. Red Dead Redemption is going to be sold outside of US as a limited edition product and has planned to launch it in Australia as well as Great Britain.

What is Killzone 2?

Killzone 2 is a PlayStation 3 game released in February 2009. The battlefield is under heavy resistance and you are charged with difficult missions all around the zone.

Does this games has a multiplayer mode?
Yes. this FPS features a full online — and free — multiplayer game with up to 16 players. Players will play classic Capture the Flag and Elimination, but also new modes unique to the game such as defense.

How does multiplayer works?
The main problems with Killzone 2 multiplayer is the login system which can be very long. Players were also subjects to lots of disconnection. Also, a lot of lag can be noticed if only one person lags.
Nevertheless,this game’s online mode is excellent, entertaining and offer an excellent playtime.

Killzone has many unique features. for example, it allows you to shoot through almost every wall. Also, it has an excellent cover system, similar to Gears of War 2. Finally, it has an excellent grenade system, making the online experience all the more enjoyable. this game has a lot of special guns and weapons as well, particularly in Multiplayer. with new bosses and puzzles in every level, a decent first person playtime and lots of online options, as well as many achievements, this PS3 game is an excellent online game.

That FPS can be compared to Call of Duty 5: World of War and many other Online first person shooters. Killzone 2 received almost worldwide recognition for its stunning graphic, developed storyline and fun multiplayer mode.

How do I buy this game?

You can buy Killzone 2 from Amazon, eBay and most other online retailers, as well as about every physical store that sells video game. for a price between $49.99-$69.99, this is an excellent game to purchase.

Just Dance 3 boasts a toe-tapping total of 49 musical tracks, Ubisoft has announced. It launches today on Wii and Xbox 360.

The list is a diverse medley of music, from pop group Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no. 5 to Venus by classical composer Bananarama.

Bizarrely, fictional popstar Robin Sparkles’ breakthrough hit Let’s Go to the Mall is also included – all of which will make no sense unless you’ve watched US sitcom how I Met your Mother.

The Kinect version of just Dance 3 contains an additional two tracks on top of the list below, while a Special Edition for both Wii and Kinect includes a further couple on top of that.

A Move-compatible version arrives 9th December for PlayStation 3.

Previously only available on Wii, the just Dance franchise has sold more than 15 million copies.

This year has already seen just Dance 2 standalone follow-ups Extra Songs and just Dance Kids hit shop shelves.

Just Dance 3 full track list:

Ubisoft is likely tapping its heels over the worldwide success of its Just Dance video game series —now with more than 30 million players, says the company — but fans of the Nintendo Wii franchise can expect even more music and moves in the newly-released Just Dance 3.

And for the first time, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers can get in on the action.

As with its predecessors, Just Dance 3 challenges you to mimic moves of professional dancers in order to rack up as many points as possible. Instead of stepping on a mat as with the once-popular Dance Dance Revolution games, you’ll hold the motion-sensing Wii Remote or PlayStation Move controller in your hand as you dance to the music and unlock new modes and other extras.

Xbox 360 gamers can play using the hands-free Kinect for Xbox 360 peripheral; body moves are captured by the sensors and camera to compare your rhythm against the onscreen dancers, which appear as colorful silhouettes in front of an animated background.

Having played the Nintendo Wii version in the past, I found the Kinect version a lot more fun. you don’t have to hold anything in your hands to play. And a friend or family member can step in front of the television at any time — even during a song — and they’ll automatically join.

Along with earning points for dancing well, you’ll get a quick summary of each move with an “X” (fail), “OK,” “Good” or “Perfect,” and you can earn up to five stars per game. the person with the golden crown over their name means they’re currently the top scorer. Lyrics can also be seen in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, but you’ll be too busy to read them.

The game houses more than 40 tracks to dance along with, spanning a wide range of musical genres, including pop, hip-hop, rock, country, disco, R&B, Bollywood, and Reggaeton.

The selection also folds in songs from the past seven decades, such as Johannes Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 5″ (1950s), Wilson Pickett’s Land of 1000 Dances (1960s), Kiss’s I was made for Loving you (1970s), A-Ha’s Take On Me (1980s), Britney Spears’ …Baby one more Time (1990s), Black Eyed Peas’ Pump It (2000s) and today’s hits like Katy Perry’s California Gurls and Cee Lo Green’s Forget you. more songs will be available via optional download.

The game includes numerous modes — a few new ones and others from past games (like “Simon Says”). Top picks include the revamped “Just Sweat” mode with varying workout plans and playlists and a “Party” mode that keeps the tunes going without needing to select from menus.

The game now supports up to four simultaneous players (though I only tested three for the purposes of this review). the Xbox 360 version offers a “Shout Out!” feature, which lets you score extra points by singing along with the tunes, captured by Kinect’s microphone. you also have the option to create your own unique choreographies and share them online with others.

Be forewarned Just Dance 3 has very basic visuals, with nowhere near the graphical detail seen in other dancing games like MTV Games’ Dance Central series. But the game focuses heavily on the music, modes and taking advantage of the motion-controlling interfaces from the three platforms. If you like past Just Dance games you’ll love Just Dance 3, plus newcomers to this social game series will no doubt fall for its accessibility and charm.

Speaking of music games, you can download a free music book called Music Games Rock: Rhythm Gaming’s Greatest Hits of all Time, written by industry veteran Scott Steinberg and available at MusicGamesRock.com.

Platform: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii

Developer: Ubisoft Paris/Ubisoft Montreal

Web site: justdancegame.com

Rating: “Everyone 10+”

Score: 3.5 stars (out of 4)

Contact Saltzman at techcomments@usatoday.com.