In the mood for . . . giving Jerry a damn good thrashing

Heroes Over Europe (Ubisoft; PS3 and Xbox 360, $89.95; PC, $69.95)

1940; Europe has fallen under the jackboot of the Nazi menace; only a few brave pilots stand between the German forces' planned invasion of Britain; you are one of them.

If that's not enough to get your blood pounding, the raw adrenaline surge you'll experience when you first throw your plane into a brutal dogfight above the English Channel absolutely will.

Stukas scream down on Dover's docks, ME-109s patrol high overhead, ready to pour a hail of lead into your Hurricane. With the Phoney War's training scenarios out of the way, this is your first real taste of combat action in Heroes Over Europe - and it's intense.


But it's got nothing on what comes later; the action levels just keep rising. As one of three Allied pilots - Tom Forester, Danny Miller and Will West - you must pilot iconic planes across the main theatres of the war in western Europe: from the Battle of Britain, the Blitz and raids into occupied France, through to the Battle of the Bulge and the final air war over Berlin.

As you progress, new planes are unlocked, but you're going to need to master your flying and dogfighting skills. Missions include massive scraps above London, daring low-level bombing raids, nerve-wracking bomber escorts deep into German territory and tank-busting in the Ardennes forest.

The scenery and effects here are incredible, but don't waste too much time admiring them or you'll find an enemy fighter on your tail, intent on filling your ride full of holes. The gameplay is epic. You really will need a Bex and a good lie down to recover after a few hours in the cockpit.

Aussie developer Transmission Games has done a hell of a job recreating the epic air combat of World War II. It's the studio behind Ashes Cricket 2009; this is battle of a very different kind, but one you don't want to miss. Chocks away and tally-ho, chaps!

MH rating 4.5 out of 5

In the mood for . . . even more Nazi bashing

Wolfenstein (Activision; PS3, Xbox 360 and PC; $99.95)

Continuing on with the World War II theme (albeit a damn sight more twisted), imagine a world in which supernaturally enhanced Nazis are on the verge of using their spooky powers to defeat the Allies. Not a pretty thought? Just as well, then, that in Wolfenstein you can give their twisted occult ambitions a good kicking.

It's no secret Hitler and his evil cohorts had a deep fascination with all things occult. Here, they're out to harness the powers of the Black Sun to create war-winning enemies and occult weapons. As super agent BJ Blazkowicz, it's up to you to enter deep into the heart of the Third Reich to put a stop to their unspeakable plans. Helping you are the resistance, various black marketers and a group of occult scholars, the Golden Dawn. It's these guys who'll teach you the secrets of the Thule Medallion, the crucial piece of kit that switches you between dimensions.


All right, that's the back story; how does the game match up to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, widely regarded as a classic first-person shooter? In a word: fabulously. The environment in which your mission takes place is a heart-poundingly spooky one of paranoia and despair. Then there's the great mix of conventional and supernatural weapons you can use along the way.

On top of this, the game space effectively works on two levels: the village of Isensadt, and the Black Sun realm, revealed by using the medallion to enter "the Veil". On the Veil side, the game takes on a more cerebral puzzle-solving side (don't worry; you still get to blast Nazi hordes) that plays with the laws of physics.

Add aggressive enemies, relentless action and a story that twists and turns, and there's only one conclusion: dropping behind enemy lines has never been so fun.

MH rating 4 out of 5

In the mood for . . . working up a sweat

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer (Black Bean Games; Wii, $99.95)

Every now and again, MH levers itself from the sofa and fires up one of the Wii's workout games. While not knocking the concept (anything that encourages exercise is a winner in this office), working out to a cartoon character is not everyone's cup of tea.

Now a new kid on the block aims to tackle that issue. NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer replaces cartoon characters with real Fitness First instructors.

The game allows you to customise a workout program to suit your individual fitness level, set personal fitness goals from the 50 on offer, and then follow the real trainers as they coach you through your tailored fitness workout. Also included is a weekly meal planner of more than 130 healthy recipes created by professional nutritionists, with a handy shopping-list feature.

As with previous personal-fitness titles, there's really only one marker of success: will it get you exercising?

NewU certainly has plenty of good points: MH liked that we could choose where we worked out - the gym, beach, park - and that we could choose from four trainers, each with a different background/skill (eg, yoga and dance specialist or ex-athlete and runner). And the option of a personalised profile where we could select a specific goal (weight loss, flexibility, fitness, etc) was a winning one.


As for the workout itself, yeah, MH was hot and sweaty after a pretty rigorous body-weight session.

Where NewU slips up is the time taken between each exercise - waiting either for the trainer to congratulate us or shake their head at our puny efforts. These interruptions certainly didn't help us get into a solid groove.

So should you jack in your gym membership? No, but on days when you can't find the time or the weather's against you, NewU is another handy addition to the Wii's growing stable of workout titles.

MH rating 3.5 out of 5

In the mood for . . . a life of adventure

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Naughty Dog; PS3; $tbc)

MH likes nothing better than throwing itself vicariously into the body of the type of man who get the treasure, the glory and the girl, all seemingly without breaking a sweat.

So when Sony threw the opportunity our way to enjoy a sneak preview of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves we were all over it like a starving dog let loose in a butcher's shop.

Not surprising, really, given the previous game in the franchise, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, was a rip-roaring adventure that mixed 3D-platforming and third-person shooter gameplay to great effect - and sold more than two and a half million copies along the way.


So, what can we reveal about this new adventure. Well, players again take on the roll of shady fortune hunter Nathan Drake, this time on the hunt for the lost fleet of Marco Polo. In the level MH explored, Drake found himself in an incredibly lush and detailed urban environment, where the emphasis was on making use of every dimension to progress and to take on the hugely aggressive enemy forces intent on making our day miserable. There's still the mix of platform and shooter, but in a much more freeform manner than previously.

On top of the hair-raising action, what blew MH away was the game's awesome soundscape - it really felt like we'd been dropped in the middle of a battle zone as gunshots, yelling and screaming reverberated all around. Enemy AI was damn impressive, too. No standing around waiting to be picked off for these boys.

Developer Naughty Dog says its Engine 2.0. game engine, purpose built for the PS3, will push the console to new levels of cinematic realism. From what MH saw, that may not be an idle boast. This is going to be a game that tops a lot of wish lists when it hits the shelves very soon. It's certainly going on ours, even if we'll save rating it until we get the chance for a full review.

In the mood for . . . old-school fun and games

HTC Smart phone (various developers; free)
One of the great joys of the latest batch of smart phones is their ability to provide you with gaming fun wherever you are.

MH has been putting the touchscreen abilities of our new HTC Smart to good use while out and about by testing a few of the hundreds of free titles that are out there just waiting for you to download.

One of our favourites is AirAttack, a homage to the side-scrolling shooter of old. It's simple stuff - aircraft of various varieties fly above you; you take them down with your rocket launcher while avoiding their attacks. But simple stuff can be incredibly addictive. Especially when you're in competition to beat the high scores of everyone else who's downloaded the game.

Our other current favourite is Bubble Burst Lite. Again, nothing complicated. In the style of Tetris, the aim is to build large groups of the same-colour bubbles to score. And like Tetris, it's insanely addictive.

Thanks to the ease of developing titles with the open-source Google Android operating system on the Smart (and many other similar phones) there's a game out there for everyone. Waiting around need never be boring again.


For more entertainment reviews check out the Compass Entertainment section in the latest MH!

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