Are you excited about the Rugby World Cup? Want to feel like you are one of the players? Wellington based studio, Sidhe, has developed the All Blacks Rugby Challenge game which is due to be released at the end of this week. We are a rugby mad nation and Sidhe have spent hours and hours on every little detail to ensure that no-one is disappointed. It will feature teams such as the All Blacks and the Wallabies with competitions such as the Super Rugby and ITM cup. There is a lot of excitement in the rugby and gaming communities with the release of the All Blacks Rugby Challenge game.

As you start the game Mils Muliaina, Dan Carter and Ritche McCaw are setting up a try. Just what you need to create that extra hype to start the game! A cool feature is that this will change depending on which country you are based in. The game will detect this and select that country’s national team. Sidhe wanted to create excitement around the rugby world cup and that meant creating a game that had the hype and anticipation as it would in real life. The game has tried to highlight the personalities of the players and the teams. It provides an emotional and engaging experience. I can see people jumping out of their couches and screaming at the TV just as they would with a real game.

There is a tutorial to get you up to speed so you don’t have to worry if you are a novice. These include running between cones and practicing kicks, the same drills that you would do when you first start to learn how to play rugby. When choosing a game mode, players can select from a number of matches. Games can be played for 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 or 80 minutes. The game includes 96 teams and 31 stadiums. Fourteen New Zealand stadiums are featured and all look the same as what they do in real life.

The motion capture has been designed at Weta studios to make the game more realistic. Instead of the whole crowd moving in one motion, this rugby game has every person moving individually. The individual’s composure is also based on if the game is a home, away or neutral match. The wind direction is also shown to create a feeling that you are really there. The camera angles are dramatic and provide a very ‘real’ gaming experience. Justin Marshall and Grant Nisbett are the commentators which provide a nice little New Zealand touch. The attention to detail is astonishing.

All Blacks Rugby Challenge is an impressive game and one that a lot of rugby fans will be excited about. It will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and PlayStation Vit this Friday so pre-order yours at The Warehouse.

Can you remember playing Guess Who as a child or annoying your parents to play it with you all the time? One of my favourite games on family road trips growing up was Guess Who. I am sure all parents and children alike have their own fond memories of this. Hasbro has now released an upgraded version on the original mystery face guessing game, Guess Who? Mix ‘N Mash Game. You can now create crazy combinations such as a human head with a zombie mouth and dog eyes. Kids will have plentiful amount of enjoyment and fun using their imagination to create faces that may never have been imagined, but surely exists in many children’s realities.   

The original game may have been easy but this one is more challenging because you make your own character and the combination possibilities are endless. The rules are simple and easy to learn and can now be played with up to four players. The objective of the game is to ask players yes or no questions to try to guess what crazy characters you created. You pick the mouth, eyes and head which sit on the sturdy pedestal base but you can’t look at your character until you have the correct guess. With over 3000 face choices there are an endless amount of faces that you can create. Once you think you know what character you are, take a guess and if you are right then the other players can reveal the mystery character you created.

This is a great family bonding game and perfect for family game nights. Parents will love seeing their children laughing as they see the funny faces that they come up with. It is recommended for children 8+ but I think that younger children will also enjoy it with some assistance. It has a wide age range appeal so get the whole family together and create some crazy faces. At a reasonable price it is also great for children to give to their friends for birthday presents.

Computer games seem to be taking over many children’s lives so get the family together and play Guess Who? Mix ‘N Mash Game to create some fun and magic together. While children may want to stay attached to the computer, once they start playing the game they will see how addictive it is. The opportunities are endless so it can be played over and over again. With a little bit of creativity and imagination, crazy faces and fun can be made!