If you’re familiar with 5-in-1 Arcade Hits, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of the purple-haired, glasses-wearing cover girl. If not, here’s the lovely lady:

Seductive one, isn’t she? Unfortunately, she currently has no name - that’s where you come in. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is think of a name for her and drop it in the comments below - it’s that simple! The competition is open for a week, so get those entries in before 12PM GMT on September 10th. After the competition has closed, we’ll pick out our favourites and send codes to the lucky winners.

Please note, these codes are for the EU PlayStation Store and so you will need an EU PlayStation Network account to redeem them. We’re also only accepting your first entries, so make sure they’re good ones.

If you want to know more about Grip Games or 5-in-1 Arcade Hits and be all socially-networky while you’re at it, why not hit them up on Facebook or Twitter.

Can you unlock the meaning? Remember, you can click on the image to get the full size version.

No News – If you check the site regularly, you’ll most likely have noticed that we don’t ‘do’ news in the same way that some sites do. Our focus is – and always will be – original content. Whilst we have been posting store updates and the like, we felt that it didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the site; after all, it’s slightly unbalanced to cover some aspects and not others. Therefore, we’ve dropped news completely from the main site.

Slower, More Considered – We know, we’re not the fastest posters around to begin with. Then again, coming up with original content all the time is no easy task and we want to ensure that all of our pieces are as thoughtful, complete and balanced as they can be before going out.

No Review Scores – Shock horror! That’s right, we’ve decided to leave the review score camp and focus solely on our recommendation system. Each individual is looking for different things in a review, but we want to give you the answer to possibly the most important question you should be asking yourself: Do I buy this game or not? In our view, our words and personal recommendation give you a far better idea of whether you should splash the cash than our words and a metric. Some dastardly sorts also use scores for less-than-admirable purposes, so if you’re looking to split hairs this isn’t the place. However, if you’re wanting a balanced opinion on whether to buy a game, rent it or even avoid it then this is the place for you.

We also understand that ditching scores could mean a hard road ahead of us (see: scores sell games), but we’re fully prepared to stick to our guns and try something different.

Pros/Cons on Reviews – Following from the previous point, we want to provide you with an ‘at a glance’ overview of a game, and what better way to do that than with a good ol’ fashioned Pros & Cons section. Coupled with our recommendation system (which we plan to expand and build on), this should help you make up your mind or whether those latest releases are worth your hard-earned monies.

Be Kind, Donate – We’ve tried a few ways – from affiliate links to site ads – to earn a little something to help with site costs. If I’m honest, they haven’t really been working out. Google Ads are ugly, intrusive and just plain silly at times (I’m looking at you, Evony) and affiliate links aren’t as rewarding as I had hoped. Due to this, I’ve added a little PayPal Donate button over in the side bar. If you like what we do and want to help us out then chuck a few pennies our way, but if not then don’t sweat it; we won’t badger you for money and everything will always be free – any money you donate will go towards hosting costs or competition prizes. The Google Ads will soon be gone and their spaces occupied by much more relevant items.

It’s good to be back, and remember to regularly check in for blogs, reviews, editorials, videos, competitions and anything else awesome that we might stick up on the site.

~LS

Mainly this week I’ve been playing Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars online. I have put a lot of hours into single player matches on this game so I decided to try the online. It’s quite good except there can be a few connection problems and some lag, but overall it’s very playable. I also had a very short play on Toy Story 3: The Video Game with a friend. The co-op in that game is a bit odd, it’s just the same as single play but with 2 people making it quite boring as I knew how to solve all of the puzzles and there was no sense of cooperation, we just got in each others’ way.

peespee63

This week has been mainly EarthWorm Jim HD on PS3 for me.  It is indeed a Groovy game, and a testament to my mispent youth that I remember with acute clarity the first level of the original, but cannot for the life of me remember how to get the circumference of a circle (shows to go the importance of High School maths in the real world eh?).  But I also had a little game of Deathspank, and I played DeathSpank on my PS3 (oh-ho, witty, no?).  Tekken 6 caused much rage and swearing as you may have seen on twitter, and Pokemon SoulSilver has been a bit of late night entertainment for me.

Mezino

This week it’s been Pokemon Soulsilver seriously these games should come with addiction warnings! Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii (expect a comprehensive review soon, one of these dino’s does look like my mum though.  Plus a bit of Lumines II on the PSP, listening to music I’ve never heard of before Bottle Rocket and Black Tambourine anyone?

Mezino – Yep I have had my white grape juice and remembered this bit too.

Red Faction: Guerrilla

peespee63

Finally, I’m playing RF:G. Pretty good, except I’m getting raped by EDF trucks right now.

Dexter17

I played the demo. Destructable environments made me laugh, but not enough to pay forty quid.

DeathSpank

peespee63

Playing DeathSpank. Pretty funny. Combat’s a bit mediocre, but fun all the same.

Wait, it’s Captain Quark!

Coma

peespee63

Coma: interesting and whimsical little flash game. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541124 Pretty good, if a bit on the short side.

Dexter17

Simple and atmospheric. Breathtaking art style, too.

EarthWorm Jim HD

peespee63

Grrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooovy!

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars

Hodgi92

Just started playing the online, it’s very good.

Pokemon SoulSilver

Mezino

Still addictive after playing Yellow when I was 17…………and there were wind up televisual units and brontosaurs roamed the Earth.

Monster Hunter Tri

Mezino

Massive commitment required timewise, but who cares when it’s this good and looks this good.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game

Hodgi92

Toy Box mode is great fun, I’ve just lost 3 hours of my life!

Co-op is pretty clumsy, just two people getting in the way of each other.

Blondie – “Rapture”
dc Talk – “Jesus Freak”
The Decemberists – “The Perfect Crime #2”
Eagles of Death Metal – “I Only Want You”
Eels – “Saturday Morning”
Family Force 5 – “Love Addict”
KMFDM – “Sturm & Drang”
La Roux – “Bulletproof” +
Each track will cost £0.99 ($1.99 USD, €1.49), 160 Microsoft Points or 200 Wii Points
These tracks will be available to download on the 3rd of August for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PS3 [1 day later for European PS3 users]

Pirate Party – 500 Points –  by ARC SYSTEM WORKS

Daddy, Mummy, Sarah, and Billy make their return as pirates sailing the seas and skies!

Roll the dice and sail through the islands to gather the treasures each island holds. The person with the most gold at the end wins!

Family Pirate Party shines with its appealing cel-shaded graphics and endearing music. Challenge up to three other players, be they friends, the CPU, or both, for some four-player board-game fun.

Do you have it in you to defeat your opponents and become the king of Family Pirate Party!?

Dive: The Medes Island – 1000 Points –  by Cosmonaut Games

Over the past five centuries, hundreds of ships flying every ensign have succumbed to the power of the ocean. Merchant boats, pirate ships, navy vessels… all of them have ended up covered with coral at the bottom of the oceans around the planet.

But all of them guarded secrets that remained hidden over the years. Secrets that have always been a mystery… until now.

Puffins Let’s Race – 500 Points – by Other Ocean Interactive

Get ready to challenge the speediest puffins on the island for the title of Fastest Flyer in PUFFINS: LET’S RACE! Go head to head with your opponents in a battle to the finish line or alone against the clock. Race through four different game modes on eight different tracks to prove your flight skill or challenge up to three of your friends in local wireless play. Do you have what it takes to become the race champion of Puffin Island or will you be left behind with the rest of the flock?

Crystal Monsters – 500 Points – by Gameloft

As a Neo-Seed with the power to see and train monsters, it’s time to set off on a journey to collect over 160 monsters and become the greatest Monster Breeder! Explore a vast world, meet new friends and rivals and battle with skill and strategy to win! Master the nine elemental types, train your monsters through battle, teach them new moves and team attacks and fuse them together to unlock their true potential. You can even customise three of your favourite monsters using the inner camera.

Mega Words – 500 Points – by Digital Leisure Inc

It’s time to put your thinking cap on and see how many of the hundreds of puzzles you can solve in Mega Words. With Mega Words you can play three classic puzzlers; Word Scrambler, Anagram Hunt and Hangman, all included in this puzzle pack. No need for erasers here! These portable editions feature extensive dictionaries to challenge both the novice and expert player. See how fast you can unscramble words, sharpen your vocabulary, and stretch your mind today with Mega Words!

Information from Nintendo

Publisher: SEGA

Playing as Jack Cayman, you end up stuck on Jefferson Island of Varrigan City, which you were transported to on the third day of terrorist rioting there. The only rule is kill or be killed as it’s time to compete in The World’s toughest game show. Each player is backed by a sponsor and it’s only a matter of time before Jack is approached by the mysterious Agent 13 to offer his financial backing, and it seems that large sums of money are being wagered on the outcome of this “game”. All contestants (anyone who got stuck on the island) are told they will die if they attempt to leave the area as they have contracted a virus; be the last one standing and you earn freedom, survival and a huge cash reward.

Lucky for you, Jack is as tough as old boots and has had a chainsaw attached to his prosthetic arm. This is a hack ‘n slash beat ‘em up from way back in the day, stylishly brought up to date by using black and white visuals (plus red blood) and well-drawn characters. You’ll think you’ve landed in Sin City as the simplistic art style and colours lend themselves to the platform well. Remember when you used to get pen and ink style cheats for games? It’s exactly like that, just with shading.

Throughout the levels you’ll have countless waves of goons to dismember in any way you see fit. Feel like putting a signpost in their head, running them through with your chainsaw or slicing them in half with a dumpster lid? All of these are possibilities which you can also combine to rack up the points. Remember, pain means points, and you are aiming to earn enough of them to take on the Boss of the level. Unsurprisingly these guys have massive energy bars and take a while to defeat until you learn their attacks.

There are even specific level fatalities – ever wanted to peg someone on a massive spike, get them zapped by an alien spacecraft’s tractor beam or sliced up by concealed blades in the wall? Now you can, it’s all up to you how you decide to disect your enemies. Of course you can just chainsaw them in half as well, but you need to check that your fuel gauge doesn’t run down too far otherwise your blade stops leaving you vulnerable. Power-ups are scattered throughout the levels in the form of a Happy Onion, which restores your life force and the chainsaw gauge, Happy Pills and Power Pills (to restore health), and lastly the all-important Jack Balloons to give you more continues.

During the levels you’ll encounter the Black Baron who will set up a Bloodbath challenge. These range from throwing goons into a jet engine or throwing enemies onto spikes positioned somewhat fortunately on naked woman billboards (No, this game does exist, honest!). The Black Baron seems to get killed just before every one of these challenges, so I have no idea how he comes back every time. Bloodbath challenges can be played in two player mode, so you can enjoy Zombie Golf with a friend. Unfortunately the main adventure isn’t two player, although that might create way too much carnage. To play the Bloodbath challenges in multiplayer you’ll have to clear them in the main game first.

MadWorld’s tongue is stuck firmly in its cheek. Whilst Jack is doing away with the enemies and hostiles commentary is provided by Joe Dimaggio and Greg Proops. They both have brilliant lines to spout during the game, however these are unfortunately triggered far too often; what was originally funny ends up being repetitive and not so funny. On Area 66, I sniggered the first time Greg asked “How do you sex an alien?”, with Joe answering “As often as possible”. Funny the first time, after that, no. I’m sure there’s more room on a Wii disc than there was on a GameCube disc so I don’t know why there weren’t a few more lines in the game, and that is my biggest grudge. The audio itself is good, with meaty sounds for smacking people, nice chainsaw effects and realistic screams of death.

My only other negative is the AI on the default level, where enemies tend to stand around and line up to be killed. This somewhat distracts from the game, as on the next difficulty up they start wading in a lot more efficiently, and, let’s face it, who wants a game that’s easy to complete?

MadWorld is a bit on the short side for my liking and once you’ve learnt the finishers and implanted one signpost in an enemy’s head it all seems familiar. The changing locales are good, ranging from Chinatown, Area 66 (read 52 for that), Mad Castle and Casino World. However, I didn’t find myself wanting to play through the adventure again after I had finished it the first time, even if it meant I could play with two chainsaws or a Katana. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good game, it’s just I can’t see a lot of people playing through it multiple times. Still, you can usually find it for a fiver (or less) on most internet sites and if you like your beat ‘em ups there’s nothing wrong with it. If you’re not a fan I don’t think this will convert you.

(Available until the 4th of August)

• Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Online (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
• Revenge of the Wounded Dragons (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Mortal Kombat 2 (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic Time Savers Pack (was – £1.19/€1.99 now – £0.79/€0.99)
• Street Fighter IV Complete Alternative Costume Pack (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
• Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
• Final Fight: Double Impact (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)

Permanent Price Reductions

• Heracles Chariot Racing (mini) (was – £3.49/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)

Downloadable Games (PS3)

• Earthworm Jim HD (Trial and Unlock) (£7.99/€9.99)
  Rating: PEGI 12
  Availability: All locales
• Premier Manager (£13.99/€17.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales except Australia, New Zealand and Russia

Downloadable Games (PSP)

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (£15.99/€19.99)
  Rating: PEGI 7
  Availability: All locales
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (£15.99/€19.99)
  Rating: PEGI 7
  Availability: Only available in France, Italy, Spain and UK.

PSP Essentials

(Availability may differ in some locales)

• Exit (£7.99/€9.99)
• Ben 10: Alien Force (£7.99/€9.99)
• Surf’s Up (£7.99/€9.99)
• Petz: My Puppy Family (£7.99/€9.99)

PSone Games (PS3/PSP)

• Rayman 2: The Great Escape (£3.99/€4.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales
• Pong (£3.99/€4.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales

minis (PS3/PSP)

• Brick Breaker (£2.49/€2.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales except Russia
• Labyrinth (£2.49/€2.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales except Russia
• Tetraminos (£2.49/€2.99)
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales except Russia

Demos (PS3)

• Madden NFL 11
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales
• Flower
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Availability: All locales

Demos (PSP)

• Worms: Battle Island
  Rating: PEGI 12
  Availability: All locales

Add-On Game Content (PS3)

• Transformers: War for Cybertron – Map and Character Pack #1 (£7.99/€9.99)
  Rating: PEGI 12
  Availability: All locales
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
  • Carolinas Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
  • Championship Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
  • International Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
  • North America Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
  • The Predator (£3.19/€3.99)
  • The TPC Blue Monster at Doral (£3.19/€3.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales

• PAIN – Pinball (Abusement Park) (£1.59/€1.99)
  Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

• Lost Planet 2 – Rush Arena (£2.39/€2.99)
  Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

• Super Street Fighter IV – Super Complete Alternate Costume Pack (£13.99/€17.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales

• Clash of the Titans – Athena’s Request (free)
  Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

• Rock Band
  • Avenged Sevenfold Pack 01 (£3.49/€5.29) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
  • ‘Nightmare’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Scream’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Seize the Day’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Juanes Pack 01 (£4.99/€7.99) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
  • ‘A Dios Le Pido’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Fijate Bien’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Gotas De Aqua Dulce’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘La Camisa Negra’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Mala Gente’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Yerbatero’ (£0.99/€1.49)
  • The Vines Pack 01 (£4.39/€6.59)

Rating: PEGI 12

Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates

• Rock Band Network
  • ‘1348’ by Umphrey’s McGee (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Battles And Brotherhood ‘ by 3 Inches of Blood (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘So Says I’ by The Shins (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Tastes Like Kevin Bacon’ by iwrestledabearonce (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘The Funeral’ by Band of Horses (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Walls’ by All Time Low (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Goth Girls’ by MC Frontalot (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Henchmen Ride’ by Testament (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘Higher’ by Creed (£0.99/€1.49)
  • ‘River of Tuoni’ by Ameberian Dawn (£0.99/€1.49)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates

• Guitar Hero 5
  • Shinedown Track Pack (£4.39/€5.49) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
  • Devour (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Second Chance (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Sound of Madness (£1.59/€1.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates

FirstPlay (PS3)

• Episode 017 (£0.99/€1.20)
  Availability: Ireland and UK only

Videos (PS3)

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam Trailer
• Crysis 2 Marine Salvage Trailer
• Hunted: The Demon’s Forge E3 Trailer
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 Year 3 Vignette
• What is PlayStation Home? Trailer

Dynamic Themes (PS3)

• Bamboo Forest (£1.59/€1.99)

Themes (PS3)

(static)

• Nordic Warrior (£1.19/€1.49)
• Steampunk (£1.19/€1.49)

Avatars (PS3)

• Flower – (£0.20/€0.25 each)
  • Daisy Avatar
  • Daisy on Blue Avatar
• SingStar – (£0.20/€0.25 each)
  • Amateur Avatar
  • Hit Avatar
  • Hopeful Avatar
  • Lead Avatar
  • Rising Star Avatar
  • SingStar Avatar
  • SuperStar Avatar
  • Tone Deaf Avatar
  • Wannabe Avatar

Additional Locale Releases

• Toy Story 3 – Alien Escapades
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Now available in France
• Toy Story 3 – Woody’s Round-Up
  Rating: PEGI 3
  Now available in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and UK

From: EU Blog

Publisher: Gameshastra

Puzzle games seem to be a staple of the minis service, so here we have D-Cube Planet, a block-shifting puzzler from Gameshastra. A little alien has crash landed his ship on D-Cube Planet, with ship parts scattered all over. It’s your job to move blocks and clear a path for him to recover the parts, rebuild his ship and continue on his way. A simple concept, you may say, but you’d be wrong, as D-Cube Planet has some fiendishly tricky levels up its sleeve.

Each level gives you a board with a number of cubes on it blocking your path, with your aim to shuffle the cubes around and give your alien friend a path to his ship part. You only have a certain number of moves to accomplish this and to complicate matters further certain cubes can only be moved in certain directions. D-Cube doesn’t reward anything less than a perfect (or near perfect) set of moves, with gold and silver medals awarded for completing the levels in the perfect number and allotted number of moves, respectively. Going in all-guns-blazing will do little more than force you to restart the level, so patience and forward planning is the key to progression.

There are three difficulties to play, each altering the amount of sadism present in the levels. Even if you’re playing on Easy the difficulty ramps up fairly sharply, so playing on Hard is reserved for hardcore puzzlers only. There are 40 levels for each difficulty meaning there’s quite a lot on offer here, but it’s all virtually identical. The gameplay is always the same, with a complete lack of special moves, cubes or any twist at all. As you progress the only thing that changes is trickiness of the puzzles so it can all get very boring very quickly.

Visually it’s pretty neat, but as with the rest of the game it lacks any sort of variety or flair. You’ll be presented with the same background level after level without any change, and little else happens (outside of the puzzle) apart from a flying saucer or shooting star passing by every-so-often. The audio is somewhat lacking, too, with the same mix of weird and wacky sounds and noises repeated in each level. After a while it’ll grate your nerves and you’ll be reaching for the mute button. The controls are simple (analog nub or d-pad to move the cursor and X to select the cubes/alien) although there’s a definite lag, especially when moving the alien around.

Overall, D-Cube Planet is merely a satisfactory puzzler. With 120 puzzles over 3 difficulty levels there’s quite a bit of game for your money, but unfortunately it’s all just too similar and lacks the flair to raise it to anything more than above average. If you’re looking for a casual, fun little something to pass the time and get the brain cells working I would suggest you look elsewhere, only die-hard puzzle fans need apply here.