Fans of Blizzard’s epic MMORPG will probably know all this already, but if not, great! It gives me a chance to witter on about one of the things I’m most looking forward to this year: the new WoW expansion Cataclysm.

While there is still some debate about the actual release date, it has been hinted at having a November 2010 release. Ideal for the Christmas market, although die-hard fans will have bought their copy at 00.01am on release day, having pre-ordered it on Amazon months before. Or is that just me…?

No matter when you get it, it’s certain to live up to the hype. Like the first expansion, Burning Crusade, Cata will see the arrival of two new races: The cursed Worgen of the Alliance, and the cunning Goblins who finally climbed off the fence and joined the Horde. Each race begins in a previously unseen area. The Worgen starter area is Gilneas and has been sealed off from the rest of the Eastern Kingdoms by Greymane Wall, located south of Silverpine Forest, and the Goblins start their journey in a city called Kezan on the Lost Isles, off the coast of Kalimdor.

The Worgen are unique in Azeroth’s playable races in that they are shape-shifters. During battle they will appear as a Worgen (their wolfish form) and their non combat appearance can be either Worgen or, to confuse others, human.

Worgen have a racial trait called Viciousness, which is a +1%  damage to each attack. They also get an increased run speed boost, and have an automatic +15 skinning ability. Naturally, they don’t need a knife for skinning!

Most of the classes are available to play on a Worgen, except Paladin and Shaman. The increased skinning ability of the race would suggest that a leatherworking class, ie Rogue or Hunter, would be a good choice. I’m thinking of trying a Rogue as I already have a hunter – and a DK, which would have been my other choice, unless Blizzard decide to allow more than one per server *hint hint*. I’m also quite tempted by a Worgen Druid…not sure how that would work with the animal transformations, there’s bound to be some racial passive which aids this.

The Goblin is a race often seen around Azeroth, especially by frequent visitors to Booty Bay (don’t worry, the Bruisers will remain neutral after the Cataclysm!). Many have said they should be a playable race. Well, now they get their wish.

An increased skill in Alchemy and the ability to summon up their own personal bank teller are just two of the features that come with playing a Goblin. In addition, reputation discounts mean naught; the Goblins, with their mercantile shrewdness, get discounts from all the vendors regardless of faction rep. Goblins can play as all classes except Paladin and Druid.

I don’t know what the new races will fly on yet, but the Goblin ground mounts are an incredibly cool hot-rod type spike-wheeled beast of a car, while the Worgen get to roam around on an evil-looking version of the Gryphon. That is if the concept art is to be believed (and I hope it is!).

The new races are just one of the things I’m itching to get my hands on Cataclysm for. The fact that all the races will have at least one new class open to them is, for me, almost as exciting as the fact that they’re flooding Darkshore. Yes, you heard. Darkshore will be submerged underwater, and apparently the landscape on the Badlands will be changed forever too. I only wish I’d seen the pre-BC Blasted Lands so I’d have some idea of the level of change to expect…

More to come on Blizzard’s new Cataclysm expansion later.

A Cataclysmic Expansion is a post from: button-basher

Reminding me of a scene from Chuck Vs Tom Sawyer the longest standing record in video game history has fallen. 27 years Scott Safran set the score of an incredible 41,336,440 points during a three day session.

You see the thing with Asteroids is that, unlike Missile Command in Chuck, there is no kill screen – it just goes on and on and on and on and on and on  and on and on and on and on and on  and on and on and on and on and on. Once you’ve got the fundamentals of the gameplay down Asteroids is more about endurance than anything else (Oh and an old machine not glitching up and crashing).

On Saturday an American by the name of John McAllister sat down and started playing, by Monday morning he had racked up the awesome score of 41,338,740 (all of it could be seen on Justin.tv).

Every so often, when he had enough extra lives, he would get up walk around, grab a sandwich or answer a call of nature (Indeed one call saw him drop to only two lives left) but this is a monster effort. Once the guys at Twin Galaxies confirm the details then it will all be official. I guess the question is not so much “will the score ever be beaten” but more a case of “will anyone ever bother to try again”

For the record lets mention that the previous holder Safran is no longer with us to reclaim his title. Unfortunately he died in 1989 whilst attempting to rescue his cat.

Asteroids Top Score Finally Beaten is a post from: button-basher

Okay not a gaming topic as such but this is a really nice competition, pretty easy to enter and could make the world of difference to your gaming set up. If you’re not playing in HD then you’re not experiencing the full power of your system. The Home Cinema set up is also a game changer, with a decent sub woofer and rear speakers your games take on a new dimension – you can actually here those evil multi-player assasins sneaking up behind you.

The competition is in association with moneysupermarket.com and Zavvi so head over to site, answer the simple question and who knows – You’ve got to be in it to win it.

Best of luck

Win a copy of 2012 on Blu Ray, a Blu Ray Player and Home Cinema is a post from: button-basher

Let me make this clear from the beginning – these aren’t the four greatest games on the horizon, they aren’t the four titles that will rock everyone’s world this year nor will any of them win any awards (I’m pretty sure) but right now, at this exact moment in time these are the one’s that have my attention.

Backbreaker

I was a big fan of the Backbreaker game on the iPhone (Or iPad Nano as its now called), it was a refreshing change from the Sim that is Madden (As awesome as Madden is, anyone who knows me should appreciate how I feel about the Madden series). Coming to Xbox360 and PS3 (Exclusively through Game) Backbreaker promises a fresh look at football. Gone are the days of predefined animations, Backbreaker is going to generate new content all the time. They promise this is gong to be the most realistic recreation of the sport yet – but even if it is, can it survive without the official NFL license?

Transformers : War For Cybertron

Here’s the simple truth. The original Transformers were the best looking of the lot, nothing since has bettered G1 Optimus Prime – Indeed the only reason for playing either of the film tie in games was to get the G! Optimus Prime skin. Set on Cybertron before the Transformers crashed on Earth while searching for Energon, this has the potential to make every fanboy (ie Me) sit up and take notice.

FIFA World Cup

Yeah I know it’s a rip off, I know this should be an expansion to FIFA 10 rather than a stand alone title – but it’s the World Cup for goodness sakes. This is going to sell like hot cakes this summer and will get us all excited as we all take England to the World Cup Final where we beat Germany 16-0. Whether the real team get to the Quarter Finals we’ll have to wait and see, but we’ll be able to live the dream for a little while.

Green Day RockBand

Another exclusive title and this time it’s our most favourite American Idiot(s). I can’t wait to power my way through S Jimmy’s, American Idiot, Boulevard and, of course, Basket Case. Green Day are a pretty good band to choose for this, they’ve got a great back catalogue and the average fan is a little younger than the titles that Van Halen, Beatles or Aerosmith appealed to. But I still think its a missed opportunity – where is the Blink182 exclusive title (unless we’re waiting for the new album) or what about Def Leppard! Surely Def Leppard are the perfect band for this game, huge hits, massive back catalogue, enormous history, world wide fandom. I guess the only question is how would they handle the drumming? As you’ll be aware Rick Allen has one arm, so would this be a feature of the game (learning to play with your left foot) or would it just be in bad taste. Bad taste is the feeling in my mouth unless it’s done very well, but overcome that obstacle and you’ve got an monster hit on your hands. 

Okay so that’s my hot four for today, I’ll probably not care about any of them tomorrow (I have the attention span of a toddler) and there are certainly a load of other titles coming up soon that we’ll all go crazy for (Harry Potter Lego, Madden 11, FIFA 11, a couple of Star Wars games, DC Online) so happy button bashing from your most favourite video game blog

The four games I’m most excited about RIGHT NOW! is a post from: button-basher

Game Moonbase launches in PlayStation®Home on Thursday.

From their site ” GAME Moonbase is an out of this world virtual space for gamers to hang out, socialise and learn about forthcoming releases and activities across all PlayStation platforms.

Built on a digital version of the Earth’s moon, visitors will enter a two-storey Moonbase with a ground floor comprising of poster sites, video screen and 4 internet browser terminals and a second floor event area, featuring dance-floor, meetings places, video screen and billboards.

Designed to create an important new hub for gamers, Moonbase is a place for PlayStation®3 (PS3^TM) fans and the HOME community to get new gaming info and for loyal GAME customers to be treated to sneak previews and exclusive PlayStation related content.

Moonbase will also feature free-to-play games and from launch visitors can play ‘Lunar Leap’, where players boost themselves in zero gravity across a giant crater, landing safely on designated pads, within a fixed timeframe. On successful completion of the game, players are rewarded with an exclusive GAME space suit outfit.”

This is an excellent development from the guys at Game, really inserting themselves into our digital lives and owning the mindshare when it comes to our gaming lives. I’m a fan of the store anyway, without trading in old titles I wouldn’t have played a quarter of the titles I have. Loyalty scheme is good and exclusive editions are sometimes quite nice (Loved Batman). 

If we’re truly going to see PS3 becoming the centre of our digital lives then this is a great step for those guys – talking with your customers in a space the enjoy in a language they understand – two thumbs up guys. Let’s hope it’s as good as it sounds.

Game to launch a store on moon tomorrow!!!! is a post from: button-basher

The project we’ve all been calling “Arc” for the last few months has now been confirmed as “Playstation Move”. Set to launch in the Autumn US Pricing has been set at under $100 for the Arc, a game (No news as to what yet) and the Playstation Eye. We’ll have to wait a little while for UK prices.

The Move motion controller will come with the Move sub-controller, which will allow you to make precise movements and navigate your characters through the D-pad and joystick. So think a Wii Nunchuck for the Playstation 3, except the Sony model will be wireless.

The glowing orb at the end of the controller will change colour as you play, this allows the camera to pick up subtle movements as well as large, fast moves. Apparently you’ll also be able to sample your voice, take your picture and truly immerse yourself in the game.

Sony promise around 20 titles in 2010, plus they’ve promised that we will several bundles depending on your needs (Move and a game, Move, game and Playstation Eye and finally - Move, game, Playstation Eye and PS3). 

Okay Project Natal, the gauntlet has been thrown – what have you got?

Playstation “Move” is a post from: button-basher

I’ve been moaning about this for ages and now I’ve found someone who agrees with me. Check out this posst from the awesome PS3dynamicthemes.co.uk I could summarise and rewrite everything they’ve put here but I strongly recommend you take the time to have a quick read.

Dynamic Themes were supposed to be this big thing that made the last PS3 update worthwhile. Now whilst I do love my Sackboy running around, there is little else to choose from. There’s a couple of rubbish freebies, but the others cost cash money. The US PlayStation Store offers a preview on it’s dynamic themes (Okay they’re only pictures, but at least you get an idea) whereas the UK store makes you cross your fingers and buy, it’s not good enough and it’s not fair.

While I’m raging on about the differences between the US Store and the UK store – where the hell are the Star Trek themes from the US store (While I’m at it where’s the AFRIKA theme)? I’m no trekkie (In fact I’m pretty sure I’m a Jedi according to the census data) but the screens look cool and not quite as girly as Sackboy plodding along. Okay I’m willing to concede that there are some things in the UK store that aren’t in the US but I’m only worried about me right now.

I banged on the other week about collectors editions and pointed out that Heavy Rain had the right idea by bundling the theme in with the limited edition. These developers should be fighting for our loyalty, they should want us using their themes. Madden (Yes Madden again) should be offering us the theme of our favourite team, FIFA should be doing the same, any car racing game should come with a number of options.

They’ve got to get to grips with this, it’s the perfect environment to be hitting a key demographic with advertising message for beer, music, film and just about anything else you can slap a price tag on and sell.

Seriously EA Sports, I need a Miami Dolphins dynamic theme this summer. Bundle it in as part of my pre-order package and you’ve got yourself an early sale.

PS3 Dynamic Themes – The Great Missed Opportunity is a post from: button-basher

Gotta love this, no sooner does Button-basher feature Portal in it’s awesome Brief History Of Platform Games do the good folks from Valve announce the sequel is on the way.

Portal 2 will be with us for Christmas this year and what’s more Mac users are going to be able to put transporting holes in stuff this time thanks to Steam, the direct download service for Mac’s

We knew it was coming, and not just because we mentioned it. The recent update to the original game left plently of clues that a sequel was on it’s way.

Portal 2 is on my Xmas list is a post from: button-basher

Once upon a time, in a seaside town not so far away, the highlight of a family day out wasn’t candy floss, fish and chips or a can of Tizer. Oh no, the only thing on our minds was a trip to the arcade. These were the days when an arcade was full of awe inspiring machines the likes of which we’d never seen before – Dragon Lair, Star Wars, Tron and Double Dragon all made our eye’s sparkle with delight but it was the invention of the platform game that transformed the way we play. Let’s take a little look at some of the most important and influential titles that lit up our seaside’s and now our bedrooms.

Donkey Kong – 1981 (Arcade)

The first platform game technically was Space Panic, an arcade game in 1980, however it was Donkey Kong that first caught everyone’s attention. It introduced the world to a little chap called Mario, more on him later, and added jumping and a had a series of screens/levels to play over.

Chuckie Egg – 1983 (Spectrum)

This gets an entry because it was my introduction to the world of platform games on the humble Acorn Electron. The brainchild of 16 year year old Nigel Alderton, the game required you to collect eggs whilst avoiding chickens. Awesome stuff, I still have nightmares about that big yellow bird chasing me around the screen.

Jet Set Willy – 1984 (Spectrum)

Like Chuckie Egg, Brit games of the 1980’s were known for being offbeat and humorous. Jet Set Willy was the follow up to Manic Miner. It gave us 60 levels of freely roamable rooms – it was also tougher than Vinnie Jones.

Knight Lore – 1984 (Spectrum)

The developer “Ultimate” lived up to their name in 80’s delivering one classic title after another. Knight Lore took things a step further by giving us the isometric 3D view.

Green Beret – 1985 (Arcade)

This is the game that stepped platformers up from simply running and jumping around. Now you get to stab soldiers whilst fighting for truth, justice and the American way of life………or getting to the next level.

Prince Of Persia – 1989 (Apple II)

Prince of Persia is still going strong to this day, but it should be held in the history books for one simple reason. This was the first title to use motion captured animation systems. The character was “rotoscoped” from footage of the creators younger brother. This game gave us sword fights, puzzles and amazing leaps over snake filled pits.

Pandemonium – 1996 (Playstation, Saturn)

This started to fill the gap between 2D and 3D games, it used 3D characters working on a 2D plane. Other titles like Crash Bandicoot saw huge success using this set up, even today LittleBigPlanet is still championing this approach.

Sonic The Hedgehog -1991 (Mega Drive)

In 1991 Sega went all out with Sonic in the hope his speed, style and cheeky smile could knock Nintendo’s plumber down a big red pipe. He delivered in style and in his own way changed the format of platformers, no longer were we dedicated to precision jumps and long drops, rather the focus was on flying through the level as quickly as you could. The rivalry continued for years, but now they appear games together. A bit like Boba Fett and Han Solo getting together for a game of tennis.

Tomb Raider – 1996 (PC, Playstation, Saturn)

This is the title that made gaming sexy. Eidos delivered us our first big female lead character, which has spawned several sequels, movies and lunch boxes. The game itself was about as frustrating as they came, but you simply couldn’t put it down thanks to Lara. Blimey even the training levels had replay value.

Super Mario 64 – 1996 (N64)

Yes, yes I deliberately missed several Mario games from earlier in the series, because this was the one. This was the title that showed us that a fully 3D platform game could be done and it could work really well.

Psychonauts – 2005 (PC, Playstation, Saturn)

Where Tomb Raider gave platform games the “sexy” factor, this is the game that gave them a sense of humour. Our hero was a psychic child and the levels were the minds of adults. You can now pick this little gem up in Xbox Arcade if you fancy a bit of history.

LocoRoco – 2006 (PSP)

This was the surprise hit of 2006 on the PSP and really started to bring platform games back to the forefront (notice the 9 year gap between SuperMario64 and Psychonauts). It was cute, addictive, simple to play and very relaxing thanks to the design and colour scheme.

Super Mario Galaxy – 2007 (Wii)

Whilst Nintendo were confident enough in the Wii to launch it without a headline Mario game, it didn’t take them long to deliver this. Jumping from world to world, each with its own challenge, this is STILL the best Wii game available and the best example of how to incorporate new technology into gameplay rather than just a gimmick.

Portal – 2007 (PC, Xbox360)

This is brilliant, it’s mind blowing, you can lose hours on this game just mucking around. Here’s the basic idea, shoot a hole in a wall, seems simple enough so far, then shoot another hole in another wall. Now here’s where it gets clever, jump through the first hole and you’ll appear through the second – brilliant.

Little Big Planet – 2008 (PS3)

The reason I made the jump from Xbox360 to PS3, from the opening narration from Stephen Fry to the millions of user created levels available this game pours quality from every pixel. The backgrounds have to be seen to be believed, the levels are simply huge, the sense of community outstanding and the customising option amazing (My Sackboy is dressed up like a Ghostbuster at the moment). But come on guys, its time for some official Star Wars levels rather than just the user created ones.

Mirrors Edge – 2008 (PC, PS3, Xbox360)

This is the last stop for today, although there are more recent titles (I could mention Batman, Uncharted 2). Placing you in the body of a free running heroine, you took off along rooftop chases and death slides while taking on an army of bad guys. So close to being a classic, a few control issues make is fall just short. But its a fantastic showcase of what can be done, it’s also available very cheap these days, so pick yourself up a copy

A Brief History of Platform Games is a post from: button-basher

So we took a look at the shortlist for the Game Of The Year recently, now the full shortlist is out. This gives us a breakdown of the games in each of the separate categories.

Action

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

inFAMOUS

Left 4 Dead 2

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Artistic Achievement

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Flower

Streetfighter IV

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Best Game

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

FIFA 10

Left 4 Dead 2

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Family & Social

The Beatles: Rock Band

Buzz! Quiz World

EyePet

Guitar Hero 5

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Wii Sports Resort

Gameplay

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

New Super Mario Bros Wii

PixelJunk Shooter

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Handheld

Gran Turismo

LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival

Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box

Scribblenauts

 Multiplayer

Battlefield 1943

The Beatles: Rock Band

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Halo 3 ODST

Left 4 Dead 2

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Original Score

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

PixelJunk Shooter

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Sports

Colin McRae: DiRT 2

FIFA 10

Football Manager 2010

Forza 3

Wii Fit Plus

Wii Sports Resort

Story

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: The Director’s Cut

Brutal Legend

Dragon Age: Origins

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Strategy

Command and Conquer 3: Uprising

Empire: Total War

FIFA Manager 10

Football Manager 2010

Halo Wars

Plants vs Zombies

Use of Audio

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

DJ Hero

Flower

Left 4 Dead 2

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Use of Online

Battlefield 1943

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

FIFA 10

LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

Singstar TakeThat

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital

Colour Coded

Quick as Thieves

Shrunk!

GAME Award of 2009 (The only award to be voted for by the public) 

Assassin’s Creed II

Batman Arkham Asylum

The Beatles: Rockband

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

FIFA 10

GTA China Town Wars

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks

Street Fighter IV

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Wii Sports Resort

I’ve been pretty clear in my support for Batman : Arkham Asylum over the past few weeks, but there are some really strong titles there so competition will be fierce. Uncharted 2 is going to feature heavily, and Call of Duty is always going to have strong support. With so many of the titles appearing in several categories I think it’ll be interesting to see if one title walks away with everything.

Keep an eye on the official site over the coming weeks and remember you can watch the awards show online on March 19th at 1845

BAFTA Shortlist is a post from: button-basher