Welcome to the MyMedia Around the Network feature! Some of you may remember this as the MyMedia Community Update, and it is essentially the same thing with an emphasis on type of content rather than each site.
This will be published each Monday afternoon/evening to keep you up to date with everything that has happened across MyMedia in the past 7 days. We'll also update you on what is planned for the week ahead.
Enjoy!
MyMedia Breaking!
The Rebirth of MyGames
A brand-new and upgraded MyGames has now gone live! MyGames has all of the latest XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Wii news, as well as the latest reviews and blogs from across MyMedia.
So, if you're a regular on MyWii but want all of your XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 news and reviews, go to MyGames to stay up-to-date!
Reviews
The Conduit Review
We Say
The Conduit is a good game that wants to be something more without trying hard enough. The single player feature stunning visuals and almost perfect controls, yet the gameplay is bland and repetitive; it is also easily completed within a night. The online mode is great for the Wii and will have you playing online for months to come if you’re a Wii only gamer. Make no mistake, there’s nothing special about the online component if you’re a seasoned FPS gamer on another console this generation. However, High Voltage Software is targeting the Wii exclusive gamer, this one is for you guys!
Location
Read More at MyWii
Guitar Hero Greatest Hits Review
We Say
Guitar Hero Greatest Hits has a great track list, but there’s the feeling that it would have been better off merely as a downloadable expansion pack for its predecessors. The direction of the career mode can be applauded, as it’s worked well here as it did in GH: Metallica. It’s great to play some of the classics from the first few Guitar Hero games using the drums and microphone and the inclusion of Expert+ is a great one. There are a few problems with the note structures and overall the gameplay is too easy at times. Still, the title is a worthy of a purchase if you’re new to the franchise and need a quick introduction before Guitar Hero V hits shelves.
Location
Read More at MyPS3
Read More at MyWii
Read More at My360
Let's Tap Review
We Say
Overall, Let’s Tap is an intriguing collection of mini-games which takes advantage of an entirely unique method of playing the Wii, with no additional peripherals required – other than a tissue box! Unlike some other Wii control methods, the ‘tapping’ is surprisingly precise and is very well suited to most of the games, as well as the menu navigation. The five games included – Tap Runner, Rhythm Tap, Bubble Voyager, Silent Blocks and Visualiser offer some very different ways of utilizing tapping, but tend to decrease in appeal in that order, with the last two adding little value.
Location
Read More at MyWii
WiiWare Quick Review
This week we review
- Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 5: 8-Bit is Enough
- Gradius ReBirth
- Lonpos
Location
Read More at MyWii
Blogs
They Don't Care About Us
We Say
The journey of an Australian Wii Gamer has been a long and bumpy road, full of ridiculously late release dates (RE: Super Smash Bros Brawl) lack of “hardcore” titles, and things don’t seem to be shaping up to brighter horizons. Nintendo have just announced news regarding release dates for the highly anticipated Punch Out!!! and the new racing title Excitebots
Location
Read More at MyWii
Return of the Adventure?
We Say
Adventure games dominated the PC gaming scene in the early 1990’s. Their complex stories, memorable characters, uncanny ability to sit on the edge of clever dialogue and puzzling challenges seemed to be the formula for success. Companies such as Lucasarts and Sierra On-Line ran ahead of the pack releasing what are still today, some of the greatest adventure games of all time.
Location
Read More at MyFrag
Articles
Nintendo “Controlling” the Evolution
We Say
It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft fan you still have to sit back and appreciate all of the innovative ideas Nintendo have brought to the industry through their game controller design. From the cross shaped D-pad to motion sensing in the Wii remote Nintendo’s “outside of the box” thinking has helped shape the way we play videogames across all platforms; one could even say that Nintendo are the trend setters of gaming. Given Nintendo’s contribution to the industry it only seems fitting to take a look at all of the controllers that they have released and the influence they have had with other manufactures
Location
Read More at MyWii
Top 10 WiiWare Titles Worth Your Hard Earned Points
We Say
Over the past few months we have been checking out every WiiWare and DSiWare game available on the Australian market. We’ve caught up with most of the back catalogue (only about 5 or so WiiWare titles to go), and now it’s time to take a look at what games are really worth your hard earned cash.
Location
Read More at MyWii
Virtual Console/WiiWare/DSiWare Releases (17/July/09)
We Say
Welcome to this week's Nintendo Shopping Channel update, where we cover what games have been made available to download for both your Nintendo Wii and DSi.
Location
Read More at MyWii
MyDS
Medals
We have no new medals from the past 7 days across MyMedia Games. However, there are new badges!
Member Badges
Info
Introducing the new MyWii badges! These new badges will be awarded based on the length of your MyWii membership and the contributions you have made to the site. They will appear in every post under your avatar as the admin, news champ and PWNAGE badges do. There are very similar badges across My360, MyPS3 and MyDS.
Location
Check out the new badges at MyWii
MyPS3
My360
MyDS
Competitions
Events
MyFrag Games Night - Player of the Week
Welcome to the new segment - Player of the Week!
Here we can discuss who in the myfrag group you have played with over the past week, paying special attention to the myfrag games nights, and who you think deserves the POTW badge.
There will be a new one every week and will be announced on Sundays.
Location
MyFrag
Champs - Members of the Month
Reporter of the Month Badge
Info
Welcome MyMedia news contributors,
To recognise the most contributive news writer from our MyMedia communities we're offer a special new badge that only one person will have at a time!
How it works
The reporter of the month will get to wear this exclusive badge for the following month, and will also receive free PWNAGE for that month. Example: The best news writer for July will wear the badge during and receive free PWNAGE in August.
Location
Check out the reporter of the month at
MyWii
MyPS3
My360
MyDS
MyFrag
MyPSP
User Reviewer of the Month coming soon!
Podcast
The Voice
The ninth episode of The Voice is now here!
This week on The Voice Tano & Heller talk about PSN or Xbox Live, which is better. They discuss Nintendo's release schedule in Australia. They also review FUEL, Fight Night Round 4, Hannah Montana, Virtua Tennis and more!
For the next podcast, we will be giving you the opportunity to have your reviews read out and discussed on the show. All you have to do is submit a review to one of our sites. Five will be chosen from across MyMedia to be included.
Don't forget to email us your suggestions, opinions and topics you'd like to discuss to podcast@mymedia.net.au.
Subscribe to it via iTunes
Upcoming Next Week
Reviews
Tiger Woods PGA 10 Review on MyWii
Battlefield 1943 Review on My360 & MyPS3
Wii Sports Resort Review on MyWii
And much more, along with a more organised instalment in Around the MyMedia Network!
20/07/2009
MyWii 7.5
Introducing the MyWii 7.5 update. Like the move into MyMedia 7.0 this one is a lot bigger than your average update, so we thought we'd tell you all about it! Keep in mind that a lot of the new features are being trialled, and are still being worked on.
This is the biggest change that's currently in a 'trial' period. All of the latest (popular) news, featured reviews, articles, walkthroughs and blogs are now posted in the 'Latest Features' section on the homepage. Each of these still has its own specific page and will be receiving a toggle feature in the future so you can easily browse the latest of just one section, from the comfort of the homepage.
The forum page now contains more space between each topic and a small version of the last posters avatar. The forum has also seen the introduction of 'most discussed topics'.
A work in progress, the champs page will recognise members who have been great contributors to the community recently. This will be done on a weekly basis as over all 'champs' for that week selected by the admin. On top of that the champs of each section will be recognised automatically, such as most posts, most active members, mosts videos uploaded etc.
The public status box has received an update to include some automated information. Whenever you receive a medal, or upload content such as a video it'll be published automatically in the I am Doing box! It also supports active links and writing '@member' will link to their profile.
There's heaps more, including a featured WiiWare Reviews section and better Youtube and RSS support.
Feel free to have a look around and comment on any changes here.
What we have planned for E3 2009
E3 2009 is upon us, and MyMedia is all set to go E3 crazy! We'll have medals for those of you discussing the conferences live and heaps of discussions, live updates and news posts.
Please note that during E3 we ask that you do not submit any news yourself. This is not to stop users submitting news, but instead to keep a steady flow of quality news. Please write any news in your own words, and PM it to Gaetano, including the source, and you'll be given full credit as the author if it's published.
It all kicks off at 3:30am AEST tomorrow with Microsoft's conference, and the Official Discussion opens on My360 30 minutes beforehand.
Since Tano and myself have nothing better to do in the early hours of the morning we'll have back for the Nintendo Conference, starting at 2am AEST, and the Sony conference beginning at 4am on Wednesday morning. The official discussion threads for Nintendo and Sony will both be opened 30 minutes before the conferences start.
After the main three players complete their keynote we'll post it all in one neat blog, ready for your browsing pleasure when you arise at a socially acceptable hour the next morning.
Competitions
We've had an overload of competitions this last month. They've actually all concluded now, but we still have the winners to announce for
Terminator on Xbox 360, and Guitar Hero Metallica on both the
Xbox360 and the
PS3. We'll have more competitions soon!
iPhone compatible sites
Attention iPhone and iPod Touch users that like to pop into MyWii and My360 while on the go! I have some news that you have been waiting for. Let me introduce the iPhone friendly versions of MyWii.com.au and My360.com.au, just enter http://iphone.mywii.com.au/ or http://iphone.my360.com.au/into your Safari browser to enjoy a version of MyWii or My360 that has been specifically formatted for iPhone. Gone are those days of waiting around for pages to load, expanding and reducing the screen to get a better view, with this new iPhone friendly site it loads quick, scrolls smoothly and is easy to use. Accessing the latest news, reviews, games and forum discussions is only one click away. So if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch what are you waiting for, go check it out! HERE!
01/06/2009
Welcome to another edition of Heller's Desk. I hope you all had a safe and happy Easter break with family and friends, and you are now back ready for some great gaming....
First title sitting on my desk this week was the newly released Episodic title from Telltale Games, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures: Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees. Fans of adventure games should know that Telltale always deliver an exceptional experience, and nothing less should be expected from the first episode in what looks like it will be a landmark series for the developer. It captures the look, feel and charm of the beloved TV series/Movies and plays more like an interactive TV program than a game. You can purchase the game from the Telltale Games website and it will be launching on Xbox Live in the near future. A featured review will be up on Myfrag and My360 in the next few days
It seems an eternity ago when Silent Hill V: Homecoming was released and then banned in Australia, but after a long wait it finally was released last week across store shelves. Silent Hill has always been a leader in the survival horror genre, and being the first in the series on this generation of consoles, it has big shoes to fill. Keep your eyes peeled for the featured review this week, but in the mean time why don't you brush up on your Survival Horror Origins
Chronicles of Riddick is dropping this week on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 and will be keeping many of you busy I'm sure. It includes the critically acclaimed Escape from Butcher Bay on the disc, which will give many of those who never had the chance to play the original, a chance to do so with fresh graphics. Gaetano is working on a featured review which will launch in the next few weeks.
Last but not least The Voice will be returning after a short break over the Easter holidays. We will be hitting it hard bringing you the latest news and reviews, and even have some interviews in the works. Also we will be bringing back the beloved Retrograde segment with our good friend Guyver!
A sudden urge to play Bioshock has washed over me so I'm off to do that, what are you guys playing this week?
28/04/2009
That's right sports fans, Heller is back again with yet another rant filled posting of Heller's Desk
Finally I have dusted off my Nintendo DS for what I truly believe is one of the most IMPORTANT handheld titles we are likely to see for a long time, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It is a deep and engrossing title, which truly captures the spirit of the GTA series on a bite sized cartridge. Just because the DS lacks the storage or size when compared to say a PS3 or Xbox 360 doesn't mean this game is lacking in any way. Offering a comprehensive experience with more relevant mini games than you can throw a Molotov at, a decent story, and tight and intuitive controls, this is the must have title for the Nintendo DS. Hell I'd go as far as to say it's worth purchasing a DS just for this title! Check out our featured review over here
Sega are sure pulling me into the Nintendo Wii, first with the amazing House Of The Dead: Overkill. It is a fantastic, hilarious, and more importantly, mature game that offers something unique to the console. I had the pleasure of getting some time with the limited Bang Bang Box, unboxing article can be found over here.
Sega have followed it up with their totally OFF THE HOOK title MadWorld which releases nation wide today! Offering a totally unique visual style that is very "Sin City" with some of the strangest and brutal gameplay, this game sure isn't one for the weak hearted. Make sure you check this out if you have a Wii. We are currently offering a SICK prize pack, so make sure you get those entries in over here
So what have you guys been playing lately? What game has come along that unexpectedly blew you away? What game were you super excited about and it did nothing but let you down? Send in the scoop so I can check it out for myself :)
26/03/2009
Back once again for an action packed, rant filled Heller's Desk this week with lots of events, gaming and non gaming related taking up my time and space.
First item was going to see The Watchmen at the movies. A fantastic movie based on a fantastic graphic novel. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this movie, and I'll be the first to say I hope it doesn't let you down. Truly great film and well worth checking out if you have some spare cash. Our very own Mordillo92 has done a nice blog which can explain a little about what The Watchmen is all about over here
Killzone 2 is still spinning in my PS3 and has me blasting the Helghast for the third time round the single player campaign, and wasting countless hours online. This is seriously one mammoth title, and regardless of your pre-concieved ideas based on hearsay, please do yourself a favour PS3 owners, this is the flagship title we have all been waiting for. Featured review can be found over here
Tano and I have been working hard, very hard on the fifth episode of The Voice for our listening fans. It seems gremlins are at bay and just don't want this podcast to go ahead. First time we tried to record it, the earthquake happened and Tano's power went out for hours. Then last night we got half way through and the computer system chucked a fit and stopped recording and deleted everything we had done. The final attempt will be tonight when we get it in the bag and up for your listening pleasure! It's a big show this week so make sure you give it a listen!
No time to slow down though, Resident Evil 5 is here and even though I've had it for a few days I've still yet to really get into it. The visuals are outstanding, and once again Capcom deliver a first rate experience. Expect Tano to deliver an excellent Featured Review very soon!
MadWorld is about to drop for the Nintendo Wii which is very exciting. This is shaping up to be one of my most hotly anticipated titles of 2009. I love the visual presentation and the fact that it's a mature game, for real gamers, something that us Wii owners have been CRAVING!
But I've also managed to find some time for a personal life these past few weeks. Soundwave Festival was attended and rocked out to! I also have been recording some solo work for an EP that I will be releasing April this year which is very exciting. Into the studio in two weeks to layout the six tracks and then it's off to Myspace to try and book some gigs and sell off some copies. To top off all this excitement Hellerphant finally found himself a Girlfriend (Ally-Gator), that's right fans, I convinced some poor girl I wasn't too bad! Crazy I know!
So until next week let me know what games you are looking forward to, what you have been playing! Also Twitter fans, start following me (username hellerphant). I release all the mymedia reviews and important stories on there as soon as they break :)
12/03/2009