Bulletstorm is one of the titles for 2011 that seems to have created some excitement for its February release date.  EA recently made the demo available on Xbox Live and PSN. We had a chance to play through the demo and this is what we thought.

In the Bulletstorm demo very little is said about the story and all that is given away is that the protagonist and his group of allies have crash landed on some unknown planet. There is no need to feel overtly disappointed as Bulletstorm seems to be more about the action than the story line.

The game plays out as a first person shooter but Epic Games have added a whole new dimension to this genre. Aside from the regular running around and shooting bad guys in order to progress, Bulletstorm requires the player to try and rack up high scores for killing enemies. This is achieved by trying to kill enemies in skillful and creative ways in order to earn large multipliers. Equipped with some awesome weapons, a melee attack which throws your enemies up into the air in slow-motion, as well as a power electrical whip, players will be able to really conjure up some beautiful attacks to kill their foes.

From what we can tell Bulletstorm is looking to be a promising title thanks to its fresh gameplay, its meaty Gears of War feel as well as its pointless yet cool Duke Nukem-like comments in between killing bad guys. Stay tune to GamesCastLive.com for the full review of Bulletstorm in February.

Rugby 2012 has recently been announced and the game is being developed by HB studios,who will eventually use EA sports to publish the title for current HD consoles. This will be the first Rugby game for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

It was only a matter of time until another Rugby game would be made, as the previous game, Rugby 2008 published under EA, which was released towards the end of 2007, became one of the top selling titles in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

As of Tuesday the 5th of April, The official announcement for Rugby 2011 was made and can be read here. The game has been retitled to Rugby World Cup 2011 and will be published by 505 games, who also published backbreaker.

If these clever chaps over at HB studios continue with their project, we will see a release of this fantastic sporting title near to the end of 2011 (to obviously tie in with the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand). HB studios are developing the game in partnership with the TRF Rugby Forum which can be visited here to follow the progress of this beautiful game. Also check out the featured discussion about what we want to see in Rugby 2012 here.

Stay tuned to Gamescastlive for news and updates on Rugby 2012.

Just a year and a few months left till Rugby madness. Until then, rugby fanatics can get their fix from a great rugby title called Rugby League 3, which was released in March for the Wii.

Watch the video of Rugby League 3 below.

Check out the Review of the new Rugby League Live for Xbox 360 and PS3 here :

Grand Slam Tennis fully utilizes the Wii motion controls and takes full advantage of the new Wii Motion-Plus, which results in a 1:1 reaction time with the players real-life movements. The controls are spot-on and responsive enough to please real tennis fans, as the shots are placed, precise and aggressive to the point of players swing.

Character movements are controlled by the nun-chuck to maneuver around the court, while the Wii-mote is used for traditional tennis strokes.

A number of different shots can be executed with different strokes and gestures of the Wii-mote. A straight shot is done with a forward driving stroke, a slice performed by a downward slash and a top-spin launched by striking the ball in an upward swing. In addition to these shots, drop shots and lobs can be performed by holding B or A respectively to catch your opponent off guard for a quick point. The controls are so responsive, they may be slightly difficult for amateur players to grasp, although an easier control scheme can be taken, where only the Wii-mote is used to strike, while the player moves automatically.

All the greatest players from yester-year and today’s current stars are all here. So you’ll see the likes of John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg taking on Nadal, Federer and a number of other international pros. Each pro has his/her own special abilities which are unique and personalized to fit their playing style.

The players are modeled as caricatures of their real life counterparts. Their exaggerated features and motions breathe a new life into a genre which has played tennis safe for way too long. Their incredibly fun and exciting to look at, while providing a new look and feel which is perfect for the Wii.

In addition to the great roster, a Create –a – player option is available, where you build and customize a caricature of your choice to take on the world of tennis and try his/her chance at a spot at the top. There are official licenses from Adidas, Babolat and every other big name in tennis to slap on your player and make them a contender on the international tennis circuit

When your character is created, you join Grand Slam mode which spans four tournaments across the tennis world. In each location, such as France, England, America and Australia, you take on amateur matches, as well as try your wits at beating pros in exhibition matches in order to unlock their special abilities to apply to your character. After this is completed, you can try your luck at the main tournaments, such as the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbeldon and the US Open. It’s great to see these official licenses and tournaments on the virtual tennis courts once again and it really helps build the feel for a fun, yet progressive tennis game.

Grand Slam Tennis really shines in its multiplayer, as up to four players can compete in a number of game modes ranging from the traditional singles and doubles, to fun variations such as Australian doubles, King, Tag Team and other interesting matches.

The visuals of Grand Slam are fantastically unique. The simple, yet stylized caricatures and animations provide the perfect combination which stands out on the Wii. It’s proof that something doesn’t need to be complex, to be beautiful.

There are also pre and post game match animations, along with authentic commentary, which contributes significantly to the atmosphere of the game and are an awesome touch thrown in by EA to already well polished gameplay.

Grand Slam Tennis is the perfect example that a simple and functional design, with the right amount of flair can result in something unique and innovative to a long running genre. The Wii has been utilized effectively to create a must have title which will provide any fan of the genre, and newcomers, to a game worth taking a shot at.

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