Konami’s tenacious “home idol” simulator, otherwise known as the “Karaoke Revolution” franchise, just got itself a new cousin in “CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution Country.”
It’s pretty much the same game as the others in the series, but the difference here is the two new musical styles offered: country and Western (badum-
bum). With 35 tunes available, some recent hits (“Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”), some from decades past (“The Gambler”) and some in between (“All My Ex’s Live in Texas”), odds are you’ll recall at least a few, reluctantly or lovingly. It’s made for eight people – perfect for parties.
If you don’t like country or don’t know country or don’t do karaoke, do yourself a favor: Get over yourself. This is serious scoot-bootin’ fun.
Konami; PlayStation 2; $39.99 or $54.99 with microphone. Rating: Everyone (10+) (lyrics, suggestive themes)
In that wonderfully wacky way of Nintendo, “Brain Age” is a novel and mostly addictive game that essentially plays as a long or short string of IQ tests (math, geometry, linguistics, etc.). It monitors your answers and the speed at which you deliver them, then calculates what age your brain thinks at – regardless of your chronological one.
To play it, you hold the DS sideways like a paperback, with questions appearing on one side and answers scrawled on the other with the stylus (it flips either way, depending on which hand you write with) and, on some occasions, simply by speaking the answers into the DS’ microphone.
Twenty is the brain age you’re shooting for, and it’s hard to achieve. Whether you play it in “quick” mode during random moments of free time or commit yourself to a daily training regimen, it’s all decidedly challenging, quite revealing and occasionally embarrassing.
Regardless, you will improve once you get a feel for the testing parameters, give yourself over to the goofiness of it all and begin to anticipate what each question expects of you, rather than what each question might not be asking. It’s a very clever game design that will make you, uh, more clever.
Nintendo; Nintendo DS; $19.99. Rating: Everyone
New to the Xbox 360, “Burnout Revenge” is essentially the same demolition racing we’ve come to know and love on the PS2 and Xbox (and PSP to some extent) but with hugely buffed visuals, as you would expect.
Every vehicle (and most incidentals, like phone booths) has had a day at Armor All spa and now boasts a high-definition sheen that’s shiny to the point of distraction.
Fortunately, you can sully said sheen with some good, old dirty-dog driving, which is what the game’s all about.
With way more particles flitting across the screen in those excessively explosive moments of impact, prettier car carnage, smoke and glass aplenty, it’s all next-gen razzle-dazzle on top of some seriously solid impact racing.
EA; Xbox 360; $59.99. Rating: Everyone (10+) (violence)
Shaun Conlin writes about video games for Cox News Service.
