We head deeper into the USG Ishimura in our latest hands-on look at EA’s Wii-exclusive sci-fi horror game.

The bad news only gets worse for the USG Ishimura in the upcoming Wii-exclusive Dead Space Extraction from EA’s Visceral Games development studio. This platform-exclusive survival horror game functions as both a prequel and side story to the acclaimed Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 original. We’ve seen the game a number of times so far (most recently, at GamesCom 2009), and yesterday, EA dropped by with an updated build of the game to show off a new level and give GameSpot an exclusive peek at the first boss in the game.

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We got a fresh look at this urban karaoke experience and battled 4mm Games president Jamie King for bragging rights.

Gazing around your local games store, you’ll notice that there’s certainly no shortage of rhythm or karaoke games. SingStar, Lips, Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band, and Karaoke Revolution seem to have karaoke gameplay pretty well covered, but developers 4mm Games is banking on the power of hip-hop, a partnership with Def Jam Recordings, and some unique features to swing the balance in its favour. We took a closer look at this infectious title at GamesCom 2009, in Cologne, Germany.

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The plumber, hedgehog, and friends are getting ready for Vancouver 2010, and we checked out a few new events at GamesCom.

After the enormous success of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games–(Mario & Sonic win 5M Olympic medals) 5 million copies and counting–creating a sequel based on the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Games seems like a no-brainer. So far, we’ve seen a number of fun events for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, including bobsleighing, speed skating, and downhill skiing, as well as numerous characters with which fans of Mario or Sonic games will be familiar. We recently got a chance to meet some more characters and events at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany.

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Lego Indy’s back, and this time, he’s entering the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The original Lego Indiana Jones was a smash hit, and with the arrival of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last year, there’s suddenly more material for a sequel. That’s the thinking behind Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, which will also include material from the original film trilogy that didn’t feature in the first game.

We got to see reproductions of both new and old films in our GamesCom demo today, both with the diner section from The Crystal Skull and the opening of the ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The latter cutscene was particularly memorable, as the Nazis were compelled to perform funky dance moves before disintegrating into thin air. In-game, Indy can now do more with his whip, such as tie enemies up and drag them around, as we saw in the diner fight scene.

Lego Indy 2 also has plenty of upgrades that will please fans of the Lego series. When two players drift apart, the screen now automatically splits in two, letting players do what they want before joining seamlessly together once they’re close to each other. There’s also a new level builder that allows you to put down boards and pieces just like you might have done with real Legos as a child. However, with this being a children’s title, you probably won’t be able to share these creations online, although LucasArts is currently looking into this possibility. At least you and a friend can both work on your design at the same time.

The hubs in Lego Indy 2 have also been expanded and improved, with three hubs from the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and three from the original trilogy. The hubs are themed around different areas in the films, and you can fly around in a plane, parachute out, and then jump into levels straight from these hubs.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is looking almost finished, which is a good sign given how close we are to release. The game will be released on all major platforms in the third quarter of 2009.

Check out the source at GameSpot

We finally got to slay some monsters with a localised European version of Tri.

Monster Hunter is a game that has been synonymous with the PlayStation brand up until now. The Japanese cult hit has sold millions of copies (and helped sell plenty of PSPs) in its home country but has experienced limited success in overseas markets thus far. Capcom hoped to challenge this notion with a marketing campaign in Europe for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, which launched to strong reviews, and is following this up with the series’ first outing on the Nintendo Wii. We embarked on a hunting quest at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, armed with our wits and a Wii Classic Controller.

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The original Modern Warfare is coming to the Wii, and as we found out in Cologne, it’s an impressively faithful reproduction.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a huge hit for Infinity Ward in 2007, and even though it’s been nearly two years since its release, the game continues to dominate the online gameplay charts. Its appeal is so enduring, in fact, that developer Treyarch is bringing the game to the Wii this November. As we found out in Cologne, there have been relatively few compromises necessary to bring the game to Nintendo’s console and there are even a few new features exclusive to the platform.

First up, it’s worth mentioning that the single-player game is exactly the same on the Wii as it was on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Sadly, it’s so faithful to the original that there’s not even a new Wii-specific level in the game–it’s exactly the same as it was before. Thankfully, though, this faithful reproduction also extends to the multiplayer side of the game, with all the same game modes, such as Search & Destroy, Domination, and Freefall all included. They’re also all playable online. The only difference is that the player count has been reduced to 10 players, although this is still up from the eight players that Treyarch managed in Call of Duty: World at War on the Wii.

Thankfully, there are also some features specific to the Wii version. Obviously, the control system is quite different, but like another recent Wii first-person shooter The Conduit, the controls are completely customisable. There are plenty of preset control schemes that are set up for different levels of skill, but you can also tweak these as much as you want and save them as your own. Then there’s the squadmate mode, which allows a second player to drop into the game for co-op play. The second player uses the Wii Zapper peripheral or the Wii Remote and plays the game like an on-rails shooter, taking out enemies that the main player may have missed.

Finally, the game also uses an upgraded version of the engine that has powered previous Call of Duty games on the Wii. Most notably, the textures are of a higher resolution than ever before, while the particle effects, such as explosions, have also been improved. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will arrive on the Wii in November 2009, and we hope to bring you a first hands-on soon.

Check out the source at GameSpot

EA’s racing series is getting a makeover for the Wii, and we got a chance to play its new Elimination multiplayer mode.

Need for Speed Nitro is the first game in the franchise developed exclusively for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Developed by EA Montreal, the game features an exaggerated, cartoonish style that feels naturally suited to the Wii while boasting a sharp 60 frames-per-second refresh rate. We got the chance to check out some new tracks and tried the Elimination multiplayer mode ahead of GamesCom.

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EA’s Dead Space challenged survival horror preconceptions when it launched last year, boasting spectacular graphics, nail-biting action, and strategic dismemberment. EA was so confident of Dead Space’s appeal that it began work on a Wii version even before the original game had shipped, and we got to finally try out the cooperative mode of Dead Space Extraction ahead of GamesCom.

“Some things, the more you understand them, the more you loathe them.”

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We’re ready to save the world with our custom-created Sporeling in Maxis’ upcoming action role-playing game.

During the past few months, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to check out Spore Hero, including at a recent Electronic Arts press event in San Diego. The game has come a long way since we first checked it out in May, and now that we have our own preview build, we’ve had a chance to spend some quality time with it. For those who haven’t been following our coverage, Spore Hero is an action role-playing game built from the ground up for the Wii. It doesn’t play like the PC game Spore, but they do share some similarities. They both have a robust creature creator and excellent animation, which gives the game a ton of personality. But Spore Hero is primarily targeted at an audience that is looking for a lighthearted adventure in which they can ultimately save the day.

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Representatives from EA stopped by to walk us through some of the changes that they’ve made to the game. The opening cutscene was tweaked a bit to help tell the story better. Two meteors, a blue one and a red one, are streaking across the sky, heading straight for a lush and beautiful planet. Each meteor carries an egg, but when they crash into the planet, blue and red meteor shards are scattered across the planet. We learn from the start that the red meteor bits have some kind of evil hypnotic effect on the locals, but the blue ones don’t. You play as the little Sporeling that hatches from the egg of the blue meteor and quickly befriend a local creature named Meejee. The creatures around you realize that for some reason you are immune to the red meteor’s strange effects, so you’re now in charge of helping them with all of their problems.

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From Beatles Beats to the first two chapters of story mode, we’ve got the latest on the Fab Four’s Rock Band debut.

Attention Fab Four fans: You’ve got less than 30 days to wait for the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, the latest rhythm game from the folks at Harmonix. As its name implies, the game is completely focused on the music of The Beatles, and last month, Harmonix reps visited GameSpot offices to give us a hands-on look at the game. We reported on part of that visit during our last look at the game in August, but today, we’ve got the rest of the story.

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Last time, we gave you a look at the vocal trainer, which will help fledgling singers wrap their vocal chords around the complex harmonies from the 45 career-spanning songs found in the game. In addition, the game will have a drum trainer of sorts. Known as “Beatles Beats,” the mode will give you insight into the drumming style of Ringo Starr, with more than 80 beats and fills to practice that are inspired by the songs in the game. Beatles Beats is in addition to the game’s drum trainer mode, which will include 45 exercises designed to help you get your act together behind the set. If you complete the drum trainer and make your way through the many Beatles Beats exercises, you’ll be ready for practically anything Ringo (or many other drummers) throws at you.

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