As medieval as I wanna be…

Videogames are funny. One moment you're stalking the rooftops of Jerusalem as a deadly assassin before leaping to the ground to take out an unsuspecting mark. Ten minutes later, you’re under the glare of hot studio lights, pummelling a big buzzer as you try to be first to answer a trivia question about your favourite movie. 

It could only be another sucker-punch of diverse Xbox 360 releases, which this week sees Assassin’s Creed giving furtive sideways glances to buzzer peripheral-based, Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action. The former has players in the role of Altaïr, a member of the Hashshashin sect tasked with eliminating the nine figures masterminding the Crusades. In contrast, Scene It? is the Xbox 360’s first trivia game and is thoroughly stuffed with HD movie clips, photos, and audio snippets from Hollywood’s finest. It’s the perfect excuse to get family and friends around the TV – but we won’t be held responsible for any squabbling.

Meanwhile Cars Mater-National is the fast-paced sequel to last year’s seven-million selling game based on the cutesy Pixar movie, and is tearing up the Xbox 360 with new characters, tracks and, excitingly, ten multiplayer modes.

Fans of the atmospheric first person blasters will be delighted that Sierra is releasing the F.E.A.R. Files. This chilling title introduces Xbox Live multiplayer action for up to 16 players, the new Perseus Mandate campaign and the excellent Extraction Point expansion. Phew!

Finally, and providing yet another little-needed excuse to invite a few mates around, we have Viva Piñata: Party Animals. It’s a riotous collection of more than 50 multiplayer minigames featuring Hudson Horstachio, Fergy Fudgehog and friends that’ll have you racing, speed-eating, squashing ants and gulping down soda-pop in order to belch a little boat across a pond, amongst others. Well, we did say videogames are funny…

Out This Week

• Assassin’s Creed

• Cars Mater-National

• F.E.A.R. Files

• Kengo Zero

• Scene It? Lights, camera, Action

• Viva Piñata: Party Animals