Jul 8, 2008

Hannah Montana: Music Jam

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 10:48 AM Posted： games

Ready to rock

Product: Hannah Montana: Music Jam
Publisher: Disney Interactive
Format: DS
Genre: Casual, Film/ TV tie- in, Music/ Rhythm
Players: 1
Version: Europe

by Mike Cook

Who knew teenage girls had such glamorous lives? When I was a lad, all I did was sulk and play a battered Nintendo console. But if Music Jam is anything to go by, most of the girls in town were arranging charity fundraisers and leading secret double lives.

Miley Stewart, if you're one of those uncool grown-up types, is one of Disney's modern hit characters. She's an average girl in an average high school, but unbeknownst to most of her friends she's leading a stressful double life as the hugely famous pop star Hannah Montana. As the player, it's up to you to balance her friends and her fans, as well as entering an online music video competition.

While a lot of Hannah's tasks involve moving around town and collecting items and talking to people, the important tasks involve taking part in one of a variety of mini-games. They're varied enough, with ice skating and making pizzas in Hannah's schedule alongside playing musical instruments and getting ready for the competition.

The mini-games all employ the touchscreen in relatively basic ways, but they avoid being too frustrating, and the musical instrument sections ?involving three types of guitar and a drum kit ?are quite fun, with the strumming working well on the DS's screens and the difficulty levels well-pitched to make sure none of Hannah's target market is left frustrated or bored, though some last for much, much longer than needed.

AdvertisementBut for a game reliant on Hannah's music, it doesn't make such a good job of including it. Hannah's hit songs are present in the game, but only in a rather reduced, electronic way and while it's not whiny enough to become irritating, it's probably not going to enthuse her fans much either. If you're already familiar with her songs you can probably sing along to the noise as you strum and drum ?there are even vocal sections where you sing into the DS's embedded microphone ?but some real music would've made quite a difference.

In between the mini-games you'll find yourself running around town talking to people, making friends and doing whatever it is that girls do at a mall. The tasks and games are nicely spread out, but this does become a weakness for Music Jam, because the game crawls along at a snail's pace. Hannah moves across the screen as if she's wearing lead boots, and most locations have multiple exits, so you'll spend a lot of time wandering around squinting at the scenery.

It's all good fun, though. Even the change between Hannah and Miley is turned into a game, with Hannah's outfit being customisable and more clothes unlocked as you play. So despite the slow speed of the game, more patient younger gamers are kept entertained.

Once the adventure side of things is done with, you're left with the extra sections. All of the mini-games are available to play outside of the main game, once you've unlocked them, but the biggest extra available is the 'Creative Mode' which offers a video creator and a music composer. The video creator is taken from what's used in-game to enter the competition ?you choose from a variety of backdrops, lights, outfits and poses, and the results are generally a bit chunky, but it's fun to play around with the settings and watch the results afterwards.

More impressive is the composer, which is surprisingly deep for what is ostensibly a children's game. It offers the three guitar types shown in the game, as well as the drum kit, and you can compose full songs, strumming and choosing chords using the D-Pad. It's very functional, even if it might be a bit complicated for the youngest players, and combined with its multiplayer mode where you and friends can form a band together, the whole package of story mode and music maker fits together very neatly indeed.

Music Jam's flaws keep it far from perfect, particularly for those with short attention spans. But it doesn't frustrate the player, and there's a lot of variation to be found. For fans of Hannah Montana, this is an accomplished use of the licence. But don't expect a rollercoaster ride

Hannah Montana Does Something Naughty

at 10:46 AM Posted： games

Hannah Montana Does Something Naughty was a top story for Feb 2008. Here it is again:(Hecklerspray) Unlike Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus ha never taken a picture of her minge and put it on the internet. And unlike Jamie Lynn Spears, Miley Cyrus has never been knocked up by some bloke she met at church. But beneath that butter-wouldn't-melt smile there's a heart of darkness beating inside Miley Cyrus, if this new report is anything to go by.

Miley Cyrus didn't wear a seatbelt in a car once. We know, we're just as shocked as you. So shocked that we'll let USA Today fill you in on the rest of the details:
In a blog item posted Monday, Consumer Reports magazine says 15-year-old superstar Miley Cyrus, who plays Hannah Montana on television, is seen in her new movie riding without a seat belt in the back seat of a Range Rover. So is her father, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, the Yonkers-based magazine says… The magazine says 65% of the 13-to-15-year-olds killed in auto accidents in 2006 were not wearing seat belts. "It seems to us that Miley, her father and Disney had a perfect opportunity to help influence teens and counteract — rather than encourage — this trend," the blog item says

The Pocket Gamer Talent Show: Hannah Montana vs High School Musical 2 on DS

at 10:44 AM Posted： games

Two of the summer's biggest kids' franchises face off

by Mike Cook

They've been practising all spring break, and now it's time for the big day: The Pocket Gamer High Talent Show and Dance Contest.

Plucky pop teen Hannah Montana: Music Jam faces off against the multi-talented High School Musical 2: Work It Out! But who's going home with the title of Best Summer Holiday Game title, and who'll be going home with cooties and an insulting nickname?

Let's bring on the acts.

Round 1: Music
The first test sets the teams playing their own compositions. Since both games are based on totally sweet TV shows with musical themes, they both should have awesome licensed music on offer. Hannah Montana's on playing her country-style pop first, but as soon as she starts the whiny electronic music gets her booed off the stage. Music Jam doesn't have the real thing, just electronic versions of her songs ?totally uncool.

The infectious pop kids from High School Musical are up next, putting on a performance more sugary than an explosion at a Skittles factory. Real music from the film means that the game carries an album's worth of music on it, and even though you have to unlock most first, the crowd still, like, loved them.

The first round goes to High School Musical 2. You guys, they were so good, you know?

Round 2: Looks
Anyway, the next round is a fashion show. Everyone looks so totally awesome. Hannah Montana is wearing a simple but fabulous 3D engine that's totally smooth, but it makes her animations look a little uncomfortable. Like, eww.

Meanwhile ?oh my gosh, you guys! The High School Musical gang look so cool. Much prettier than Hannah, right? I know! Their 3D engines are decorated with photos of the film's stars, which is totally awesome, but it slows down a lot when there's a lot of action onscreen, and that really sucks, you know?

You guys, I can't choose! You're all so fabulous, the fashion show's a tie.

Round 3: Mini-games
Okay next we have ?and I've been really looking forward to this, okay? ?the party tricks round! Alright! Which team has the best mini-games?

Hannah Montana's brought ice skates and remote-controlled cars, and she's putting on a totally great display. The DS stylus makes everything super-simple to understand and not too difficult either. Awesome!

Now it's time for the High School Musical guys and girls to come on, but they don't look too good. All of their mini-games are put to music and it's not really working. It's like, totally frustrating and not cool. Get out!

Hannah Montana wins the party tricks round, I'm sure.

Round 4: Multiplayer
Our final round now, and we're all about playing with friends! Hannah Montana's on stage and everyone's on their feet because she's calling some people out to play instruments with her! Once you're done with story mode Hannah Montana has a whole bunch of instruments you can compose songs on and a super-cool music video creator ?and multiplayer lets you take this to your friends and start bands together. I'm sure!

Okay, so the crowd totally loved that and now it's High School Musical's turn. They've got all of the songs from the film that are playable through the DS like a totally cool mp3 player, but that's about it.

Everyone's like, so bored of that now, so Hannah Montana totally wins this round, right?

Conclusion
I'm so bummed, you guys, it's the end of the talent show. But we had an awesome time, and now it's the moment that everyone's been waiting for: Hannah Montana: Music Jam takes the prize!

She might not have the good looks or the latest sounds, but as every Disney fan should know that doesn't mean you can't be the star of a show.

So it's a date with the captain of the football team to our winner, and a detention with the head of Phys Ed to our loser.

And don't forget that if you're still unsure about either of the games, we've reviewed both Hannah Montana: Music Jam and High School Musical 2: Work This Out!. Click on the links to check out both of our reviews for the definitive opinion.
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Hannah Montana: Miley's Sticking With Disney

at 10:43 AM Posted： games

Yes, in a recent interview with Billboard, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus finally addressed her Vanity Fair photo scandal. It’s not the only thing she talked about and fans are happy about that. In a recent BuddyTV poll, 86% of the readers said they were sick and tired of hearing about Miley’s scandalous pics. Hannah Montana fans don’t have to worry. Miley Cyrus told Billboard that she’s still got a few years left in her with The Disney Channel before moving on to other projects. She opened up about her new album, being a good ol’ Southern girl, and gave some details on her upcoming Hannah Montana movie.
Your Take
TagridSalem2 said: OMG HANNAH MONTANA ROCKS U LOOK SOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE UR SONGS EXPECIALLY NOBOD... see all » myrandarayburn2 said: i hate u and i am taking all your fannas see all » tiffanyabraham2 said: she kud have dun someting diffrent but its her choice kuz its not my choice to make but she is super!!!!!!!!! see all »

In her interview, Miley explained that soon, she’ll have to say goodbye to Hannah Montana forever. “It will wrap up, eventually. I mean, I won't be Hannah Montana by the time I'm 30,” she said. “But we've only done two seasons, so we definitely want to work on that hopefully for another two years.”

Miley is currently filming Hannah Montana: The Movie in her home state of Tennessee. All the regular cast members from Hannah Montana will appear in the movie as well as some of country’s biggest music stars. “The story of the new movie is basically about going back to Tennessee and wanting to just kind of get back to your roots, but then realizing that maybe you don't want to go back to them,” she said.

The movie is a project that Miley is excited about and a lot of the reason is because she won’t be wearing the blonde wig as much. “I think the movie is about just having the Hannah character not disappear, but kind of be put on the back burner for a minute and have Miley Stewart just really show her talent and also her ambitions and dreams and other things,” she said.

Once Miley hangs up the wig forever, she’ll look to do other project outside of the Disney family but, for now, she’s happy where she is. “I've been talking to people about some cool movies, but right now I mostly want to stay within my company and keep them happy, and keep everything that we're doing successful and focus on that,” she said.

If there’s one thing Miley wants her fans to know, it’s that she’s just a regular girl. According to the 15 year old, she stresses about the same things that everybody else does and combats that with a little late night snack!

Hannah Montana: Miley's Sticking With Disney

at 10:43 AM Posted： games

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus: Vanity Fair photo scandal made fans relate to me

at 10:40 AM Posted： games

By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
Last Updated: 3:03PM BST 28/06/2008
Miley Cyrus has said that her controversial Vanity Fair photoshoot by Annie Leibovitz boosted her appeal amongst young fans.

Vanity Fair
Miley Cyrus was unprepared for the scandal caused by this picture
The child star of Disney's Hannah Montana franchise caused a furore when she was pictured apparently topless beneath a satin wrap.

However, in a new interview with Billboard magazine, the 15-year-old said: "I was embarrassed but also it's like, every career thing that I do can't be perfect, and sometimes my decisions are wrong.

"I think that just makes me even more relatable. I don't think people will look at me any differently because they're like, 'You know what, I'm going to do stupid stuff too, and I'm going to make mistakes, and that's fine.'

Article continuesadvertisement
"It still hurts when I think about it - but, you know what, it doesn't mean that you can't move on."

Indeed, Cyrus is now attempting to take her career in a more mature direction.

She has released a "grown up" new album, Breakout.

And she plans to call it quits on Hannah Montana by the time she turns 18. "It will wrap up eventually. I mean, I won't be Hannah Montana by the time I'm 30. But we've only done two seasons, so we definitely want to work on that hopefully for another two years."

With her squeaky-clean image, Cyrus is held up as a role model to millions of young fans around the world.

She said: "It's something I've been super-blessed with, that I've had the opportunity to spread the light. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to make mistakes and do things that everyone's going to be happy with, because there's no such thing as perfection."

When the Vanity Fair pictures were made public, Cyrus issued a contrite statement apologising to her fans.

"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about," she said at the time.

Disney claimed the young singer and actress had been "deliberately manipulated" but Leibovitz defended the portraits, calling them "very beautiful" and claiming they had been misinterpreted.

Miley Cyrus and the Bizarre Life: Billy Ray Cyrus on Hannah Montana

at 10:39 AM Posted： games

By Christi Hall
Jul 6, 2008

How bizarre if the life of Miley Cyrus? The Internet photos princess is examined with each little urn thanks mostly to the popularity of her Disney series "Hannah Montana". Many fans adore Miley Cyrus but they are having trouble now with her growing pains as everything she does is scrutinized. She has felt the wrath of fans with very young girls that look up to Miley when her first racy pictures hit the World Wide Web.

Miley Cyrus and the Bizarre Life: Billy Ray Cyrus on Hannah Montana (Image: Wenn)

She was shown in all sorts of poses with boys and girls and some 22-year old guy (Miley Cyrus is still only fifteen years old) and some thought she was moving way too fast and they believed she was growing up at an alarming rate. See the photos linked here and judge for yourself, the first link is safe.

***

They wondered how long it would be before we saw full frontal photos as with Disney princess Vanessa Hudgens. (See those saucy snaps here and the first link is safe). But is this Miley's fault or is she just a normal fifteen-year-old girl? Mike Walker of the Enquirer notes this week that nothing is normal for Miley or her dad Billy Ray Cyrus.

He writes that as dad to near-billionaire Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus still can't believe his "bizarre life" - telling an interviewer that even when he's back at the family spread in Tennessee, kicking back with his 8 year old daughter Noah, the celebrity rat race still catches up with him.

***

Recalled Billy Ray: "Noah and I love to go down the creek and catch crawdads, and we live way out in the country, so I just put on a pair of Hawaiian swim trunks, no shoes and no shirt, with my big fat gut hangin' over my trunks. Well, we're catching these crawdads...and this photographer lady jumps out with a big bazooka lens and starts snapping away: pop, pop, pop, pop...she snaps about five shots in a row. It scared me."

He added, "I just didn't expect it that far out in the country. And my little girl says, 'Is that ("Vanity Fair" photog) Annie Leibovitz?' That's the bizarre life that I'm living."

Fourth Of July Weekend Ends With New Episodes Of "Hannah Montana" And "Army Wives"

at 10:38 AM Posted： games

July 6, 2008 10:11 p.m. EST

Jan Westmark - Celebrity News Service
New York, NY (CNS) - For television fans who want to relax at the end of their long Fourth of July weekend, they can sit back and enjoy several new shows Sunday night.

Here is what will be on Sunday night, according to the TV Squad:

At 7:45, Showtime2 has David Duchovny in "The TV Set."

At 8, CBS has a new "Million Dollar Password."

Miley Cyrus fans get ready - Disney has a new "Hannah Montana" at 8, then a new "Wizards of Waverly Place."

At 9, NBC has a new "Dateline."

PBS has a new "Masterpiece Theatre" at 9.

There's a new "Law and Order: CI" on USA at 9, followed by a new "In Plain Sight."

Warm up your vocal chords with TLC. They have a new "Singing Office" at 9.

HGTV will air a new "Design Star" at 9.

Food Network has a new "Iron Chef America" at 9, then a new "Next Food Network Star."

HBO offers "The Simpsons Movie" at 9.

Also at 9: Nickelodeon has a new "Nick News Special."

At 10, Lifetime has a new "Army Wives."

Spike has a new episode of "Factory" at 10.

At 11:30, Showtime has a new "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single."

Miley Cyrus Photos Scare: Hannah Montana Star Makes Changes

at 10:37 AM Posted： games

Miley Cyrus Photos Scare: Hannah Montana Star Makes Changes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Christi Hall
Jul 8, 2008

Miley Cyrus can be viewed online in a variety of poses that surely would not be approved of by Disney or many parents of her very young fans. The star of the Disney series Hannah Montana has posed provocatively for many of these racy pictures that include her lifting up her shirt, exposing herself playfully in some very MySpace like photos and in some of the snaps she is on a bed with a guy. Some fans have had it with the star and she may have grown up too hard and too fast for the tastes of some fans.

Miley Cyrus Photos Scare: Hannah Montana Star Makes Changes (Image: Wenn)

So she is making some changes after the photos scare has put a dent in her ratings on her cable show. It's been reported that Miley was pressured to give her cuddle buddy, Tom Sturges, the boot after intimate photos surfaced of the pair looking a little too cozy for a young teen role model.

***

According to an inside source cited by teen magazine J-14, "Nobody was happy about the pictures - not Miley's family, not Tom's and especially not Disney." Miley has since declared, "I don't want a boyfriend." Many times controversy will help sell stars to the public as the curiosity factor kicks in. It worked for Vanessa Hudgens when her leaked full frontal nude photos splashed online, but she was eighteen years old when she stripped down for Zac Efron (See the wild photos here and the first link is safe).

Will it eventually work for Miley? All of the links to the Miley Cyrus racy photos are here, but her younger fans and probably their parents are likely a bit hesitant and that might explain why some are furious over the scandal.