Ubisoft cues up Jam Sessions 2, Monster 4x4: Stunt Racer

Ubisoft's Jam Sessions took the rhythm-game genre in a different direction when it was released for the DS in 2007. Rather than matching the beat to prerecorded tunes as in Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Jam Sessions emphasized original song creation, giving players the tools to strum chords at their own pace. Today, Ubisoft announced that Jam Sessions 2 will pick up where its predecessor left off when it arrives for the DS and DSi this fall.

Plato will return for development duties on Jam Sessions 2. As noted by Ubisoft, the "guitar game" will serve as much as an educational tool as an entertainment product, focusing on enhancing gamers' playing skills and songwriting capabilities. As will be familiar to anyone who has ever attempted to learn an instrument, the game features a songbook with increasingly more complex rifts and techniques. Ubisoft also noted that players will be able to share their tunes.

Along with Jam Sessions 2, Ubisoft today announced that it would be bringing back its Monster 4x4 franchise with Stunt Racer for the Wii. Last seen in the critically panned Monster 4x4: World Circuit, Ubisoft's racing series drops gamers behind the wheel of vehicular behemoths across a breadth of exotic environments.

Stunt Racer offers seven different tracks that range from an inner-city construction zone to a remote canyon environment. Because realism isn't Ubisoft's primary focus with Stunt Racer, the publisher notes that players will be able to do backflips, barrel rolls, and more in their big-wheelers, as well as discover alternate routes by ascending walls. The game will include 50 different challenges and 30 side missions.

Ubisoft's driving game will also feature local split-screen play for up to four, with multiplayer modes including Racing, Freestyle Show-Off, and Last Man Standing. The game is expected to arrive for Nintendo's console this fall.