It seems almost fitting that with the latest instalment of swashbuckling antics hitting our cinema screens that I write about pirates.
Now of course you're probably thinking to yourself 'what the hell does Johnny Depp have to do with a games and technology blog?'
Well, now I realise that it may be construed as a tedious link (and admittedly I dropped JD's name in there to attract the girlie readers) but I am of course referring to pirates as in piracy, as in people who copy DVDs/CDs etc.
Now I know that with this blog I am likely to come a cropper. All those people that believe that piracy actually does fund terrorism are probably going to want to torch my home for my outspoken thoughts.
Well, heck... what the hell.
Name me one home that you know that doesn't own a video or DVD recorder or a CD player? Name me one person that doesn't use that device to record from a terrestrial or satellite channel? Now name me one person who HASN'T lent a DVD/video or CD from time to time to a friend?
Surely recording for home use (which by law is allowed) and then lending it to a friend for their use (which by law isn't allowed) is a pretty pants ruling.
I mean, damn or be damned. Are we ALL pirates?
Personally (and here's the bottom line) I've got no problem with certain forms of piracy. Hell, when I was in Afghanistan last December with the city's commandos I picked up a pirated DVD copy of Casino Royale in an Afghan market for $2.
I don't care what that chap tells me every time I'm in the cinema staring up at the screen wondering when the 30 minutes of adverts are going to end.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that pirated DVD's picture quality was awesome, the sound was perfect and, it's possibly the best $2 I have ever spent. Much better in fact than the £7 I paid for entry to Vue to see that film with annoying flickers on the screen.
If you want a definition of irony picture this. We are told that piracy funds terrorism right...? So imagine a bunch of Afghans (some of whom who might possibly have a brother whose uncle once shook a member of the Taliban's hand) selling COPIED (pirated) DVDs direct to the British/American and NATO forces in a market pitched next to their base.
Is that right? In the grand scale of things which is more wrong...? A bloke selling a couple of copied DVDs at Stonehouse Creek car boot? Or half the British forces making the most of cheap pirated DVDs sold by the nation we are supposedly at war with?
I'll leave it up to you.
Meanwhile, I have a new addition to the Nichols home... A Sony PlayStation 3. After all the umming and ahhing I gave up trying to convince myself that it was too much money to spend and went for it.
It looks bling it plays like a dream and I am - no doubt - soon to be a single man.
It's graphically awesome, the sound is great but it has one snag. It has convinced me that I need an HD TV to run it through to make the most of what it can do. Oh well, simple things they say...
Got a minute? Try your hand at one of these...
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 5/5
Scoring highly on game title length alone, SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault is a bit of a beauty by all accounts.
Players can play as a single player, or one of four, in protecting America's shores from enemy attacks. Graphically the title rocks and its playability is pretty good and addictive. Best of all tho is the online co-op mode which sees you fighting alongside complete strangers. Brilliant!
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 2/5
Looking like a cross between Monkey Island and Shadow Warriors, the outlook was not looking good for this title.
However, after playing it I couldn't help but feel sorry for my devastating preview and reckon it deserves at least a one-star rating.
It's actually quite fun. The graphics are okay but it is the gameplay that bumps it up. You can explore any number of locations across America, and meet any number of historic and mythical characters.
If you have got a few quid to lose and fancy something that might flutter away a few hours then try it. Expect less and enjoy a lot.
Title: Wario: Master of Disguise
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Wario as a thief...? Hmmm.... Personally I'm not convinced by the series' appeal. This one sees him become a thief where players have to draw exotic locations and costumes.
A tad boring methinks.
Thursday 31 May 2007
Thursday 17 May 2007
May 17
"Hi, I hope you don't mind me emailing you... you seem really nice so I thought I'd stop by and say hi." Sound familiar? It should.
For the tens of millions of people all over the world with an internet connection, the likes of Myspace and Facebook are the current cool tools to play with.
I mean, why settle for chatting to your next door neighbour about the weather when you can chat on an instant messaging service with Tom from Venezuela about how to cook rice, or Jacky from Mexico about the surfing conditions in Tijuana?
Websites like the aforementioned are new social networks for all walks of life: the loner, the lover, the geek, and even the chic.
I have to admit I became sucked in about two years ago... and I've only just managed to crawl my way out.
It's like web heroin without the side affects (that is unless you count the loss of normal friends and the making of cyber friends as as downside).
Like many will tell you, it becomes addictive. So addictive that, when you wake, you begin wondering whether your new-found 'friends' in Australia, Africa or Tijuana are up and thinking the same as you.
Before you know it you've skipped breakfast, and lunch, and you're straight into a three-course conversation about nothing.
And that's the thing. When you begin making 'friends' and chatting to them on a regular basis, you don't really talk about anything.
'How's the weather in your world today?', 'When are you coming up to London?', What are you up to at the weekend?. It's all drivel really.
But that's doesn't matter in Myspace world. It's more knowing that there's someone on this planet living (possibly) on the other side of the world who wants to know a). what you're doing; and b). who you are.
It's nice to know you have friends.
Also if you're single then the likes of Myspace is the Holy Grail - it is the communicative tool that thousands (if not millions) of unlucky in love boys and girls have been waiting for.
But if reading this you are thinking 'hmmm... I might give it a go', be warned. Like every bus station and train carriage in the world, your Myspace or Facebook profile will attract the weirdos.
You know the sort, the people that come up to you and spurt off some random tosh about squirrels and jam or something.
In cyber world they multiply. They have a free roam to pop up and say hello to whoever they want no-holds-barred as whatever character or personality they wish.
A colleague mentioned in a conversation earlier that there are rumoured to be around 15,000 paedophiles that use Myspace. And I can believe it.
Many girls of all ages (and women for that matter) believe posting pictures of themselves half naked will result in them attracting more 'friends'.
Agreed it ultimately will, but everyone and I mean EVERYONE can look at them, make a comment, and pass on to other friends.
It's scary but true.
That said to the millions upon millions of us who appreciate the site and use it for its main purpose - to meet 'nice' people, love it.
Personally I love Myspace for the music. That is the social glue that holds it together for me.
A band or solo performer sends you a friend request, you click on it and bang, you can experience a whole new sound that the world's record labels haven't discovered yet.
Like the Arctic Monkeys (who used the site to spread the word and ultimately launch their career) it makes gods of mere men.
Look hard enough and you'll also find the celebrities... or at least they sound and seem like the celebrities you and I know.
Is it Will Ferrell? Is that really Madonna? Would Kate Moss REALLY post those pictures of herself and take the mickey so much...?
Only they know the answer because so many people make up profiles to make themselves popular. Weird isn't it?!
One person that I know is very real, and really very nice, is former Eastenders actress and Bend It Like Beckham star Pooja Shah.
Pooja sent me a friend request last year and we've remained 'friends' ever since discussing her career etc.
The likes of Myspace are mindless fun for the new generation of web users.
Click on, tune in, drop out...
If you can pull yourself away from your new 'friends' then why not try out these...
Title: God of War II
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
If blood, gore and violence is your bag then you're going to love the return of God of War. Full to the brim of action, the hit saga of 2005 returns in fantastic form.
The story follows Kratos looking for an escape from his ultimate fate as the latest god of war.
Will he make the journey or will he fall foul of just about every mythological creature in the creepiest of creepy books. Your call...
Title: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Get ready for what just could be the best Ratchet & Clank game ever released - on the Sony PSP.
Sony's favourite platform duo return in portable form in fantastic form in a version which looks a thousands times different from its old PS2 format.
The humour remains, as does the playability. However this one focuses more on the two characters and their story rather than the preferred online team battles.
It's a welcome relief and one which is aided by cutesy graphics.
For the tens of millions of people all over the world with an internet connection, the likes of Myspace and Facebook are the current cool tools to play with.
I mean, why settle for chatting to your next door neighbour about the weather when you can chat on an instant messaging service with Tom from Venezuela about how to cook rice, or Jacky from Mexico about the surfing conditions in Tijuana?
Websites like the aforementioned are new social networks for all walks of life: the loner, the lover, the geek, and even the chic.
I have to admit I became sucked in about two years ago... and I've only just managed to crawl my way out.
It's like web heroin without the side affects (that is unless you count the loss of normal friends and the making of cyber friends as as downside).
Like many will tell you, it becomes addictive. So addictive that, when you wake, you begin wondering whether your new-found 'friends' in Australia, Africa or Tijuana are up and thinking the same as you.
Before you know it you've skipped breakfast, and lunch, and you're straight into a three-course conversation about nothing.
And that's the thing. When you begin making 'friends' and chatting to them on a regular basis, you don't really talk about anything.
'How's the weather in your world today?', 'When are you coming up to London?', What are you up to at the weekend?. It's all drivel really.
But that's doesn't matter in Myspace world. It's more knowing that there's someone on this planet living (possibly) on the other side of the world who wants to know a). what you're doing; and b). who you are.
It's nice to know you have friends.
Also if you're single then the likes of Myspace is the Holy Grail - it is the communicative tool that thousands (if not millions) of unlucky in love boys and girls have been waiting for.
But if reading this you are thinking 'hmmm... I might give it a go', be warned. Like every bus station and train carriage in the world, your Myspace or Facebook profile will attract the weirdos.
You know the sort, the people that come up to you and spurt off some random tosh about squirrels and jam or something.
In cyber world they multiply. They have a free roam to pop up and say hello to whoever they want no-holds-barred as whatever character or personality they wish.
A colleague mentioned in a conversation earlier that there are rumoured to be around 15,000 paedophiles that use Myspace. And I can believe it.
Many girls of all ages (and women for that matter) believe posting pictures of themselves half naked will result in them attracting more 'friends'.
Agreed it ultimately will, but everyone and I mean EVERYONE can look at them, make a comment, and pass on to other friends.
It's scary but true.
That said to the millions upon millions of us who appreciate the site and use it for its main purpose - to meet 'nice' people, love it.
Personally I love Myspace for the music. That is the social glue that holds it together for me.
A band or solo performer sends you a friend request, you click on it and bang, you can experience a whole new sound that the world's record labels haven't discovered yet.
Like the Arctic Monkeys (who used the site to spread the word and ultimately launch their career) it makes gods of mere men.
Look hard enough and you'll also find the celebrities... or at least they sound and seem like the celebrities you and I know.
Is it Will Ferrell? Is that really Madonna? Would Kate Moss REALLY post those pictures of herself and take the mickey so much...?
Only they know the answer because so many people make up profiles to make themselves popular. Weird isn't it?!
One person that I know is very real, and really very nice, is former Eastenders actress and Bend It Like Beckham star Pooja Shah.
Pooja sent me a friend request last year and we've remained 'friends' ever since discussing her career etc.
The likes of Myspace are mindless fun for the new generation of web users.
Click on, tune in, drop out...
If you can pull yourself away from your new 'friends' then why not try out these...
Title: God of War II
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
If blood, gore and violence is your bag then you're going to love the return of God of War. Full to the brim of action, the hit saga of 2005 returns in fantastic form.
The story follows Kratos looking for an escape from his ultimate fate as the latest god of war.
Will he make the journey or will he fall foul of just about every mythological creature in the creepiest of creepy books. Your call...
Title: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Get ready for what just could be the best Ratchet & Clank game ever released - on the Sony PSP.
Sony's favourite platform duo return in portable form in fantastic form in a version which looks a thousands times different from its old PS2 format.
The humour remains, as does the playability. However this one focuses more on the two characters and their story rather than the preferred online team battles.
It's a welcome relief and one which is aided by cutesy graphics.
Thursday 10 May 2007
May 10
It sounds like one of the oldest jokes in the world - but there's actually truth in the fiction.
Scenario: An English businessman walks into a Japanese bar, he would like to order a drink but he doesn't know the language and the barman only speaks Japanese.
There are any number of predictable punchlines that could follow this story, however, all is not at it seems.
A few tippy taps on his phone and the phone itself speaks to the barman.
British company Echo Translator has developed the first application of its kind to deliver an instant native voice output from a convenient on screen menu, which includes 25 languages.
And it's SERIOUSLY cool.
(And here's the techie bit)... Using Echo Phraselogic technology phone customers can speak, learn and instantly interact with people of different cultures and tongues, without any prior knowledge of the foreign language.
Available for Windows Mobile or Java handsets, the Echo Translator is available to download FREE and try from www.echotranslator.com/.
Echo Travel Basics is free and Echo Travel Pro with more than 10,000 possible phrase combinations can be subscribed to weekly, monthly or purchased outright providing an on-device, personal and convenient alternative to phrase books and classical forms of language education.
Meanwhile... Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet?
Sooner or later, you will - and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks on the website www.msn.com.
I was just browsing around the other day and discovered a whole bunch of answers to questions I didn't even know I had.
Here's the best from my desk this week:
Title: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: The latest instalment in the Command & Conquer series explodes quite literally onto the scene with style.
Boasting much improved state-of-the-art graphics, voiceovers by real (apparently) Hollywood actors and quality sound effects, it is the best C&C yet.
C&C's unique Real-time Strategy approach set the standard and with this new title the developers have shown they are on a role.
Further plus points of the game are that it will not be one that you complete over night, nor will you grow bored in a few minutes.
However you have to be fairly used to the controls and storyline of the original game to feel completely immersed in it.
The fate of the planet - and indeed humanity - is in your hands... fancy a challenge?
Title: Lineage II: Interlude & 15 Day Time Card bundle
Platform: PC (DVD)
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Exotic creatures, epic battles and dramatic lands are promised in the ever-growing fantasy world of Lineage II.
Given its ingredients it might sound like your local newspaper offices but no - this is the realm of imagination.
Continuing on with the massive multi-player online role playing game, players are offered unrivalled gaming experience in a strange new world.
While it may be the coolest thing since sliced bread for many, I found it actually all too much.
Scenario: An English businessman walks into a Japanese bar, he would like to order a drink but he doesn't know the language and the barman only speaks Japanese.
There are any number of predictable punchlines that could follow this story, however, all is not at it seems.
A few tippy taps on his phone and the phone itself speaks to the barman.
British company Echo Translator has developed the first application of its kind to deliver an instant native voice output from a convenient on screen menu, which includes 25 languages.
And it's SERIOUSLY cool.
(And here's the techie bit)... Using Echo Phraselogic technology phone customers can speak, learn and instantly interact with people of different cultures and tongues, without any prior knowledge of the foreign language.
Available for Windows Mobile or Java handsets, the Echo Translator is available to download FREE and try from www.echotranslator.com/.
Echo Travel Basics is free and Echo Travel Pro with more than 10,000 possible phrase combinations can be subscribed to weekly, monthly or purchased outright providing an on-device, personal and convenient alternative to phrase books and classical forms of language education.
Meanwhile... Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet?
Sooner or later, you will - and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks on the website www.msn.com.
I was just browsing around the other day and discovered a whole bunch of answers to questions I didn't even know I had.
Here's the best from my desk this week:
Title: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: The latest instalment in the Command & Conquer series explodes quite literally onto the scene with style.
Boasting much improved state-of-the-art graphics, voiceovers by real (apparently) Hollywood actors and quality sound effects, it is the best C&C yet.
C&C's unique Real-time Strategy approach set the standard and with this new title the developers have shown they are on a role.
Further plus points of the game are that it will not be one that you complete over night, nor will you grow bored in a few minutes.
However you have to be fairly used to the controls and storyline of the original game to feel completely immersed in it.
The fate of the planet - and indeed humanity - is in your hands... fancy a challenge?
Title: Lineage II: Interlude & 15 Day Time Card bundle
Platform: PC (DVD)
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Exotic creatures, epic battles and dramatic lands are promised in the ever-growing fantasy world of Lineage II.
Given its ingredients it might sound like your local newspaper offices but no - this is the realm of imagination.
Continuing on with the massive multi-player online role playing game, players are offered unrivalled gaming experience in a strange new world.
While it may be the coolest thing since sliced bread for many, I found it actually all too much.
Thursday 3 May 2007
May 3
Train passengers and rail staff may soon have on-board internet connections.
Train operators and service providers from all over the world will meet in London next month to discuss progress in providing passengers and rail staff with the service.
The conference, which is being organised by technology consultancy BWCS, will focus on the means and the benefits of supplying broadband signals to trains.
Train Communications 2007 will examine the ways that new technologies are dramatically altering on-board communications systems.
Despite great progress in this sector and in the face of overwhelming public demand for such services, only a handful of train companies have so far managed to supply customers with an internet connection.
The latest example of this is the Heathrow Express, which now allows passengers to hook up to the internet as they travel between Paddington and London's major airport.
The response to this conference, which builds on a similar event last year organised by BWCS, has shown that there is tremendous interest in this topic amongst transport and companies and technology suppliers around the world.
One of the major themes of this year's conference will be the uses that operators can make of on-board train access to assist in security, safety and reducing staff costs. Delegates will discuss such issues as on-board CCTV being wirelessly relayed from train to trackside and wireless ticketing services.
The speakers will provide first hand accounts of the problems and pitfalls that can befall operators and explain how these can successfully be avoided and overcome. The proponents of all the main wireless access technologies will debate their strategies and solutions as well as discuss the future development of the industry.
Among those presenting at Train Communications Systems 2007 will be: Virgin Trains, Capitol Corridors Joint Power Authority (US Train Operator), VIA Rail (Canada), Swiss Rail, NSB (Norwegian Rail), GNER, Nokia Siemens Networks, Lloyd?s Register Rail, NS Trains, Icomera, Nomad Digital, T-Systems and many more.
Over two days, a combination of interactive workshops, panel sessions, presentations and networking sessions will explore the commercial and technical issues arising from the deployment of train WiFi around the world as well as other newer applications developed as wireless broadband on trains becomes a reality.
Train Communications 2007 will be held in central London on the 6th and 7th of June 2007.
Meanwhile, news from across the pond...
A cable television company has launched an investigation after small children ended up watching hardcore porn when they tuned into their favourite cartoon on the Disney Channel.
Paul Dunleavy, a Middletown, New Jersey, subscriber to cable giant Comcast, was stunned on Tuesday morning to find his five-year-old son watching something other than Handy Manny, a cartoon show about a bilingual Latino handyman and his talking tools.
"It was two people doing their thing, it was full-on and it was disgusting," the father-of-three told The New York Daily News.
"I couldn't believe it. We try to do the right thing to protect our kids from this stuff, and then they broadcast it on children?s TV."
Comcast spokesman Fred DeAndrea said last night that the programming error had occurred at around 9.30am on Tuesday. He described it as an "isolated issue in a local New Jersey facility".
Um... anyway, got a minute this week? Try your hand at these:
Title: Guitar Hero II with X-Plorer Guitar Controller
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £69.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Choosing to give any game top marks is a hard choice - especially when developers constantly up the stakes to outsell each other.
Thankfully though this was an easy choice given its style, look and overall fun factor.
Guitar Hero II is truly rock and roll. It's unique, tricky and ultimately MASSIVELY addictive! The cornerstone of it though is the fab guitar (ok it may not have the exact look of a Gibson or truly wail like a Strat but it works) which takes a bit of getting used to, but is paramount to fun.
Choose from a wild group of rockers and jam at concert venues that grow in size as your rock career progresses. Play with a friend and shred riffs cooperatively, or go head-to-head in multiplayer modes like Pro Face-Off.
Boasting over 70 songs (ranging from Heart-Shaped Box, Killing in the Name, Sweet Child O' Mine You Really Got Me and War Pigs to name but a few, the soundtrack is also a killer. With Xbox Live you can also grab new songs, themes, and picture packs and download exclusive songs and check where you rank on the Guitar Hero II leaderboard.
Like it, love it!
Title: ANCIENT WARS: SPARTA
Platform: PC
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Ancient Wars: Sparta is based on the history of the ancient ages and their main nations. Spartans, Persians and Egyptians are fighting for influence around Asia Minor, Europe and North Africa.
Following historical events, the action takes place with different campaigns for all three races.
Sparta represents 3D strategy in real time with the newly developed Ancient Wars Engine (AWE), where the player will have to use each nation's powers to be superior over other competitors and build up a dominant culture and civilisation.
The main emphasis is on large-scaled battles and complex tactical manoeuvres.
Players can strategically equip soldiers with weapons of choice. Warriors can be equipped with weapons and shields, can be put on horses or on chariots and be given special abilities.
The player can collect abandoned weapons after battles or import powerful weapons from other cultures to build special units.
Fire, Wind etc. will effect the whole environment. Cities can be upgraded and turned to fortresses, workers gather resources to ensure a safe economy.
Ancient Wars: Sparta offers RTS fans all their favourite gameplay with a vast variety of new features and innovative options.
Title: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: The Shin Megami Tensei series has been incredibly well received throughout a number of releases in Japan.
Devil Summoner heralds an exciting departure for the series with a much more action orientated gaming experience.
Featuring a brand new 3rd person viewpoint and a stunning new historical setting, this latest installment pulls out all the stops to provide gamers with an intriguingly dark and incredibly involving RPG adventure.
Set within a stunningly realized early 1900's Japan, Devil Summoner exudes class and style through incredible settings, remarkable characters and an overall atmosphere that will evoke a sense of early Victorian locales and Sherlock Holmes style detective work.
Train operators and service providers from all over the world will meet in London next month to discuss progress in providing passengers and rail staff with the service.
The conference, which is being organised by technology consultancy BWCS, will focus on the means and the benefits of supplying broadband signals to trains.
Train Communications 2007 will examine the ways that new technologies are dramatically altering on-board communications systems.
Despite great progress in this sector and in the face of overwhelming public demand for such services, only a handful of train companies have so far managed to supply customers with an internet connection.
The latest example of this is the Heathrow Express, which now allows passengers to hook up to the internet as they travel between Paddington and London's major airport.
The response to this conference, which builds on a similar event last year organised by BWCS, has shown that there is tremendous interest in this topic amongst transport and companies and technology suppliers around the world.
One of the major themes of this year's conference will be the uses that operators can make of on-board train access to assist in security, safety and reducing staff costs. Delegates will discuss such issues as on-board CCTV being wirelessly relayed from train to trackside and wireless ticketing services.
The speakers will provide first hand accounts of the problems and pitfalls that can befall operators and explain how these can successfully be avoided and overcome. The proponents of all the main wireless access technologies will debate their strategies and solutions as well as discuss the future development of the industry.
Among those presenting at Train Communications Systems 2007 will be: Virgin Trains, Capitol Corridors Joint Power Authority (US Train Operator), VIA Rail (Canada), Swiss Rail, NSB (Norwegian Rail), GNER, Nokia Siemens Networks, Lloyd?s Register Rail, NS Trains, Icomera, Nomad Digital, T-Systems and many more.
Over two days, a combination of interactive workshops, panel sessions, presentations and networking sessions will explore the commercial and technical issues arising from the deployment of train WiFi around the world as well as other newer applications developed as wireless broadband on trains becomes a reality.
Train Communications 2007 will be held in central London on the 6th and 7th of June 2007.
Meanwhile, news from across the pond...
A cable television company has launched an investigation after small children ended up watching hardcore porn when they tuned into their favourite cartoon on the Disney Channel.
Paul Dunleavy, a Middletown, New Jersey, subscriber to cable giant Comcast, was stunned on Tuesday morning to find his five-year-old son watching something other than Handy Manny, a cartoon show about a bilingual Latino handyman and his talking tools.
"It was two people doing their thing, it was full-on and it was disgusting," the father-of-three told The New York Daily News.
"I couldn't believe it. We try to do the right thing to protect our kids from this stuff, and then they broadcast it on children?s TV."
Comcast spokesman Fred DeAndrea said last night that the programming error had occurred at around 9.30am on Tuesday. He described it as an "isolated issue in a local New Jersey facility".
Um... anyway, got a minute this week? Try your hand at these:
Title: Guitar Hero II with X-Plorer Guitar Controller
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £69.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Choosing to give any game top marks is a hard choice - especially when developers constantly up the stakes to outsell each other.
Thankfully though this was an easy choice given its style, look and overall fun factor.
Guitar Hero II is truly rock and roll. It's unique, tricky and ultimately MASSIVELY addictive! The cornerstone of it though is the fab guitar (ok it may not have the exact look of a Gibson or truly wail like a Strat but it works) which takes a bit of getting used to, but is paramount to fun.
Choose from a wild group of rockers and jam at concert venues that grow in size as your rock career progresses. Play with a friend and shred riffs cooperatively, or go head-to-head in multiplayer modes like Pro Face-Off.
Boasting over 70 songs (ranging from Heart-Shaped Box, Killing in the Name, Sweet Child O' Mine You Really Got Me and War Pigs to name but a few, the soundtrack is also a killer. With Xbox Live you can also grab new songs, themes, and picture packs and download exclusive songs and check where you rank on the Guitar Hero II leaderboard.
Like it, love it!
Title: ANCIENT WARS: SPARTA
Platform: PC
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Ancient Wars: Sparta is based on the history of the ancient ages and their main nations. Spartans, Persians and Egyptians are fighting for influence around Asia Minor, Europe and North Africa.
Following historical events, the action takes place with different campaigns for all three races.
Sparta represents 3D strategy in real time with the newly developed Ancient Wars Engine (AWE), where the player will have to use each nation's powers to be superior over other competitors and build up a dominant culture and civilisation.
The main emphasis is on large-scaled battles and complex tactical manoeuvres.
Players can strategically equip soldiers with weapons of choice. Warriors can be equipped with weapons and shields, can be put on horses or on chariots and be given special abilities.
The player can collect abandoned weapons after battles or import powerful weapons from other cultures to build special units.
Fire, Wind etc. will effect the whole environment. Cities can be upgraded and turned to fortresses, workers gather resources to ensure a safe economy.
Ancient Wars: Sparta offers RTS fans all their favourite gameplay with a vast variety of new features and innovative options.
Title: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: The Shin Megami Tensei series has been incredibly well received throughout a number of releases in Japan.
Devil Summoner heralds an exciting departure for the series with a much more action orientated gaming experience.
Featuring a brand new 3rd person viewpoint and a stunning new historical setting, this latest installment pulls out all the stops to provide gamers with an intriguingly dark and incredibly involving RPG adventure.
Set within a stunningly realized early 1900's Japan, Devil Summoner exudes class and style through incredible settings, remarkable characters and an overall atmosphere that will evoke a sense of early Victorian locales and Sherlock Holmes style detective work.
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