I know what you're going to be thinking... another week, another blog, another mention of Facebook.
The fact is I - like 98 per cent of my friends and, in fact people I know - still can't get enough of the social networking website.
I like to think I'm not addicted, that I'm able to last a few hours without wondering who's poked me (so to speak), or which friend from yesteryear is eager to rekindle a lost friendship.
Sadly I hold my hands up and admit... I'm a slave to the page.
Anyway, I haven't brought you here to brag about my latest addiction, I want to tell you about Facebook's brand new feature - Facebook Chat.
Working the same way as Microsoft's MSN messenger, at the click of a [mouse] button FB Chat allows you to open a new window and 'chat' to your mates. It also tells you how many of your friends are online at that time. Handy huh?
With way more features than msn messenger and its associated hotmail, it's sure to stoke up the fire in the war between the two.
Having used it I have to say it is much more user friendly - and it doesn't take ages to load up.
Meanwhile Google announced a new web chat service earlier this month.
HuddleChat (www.huddlechat.com) was designed to help people work together on projects.
It had been up for only a day before bloggers started complaining that it ripped off a similar service called Campfire (www.campfirenow.com); so HuddleChat was promptly taken offline.
Still, it did the job of advertising Google’s new App Engine system for building web-based software.
Also this week with the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 just under days away, games retailers are beginning to see how they can make the most of the hype surrounding the game, by bundling other items onto it.
Sony has already announced they’ll be releasing a special GTA IV PS3 bundle, and online retailer play.com has since said that for under £200 you’ll be able to get your hands on an Xbox 360 Premium console and a copy of GTA IV.
Expect more retailers to follow suit!
In the run up to GTA IV why not give these titles a blast?
Title: The World Ends With You
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action/RPG
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Taking inspiration from modern-day Japan, The World Ends With You is one of those fabulous games that combines cool graphics with slick game mechanics to produce a unique DS experience that turns the setting of traditional Action/RPGs on its head.
Gloriously garish graphics, funky Japanese pop tunes and a cracking storyline combined with creative combat sequences make for a must-have title on Nintendo’s dual screen that has style in abundance to make it stand out from the mediocre on game store shelves.
Title: UEFA Euro 2008
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Football
Price: £49.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Perhaps there would have been a little more excitement around the release of this title ahead of the big football event this summer had any of the home nations qualified for it.
But with EA’s FIFA engine behind this branded release there’s still cause for optimism as you can try to qualify your favourite nation, captain your country in pursuit of individual glory or enter in online tournaments.
It’s a great interim release ahead of FIFA 09 later this year and should keep football fans more than happy while they watch the real tournament unfold.
Title: Emergency Mayhem
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action/Driving
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 2/5
Feel the fast-paced action with the emergency services as you take control of the police, fire and paramedic departments, dashing around a city that has a strange kind of interpretation of what constitutes an emergency.
Whether it’s quelling the activities of out-of-control monkeys or bouncing escaping prisoners back into jail on a trampoline, the light-hearted mini-games that await you when you’ve dodged and weaved your way through traffic are amusing enough first time ’round.
However beyond that the simplicity of Emergency Mayhem will bore serious gamers soon enough, so it’s best left to young kids to tackle.
Title: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Price: £24.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Firstly, top marks have to go to the person who came up with the name of this title. Not too serious, just fun - which is exactly what a game should be after all.
And we're delighted to report the gameplay is just that. The game has classic B movie and comic book style looks which provide the perfect backdrop to an amusing - if a little barmy - storyline.
The side-scrolling adventure game sees three teenage zombies awoken from their graves by a particularly robust alien invasion.
They clamber out of their shallow graves yearning for a spot of lunch and find the invaders more than a perfect match.
Boasting a variety of mini games and brain teasers, the title is a sure fire hit.
Title: Time Crisis 4 (with gun)
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooter
Price: £69.99
Hit Count: 4/5
A well-oiled franchise that has fairly successfully made the leap from arcade to living room is now into its fourth offering, tying in with the release of the Guncon accessory for the PS3.
A match made in heaven? Well, it’s not a bad start.
The game itself offers a familiar premise, stay-on-the-rails shooting with oodles of enemies, the usual reload-and-cover system and a timer to keep you on your toes.
It’s all executed extremely well, although the introduction of a few off-rails, first-person-shooter levels could have been better.
The Guncon peripheral works really well – but only if you spend the time configuring it to your TV correctly! Do this, and you’ve got a cracking interactive shooter to tuck into.
Title: The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bathroom Interior Design Stuff
Platform: PC
Genre: Life Simulation
Price: £9.99
Hit Count: 3/5
It’s amazing what lengths people will go to to create the perfect virtual life on their PC, when they already have a real one to get excited about.
However, if you can’t make a go of it as a real-life interior designer, this expansion pack will give you everything you need to lead the lifestyle of Laurence Llewellyn Bowen!
Stylish refrigerators, graceful countertop basin sinks, designer rugs and much more are only the click of a mouse away for your Sims, and as long as you don’t get jealous over how much better their house is compared with yours, this is a valuable addition to your Sims collection.
Wednesday 23 April 2008
Friday 4 April 2008
Blu-Ray entertainment has a price
So another day another hugely expensive and pointless report telling us things we already knew.
The basis of this morning's report by Interpret LLC, a supposed leading new media research firm, is that people in the UK (as well as the US and Japan) are still preferring to buy normal DVDs rather than Blu-Ray hi-def discs.
And how long did it take for this concensus to be determined?
Given the massive difference in price between the two (you can pick up five standard DVDs for £30 while a single Blu-Ray disc costs around £30 to £40), it's pretty obvious this would be the case.
I have a Blu-Ray player and and a DVD player and I still buy normal DVDs. The price is reason enough.
Okay, Blu-Ray picture and sound quality is far superior but I'm not sure I want to pay so much more for it.
Besides, to gain the optimum Blu-Ray experience you need to spend thousands of pounds on a an HD TV, a cinema surround sound system, and a Blu Ray player itself.
The research surmises that 'increased title availability may be the key to increasing Blu-ray buy rates' but fails to mention the obvious factor.
Meanwhile, further proof of life imitating video games has come with scientists adopting the Nintendo Wii remote controller to operate military robots.
The 'Wiimote' control system detects the controllers’ movement in three dimensions using wireless technology.
It is used to detect players’ motion on games from golf and tennis to shoot-em-ups and fighting simulators.
Now two scientists in the US have adopted the technology for real-life warfare, a leading science magazine reported last week.
The US Department of Energy centre has adopted a mine-clearing robot to be directed by the Wii controller.
The Packbot, used by the US military, disposes of bombs and can even carry a machine gun.
The scientists found traditional controllers took up too much of the operator’s attention.
But they found using the Wiimote was more instinctive, allowing them to concentrate on the data the robot gathered.
The scientists also plan to use the Apple iPhone for military use. They say it could replace the laptops carried by soldiers to receive data from the robots.
A new strategy has also announced that video games will be forced to carry cinema-style age classifications to improve children’s safety in the digital age.
A psychologist has called for an overhaul of games classification.
At present, only games showing sex or gross violence require an age rating from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and less than 2 per cent carry an 18 certificate.
A new legally-binding system would ensure that every game is rated in the same way as films, with U (Universal), PG (Parental Guidance), 12, 15 and 18.
Here are the best games of the week:
Title: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Platform: PS3
Genre: Survival Horror
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
A spine-tingling sequel to the Xbox 360 smash-hit, Condemned 2 is another trip down a dark, supernatural storyline in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, the hero of the first title.
It won’t take you long to find out that this game is all about creepy scenarios, frenetic melee combat and a story with more paranormal bits and pieces to it than an episode of Most Haunted.
Combine the spooky ambience with improved forensic investigatory areas and you have a fine survival horror title on your hands, best played in the dark with the sound turned right up!
Title: Dark Sector
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Third-person shooters have to be pretty special to stand out from the crowd these days, and Dark Sector has a couple of tricks up its sleeve to make it well worth spending some time with.
The super-sharp steel Glaive (or boomerang) makes a refreshing change from guns galore as you battle your way through the usual host of marauding monsters before facing various big, bad bosses.
The control and cover system works extremely well, and this weapon is a dream to play with.
Couple that with some of the best graphics you’re likely to see on Xbox 360 and you have more than enough to make this worth seeking out.
Title: M&Ms Kart Racing
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Let’s get one thing straight from the off, no matter how bad this game is, it won’t stop the chocolates tasting as good as good as they always have. And there is the start and end of the good news.
This is a shocking kart-racer, stuck a decade behind its time, offering gamers absolutely nothing that they haven’t seen before, though no doubt more flawed than any comparison titles.
Confusing racetracks, but still ridiculously easy to win, and with a single-tuned sound track that will send you mad. Please just stick to eating M&Ms, rather than racing with them.
Title: Dora Saves The Mermaids
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
With both eyes firmly on the pre-school market, Dora is on a mermaid-saving mission, stopping an evil octopus from dumping rubbish in the ocean.
How can the under-5s achieve this? By completing a series of pretty simple mini-games, including obstacle courses and treasure-hunting, of course.
All of which is pretty simple, harmless fun, but is still unlikely to hold the attention of its target audience for too long.
The DS is capable of so much more, and this feels a little light for the price.
Title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: RPG
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Cracking characters, a wonderful world to explore and the kind of RPG adventure we’ve come to expect from the Final Fantasy stable, Ring of Fates is a welcome addition to Nintendo’s DS.
Although many of the battles are relatively straightforward in terms of hacking and slashing, there’s so much more on offer in the vast world you have to explore, backed up by some truly amazing handheld visuals and DS audio to die for.
Fans of Final Fantasy will already have this game earmarked, but everyone else should seriously consider a trip into this hugely enjoyable fantasy universe.
The basis of this morning's report by Interpret LLC, a supposed leading new media research firm, is that people in the UK (as well as the US and Japan) are still preferring to buy normal DVDs rather than Blu-Ray hi-def discs.
And how long did it take for this concensus to be determined?
Given the massive difference in price between the two (you can pick up five standard DVDs for £30 while a single Blu-Ray disc costs around £30 to £40), it's pretty obvious this would be the case.
I have a Blu-Ray player and and a DVD player and I still buy normal DVDs. The price is reason enough.
Okay, Blu-Ray picture and sound quality is far superior but I'm not sure I want to pay so much more for it.
Besides, to gain the optimum Blu-Ray experience you need to spend thousands of pounds on a an HD TV, a cinema surround sound system, and a Blu Ray player itself.
The research surmises that 'increased title availability may be the key to increasing Blu-ray buy rates' but fails to mention the obvious factor.
Meanwhile, further proof of life imitating video games has come with scientists adopting the Nintendo Wii remote controller to operate military robots.
The 'Wiimote' control system detects the controllers’ movement in three dimensions using wireless technology.
It is used to detect players’ motion on games from golf and tennis to shoot-em-ups and fighting simulators.
Now two scientists in the US have adopted the technology for real-life warfare, a leading science magazine reported last week.
The US Department of Energy centre has adopted a mine-clearing robot to be directed by the Wii controller.
The Packbot, used by the US military, disposes of bombs and can even carry a machine gun.
The scientists found traditional controllers took up too much of the operator’s attention.
But they found using the Wiimote was more instinctive, allowing them to concentrate on the data the robot gathered.
The scientists also plan to use the Apple iPhone for military use. They say it could replace the laptops carried by soldiers to receive data from the robots.
A new strategy has also announced that video games will be forced to carry cinema-style age classifications to improve children’s safety in the digital age.
A psychologist has called for an overhaul of games classification.
At present, only games showing sex or gross violence require an age rating from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and less than 2 per cent carry an 18 certificate.
A new legally-binding system would ensure that every game is rated in the same way as films, with U (Universal), PG (Parental Guidance), 12, 15 and 18.
Here are the best games of the week:
Title: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Platform: PS3
Genre: Survival Horror
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
A spine-tingling sequel to the Xbox 360 smash-hit, Condemned 2 is another trip down a dark, supernatural storyline in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, the hero of the first title.
It won’t take you long to find out that this game is all about creepy scenarios, frenetic melee combat and a story with more paranormal bits and pieces to it than an episode of Most Haunted.
Combine the spooky ambience with improved forensic investigatory areas and you have a fine survival horror title on your hands, best played in the dark with the sound turned right up!
Title: Dark Sector
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Third-person shooters have to be pretty special to stand out from the crowd these days, and Dark Sector has a couple of tricks up its sleeve to make it well worth spending some time with.
The super-sharp steel Glaive (or boomerang) makes a refreshing change from guns galore as you battle your way through the usual host of marauding monsters before facing various big, bad bosses.
The control and cover system works extremely well, and this weapon is a dream to play with.
Couple that with some of the best graphics you’re likely to see on Xbox 360 and you have more than enough to make this worth seeking out.
Title: M&Ms Kart Racing
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Let’s get one thing straight from the off, no matter how bad this game is, it won’t stop the chocolates tasting as good as good as they always have. And there is the start and end of the good news.
This is a shocking kart-racer, stuck a decade behind its time, offering gamers absolutely nothing that they haven’t seen before, though no doubt more flawed than any comparison titles.
Confusing racetracks, but still ridiculously easy to win, and with a single-tuned sound track that will send you mad. Please just stick to eating M&Ms, rather than racing with them.
Title: Dora Saves The Mermaids
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
With both eyes firmly on the pre-school market, Dora is on a mermaid-saving mission, stopping an evil octopus from dumping rubbish in the ocean.
How can the under-5s achieve this? By completing a series of pretty simple mini-games, including obstacle courses and treasure-hunting, of course.
All of which is pretty simple, harmless fun, but is still unlikely to hold the attention of its target audience for too long.
The DS is capable of so much more, and this feels a little light for the price.
Title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: RPG
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Cracking characters, a wonderful world to explore and the kind of RPG adventure we’ve come to expect from the Final Fantasy stable, Ring of Fates is a welcome addition to Nintendo’s DS.
Although many of the battles are relatively straightforward in terms of hacking and slashing, there’s so much more on offer in the vast world you have to explore, backed up by some truly amazing handheld visuals and DS audio to die for.
Fans of Final Fantasy will already have this game earmarked, but everyone else should seriously consider a trip into this hugely enjoyable fantasy universe.
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