With each passing day it seems that more and more people are embracing the web in ever increasing ways.
About two weeks ago an internet website bought the rights to show one of the last England World Cup qualifying games (after Setanta went bust).
This meant that instead of people flocking around a TV for the big match, they instead flocked around a lap top or monitor.
That was a first. And it was weird.
Everyone knows the best phone deals are found online and, mostly, products and goods are cheaper with free delivery.
You can buy gadgets now where you can download books to avoid carrying around novels.Sky is launching a bid to conquer the growing online music market.
And more and more musical acts are deciding to launch digital albums instead of actual CD albums or singles.
They say they are “embracing the new age” but one might question how much money they are saving on not packaging their goods.
This week Irish rockers U2 are to make internet history by broadcasting an entire gig on the web live from the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California.
The show will go out on video- sharing site youtube.com to millions of fans for free this Sunday (October 25).
In an interview U2’s manager, Paul McGuinness, said: “The band has wanted to do something like this for a long time.
“As we’re filming the Los Angeles show, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium.
“Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 – this time U2 can go to them, globally.”
The gig will begin at 3.30am GMT, 8.30pm LA time and 12.30pm in Tokyo and is the first time a show of this size will be streamed live.
YouTube is confident the site can handle the millions of fans expected to log on, while those who miss it can watch two replays of the full concert immediately afterwards.Fans will also have access to instant messaging network Twitter while watching the show.
Personally I don’t know if I like all the focus on the web.Everything is becoming interactive to the point of oblivion.
A CD or a DVD is not just that anymore.
They are portals to new digital worlds. Yes, we inevitably get more for our money but when will it end? I doubt it will.
Here’s the best games of the last fortnight:
Title: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Uncharted’s first Indiana Jones-style arcade adventure was something of a surprise hit on PS3, coming out of nowhere as an all-new franchise to wow gamers with incredible visuals, all-action storytelling and expertly-executed enemy combat and AI.
To top that would be some feat, but those developers at Naughty Dog have only gone and done it, fine-tuning the single-player experience to a point where this is now one of the top action titles on the system, with a truly incredible multiplayer mode that would be worth the price of the game on its own.
Everything you’d expect is there in abundance – an engaging story, jaw-dropping graphics, refined combat – while co-operative and competitive modes each play just as well as the main single-player story.
If you haven’t played the first game, buy it and then buy this. For all other existing Uncharted fans, breathe easy, it looks like the series is in very safe hands.
Title: Fallout 3: Game Of The Year Edition
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: RPG
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Fallout 3 can only be described as a video-game epic that’s going to engross and astound PS3 gamers all over again this winter.
Post-apocalyptic Washington DC is the setting for the main, huge, incredible RPG experience, where every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders and the many other dangers of the Wasteland.
Liam Neeson acts as the lead character’s father and brings a superb dramatic tone to proceedings, but one glance at the sheer size, visual splendour and audio quality of Fallout 3 will have you scrabbling around for superlatives of your own.
The Game Of The Year Edition essentially adds all of the expansion packs onto one disc, so there’s another five ways to extend your playing time, through the storylines of Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta.
These add-ons vary in quality, but for an all-encompassing RPG heavyweight on one disc, for under £40, you’re on a winner whichever way you look at it.
Title: Up
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 3/5
Up has been trumpeted as the biggest and best Disney/Pixar movie release since Toy Story.
High praise indeed for the high-flying adventures of Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick, Wilderness Explorer Russell, but can the video game meet similarly high expectations?
In a word, no, but fans of the film will find more than enough to keep them entertained for a little longer.
Here you take charge of the four main characters from the movie – Carl, Russell, Dug the lovable dog or Kevin the prehistoric bird – while also enjoying the choice of playing as a single player or with a friend co-operatively throughout the entire game.
It’s predominantly a fun 3D platformer with a few puzzles and beasties to get the better of along the way, and special items such as Carl’s hearing aid and Russell’s trumpet have their own fun uses, too.
While there’s nothing new about what’s been done here, the kids will still love it – and perhaps that statement stands true for the film, too.
Title: Motorstorm: Arctic Edge
Platform: PSP
Genre: RacingPrice: £24.99
Hit count: 4/5
The first of two very different racing games battling for your PSP’s attention this week, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge picks up where the PS3 versions left off, with an off-road racing rampage – this time in Alaska’s Arctic Circle, where sub-zero hazards, unpredictable terrain and reckless rivals ensure no two laps are ever the same.
Twelve reversible, multi-route tracks will test even the most skilful of Motorstorm fans, who will also be dying to get their hands on the two new Snowmachine and Snowcat vehicles – perfect for cutting through the tricky terrain.
As a single-player game and with wireless multiplayer, Arctic Edge does an incredible job of recreating a fab franchise on the smaller, less powerful PSP, and should be considered one of the best games of its kind on this system.
It’s insane off-road racing at its best, and a great racer for gamers on the go.
Title: Gran Turismo
Platform: PSP
Genre: Racing
Price: £24.99
Hit count: 4/5
Can you believe it’s a staggering 11 years since the very first Gran Turismo wowed first-generation Playstation owners?
A decade on, and the power of the PSP now means that an unbelievable 800 vehicles and 35 tracks (all playable backwards) have now been crammed on to one tiny UMD, giving portable gamers the widest choice possible when it comes to virtual racing.
But choice is one thing - and gameplay quality is another entirely.
Would we have sacrificed some of these cars and tracks for a cracking career mode, which is very conspicuous by its absence? Absolutely.
Graphically, this is a stunning achievement and you really won’t believe your eyes when you first start playing. But behind the endless garage and jaw-dropping environments, GT aficionados will still have a little empty feeling – one that Gran Turismo 5 will hopefully more than satisfy next year.
Title: NHL 10
Platform: PS3
Genre: Ice Hockey
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
With a staggering 19 sports game of the year awards over the past two years, the NHL franchise boasts some serious credentials.
Anyone who played its predecessor will have already sampled the bone-crunchingly realistic recreation of hockey on the ice and in the arena.
Of course, the challenge from 09 is to refine and tweak to a degree that loyal fans can’t live without the latest version, and newcomers are instantly converted into hardcore fans.
Well, more than 200 gameplay enhancements, including a new first-person fighting engine that enables you to trade punches with an NHL tough guy, all move the experience on a notch. The core gameplay mechanics are just as fresh and responsive as they ever were.
If you’re an 09 owner, it’s got just enough new content to justify a full-blown purchase, and all other gamers should buy this immediately.
Title: Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
It seems people will never tire of the vast Star Wars world, with new adventures springing up all the time to satisfy the appetite for Jedi action.
nd here, the animated Clone Wars style is admirably recreated on Xbox 360, offering a family-friendly action experience for everyone to enjoy.
With the choice of Jedi or clone class for your character, it’s a toss up between lightsabre and more traditional firepower.
As you might imagine, your hunt for the mysterious techno adversary is action-packed with wave after wave of droids to dispatch, and with a neat upgrade system working in the background the later powers you acquire can be a hoot to dish out on the unsuspecting enemies.
Built around two-player co-operative play, Republic Heroes presents pretty much everything you could ask for from a Star Wars title: thrills, spills, authentic characters and powers, and a spine-tingling soundtrack to boot.
GAMES CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. FIFA 10
2.Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
3. Need For Speed: Shift
4. Professor Layton And Pandora’s Box
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Halo 3: ODST
7. Gran Turismo
8. Wii Fit
9. Mario Kart Wii
10. Guitar Hero 5
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
Tuesday 20 October 2009
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Battle of the Titans
SO CHELSEA may well be top of the Premiership having beaten Liverpool at the weekend.
But there’s only one match that gamers are gearing up for next – Fifa 10 versus Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.
They say there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
And with our (once again) abismal summer the only thing to look forward to is the annual play off between Electronic Arts and Konami.
It’s worth pointing out right now that I sit firmly in the Pro camp.
Always have.
But that may well be about to change.I got my hands on a copy of Fifa 10 last week and it’s safe to say it rocked my world.
It has been given a very serious makeover with life-like actions, awesome gameplay and great sound effects.
Manager Mode has returned and the developers have made dozens of improvements.
The one aspect I REALLY like is that teams are updated weekly (via the web) to update players’ injuries and team form.
On the other hand I’ve just downloaded the free playable download of PES 2010.
The free demo showcases the full game’s exhibition mode and users can select from Liverpool, or Barcelona, or the Spanish, Italian, French and German national sides.
The selected sides can then be played against the CPU or a friend in a five-minute match.On first impression the graphics rival Fifa’s.
The individual menu screens look awesome with a new makeover and the pre-match in-tunnel scenes look incredibly realistic.
The music (if you could call it that on the previous releases) has been vastly upgraded with the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs lending their tunes to the title.
But, and this is a temporary but before I experience the full game (released on October 23rd), the gameplay seems slower.
I don’t know why but it just doesn’t seem to flow with pace.Sure there was a vast difference when you played third-rate teams compared to say top national sides, but even with Liverpool versus Barcelona it seemed... tired.
I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. My own brother thinks I am but we’ll see.
I’m still holding out to see whether the online glitches have disappeared to make my official rating.
But it’s safe to say that Fifa has raised the bar a fair way.
Here’s the Fifa review and that of several others released this week:
Title: FIFA 10
Platform: PS3
Genre: Football
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
WELL, put it this way, the boys at Konami are going to have to pull off a comeback of Man Utd vs Bayern Munich in 1999 proportions to have any chance of winning this season's battle of the heavyweight football sims.
FIFA has been improving significantly in recent years, while the Pro Evolution stable has stalled, and this latest EA offering has got the lot.
From improvements in on-the-pitch action such as better ball control, passing, dribbling and player positioning to the triumphant return of the Manager Mode, boasting over 50 major improvements on a list too detailed to go through here.
Rest assured, the realism is there like never before, and everything is polished to a high standard.
This is a shining example of a developer listening to player feedback and giving them a finely-tuned, superb football simulation that they somehow have to top next year.
Over to you, Pro Evo.
Title: Family Trainer: Extreme Challenge (with mat controller)
Platform: Wii
Genre: Sports
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
After the extremely enjoyable Outdoor Challenge comes this year's 'Extreme' offering, giving parents the opportunity to let their children experience the adrenalin rush of base-jumping and street-luge without the broken bones and ludicrous life insurance premiums.
The 12 or so activities available all stick tightly to the 'extreme' niche-sports theme, with wakeboarding, rock climbing, kite surfing, BMX biking and skateboarding thrown into the mix.
A good variety in gameplay on each activity will have you interacting with the Wii Remote and 8-buttoned custom mat in many different ways, and there's no doubt that this will keep your calorie count down if you or the kids are watching your waistlines.
And, of course, you can play it together, banishing any lingering preconceptions of gaming as just a lonesome life in a darkened room - this is extreme gaming, so get stuck in!
Title: The King of Fighters XII
Platform: PS3
Genre: Arcade
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Remember the legendary arcade beat-em-up Street Fighter? Well, this is on a par.
KOF XII serves up 22 characters each with their own unique moves and styles in a stunning 2D production incorporating all-new, high-resolution fighters.
With every production house seemingly trying to out do each other with graphics and gameplay – almost trying to reinvent the wheel – it’s actually a breath of fresh air to play something which is new, but has a retro feel.
KOF XII is fast and furious fun for any game fan.
The only real snag is that it seems to be very easy to complete - even on normal mode despite the fact I've never played it before. Still, I don't mind going back and replaying.
Title: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action / RPG
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Hailed as ‘the greatest superhero action/RPG of all time’, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is back with the biggest and best army of heroes and villains to date.
The choice on offer is really impressive, as you can create and customize your dream team from the Marvel Universe, selecting from more than 24 playable characters, each with specialized powers which gradually level-up in traditional RPG style as you progress through the game.
The 250-plus fusion attacks are a blast as, for example, you team up Human Torch and Thor to create a spectacular fiery tornado.
This all sucks you in even further to the incredible Marvel world, plus brings a real tactical element to co-operative multiplayer, which you can experience online with three friends.
Compared with the first Ultimate Alliance release, there's probably not a whole lot that's new here.
The overall polishing up and tweaking, however, make this a Marvel adventure well worth revisiting.
Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Here's another comic-book crew which has been around for more than 20 years, and stood the test of time pretty well.
This fighter seems to go back to the roots of the TMNT franchise, with good-old scrapping at its heart.
The overall game mechanics seem to lean heavily on the influence from Super Smash Bros Brawl: arguably the daddy of all fighting titles.
This is a good thing forturtles fans, who can select their favourite characters, pick a stage and then beat their opponent to a pulp - safe in the knowledge that the fighting gameplay is going to mirror that which it's copying.
But where this game falls down slightly is in depth - the collection of characters is paltry, bearing in mind there are 20 years or more of stories to draw upon.
Also, 12 trophies or figurines to collect compared to Smash Bros 500 or so doesn't cut it.
Overall, a great game for TMNT fighter fans, but it could have been so much more.
Title: Space Invaders Extreme 2
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Arcade
Price: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
It's fantastic to see some of the early gaming franchises still going strong, none more than Space Invaders, which for many was the first and only experience they needed to have before becoming hooked on videogames.
Shrunk down from that first huge arcade cabinet to the more petite proportions of the DS, SpaceInvaders Extreme 2 is an arcade-like assault on your gaming senses.
In the game you shoot, attack and stave off the onslaught by defeating all the invaders onscreen.
After annihilating a battalion of enemies and defeating the boss, it's onto the next stage.
This may sound basic and repetitive, but the variety invisual backdrops, and also the tactical formations that the invaders will throw at you, ensure that this is as intense a retro-gaming experience as you can get right now.
And for under £20, snap it up now and get zapping!
GAMES CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Halo 3: ODST
2. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
3. Need For Speed: Shift
4. Guitar Hero 5
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
8. Colin McRae: Dirt 2
9. Wet
10. Wii Fit
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
But there’s only one match that gamers are gearing up for next – Fifa 10 versus Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.
They say there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
And with our (once again) abismal summer the only thing to look forward to is the annual play off between Electronic Arts and Konami.
It’s worth pointing out right now that I sit firmly in the Pro camp.
Always have.
But that may well be about to change.I got my hands on a copy of Fifa 10 last week and it’s safe to say it rocked my world.
It has been given a very serious makeover with life-like actions, awesome gameplay and great sound effects.
Manager Mode has returned and the developers have made dozens of improvements.
The one aspect I REALLY like is that teams are updated weekly (via the web) to update players’ injuries and team form.
On the other hand I’ve just downloaded the free playable download of PES 2010.
The free demo showcases the full game’s exhibition mode and users can select from Liverpool, or Barcelona, or the Spanish, Italian, French and German national sides.
The selected sides can then be played against the CPU or a friend in a five-minute match.On first impression the graphics rival Fifa’s.
The individual menu screens look awesome with a new makeover and the pre-match in-tunnel scenes look incredibly realistic.
The music (if you could call it that on the previous releases) has been vastly upgraded with the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs lending their tunes to the title.
But, and this is a temporary but before I experience the full game (released on October 23rd), the gameplay seems slower.
I don’t know why but it just doesn’t seem to flow with pace.Sure there was a vast difference when you played third-rate teams compared to say top national sides, but even with Liverpool versus Barcelona it seemed... tired.
I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. My own brother thinks I am but we’ll see.
I’m still holding out to see whether the online glitches have disappeared to make my official rating.
But it’s safe to say that Fifa has raised the bar a fair way.
Here’s the Fifa review and that of several others released this week:
Title: FIFA 10
Platform: PS3
Genre: Football
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
WELL, put it this way, the boys at Konami are going to have to pull off a comeback of Man Utd vs Bayern Munich in 1999 proportions to have any chance of winning this season's battle of the heavyweight football sims.
FIFA has been improving significantly in recent years, while the Pro Evolution stable has stalled, and this latest EA offering has got the lot.
From improvements in on-the-pitch action such as better ball control, passing, dribbling and player positioning to the triumphant return of the Manager Mode, boasting over 50 major improvements on a list too detailed to go through here.
Rest assured, the realism is there like never before, and everything is polished to a high standard.
This is a shining example of a developer listening to player feedback and giving them a finely-tuned, superb football simulation that they somehow have to top next year.
Over to you, Pro Evo.
Title: Family Trainer: Extreme Challenge (with mat controller)
Platform: Wii
Genre: Sports
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
After the extremely enjoyable Outdoor Challenge comes this year's 'Extreme' offering, giving parents the opportunity to let their children experience the adrenalin rush of base-jumping and street-luge without the broken bones and ludicrous life insurance premiums.
The 12 or so activities available all stick tightly to the 'extreme' niche-sports theme, with wakeboarding, rock climbing, kite surfing, BMX biking and skateboarding thrown into the mix.
A good variety in gameplay on each activity will have you interacting with the Wii Remote and 8-buttoned custom mat in many different ways, and there's no doubt that this will keep your calorie count down if you or the kids are watching your waistlines.
And, of course, you can play it together, banishing any lingering preconceptions of gaming as just a lonesome life in a darkened room - this is extreme gaming, so get stuck in!
Title: The King of Fighters XII
Platform: PS3
Genre: Arcade
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Remember the legendary arcade beat-em-up Street Fighter? Well, this is on a par.
KOF XII serves up 22 characters each with their own unique moves and styles in a stunning 2D production incorporating all-new, high-resolution fighters.
With every production house seemingly trying to out do each other with graphics and gameplay – almost trying to reinvent the wheel – it’s actually a breath of fresh air to play something which is new, but has a retro feel.
KOF XII is fast and furious fun for any game fan.
The only real snag is that it seems to be very easy to complete - even on normal mode despite the fact I've never played it before. Still, I don't mind going back and replaying.
Title: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action / RPG
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Hailed as ‘the greatest superhero action/RPG of all time’, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is back with the biggest and best army of heroes and villains to date.
The choice on offer is really impressive, as you can create and customize your dream team from the Marvel Universe, selecting from more than 24 playable characters, each with specialized powers which gradually level-up in traditional RPG style as you progress through the game.
The 250-plus fusion attacks are a blast as, for example, you team up Human Torch and Thor to create a spectacular fiery tornado.
This all sucks you in even further to the incredible Marvel world, plus brings a real tactical element to co-operative multiplayer, which you can experience online with three friends.
Compared with the first Ultimate Alliance release, there's probably not a whole lot that's new here.
The overall polishing up and tweaking, however, make this a Marvel adventure well worth revisiting.
Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Here's another comic-book crew which has been around for more than 20 years, and stood the test of time pretty well.
This fighter seems to go back to the roots of the TMNT franchise, with good-old scrapping at its heart.
The overall game mechanics seem to lean heavily on the influence from Super Smash Bros Brawl: arguably the daddy of all fighting titles.
This is a good thing forturtles fans, who can select their favourite characters, pick a stage and then beat their opponent to a pulp - safe in the knowledge that the fighting gameplay is going to mirror that which it's copying.
But where this game falls down slightly is in depth - the collection of characters is paltry, bearing in mind there are 20 years or more of stories to draw upon.
Also, 12 trophies or figurines to collect compared to Smash Bros 500 or so doesn't cut it.
Overall, a great game for TMNT fighter fans, but it could have been so much more.
Title: Space Invaders Extreme 2
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Arcade
Price: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
It's fantastic to see some of the early gaming franchises still going strong, none more than Space Invaders, which for many was the first and only experience they needed to have before becoming hooked on videogames.
Shrunk down from that first huge arcade cabinet to the more petite proportions of the DS, SpaceInvaders Extreme 2 is an arcade-like assault on your gaming senses.
In the game you shoot, attack and stave off the onslaught by defeating all the invaders onscreen.
After annihilating a battalion of enemies and defeating the boss, it's onto the next stage.
This may sound basic and repetitive, but the variety invisual backdrops, and also the tactical formations that the invaders will throw at you, ensure that this is as intense a retro-gaming experience as you can get right now.
And for under £20, snap it up now and get zapping!
GAMES CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Halo 3: ODST
2. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
3. Need For Speed: Shift
4. Guitar Hero 5
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
8. Colin McRae: Dirt 2
9. Wet
10. Wii Fit
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
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