ROCK memorabilia goes under the online hammer this week offering those with a few quid the chance to scoop a piece of history.
Coldplay - who hail partly from Exeter - are staging an auction on eBay from 5pm, Thursday (Dec 17th) to 5pm Thursday December 31 in aid of a charity called Kids Company.
The 'End of Decade Clearout Sale' will feature various instruments, clothing, equipment, posters and other bits and bobs - many of which will be signed by the band.
Those bits and bobs which aren't signed will come with a certificate of authenticity.
In a bid to raise awareness of the sale the band have released this humourous video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrbkyASaKsg.
While the idea is a fab one and I completely appreciate the band's generosity, it leaves you wishing you had bucket loads of money to spare on buying a few bits of kit.
I mean, wouldn't it be fab to own Chris Martin's guitar signed by the band?! A definite party talking point methinks.
Anyone got a few grand going spare?
For more info on the sale visit Coldplay's official website.
So equally - if not more - exciting (and cheaper) is the news that those nice people at Lucas Arts and Activision are bringing out Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II next year.
The game promises to be a must for any fan of the films.
The first game rocked and gave gamers a true feel of actually being in one of the movies and unleashing hell using a light saber.
In the last couple of weeks I've also been mastering - and getting completed narked off at - Uncharted II.
Great game, but once again the online multiplayer feature appears to be flawed.
I simply can't tell you how annoying it is to be 'fined' $160,000 for 'leaving' an online death match game without the deathmatch finishing first.
While I can understand that it is annoying for other gamers, surely the fine should only be in place IF you actually leave on purpose.
I've had to reboot my entire system four times because it keeps glitching out and crashing. Grr.
What's more annoying is that I've actually gone to email Naughty Dog (the game's developers) direct, and I've had a message back saying that they're "unable to receieve your comment at this time".
So what's the use of having a customer feedback form?!
Yours frustratingly
Tristan.
Here's some reviews of the latest games:
Title: Tony Hawk Ride (with skateboard controller)
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Skateboarding
Price: £99.99
Hit count: 4/5
In the past 12 months or so we’ve had balance boards, drum kits and even DJ turntables, and just when you thought the console peripheral world couldn’t get any more densely populated – along comes a skateboard for you to ride in your living room.
Tackling Tony Hawk’s latest title is not as daunting as you might think. Running your foot past a side-sensor on the board will have you pushing off on-screen, while tipping the back end up will perform an olly.
More complex tricks can be completed with a combination of different balancing positions and by using your hands to activate the other board sensors, as you navigate the virtual skate world to carry out a dazzling array of skate challenges.
There’s no doubt this controller will be used further in years to come, but its first outing doesn’t come without a glitch or two. However, as an innovative concept to drive the skateboarding genre forward into 2010, this is an outstanding achievement.
Title: Avatar
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Avatar the film has understandably generated a whole heap of hype, with director James Cameron at the helm and a blockbusting budget to showcase the latest CGI effects technology.
Box-office success is a given.
This kind of success on the big screen so rarely translates to the console world, but in this case, your trip deep into the heart of Pandora, an alien planet that is beyond imagination, actually translates into an entertaining third-person shooter outing.
You find yourself thrust into a fight for the heart of a planet and the fate of a civilisation.
The mix of native Na’vi weapons and a hardcore human arsenal makes for interesting combat elements, and the graphics provide a strong recreation of this virtual world.
Sadly, some serious camera flaws and wooden voice-acting stop this from being a real standout movie tie-in, but there’s more than enough here to warrant fans of the film picking this up for the Christmas period.
Title: Wheelspin
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
If raw speed sets your racing heart pumping, Archer Maclean’s Wheelspin is likely to float your boat.
Offering eight-player, split-screen capability, it’s the perfect way to gather your crew around a telly and battle it out for futuristic four-wheeled supremacy – particularly in the battle mode, where you can blow your opponents to smithereens in a ring-fenced environment.
It doesn’t offer the overall polish of the likes of Mario Kart, and the option to control your vehicle with the D-pad or the nunchuk would have been much appreciated as frustration levels can rise as you shoot off the track into oblivion for the 10th time.
But that’s the challenge, and it makes success all the sweeter as you finally manage hum around the various tracks to claim first prize.
The racing world could do with a couple more party-style multiplayer titles and, while Wheelspin doesn’t hit the mark across the board, there’s enough to suggest that a sequel could be worth earmarking for the future.
Title: Medieval Games.
Platform: Wii
Price: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
Just when I thought the Wii controller couldn't be used for anything else along comes Medieval Games.
I mean, sword fighting and jousting?! Awesome.
Saying that Medieval Games doesn't really reinvent the wheel but it is admittedly a lot of fun.
It has a budget-friendly price and it's graphics are cute and cartoon-like. It's the sort of game which would sit perfectly in a younger sister's stocking this Christmas.
The story mode looks good with a pop-up-book style and the mini games are fun.
Okay it won't win game of the year by any stretch of the imagination, but it will keep the kids quiet for a few days this Christmas.
Title: Yoga
Platform: Wii
Genre: Fitness
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Focusing on the balance board, one of the core successes of the Wii Fit series, Yoga sets about slowing your day down, allowing your body to relax and teaching you the finer points of this philosophical fitness activity.
Model Anja Rubik and a 3D-animated Yoga guru guide you through the most important parts of the game and offer helpful information on individual exercises, as well as encouraging you to take steps to improve your own state of wellbeing.
While you’re unlikely to let a Wii game act as a life coach, it’s delivered in a minimally patronising way and successfully complements the range of exercises and customised workout plans.
Feedback on your progress through the balance-board sensors works well, and overall this is an enjoyable exploration into the yoga world for those who would rather focus on this element alone, rather than using it either side of hula-hooping and squat thrusts.
GAMES CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Assassin’s Creed 2
4. New Super Mario Bros Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Wii Fit Plus
7. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games
8. LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
9. Forza Motorsport 3
10. Mario Kart Wii
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
