AS a child of the 20th century I can’t help but believe in fiction over truth at times.
With the birth of the internet and like-minded technology, it’s easy to get hooked on a futuristic idea — no matter how silly the idea might have seemed just a few years ago.
The film Minority Report for instance is a prime example.
Remember the grab screen technology Tom Cruise uses throughout the film?Well, if you google ‘Microsoft Surface’ you’ll see that the technology is just around the corner.
Also remember that scene when Tom Cruise is chased through a cyber city and tracked down by the authorities when digital newspapers begin automatically updating with ‘breaking news’ over his escape really set my mind racing.
Well again, it isn’t too far from the truth.
While we are still a way away from an actual digital handheld newspaper, one could argue that we are already seeing substantial steps towards just that with the launch of Apple’s iPad.
While I — like many others in the UK — am still waiting to get my hands on one, I’m told that you can read books on it turning pages much the same as you would normally, watch movies on a huge screen and do just about anything else you can do on an iPhone.
Another film which has dared to predict the future? How about Star Trek?
Whenever any of the cast had a problem, they grabbed their communicators.
Those communicators could be likened to mobile phones.And we now have robots (albeit mainly in Japan) which have ‘feelings’ much like Johnny 5 in Short Circuit.
The latest film to look into the distant future is Avatar with a human ability to take on the body of another being.
While this — together with Bruce Willis’ recent film Surrogates — may well be a step too far to believe right now, who’s to say it won’t be believable in the future?
Here are the latest releases and charts:
Title: Lost Planet 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Capcom did a fantastic job with the original Lost Planet, creating an action shooter that gave gamers some of the best graphics and gameplay around alongside a world that they desperately wanted to return to.
Cue Lost Planet 2, which picks up 10 years since the events of the original, to reveal the lush tropical jungles and other new environments that have appeared since the big thaw began.
The story has also advanced beyond the original hero Wayne Holden, and you can now follow the exploits of your own customised snow pirates on your quest to seize control of the planet.
The single-player campaign offers an impressive gaming experience, which is actually bettered by a cracking co-operative offering.
However, you’ll need to look beyond some slightly frustrating control issues and seriously challenging stages to fully appreciate Capcom’s second stab at the series, but overall it’s a welcome return to EDN III.
Title: Iron Man 2
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 2/5
Robert Downey Jr is currently wowing filmgoers with his portrayal of Tony Stark, highlighting Iron Man 2 as one of the biggest Marvel successes in recent years – at the cinema, that is.
The game of the first film proved a flop, doing little to buck the trend that movie tie-ins invariably soon end up in the bargain bin, and you’d be a brave gamer to suggest that Iron Man 2 will go anywhere else this summer.
Even though you’re offered the choice of Iron Man or War Machine in this game, you’re still left with the same sluggish action smash, which is too repetitive to give you any chance to hone your combat skills.
It all feels a little dated, if not rushed, and though the big explosions and odd sojourn in the sky may bring snippets of gaming pleasure, Iron Man 2 falls way short of an Oscar-winning performance.
Title: Wings Of Prey
Platform: PC
Genre: Air combat
Price: £24.99
Hit count: 4/5
Successful air combat sims have been pretty few and far between in recent years, but Wings Of Prey takes to the skies to provide a polished selection of large-scale aerial combat and ground military operations set during World War Two.
You can take part in some of the most famous battles piloting fighters, battle planes and bombers across a range of thrilling missions set across six theatres of war, from the Battle of Britain and Stalingrad to Berlin and Sicily.
The game gives a good combination of arcade and super-tough simulation modes, and is absolutely stunning in every visual aspect, particularly the detail of the terrain that you’ll cruise over.
The action is intense, whatever mission you’re taking on. It’s a shame that the multiplayer mode doesn’t quite hit such dizzy heights: If it had, Wings Of Prey would have been loop the looping towards a five-star performance.
Title: Tap Tap Revenge 3
Platform: iPhone / iPod Touch
Genre: Music
Price: Free
Hit count: 4/5
The original Tap Tap Revenge must have been one of the first apps to grace the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The game brought a Guitar Hero style of musical gameplay to your mobile, as you tapped your finger across one of three different note lines in time with the beat to rack up a cracking score and progress through the song.
Things have moved on somewhat now in the franchise, with an online track store now accessed through the game, allowing you to tap along to your favourite tunes from the likes of Rhianna and Coldplay.
Music videos, special effects, countless achievements to unlock and a super-slick interface make this a hardcore music game for handheld rock-stars – and it’s free!
Just save your pennies for the best tracks a little later down the line...
GAME CHART: ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
2. Super Street Fighter IV
3. Just Dance
4. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
5. Grand Theft Auto – Episodes From Liberty City
6. Wii Fit Plus
7. Wii Sports Resort
8. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
9. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
10. God Of War Collection
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
