Embracing the web

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