Until now.
Last Thursday I stepped forward and signed up to a fantasy football league.
And just when I thought I couldn’t squeeze much else into my life, space has become readily available.
It’s my new addiction. And man is it fun.
For years I’ve ignored the taunts and calls from friends to sign up.
But now for some reason, my resilience buckled.
Quite how fantasy football used to work before the internet is beyond me.
But now, in its web form, it is a thing of beauty for fans of football.
Fantasy football sees individuals create a team of 15 players using £100million of virtual money.
That team of players then plays in real life, scoring points (in the virtual world) for goals scored and assists and minutes played etc etc.
The points you gain are totalled up after every game with your players’ points boosting your standing in the league you’re in.
For the record, in a league of two (the other team being managed by my brother), I am a close-running second after the first fixtures of the season.
And in the second league I am 11th out of 14.
Admittedly not the best start but hey, I’m a beginner.
That is a MASSIVE number of people who are in the same position as me.
And that’s just the Barclays Premier League fantasy football league.
Personally I think the whole fantasy football thing is brilliant for meeting people.
It’s amazing that you can get into a dozen conversations with ease while watching the TV in a pub.
If you listen carefully you’ll hear an “oh well at least Lampard’s goal just bagged me four points” from a Man Utd supporter or something similar.
Check it out: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/M/myleagues.mc.
If you’re too late this year seriously have a think about next year.
Aside from breathing it’s surely one of the most addictive things known to man.
Here are the best games from the last two weeks:
Title: Madden NFL 11
Platform: PS3
Genre: American Football
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
While the English Premier League season gets under way this weekend, across the pond the NFL season is rumbling into action, too, signalled by the release of American Football’s standard-bearer across all consoles — Madden.
The franchise has been around for 21 years, would you believe, and each annual incarnation is ultimately judged on the improvements made from the last version.
Here, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
The new GameFlow system seriously speeds up games, as AI chooses plays from your tailored selection, while dual analogue controls allow you to now control a player’s upper-body movements to help you glance off onrushing opponents.
Online Team Play is another major addition that you’ll love, but the lack of overhaul to Online or Offline Franchise modes may disappoint some diehards. Overall though, it’s unmistakably Madden, and an annual gaming event you shouldn’t miss out on.
Title: Predators
Platform: iPhone
Genre: Action
Price: £1.79
Hit count: 5/5
It’s amazing to see that there’s still mileage in the Predator franchise, and while the films may have taken a turn for the worse since the original was released, the video game incarnations have actually turned out to be pretty good fun.
Predators on iPhone puts you in control of one of the most savage beasts ever known and essentially works you through a series of human killing sprees, gradually developing your Predator powers, teaching you new killing techniques and rewarding you with ’honor points’ for the many different ways that you choose to dispose of your enemies.
From beheading to body splicing, this is a bloodthirsty title with just enough cartoony charisma to keep it from being unsavoury.
It’s adult nonetheless, and the customisation of your blades, helmet and other unlockable armour also adds a dash of character development to the claret coloured action.
Predators doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an all-out action gore-fest, but it succeeds in this aim superbly.
Title: We Sing Encore!
Platform: Wii
Genre: Singing
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
The Wii’s answer to Singstar and Lips, We Sing was released to great fanfare last year, yet ultimately failed to deliver on its promise offering the least depth in gameplay of the singing trio.
As such, entitling the sequel Encore is probably something of a misnomer, as few gamers would have been crying out for more.
However, this version, boasts a host of new features, including the option for four singers to sing together on four mics, while there’s an impressive 40-strong track list, too.
Artists as varied as Gloria Gaynor, Lady Gaga and Florence And The Machine all make the line-up, plus there are now fully singable Rap and R&B songs.
A host of party modes certainly improve the group experience and singing lessons allow you to fine-tune your vocal talent (if you have any).
All in all, Encore is a step in the right direction for the series, but there are still some better console crooners out there right now.
Title: Disney Pixar: Up
Platform: PC/Mac
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £4.99
Hit count: 4/5
Up has been trumpeted as the biggest and best Disney/Pixar release since Toy Story.
It was high praise indeed for the high-flying adventures of Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick, Wilderness Explorer Russell, but did 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 on Mac or PC, as 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 cooperatively 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 you can’t really go wrong for a fiver!
GAME CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Toy Story 3
2. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
3. Dance On Broadway
4. Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty
5. Red Dead Redemption
6. Just Dance
7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Starry Skies
8. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
9. Super Mario Galaxy 2
10. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
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