I think I must be one of the few remaining people in this world who has not gone ga-ga over the new iPhone.
I mean seriously, I like gadgets and all but hey... it is a PHONE. Alright... it's quite a lot more than a phone but it's still a piece of communication hardware.
I have more heart and (with any luck) more charm than this 4ins by 2ins piece of kit, but on more than one occasion in the last few weeks I've been cast into the shadows.
The last time was in New York just two weeks ago. There me and a mate were hanging out at some red neck bar on the trendy Upper West Side hoping a couple of hotties would pick up on our Hugh Grant-esque accents.
Sadly it wasn't the accent, dress sense or lure of a drink that attracted them in our general direction - it was Joe's iPhone.
"Wow," one big-eyed beauty cooed at him.
"How do you keep the screen so clean. And don't you wish it could do more?
"Hey have you heard about the iPhone and what it can do?"
My opening gambit: "AHEM".
No response.
For the next 30 minutes or so I was upstaged. A modern age man outclassed by a gadget of the modern world.
Does anyone really care enough to hold half-hour-long conversations about a phone?!
"I can get online to look at Myspace or Facebook whenever I want and wherever I am..." was entered into the conversation somewhere along the line.
Who cares, I thought. With all the means and ends to contact people all over the world at any given time, does no-one yet crave the anonymity or escape?
I know I do.
Yes, I'm happy with my Eriksson. Ok, it won't give me a pinpoint GPS position on my every move allowing me to get to places easier, ok it won't allow me to flip it over and see the cute drunken picture of a random wall at a different angle, and ok it doesn't look THAT sexy and cost some extortionate amount of money, but you know what? I really don't care.
It's a phone and a phone should stay a phone as a phone is. Ok we're a generation of consumers and what we desire ultimately determines what we're offered but somewhere along the line things have gone mad.
You know O2 phoned me last week offering me an upgrade.
"So Mr Nichols, what would you like your phone for? Its camera or its walkman qualities?"
"Er... now let me think" I replied.
"How about for A PHONE?!" Jeez...
Rant over. Apologies for the period of time since my last blog. Been away and tad poorly ever since.
Oh as a new addition I've added the weekly games chart below.
While waiting for your new iPhone give these a glance:
Title: Space Invaders Extreme
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Arcade
Price: £19.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Would you believe that one of the all-time classic games is now 30 years old? It’s high time for a revamp and Space Invaders Extreme delivers in almost every way.
This is a serious arcade update with real 21st century polish – those 2D aliens have now got some crazy 3D backgrounds and four cheeky power-ups take the action to a whole different level.
Plus, in pursuit of top points, chain attacks and, of course, the obligatory world No. 1 ranking thanks to the wonder of wi-fi, the competitive edge will never let up.
Those who have never played the original may want to glance back through the decades for nostalgic purposes, but Space Invaders Extreme shows the series has an exciting future.
Title: Wall: E
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action / Adventure
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
It’s summer time and Disney Pixar’s Wall: E is looking set to top the bill when it comes to animated movies.
With the world ravaged by pollution and rubbish, little Wall:E and his pall Eve are left in charge of cleaning the planet up while humans take a space-age vacation.
These two characters provide the focus for what turns out to be a pretty enjoyable platform adventure that will be loved by fans of the film.
More discerning gamers will spot the below-par graphics and audio, but may also uncover an excellent co-operative multiplayer mode. It’s decent, but nothing out of this world.
Title: Secret Agent Clank
Platform: PSP
Genre: Action
Price: £24.99
Hit Count: 3/5
People have been booming around the Ratchet and Clank universe for some years now, so a little spice is required to keep the franchise fresh.
Taking cues from spy classics of the past, Secret Agent Clank presents their world with a spy themed twist, including Clank as the Galaxy’s greatest undercover agent dressed in a tuxedo.
With gadgets ranging from Cufflink Bombs to the Tie-arang and Clank-Fu, Clank’s very own style of martial arts, this is an absolute hoot.
Stealth, action, platforming and full-on fighting sequences will keep you entertained for hours, leaving your PSP shaken and stirred.
Title: Command & Conquer: Kane’s Wrath
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The Command & Conquer series has been a stalwart real-time-strategy selection for PC gamers down the years but has struggled to make a real impact on consoles, mainly because of the need to revise the control system in the absence of a mouse.
Kane’s Wrath on Xbox 360 does a good job of trying to rectify that with the CommandStick, although moving round maps still feels trickier than it should.
Overall, the game is what you’d expect – action-packed strategy with that familiar C&C seal of quality – but there’s little doubt it’s still best suited to PC.
Title: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2
Platform: PSP
Genre: Fighting
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 4/5
The original Ultimate Ninja Heroes did a fine job of bringing the fighting sensation to the handheld scene, and this sequel is equally spectacular, boasting the great anime graphics and sound snatched straight from the popular TV series.
Story mode sees you scrapping your way through a host of hefty challenges and the ever-popular multiplayer mode allows you to set up some of the must-see battles that fans will be salivating over.
All things considered it’s another strong entry to the Naruto series.
PSP owners would do well to lay their hands on one.
In the charts this week the top three held firm in the same place, while Wii Fit tumbled three places from four to seven.
GAMES CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1.Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2.Battlefield Bad Company
3.LEGO Indiana Jones: Original Adventures
4.Big Beach Sports
5.Beijing 2008
6.Top Spin 3
7.Wii Fit
8.Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
9.Wii Play
10.The Bourne Conspiracy
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Facebook relieves stress - it's official!
At last... the news every office-bound worker has been waiting to hear!
A new report has found that banning workers from using the internet for personal use could actually be hitting productivity because staff need a break to help reduce stress.
A study of 1,700 employees by computer games firm PopCap Games showed that people felt refreshed if they had an 'ebreak' during the working day.
Most of those questioned said they would rather spend some free time surfing the internet to unwind rather than having a cigarette or tea break.
And I have to agree. The company pays for the internet service in any case and besides, smokers are in the minority now - and they smell.
The report said that taking five minutes off to make a cup of tea was accepted, but using social websites (such as Facebook and Myspace) was frowned upon.
Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of London’s Goldsmiths University, who helped with the research, said: "Tea breaks and fag breaks have long been the most common types of break within office culture but the report shows that ebreaks are fast becoming the most popular choice of break for British workers.
"The report proves that a 10 minute ebreak a day can have significant benefits but, despite this, many bosses are banning them in the fear that they distract employees.
"By factoring in a dedicated slot for an ebreak bosses are fostering a more trusting working environment, boosting productivity and ultimately increasing their profit which surely makes good business sense."
In other news GTA IV is still firmly holding the No.1 spot in the gaming charts. No. 2 is the new Wii Fit title which - as I've said in previous blogs - I can't quite get my head around.
While I can appreciate, to a certain degree, women (and I guess some men for that matter) working out to an Elle Macpherson DVD, the thought of interacting with a computer game is still so so weird to me!
While I am a certified fan of the Wii (it does make for a killer night in with a bunch of people), I still can't quite get to grips with the whole image of people peering in through your lounge window and seeing you do star jumps or stretches. It's just weird!
Maybe I'm just vain or nervous. I guess people do go to the gym and work out in front of people...
Anyways, here's the best of this week's new releases:
Title: Race Driver: GRID
Platform: PS3
Genre: Racing
Price: £49.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Fans of racing games are often disappointed if a game proves to be either too arcade-y or too much of a plodding simulation.
Race Drive: GRID does a fantastic job of juggling both balls, offering over-the-top thrills and spills for the casual racer, coupled with an intense on-track experience that looks as good as anything on the market right now.
It may be jostling for space with the likes of Gran Turismo, Burnout and Project Gotham, but this baby qualifies pretty high up the grid, even if the car count feels a little on the low side.
Title: WSC Real: 2008 World Snooker Championship
Platform: Wii
Genre: Snooker
Price: £34.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The simulated sports keep on coming on Wii – this time the world of snooker gets the motion-sensing treatment. With 32 of the world’s greatest players on offer, you can grab a Wii Cue extension and start doing impressions of Rocket Ronnie and er... Steve Davis on your dining room table.
It handles pretty well and does give a good feeling of the real sport. Graphics handle well in 3D as you’d expect on a next-gen console, but there’s nothing really out of the ordinary here beyond the initial novelty of having another piece of plastic stuck to the Wii controller.
Title: Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Step into the world of the eponymous sleuth and his assistant Dr Watson as you puzzle your way through the game to protect five of the country’s most valuable treasures.
This is a traditional point-and-click adventure that will offer up some pretty challenging logic puzzles – even for hardcore adventure fans – and it’s all presented in an engaging and carefully constructed 3D world.
It’s not going to set the world of interactive PC puzzling alight, but for fans of the character and those looking for a retreat into 19th century London, this could be a real find.
Title: PDC World Championship Darts
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Darts
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Gaming can be considered a pretty sedentary pastime, and darts has never really been known as the most physically demanding of sports either.
The two combine reasonably well here for pretty entertaining simulation of the classic pub game. It’s fairly easy to pick up but tricky to master.
Working your way through the various game modes that take a twist on traditional darts is fun enough, but the best way to see an evening shoot by is to get some mates round for multiplayer.
It gives the game more of a down-the-pub social feel – and, let’s be honest, who wants to play darts on their own?
Title: Commando: Steel Disaster
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Shoot ’em up
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 3/5
As the heroic Storm you’re out to put an end to an evil organisation called Rattlesnake in this side-scrolling shoot ’em up that reeks of the classic Metal Slug series.
You get to tackle this challenge with a range of heavy weaponry and pick-ups - each with its own attack method and power.
Games in this genre generally deliver on the button-bashing to nullify the incessant wave after wave of enemies, and Steel Disaster doesn’t disappoint, with some top boss battles to boot.
It’s a stylised shooter that requires no small measure of skill.
A new report has found that banning workers from using the internet for personal use could actually be hitting productivity because staff need a break to help reduce stress.
A study of 1,700 employees by computer games firm PopCap Games showed that people felt refreshed if they had an 'ebreak' during the working day.
Most of those questioned said they would rather spend some free time surfing the internet to unwind rather than having a cigarette or tea break.
And I have to agree. The company pays for the internet service in any case and besides, smokers are in the minority now - and they smell.
The report said that taking five minutes off to make a cup of tea was accepted, but using social websites (such as Facebook and Myspace) was frowned upon.
Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of London’s Goldsmiths University, who helped with the research, said: "Tea breaks and fag breaks have long been the most common types of break within office culture but the report shows that ebreaks are fast becoming the most popular choice of break for British workers.
"The report proves that a 10 minute ebreak a day can have significant benefits but, despite this, many bosses are banning them in the fear that they distract employees.
"By factoring in a dedicated slot for an ebreak bosses are fostering a more trusting working environment, boosting productivity and ultimately increasing their profit which surely makes good business sense."
In other news GTA IV is still firmly holding the No.1 spot in the gaming charts. No. 2 is the new Wii Fit title which - as I've said in previous blogs - I can't quite get my head around.
While I can appreciate, to a certain degree, women (and I guess some men for that matter) working out to an Elle Macpherson DVD, the thought of interacting with a computer game is still so so weird to me!
While I am a certified fan of the Wii (it does make for a killer night in with a bunch of people), I still can't quite get to grips with the whole image of people peering in through your lounge window and seeing you do star jumps or stretches. It's just weird!
Maybe I'm just vain or nervous. I guess people do go to the gym and work out in front of people...
Anyways, here's the best of this week's new releases:
Title: Race Driver: GRID
Platform: PS3
Genre: Racing
Price: £49.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Fans of racing games are often disappointed if a game proves to be either too arcade-y or too much of a plodding simulation.
Race Drive: GRID does a fantastic job of juggling both balls, offering over-the-top thrills and spills for the casual racer, coupled with an intense on-track experience that looks as good as anything on the market right now.
It may be jostling for space with the likes of Gran Turismo, Burnout and Project Gotham, but this baby qualifies pretty high up the grid, even if the car count feels a little on the low side.
Title: WSC Real: 2008 World Snooker Championship
Platform: Wii
Genre: Snooker
Price: £34.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The simulated sports keep on coming on Wii – this time the world of snooker gets the motion-sensing treatment. With 32 of the world’s greatest players on offer, you can grab a Wii Cue extension and start doing impressions of Rocket Ronnie and er... Steve Davis on your dining room table.
It handles pretty well and does give a good feeling of the real sport. Graphics handle well in 3D as you’d expect on a next-gen console, but there’s nothing really out of the ordinary here beyond the initial novelty of having another piece of plastic stuck to the Wii controller.
Title: Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Step into the world of the eponymous sleuth and his assistant Dr Watson as you puzzle your way through the game to protect five of the country’s most valuable treasures.
This is a traditional point-and-click adventure that will offer up some pretty challenging logic puzzles – even for hardcore adventure fans – and it’s all presented in an engaging and carefully constructed 3D world.
It’s not going to set the world of interactive PC puzzling alight, but for fans of the character and those looking for a retreat into 19th century London, this could be a real find.
Title: PDC World Championship Darts
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Darts
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Gaming can be considered a pretty sedentary pastime, and darts has never really been known as the most physically demanding of sports either.
The two combine reasonably well here for pretty entertaining simulation of the classic pub game. It’s fairly easy to pick up but tricky to master.
Working your way through the various game modes that take a twist on traditional darts is fun enough, but the best way to see an evening shoot by is to get some mates round for multiplayer.
It gives the game more of a down-the-pub social feel – and, let’s be honest, who wants to play darts on their own?
Title: Commando: Steel Disaster
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Shoot ’em up
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 3/5
As the heroic Storm you’re out to put an end to an evil organisation called Rattlesnake in this side-scrolling shoot ’em up that reeks of the classic Metal Slug series.
You get to tackle this challenge with a range of heavy weaponry and pick-ups - each with its own attack method and power.
Games in this genre generally deliver on the button-bashing to nullify the incessant wave after wave of enemies, and Steel Disaster doesn’t disappoint, with some top boss battles to boot.
It’s a stylised shooter that requires no small measure of skill.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
(Web) surfing versus sailing
Now this may come as a shock to some but not really to many, I don't really have much of an interest in sailing.
Ok, I hold the post of Maritime Reporter (and in the past yachting types have laughed at the fact I can list my sailing experience on the back of a postage stamp) but it's not really my bag.
For me it's too involved. There's too much to do, hoisting sails, twisting this and turning that... I'd much rather be in the water (surfing) than on it (sailing).
With that in mind a website dedicated to sailing would have to be pretty special to tempt my gaze. So ladies and gentlemen... let me introduce you to the Artemis Transat's fab website www.theartemistransat.com.
The site's developers have gone all out to create something which will be appealing to the masses and not just the sailing enthusiast.
As well as race news updated throughout each and every day, the site provides breakdowns of all the teams competing in the race (which started in Plymouth on May 11), as well as pictures and videos from the skippers.
However, by far the most appealing are the two live race tracker features which allow visitors to pinpoint exactly where each competitor is, how far they have travelled, how far they have to go, the speed of which they are travelling, and the route they have taken.
You can also zoom in and out to show the distance between the competitiors on a map of the Atlantic.
It really is fascinating and provides a unique overview of the race.
Sadly which ever way you look at it the French are still likely to beat the Brits but hey, you can't have everything can you?!
When you consider Sir Francis Chichester's Atlantic crossing in 1960 with little or no technology, and no means by his followers to contact or pinpoint him, the technology is simply staggering.
Another website worth looking at is The Biographicon (www.biographicon.com).
Unlike Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com), which insists that featured people must reach a certain level of fame before they can be included, the Biographicon isn’t fussy. It's a web site for biographies of anyone and everyone.
Anyone can write a bio about anyone else – or about themselves. The site is based on wiki software, which means anyone can edit it. Go on, add yourselves!
In the meantime here's the best of the week's releases:
Title: Boom Blox
Platform: Wii
Genre: Puzzle
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 4/5
It’s a pretty rare thing for Oscar-winning film directors to get involved in console games, but Steven Spielberg has obviously got some new interests beyond the movies.
If this is anything to go by, let’s hope there’s more in the tank!
Building on the premise that everyone loves to build things up and knock them down again, Boom Blox offers action-packed interactive activities that takes Wii play to a new level of creativity and fun with single player, co-op, and head-to-head gameplay.
Through brain-twisting challenges and the ability to virtually build anything you can dream up, it’s just the kind of creative title the Wii was made for.
Title: Dragon Quest Swords
Platform: Wii
Genre: RPG
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The Dragon Quest series has always been great at thowing gamers headlong into an interactive adventures that get the pulse racing, and Swords contains a familiar line-up of mad monsters to hack your way through, using the Wii remote as your own personal sword.
Additional mini-games add to the fun as you do things like catching darts with your shield and time-attacks on slime monsters in order to win bonus items and weapon power-ups.
A good-looking, solid RPG title to keep you entertained.
Title: Universe At War: Earth Assault
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy
Price: £44.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Real-time strategy titles have often best performed on PC, simply because they lend themselves best to traditional mouse and keyboard.
Universe At War blows that theory out of the water with an excellent sortie onto the futuristic battlefield to tackle the single player scenarios set before you and the myriad of multiplayer options for those ready to take the battle online.
It looks great, plays even better, and really should be high on your list of games to try if PC-battling was once your thing before consoles came along!
Title: Chessmaster: The Art of Learning
Platform: PSP
Genre: Chess
Price: £19.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Chess is never going to be the most adrenalin-charged gaming experience, but for fans of the classic board game, the opportunity to hone their skills on PSP is likely to raise an eyebrow.
It’s a pretty sterile effort, devoid of any personality, but it certainly offers an insight into chess through 24 lessons brought to you by an incredibly dour man on-screen.
Once you’ve battled your wits through the 34 computer challengers on offer, you can take on a friend who also owns the game, although you may be all chessed out by then.
Title: Jackass: The Game
Platform: Action
Genre: Humour
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 2/5
They may be getting older but the Jackass crew are still letting alligators nibble at their privates and throwing themselves into holly bushes in the buff.
So why not do more of the same on the Nintendo DS?
I’ll tell you why not: because this is an unbelievably contrived money-making effort with boring and unrealistic stunts that only bears a resemblance to the TV series because of the branding.
It’s nowhere near as funny, outlandish or controversial – it’s just rubbish, and buying this game is where the only wince-inducing pain will arise.
Ok, I hold the post of Maritime Reporter (and in the past yachting types have laughed at the fact I can list my sailing experience on the back of a postage stamp) but it's not really my bag.
For me it's too involved. There's too much to do, hoisting sails, twisting this and turning that... I'd much rather be in the water (surfing) than on it (sailing).
With that in mind a website dedicated to sailing would have to be pretty special to tempt my gaze. So ladies and gentlemen... let me introduce you to the Artemis Transat's fab website www.theartemistransat.com.
The site's developers have gone all out to create something which will be appealing to the masses and not just the sailing enthusiast.
As well as race news updated throughout each and every day, the site provides breakdowns of all the teams competing in the race (which started in Plymouth on May 11), as well as pictures and videos from the skippers.
However, by far the most appealing are the two live race tracker features which allow visitors to pinpoint exactly where each competitor is, how far they have travelled, how far they have to go, the speed of which they are travelling, and the route they have taken.
You can also zoom in and out to show the distance between the competitiors on a map of the Atlantic.
It really is fascinating and provides a unique overview of the race.
Sadly which ever way you look at it the French are still likely to beat the Brits but hey, you can't have everything can you?!
When you consider Sir Francis Chichester's Atlantic crossing in 1960 with little or no technology, and no means by his followers to contact or pinpoint him, the technology is simply staggering.
Another website worth looking at is The Biographicon (www.biographicon.com).
Unlike Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com), which insists that featured people must reach a certain level of fame before they can be included, the Biographicon isn’t fussy. It's a web site for biographies of anyone and everyone.
Anyone can write a bio about anyone else – or about themselves. The site is based on wiki software, which means anyone can edit it. Go on, add yourselves!
In the meantime here's the best of the week's releases:
Title: Boom Blox
Platform: Wii
Genre: Puzzle
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 4/5
It’s a pretty rare thing for Oscar-winning film directors to get involved in console games, but Steven Spielberg has obviously got some new interests beyond the movies.
If this is anything to go by, let’s hope there’s more in the tank!
Building on the premise that everyone loves to build things up and knock them down again, Boom Blox offers action-packed interactive activities that takes Wii play to a new level of creativity and fun with single player, co-op, and head-to-head gameplay.
Through brain-twisting challenges and the ability to virtually build anything you can dream up, it’s just the kind of creative title the Wii was made for.
Title: Dragon Quest Swords
Platform: Wii
Genre: RPG
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The Dragon Quest series has always been great at thowing gamers headlong into an interactive adventures that get the pulse racing, and Swords contains a familiar line-up of mad monsters to hack your way through, using the Wii remote as your own personal sword.
Additional mini-games add to the fun as you do things like catching darts with your shield and time-attacks on slime monsters in order to win bonus items and weapon power-ups.
A good-looking, solid RPG title to keep you entertained.
Title: Universe At War: Earth Assault
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy
Price: £44.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Real-time strategy titles have often best performed on PC, simply because they lend themselves best to traditional mouse and keyboard.
Universe At War blows that theory out of the water with an excellent sortie onto the futuristic battlefield to tackle the single player scenarios set before you and the myriad of multiplayer options for those ready to take the battle online.
It looks great, plays even better, and really should be high on your list of games to try if PC-battling was once your thing before consoles came along!
Title: Chessmaster: The Art of Learning
Platform: PSP
Genre: Chess
Price: £19.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Chess is never going to be the most adrenalin-charged gaming experience, but for fans of the classic board game, the opportunity to hone their skills on PSP is likely to raise an eyebrow.
It’s a pretty sterile effort, devoid of any personality, but it certainly offers an insight into chess through 24 lessons brought to you by an incredibly dour man on-screen.
Once you’ve battled your wits through the 34 computer challengers on offer, you can take on a friend who also owns the game, although you may be all chessed out by then.
Title: Jackass: The Game
Platform: Action
Genre: Humour
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 2/5
They may be getting older but the Jackass crew are still letting alligators nibble at their privates and throwing themselves into holly bushes in the buff.
So why not do more of the same on the Nintendo DS?
I’ll tell you why not: because this is an unbelievably contrived money-making effort with boring and unrealistic stunts that only bears a resemblance to the TV series because of the branding.
It’s nowhere near as funny, outlandish or controversial – it’s just rubbish, and buying this game is where the only wince-inducing pain will arise.
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV (do you need a better headline?!)
News just in... Grand Theft Auto IV has broken all previous records selling an estimated 609,000 copies since release on Tuesday.
While I don't really care too much about how many copies have been flogged, I do care about the fact I haven't been able to find a single copy!
I awoke on my day off on Wednesday with one task in mind for an otherwise wasteful mid-week day - buy a copy of GTA IV and do some serious sofa time.
The idea and enthusiasm was there... but sadly I was one of the many who were left disappointed.
First stop was Tesco at Roborough (because those Clubcard vouchers must be good for something other than a food shop).
Result? - sold out.
"We were sold out by lunchtime on Tuesday," one friendly member of staff told me.
"Tesco stores across the country have had to order more due to demand."
Ok, game on...
Game in the city centre. Result - sold out.
Zavvi: result - sold out.
By this time I had given up and returned home. Gutted. But at least my day was eventful - and I got out of the house.
And luckily a mate of mine managed to beat the queues and get in there and bag a copy on the Xbox 360. His verdict - absolutely awesome! (see his review below)
GTA may get a lot of grief for its make-up and brutal play but hey, how can so many people be so wrong?
It's fun (hilarious in parts), graphically superior and probably the most addictive thing ever invented.
So here I am, two days later still trying to find time to escape the office and get a copy.
Best bet is the web where you will find it cheaper if you can afford the wait.
In the meantime why not download some free music over the Bank Holiday Weekend?
A radio network is planning to give away the music it plays on air this Bank Holiday Monday free for listeners to download.
In what they claim is a first, GMG Radio’s network of Real and Century stations are set to go 'radio ga-ga' on May 5, with their Free Music Mayday.
The network of stations is one of several using Cliq, a mobile phone application which allows people to instantly buy music by pressing a button on the handset – even if they don’t know the name of the song.
Users normally credit their account online and tracks cost £1.25 to download.
But from midnight on Sunday May 4, Real and Century listeners across the five stations in the UK will be able to own any songs playing until midnight the following day.
They will be sent straight to their computers to be added to their playlist without charge.
So, sorry to rub salt in the wound if you haven't got a copy yet, but here's what you're missing.
Title: Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
It’s no understatement to say that GTA IV is the most eagerly anticipated title that the gaming world has ever seen.
There’s no way you can sum up the amount of laugh-out-loud moments, adrenalin-fuelled car chases, ear-splitting shootouts and other jaw-dropping stand-out experiences that come bundled into the return to a living, breathing Liberty City.
Everything about GTA IV oozes class and that all-important attention to detail and there are few people – Mary Whitehouse characters aside – that can dispute this is the greatest videogame of all-time. Enjoy.
Title: Turok
Platform: PC
Genre: Shooter
Price: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Hunting dinosaurs hasn’t been high on the gaming agenda for a while, but it returns to PC with an assault on the first-person-shooter senses, giving gamers carte blanche to go on an all-out attack on the human and prehistoric enemies that lie in wait.
No shortage of fabulous weaponry and killing moves breathe new life into the well-worn genre, but slightly grubby graphics take the tarnish off what is an otherwise, if a little linear, solid shooter.
Rip off your shirt, paint your face, and go seriously native!
Title: Iron Man
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 3/5
Robert Downey Junior has reprised the role of the classic comic character for the latest big-budget superhero movie and here, in this third-person action shooter, you’re thrown into stories from the original Iron Man comic books and given an array of high-impact weapons to annihilate any enemy force standing in your way.
It’s an entertaining attempt to give movie tie-ins a good name and will keep the comic fans pretty happy, but overall Iron Man doesn’t deliver anything to the action genre that we haven’t seen many times before.
Title: My Riding Stables
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Horses
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
In an attempt to provide some kind of cosmic balance to the gaming world, titles like My Riding Stables take players as far away as they could possibly be from Liberty City, the home of Grand Theft Auto.
Forget the guns and get ahead as a stable hand, raising sweet little foals and taking excellent care of your guests.
Give outstanding riding lessons and prepare your horses and students perfectly, so that they become the riding stars of the future.
If you’re already snoozing, you’ll know this isn’t for you, but gamers too young for GTA may see things differently!
Title: Undercover: Dual Motives
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
It’s just the kind of point and click adventure packed with puzzles and mini-games that DS gamers have been crying out for, and were probably expecting to have buckets to choose from when the system was announced.
As a prequel to PC title Undercover: Operation Wintersun, you take British scientist Dr. John Russell on a wild chase for a German nuclear bomb in the middle of the Second World War.
It’s classic adventure gaming style, with one particular game requiring you to blow into the DS microphone to fire weapons!
Good, inventive adventure gaming that the DS should do much more often.
While I don't really care too much about how many copies have been flogged, I do care about the fact I haven't been able to find a single copy!
I awoke on my day off on Wednesday with one task in mind for an otherwise wasteful mid-week day - buy a copy of GTA IV and do some serious sofa time.
The idea and enthusiasm was there... but sadly I was one of the many who were left disappointed.
First stop was Tesco at Roborough (because those Clubcard vouchers must be good for something other than a food shop).
Result? - sold out.
"We were sold out by lunchtime on Tuesday," one friendly member of staff told me.
"Tesco stores across the country have had to order more due to demand."
Ok, game on...
Game in the city centre. Result - sold out.
Zavvi: result - sold out.
By this time I had given up and returned home. Gutted. But at least my day was eventful - and I got out of the house.
And luckily a mate of mine managed to beat the queues and get in there and bag a copy on the Xbox 360. His verdict - absolutely awesome! (see his review below)
GTA may get a lot of grief for its make-up and brutal play but hey, how can so many people be so wrong?
It's fun (hilarious in parts), graphically superior and probably the most addictive thing ever invented.
So here I am, two days later still trying to find time to escape the office and get a copy.
Best bet is the web where you will find it cheaper if you can afford the wait.
In the meantime why not download some free music over the Bank Holiday Weekend?
A radio network is planning to give away the music it plays on air this Bank Holiday Monday free for listeners to download.
In what they claim is a first, GMG Radio’s network of Real and Century stations are set to go 'radio ga-ga' on May 5, with their Free Music Mayday.
The network of stations is one of several using Cliq, a mobile phone application which allows people to instantly buy music by pressing a button on the handset – even if they don’t know the name of the song.
Users normally credit their account online and tracks cost £1.25 to download.
But from midnight on Sunday May 4, Real and Century listeners across the five stations in the UK will be able to own any songs playing until midnight the following day.
They will be sent straight to their computers to be added to their playlist without charge.
So, sorry to rub salt in the wound if you haven't got a copy yet, but here's what you're missing.
Title: Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
It’s no understatement to say that GTA IV is the most eagerly anticipated title that the gaming world has ever seen.
There’s no way you can sum up the amount of laugh-out-loud moments, adrenalin-fuelled car chases, ear-splitting shootouts and other jaw-dropping stand-out experiences that come bundled into the return to a living, breathing Liberty City.
Everything about GTA IV oozes class and that all-important attention to detail and there are few people – Mary Whitehouse characters aside – that can dispute this is the greatest videogame of all-time. Enjoy.
Title: Turok
Platform: PC
Genre: Shooter
Price: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Hunting dinosaurs hasn’t been high on the gaming agenda for a while, but it returns to PC with an assault on the first-person-shooter senses, giving gamers carte blanche to go on an all-out attack on the human and prehistoric enemies that lie in wait.
No shortage of fabulous weaponry and killing moves breathe new life into the well-worn genre, but slightly grubby graphics take the tarnish off what is an otherwise, if a little linear, solid shooter.
Rip off your shirt, paint your face, and go seriously native!
Title: Iron Man
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 3/5
Robert Downey Junior has reprised the role of the classic comic character for the latest big-budget superhero movie and here, in this third-person action shooter, you’re thrown into stories from the original Iron Man comic books and given an array of high-impact weapons to annihilate any enemy force standing in your way.
It’s an entertaining attempt to give movie tie-ins a good name and will keep the comic fans pretty happy, but overall Iron Man doesn’t deliver anything to the action genre that we haven’t seen many times before.
Title: My Riding Stables
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Horses
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
In an attempt to provide some kind of cosmic balance to the gaming world, titles like My Riding Stables take players as far away as they could possibly be from Liberty City, the home of Grand Theft Auto.
Forget the guns and get ahead as a stable hand, raising sweet little foals and taking excellent care of your guests.
Give outstanding riding lessons and prepare your horses and students perfectly, so that they become the riding stars of the future.
If you’re already snoozing, you’ll know this isn’t for you, but gamers too young for GTA may see things differently!
Title: Undercover: Dual Motives
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
It’s just the kind of point and click adventure packed with puzzles and mini-games that DS gamers have been crying out for, and were probably expecting to have buckets to choose from when the system was announced.
As a prequel to PC title Undercover: Operation Wintersun, you take British scientist Dr. John Russell on a wild chase for a German nuclear bomb in the middle of the Second World War.
It’s classic adventure gaming style, with one particular game requiring you to blow into the DS microphone to fire weapons!
Good, inventive adventure gaming that the DS should do much more often.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
A slave to the page
I know what you're going to be thinking... another week, another blog, another mention of Facebook.
The fact is I - like 98 per cent of my friends and, in fact people I know - still can't get enough of the social networking website.
I like to think I'm not addicted, that I'm able to last a few hours without wondering who's poked me (so to speak), or which friend from yesteryear is eager to rekindle a lost friendship.
Sadly I hold my hands up and admit... I'm a slave to the page.
Anyway, I haven't brought you here to brag about my latest addiction, I want to tell you about Facebook's brand new feature - Facebook Chat.
Working the same way as Microsoft's MSN messenger, at the click of a [mouse] button FB Chat allows you to open a new window and 'chat' to your mates. It also tells you how many of your friends are online at that time. Handy huh?
With way more features than msn messenger and its associated hotmail, it's sure to stoke up the fire in the war between the two.
Having used it I have to say it is much more user friendly - and it doesn't take ages to load up.
Meanwhile Google announced a new web chat service earlier this month.
HuddleChat (www.huddlechat.com) was designed to help people work together on projects.
It had been up for only a day before bloggers started complaining that it ripped off a similar service called Campfire (www.campfirenow.com); so HuddleChat was promptly taken offline.
Still, it did the job of advertising Google’s new App Engine system for building web-based software.
Also this week with the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 just under days away, games retailers are beginning to see how they can make the most of the hype surrounding the game, by bundling other items onto it.
Sony has already announced they’ll be releasing a special GTA IV PS3 bundle, and online retailer play.com has since said that for under £200 you’ll be able to get your hands on an Xbox 360 Premium console and a copy of GTA IV.
Expect more retailers to follow suit!
In the run up to GTA IV why not give these titles a blast?
Title: The World Ends With You
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action/RPG
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Taking inspiration from modern-day Japan, The World Ends With You is one of those fabulous games that combines cool graphics with slick game mechanics to produce a unique DS experience that turns the setting of traditional Action/RPGs on its head.
Gloriously garish graphics, funky Japanese pop tunes and a cracking storyline combined with creative combat sequences make for a must-have title on Nintendo’s dual screen that has style in abundance to make it stand out from the mediocre on game store shelves.
Title: UEFA Euro 2008
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Football
Price: £49.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Perhaps there would have been a little more excitement around the release of this title ahead of the big football event this summer had any of the home nations qualified for it.
But with EA’s FIFA engine behind this branded release there’s still cause for optimism as you can try to qualify your favourite nation, captain your country in pursuit of individual glory or enter in online tournaments.
It’s a great interim release ahead of FIFA 09 later this year and should keep football fans more than happy while they watch the real tournament unfold.
Title: Emergency Mayhem
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action/Driving
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 2/5
Feel the fast-paced action with the emergency services as you take control of the police, fire and paramedic departments, dashing around a city that has a strange kind of interpretation of what constitutes an emergency.
Whether it’s quelling the activities of out-of-control monkeys or bouncing escaping prisoners back into jail on a trampoline, the light-hearted mini-games that await you when you’ve dodged and weaved your way through traffic are amusing enough first time ’round.
However beyond that the simplicity of Emergency Mayhem will bore serious gamers soon enough, so it’s best left to young kids to tackle.
Title: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Price: £24.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Firstly, top marks have to go to the person who came up with the name of this title. Not too serious, just fun - which is exactly what a game should be after all.
And we're delighted to report the gameplay is just that. The game has classic B movie and comic book style looks which provide the perfect backdrop to an amusing - if a little barmy - storyline.
The side-scrolling adventure game sees three teenage zombies awoken from their graves by a particularly robust alien invasion.
They clamber out of their shallow graves yearning for a spot of lunch and find the invaders more than a perfect match.
Boasting a variety of mini games and brain teasers, the title is a sure fire hit.
Title: Time Crisis 4 (with gun)
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooter
Price: £69.99
Hit Count: 4/5
A well-oiled franchise that has fairly successfully made the leap from arcade to living room is now into its fourth offering, tying in with the release of the Guncon accessory for the PS3.
A match made in heaven? Well, it’s not a bad start.
The game itself offers a familiar premise, stay-on-the-rails shooting with oodles of enemies, the usual reload-and-cover system and a timer to keep you on your toes.
It’s all executed extremely well, although the introduction of a few off-rails, first-person-shooter levels could have been better.
The Guncon peripheral works really well – but only if you spend the time configuring it to your TV correctly! Do this, and you’ve got a cracking interactive shooter to tuck into.
Title: The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bathroom Interior Design Stuff
Platform: PC
Genre: Life Simulation
Price: £9.99
Hit Count: 3/5
It’s amazing what lengths people will go to to create the perfect virtual life on their PC, when they already have a real one to get excited about.
However, if you can’t make a go of it as a real-life interior designer, this expansion pack will give you everything you need to lead the lifestyle of Laurence Llewellyn Bowen!
Stylish refrigerators, graceful countertop basin sinks, designer rugs and much more are only the click of a mouse away for your Sims, and as long as you don’t get jealous over how much better their house is compared with yours, this is a valuable addition to your Sims collection.
The fact is I - like 98 per cent of my friends and, in fact people I know - still can't get enough of the social networking website.
I like to think I'm not addicted, that I'm able to last a few hours without wondering who's poked me (so to speak), or which friend from yesteryear is eager to rekindle a lost friendship.
Sadly I hold my hands up and admit... I'm a slave to the page.
Anyway, I haven't brought you here to brag about my latest addiction, I want to tell you about Facebook's brand new feature - Facebook Chat.
Working the same way as Microsoft's MSN messenger, at the click of a [mouse] button FB Chat allows you to open a new window and 'chat' to your mates. It also tells you how many of your friends are online at that time. Handy huh?
With way more features than msn messenger and its associated hotmail, it's sure to stoke up the fire in the war between the two.
Having used it I have to say it is much more user friendly - and it doesn't take ages to load up.
Meanwhile Google announced a new web chat service earlier this month.
HuddleChat (www.huddlechat.com) was designed to help people work together on projects.
It had been up for only a day before bloggers started complaining that it ripped off a similar service called Campfire (www.campfirenow.com); so HuddleChat was promptly taken offline.
Still, it did the job of advertising Google’s new App Engine system for building web-based software.
Also this week with the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 just under days away, games retailers are beginning to see how they can make the most of the hype surrounding the game, by bundling other items onto it.
Sony has already announced they’ll be releasing a special GTA IV PS3 bundle, and online retailer play.com has since said that for under £200 you’ll be able to get your hands on an Xbox 360 Premium console and a copy of GTA IV.
Expect more retailers to follow suit!
In the run up to GTA IV why not give these titles a blast?
Title: The World Ends With You
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action/RPG
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Taking inspiration from modern-day Japan, The World Ends With You is one of those fabulous games that combines cool graphics with slick game mechanics to produce a unique DS experience that turns the setting of traditional Action/RPGs on its head.
Gloriously garish graphics, funky Japanese pop tunes and a cracking storyline combined with creative combat sequences make for a must-have title on Nintendo’s dual screen that has style in abundance to make it stand out from the mediocre on game store shelves.
Title: UEFA Euro 2008
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Football
Price: £49.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Perhaps there would have been a little more excitement around the release of this title ahead of the big football event this summer had any of the home nations qualified for it.
But with EA’s FIFA engine behind this branded release there’s still cause for optimism as you can try to qualify your favourite nation, captain your country in pursuit of individual glory or enter in online tournaments.
It’s a great interim release ahead of FIFA 09 later this year and should keep football fans more than happy while they watch the real tournament unfold.
Title: Emergency Mayhem
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action/Driving
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 2/5
Feel the fast-paced action with the emergency services as you take control of the police, fire and paramedic departments, dashing around a city that has a strange kind of interpretation of what constitutes an emergency.
Whether it’s quelling the activities of out-of-control monkeys or bouncing escaping prisoners back into jail on a trampoline, the light-hearted mini-games that await you when you’ve dodged and weaved your way through traffic are amusing enough first time ’round.
However beyond that the simplicity of Emergency Mayhem will bore serious gamers soon enough, so it’s best left to young kids to tackle.
Title: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Price: £24.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Firstly, top marks have to go to the person who came up with the name of this title. Not too serious, just fun - which is exactly what a game should be after all.
And we're delighted to report the gameplay is just that. The game has classic B movie and comic book style looks which provide the perfect backdrop to an amusing - if a little barmy - storyline.
The side-scrolling adventure game sees three teenage zombies awoken from their graves by a particularly robust alien invasion.
They clamber out of their shallow graves yearning for a spot of lunch and find the invaders more than a perfect match.
Boasting a variety of mini games and brain teasers, the title is a sure fire hit.
Title: Time Crisis 4 (with gun)
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooter
Price: £69.99
Hit Count: 4/5
A well-oiled franchise that has fairly successfully made the leap from arcade to living room is now into its fourth offering, tying in with the release of the Guncon accessory for the PS3.
A match made in heaven? Well, it’s not a bad start.
The game itself offers a familiar premise, stay-on-the-rails shooting with oodles of enemies, the usual reload-and-cover system and a timer to keep you on your toes.
It’s all executed extremely well, although the introduction of a few off-rails, first-person-shooter levels could have been better.
The Guncon peripheral works really well – but only if you spend the time configuring it to your TV correctly! Do this, and you’ve got a cracking interactive shooter to tuck into.
Title: The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bathroom Interior Design Stuff
Platform: PC
Genre: Life Simulation
Price: £9.99
Hit Count: 3/5
It’s amazing what lengths people will go to to create the perfect virtual life on their PC, when they already have a real one to get excited about.
However, if you can’t make a go of it as a real-life interior designer, this expansion pack will give you everything you need to lead the lifestyle of Laurence Llewellyn Bowen!
Stylish refrigerators, graceful countertop basin sinks, designer rugs and much more are only the click of a mouse away for your Sims, and as long as you don’t get jealous over how much better their house is compared with yours, this is a valuable addition to your Sims collection.
Friday, 4 April 2008
Blu-Ray entertainment has a price
So another day another hugely expensive and pointless report telling us things we already knew.
The basis of this morning's report by Interpret LLC, a supposed leading new media research firm, is that people in the UK (as well as the US and Japan) are still preferring to buy normal DVDs rather than Blu-Ray hi-def discs.
And how long did it take for this concensus to be determined?
Given the massive difference in price between the two (you can pick up five standard DVDs for £30 while a single Blu-Ray disc costs around £30 to £40), it's pretty obvious this would be the case.
I have a Blu-Ray player and and a DVD player and I still buy normal DVDs. The price is reason enough.
Okay, Blu-Ray picture and sound quality is far superior but I'm not sure I want to pay so much more for it.
Besides, to gain the optimum Blu-Ray experience you need to spend thousands of pounds on a an HD TV, a cinema surround sound system, and a Blu Ray player itself.
The research surmises that 'increased title availability may be the key to increasing Blu-ray buy rates' but fails to mention the obvious factor.
Meanwhile, further proof of life imitating video games has come with scientists adopting the Nintendo Wii remote controller to operate military robots.
The 'Wiimote' control system detects the controllers’ movement in three dimensions using wireless technology.
It is used to detect players’ motion on games from golf and tennis to shoot-em-ups and fighting simulators.
Now two scientists in the US have adopted the technology for real-life warfare, a leading science magazine reported last week.
The US Department of Energy centre has adopted a mine-clearing robot to be directed by the Wii controller.
The Packbot, used by the US military, disposes of bombs and can even carry a machine gun.
The scientists found traditional controllers took up too much of the operator’s attention.
But they found using the Wiimote was more instinctive, allowing them to concentrate on the data the robot gathered.
The scientists also plan to use the Apple iPhone for military use. They say it could replace the laptops carried by soldiers to receive data from the robots.
A new strategy has also announced that video games will be forced to carry cinema-style age classifications to improve children’s safety in the digital age.
A psychologist has called for an overhaul of games classification.
At present, only games showing sex or gross violence require an age rating from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and less than 2 per cent carry an 18 certificate.
A new legally-binding system would ensure that every game is rated in the same way as films, with U (Universal), PG (Parental Guidance), 12, 15 and 18.
Here are the best games of the week:
Title: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Platform: PS3
Genre: Survival Horror
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
A spine-tingling sequel to the Xbox 360 smash-hit, Condemned 2 is another trip down a dark, supernatural storyline in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, the hero of the first title.
It won’t take you long to find out that this game is all about creepy scenarios, frenetic melee combat and a story with more paranormal bits and pieces to it than an episode of Most Haunted.
Combine the spooky ambience with improved forensic investigatory areas and you have a fine survival horror title on your hands, best played in the dark with the sound turned right up!
Title: Dark Sector
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Third-person shooters have to be pretty special to stand out from the crowd these days, and Dark Sector has a couple of tricks up its sleeve to make it well worth spending some time with.
The super-sharp steel Glaive (or boomerang) makes a refreshing change from guns galore as you battle your way through the usual host of marauding monsters before facing various big, bad bosses.
The control and cover system works extremely well, and this weapon is a dream to play with.
Couple that with some of the best graphics you’re likely to see on Xbox 360 and you have more than enough to make this worth seeking out.
Title: M&Ms Kart Racing
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Let’s get one thing straight from the off, no matter how bad this game is, it won’t stop the chocolates tasting as good as good as they always have. And there is the start and end of the good news.
This is a shocking kart-racer, stuck a decade behind its time, offering gamers absolutely nothing that they haven’t seen before, though no doubt more flawed than any comparison titles.
Confusing racetracks, but still ridiculously easy to win, and with a single-tuned sound track that will send you mad. Please just stick to eating M&Ms, rather than racing with them.
Title: Dora Saves The Mermaids
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
With both eyes firmly on the pre-school market, Dora is on a mermaid-saving mission, stopping an evil octopus from dumping rubbish in the ocean.
How can the under-5s achieve this? By completing a series of pretty simple mini-games, including obstacle courses and treasure-hunting, of course.
All of which is pretty simple, harmless fun, but is still unlikely to hold the attention of its target audience for too long.
The DS is capable of so much more, and this feels a little light for the price.
Title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: RPG
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Cracking characters, a wonderful world to explore and the kind of RPG adventure we’ve come to expect from the Final Fantasy stable, Ring of Fates is a welcome addition to Nintendo’s DS.
Although many of the battles are relatively straightforward in terms of hacking and slashing, there’s so much more on offer in the vast world you have to explore, backed up by some truly amazing handheld visuals and DS audio to die for.
Fans of Final Fantasy will already have this game earmarked, but everyone else should seriously consider a trip into this hugely enjoyable fantasy universe.
The basis of this morning's report by Interpret LLC, a supposed leading new media research firm, is that people in the UK (as well as the US and Japan) are still preferring to buy normal DVDs rather than Blu-Ray hi-def discs.
And how long did it take for this concensus to be determined?
Given the massive difference in price between the two (you can pick up five standard DVDs for £30 while a single Blu-Ray disc costs around £30 to £40), it's pretty obvious this would be the case.
I have a Blu-Ray player and and a DVD player and I still buy normal DVDs. The price is reason enough.
Okay, Blu-Ray picture and sound quality is far superior but I'm not sure I want to pay so much more for it.
Besides, to gain the optimum Blu-Ray experience you need to spend thousands of pounds on a an HD TV, a cinema surround sound system, and a Blu Ray player itself.
The research surmises that 'increased title availability may be the key to increasing Blu-ray buy rates' but fails to mention the obvious factor.
Meanwhile, further proof of life imitating video games has come with scientists adopting the Nintendo Wii remote controller to operate military robots.
The 'Wiimote' control system detects the controllers’ movement in three dimensions using wireless technology.
It is used to detect players’ motion on games from golf and tennis to shoot-em-ups and fighting simulators.
Now two scientists in the US have adopted the technology for real-life warfare, a leading science magazine reported last week.
The US Department of Energy centre has adopted a mine-clearing robot to be directed by the Wii controller.
The Packbot, used by the US military, disposes of bombs and can even carry a machine gun.
The scientists found traditional controllers took up too much of the operator’s attention.
But they found using the Wiimote was more instinctive, allowing them to concentrate on the data the robot gathered.
The scientists also plan to use the Apple iPhone for military use. They say it could replace the laptops carried by soldiers to receive data from the robots.
A new strategy has also announced that video games will be forced to carry cinema-style age classifications to improve children’s safety in the digital age.
A psychologist has called for an overhaul of games classification.
At present, only games showing sex or gross violence require an age rating from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and less than 2 per cent carry an 18 certificate.
A new legally-binding system would ensure that every game is rated in the same way as films, with U (Universal), PG (Parental Guidance), 12, 15 and 18.
Here are the best games of the week:
Title: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Platform: PS3
Genre: Survival Horror
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
A spine-tingling sequel to the Xbox 360 smash-hit, Condemned 2 is another trip down a dark, supernatural storyline in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, the hero of the first title.
It won’t take you long to find out that this game is all about creepy scenarios, frenetic melee combat and a story with more paranormal bits and pieces to it than an episode of Most Haunted.
Combine the spooky ambience with improved forensic investigatory areas and you have a fine survival horror title on your hands, best played in the dark with the sound turned right up!
Title: Dark Sector
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Third-person shooters have to be pretty special to stand out from the crowd these days, and Dark Sector has a couple of tricks up its sleeve to make it well worth spending some time with.
The super-sharp steel Glaive (or boomerang) makes a refreshing change from guns galore as you battle your way through the usual host of marauding monsters before facing various big, bad bosses.
The control and cover system works extremely well, and this weapon is a dream to play with.
Couple that with some of the best graphics you’re likely to see on Xbox 360 and you have more than enough to make this worth seeking out.
Title: M&Ms Kart Racing
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Let’s get one thing straight from the off, no matter how bad this game is, it won’t stop the chocolates tasting as good as good as they always have. And there is the start and end of the good news.
This is a shocking kart-racer, stuck a decade behind its time, offering gamers absolutely nothing that they haven’t seen before, though no doubt more flawed than any comparison titles.
Confusing racetracks, but still ridiculously easy to win, and with a single-tuned sound track that will send you mad. Please just stick to eating M&Ms, rather than racing with them.
Title: Dora Saves The Mermaids
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
With both eyes firmly on the pre-school market, Dora is on a mermaid-saving mission, stopping an evil octopus from dumping rubbish in the ocean.
How can the under-5s achieve this? By completing a series of pretty simple mini-games, including obstacle courses and treasure-hunting, of course.
All of which is pretty simple, harmless fun, but is still unlikely to hold the attention of its target audience for too long.
The DS is capable of so much more, and this feels a little light for the price.
Title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring Of Fates
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: RPG
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Cracking characters, a wonderful world to explore and the kind of RPG adventure we’ve come to expect from the Final Fantasy stable, Ring of Fates is a welcome addition to Nintendo’s DS.
Although many of the battles are relatively straightforward in terms of hacking and slashing, there’s so much more on offer in the vast world you have to explore, backed up by some truly amazing handheld visuals and DS audio to die for.
Fans of Final Fantasy will already have this game earmarked, but everyone else should seriously consider a trip into this hugely enjoyable fantasy universe.
Monday, 24 March 2008
To blog, or not to blog...
WIKIPEDIA describes a 'blog' as being a 'website which provides commentary or news on a particular subject'.
The University of Oxford, responsible for providing us with - so it seems - the only real dictionary in the world, has it down as a 'personal record that people put on their website to give an account of their activities and their opinions'.
Personally I describe a blog as being an 'opportunity'.
You see, what was once called a diary entry is now called a 'blog'. In my eyes a blog is a rant, an opinion or indeed a tribute. It's everything the creator wants it to be, and indeed nothing if it's misunderstood.
The influx of bloggers on the web has created a whole new generation of people who think:
a). Not only that they can write; but b). They are writing something that is of interest to people.
It has also bred a whole bunch of loonies with a grudge, but we won't go into that now.
The majority of people, it seems, are egotistical - or bored in equal amounts - and have nothing better to do than to spurt out jargon about nothing in particular.
Now at this point admittedly, your minds are thinking 'pot', 'calling', 'kettle' and 'black' but I urge you to consider... I'm getting paid to do this.
I'm far from being a great writer, I still stumble on spellings and, even on a cloudy day, I don't really enjoy ranting.
But this small space entitled 'Game On' allows me to throw some thoughts out there, share experiences and ultimately enlighten people in some shape or form.
I'm not told to do it. I do it because I enjoy it.
And that's the thing about the internet nowadays. I reckon there must be something of interest for every single person in the world. Like grains of sand on a beach, one person's blog will be read, and enjoyed, by at least one person.
Wikipedia believes there are 112 million blogs being tracked online.
I'm still yet to find that one person who enjoys mine. Most blogs gain comments. Mine does not. Game On has generated two comments so far... and they were both colleagues taking the mickey about something.
What do they say? One person's rubbish is another man's treasure... I'll leave you to decide.
Here's the best of the latest game releases:
Title: Asterix at the Olympic Games
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: First things first, when this game landed on my desk I immediately put it in a draw and thought 'I'll pick that up when I'm bored'.
Games which tie in with films are very often pants. Not disrespect, I'm sure every effort is made to do it justice... it's just that they don't work.
Transformers was a prime example. Although the film was awful too.
Anyhow, with that in mind I found myself already hating the title. But, within seconds my mind had changed.
For once it appears the developers have got it right. It looks the business and some thought has gone into its make up.
It is a game that you can actually enjoy playing. As well as the main storyline of Asterix's (and Obelix's for that matter) appearance in the games, you can try your hand at a number of mini games which are all fairly enjoyable without going over the top.
The main fun is had in running round bashing the Romans. But with the mini games and the main story to play as well, it's actual worth the money and the effort.
The Wii controllers are also used well with the ability to pick up a Roman with the Wiimote before using him as a whip to attack other Roman's by shaking the nunchuck. Okay, it's not real life is it? But is sure is fun.
Title: Army of Two
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Following in the wake of Gears of War and Call of Duty is no easy task but Army of Two holds it's own.
Alright it will never be as good as the two former but it is pretty nifty in its ingenuity and gameplay.
As the manufacturer's description states, co-op gameplay is no longer an option with this title. It is a necessity.
Like the title suggests, Army of Two sees you take hold of not one but two characters working as a team in various modern day scenarios.
At the very least it's a decent shoot em up. But it's got so much more to offer.
When you shoot people the two dudes high five each other. And they swear! Like all good shooters you can upgrade your weapons and bling your kit to the max.
It is hard to see any flaws in this title.
But the bestest best thing about it? The ability to take it to Xbox Live with a partner. Rock on!
The University of Oxford, responsible for providing us with - so it seems - the only real dictionary in the world, has it down as a 'personal record that people put on their website to give an account of their activities and their opinions'.
Personally I describe a blog as being an 'opportunity'.
You see, what was once called a diary entry is now called a 'blog'. In my eyes a blog is a rant, an opinion or indeed a tribute. It's everything the creator wants it to be, and indeed nothing if it's misunderstood.
The influx of bloggers on the web has created a whole new generation of people who think:
a). Not only that they can write; but b). They are writing something that is of interest to people.
It has also bred a whole bunch of loonies with a grudge, but we won't go into that now.
The majority of people, it seems, are egotistical - or bored in equal amounts - and have nothing better to do than to spurt out jargon about nothing in particular.
Now at this point admittedly, your minds are thinking 'pot', 'calling', 'kettle' and 'black' but I urge you to consider... I'm getting paid to do this.
I'm far from being a great writer, I still stumble on spellings and, even on a cloudy day, I don't really enjoy ranting.
But this small space entitled 'Game On' allows me to throw some thoughts out there, share experiences and ultimately enlighten people in some shape or form.
I'm not told to do it. I do it because I enjoy it.
And that's the thing about the internet nowadays. I reckon there must be something of interest for every single person in the world. Like grains of sand on a beach, one person's blog will be read, and enjoyed, by at least one person.
Wikipedia believes there are 112 million blogs being tracked online.
I'm still yet to find that one person who enjoys mine. Most blogs gain comments. Mine does not. Game On has generated two comments so far... and they were both colleagues taking the mickey about something.
What do they say? One person's rubbish is another man's treasure... I'll leave you to decide.
Here's the best of the latest game releases:
Title: Asterix at the Olympic Games
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: First things first, when this game landed on my desk I immediately put it in a draw and thought 'I'll pick that up when I'm bored'.
Games which tie in with films are very often pants. Not disrespect, I'm sure every effort is made to do it justice... it's just that they don't work.
Transformers was a prime example. Although the film was awful too.
Anyhow, with that in mind I found myself already hating the title. But, within seconds my mind had changed.
For once it appears the developers have got it right. It looks the business and some thought has gone into its make up.
It is a game that you can actually enjoy playing. As well as the main storyline of Asterix's (and Obelix's for that matter) appearance in the games, you can try your hand at a number of mini games which are all fairly enjoyable without going over the top.
The main fun is had in running round bashing the Romans. But with the mini games and the main story to play as well, it's actual worth the money and the effort.
The Wii controllers are also used well with the ability to pick up a Roman with the Wiimote before using him as a whip to attack other Roman's by shaking the nunchuck. Okay, it's not real life is it? But is sure is fun.
Title: Army of Two
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Following in the wake of Gears of War and Call of Duty is no easy task but Army of Two holds it's own.
Alright it will never be as good as the two former but it is pretty nifty in its ingenuity and gameplay.
As the manufacturer's description states, co-op gameplay is no longer an option with this title. It is a necessity.
Like the title suggests, Army of Two sees you take hold of not one but two characters working as a team in various modern day scenarios.
At the very least it's a decent shoot em up. But it's got so much more to offer.
When you shoot people the two dudes high five each other. And they swear! Like all good shooters you can upgrade your weapons and bling your kit to the max.
It is hard to see any flaws in this title.
But the bestest best thing about it? The ability to take it to Xbox Live with a partner. Rock on!
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