Clever or just plain sneaky?
That's the question that came to mind immediatedly after hearing Sony's announcement regarding the European release of the PS3.
Now I knew it was going to cost a few quid and yes, I had prepared myself that it would amount to around £425, but still.
In the official statement, Sony said: "Responding to retail and consumer demand, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirmed that initially only the 60GB model would be available, with the 20GB model to follow later in the year dependent on demand."
Do people REALLY need 60GB if they intend on saving a few games on it?
I realise that it is much better to have more and not need it than to not have it at all, but isn't it a bit sneaky?
Personally, (and I can hear my feelings echoed in households around the country) I'd rather pay a few quid less and just be able to buy it now.
Sony obviously knows the level of demand and so expects people to pay the full whack instead of waiting a few months. See? That's the clever bit.
Anyways, for those of us who probably will spend the money and get it sooner rather than later, this is for you... The Sony PS3 will be launched in the UK on March 23 at a price of £425.
An expected 1million PS3 units will be made available during the initial launch period across Europe.
A line-up of more than 30 game titles for PS3 will also be launched alongside it, including eagerly awaited titles published by SCEE such as Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm, Genji: Days of the Blade, Formula One Championship Edition and Ridge Racer 7.
A range of titles in every genre will also be available at launch from the world's leading third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Namco Bandai, Sega, Take 2, Ubisoft, Vivendi Universal, and Sony Online Entertainment.
In addition to games on disc, a range of fully-featured downloadable games will debut on the PlayStation Network.
These will include gaming icons such as Tekken: Dark Resurrection and Gran Turismo HD Concept.
Concurrent with the European launch, a new System Update to further enhance the entertainment potential of PS3 will be issued.
Announcing the launch details, Ray Maguire, managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe UK said: "Following the hugely successful launches of PS3 in Japan and North America, we are absolutely delighted to be able to bring significant numbers of PS3 to the UK.
"To be able to launch with over 30 titles including retail versions and great downloadable gaming experiences across every genre shows that this is our strongest launch line-up in the history of PlayStation, and is what PlayStation fans in the UK have been crying out for."
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Friday, 26 January 2007
January 26
Ever felt like you're working in the wrong industry?
Having looked at the latest sales figures for computer software and games, I think I might just have ticked the wrong box in my school careers talk.
According to the (much too long-winded) Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (yawn), the UK interactive entertainment software market hit a new all time high in 2006.
The year marked a new record in growth in sales, enjoying a seven per cent increase on units sold from the previous year. (Okay, yawn again... that's the boring bit over with).
The total number of units sold in the UK was a whopping joysticktastic 65.1 million units.
No wonder the association rather happily announced that these record sales across all formats totalled £1.36 BILLION.
Now that is a lot of scoobies.
Despite the rise in popularity of handheld formats on the market (notably the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS - and the next generation consoles titles) PC software has also continued to sell increasing amounts.
This year was the best year ever for the sale of PC titles.
The most popular console software was the PS2, followed by the Xbox 360, the Xbox, Wii and GameCube (sorry, who?) followed.
These were the most popular game titles of 2006:
1. FIFA 07.
2. Pro Evolution Soccer 6.
3. Need For Speed: Carbon.
4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
5. Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy.
6. The Sims 2: Pets.
7. Cars.
8. Tomb Raider Legend.
9. The Sims 2.
10. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007.
Having looked at the latest sales figures for computer software and games, I think I might just have ticked the wrong box in my school careers talk.
According to the (much too long-winded) Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (yawn), the UK interactive entertainment software market hit a new all time high in 2006.
The year marked a new record in growth in sales, enjoying a seven per cent increase on units sold from the previous year. (Okay, yawn again... that's the boring bit over with).
The total number of units sold in the UK was a whopping joysticktastic 65.1 million units.
No wonder the association rather happily announced that these record sales across all formats totalled £1.36 BILLION.
Now that is a lot of scoobies.
Despite the rise in popularity of handheld formats on the market (notably the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS - and the next generation consoles titles) PC software has also continued to sell increasing amounts.
This year was the best year ever for the sale of PC titles.
The most popular console software was the PS2, followed by the Xbox 360, the Xbox, Wii and GameCube (sorry, who?) followed.
These were the most popular game titles of 2006:
1. FIFA 07.
2. Pro Evolution Soccer 6.
3. Need For Speed: Carbon.
4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
5. Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy.
6. The Sims 2: Pets.
7. Cars.
8. Tomb Raider Legend.
9. The Sims 2.
10. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007.
Thursday, 11 January 2007
January 11
First there was the iPod, now there's the iPhone.
It was always going to happen wasn't it?
Where there's a will there's a way, and where there's a dollar or two to be made that will WILL be greater.
This week saw the launch of the slick new device which is sure to propel Apple to new heights of the fortune tree.
According to Apple bosses the iPhone will "reinvent" telecommunications. And reading the device's spec details it isn't difficult to appreciate why.
It will go on sale in the US in June, priced from $499 (just under £250), and should hit Europe late this year.
Just 11.6 millimetres thick, the handset has no conventional buttons but instead uses a large touch-screen.
As well as functioning as a music and video iPod it offers new services such as "visual voicemail", which shows users a list of their messages so they can go straight to the ones they want to listen to most.
A full touch keyboard is available for text messaging and there is a built in a two megapixel camera.
The phone, which runs the Mac OS X operating system, will display album artwork on its 3.5ins screen when it is being used for music.
Special sensors automatically deactivate the screen and turn off the touch pad when the device is raised to the ear.
Excuse me... but wow. I'm impressed.
Ever keen to feed the cash cow, Apple have come up with a convenient way to make sure the money flows in.
A 4GB model with a two year contract will cost $499 in the US, or punters can splash out $599 (just under £300) for an 8GB model.
Mobile service provider Cingular will be Apple's exclusive partner for the iPhone there.
Just to make its launch that little bit more of a special occasion, Apple bosses also showed us even more of a glimpse into the future.
During the event one of the hosts unveiled a wireless set-top box that will allow users to watch films they have downloaded from the internet on their TV.
He also announced that digital movies from Paramount, as well as Disney, will now be available on iTunes.
Apple anticipates bringing the iPhone to Europe in the fourth calendar quarter of the year, and to Asia in 2008.
The firm will begin taking orders for the $299 (£150) wireless Apple TV box this week and the devices will be available next month.
They will come with a 40-gigabyte hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video.
If any proof is needed of whether iTunes downloading has truly taken off in recent times consider this: Apple has sold more than two billion songs on iTunes, equivalent to 58 songs per second, or five million a day since 2001.
Crikey...
Here's the latest releases reviewed:
Title: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Get ready for the ultimate party game extravaganza!
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves will have you and your friends competing in a series of wild and wonderful challenges as you use the Wii Remote in ways you would not have imagined possible.
Sequel to the hugely popular Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is the latest in the Wario Ware franchise but this time it can make full use of the Wii Remote.
Featuring over 200 fast paced and action-packed microgames, players are challenged to hone their reactions and use the Wii Remote in an array of wonderful and wacky ways.
Each game only lasts a few seconds and requires the player to perform bizarre actions with the Wii Remote, such as sauteing vegetables, hula hooping (by holding the Wii Remote against your hip) and even slotting Grandma's teeth into her mouth.
Great fun for all.
Title: Ys Strategy
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
This game is destined to become the real-time strategy benchmark title on Nintendo DS. Ys Strategy contains charismatic and absorbing heroes and heroines in a beautiful fantasy world.
Fight for supremacy by managing resources, building units and choosing the right strategy for real-time battles.
Title: Flushed Away
Platform PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
The creators of Shrek and Madagascar have teamed up with the makers of Wallace and Grommit to bring to life the movie, Flushed Away.
Now's your chance to get in on the action...
The game lets players relive the movie and beyond as they assume the roles of Roddy, Rita and take the wheel of the Jammy Dodger watercraft.
Manoeuvre through a dangerous underground city filled with enemies, waterfalls and traps in a struggle against the villainous Toad and his evil plans.
With lots of levels, characters and baddies, it's sure to keep the kids entertained for a while.
Sadly, not for long enough.
It was always going to happen wasn't it?
Where there's a will there's a way, and where there's a dollar or two to be made that will WILL be greater.
This week saw the launch of the slick new device which is sure to propel Apple to new heights of the fortune tree.
According to Apple bosses the iPhone will "reinvent" telecommunications. And reading the device's spec details it isn't difficult to appreciate why.
It will go on sale in the US in June, priced from $499 (just under £250), and should hit Europe late this year.
Just 11.6 millimetres thick, the handset has no conventional buttons but instead uses a large touch-screen.
As well as functioning as a music and video iPod it offers new services such as "visual voicemail", which shows users a list of their messages so they can go straight to the ones they want to listen to most.
A full touch keyboard is available for text messaging and there is a built in a two megapixel camera.
The phone, which runs the Mac OS X operating system, will display album artwork on its 3.5ins screen when it is being used for music.
Special sensors automatically deactivate the screen and turn off the touch pad when the device is raised to the ear.
Excuse me... but wow. I'm impressed.
Ever keen to feed the cash cow, Apple have come up with a convenient way to make sure the money flows in.
A 4GB model with a two year contract will cost $499 in the US, or punters can splash out $599 (just under £300) for an 8GB model.
Mobile service provider Cingular will be Apple's exclusive partner for the iPhone there.
Just to make its launch that little bit more of a special occasion, Apple bosses also showed us even more of a glimpse into the future.
During the event one of the hosts unveiled a wireless set-top box that will allow users to watch films they have downloaded from the internet on their TV.
He also announced that digital movies from Paramount, as well as Disney, will now be available on iTunes.
Apple anticipates bringing the iPhone to Europe in the fourth calendar quarter of the year, and to Asia in 2008.
The firm will begin taking orders for the $299 (£150) wireless Apple TV box this week and the devices will be available next month.
They will come with a 40-gigabyte hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video.
If any proof is needed of whether iTunes downloading has truly taken off in recent times consider this: Apple has sold more than two billion songs on iTunes, equivalent to 58 songs per second, or five million a day since 2001.
Crikey...
Here's the latest releases reviewed:
Title: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Get ready for the ultimate party game extravaganza!
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves will have you and your friends competing in a series of wild and wonderful challenges as you use the Wii Remote in ways you would not have imagined possible.
Sequel to the hugely popular Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is the latest in the Wario Ware franchise but this time it can make full use of the Wii Remote.
Featuring over 200 fast paced and action-packed microgames, players are challenged to hone their reactions and use the Wii Remote in an array of wonderful and wacky ways.
Each game only lasts a few seconds and requires the player to perform bizarre actions with the Wii Remote, such as sauteing vegetables, hula hooping (by holding the Wii Remote against your hip) and even slotting Grandma's teeth into her mouth.
Great fun for all.
Title: Ys Strategy
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
This game is destined to become the real-time strategy benchmark title on Nintendo DS. Ys Strategy contains charismatic and absorbing heroes and heroines in a beautiful fantasy world.
Fight for supremacy by managing resources, building units and choosing the right strategy for real-time battles.
Title: Flushed Away
Platform PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
The creators of Shrek and Madagascar have teamed up with the makers of Wallace and Grommit to bring to life the movie, Flushed Away.
Now's your chance to get in on the action...
The game lets players relive the movie and beyond as they assume the roles of Roddy, Rita and take the wheel of the Jammy Dodger watercraft.
Manoeuvre through a dangerous underground city filled with enemies, waterfalls and traps in a struggle against the villainous Toad and his evil plans.
With lots of levels, characters and baddies, it's sure to keep the kids entertained for a while.
Sadly, not for long enough.
Friday, 1 December 2006
December 1
Okay, okay, I hold my arms up in the air and admit it... I was wrong.
Just a few days ago in my last blog I wrote a rather unfavourable review about Nintendo's new Wii and its Sports package which sees players act out a sport using a motion sensor controller.
Now it has to be mentioned here for the record that I hadn't actually played or experienced the game before writing that piece. I wrote it after reading and hearing about it.
Now, for all those people whose minds might have been swayed by the comments... FORGET I SAID A WORD!
The Wii's sports package is one of the most fun things I have experienced in a long while. In a bizarre twist of fate I found myself using one of the consoles (nine days before its British release I might add) on Wednesday at London's Science Museum.
The truth is that I was in London for the day picking up body armour and a visa for my forthcoming trip to Afghanistan (for the Defence Reporter side of my job).
Now it just so happens that the Science Museum is 200 yards away from the Afghan Embassy and when we were told to come back in two hours to collect the visa, we stumbled past a huge banner plugging the 'Game On' exhibition.
Me being me I saw the 'Game On' sign and thought 'that's weird, my blog's called Game On'. And so we decided to take a glance.
We walked in with the intention of 'blagging' our way into the exhibition stating our occupations as journalists.
When I introduced myself at the main desk imagine my surprise when I was greeted with a Bond-style "hello Mr Nichols, we've been expecting you..."
Somewhat startled I replied "Are you sure?!"
They then led us into the gaming exhibition thrusting a Wii controller in mine and my colleague's hands. What followed were three fun-packed best of three tennis matches.
Within seconds I realised I had been overly harsh about the console's sports package.
While I'm still not too sure what the neighbours will think of me playing air tennis with no racket or ball in my living room, the fact is that it is worth the embarrassment purely for the fun aspect of it all. There I was prancing around imagining I was Greg Rusedski thumping the ball over the net to victory each time. It is truly amazing how your movements are replicated in the game when you throw the ball up and when you hit it.
The speed and ferocity is matched in the gameplay. After triumphantly sweeping aside my opposition it transpired that, in a way, we had been expected to attend the event.
What was truly strange was that on that particular cool November morning a press launch facility had been arranged and we rocked up 20 minutes after the event had finished.
They simply thought we were late for the show. Bizarre huh?
Anyways, listen up... if you've got a day to spare you just have to go to the London Science Museum.
The whole of the second floor is dedicated to the show which explores the history, technology and culture of computer games.
From the PDP-1 of the 1960s to the latest consoles (INCLUDING THE SONY PS3 WHICH JUST ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!), Game On examines the technologies that have revolutionised the gaming world.
The 10 most influential consoles of all time are proudly on display, and the exhibition offers visitors the chance to learn about the design process behind games such as Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto.
At the same time visitors can also play any one of more than 100 games including classics like R-Type, Space Invaders, Pro Evolution Soccer, Halo 2 and Atari Star Wars.
AND most importantly the exhibition is the ONLY place in Britain to experience the Sony PS3 ahead of its March UK release.
Drawing 35,000 visitors so far, it's proving quite a hit. For further information on the show visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk.
If you can't get to London straight away why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Imagine a game when you can take many of your favourite characters from your favourite games and put them all in one place for one almighty scrap.
That place is Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. Fight in the traditional SNK style with 40 characters taken form classic games such as Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown, King of the Fighters, World hero's and many more.
It'a a great concept and knocks the daylights out of a lot of other titles on the market right now.
Title: Medal of Honor: Heroes
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Medal of Honor Heroes, available exclusively for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, gives gamers the chance to take all the epic, authentic World War II (WWII) action of Medal of Honor (MoH) on-the-go.
Medal of Honor Heroes is the newest addition to the critically-acclaimed Medal of Honor franchise which was credited with pioneering the First-Person Shooter (FPS) WWII genre when it debuted in 1999.
This marks the exciting debut for a Medal of Honor game on the PSP system.
With an entirely unique storyline and PSP-specific feature set, players will experience a totally new single player campaign and choose from six different Multiplayer modes within 15 different maps, while participating in wireless Multiplayer sessions with up to 32 players.
Or choose to play with up to 8 players across the room in a local Ad hoc game. Quickplay missions in skirmish game mode, allow players to jump right into the action or customize mission scenarios for added re-playability.
Relive your favourite Medal of Honor moments by unlocking over 20 classic characters to use in multiplayer games.
Just a few days ago in my last blog I wrote a rather unfavourable review about Nintendo's new Wii and its Sports package which sees players act out a sport using a motion sensor controller.
Now it has to be mentioned here for the record that I hadn't actually played or experienced the game before writing that piece. I wrote it after reading and hearing about it.
Now, for all those people whose minds might have been swayed by the comments... FORGET I SAID A WORD!
The Wii's sports package is one of the most fun things I have experienced in a long while. In a bizarre twist of fate I found myself using one of the consoles (nine days before its British release I might add) on Wednesday at London's Science Museum.
The truth is that I was in London for the day picking up body armour and a visa for my forthcoming trip to Afghanistan (for the Defence Reporter side of my job).
Now it just so happens that the Science Museum is 200 yards away from the Afghan Embassy and when we were told to come back in two hours to collect the visa, we stumbled past a huge banner plugging the 'Game On' exhibition.
Me being me I saw the 'Game On' sign and thought 'that's weird, my blog's called Game On'. And so we decided to take a glance.
We walked in with the intention of 'blagging' our way into the exhibition stating our occupations as journalists.
When I introduced myself at the main desk imagine my surprise when I was greeted with a Bond-style "hello Mr Nichols, we've been expecting you..."
Somewhat startled I replied "Are you sure?!"
They then led us into the gaming exhibition thrusting a Wii controller in mine and my colleague's hands. What followed were three fun-packed best of three tennis matches.
Within seconds I realised I had been overly harsh about the console's sports package.
While I'm still not too sure what the neighbours will think of me playing air tennis with no racket or ball in my living room, the fact is that it is worth the embarrassment purely for the fun aspect of it all. There I was prancing around imagining I was Greg Rusedski thumping the ball over the net to victory each time. It is truly amazing how your movements are replicated in the game when you throw the ball up and when you hit it.
The speed and ferocity is matched in the gameplay. After triumphantly sweeping aside my opposition it transpired that, in a way, we had been expected to attend the event.
What was truly strange was that on that particular cool November morning a press launch facility had been arranged and we rocked up 20 minutes after the event had finished.
They simply thought we were late for the show. Bizarre huh?
Anyways, listen up... if you've got a day to spare you just have to go to the London Science Museum.
The whole of the second floor is dedicated to the show which explores the history, technology and culture of computer games.
From the PDP-1 of the 1960s to the latest consoles (INCLUDING THE SONY PS3 WHICH JUST ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!), Game On examines the technologies that have revolutionised the gaming world.
The 10 most influential consoles of all time are proudly on display, and the exhibition offers visitors the chance to learn about the design process behind games such as Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto.
At the same time visitors can also play any one of more than 100 games including classics like R-Type, Space Invaders, Pro Evolution Soccer, Halo 2 and Atari Star Wars.
AND most importantly the exhibition is the ONLY place in Britain to experience the Sony PS3 ahead of its March UK release.
Drawing 35,000 visitors so far, it's proving quite a hit. For further information on the show visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk.
If you can't get to London straight away why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Imagine a game when you can take many of your favourite characters from your favourite games and put them all in one place for one almighty scrap.
That place is Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. Fight in the traditional SNK style with 40 characters taken form classic games such as Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown, King of the Fighters, World hero's and many more.
It'a a great concept and knocks the daylights out of a lot of other titles on the market right now.
Title: Medal of Honor: Heroes
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Medal of Honor Heroes, available exclusively for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, gives gamers the chance to take all the epic, authentic World War II (WWII) action of Medal of Honor (MoH) on-the-go.
Medal of Honor Heroes is the newest addition to the critically-acclaimed Medal of Honor franchise which was credited with pioneering the First-Person Shooter (FPS) WWII genre when it debuted in 1999.
This marks the exciting debut for a Medal of Honor game on the PSP system.
With an entirely unique storyline and PSP-specific feature set, players will experience a totally new single player campaign and choose from six different Multiplayer modes within 15 different maps, while participating in wireless Multiplayer sessions with up to 32 players.
Or choose to play with up to 8 players across the room in a local Ad hoc game. Quickplay missions in skirmish game mode, allow players to jump right into the action or customize mission scenarios for added re-playability.
Relive your favourite Medal of Honor moments by unlocking over 20 classic characters to use in multiplayer games.
Tuesday, 28 November 2006
November 28
Now I'm all for realism in gaming but I think those nice people behind the new Nintendo Wii console have gone a little too far...
Isn't the whole idea of computer games about putting you in a fictitious world where you lounge around (preferably on a sofa) and immerse yourself in the experience?
Not that I'm also adverse to the idea of exercise, but I think the included five-game Wii Sports package is pushing things a little to far.
Announcing that "it's time to show off those silky sports moves" Nintendo aim to get you on your feet and - using the revolutionary motion sensitive controller - have you mincing around at home pretending to actually be in the game.
Okay, credit where it is due. Nice idea. But sorry, no.
Playing tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing, all in the comfort of your own living room... my neighbours - not to mention anyone walking past the front window - will think I'm a certified fruitloop.
In an official press statement the Wii developers state: "Each of the sports utilises the Wii Remote to the full.
"In Tennis, Golf, Bowling and Baseball, the controller is used just as a player would use a tennis racket, golf club, bowling ball, baseball or baseball bat in real life.
"With amazing realism, the slightest movement has an affect on the ball, enabling players to dictate the speed of the ball, curve and direction with the movement of their hand.
"For example in Tennis, the game registers forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs, slices, spin and power depending on how fast the user swings and at what angle.
"In golf, the harder the players swing the further the ball will go."
That's all very well but imagine if you're reaching down to claim the last potato chip when, whoops, missed the putt on the last course and you've subsequently lost the game.
Ten out of ten for the idea but I'm not sold.
This sort of thing might be a winner in the States (okay it actually IS with 600,000 consoles sold in the first eight days attracting veteran and new gamers) but I can't see it rivalling the empires built by Sony or Microsoft.
COMPETITION
EVER fancied feeling like Tom Cruise in Top Gun?
Well here's your chance.
Now, we can't exactly offer you a place in the next big budget blockbuster... but we can offer you a copy of flight simulation game Pilot Academy.
Oh, and a whole bunch of extra goodies.
In fact, we've got four copies of the Sony PSP game to giveaway plus a fighter pilot helmet and a custom model plane worth £100.
A commercial, private and military flight simulation, Pilot Academy offers both single-player missions, challenges and multi-player aerial combat and delivers the most authoritative simulation ever seen on a handheld.
All readers/viewers have to do to win a copy is answer this simple question: Which famous 1980s film launched the career of Tom Cruise?
a). Top Dog;
b). Top Cat; or
c). Top Gun.
Email your entries to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk, putting Pilot Academy Competition in the subject box.
Please also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Monday December 11.
Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor's decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Evening Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of Westcountry Publications and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoters are Barrington Harvey, and you are advised to retain this information.
In the meantime why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Cricket 07
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: With its fully licensed squads, groundbreaking Century Stick control system and more natural camera perspective, Cricket 07 will bring players the most immersive gameplay experience to date.
Thanks to the groundbreaking EA Sports Century Stick control system, batting has become more intuitive, responsive and rewarding than ever.
For the first time in a cricket game, players can enjoy full control over foot choice, shot, direction, power and timing, all governed through the use of both analogue sticks.
A back or front foot stroke is selected with the left stick, and then shot timing and direction are judged with the right stick.
Power is determined by how far the stick is moved a slight tap can nudge the ball for a quick single or a firm push can send the ball fizzing away to the boundary.
Allied to new cameras that deliver a more natural behind-the-stumps batting perspective and a wider view of the field, cricket has never been so easily accessible.
With embellished gameplay, a wealth of tournaments, genuine equipment and authoritative new commentary from Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, you won't experience cricket this authentic without donning whites and walking down the pavilion steps yourself.
Title: Tony Hawk's Project 8
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Rebuilt from the ground up for Sony and Microsoft consoles, Tony Hawk's Project 8 immerses players in the definitive skateboarding experience using ultra realistic graphics, enhanced physics, and extremely responsive controls that simulate the feeling of skating with every trick and bail.
The game challenges players to experience the intensity and pressure of skating against some of the world?s top pros in true to life competitions as they aim to become the No.1 skater.
With an entirely new gameplay engine, the trick-based gameplay features amazing, detailed character animations that react realistically on and off their boards, a new physics system, an innovative bail mode, and the ability to move ramps and rails throughout the city.
The experience is so real, you don?t just skate it... you feel it.
Title: Lemmings
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Controlling an army of lemmings, the aim is to get as many of these cute characters as you can from the entrance point to the exit point of a level within a time limit.
Easy to learn, difficult to master; Lemmings is a test of strategy and fast thinking as you make 'on the spot' life or death decisions for your band of trusting little creatures.
Use the unique skills of your Lemmings team to overcome the hazards ahead: the bomber explodes at will, the floater can survive high falls and the basher digs horizontally just when you need it.
The climber is at hand for those tricky mountain ranges, the blocker creates an obstacle in the path ahead and the builder is there to construct walkways for his friends.
Stretch your strategies across 100 plus levels as you lead your lemmings across an immense variety of challenging backdrops.
The levels are arranged into five striking themes, each with its own unique visual flavour.
So, whether it's going underground into the sewers or marching through fields and forests, the lemmings always have new terrain to explore.
Packed with a host of new features, Lemmings offers for the first time a level editor allowing players to produce their own levels and save them to the memory card on the PSP.
Using the inbuilt wireless technology on the PSP, players can upload these levels to an exclusive Lemmings online community.
Share your unique levels with other users or download their new levels directly to your PSP - the opportunities are endless.
Perfect for a gaming snack or a marathon meal, Lemmings on the PSP is engaging and addictive; be proud to follow the crowd with Lemmings.
Title: Killzone Liberation
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: In Killzone Liberation, two months after the events of Killzone, most of southern Vekta is still under Helghast control.
The rules of war have been cast aside with the Helghast General, Metrac, employing brutal measures in order to seize the initiative and strengthen his position further. Returning as Templar, players will be sent on a mission to undertake a covert operation to save hostages captured by Metrac, while ISA troops continue the fight for liberty.
Vehicles - Killzone Liberation also allows players to drive vehicles including tanks and hovercrafts to help defeat the powerful and intelligent enemy.
Challenge Games - Players can compete in challenge games to sharpen their skills and earn new abilities.
Multiplayer Functionality - The multiplayer functionality in Killzone Liberation takes full advantage of the wireless capabilities of the PSP hardware, with two distinct styles of gameplay.
Gameshare Mode - Killzone Liberation features gameshare mode where players can share demo levels of the game with other PSP system owners.
Isn't the whole idea of computer games about putting you in a fictitious world where you lounge around (preferably on a sofa) and immerse yourself in the experience?
Not that I'm also adverse to the idea of exercise, but I think the included five-game Wii Sports package is pushing things a little to far.
Announcing that "it's time to show off those silky sports moves" Nintendo aim to get you on your feet and - using the revolutionary motion sensitive controller - have you mincing around at home pretending to actually be in the game.
Okay, credit where it is due. Nice idea. But sorry, no.
Playing tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing, all in the comfort of your own living room... my neighbours - not to mention anyone walking past the front window - will think I'm a certified fruitloop.
In an official press statement the Wii developers state: "Each of the sports utilises the Wii Remote to the full.
"In Tennis, Golf, Bowling and Baseball, the controller is used just as a player would use a tennis racket, golf club, bowling ball, baseball or baseball bat in real life.
"With amazing realism, the slightest movement has an affect on the ball, enabling players to dictate the speed of the ball, curve and direction with the movement of their hand.
"For example in Tennis, the game registers forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs, slices, spin and power depending on how fast the user swings and at what angle.
"In golf, the harder the players swing the further the ball will go."
That's all very well but imagine if you're reaching down to claim the last potato chip when, whoops, missed the putt on the last course and you've subsequently lost the game.
Ten out of ten for the idea but I'm not sold.
This sort of thing might be a winner in the States (okay it actually IS with 600,000 consoles sold in the first eight days attracting veteran and new gamers) but I can't see it rivalling the empires built by Sony or Microsoft.
COMPETITION
EVER fancied feeling like Tom Cruise in Top Gun?
Well here's your chance.
Now, we can't exactly offer you a place in the next big budget blockbuster... but we can offer you a copy of flight simulation game Pilot Academy.
Oh, and a whole bunch of extra goodies.
In fact, we've got four copies of the Sony PSP game to giveaway plus a fighter pilot helmet and a custom model plane worth £100.
A commercial, private and military flight simulation, Pilot Academy offers both single-player missions, challenges and multi-player aerial combat and delivers the most authoritative simulation ever seen on a handheld.
All readers/viewers have to do to win a copy is answer this simple question: Which famous 1980s film launched the career of Tom Cruise?
a). Top Dog;
b). Top Cat; or
c). Top Gun.
Email your entries to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk, putting Pilot Academy Competition in the subject box.
Please also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Monday December 11.
Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor's decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Evening Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of Westcountry Publications and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoters are Barrington Harvey, and you are advised to retain this information.
In the meantime why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Cricket 07
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: With its fully licensed squads, groundbreaking Century Stick control system and more natural camera perspective, Cricket 07 will bring players the most immersive gameplay experience to date.
Thanks to the groundbreaking EA Sports Century Stick control system, batting has become more intuitive, responsive and rewarding than ever.
For the first time in a cricket game, players can enjoy full control over foot choice, shot, direction, power and timing, all governed through the use of both analogue sticks.
A back or front foot stroke is selected with the left stick, and then shot timing and direction are judged with the right stick.
Power is determined by how far the stick is moved a slight tap can nudge the ball for a quick single or a firm push can send the ball fizzing away to the boundary.
Allied to new cameras that deliver a more natural behind-the-stumps batting perspective and a wider view of the field, cricket has never been so easily accessible.
With embellished gameplay, a wealth of tournaments, genuine equipment and authoritative new commentary from Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, you won't experience cricket this authentic without donning whites and walking down the pavilion steps yourself.
Title: Tony Hawk's Project 8
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Rebuilt from the ground up for Sony and Microsoft consoles, Tony Hawk's Project 8 immerses players in the definitive skateboarding experience using ultra realistic graphics, enhanced physics, and extremely responsive controls that simulate the feeling of skating with every trick and bail.
The game challenges players to experience the intensity and pressure of skating against some of the world?s top pros in true to life competitions as they aim to become the No.1 skater.
With an entirely new gameplay engine, the trick-based gameplay features amazing, detailed character animations that react realistically on and off their boards, a new physics system, an innovative bail mode, and the ability to move ramps and rails throughout the city.
The experience is so real, you don?t just skate it... you feel it.
Title: Lemmings
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Controlling an army of lemmings, the aim is to get as many of these cute characters as you can from the entrance point to the exit point of a level within a time limit.
Easy to learn, difficult to master; Lemmings is a test of strategy and fast thinking as you make 'on the spot' life or death decisions for your band of trusting little creatures.
Use the unique skills of your Lemmings team to overcome the hazards ahead: the bomber explodes at will, the floater can survive high falls and the basher digs horizontally just when you need it.
The climber is at hand for those tricky mountain ranges, the blocker creates an obstacle in the path ahead and the builder is there to construct walkways for his friends.
Stretch your strategies across 100 plus levels as you lead your lemmings across an immense variety of challenging backdrops.
The levels are arranged into five striking themes, each with its own unique visual flavour.
So, whether it's going underground into the sewers or marching through fields and forests, the lemmings always have new terrain to explore.
Packed with a host of new features, Lemmings offers for the first time a level editor allowing players to produce their own levels and save them to the memory card on the PSP.
Using the inbuilt wireless technology on the PSP, players can upload these levels to an exclusive Lemmings online community.
Share your unique levels with other users or download their new levels directly to your PSP - the opportunities are endless.
Perfect for a gaming snack or a marathon meal, Lemmings on the PSP is engaging and addictive; be proud to follow the crowd with Lemmings.
Title: Killzone Liberation
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: In Killzone Liberation, two months after the events of Killzone, most of southern Vekta is still under Helghast control.
The rules of war have been cast aside with the Helghast General, Metrac, employing brutal measures in order to seize the initiative and strengthen his position further. Returning as Templar, players will be sent on a mission to undertake a covert operation to save hostages captured by Metrac, while ISA troops continue the fight for liberty.
Vehicles - Killzone Liberation also allows players to drive vehicles including tanks and hovercrafts to help defeat the powerful and intelligent enemy.
Challenge Games - Players can compete in challenge games to sharpen their skills and earn new abilities.
Multiplayer Functionality - The multiplayer functionality in Killzone Liberation takes full advantage of the wireless capabilities of the PSP hardware, with two distinct styles of gameplay.
Gameshare Mode - Killzone Liberation features gameshare mode where players can share demo levels of the game with other PSP system owners.
Wednesday, 15 November 2006
November 15
So firstly, does anyone have £900 spare that they could donate to the 'Buy Tristan A PS3 Fund?'
Didn't think so... The question is falling on deaf ears all around, with even my girlfriend ignoring my plea.
But I know I'm not the only one.
Sony's brand spanking new uber console the PlayStation 3 went on official sale last Saturday. Great, I initially thought. Sadly my ears initially failed to pick up that they were going on sale in Japan. Oh, and there were only 100,000 being sold on that day. Boo... Sold out within hours.
Oh well, it won't be long until they're released in the UK I thought. Sadly spring's release date slipped a little, and then slipped a little further... and now we're facing a UK release date of March - next spring.
So, by my calculations I should be getting one in time for Christmas next year. (If Sony stay true to their word and ship six million PS3 machines worldwide by the end of March next year).
But wait, 400,000 are being made available for the US release on Friday.
Er... but hang on... that's only 500,000 in total when 105 million PS2 units have been sold world-wide by March 31, 2006. Do I stand a chance? I think not.
So what to do? I thought, why not try and snap one up on an online auction house?
Sadly again, I wasn't the only one who came up with that idea. Within minutes of them going on sale in Japan, many of them appeared on Ebay for three to four times the original asking price.
I feel like a seaside donkey with a rather large carrot being waved in front of my face. So what's the big deal about the PS3 I hear non-tech heads scream!
Well, powered by the new 'Cell' computer chip and supported by the next-generation video format - Blu-ray disc - the console delivers nearly movie-like graphics and a sense of reality in gaming. It also has a 60-gigabyte hard drive.
Huh? I hear them ask again... It rocks! Period. I have to admit the PlayStation is my favourite console on the market. It's simplistic features make it my choice of gaming snack.
But having seen what's coming up it seems we - living in a gamers' world - are soon to be spoiled for choice.
In an unprecedented move, Sony slashed the price for the cheaper PS3 model in Japan ahead of its launch in a bid to win market share, in the face of intense competition with Japanese rival Nintendo's Wii console and US software maker Microsoft's Xbox 360. Wii goes on sale on Sunday in the US and December 2 in Japan. Xbox 360 has had a year start.
So, let battle commence.
Title: Pilot Academy
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Pilot Academy, a commercial, private and military flight simulation offers both single-player missions, challenges and multi-player aerial combat and delivers the most authoritative simulation ever seen on a handheld.
The game is built upon staggering technology and realism and features detailed landscapes from 30,000ft down to landing.
With three regions to explore, each around 64km square, this handheld flight sim packs significantly more than its home console counterparts.
Beginning with a selection of training exercises to familiarise yourself with the controls, the game then moves straight into a series of increasingly challenging missions.
Boasting a wide range of aircraft from all generations, Pilot Academy gives you the opportunity to fly the Boeing 747, Spitfire, F-117 Nighthawk, A-10A Thunderbolt II plus an F-14 Tomcat amongst many others.
Four eras of combat plane are represented from World War I through World War II and The Cold War to modern-day combat each with their own challenges.
Title: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: For the first time ever, the player is a Pokemon, speaking and interacting with other characters in a world populated only by Pokemon!
One day you awaken to find that he or she has been turned into a Pokemon.
The land is being ravaged by natural disasters so the player decides to form a rescue team with a partner Pok?mon.
Players can interact with many different Pok?mon on various missions while trying to uncover their true purpose and destiny.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue is an engrossing story of adventure, redemption and, most of all, friendship.
Title: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
Platform: Game Boy Advance
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: You wake up one day, turned into a Pokemon... Get the feeling of deja vu?
The Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance versions are both essentially the same, except with different varieties and numbers of Pokemon in each.
The DS does have a couple of extra options though, as well as a superior and easy to use touch screen interface.
Title: Call of Duty 3
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Ding ding round three.
Those lads at Activision haven't wasted any time in issuing the third installment in the series ? and who can blame them?
With superior sales and superb gameplay almost guaranteed with each release, this title is the creme de la creme of war fighting games.
Focused on the Normandy breakout and the liberation of France, Call of Duty 3, this games tests the Xbox graphics to the very limit ? not to mention the sounds.
Call of Duty 3 delivers the intensity of being closer than ever to the fury of combat.
Didn't think so... The question is falling on deaf ears all around, with even my girlfriend ignoring my plea.
But I know I'm not the only one.
Sony's brand spanking new uber console the PlayStation 3 went on official sale last Saturday. Great, I initially thought. Sadly my ears initially failed to pick up that they were going on sale in Japan. Oh, and there were only 100,000 being sold on that day. Boo... Sold out within hours.
Oh well, it won't be long until they're released in the UK I thought. Sadly spring's release date slipped a little, and then slipped a little further... and now we're facing a UK release date of March - next spring.
So, by my calculations I should be getting one in time for Christmas next year. (If Sony stay true to their word and ship six million PS3 machines worldwide by the end of March next year).
But wait, 400,000 are being made available for the US release on Friday.
Er... but hang on... that's only 500,000 in total when 105 million PS2 units have been sold world-wide by March 31, 2006. Do I stand a chance? I think not.
So what to do? I thought, why not try and snap one up on an online auction house?
Sadly again, I wasn't the only one who came up with that idea. Within minutes of them going on sale in Japan, many of them appeared on Ebay for three to four times the original asking price.
I feel like a seaside donkey with a rather large carrot being waved in front of my face. So what's the big deal about the PS3 I hear non-tech heads scream!
Well, powered by the new 'Cell' computer chip and supported by the next-generation video format - Blu-ray disc - the console delivers nearly movie-like graphics and a sense of reality in gaming. It also has a 60-gigabyte hard drive.
Huh? I hear them ask again... It rocks! Period. I have to admit the PlayStation is my favourite console on the market. It's simplistic features make it my choice of gaming snack.
But having seen what's coming up it seems we - living in a gamers' world - are soon to be spoiled for choice.
In an unprecedented move, Sony slashed the price for the cheaper PS3 model in Japan ahead of its launch in a bid to win market share, in the face of intense competition with Japanese rival Nintendo's Wii console and US software maker Microsoft's Xbox 360. Wii goes on sale on Sunday in the US and December 2 in Japan. Xbox 360 has had a year start.
So, let battle commence.
Title: Pilot Academy
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: Pilot Academy, a commercial, private and military flight simulation offers both single-player missions, challenges and multi-player aerial combat and delivers the most authoritative simulation ever seen on a handheld.
The game is built upon staggering technology and realism and features detailed landscapes from 30,000ft down to landing.
With three regions to explore, each around 64km square, this handheld flight sim packs significantly more than its home console counterparts.
Beginning with a selection of training exercises to familiarise yourself with the controls, the game then moves straight into a series of increasingly challenging missions.
Boasting a wide range of aircraft from all generations, Pilot Academy gives you the opportunity to fly the Boeing 747, Spitfire, F-117 Nighthawk, A-10A Thunderbolt II plus an F-14 Tomcat amongst many others.
Four eras of combat plane are represented from World War I through World War II and The Cold War to modern-day combat each with their own challenges.
Title: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: For the first time ever, the player is a Pokemon, speaking and interacting with other characters in a world populated only by Pokemon!
One day you awaken to find that he or she has been turned into a Pokemon.
The land is being ravaged by natural disasters so the player decides to form a rescue team with a partner Pok?mon.
Players can interact with many different Pok?mon on various missions while trying to uncover their true purpose and destiny.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue is an engrossing story of adventure, redemption and, most of all, friendship.
Title: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
Platform: Game Boy Advance
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: You wake up one day, turned into a Pokemon... Get the feeling of deja vu?
The Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance versions are both essentially the same, except with different varieties and numbers of Pokemon in each.
The DS does have a couple of extra options though, as well as a superior and easy to use touch screen interface.
Title: Call of Duty 3
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Ding ding round three.
Those lads at Activision haven't wasted any time in issuing the third installment in the series ? and who can blame them?
With superior sales and superb gameplay almost guaranteed with each release, this title is the creme de la creme of war fighting games.
Focused on the Normandy breakout and the liberation of France, Call of Duty 3, this games tests the Xbox graphics to the very limit ? not to mention the sounds.
Call of Duty 3 delivers the intensity of being closer than ever to the fury of combat.
Thursday, 9 November 2006
November 9
Earlier this week I found myself in a foreign land where people talk in numbers, and of lines and houses.
No, I wasn't in a chartered surveyors office... that strange new world was that of Gala Bingo in the city centre.
Now, you might find it slightly weird that a gaming and computer technology blog should feature this sort of subject, but when was the last time you visited a bingo hall? My how things have changed since the jaw-droppingly dull annual Christmas event down at the local village hall.
Shock horror... Bingo has reached into the 21st century - big time. Huge colourful hi-tech advertising boards, television screens littered around and play and claim stands that make cute buzzy gameshow noises as they swallow your money and beam that amount to a total amount on one of the giant screens - this really is the future. Um, for bingo players that is.
Not only that, but at one point in the evening - with regular players excitedly muttering under their breaths knowing what was coming - we beamed live to Sheffield, and other bingo halls across the country, for an audio UK-wide link up national Link Game.
"Are you not excited by all this," my supposed better half asked of me within seconds of me grasping a bingo marker ready to play.
"Hmmm", I replied. "Excited, no... amazed, yes."
Anyways, the whole experience got me to thinking. The whole system could one day be fully computer operated.
I mean, do you really need a human caller to read out numbers that are generated by a machine? (I mean come on, how much computer programming would be needed to install a drone voice similar to that of bingo callers nationwide?)
Also, how long could it be before game manufacturers come up with a Bingo World console or PC title? Imagine addicts taking their sim card into a Post Office or bank to top up their credit to allow them to play (in the same way that mobile phone users top up their calling credit).
Then they could simply take their card back to the Post Office or Bank to claim their winnings should they prove to be lucky.
I suppose if you go that far I guess slot machine gamblers could also be targeted in the future in the same way.
If you ask me I'd say these people's numbers are up... Game On!
In the meantime before the introduction of Bingo World (maybe I should copyright that?!), why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 6
Platform: PS2
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Rarely do you find a product that deserves six different releases. (Jaws, ok... three was enough wasn't it?) But those boys at Konami deserve every bit of credit possible for reinventing this title over and over again. PES6 holds no bars. It is AWESOME. The series just keeps getting better and better.
This time round the movements and reactions of players have been finely tweaked to allow for individuality so the players can carry out trademark moves (such as that of Rooney, Beckham and Ronaldo). Other less known players also have their tricks.
Headers and volleys have also been vastly improved to allow for truly spectacular goals.
The gameplay now is truly realistic with the emphasis on being user-friendly.
There can only be one winner, and once again the crown must go to PES over Fifa for best footie game.
Title: Crash Boom Bang
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Life's a Party--Crash it! Crash Boom Bang! is the ultimate 'action party game'. Roll the dice and dive into one of 40 uniquely-zany multi-player games as you communicate, taunt and ally with other players.
Chat or distract your friends by sending texts with a new message system through wireless gameplay. Play as your favourite character as you advance through an adventurous game board, action-packed with tons of mini-games and party fun.
Crash and his friends embark on a worldwide race in the quest for its multi-million dollar prize. Having hidden intentions of finding an ancient lost city and its famed Super Big Power Stone, the sponsor of the race, Viscount Devil, plans on using the race contestants to find it.
The map of the race's checkpoints is based on the Viscount's ancient map. However, Dr. Neo Cortex, another invitee to the race, realises what the Viscount is planning and in his own quest for world domination, starts his own plan to steal the map during the race.
The only people that stand in his path are Crash and his friends.
Title: Space Invaders Evolution
Platform: PSP
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Space Invaders Evolution encapsulates the Evolution ethos by taking the original concept into entirely new ground with its Future Mode. Here, the basic concept of Taito's iconic shooter is transposed, mutated and evolved into an entirely new game.
By combining furious shooting action with multiple viewpoints and incorporating rhythm action elements to add an unexpected edge to the gameplay, Space Invaders Evolution marks a genuine evolution of the game design into a new concept only possible on modern hardware. The basic premise of repelling an invasion remains the same, only this time the battle is fought in space with the player controlling a mobile cannon moving along an orbital path.
The main objective is subtly different as levels are completed by destroying an elusive mothership, rather than simply clearing the screen of enemies.
The catch is that this crucially important vessel can only be harmed by executing special attacks fuelled by items harvested from destroying waves of invaders that it constantly seeds.
Title: Guild Wars: Nightfall
Platform: PC
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: When a corrupt ruler summons the power of an outcast god, it will take a band of heroes to save Elona from the creeping darkness infecting the land.
In this third campaign in the award-winning Guild Wars universe, Guild Wars Nightfall is an intimate, heroic experience that will enrapture new and existing players alike. Every Hero has a unique tale to tell.
Player actions will result in dramatic consequences. Your party becomes an extension of your character.
This is Guild Wars like you've never seen before. This game is SERIOUSLY addictive.
No, I wasn't in a chartered surveyors office... that strange new world was that of Gala Bingo in the city centre.
Now, you might find it slightly weird that a gaming and computer technology blog should feature this sort of subject, but when was the last time you visited a bingo hall? My how things have changed since the jaw-droppingly dull annual Christmas event down at the local village hall.
Shock horror... Bingo has reached into the 21st century - big time. Huge colourful hi-tech advertising boards, television screens littered around and play and claim stands that make cute buzzy gameshow noises as they swallow your money and beam that amount to a total amount on one of the giant screens - this really is the future. Um, for bingo players that is.
Not only that, but at one point in the evening - with regular players excitedly muttering under their breaths knowing what was coming - we beamed live to Sheffield, and other bingo halls across the country, for an audio UK-wide link up national Link Game.
"Are you not excited by all this," my supposed better half asked of me within seconds of me grasping a bingo marker ready to play.
"Hmmm", I replied. "Excited, no... amazed, yes."
Anyways, the whole experience got me to thinking. The whole system could one day be fully computer operated.
I mean, do you really need a human caller to read out numbers that are generated by a machine? (I mean come on, how much computer programming would be needed to install a drone voice similar to that of bingo callers nationwide?)
Also, how long could it be before game manufacturers come up with a Bingo World console or PC title? Imagine addicts taking their sim card into a Post Office or bank to top up their credit to allow them to play (in the same way that mobile phone users top up their calling credit).
Then they could simply take their card back to the Post Office or Bank to claim their winnings should they prove to be lucky.
I suppose if you go that far I guess slot machine gamblers could also be targeted in the future in the same way.
If you ask me I'd say these people's numbers are up... Game On!
In the meantime before the introduction of Bingo World (maybe I should copyright that?!), why not try your hand at some of these:
Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 6
Platform: PS2
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Rarely do you find a product that deserves six different releases. (Jaws, ok... three was enough wasn't it?) But those boys at Konami deserve every bit of credit possible for reinventing this title over and over again. PES6 holds no bars. It is AWESOME. The series just keeps getting better and better.
This time round the movements and reactions of players have been finely tweaked to allow for individuality so the players can carry out trademark moves (such as that of Rooney, Beckham and Ronaldo). Other less known players also have their tricks.
Headers and volleys have also been vastly improved to allow for truly spectacular goals.
The gameplay now is truly realistic with the emphasis on being user-friendly.
There can only be one winner, and once again the crown must go to PES over Fifa for best footie game.
Title: Crash Boom Bang
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Life's a Party--Crash it! Crash Boom Bang! is the ultimate 'action party game'. Roll the dice and dive into one of 40 uniquely-zany multi-player games as you communicate, taunt and ally with other players.
Chat or distract your friends by sending texts with a new message system through wireless gameplay. Play as your favourite character as you advance through an adventurous game board, action-packed with tons of mini-games and party fun.
Crash and his friends embark on a worldwide race in the quest for its multi-million dollar prize. Having hidden intentions of finding an ancient lost city and its famed Super Big Power Stone, the sponsor of the race, Viscount Devil, plans on using the race contestants to find it.
The map of the race's checkpoints is based on the Viscount's ancient map. However, Dr. Neo Cortex, another invitee to the race, realises what the Viscount is planning and in his own quest for world domination, starts his own plan to steal the map during the race.
The only people that stand in his path are Crash and his friends.
Title: Space Invaders Evolution
Platform: PSP
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Space Invaders Evolution encapsulates the Evolution ethos by taking the original concept into entirely new ground with its Future Mode. Here, the basic concept of Taito's iconic shooter is transposed, mutated and evolved into an entirely new game.
By combining furious shooting action with multiple viewpoints and incorporating rhythm action elements to add an unexpected edge to the gameplay, Space Invaders Evolution marks a genuine evolution of the game design into a new concept only possible on modern hardware. The basic premise of repelling an invasion remains the same, only this time the battle is fought in space with the player controlling a mobile cannon moving along an orbital path.
The main objective is subtly different as levels are completed by destroying an elusive mothership, rather than simply clearing the screen of enemies.
The catch is that this crucially important vessel can only be harmed by executing special attacks fuelled by items harvested from destroying waves of invaders that it constantly seeds.
Title: Guild Wars: Nightfall
Platform: PC
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: When a corrupt ruler summons the power of an outcast god, it will take a band of heroes to save Elona from the creeping darkness infecting the land.
In this third campaign in the award-winning Guild Wars universe, Guild Wars Nightfall is an intimate, heroic experience that will enrapture new and existing players alike. Every Hero has a unique tale to tell.
Player actions will result in dramatic consequences. Your party becomes an extension of your character.
This is Guild Wars like you've never seen before. This game is SERIOUSLY addictive.
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