We've heard from an anonymous insider that Gamestation will be dropping the price of Gears of War 2 at some point in near future. It looks like Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 will be down to £20 in Gamestation stores across the UK, maybe in time for Christmas.
The current online price is a VAT friendly £37.18, and the in store price is £40, but if our sources are correct, there should be an in store drop to £20. So if you are looking for the best price on it, I would suggesting waiting to see what pans out with Gamestation.
Disappointing sales of the title at the chain is said to be behind the promotion.
The source has also speculated that COD:WAW (reviewed here) is a potential future half price game, but couldn't give a timeframe.
Gears of War 2, half price soon at Gamestation
Command & Conquer: The First Decade, PC - £14.67
Command & Conquer: The First Decade, PC - £14.67 delivered
Contains:
Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer - The Covert Operations
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - The Aftermath
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Counterstrike
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Firestorm
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Yuris Revenge
Command & Conquer: Renegade
Command & Conquer: Generals
Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour
Would make an ideal Christmas present.
Xbox 360 + Kung Fu Panda + Lego Indiana Jones + PGR 4 + Sega Superstar Tennis + Extra Wireless controller - £166
Xbox 360 + Kung Fu Panda + Lego Indiana Jones + PGR 4 + Sega Superstar Tennis + Extra Wireless controller - £166
One of the best 360 bundles about, and I've actually heard goodish things about Kung Fu Panda.
Either collect in store, get free 5-7 days delivery, or pay £5.95 for 1-5 days delivery.
Update: Seemingly unavailable now, despite still being advertised on the telly...
Hmm. I'll keep you updated.
Meadowhall Centre Gamestation Opening tomorrow
The 250th Gamestation is opening tomorrow morning in the Meadowhall Centre in Sheffield.
To celebrate the event, there is going to be some guys in Mario & Sonic costumes, the local radio station are there to offer people shots of octopus, and there are going to be prizes and stuff.
There will also be some special offers available:
Gears of War 2, Xbox 360 - £20
Halo 3, Xbox 360 - £10
Xbox 360 Pro with Pro Evo 09 - £150
The first 50 customers there in the morning will get a "special goodie bag". Opening time is 10am.
Little Big Planet, PS3 - £23.91
Little Big Planet, PS3 - £23.91 delivered
Thanks to John for the tip.
World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King (Collectors Edition), PC - £39.99
World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King (Collectors Edition), PC - £39.99 delivered
Comes with a bunch of stuff:
Behind-the-scenes DVD,
Official soundtrack CD,
Artbook,
Mouse pad,
In-game pet: Frosty, the baby frost wyrm,
Two 'World of Warcraft' Trading Card Game 'March of the Legion' starter decks, with two exclusive cards available only in the Collector's Edition.
Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City with Wii Speak, Wii - £49.99
Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City with Wii Speak, Wii - £49.99 delivered
Animal Crossing: Let's go to the City, Wii - £28.99
Animal Crossing: Let's go to the City, Wii - £28.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge - Review
Mirror's Edge, Xbox 360 - £27.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PS3 - £27.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PC - £21.99 delivered
Review by LewieP
What on earth are DICE doing wasting their time with the Battlefield series?
They have just created a stunning, incredibly forward thinking platformer that pushes the boundaries of what a first person game was thought to be.
DICE's single greatest success is having made a game where you actually feel like you are in control of a human being. The rules are all firmly based on reality, no superhuman athleticism here. The controls are tight and responsive, and you are always directly in control, and always fast. Very quickly you understand your characters limitations, and how to push them.
You can see, hear and feel Faith's every breath.
The pacing of the story mode is spot on. The action constantly moves at an utterly relentless speed, with brilliant set pieces strung together in a way that would make Valve jealous. But it almost never deviates from the core gameplay mechanic, just builds on it. It may not be long, but it wastes very little of your time, is a joy to be in control of, and always challenging.
Now, Mirror's Edge is a very intelligent platformer, but you will have to work for it. You will die many times in Mirror's Edge, and it's easy to find it frustrating. Some of the checkpoints seem a bit on the sparse side, and the level design can often punish you for being curious. I don't know to what degree this is by design, but for me, if any game would benefit from ripping off the Prince of Persia rewind, it would be Mirror's Edge.
That said, when you do finally overcome those moments of frustration, you really do feel like you have achieved something.
The combat is a downside.
It is not a game about the combat.
My biggest problem with the combat is that it detracts from the game somewhat. It is good to have the option to kill/KO all the enemies. It is also good that it is often the best option to avoid combat at all. It is bad that there are points at which you are forced to use the combat, or 'break' the AI to avoid combat.
It is also bad that there's a point where you are forced to use a gun. It killed the mood of the game for me, and is almost unforgivable.
I applaud DICE for making combat ancillary to the core gameplay, a very brave move, but I still think they slightly mishandled it.
That said, once I realised that I could pick up dropped weapons whilst sliding, I slung together some incredibly badass combat sequences.
I am completely sucked into the time trials. Once I have worked out how to 3 Star (A 'perfect' run) a level, I spend ages trying to actually do it. Mastering a level, and earning the 3 Star ranking is one of the single most rewarding moments of gaming I have ever had.
Mirror's Edge has a classy, bright and beautiful visual design that gives it an identity entirely of it's own. You could not mistake it for any other game on the market, which is always nice. It manages to turn fairly mundane locations like "office block" into gorgeous urban playgrounds bursting with colour and charm. Blue skies present and correct.
Also, smashing open the doors feels incredible. There should be a level that is just a long straight corridor filled with red door after red door, for a mile or so (maybe in the DLC).
There are a few annoyances that I wish they had worked on. Having a check point immediately before a cut-scene, or a door with a very slowly turning wheel to open it is poor form (although I suspect it is to mask loading times in some cases).
The quirks of the Unreal 3.0 engine are out in full force. Texture pop up, and lifts from the same supplier used for Mass Effect. There is also an odd glitch where when you respawn, world objects like dropped weapons that were stationary appear to drop vertically into the level. Hardly detracts from the game, but it's a bit sloppy, and worth mentioning. I also noticed a typo error in the Subtitles, what's with that?
The time trials are fantastic, but it would have benefited from at the very least a screenshot (video would be even better) preview of each level on the selection screen. As it is, you have to remember them by name, and if you can't remember the name of a particular level, you have to guess, and load each one up until you find it. It's sloppy, and some of the names are really not that distinctive.
Also - a weird glitch that is present on the 360 version, not sure about other platforms. In the time trials, if you are on a level with glass windows, when you start a run, they are all intact. If you go and smash them all, then restart, they will remain smashed. Abusing this can save time too.
The story is not all that great. The dialogue is not quite mature enough to do the setting justice, and it is the first game I have played where the animated cut scenes look markedly worse than in game footage. I really don't know why they decided to ever take the player out of Faith's perspective. The game's insistance on using uber-cool slang like "Blues" (police officers) and "Bird" (Helicopter) gets pretty annoying. Just ignore the story and play the damn game.
Mirror's Edge is a very important game. DICE have raised the bar for First-Person games as a whole. I want to see all games have this level of physical immersion. No excuses now.
A triumph of interface, immersion and level design. Incredibly human. A must play.
Discuss it in the forums.
Mirror's Edge, Xbox 360 - £27.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PS3 - £27.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PC - £21.99 delivered
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames, Xbox 360 - £19.99
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames, Xbox 360 - £19.99 delivered
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £19.99
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £19.99 delivered
Metroid Prime Pinball, DS - £9.99
Metroid Prime Pinball, DS - £9.99 delivered
Comes with a rumble pak, but I think that might be for the original DS phat. Anyone know for sure?
Valve Complete Pack, PC - £78.94
Valve Complete Pack, PC - £78.94 on Steam
A big spend, but it is a huge catalogue of quality games. You get:
The entire Half-Life series, including expansions, episodes and multiplayer,
Team Fortress 1 and 2,
Portal,
Counter Stike, Condition Zero and Source,
Day of Defeat, Source,
Peggle Extreme,
and Left 4 Dead.
Worth it is you don't already own any of them.
Gears of War Golden Lancer DLC, Xbox 360 - Free
Gears of War Golden Lancer DLC, Xbox 360 - Free
This is a bit of an exploit opened by the new online Marketplace at xbox.com. Follow the link and log in and you'll be able to queue the download to your 360.
This is the same gold-plated gun that is available as a code in the Collector's Edition of Gears 2. If you only bought the regular edition then you were supposed to miss out on this extra.
If you want it, grab it quick - I imagine this loophole will be closed soon.
UPDATE: Hope you grabbed it, it's now 99999 MSP. If you think it's worth it.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Review pt.1
It has QTEs.
In a fighting game.
...At one point, it says "Mash buttons repeatedly"
That is one of the instructions.
More later.
Saints Row 2, PS3 - £17.99
Argos have Saints Row 2 for the PS3 for £19.99, and PC World will price match plus 10% of the difference off. PC World are currently selling it for £39.99, and by my maths that comes out as £17.99 when bought in-store.
Print off this page and ask for the pricematch in-store.
Saints Row 2, Xbox 360 - £18.49
Argos have Saints Row 2 for the 360 for £19.99, and PC World will price match plus 10% of the difference off. PC World are currently selling it for £34.99, and by my maths that comes out as £18.49 when bought in-store.
Print off this page and ask for the pricematch in-store.
Half Life, PC - 78p
Half Life, PC - 78p/$0.98 on steam.
I am pretty sure everyone will have this already, but if not, you really should have it.
This price is to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Half Life. Certainly one of the most influential games ever. It was a pivotal title in the FPS genre. It broke down a lot of the genre's conventions, and pioneered first person narrative. A brilliantly designed game that is still very playable today.
I feel old.
What you need to know about Wii System Menu 3.4.
Nintendo recently offered an update for the Wii software, which offered several improvements, these are:
Support for USB keyboard in the Mii Channel
Enhanced parental controls
Improved SD card read/write speed
One of the negative side effects of this update is that currently, the Twilight Hack will not work with it. This means that if you update to System Menu 3.4, and then wish to run homebrew on your console, you will be unable to do so.
If however, you have already installed the Homebrew Channel, you should be fine. It will not break currently installed Homebrew applications, it will only prevent new installations of the homebrew channel.
It is likely that a workaround will be found soon, so don't despair if you have already updated.
I would recommend that you avoid updating your system in the mean time, unless any of the new features are hugely important to you, or you are happy with your Homebrew Channel install.
Call of Duty: World At War - Review
Call of Duty: World At War, Xbox 360 - £35 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, PS3 - £37.71 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, PC - £29.49 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, Wii - £29 delivered
Review by LewieP
CODWAW (Cod·Wah) is a funny beast.
The previous entry in the Call of Duty series was a big franchise reboot. It left behind the World War 2 backdrop of the previous entries in favour of a modern setting, It also brought a whole load of new ideas to the table for the multiplayer, adding an almost MMO style meta-game to the multiplayer really added to the game, and it was also hugely successful. It was also developed by Infinity Ward.
This entry to the series is seemingly undeserving of a number. It goes back to the relatively safe territory of World War 2, and instead of telling a new story, tells the story of (fictional) characters taking part in the (real) World War 2. It is developed by Treyarch, whose previous output can generously be described as 'mixed'.
A lot of people thinking of picking up CODWAW will be thinking a lot about the Multiplayer. Sorry, I have not played the Multiplayer. I am not a big fan of online FPSs anyway, so consider this a review of the single player aspect of CODWAW.
I jumped straight into the single player. Before each mission you are given a bit of historical background to the mission you are about to undertake. These are in the format that can best be described as halfway between a BBC2 WW2 documentary and a White Stripes video, voiced over by Jack "Corporal Roebuck" Bauer. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about these. Generally, I think history is fair game for making books/films/games about, and world war 2 is just a part of history. I just think using archive footage of real soldiers in real battles, likely real soldiers who died fighting, in the same game that features a "Nazi Zombies" mode is a little crass. More on that later.
The first mission opens with a cut scene, only it's a "you can move your head so it's not actually a cut-scene, honest" type of cut-scene, you'll be seeing a few of them. The game has you switching roles between a rescued American POW, Miller, fighting The Japanese, and a (believe it or not) Russian, Dimitri Petrenko, from the 3rd Shock Army, fighting in Stalingrad, and later across Germany.
The core gameplay is pretty much what I've come to expect from COD. Set pieces strung together with shooting bad guys, taking cover, and using a range of weapons (all of which are pretty fun to use, and sound great) to follow a very linear set of objectives.
A few things did bother me. There are more invisible walls in CODWAW than any game I have played in a while. Far too often you are stopped by an invisible force, for seemingly no reason. I'm not expecting some kind of open-world game, but it's really disappointing when sloppy level design breaks your immersion. Similarly, there are lots of times when there are ledges or walls that you should be able to climb over, and you can't. Sometimes you can easily hop a 3ft wall, other times a 1ft step is insurmountable. This is pretty basic stuff, and I don't remember it being a problem in COD4. There are often a bunch of conveniently placed explosive barrels too. In 2008.
I can't help but feel I am alone on the battlefield. There are times when I know I would not have been a good target, it would have made more sense for the enemies to target one of my squadmates, but still I am target number one. Conversely, you have to single-handedly achieve all of the objectives, you can forget about expecting your buddies to kill any of the enemies, and left to their own devices they would never get anything done.
The environments, whilst generally pretty, are very un-interactive. A lot of stuff doesn't react to being shot. There are loads of doors that can't be opened. The fire burning effect is not all that good. The animation is sometimes excellent, like when you see your buddies slide behind cover beside you, but they will also often clip through corpses, and the really seem to struggle with steps and stairs, I have more than once seen people floating/clipping through the ground.
There are lots of constantly spawning enemies. Times when it is simply impossible to just kill all the guys, you have to kill a few, then run through an invisible gate, which will trigger the command to stop spawning more guys.
There are also QTE-esque "press this button to not die" thrown at you every now and again to keep you on you toes. Because everybody loves them.
You have the same health/death/respawn system from COD4, although I must say, it is not implemented as well here. Sometimes check points feels far too spread out, and sometimes too close together. I have also often respawned at the end of a series of corridors, or at the bottom of a flight of stairs, just to have to walk a long time each time it reloads. Kinda frustrating. I also had to quit once because I was being respawned over a grenade and hadn't got enough time to move out of its way, or throw it away.
That said, the 'return the grenade' manoeuvre feels a lot tighter. I can't put my finger on what has changed, but I am much more often successful at it than I was in COD4.
Other good stuff -
The Flame-thrower is a hell of a lot of fun, if a bit over used.
When a grenade goes off, you know about it. Lots of nice sound and visual effects really put you right there in the battlefield.
There is probably one of the better "on rails" sections of any FPS in a while, shame it was so short, and is skipped when playing co-op.
The soundtrack is actually a real surprise, mostly subdued electronic stuff. I wouldn't have thought it would work on paper, but it makes a great change from sweeping orchestral themes we are so used to in WW2 games.
Split Screen Co-op is a much welcome addition, you'll have to sit pretty close to the screen, or have a big telly, but I can see myself replaying it many a time on co-op.
The Nazi Zombie mode is as fun as you would hope. It reminds me of one of the best bits from RE4. You get points for killing zombies, and you can use these points to get more ammo, better weapons, and other stuff. Great fun, and very frantic.
Overall, it is a bit hard to get too excited about CODWAW. The narrative, characters, and set pieces are all a notch lower than those of COD4. That said, it certainly has some great moments, and some of the new stuff is a lot of fun.
As great as COD4 was, it certainly wasn't forward thinking enough that the design won't get stale pretty fast. This is a sequel which brings very little new stuff to the table, and it really shows that Treyarch are simply not as good at making Call of Duty games as Infinity Ward are. There is fun to be had here, for sure, but if you wait another year, you will get the real sequel to COD4.
As a sidenote, props to Treyarch/Activision for making the Wii version the same game as the other versions just with less pretties. More of that please.
Discuss it in the forums.
Call of Duty: World At War, Xbox 360 - £35 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, PS3 - £37.71 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, PC - £29.49 delivered
Call of Duty: World At War, Wii - £29 delivered
Spider-man: Web of Shadows, Xbox 360 - £22.99
Spider-man: Web of Shadows, Xbox 360 - £22.99 delivered
Fallout 3 - Review
Fallout 3, PC -£24.73 delivered
Fallout 3, PS3 -£37.49 delivered
Fallout 3, Xbox 360 -£34.99 delivered
Review by LewieP
This review is basically spoiler free.
Fallout 3 is a horrific, buggy, glitchy mess of a game. Large aspects of the design are dated and sometimes even archaic. There are some issues that were problems in Morrowind, then in Oblivion, and are still causing trouble in Fallout 3.
I've got stuck in the floor, and stuck to doorways. I've had broken quests. I've had AI do things which just don't make sense. I've shot an enemy, and instead of sustaining damage, it's just shot up into the sky in a perfectly vertical line, never to be seen again.
I've spoke to a few people who've also played it, and some have experienced similar bugs, and some people have not, I guess your mileage may vary.
I don't really care about these bugs.
Some of the voice acting is pretty annoying, and the in game radio repeats itself quiet a lot. The game would benefit from a better inventory system. Not being able to sort items by weight/value/amount is kind of annoying. It would be nice to have my weapons split up into the different classes, not just sorted alphabetically. There are also times when you are given an item, told what it does, but if you don't remember there is no way of finding out again. I would also prefer it if there was an easier way of telling which ammo goes with which gun when you are buying/scavenging, as is, you have to remember, and there are quiet a few types.
I don't really care about any of these flaws.
I wish Fallout 3 wasn't quite so much like Oblivion. So many things from Fallout 3 are basically recycled from Oblivion, and I really wish Fallout 3 had more of it's own identity. It's just a lot of low end stuff. The sneaking/pickpocketing system, the general interface (basic movement and interaction with items), the save system, the camera and the terrible, terrible player animation (please play it in first person). It's also astounding how rough around the edges it can be at times, there are occasionally bits of terrain that don't even look like anything, and the random bits of dialogue people shout as you walk past them doesn't always make sense. After playing Mass Effect, I would love it if Fallout 3 had a similar dialogue system, but it is a pretty basic list of options to pick from. I have decided that I am no longer going to be tolerant of First person games where my players feet/body are invisible, and so I have to call Fallout 3 on it. You feel very much like a floating gun, and the jumping is kind of off.
I don't really care about these technical shortcomings, or derivative elements of the game design.
Now that I have got those problems out of the way, let me talk about how much I love Fallout 3. Fallout 3 is the most enjoyable role playing experience I can remember ever having had.
Fallout 3 has made me a bad person.
Very few games have this effect on me. Assassin's Creed made me a bit of a prick, but Fallout 3 has made me flat out evil. First thing I think when I see a new person is "Could I kill them if I wanted too?", second is "Have they got any good stuff?", and third is "What can I do to get their stuff?". If I have to quest to do it, I will do, but if I can just kill them/steal it, I will. To me, someone's life is only worth the value of their stuff (in caps). It's not my fault, that's just the law of the wastelands.
Lots of games would punish you for exercising this level of dickery, but not Fallout 3. Sure, there are direct consequences for being evil (negative karma), but these consequences don't have to be punishment, they are just a part of the role-playing experience. There are a bunch of ways that negative karma can be advantageous (such as perks that require you to be a bastard before you can get them).
I feel a real ownership of my character. The levelling system is excellent. It allows a huge deal of customisation, but, for me anyway, I never felt like I was too far down one branch to stop and change my mind and be a different style of character. The process of learning the game, deciding what type of character I wanted to be, and actually levelling up and picking stats was perfectly synchronised, which is something I have never felt in the Elder Scrolls games.
I think one of the things that really makes Fallout 3 work is the rules. It is incredibly open ended, but everything makes sense. I don't really think there is a 'bad' type of character to play as. Whatever type of character you create, you will have strengths and weaknesses, but always something that makes you think "I am glad I chose to have that stat quite high".
There is always a multitude of ways of dealing with any scenario, and it forces you to think "What would my character do?", and for the first time in a long while in an RPG, over time, that changed to "What would I do?". In the past I've really struggled with the Role Playing part of RPGs, often I've just played them for the mechanical gameplay, or the story, but Fallout 3 has been an incredible role playing experience.
The game world is really stunning too. It is as huge as you would expect, but in every nook and cranny there is something interesting to do, see, loot or stab. The backdrop to the game is an immense, bleak, burnt out, wasteland, and it really feels like it. Just getting by in the game is a challenge, and sometimes it feels like everything is out to kill you.
Despite this though, the wasteland will always provide exactly what you need, and if you are resourceful enough, you can always get by. Just. At it's most intense, there have been moments when I have had low health, been surrounded by super mutants, but had no recovery items left. I managed to find a toilet full of irradiated water, which would give me just enough health to get past them. Obviously, drinking this water gave me radiation poisoning, but that was a problem for the future. Fallout 3 is at it's best when you are just getting by, living in the moment, and taking from the wastelands whatever you can.
The wastelands may be brutal, but there are plenty of friendly characters, and tonnes of sidequests to do. Some of them are a little pedestrian, but more often than not, they are fun. Some of them are downright genius too. There are some set pieces which are fantastic, and the game makes it pretty easy to just wander off, exploring, and come back to the main quest whenever you feel like it. The ending of the main quest was a little weak, but this really is a game where the ending doesn't matter too much.
It's really believable too, Fallout 3 has one of the most convincing post-apocalyptic settings I've played in, and it's got a great, cynical, sense of humour that adds a lot to the game.
The combat is great. It's a really intelligent blend of realtime FPS and turn based RPG combat. The turn based combat is called "VATS", essentially when you trigger the VATS, it pauses the game, and lets you decide which enemy, and where on that enemy you want to attack. Each attack uses up "Attack points", which constantly recharge. Once you have selected where you want to attack, it cuts to a cinematic 3rd person camera angle, and your character carries out the attacks, then you jump straight back into the realtime combat.
It's a great idea, for the most part used well, but there are some flaws. Sometimes the FPS aspect of it suffers from it being an RPG, the enemy AI doesn't hold up that well for an FPS. They seem to only ever employ one of two strategies: "stand still at a distance" or "Run at him!". The RPG elements sometimes suffer from it being an FPS too. The VATS sometimes tells you that you have a 95% chance of hitting someone, but then when it cuts to the 3rd person camera, you gun is actually just behind cover, and you unload into a wall, even though you had line of sight before starting the VATS. The VATS sometimes takes a little too long too, and the over the top gore is probably not entirely necessary, although it is kind of satisfying to blow someones head clean off with a well placed rifle shot.
I love this game. Love, love, love it to bits. It is very flawed, but I guess that's Fallout. The flaws (to me) really don't matter, and sort of add to the charm. I have sunk a huge amount of time into it, and pretty much enjoyed every second of it. If you liked Oblivion, it has enough in common with it that you will probably like this too. If you didn't like Oblivion that much (like me), don't let the similarities put you off. It certainly is "Oblivion with guns", but it is also a whole lot more.
Discuss it in the forums.
Fallout 3, PC -£24.73 delivered
Fallout 3, PS3 -£37.49 delivered
Fallout 3, Xbox 360 -£34.99 delivered
Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen, DS - £15.99
Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen, DS - £15.99 delivered
Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Xbox 360 - £3.99
Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Xbox 360 - £3.99 delivered
Lego Star Wars - The Complete Saga, PS3 - £14.99
Lego Star Wars - The Complete Saga, PS3 - £14.99 delivered
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £24.99
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £24.99 delivered
Wireless Controller, LEGO Indiana Jones + Kung Fu Panda, Xbox 360 - £29.99
Wireless Controller, LEGO Indiana Jones + Kung Fu Panda, Xbox 360 - £29.99 delivered
Not sure how this will be packaged (I assume it will be similar to the equivalent Forza 2/Viva Pinata + controller bundle), but it's a cracking deal if you are in the market for a new controller.
Left 4 Dead demo goes public tomorrow
Valve have just announced that the Left 4 Dead demo will be going public tomorrow, I strongly recommend grabbing it. I got to play two rounds at the Eurogamer Expo, and it was not enough time, I want more. It's a very exciting game, simply put it's like counter strike without the bullshit, plus Zombies.
Here's the best pre-order prices:
Left 4 Dead, PC - £19.97 delivered (undercutting Steam yet still giving the developer less of a cut)
Left 4 Dead, Xbox 360 - £29.97 delivered
Bully: Scholarship Edition, Xbox 360 - £10.58
Bully: Scholarship Edition, Xbox 360 - £10.58 delivered
Thanks to tomvek for the heads up.
Gamestation now offer free delivery
As of now all items from gamestation will be available delivered for free.
From Gamestation:
From now on we will be offering “Free UK Delivery” on everything, that’s right EVERTHING! No matter how much or how little you buy, you will have your items delivered within 1-3 days, free of charge.
Star Wars - The Force Unleashed, Xbox 360 - £20
Star Wars - The Force Unleashed, Xbox 360 - £20 delivered
Call of Duty: World at War Q&A
I had a a quick Q&A with Josh Olin, from Treyarch about Call of Duty: World at War. He does mention COD4 too, so let's hope it doesn't upset fourzerotwo too much.
Call of Duty 4 was a huge critical and commercial success, what is the thinking in going back to the World War 2 setting?
The Call of Duty series has always synonymous with innovation and we hope to continue that. The same way that the last title re-defined what a Modern shooter was, we are doing for World War II shooters. With that in mind, Treyarch understands that there are still stories about WWII that haven’t been told 'the Call of Duty way'. The Pacific theatre was an awfully brutal place and a place that Call of Duty had never been. We wanted to engage those stories and develop all new types of terrain, AI tactics, and weaponry so we could share our passion with Call of Duty fans.
The multiplayer was a really big draw in Call of Duty 4, what are you doing for the multiplayer in World at War?
We had a ton of fun with CoD4’s multiplayer, and know of 12 million others who’d agree. So classes, ranks, kill streaks, and Perks will all remain standard in Call of Duty: World at War. You’ll recognise some Perks, some will have gone, and a wealth of new Perks have been introduced, including Vehicle Perks.
We are bringing back tanks into Call of Duty: World at War’s multiplayer, but we wanted to make sure we didn’t mess with the infantry experience we all know and love – so there will be vehicle specific maps and game modes for the tank fans. You will still be able to customise your games and play in playlists without vehicles, however, so not to worry.
Squad functionality has been introduced to help encourage team play in Call of Duty :World at War. You can create, join, and disband squads on-the-fly through in-game menu systems. Also, at the end of each round, your squad will remain together when you return to the lobby. This way, when the next game starts, you’ll be sure to be in the same squad again. So if you find that group of players who really know what they’re doing, maybe you’ll have a new group of friends to roll with each time you fire up your game!
Finally, Co-Op is a major new component that is being introduced for the first time in the Call of Duty franchise. I could talk for pages on it, but the highlights are three modes: Campaign Co-Op (play Singleplayer with three friends), Competitive Co-Op (Singleplayer, but competing for best scores and other bonuses), and our bonus “Zombie” game mode, which is unlocked after you beat the game.
I gather that Call of Duty: World at War is going to be more open ended than previous entries, how exactly is that going to work?
I wouldn’t say the game is going to be more open-ended; however, our levels will offer multiple routs to the end objective, to make way for the Co-Op game mechanics. For example, you may have an option to charge up the road alongside a ridge, OR, cut around through the forest and flank the enemy. In Co-Op, this offers an excellent opportunity for the players to use teamwork. In Singleplayer, this offers a new level of re-playability not seen before in the franchise.
Call of Duty has always been about driving the player’s experience, so while there may be different paths at some times, they are different means to the same end.
How do the different format versions vary?
The Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii versions are the same game, with the same story, and same basic features. The Wii, which has some small gameplay modifications made due to the different control scheme. For example, the Wii has its own unique Co-Op mode called Squadmate, in which a 2nd player can pickup a Wiimote or Zapper and jump right into the action with a friend currently playing Singleplayer. The DS version follows both the Russian and Pacific campaign, but includes a British campaign for players to fully experience. Additionally, it introduces wi-fi multiplayer. The PS2 version offers a companion experience to Call of Duty: World at War, featuring its own unique set of missions, engagements and challenges that are set within Pacific and European campaigns.
A lot of developers are turning away from making PC games, citing issues such as piracy and PC gamer apathy towards their games, but this is not true of the Call of Duty series. How do you guys feel about the state of the PC games industry, and your place within it?
The PC platform is unique for sure. You’re seeing a movement towards console development due to the standardisation, and the fact that you know every gamer will have the same platform. The hurdles with developing for the PC, aside from piracy concerns, is that making the game work on everybody’s PC is extremely challenging. Even making it work on the majority of PC’s is a very difficult task that requires a lot of hard work and time.
That said, Treyarch has its roots in the PC community, with Call of Duty: United Offensive, and previous titles such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Die By the Sword. We felt it was necessary to return to the PC crowd after taking a small hiatus with Call of Duty 3 and deliver the best WWII experience we’ve created!
If you could review Call of Duty: World at War yourself, how would you review it?
I wouldn’t, I’d be too busy playing it to write one up ;-)
Thanks Josh.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii - £26.76
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii - £26.76 delivered
Apple code "ILOVETHEHUT" for 10% off.
Fallout 3, PS3 - £35.76
Fallout 3, PS3 - £35.76 delivered
Or go for the Collectors Edition for £43.14, which comes with Bonus DVD, Concept Artbook, Vault Boy Bobblehead and a Lunchbox Case (no clock for the UK sadly).
Apple code "ILOVETHEHUT" for 10% off.
Fallout 3, Xbox 360 - £35.76
Fallout 3, Xbox 360 - £35.76 delivered
Or go for the Collectors Edition for £43.14, which comes with Bonus DVD, Concept Artbook, Vault Boy Bobblehead and a Lunchbox Case (no clock for the UK sadly).
Apple code "ILOVETHEHUT" for 10% off.
Little Big Planet, PS3 - £33.96
Little Big Planet, PS3 - £33.96 delivered
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Call Of Duty: World At War, PC - £28.56
Call Of Duty: World At War, PC - £28.56 delivered
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Football Manager 2009, PC/Mac - £22.24
Football Manager 2009, PC/Mac - £22.24 delivered
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10% off everything at The Hut.com
TheHut.com currently have 10% off everything.
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Tomb Raider: Underworld, PS3 - £31.26
Tomb Raider: Underworld, PS3 - £31.26 delivered
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Tomb Raider: Underworld, Xbox 360 - £31.26
Tomb Raider: Underworld, Xbox 360 - £31.26 delivered
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Sonic Unleashed, Xbox 360 - £26.74
Sonic Unleashed, Xbox 360 - £26.74 delivered
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Sonic Unleashed, PS2 - £11.46
Sonic Unleashed, PS2 - £11.46 delivered
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Sonic Unleashed, PS3 - £26.74
Sonic Unleashed, PS3 - £26.74 delivered
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Sonic Unleashed, Wii - £22.24
Sonic Unleashed, Wii - £22.24 delivered
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Bleach: Shattered Blade, Wii - £10.54
Bleach: Shattered Blade, Wii - £10.54 delivered
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Fifa 09 All-Play, Wii - £15.96
Fifa 09 All-Play, Wii - £15.96 delivered
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Disaster: Day Of Crisis, Wii - £24.96
Disaster: Day Of Crisis, Wii - £24.96 delivered
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2100 Microsoft Points - £13
2100 Microsoft Points - £13 delivered
Pre-order, it says they should be sent out on the 21st of November.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - Review
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Xbox 360 - £37.99 delivered
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, PS3 - £37.99 delivered
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, PC - £24.73 delivered
Review by Amitai Winehouse
If Spider-Man: Web of Shadows was a singer, it'd be Britney Spears. Filled with hope and joy at the beginning, and backing it up with stimulus. But then, as you spend more time focusing on it, you realise the small faults. Eventually, it vomits and passes out every once in a while and despite trying to ignore it, it keeps embarrassing itself more and more.
From the very off, the game is presented in a bad way. Personally, graphical aesthetic can be a massive deal for myself. I'm looking forward to the NXE, purely due to the updated graphical look which is slightly more modern. I quite like PES 2009, in part due to the menus and user interface. However, in Web of Shadows we are presented with a grey menu. The image of Spider-Man fills maybe an eighth of the screen. Are we playing a game set in the colourful Spider-world, or Grey homogeneous blob's adventures in Greyscale? From the menu, I can barely tell.
That's only a small niggle in an otherwise fairly good looking game. Yes, the graphics are not stunning but certain little things are. The way the Spider-suit goes from red to black and back again is beautiful. The characters are designed in a larger than life Comic fashion set in a slightly more realistic world. The water effects are great, but that's quite useless as if you go to near the water you're probably playing the game slightly wrong.
The graphics are slightly last generation however. Maybe it was to assist better downscaling to the Wii and Ps2 ports but really the graphics are sub-par. The buildings are very under-detailed. Going back to the Britney Spears idea, the new ideas brought in graphically are in essence alright. Too much pop however. Yes, the pop does cause a massive problem when you are swinging through the city fancy free and notice an empty street. Letting go, you fall directly into the path of 40 symbiotes and their depraved orifices, ready to kill you and send you right back to Stark Tower.
Yes, sorry for the spoiler but Stark Tower is in the game! The man who built it isn't however. The only superhero who really could not be effected by the symbiotes because of his suit is nowhere to be seen, having cavorted off and deciding to leave it to the superhero with the Spider-vulnerable regular cloth suit. Captain America, you know, the one with the power to destroy all of these symbiotes and sing "America The Beautiful" all before a sharp bedtime of 9pm, before the Hitler Yo...Peace Rally in the morning, is nowhere to be seen. In fact, Spider-Man has a laugh at the lack of these people, and his predicament, chortling at the idea of having Moon Knight as a partner whilst the rest of the Marvel Heroes have a we hate Spider-Man and Wolverine party.
Wolverine is also in the game, dropped off in Manhattan out of a fast plane by The X-Men presumably. But, as the only real other A-Lister, you'd assume he'd be introduced at the beginning or near enough. Nope, you get to hang out with LUKE CAGE for a while. Then once Wolverine is introduced, he buggers off quickly enough, more than likely to get it on with Black Cat. The poor use of characters can really become astounding. Why is Wolverine, arguably the best acted character, ignored for most of the game?
The acting itself is quite bad for most of the people. Spider-Man is horrible, with you wanting to garrotte his Spider-Voice Actor with a Spider-Fiber Wire. It doesn't help that most of the lines could have been written by 5 year olds who have seen one episode of Spider-Man - The New Animated Series on JETIX. The Spider-One Liners are none existent and this is without a doubt a huge disappointment.
The story is spotty at best, and this poor writing doesn't really help matters. The story is as generic as an autobiography written by Frank Lampard. Nothing huge and shocking happens and the story never gets truly out of first gear. It's solid however and is never below average. It is not game breaking and does not damage the experience too much. Doesn't improve it however. Venom is a formidable opponent and the reasoning behind most of the actions in the game are Spider-explainable.
However, the Spider-Plot Device of the symbiote being used to lengthen the game, allowing the makers to repeat boss battles is fairly obvious. The boss battles are not even that difficult the first time around, and on repeat they are easy as Spider-cake. This is a problem the whole game faces. The mission designs are fairly basic and mostly uninspired. They are not repeated, but this has the dual disadvantage of when you figure out what to do it is never repeated and also the game is itself shortened. In fact, even with the repeated boss battles, the game clocks in at around 8 to 10 hours, probably a bit too little for an average game at today's prices.
It is for this Spider-reason that I cannot Spider-recommend this Spider. Personally, I believe you should give this game a Spider-rent unless you are a huge Spider-fan, in which case you will have already Spider-bought, Spider-played and Spider-beat this Spider-game. Spider.
Xbox 360 Premium (60gb) + Gears of War 1+2 + Fallout 3 - £199.99
Xbox 360 Premium (60gb) + Gears of War 1+2 + Fallout 3 - £199.99 delivered
Audiosurf, PC - £1.87
Audiosurf, PC - £1.87 on Steam.
It's $2.49 + VAT, which by my maths comes out as £1.87. Comes with the Orange Box OST too.
Sonic Chronicles - The Dark Brotherhood, DS - £17.71
Sonic Chronicles - The Dark Brotherhood, DS - £17.71 delivered
Bully [Scholarship Edition], Xbox 360 - £12.99
Bully [Scholarship Edition], Xbox 360 - £12.99 delivered
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, Xbox 360 - £16.99
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, Xbox 360 - £16.99 delivered
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, Wii - £22.99
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, Wii - £22.99 delivered
Twilight Princess, Wii - £16.29
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii - £16.29
Apply code EA5051 for 10% off.
Gears Of War 2 [Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £36.89
Gears Of War 2 [Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £36.89 delivered
Apply code "20PRIV" for 10% off.
The Club, PC - £2.91
The Club, PC - £2.91 delivered
Great on the 360, no idea how the KBAM controls are, but it'll work with a 360 pad too.
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