August 2008 – Games Asylum

Too Human – too little, too late?

This Week’s Games After a few dull weeks, some games of note have finally surfaced. Too Human is the first of Microsoft’s big push of first party titles, with the next being Fable II. Reviews haven’t been amazing, despite a solid four years in development (plus another four before that), and general opinion appears to …

The armchair olympics

UK Charts

UK Chart There isn’t much in the way of action and excitement in the chart this week, with the top five games staying put. That means that Mario Kart Wii is still #1, followed by Wii Fit, Beijing 2008, Mario & Sonic and Wii Play. Carnival Games has risen from #13 to #6 thanks to …

Not a book in sight

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Although the Games Convention was going on in Germany at the weekend, I chose to keep an eye on the world of video games from the less obvious surrounds of the Reading Festival. But amongst the teenagers who’d written on themselves and students with glowsticks, there was a reasonable amount to keep an eye on. …

To Phil, love from Aunty Sony

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It’s questionable whether this is meant to be for public viewing, but the company Build has uploaded images of the custom presentation piece Sony gave to Phil Harrison when he left the company to join Atari. If you can’t be bothered to click on the link, six layers of plexi-glass have been used to give …

Return of the tat

This Week's Games

This Week’s Games There are five games out this week, but you’d probably have more fun tying some milk bottle tops to a piece of string and jingling it up and down. Funnily enough, all five are for DS – AMF Bowling, Carnival: Funfair Games, Ducati Moto, Mary King’s Riding School and Road to Vegas. …

Braid

Reviews

Xbox Live Arcade is brilliant. Ikugara, Rez, Worms and Uno have sucked up hours of my time, even though I’m unable to reach level three of Ikugara. However, what the Live Arcade has missed so far is quality original games, instead relying on old classics to prop up the service. Braid has come along in a gallant attempt to buck that trend.

Hell to pay

UK Charts

UK Chart Stamina. Strength. Speed. Determination. What better way to recreate the feats required to enter the Olympics than by sitting at home with a piece of plastic in your hand? Beijing 2008 is up from #13 to #3, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games up from #8 to #4, and Summer Athletics from …

Kellogg’s Frosties – now with added guitars

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I expect we’re all guilty of picking out breakfast cereal as a child just for the free toy inside. Even on the wrong side of my 20s, I’d be tempted by one of the LCD Guitar Hero toys being packed inside Kellogg’s cereal. I bet the music’s a bit rubbish though. They’re North America only …

Men with odd shaped balls

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Madden 09 is out, so it’s not going to be hard to guess what the best selling game this month in the US will be. If memory serves, last year’s iteration managed to get quite high in the UK chart, but I’d be surprised if it gets into the top ten. The Wii version is …

Three more cheers for the Overlord

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Codemasters’ Overlord was one of last year’s hidden gems and recently found a new lease of life on PlayStation 3. Sale figures must have pleased Codemasters, as not only is there going to be a sequel, but versions for Wii and DS too. The Wii is getting Overlord Dark Legend. It’s a brand new game, …

Shadowrun

Most Played

Since its release early last year, Shadowrun has been on the receiving end of a lot of flack, and to be honest, it’s mostly deserved. The single player mode is almost non-existent – you can only play against bots with less intelligence than a ’80s calculator – and there are no options to speak of. You can’t even fiddle with weapon sets to get a â€˜swords only’ match going. It doesn’t look much prettier than an original Xbox game, and the art style is laughable. I promise the first time you lay eyes on a dwarf kitted out in full riot gear you’ll, well, laugh.

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Reviews

The Wii version of this turn-based strategy game was canned, as the developers thought they wouldn’t be able to get a decent version of the game running on the system. So why they thought that the DS could is a bit of a mystery.

The DS isn’t renowned for being a 3D powerhouse, but it can still produce some nice 2D graphics – take a look at the recent Soul Bubbles for proof. Visuals must have been the last thing on the agenda here though – it looks like an ugly Game Boy Advance game, with dull maps and no flair to speak of. There isn’t any music in game either, which hardly helps the atmosphere side of things. The controls work well though; so much so that there isn’t even the need for a tutorial at the beginning.

Curling with Avril Lavigne

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EA are pushing the boundaries by releasing a sports-based party game for the Wii. But get this: it features celebrities. Celebrities like these: American female singers and people I don’t know. You want a proper list? Alright then: Fergie Avril Lavigne LeAnn Rimes Keith Urban Nelly Furtado Paul Pierce Mia Hamm Kristi Yamaguchi Reggie Bush …

I find it kind of funny; I find it kind of sad

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The Daily Mail are at it again, and this time they’re angry about Sega releasing Mad World on the â€œfamily friendly Wiiâ€. Mad World, if you weren’t aware, looks like an unofficial tribute to the monochrome Sin City and lets you kill foes by sticking traffic signs through their head. It looks quite good. John …

Shuffle fun

UK Charts

UK Chart With little in the way of new releases at this time of the year, it’s just a bit of a shuffle for the chart this week. Wii Fit finds itself back on top of the pile, with last week’s #1 Soulcalibur IV down to #2. Mario Kart Wii doesn’t involved in the shuffling …

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