So there I was, about to have a rummage around a tomb when the quartet of giant moths that I’d been running away from finally managed to catch up with me. Suddenly I heard a voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you!” yelled a nearby farmhand. I knew that his attempts to kill the moths would be futile so I sat back and watched him get stung and clawed to death. And then I went and raided his corpse and stole his weapon, before vanishing into the tomb to carry on my pilfering spree.

It’s during the unscripted events like this which Risen really shines, which is slightly ironic given how dull and washed-out the visuals are. I can’t vouch for the PC version but on Xbox 360 it looks like a fuzzy old PlayStation 2 game at times. If you’re expecting blistering combat then you’ll also be disappointed. The politest thing I can say about the combat system is that it’s simplistic, being merely a case of standing in front of an enemy and bashing the A button. A lock-on function would have been a massive help as if you aren’t standing exactly in front of a foe then your blows won’t register, and if an enemy sidesteps it takes ages to swing the camera around which leaves you open to attack.

You do get the impression though that developers Piranha Bites simply wanted to create an interesting, living and coherent island that’ll take weeks to explore. And if that really was their aim, then they’ve succeeded – the island is genuinely exciting to travel around, with caves, crypts, and abandoned buildings to discover and countless people needing your help.

UK Charts

Another week, another new #1. This time it’s the less than full price Halo 3: ODST. Chart Track says it hasn’t sold as many copies has Halo 3 did – which was released exactly this week two years ago – but I doubt that Microsoft are too concerned about that.

There’s a new #2 too – Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box. The original is still hanging around the top 40, up from #23 to #18. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is in at #7, while PC thing Aion narrowly misses out on a top #10 entry by arriving at #11.

Dead Space: Extraction fails to enter the top 40 but goes in at a respectable #16 in the Wii chart. The Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs tie-in, which despite being out a few weeks now, hasn’t even made it any single format charts let alone the top 40. Looks like that’ll be in the bargain bins come the January sales.

The arrival of the PSPGo! could shake the chart up next week. At least expect Gran Turismo to be riding high.

This Week’s Games

You can count the amount of spy related games out today on no less than three fingers. There’s the better than expected MySims Agents on Wii and DS, Capcom’s mediocre Spyborgs on Wii and the smashing Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box on DS. Well, Professor Layton is probably more of a detective than a spy, but that’s close enough. And Spyborgs might not actually feature any spies at all – it’s a scrolling beat’em up. MySims definitely features spies though. Probably.

Another game out on Wii today is Dead Space Extraction. Eurogamer liked it lots, awarding it an 8. It’s an on rails shooter if you wasn’t aware. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 might be worth a look too. The first one was pretty good, kind of like a 3D version of Gauntlet with Spiderman and that.

I’ve been getting into King of Fighters XII on Xbox 360 (also out on PlayStation 3 this week). As odd as it may sound, it’s just like playing Street Fighter IV in 2D. It also seems a little strange that 505 Games have decided to release Guilty Gear II: Overture on the same day, although that has been knocking around on the release lists for a while.

Aaaand finally, there’s a little game known as Halo 3: ODST out now too. If you’re a Halo fanatic then you’ve no doubt got your copy already as it was released on Tuesday. The new campaign only lasts six hours or so, but it’s less than full price and you do get all the Halo 3 multiplayer maps and a beta key to Halo: Reach so you can’t complain too much.

Next week: FIFA 10, Ninja Gaiden: Sigma 2, Risen, Space Invaders Extreme 2, StokEd, Up, Combat of Giants: Dragons, Beaterator, Gran Turismo and the shiny new Sony PSP Go!

Can you believe that Activision chose to release Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 on the same day as Halo 3: ODST?

The Mega64 guys certainly couldn’t, as this amusing YouTube video proves.

In the world of videogames timing is crucial. Not just attacking an opponent at the right time to cause maximum damage but also where releasing games is concerned. SouthPeak managed to get this out of the door barely two weeks before Halo 3: ODST – the sequel to the most played games on the Xbox 360. Had it come after, I doubt it would have even managed to get into the top 40 chart at all.

The plot and setting is your typical sci-fi affair involving two factions waging war on distant planets. What this really boils down to is two teams of up to sixteen players competing to reach a score of 1000. How you contribute to a victory though up to you. A kill is only worth 5 points whereas capturing bases and destroying gun turrets will earn you twice as much. The real big earners are gained from completing the missions that randomly commence such as escorting convoys, killing (or protecting) VIPs and the like.

UK Charts

After just one week at #1 Guitar Hero 5 has been forced off the top spot of the UK top 40 chart. Need for Speed: Shift is the game to do so, with the PlayStation 3 version selling the most copies with 52% of the sales. Xbox 360 takes 44% and PC and PSP share the remaining 5%.

I’m surprised to see WET at #6 considering review scores haven’t been very good. Maybe the foxy female lead has something to do with it? The next new entry is way down near the end of the chart at #36 in the form of Singstar Motown, followed by NHL 10 at #37.

In the single formats Katamari Forever goes in at #28 in the PlayStation 3 chart, Raven Squad and Heroes over Europe at #30 and #37 respectively in the Xbox 360 chart and Toy Story Mania at an impressive/ridiculous #7 in the Wii chart.

This Week’s Games

Xbox 360 owners might be jealous that Katamari Forever is released on PlayStation 3 this week but they really shouldn’t feel green – they’ve already had an exclusive Katamari game in the form of Beautiful Katamari. Game are asking a stupid £44.99 for Katamari Forever but it’s available for a lot less if you shop around. How does £19.95 sound?

If pushing around a giant ball sounds a bit too oddball for you, then you might be interested to hear that Need for Speed: Shift is apparently very good. Yes, really – the average review score currently clocking in at 84%. It’s out on PlayStation 3, PSP and Xbox 360 this week with the Wii and DS getting their own Need for Speed, subtitled Nitro, later in the year. If you own a PSP and NFS: Shift doesn’t take your fancy then MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is out now too.

Heroes Over Europe has been knocking around on the release lists for months but is finally out this week, as is the Max Payne / Stranglehold alike WET. Reviews have been pretty average for that one. Reviews of Raven Squad haven’t been good either.

Spectrobes Origins on Wii could be a big seller, as could DJ Star on DS which has beaten Activison’s DJ Hero out of the door. Kirby Superstar is also out on DS. It’s a remake of the old SNES Kirby game, with extra stuff and shiny new visuals and that.

Next week: Halo 3: ODST, Formula 1 2009, King of Fighters XII, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, MySims Agents, Spyborgs, Guilty Gear II: Overture, Dead Space Extraction and Cross Edge.

Rat fans rejoice! The Sharpe Company have managed to gain the rights to legendary 80’s rodent Roland Rat and are looking to license the character to any willing developers or publishers.

Ideal scenario: Blizzard make an MMORPG for PC and consoles, involving countless clones of Roland Rat, Errol the Hamster and Kevin the Gerbil running riot in the TV:AM studios.

Most likely scenario: Blast Entertainment, Midas Interactive or Zoo make either a half-arsed 3D platformer for the Wii or a collection of shoddy mini-games for the DS.

If somebody takes them up on their offer then they won’t be the first to make a game featuring Roland – Ocean released Roland’s Rat Race on Commodore 64 and Spectrum back in 1985. It was a bit rubbish.

If Eurogamer’s 7/10 review is to go by then Scribblenauts falls slightly short of reaching the level of quality of Nintendo’s own DS outputs. Personally I’m going to wait and see what NGamer Magazine says before I open my wallet. But at least I know if I do buy it then I can play it safely in the knowledge that it has been fully localised for the UK.

So, out go faucets, popsicles, sidewalks and diapers. In go taps, ice lollies, pavements and nappies. And I assume when you ask for a football, you get a nice round one instead of one resembling a rugby ball.

This movie tie-in isn’t the first videogame to feature an OAP as a playable character (I’m guessing that Supergran on the Spectrum has that honour) but it’s quite possibly the first Xbox 360 game to do so. Worry not – this isn’t about shuffling down the shops to buy a new pair of slippers and a bag of Werther’s Originals. It’s actually about a retired balloon salesman who ties thousands of balloons to his house and sails off to a tropical island, unknowingly taking a boy scout along for the ride.

What we have here is ten levels of Lego Star Wars inspired platform adventuring with a couple of “My First Flight Sim” airborne combat battles. For 90% of the game you play as Carl and Russell, swapping between the two at the press of a button to use their skills accordingly to progress. Carl can use his cane to push heavy objects and scare off bats with his faulty hearing aid; Russell can shimmy along ledges and cut through vines and spider webs with his keys. The third playable character is Dug the dog who can crawl through small gaps. And pilot a bi-plane.

UK Charts

Guitar Hero 5 has managed to dislodge the caped crusader off the top of the chart. It’s the first Guitar Hero to go straight to #1 leaving The Beatles: Rock Band to settle for #4, under Colin McRae: Dirt 2 at #2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum at #3.

The next new entry in the chart is Championship Manager 2010 at #13. Apparently it’s pretty good this year. A lot of people must have liked the demos of Section 8 and Mini Ninjas too, as they’re in at #15 and #22 respectively.

Damnation has popped back into the Xbox 360 chart at #21, presumably because Play were selling it for £4.99 last week. Is it even worth that? Reviews scores were appalling.

This Week’s Games

Batman: Arkham Asylum could be pushed off the top of the chart next week, but it’s hard to say by which game as there are no less than four potential chart-topping titles out this week.

The stupidly expensive The Beatles: Rock Band (£179.99, if you haven’t seen it in the shops yet) was actually released on Wednesday so that’s got a head start on sales over rival release Guitar Hero 5. Then there’s Championship Manager 2010 on PC, which was available to pre-order for just 1p (plus a £2-odd P&P fee) but that has ended now. The fourth potential #1? The heavily advertised Colin McRae: DiRT 2, which is out on everything apart from PlayStation 2. NGamer Magazine didn’t think much of the Wii version, if you’ve got that in mind as a purchase.

If you’ve got money burning in your pocket this week, you can also go out and buy online Xbox 360 shooter Section 8 (not to be confused with recent movie District 9), Mini Ninjas – which is from the guys behind Hitman, believe it or not – and kid’s movie tie-in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Next week: Need for Speed: Shift, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, WET, Blood Bowl, DJ Star, Kirby Superstar, Hasbro Family Game Night Volume 2 and Katamari Forever.