February 2011 – Games Asylum

Sony makes a killing

Last week Sony said that console-exclusive titles hold back the industry; this week Killzone 3 is #1 in the chart. I’m not sure if that means they’re eating their words right now, but it’s not hard to imagine Sony being pretty chuffed that it beat Bulletstorm. EA’s slick shooter goes in at #2, with 81% …

The wacky world of Wii widgets

Blog

Useless videogame accessories have been around for as long as videogames themselves. Who remembers the infamous Game Veil, a piece of black cloth designed for putting over your head while playing handheld games? Or those extra speakers for the original Game Boy, so that everybody in an entire train/bus/school/underground nuclear bunker can have their ears …

Castle of ShikigamWii

Blog

Done with Deathsmiles already? Worry not – there’s another 2D shooter on the horizon, and I’m not talking about the frequently delayed Raiden Fighters Aces. According to release lists, pQube are planning to publish Castle of Shikigami III on Wii on 25th March. If that date is ringing a bell, it’s because that’s the day …

“Buy me Bulletstorm, or go to Hell”

This Week's Games

Hello, *expletive deleted*. You know which *expletive deleted* game is out today, don’t you? That’s right mother *expletive deleted*-ing Bulletstorm – a game best described as Gears of War meets The Club. Unlike *expletive deleted* Gears of War though, this is available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Reviews have been mostly *expletive deleted* …

Old football games should be kicked into space

Cache in the Attic

Every month we trawl eBay’s completed listings to find stuff of interest that has sold for vast sums. Why? Because the voices told us to. What would you do with 192 copies of This is Football on PlayStation 1? Apart from using them to play a giant game of Jenga, I can’t think of any …

Not such a Marvel (vs Capcom 3)

UK Charts

It’s a good first week for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, but not quite as good as we expected: it debuts at #2. That’s a bit better than Marvel vs Capcom 2, which entered the chart at #183 back in 2002. That’s not an exaggeration: it’s a Chart-Track fact, friends. “Enough trivia, …

Deathsmiles Deluxe Edition

Reviews

I don’t think anybody will forget their first play through of Deathsmiles. Not because it hands out achievements like penny sweets, or because it can be finished in around twenty minutes due to infinite continues, but because this 2D shooter captures your attention immediately. The levels are short but perfectly formed, while the bosses are …

UK games mag figures make for uneasy reading

Blog

Will there still be videogame magazines on the shelves in 10 years time? I’d like to think so, but the latest ABC figures for UK magazine circulation suggest otherwise.

Out of the 14 magazines listed, only The Official Xbox Magazine saw a rise in readersâ€¦ if you can call 25 extra readers a rise. The Official Nintendo Magazine and GamesMaster took the biggest hit, each seeing a loss of around 6,000 readers.

I’m surprised by this as GamesMaster has recently re-launched and usually comes with free gift such as last month’s Mortal Kombat 3D mouse mat and this month’s Zelda belt.

The ABC figures in full, courtesy of MCV:

Deathsmiles will make you grin

This Week's Games

After the insane popularity of Street Fighter IV, I’d say that there’s a good chance Marvel vs Capcom 3 will take the top spot of the chart next week. Reviews have been solid, although Eurogamer did point out that there wasn’t a great amount of unlockables. They also said that the last boss is a …

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I

Most Played

I wanted S4E1 â€“ that’s what I reckon all the cool kids are calling it â€“ to be excellent. I think I only read one review when it was released last year, and took that as confirmation that it is indeed excellent. Having finally got round to downloading it, I’m not entirely disappointed. It starts …

Man finds Sega stuff in skip; gets skip in his step

Retro

A Greek gamer has blogged about his joy of finding five brand new Sega Mega Drive II consoles and six new GameGear handhelds thrown away in a skip next to a Greek toy store. Although the boxes were dusty, their contents were completely intact. Just imagine how much these consoles would have been worth back …

The murky world of multi-game carts

Retro

Being the mere human that I am, curiosity runs through my veins. Bootleg multi-game carts just so happen to be something that gets my curiosity glands flowing – there’s joy to be had from coming across one of these mystical beasts, plugging it in, and seeing what treasures it contains. If you’re currently scratching your …

Test Drive Unlimited 2 skids/races/smashes into pole position

UK Charts

After two weeks at the top of the chart, Dead Space 2 steps down to Test Drive Unlimited 2 making it Namco Bandai’s first #1 since acquiring Atari Europe. The chaps at Chart Track also tell us that sales were split like this: 68% Xbox 360 version, 28% PlayStation 3 and 4% PC. I guess …

Sega from the M4

Street Viewtiful

Everyone loves a good poke around on Google Street View. So, in an idea I’ve shamelessly plagiarised from myself, we’re going to take an irregular jaunt around the world of games via that very medium. Where better to start than the scenic M4 motorway heading out of London? That’s where, as well as a number …

“Use your body and your brain, if you want to play the game”

This Week's Games

Are developers holding a contest behind our backs to see who can keep their audience waiting the longest? It bloody well feels like it – Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo 5 were five long years apart, which also happens to be the time-span between Test Drive: Unlimited and its sequel. With the troubles Atari …

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