Boom Boom Rocket

Due to the firework detonation connection, EA’s first Xbox Live Arcade title has been receiving comparisons with Fantavision – one of the few PlayStation 2 launch titles that was worth having. It’s not entirely fair to call it a clone though – Fantavision had you twisting the analogue stick all over the place to link …

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Statistics are fun

Official UK console sales figures have, this week, been leaked to the press. Obviously there’s a mole in Chart Track. They should get Jack Bauer in. The sales figures are quite interesting, actually. The Wii was the largest selling home console with 24,000 sold, which is due to increased shipments. However, it’s still pretty much …

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Lazy, lazy… lazy?

Can I be the only one who gets bored really quickly with ‘adventure’ games, for want of a better term? I imported Hotel Dusk: Room 215 – yeah, get me importing, it’s only out in the UK this week – months ago, and after a few sessions I found myself wandering around failing to do …

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Mighty morphin’ Pokemon rangers

Friday 13th – pretty unlucky for gamers that don’t own a DS, as that’s the only format on the receiving end of significant new games this week. Pokemon Ranger is likely to chart the highest. It isn’t a proper Pokemon game but has something to do with capturing the critters by drawing rings around them. …

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Rent a Ghost

A Namco retro collection for the DS doesn’t sound like something to be excited about – they turf out their back catalogue about once a year on whatever formats are doing the rounds. So why is Namco Museum DS shaping up to be a must have? Clue: Pac-Man Vs. First released on GameCube in 2003, …

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Guinness is good for you

A few years back the videogame section of The Guinness Book of Records was removed and a mild uproar ensued. The publishers have now done some research to discover that, yes, the videogame section is “very popular” with its readers. We can now expect a whole annual filled with the popular pastime later in the …

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We’re about ready to rock steady

The £69.99 price tag for Guitar Hero II hasn’t stopped 360 owners opening their wallets, helping it to clock in at #5. Command & Conquer 3 holds on to the top spot, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles up four places to #2. Brian Lara is on the move too, up into third, while Medal of …

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Console Cuts

WH Smith and Play.com have joined the ranks of retailers slashing the price of the PS3. WH Smith are offering the PS3 for £399, but only until 10th April, so if you want one you’ve got to hurry. Play meanwhile, are offering the PS3 for the same price, but chucking in a free HDMI cable …

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“I can’t believe we just met Mr. Bean!”

Press releases – no matter what the game in question is, be it a budget priced bowling game or a tech-heavy PC FPS – always focus on how ‘mind blowing’ the physics are or how ‘photo realistic’ the visuals will be. The press release for Blast Entertainment’s upcoming Mr. Bean game – due out on …

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Virtual Insanity

Sonic Spinball, The Story of Thor and Vectorman where released on the Virtual Console today. I had a look to see if they were worth 800 points. Before we start, all games have PAL issues. So beware. A lot of people say that Sonic went shit with the advent of 3D. Those people are fat …

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Sid Meier’s Pirates!

Yes, this is the same ‘life of a pirate’ sim that was released on Xbox and PC back in 2005. The belated conversion is likely down to the developers changing hands – Atari did the publishing honours first time round, but now Firaxis is part of the Take Two stable. It’s a game that suits …

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An early summer game drought

It’s Easter, so you would think that there would be plenty of new games out for the plucky youngsters who receive cold hard cash instead of chocolate eggs this weekend. Not so – you can count the games out this week on one hand. Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360 is the biggest release; literally …

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Insignificant news roundup

A collection of gaming tidbits. » Obviously biased but pretty much honest UK:R reveals that PS3 hardware sales are slumping after its first week in the UK. Which is pretty much to be expected after a big launch, but an 82% drop in sales is pretty significant and stock remains plentiful. Has everyone who wanted …

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Earth Defence Force 2017

The little known Monster Attack on PlayStation 2 is probably the biggest hidden gem for the system. Released just before Big Ben Interactive popped their cogs, only a limited number of copies were made and review copies never reached the press. The idea was simple – run around Tokyo destroying UFOs, giant ants, Godzilla clones …

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Giant crabs don’t sell

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars has managed to knock Resistance off the top spot, while the disappointingly bland Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has risen from #18 up to #6. The similarly average Medal of Honor: Vanguard is the only new entry in the top 10, marching in at last place. Theme Park – another …

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