E3 is in June and therefore a lot of companies are holding off from announcing new games or other major news until then. There are rumours of course but i think it’s best to wait until we have the official announcements. So let’s have a look at some trailers and short previews of upcoming games instead.
Read the rest of the post at OnThisIsland.
The videogame world has its Halos, Guitar Heroes, Metal Gear Solids and Super Marios and we are grateful for them. But it also has those small budget games and which are usually developed by one or two persons. A lot of them are not any good but there are some that deserve our time. I stumbled on a handful of these games which i have thoroughly enjoyed and i hope you do too.
Read the rest of the post at OnThisIsland.
As the world holds its breath and moves to contain the swine flu, one question is on everybody’s mind. Which game will earn the game of the week title for 27 April to 1 May 2009? In contrast to the vaccine for the swine flu we have found the answer.
Read more the rest of the post at OnThisIsland - Link
Professional Gamer returns with some news and time wasters this week. Again, let me remind you that if you find anything game related which you think is worth sharing feel free to email me (costas.taliadoros@gmail.com) and I will try and include it in a future post.
NEWS
Gfk Chart Track released the UK Lifetime Hardware figures as of 31 January 2009. Link
Wii 4.9m
360 3.2m
PS3 1.9m
DS 8.8m
PSP 3.2m
PS2 10m
The PS3 is lagging behind its two competitors (launched later than both consoles) but it’s believed to be ahead of the 360 in the rest of Europe. While the Wii appears to be the new leader in the current console generatio, and not just in the UK, some dark clouds are starting to appear in the horizon. Japan has traditionally been the country where the console cycle is ahead of the rest of the other countries. Bill Harris at Dubious Quality has an excellent analysis of the lifetime sales in Japan and why Nintendo should be worried. It seems that the financial crisis, lack of good Wii games and the expansion of the market to less hardcore gamers are starting to take effect. Not to mention that the Wii has not had a price cut yet since it’s launch. In Cyprus the Wii is more expensive than the 360.
Read the rest of the post at OnThisIsland - link
The nominees for game of the week are:
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena is the sequel to the critically acclaimed xbox exclusive Escape from Butcher Bay. One of those rare games which were actually better than the movie they were based on. Starbreeze, a talented developer team (makers of The Darkness), has included in the package a remake of the original game. So anyone who has not played the original game is purchasing 2 games. If i had not played the demo a few weeks ago this would definitely be my game of the week choice. Unfortunately, i did not enjoy the demo as i found it to be your typical run and shoot in corridors type of FPS. There is a significant stealth gameplay element but i just did not experience it. However the game has received relatively good reviews so i may be wrong (again) and is definitely worth a look if you have not played the original game.
Here’s what Eurogamer thinks. “Assault on Dark Athena certainly isn’t the next-generation sequel it deserved, and compared to the cream of the current shooter crop it’s an average effort.” Link.
I have started a new weekly series of blog posts at OnThisIsland where i will be providing you with information on gaming events, interesting articles, videos and my views on games i am currently playing.
This series will complement the Game releases posts which can sometimes be handicapped by the quality and quantity of what is being released. If any of you out there stumble upon any stuff you find exciting feel free to email me (costas.taliadoros@gmail.com) and i will try to post them in future Professional Gamer posts.
Videos
Starting off this first post are three videos on Halo. You can say what you like about the quality of the Halo series but the Halo fan community is one of the most loyal and creative groups out there. If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers you will love the first one, Halo ((All I Play-Oh)) . The next video can be true of any multiplayer game, The Clan . If your gaming affects your relationship, then you can always Blame Halo 3!
Finally two non-gaming videos which are worthy of your attention. A fantastic promotional video for the Asics shoes brand (Link) and a video on how dolphins make their bubbles! (Link).
New Game releases post now live at OnThisIsland. It seems that game releases are fasting this week…. Click here
My first post was published yesterday on www2.onthisisland.com. Onthisisland is a great site to check what events are and will be taking place in Cyprus and also hosts opinions on these. It’s a sign of how far games have come when they can be found alongside music, sports and movie events. I will be posting at least once a week on the site.
Here is the link to the first post Game releases (23 - 29 February 2009)
