New Releases

• Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
  
• Golden Compass (DS, Wii, PS2, PS3, 360)
• Winter Sports 2008 (Wii)
  
• Stranglehold (PS3)
  
• Blacksite: Area 51 (360, PC)
  
• Boogie (DS, PS2)
  
• Jenga (DS)
  

Fired Over a Negative Review?

There's a rumour going around the gaming news sites that longtime game reviewer Jeff Gerstmann has been fired from Gamespot due to advertiser pressure. The game in question is Kane and Lynch: Dead Men by Eidos which is currently being advertised on the Gamespot website. The game scored a 6/10 which along with the "tone" of the review has alledgedly upset Eidos who then threatened to pull its ad campaign.

The review itself is still available on Gamespot with an editors note at the bottom indicating the review has been updated since its original posting. The video review seems to have vanished however, but here it is for you to make up your own mind.



It has been confirmed that he's no longer at Gamespot but the reasons have not, with many "no comments" being offered. If true it's a rather worrying state of affairs and like thay say, there's no smoke without fire.

Got an opinion? Share it on the GAMEOV3R Forum, at the very worst you can only get yourself banned

2007 Highlights

The Christmas season draws near. It’s not quite upon us in its full force yet but it’s close enough to smell it. Literally. Christmas songs have been playing in the high street shops for weeks accompanied by the now obligatory Christmas Pot Pouri and scented candles. I had to go to B&Q last night and while I was looking at the gardening tools I found myself humming along to the Wham song Last Christmas. Oh dear. I quickly slapped myself around the back of the head, gathered my purchases and myself back together, tried not to look too embarrassed, paid and left as quickly as I could. It’s November and I’m humming to Christmas songs! It would be bad enough if we had to suffer them for the same amount of time as a Christmas tree should be up, but it’s still November! I had to sit in a dark quiet room when I got home and repeatedly tell myself that it was ok.

Still, even with the smell cinnamon still lingering in my nasal passages and the sound of jingle bells ringing in my ears the Silly Season does signal the end of another year and time to reminisce. Time to look back on the year that was and think about all those great videogame releases.

It’s certainly been a year full of massive releases so choosing the best is a tough ask but what’s on your list of favourite games from 2007? Super Mario Galaxy, Halo 3, Metroid Prime: Corruption, Bioshock, Phantom Hourglass, Forza 2, Tiger Woods 08, PES2008, Guitar Hero III?

Try to avoid the thought of carol singers by telling us what games have been the highlights of your 2007 on the Gameov3r FORUM. [shivers] Carol singers ….. Hark! The Herald Angels, Away in a Manger, O’ Come All Ye Faithful ……… [/shivers]

Jack Banged Up?

This week Jack Thompson finds himself in the middle of an ethics trial in a Florida court that could result in his disbarment. The Florida Bar Association (FBA) is to look at several complaints regarding JT's professional conduct in his dealings with the video game industry. Disbarment is the revocation of a lawyer's ability to practice law or argue cases. Generally disbarment is imposed as a sanction for conduct indicating that an attorney is not fit to practice law. Music to Take Two's ears! Thompson's offer of a 90 day suspension of his license to practice law was rejected and the Judge now has until December 21st to rule.

Some of his previous exploits include issuing a proposal that offered a $10000 reward to anyone who would create a video game featuring Osaki Kim, a father whose son was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a 14-year-old gamer. The game would feature Kim extracting brutal revenge on the video game industry itself, including beating game company executives to death, removing their heads and urinating on their brain stems.

Showing his complete lack of knowledge of how enterprising the PC gaming mod community is, it's no surprise that someone actually did just that. Not so surprising is that Jack then reneged on the promised $10000 donation to a charity of the modder's choice, saying that his original offer had been "satire", and therefore not a legitimate promise.

This is where Penny Arcade, the popular video game-themed online comic strip, entered the story. One of the co-creators of the strip, Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, emailed Jack Thompson and informed him that he thought his proposed $10000 charitable donation was pretty small in light of Penny Arcade's more than half a million dollars, raised as part of their "Child's Play" charity event. Unfortunately for Gabe, his email contained his phone number as part of the signature, and Jack took advantage of this to phone him directly. The phone call included a threat of a lawsuit if Gabe emailed him again. In response, Gabe sent a cheque to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) in the amount of $10000 with the note "For Jack Thompson because Jack Thompson won't" on the bottom.

The threats then escalated. Jack faxed a letter to the Seattle Police Department claiming that Penny Arcade was "criminally harassing" him, insisting on the arrest of "this little extortion factory".

At this point, the nerds swung into action. Penny Arcade forum members wrote, edited and sent letters and faxes to the FBA detailing Thompson's activities and demanding a review of his license to practice law. Jack Thompson has already received a reprimand by the FBA for his antics in 1998.

Head over to the forum to vote on Jack's fate, but before you do here are some great JT quotes that'll help your decision...

"Honestly, are all of you gamers on drugs, or what?"

"You just watch. There is going to be a Columbine-times-10 incident, and everyone will finally get it. Either that, or some video gamer is going to go Columbine at some video game exec's expense or at E3, and then the industry will begin to realize that there is no place to hide, that it has trained a nation of Manchurian Children."

"Are you actually so confused that you think gamers have any influence on anyone? Gamers are considered by normal people to be cretins. Get used to it."

"I am a one-man violent video game wrecking crew"

"I love the smell of burning gamers in the morning."

"Do you need an IQ below room temp to be a gamer and post here?"

"These flowers were sent to harass me."

All excellent and mature stuff I think you'll agree and in no way chosen to sway your opinion ;)

The trial is in progress now on the GAMEOV3R Forum, don't miss the verdict

FRAGILE

More proof, as if we needed it, that the Wii will be kicking arse from here to Christmas 2009 and probably further. Namco Bandai are busying themselves working on a brand new RPG for the Wii entitled Fragile. This is excellent news for Wii gamers longing for some classic JRPG action. Initial release is going to be Japan only, for the usual reasons, but Fragile is being planned for an EU release also.

As an RPG being developed for the Japanese market it’ll have all the hallmarks, atmosphere, graphical style and storyline that western gamers often demand from their JRPG’s. More good news is that the third party developers, tri-Crescendo, co developers on Gamecube’s Baten Kaitos, are involved in developing Fragile which for me elevates the game from mildly interesting to an absolute one to watch.

Story? You want a few more details? Ok, here’s the teaser trailer first….



I found a translation of what was actually being said…. “Ah Hotaru. This Star, it's this sort of vastness the Earth is overflowing with people, but every person thinks "why am I alone?" It’s because their mind is rot with madness. And to end this madness I must destroy that world, and to do that, I must locate the virus."

Hmm a bit of Japlish but you get the picture. Fragile is set in the near future. The human race almost extinct and the world will soon end. Your quest is to search for new allies and to find out why everything is dying. The moon is the only thing Seto has to guide him on his perilous journey and along the way you discover the problems lie with bad spirits that you must defeat in order to return normalcy to the world. During the adventure, Seto will have to explore deserted towns where humans once lived but have now vanished, yet is not alone on this escapade as a mysterious heroine is waiting in the wings to lend a helping hand.

The Wiimote and Nunchuk will act as whatever you’re holding and will respond to movement. Fighting will also be mapped to Wiimote and Nunchuk.

When is this due for release? The game is currently around 35% complete but, believe it or not, Namco Bandai have stamped this with a guaranteed 2008 release date although this will be for the Japanese market only. The official Fragile website is already live and, although all in Japanese, is stunning and well worth checking out. Some great music to listen to and after just a few wrong clicks you’ll find some stunning screenshots too.

Like a good JRPG? Fancy a Japanese? All this plus rumour control all on the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Vick's Monday Blues (Attenborough's England)

My friend sent me this video and it made me chuckle so much I thought I'd share it with you all. I only hope I'm not one of the extras in that film. There have been many opportunities though, but I can't remember half of them. Happy days.


Pay a visit to the GAMEOV3R Forum or just leave us a comment right here

:) Vick :)

Better With Friends

I've not really got into any first person shooters online, mainly because I'm not good enough and it's a very tough learning curve. Getting your head blown off every few seconds can get repetitive extremely quickly. Of course it has nothing to do with people mocking me or calling me newbie dooby doo and other less polite terms over the headset! There are exceptions and I've very much enjoyed Team Fortress 2 from The Orange Box which takes itself a bit less seriously.

For me though it's online co-op play where I get the most enjoyment and where Xbox LIVE really shines. Working together through a game with a real person can really improve the experience. Having someone you can not only count on, but communicate with, changes everything and as an added bonus you get called much friendlier names too. Well, most of the time!

Gears of War will be drawing to a close for me soon though, having played through it completely on co-op on all difficulty levels. Just two acts remain on the 'insane' level now and I almost don't want it to end. Where will my next co-op fix come from? Recommendations would be most welcome.

Gameov3r sadly has very few friends with whom to play any co-op. Come and join him on the GAMEOV3R Forum, he might just like you... well, a little bit.

Tat

I bought NOM last week. It had a picture of Mario on the front cover zooming through a starry galaxy with “World Exclusive Review” in red and white lettering stamped in the left hand corner. I wanted to soak up as much Mario Galaxy goodness as I could so the lure of the magazine was at least as tempting as a worm would be to a rainbow trout. The addition of a free set of Nintendo stickers and a Legend of Zelda Phantom Hour Glass Hylian shield and sword pin badge meant the worm could attract a killer whale.

Normally I’d scoff at NOM and their freebies. If it’s not crappy stickers that you’re supposed to slap onto your Wii remote or DS it’s a crappy toy or a crappy plastic case for your beloved DS.

Many game developers including Nintendo, Capcom and Square Enix authorise use of their IP’s for use as toys, models, key rings etc and more often than not fans of the games absolutely lap these items up. More than that, Japanese gamers can go absolutely bananas to get hold of the latest Final Fantasy figure and even western game fans pour a healthy amount of cash into collecting videogame merchandise. There is tat galore! You can have key rings, sweatbands, CD cases, pens, y-fronts with your favourite game characters on.

While I’m talking about tat, why do gamers want a figure of Street Fighter 2’s Ryu, a plastic Pac-Man, or one of the buxom DOA girls on our PC monitor? Ok, I can understand the DOA girl but it doesn’t explain the rest! And why do they want to stick free stickers from NOM on their Wii Remotes anyway?

Magazines clearly think they can persuade us to buy the latest edition by including any old tat on the front cover. More often than not the free gift does nothing for me and I buy only if there are articles, previews or reviews I want to read. This time however they got the freebie right.

Does it put you off when magazines include freebies or does it sway you to buy? It's never put Gameov3r off. He has a prized collection of video game tat under his stairs. His favourite item is his Samus Aran figure. He often sneaks under the stairs, when he thinks we’re not looking, to polish her helmet. Come on over and give him a hand on his FORUM.

Harsher Classifications For Wii Games?

A group of US senators are still unhappy with the release of Manhunt 2 and in particular with the Wii version. Here is part of a letter sent to the ESRB, penned by Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh, and Sam Brownback…

“That system permits children to act out each of the many graphic torture scenes and murders in Manhunt 2 rather than simply manipulating a game pad. This led one clinical psychologist to state that the realistic motions used with the Wii mean that ‘you’re basically teaching a child the behavioral sequencing of killing.’ While this was not cited as the reason for the BBFC decision, we do believe that the ESRB should take the Wii remote controller, and future advances in game controllers, which create more realistic gaming environments, into consideration.”

The edited version of Manhunt 2 finally saw a US release around a month a go with an M rating. Clearly the game isn't intended for children and stopping that from happening is down to retailers and parents. Where this 'permits children' part comes from I don't get. If they're saying the game will be played by children anyway then what's the point of having the rating system at all? Lets have a system where everything that gets released has to be suitable for children shall we, and if it isn't, ban it! Problem solved.

Should the Wii only have games for kids? Should Wii games be rated on a different scale from other versions? Have a rant on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Wii Photo Channel Update

Following on from the posts on the forum about the update that's due to arrive for the Photo Channel. Here is a customer service response from Nintendo on the issue of MP3 compatibility...

I can appreciate your concerns regarding the coming changes to the Wii Photo Channel. However, it’s important to note that this is an optional download and is not planned as part of any system updates to Wii. If your Photo Channel currently supports music files in the MP3 format, you can retain this compatibility by electing to not update your Photo Channel to version 1.1.
Additionally, this update will not have an impact on Wii games which use MP3 music files. These Wii games will not be compatible with AAC files and will continue to use the MP3 file format.

I still find it an odd choice to replace MP3 altogether. Lower quality or not it's still the most widely used format. It's good to see it's optional although new Wiis will start shipping with version 1.1 already in place.

I've never made any use of the Photo Channel myself having so many ways to view digital photos and this just isn't the most practical way for me. I'm just glad I won't be having to convert my MP3s for my custom Excite Truck soundtrack.

Let us know what you think on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Hitman to kill box office?

I love Agent 47. In his black suit, red tie and obligatory dark glasses, that no self respecting hitman should ever be without, he oozes cool. He's cool even if he does have a head shinier than polished 70's disco ball and a barcode on the back of his neck. He's uber cool.

I first experienced the delights of 47 in Hitman 2 on the Gamecube. The very first level, set at the Mafia Don's home in Sicily, impressed me so much that I immediately restarted the game on the hardest setting. I wanted this game to last as long as possible - it was Christmas 2003 and I finally completed the game in February 2004. I enjoyed Hitman 2 so much that I bought a copy of the original game for the PC and played that all the way through too. There have a been a few more games for Agent 47 and each one has been to the very same high standard. Agent 47 has yet to put one of his stealthy feet wrong. That might be about to change though.

On 30th November this year Agent 47 is coming to a cinema near you.

This could be 47's most dangerous mission yet. It is highly likely that he, like many videogame movies before him, will be caught, publicly flogged and consigned to a quick DVD release before living out his days consigned to the bargain buckets of your local DVD shop. This could indeed be a very, VERY bad move for 47. He's going to need all his wits, sneaky hiding in the shadows skills, big guns and a big director

Wits? CHECK! Sneaky hiding in the shadows skills? CHECK! Big guns? Are you kidding? Big Director? Director? Anyone? Think you can guess who it is? Go on, there isn't much choice for videogame movie directors is there. Got it? Uwe Boll? No. Paul W.S. Anderson? Nope. It's Xavier Gens. Who? Exactly!

He's French. Lets try not to hold that against him yet. He's made such well known films as Frontière and..... that's about it. He does have a lot of experience screen writing, producing and being an assistant director and you know what I'm actually feeling quite positive about this film. All the usual game to film crap is missing including the usual directors. It's slightly worrying that this film has crept onto the radar just before it's iminent release but I remain optimistic. Coming from a guy that quite liked DOOM, Resident Evil and Aliens vs Predator that isn't saying a lot but what do we really expect from a film like this? It's never going to be a huge hit nor is it going to be an Oscar nominee and we don't want an overly complicated intricate story. We want to see a fun movie. A take your brain out, blow shit up, fun movie. And all of that is guaranteed.

Would you admit to liking a videogame movie? Alone in the Dark, Street Fighter, perhaps DOA? Come and confess to Gameov3r on his FORUM He likes blowing shit up too. Just don't mention the microwave.

Vick's Monday Blues (Sheilas' wheels)

I know we're supposed to have bad spatial awareness, but surely not THIS bad?!



Like gaming and tortoises? Spotted the fact that question is from 2 weeks a go and has nothing to do with this weeks video? The GAMEOV3R Forum needs smart people like you

:) Vick :)

Todays Releases

• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Assassin's Creed (360, PS3)
• Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii, DS)
• Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action (360)
• Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii)
• Crysis (PC)

All releases are for the European versions

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart is coming to the Wii and everyone that has ever played a Mario Kart game is excited. If you’ve never played Mario Kart you’d be better off reading the blog entry below then returning to your rocking chair to practice knitting one and pearling one. Or something.

Those that have played Mario Kart know exactly what to expect from this new version. All of our favourite Nintendo characters will be there, all the over the top circuits themed on Nintendo worlds will be there and all the weaponry – red homing shells, green shells, turbo mushrooms and all the usual obstacles and turbo strips will be there. Something new we’re all expecting is that this Mario Kart will make use of the motion controls to steer your kart. Nintendo are even bundling the game with a white steering wheel that allows you to slot in your Wii remote for that authentic Go-Kart feel.

If someone told me I could have a new version of Mario Kart but it would just be more of the same and that I’d have seen it all before would I care? Of course not! Mario Kart is the best racing series ever and more of the same when it comes to Mario Kart is enough to stir my and many other gaming souls and if the controls work perfectly, Nintendo are hardly going to fluff the handling of their own controls now are they, this could be the best Mario Kart EVER!

I have to say that one aspect of Wii MK that has me a little bit worried is the inclusion of motorbikes and the impact this will have on the gameplay and the series as a whole. Right from the green light, When Super Mario jumped into his Kart on the SNES, the karts in MK have always handled perfectly. Will Nintendo, can Nintendo get the handling of the bikes and the balance of the gameplay right? Normally I would trust Nintendo to get this right every time but this time I’m worried. Why? You ask. Well, have you ever seen a motorbike that you steered with a steering wheel!?!

The inclusion of 2 wheeled transport has also meant a rename is on the cards and Miyamoto has apparently been working closely with Nintendo Europe HQ in Germany, because most greasy, denim jacket wearing, hairy (sorry Sasquatch!) bikers allegedly originated there, and they have come up with “Mario Birts” and “Mario Kakes”. While I like neither the latter has reminded me that I have to go and get some lunch.

Hungry? Tuck into something sweet on the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Carcassonne Free XBLA Download

All you 360 owners have until 7:59am tomorrow to download Carcassonne for free from the XBLA, or if you happen to be in Korea you'll get Hexic 2 instead. Carcassonne is actually a conversion of a board game but I have to say I wouldn't fancy having to work out all the scores at the end myself. You'll see what I mean once you play it. It's a pretty good little strategy game that doesn't take long to learn but there are many tactics to perfect. And just to make the deal even sweeter you can delight in the fact that I actually paid for my copy! Bah!

Spinning a Yarn and Dynamite Designs

On the basis that nothing remotely interesting happened to me over the last few days and the fact that I can't even decide on one title for today's blog entry I bring you a gaming news update! Actually that's not entirely true... I'm still playing The Orange Box but following on from my Obsessive-Compulsive post last week all of a sudden my enjoyment of throwing objects around and smashing them up has withered away.

Did I just get bored of it far too easily? Have I become a reformed character that likes things neat and tidy and all in one piece? Possibly. I've now taken to stacking crates, exploding barrels and boxes neatly in each room and standing back to admire my handy work. It's surprisingly therapeutic in a Tetris type way only it never gets any faster and it helps me to wind down after a rubbish day at work. I know what you're thinking... I've gone soft, I'm not worthy of being called a gamer anymore. I should start buying 'Creative Knitting' each month, maybe make myself some nice warm mittens for the winter that could also help protect my hands from any splinters from stacking all those crates. I could even change my washing up liquid to Fairy as my hands start to soften from a lack of frantic joypad use. I could put their claims to the test and see if hands that do dishes really can feel as soft as your face, with mild green Fairy Liquid. I'd put money on most of you that read that went back and sang it in your head. This could be a complete new me...

Don't be daft!!! You can keep your pointy sticks with wool on! I won't be paying a visit to Crochet World any time soon either, 25th anniversary or not! I don't want to make a fabulous reversible rug or a beautiful butterfly doily! The washing up can pile up in the bowl, neatly of course just like my crates as I'm now a man... with a gravity gun! Having made my mountain of objects I can now suck up the nearest exploding barrel, throw it with immense force into my creation and stand back and watch the fireworks! Sounds like a good solution for the washing up too. Funny what makes you smile :)

Oh yeah, I was about to bring you some gaming news wasn't I? Maybe next time eh.

Like knitting? Crochet? How about dominoes or bingo? The GAMEOV3R Forum may not be for you

Super Mario Galaxy Massacre!

Nintendo fans this is wholly disturbing. You may need a well placed cushion that you can hide behind and/or cling onto.



Could you imagine loading up the lastest Mario game to discover it's a horror/slasher game? First task - Hunt and mutilate all Yoshi's. Bonus for carving SM into any stray Toads. Highly disturbing I'm sure you'd agree, although it would go some way to proving that Nintendo really aren't aiming for the kids and family end of the market.

Would you like to meet a dark Mario down a dark alley on a dark and stormy night? Tell us the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Vick's Monday Blues (Game Shows)

There's nothing sweeter than watching someone make a fool of themselves and just being glad it isn't you!



Ever been on a game show? Come and tell us how it went on the GAMEOV3R Forum

:) Vick :)

Reviews (or lack of)

I don't know about anybody else (and especially probably not the girls), but whilst I find the reviews and stuff informative on the internet, nothing beats that quiet moment in the day when a guy gets to sit down for a bit and enjoy a spot of reading. Most times during this interlude I am not really in the mood to get into something really in depth, so often find myself perusing the latest Edge or Mixmag, or perhaps one of the dedicated Nintendo mags.

Which brings me to my point. We basically have a choice of three mags for what is the biggest selling console in the UK at the moment, with lots of new owners and owners 'new' to games. And all three magazines are rubbish. It's not the quality of the writing or layout, or the articles in general, but the reviews.

Official Nintendo magazine may as well not review anything because they are basically a hands-on preview with a glowing review score at the bottom. But at least they manage to cover everything. They are catering for the young who are more forgiving and for the new casual crowd, and that is fine. Official mags are always like this. I just like reviews to be a bit more critical, which is why I have always enjoyed Edge, despite its pretensions.

The other two mags 'N-Gamer', and 'N-Revolution' both came from independent Gamecube mags and were previously aimed at hardcore Nintendo fans. Their reviews ae generally both objective and subjective, being attributed to specific writers so you get to know their tastes and whether you tend to like the same stuff as them.

However, my problem is that they SHOULD review every game released in the UK if they can, its not that many a month yet on Wii. Even if its a quick 2-page round up of 'Don't buy any of those games on the same budget label as Ninjabread Man, no matter HOW funny the title is'.

Its absolutely shocking that NEITHER of these mags has reviewed Tiger Woods 08 yet, for instance, nearly 2 months after its release and it sitting in the top 10 sellers for the system. If it wasn't FANTASTIC how many pissed off casual Wii owners would there be? There are several other games sitting there on the shelf in Game that I've never heard of, yeah licensed tat some of it, sure but sometimes a gem of a kids game turns up in that genre when someone takes a real chance with a license, and those are the sort of things casual gamers will pick up.

It annoys me that both these mags review import Jap and US games, when as yet there is no way to play them on your PAL console without illegally chipping it, something i am not prepared to do when they are still like gold dust in the shops. I am interested in these games as they are potentially coming over here, but they are NOT yet so they should be covered as previews only, thus freeing up space for reviews of games ACTUALLY RELEASED HERE. Anyone with a chipped or imported console is 'core' enough to use an internet to find out what imports to get and probably order them too.

Lastly, sometimes it is painfully obvious that someone hasn't really 'got' the controls in a Wii game. This is much worse online than in mags, but i have seen some really hateful reviews from people when it was clear to me when i played the game that their head just hadn't clicked with it. This is why Wii reviews are all over the place with many great wii games having at least one really negative review. Personally, despite it gaining glowing reviews, I just could not get into SSX Blur at all: looks great and all but controls were all over the place to me and counter intuitive. It felt like playing a flying game where I pushed up to climb and down to dive, my brain just knew it was wrong and it should be the other way around.

Anyway, to sum up, the people responsible for providing us with information about this hobby of ours are clearly unable to get their heads around just how to deal with Wii yet, I think. Sorry i kind of lost the thread of what i was trying to say about halfway through. Maybe there's an idea for something there.

Macchinmi

Obsessive-Compulsive

This week I have mostly been playing Metroid and The Orange Box and it's really brought to my attention some of my obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

Half Life 2 has some great physics so you're able to pick things up, throw them around and the one that's gripped me at the moment.... SMASH THINGS! The locations are littered with crates, boxes, glass and so on and I just don't feel I've done my job properly unless I've destroyed everything I possibly can with my crowbar. Now the crates often contain health or ammo so maybe that's understandable. Well it would be if I only did it when I needed those things. Metroid on the Wii has me doing a similar thing with shooting all the crates and plant things, although here they re spawn so I'm on a bit of a loser really!

Sometimes I even try to test myself and leave just one crate untouched, but I can't do it. The stress involved in having to go back and smash it is considerably less than the time and stress involved in wondering about that crate and if anything was actually inside it.

WHY?! Is it because it's something I'd like to do in real life but generally isn't acceptable, do I just like destroying things or maybe it's because I actually think I might find some super secret item inside one that few people discover? I actually don't know the answer, maybe you could help me on the GAMEOV3R forum.

If you have a strange obsession with something come and talk to us about it on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Hey, there Mr. Thompson

With thanks to Sarcastic Gamer

Todays Releases

• Gears of War (PC)
• The Simpsons (PS3, PSP)
• EA Playground (Wii, DS)
• Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Wii)
• Endless Ocean (Wii)
• Lego Star Wars: The Complete Sage (360, PS3)
• Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools Of Destruction (PS3)
• Endless Ocean (Wii)
• Call Of Duty 4 (360, PS3, DS, PC)
• WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2)

Many thanks Stuart

Mario, Sonic and Page 3 Girls

After Sonic disrespected Gameov3r in the interview last night I'm taking great pleasure in this blog entry. Today tabloid newspaper The Sun, complete with a troop of Page 3 Girls of course, and SEGA UK organised a little event to promote the new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games title and judging by the picture above it is Mario who is, was and always will be triumphant while Sonic remains a second class loser. Just look at all those lovely red t-shirted, happy smiley Mario supporters! Breaks your heart right Sonic?

Apparently there was some fun and games on an inflatable thing covered in soap followed by some penguin sumo wrestling. Unlockable events perhaps - First to evade the Page 3 vixens and reach the top of the soapy bouncy castle and penguin sumo wrestling. I know which one would sell a few extra thousand copies. Nintendo's equivalent of Hot Chocolate! I couldn't find any photo's of these shenanigans and believe me I tried.

Interested in 3 girls? I mean, interested in Page 3 Girls? Penguins sumo wrestling? Soapy bouncy castles? Would you prefer a combination? Careful what you wish for and don't tell everyone! Just tell us, on the GAMEOV3R FORUM Sexist remarks WILL be punished by the ladies of the forum! You have been warned.

Video Game Character of the Month

GO: Welcome to my humble home Sonic and thank you for popping in for a bowl of bacon fat and a few questions.

GO: First off then, what's your na..... oh I already said that didn't I.... my brain is somewhat sozzled after my recent bath. The heat and the witch hazel always does funny things to me. Tell us your name anyway will you.
StH: Derrrr....old fool.... heh heh.. I'm Sonic!

GO: Derrrr? Old? FOOL?? Listen here you little blue rat I've been in videogames since before you were a pixel in Sonic Team's eye. I'll wake Continue? and introduce you to him and his 5 sharp ends in a minute if you carry on! Then you'll be sorry! Right, next question, for the letter bomb, where do you curently live?
StH: I live on South Island man. It's so chilled out. I just kick back and relax sipping Mai Tai's all day.

GO: Mai Tai's? You poof! Get one of these down your scrawny blue neck and tell us what your first game was and if you have had any cameo roles?
StH: Well dude, [sip] bleeeuugh! what is this stuff? .... my first game, Sonic THE Hedgehog, named after me of course, rocked the world and left every gamer in a whirl man. I rocked so bad and I kicked Mario's fat ass! It's almost fatter than yours! Yea heh heh.... [sip] This stuff isn't tasting any better man. I got to drive a way cool car in Rad Mobile that was kinda fun and I played tennis like a pro in Sega Superstar Tennis. Real soon you'll see my track and field skills in my Olympic Games game too. Yea man, I rule!

GO: Your Olympic game? Isn't it called "Mario" and Sonic at the Olympic Games? That makes it more his than yours I think.
StH: I'm so pissed about that man. My agent promised me top billing and let me down. I handed him over to Robotnik on a platter. He's now a robot bat or something. He was a dweeb anyway.

GO: Tell us one thing you're the best at?
StH: Running really, really fast! Heh heh no one can catch me man! I'm the best at everything really dude but you asked for only one.

GO: Favourite job of all time?
StH: Oh man, rescuing all my cute furry pals from the clutches of the evil Robotnik back when I was 16Bit. Those were the days. I ruled 2D gaming dude!

GO: So really you're saying that all your 3D games are crap?
StH: Man they just didn't show my good side. Get it? 2D Get it!? Heh heh heh

GO: We get it. Do you have a good relationship with Shadow? The general view seems to be that he's a wafty cranker.
StH: I'm the original and best man and Shadow is just a pretender. Sega thought he might be the one to be their new mascot but I put paid to that when I put laxatives in his milk at the premier of his game. Heh heh... If he even comes close to stealing my crown I'll have Robotnik assimilate him too. He'd make a funny looking robot fish.

GO: Somewhere we'll never find you?
StH: In a Nintendo game of course! I hate Nintendo!

GO: Sonic and the Secret rings not "ring" any bells with you then? And have you not seen your latest DS adventures?
StH: Whhhaaa'? They told me those were GameGear and Dreamcast games! Man I'm calling my lawyer and I'm gonna take that exclusive contract offer from Bill. He promised me a part in Halo 4 you know?

GO: Really Sonic. Did you know that Sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH) is one of three proteins in the mammalian hedgehog family. It plays a key role in regulating vertebrate organogenesis, such as in the growth of digits on limbs and organisation of the brain?
StH: Errrr....wha'?
GO: I did.

GO: Sonic the Hedgehog thank you for visiting. Now finish the Caffreys and leave me. Oh, but before you do, just one more question before I take my tank out for a spin tonight, which country lanes do you cross on your way home?

Sonic the Hedgehog, videogame legend or cocky clueless upstart? Tell us here or on the Forum

Super Mario Galaxy

I've tried to avoid most of the stuff in magazines or on websites about Super Mario Galaxy. I find that although there is an eagerness in me to find out as much about the Wii's most anticipated game as I can, it would be very easy to spoil the experience. I've seen the ratings it's getting, I don't need to know if it's my kind of game so I'm happy to pay my money and enjoy every second without thinking 'oh this is the bit I saw in that review.

What I am interested in though is some of the decisions that go into creating a game like this. I found a great interview which is linked to at the bottom if you want to read more, and don't worry there are no spoilers. The bit I'm going to concentrate on here is the sound design as it's something I've always been interested in. As an example, the Exorcist may not be up every ones street as far as films go but there's a brilliant extra on the DVD about creating the sounds for the film. Sound choice can make or break the atmosphere and even choosing where to have silence is a skill. It's one of the main reasons the film still stands up today. As far as games go, music and sound effects were often the last things that got thought about, but as technology has improved so has the importance on getting this part right. Anyway, enough of me, here's a brief exert from the interview:

Yokota:
I mainly used Latin instruments, and expressed the space part by using a synthesiser to create that sound you hear in old Sci-Fi movies. The track isn't used in the final game so the players won't get to hear it, but it had actually been approved at one point by Koizumi-san, the director. My love for Nintendo games goes back a long time and I have spent a long time playing all the Mario games thoroughly. I was full of confidence when I presented that track to Kondo-san. But when I asked him "This is how Mario music should be, right?" he just replied "This is no good".

Iwata:
Were you shocked?

Yokota:
So much so that I thought about quitting my job! (laughs)

Kawamura:
I remember observing Yokota-san at the time. He looked so down about it that I felt really sorry for him. He really did say "If this doesn't work, I will quit my job!"

Yokota:
When the track was rejected, the words that Kondo-san had said really stuck with me. Those words were "Yokota-san, if somewhere in your mind you have an image that Mario is cute, please get rid of it."
When I heard that, I realised that I had always had this image that Mario was a character for kids, and without realising it, I had been composing “cute” music that I thought would appeal to children. I asked Kondo-san at the time, "Then what kind of music would work with Mario?” He replied that "Mario is cool".

Iwata:
You must have thought, "You could have told me that in the first place!" (laughs)

Yokota:
At first, all he told me was "If it matches the game, you can make anything you want." (laughs) In retrospect, the time I spent struggling trying to make music that sounded like Mario may have been a waste of time, but by struggling so much, the impact when I realised these things was all the stronger. Kondo-san then came to say the music I made from that point on had “become natural”.

So what kind of things did you come up with in making the most of the Wii Remote speaker?

Kawamura:
Well, for example, we made it so that when Mario gets Star Bits, you will first hear a sound effect coming from the TV, and then just after, you will hear another Star Bit sound coming from the Wii Remote.

Yokota:
By slowing the tempo of that second sound on purpose, it makes it feel like the Star Bits actually fly into your hands. There are a lot of features in this game that use the Wii Remote's shake control, like shooting Mario away to the next planet using the Star Sling, and knocking out Goombas, and we worked hard on sounds that make shaking the Wii Remote fun.

I think it's very easy to overlook the thought that goes into some of these things but I guess that's all part of when you get something absolutely right. One thing doesn't stand out in particular and it's the experience as a whole that is enjoyed.

If you're interested in reading the whole interview click here and to wrap things up I'll leave you with an insight into the Super Mario Galaxy orchestra during recording.



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Vick's Monday Blues (Killer Tortoise)

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Evil at it's best!



Like gaming and tortoises? Sense of humour? The GAMEOV3R Forum needs you

:) Vick :)

MySims Mini Review

Fifi crawled out of bed bleary eyed at 6.30 a.m. she had to go to work, she couldn't get to sleep the night before, there's something about having to get up early that prevents easy sleep. Still awake in the wee small hours Fifi contemplated getting up and going for her DS, she was building a Sim City, but then again it might be a good opportunity to catch a rare nocturnal Pokemon or that elusive tarantula in Animal Crossing .......... Fifi decided it would be more responsible to really try to get to sleep.

Once up Fifi rushed around getting ready, remembering to slip her Gameboy Micro into her work bag just in case there was any "down time" in this job (Fifi is a temp so her work life is constantly changing).

Fifi was already in a bad mood anyway, her new My Sims Wii game had turned out to be rather frustrating. She was thinking "*!& Polly and her stupid flower shop, eventually realising that her flower stand gift hadn't been accepted yet because it needed to be painted with happy essence. Once Polly had accepted her lovely flower stand there was an opportunity to stare at the "brick wall" loading screen again ........ there are many opportunities to stare at the "brick wall" loading screen, every time you complete a task or enter/exit a building if you are really lucky it will occasionally give you a tip while you wait.

A cross between The Sims and Animal Crossing but doesn't match up to either. Oh you do get to make your own furniture with the Wiimote .......but it becomes annoyingly irksome after your first achievement.

There are other areas to unlock but I don't think I can stand to play it long enough and I'll be trading it in as soon as another game I want comes out.

To make things worse a friend had made a casual mention, something about "wasting money on games", Fifi was getting pumped as a Pikachu, Fifi was steaming, wasn't this the friend who had so much fun trying her Wii Sports, she bit her lip deciding to try to keep the peace but harboured vengeful thoughts of deleting said friend's Mii.

.......to be continued ......

Fifi

The GAMEOV3R Forum awaits you and we're all smothered in happy essence! Come and join the party

Slow Down!

Picking up the PS3 box for PES2008 in Gamestation I happened to notice they have several special features that XBox 360 owners don't get! I demand to know where these special features are and whether owners can get them in a future update?! See below.

Konami aren't taking this lightly and are taking some swift action. Unconfirmed reports say a patch is nearly ready to combat the slowdown in the PS3 version. Apparently this will remove 6 players from each side making it 5 a side! Konami say after applying this patch the game runs smoother than Birds Eye ready made custard.

Seriously though what is going on with the PS3 versions of many games? Is it really that hard to program or is Microsoft giving developers a bung to add these 'extra features' so they have the best version available?

What do you think is going on with PS3 versions of games? Get on the GAMEOV3R Forum and let your voice be heard

What’s the colour of money

If you’re Bill Gates, and talking Yen, it’s blue.

Microsoft is still trying to win a slice of the Japanese market. I’m sure they want the whole cake but with the Wii and DS selling like hot ones, iced and with cherries on top, PSP Lite and PS3 selling quite well and a lot of gamers still satisfied with their PS2 it’s possible Microsoft will have to settle for crumbs for some time to come. Or will they?

The Japanese are well known for not being fond of the FPS genre and the Xbox is the console home of the FPS. So where to go? Microsoft’s plan was to aim for Japanese gamers at their weakest point and win hearts and minds with a game that they just would not be able to resist.

Microsoft released the massive 3 disc RPG anime styled adventure Blue Dragon and it actually did quite well. It did better than that in fact and spawned it’s own merchandise and even had an anime TV series created. I’m sure Microsoft thought they had created a gaming hammer capable of market cracking and perhaps, just perhaps, they’d started to win some more Eastern fans.

Microsoft are set to keep the Blue Dragon ball rolling by going for the jugular and releasing the game on a budget label. Not only that, but parts 1 and 2 of the Blue Dragon anime are going to be available on XBL from 15th November, to tie in with the reduced price, for free. Microsoft are hoping (praying?) that this will generate a lot more interest in the 360 and create some new Xbox owners.

They could be right but what I want to know is where are my free cartoons and cheap Blue Dragon Bill? Are we going to see these freebies in the UK or are you casting us off so you can woo your oriental desire? I feel so used.

Is Microsoft throwing dollars down the drain when it comes to Japan and is Bill just a plain ol’ hussy? Gameov3r says he is and that he’s going to sprinkle itching powder in Bill’s underpants drawer. Scratch that itch on the Gameov3r FORUM.