Mirror’s Edge £27.99
22 Nov
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Mirror’s Edge is a first-person action-adventure game set in a conformist dystopia in which communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime (remind you of anywhere?). A network of runners, including the main character Faith, are therefore used to transmit messages whilst evading the Government.
If there’s one criticism you could have about this game, it’s that it’s a little on the short side - don’t be surprised if you’ve completed it within a couple of days or so. Well worth getting if you’re looking for something a bit different from the norm though.
To buy the PlayStation 3 version for £27.99 from ShopTo, simply click here. XBox 360 owners can click here to get their version for the same price from the same retailer.
Could PES 2009: Pro Evolution Soccer be the last one to appear on the PlayStation 2? This hasn’t been confirmed, but you do get the feeling that less emphasis has been put into it than the seventh generation console versions - which include a full Champions League tournament not found on this.
It has to also be said that FIFA has either moved on a par, or ever so slightly ahead, in terms of playability. As someone has both, I feel qualified to state my reasons why - Pro Evo seems a bit more arcade-y than previous, whereas FIFA 09 plays much more realistically.
Click here to get the PS2 version for £12.49 from Gamestation. They are also selling the PlayStation 3 (click here) and XBox 360 (click here) releases for £19.99 each as well, which is incredibly good value for money.
Dead Space £24.99
22 Nov
In the future, the Earth’s appetite for resources has led to a great deal of deep space exploration. Huge, privately-owned and operated mining ships orbit planets and extract rock, reducing it to component elements and raw ore.
When communications with one of these ships goes down, top engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to fix the problem. However, once he gets aboard he soon realises that he’s not alone…
Pop in to your nearest Gamestation and pick up Dead Space, on either the XBox 360 or PlayStation 3, for £24.99.
There aren’t as many decent racing games as there are first-person shooters, so it’s always nice to see a decent attempt at translating the real-life thrill of driving to the small-screen - and Midnight Club: Los Angeles does it rather well.
The single player mode is pretty difficult, as the AI is at times seemingly impossible to defeat, but not enough to put you off trying it out. As with many other games though this really excels in the online races, with the ability to race against another 15 players making for some good times.
Play.com are selling this XBox 360 title for £19.99 - click here for more details.
XBox 360 Console Deals
22 Nov
There’s a couple of XBox 360 console deals that are well worth taking a look at, especially this close to Christmas. One good thing to have come out of the recession is lower console and game prices, so we shouldn’t complain too much!
The XBox 360 Arcade comes with a wireless controller and five games from the XBox Live Marketplace (Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man and Uno), but no hard drive. However, Microsoft will sell you an XBox 360 20GB hard drive for £12.99 if you fancy upgrading for a more than reasonable price.
Instore at Asda Living (the ones that don’t sell any food) you can get this pack for £110.
The XBox 360 60GB Premium model is the one that is suitable for pretty much everyone, as it has enough space to store as much stuff as you would probably need. Maybe not as much space as the Elite, but it is much cheaper than it is!
Previously this came with a 20GB hard drive, until Microsoft had a rare moment of generosity and decided to bump it up to 60GB - helped in no small part by the PlayStation 3 having similar space, I imagine.
Click here to buy this with copies of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, James Bond: Quantum Of Solace, Project Gotham Racing 4, and Sega Superstar Tennis, for £199 from Currys.
Far Cry 2 £26.99
22 Nov
Although it has a fairly rubbish storyline, and it’s damn annoying when enemies respawn quickly, Far Cry 2 isn’t quite as bad as some would have you believe. It’s maybe not as good as Call Of Duty, but then how many other first-person shooters are?
You can pretty much do what you like and choose who to align with in the single player campaign, which is nice. It’s the online multiplayer that’s the real highlight though, with up to 16 players able to duke it out at one time.
If you fancy this, click here to get the XBox 360 version or click here to get the PS3 release (which comes with four extra missions) - both of which are £26.99 each at HMV.
Before Guitar Hero: World Tour essentially copied the idea, the fact that you could play as part of a virtual band was a great selling point for Rock Band. It’s just a pity that damn things cost so much!
Inside the Rock Band: Band In A Box kit you’ll find a microphone, drums, and a guitar. What you won’t find is a copy of the game, which is a tad irritating.
Click here to buy the PlayStation 3 set for £79.99 from Play.com, or click here to get the Wii set for £84.99 from ShopTo. XBox 360 owners can pop in to Tesco and pick up their one for £89.71.
Grand Theft Auto IV £19.86
22 Nov
After being announced some time before the game’s release, downloadable content will be available for the XBox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV next year. The first episode, titled "The Lost And The Damned", will feature a member of Liberty City’s biker gang, The Lost.
Before that though, you can enjoy what the game itself has to offer. Not only is it more in-depth and time-consuming than ever before, but this is also the first in the series to feature online play - and what fun it is as well.
101 CD have this available for £19.86 delivered - click here for more details. PlayStation 3 owners can still get their version for £22.97 as part of the Amazon video game Christmas sale, by the way.
Argos Video Game Sale
22 Nov
There’s an Argos video game sale on at the moment, with some excellent titles on offer.
Here they are in alphabetical order, for your convenience.
DS
My Health Coach: Manage Your Weight (With Pedometer) £14.99
PS3
Guitar Hero: World Tour (With Wireless Guitar) £49.99
Saints Row 2 £19.99
Soul Calibur IV £24.99
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 £24.99
Wii
Guitar Hero: World Tour (With Wireless Guitar) £49.99
Need For Speed: Undercover £24.99
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 £17.49
XBox 360
Guitar Hero: World Tour (With Wireless Guitar) £49.99
Mass Effect £9.99
Saints Row 2 £19.99
Soul Calibur IV £24.99
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 £24.99
As you can see, there are a wide variety of cheap games that are sure to appeal to everyone - with Mass Effect and Guitar Hero: World Tour looking particularly good value.
The release of Rock Band meant that the team behind Guitar Hero needed to come up with something good for their next game, and they have - by copying Rock Band! There’s different tunes to play along to in Guitar Hero: World Tour, but the introduction of drums and a microphone is an obvious attempt to replicate Rock Band’s success.
As you can imagine, the track list itself is the most important aspect to any rhythm-based title. Thankfully, the songs included here are as good as ever, with something for everybody to enjoy.
If you fancy Guitar Hero: World Tour, with a wireless guitar, Argos are selling it for £49.99. Click here for the Wii version, click here to get the PS3 release, or click here for the XBox 360 version.
UPDATE: The same three format versions can be had for the same price instore at Tesco this weekend (22nd of November). Useful if you’re doing your shopping, I suppose!
