For the second time in the series’ short history, Rayman: Raving Rabbids – TV Party is only being released on Nintendo consoles. The brilliant thing about the Wii version in particular is that it makes use of the Wii Balance Board (although you can play the game just as well without it).
There’s over 65 brand new mini-games to play that spoof popular culture, from TV series’ to TV classics, and everything in between. Four players can play co-op or battle, whilst up to eight can take part in the all-new party mode.
Click here to get this title for £19.56 from Game. Remember to also make use of the Game £5 off a £50 spend voucher if you’re planning on spending over £50 (obviously!).
Universe At War: Earth Assault is quite a good real-time strategy game that is let down by bad frame rates and various technical problems as it makes an appearance on the XBox 360.
Powerful forces from across the universe have brought war to our planet, leaving you to take command of several unique factions which have awesome powers and spectacular units.
Gamestation are selling this for just £4.99 – click here for more details.
Some people were unsure whether the PlayStation 3 would be a success, after a string of initial problems and a bit of a high price tag appeared to put some off. Thankfully prices have started to come down, and the problems are now (mostly) a thing of the past.
One complaint was about the annoying habit Sony had of introducing new models to the market – they seem to have settled on 80GB for now, but who knows whether we’ll see bigger in the future.
To get the PlayStation 3 80GB system for £257.99 from ShopTo, simply click here.
If you’re in the market for a new console this Christmas, then you could do worse than the XBox 360. With a very good catalogue of titles, which is growing by the month, it’s probably ever so slightly better than the PlayStation 3 (sorry fanboys!).
The XBox 360 Premium console initially came with a 20GB hard drive, until Microsoft decided to be nice recently and bump it up to a 60GB one – more than enough space to store stuff on.
Click here to buy one for £137.01 from ShopTo, and have a look around this site to find some cheap games to go with it.
Believe it or not, there’s actually two different versions of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent available – one for the PS3 and XBox 360, and another for the PlayStation 2 and Wii. The same general plot is shared, but there’s different storylines, plot twists, and levels.
Both are excellent in their own rights, and are brilliant examples of how to make great stealth games. Fans of the series will feel right at home from the off, while newcomers should be able to pick up and play straight away.
Click here to get the XBox 360 release for £6.99 from Play.com. They also have the PlayStation 3 (click here) and Wii (click here) versions for the slightly higher price of £9.99.
Tom Clancy’s EndWar £19.99
10 Dec
The great thing about video games is that they quite often put you in positions that would otherwise be terrifying in real life. Such is the case with Tom Clancy’s EndWar, which is set during the outbreak of World War 3.
Take control of the elite U.S. Joint Strike Force, European Enforcers Corps, or Russian Spetsnaz Guards Brigade, and lead your nation to victory in three separate, yet interwoven, single-player campaigns.
If you fancy this, click here to buy the DS release for £19.99 from Play.com. You can also get the PlayStation 3 (click here) and XBox 360 (click here) versions for the same price, from the same retailer.
Far Cry 2 £17.99
10 Dec
It’s worth noting that whilst Far Cry 2 is being marketed as a true sequel to Far Cry, very few similarities exist between the two. Completely new characters and a new setting are included, and there’s also a "more realistic" style of gameplay to be found.
The game itself is actually very good, with some nice graphics and a well-designed open-world setting in Africa. Although the storyline isn’t up to much, I’m sure you’ll find the AI quite a challenge to defeat – expect enemies to actively hunt for you if you try and hide.
Click here to get the PlayStation 3 release, or click here for the XBox 360 version – both of which are £17.99 at Play.com.
Although the last game wasn’t all that great, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 improves in many areas – although it’s still not as good as the classic No Mercy on the Nintendo 64!
This version includes a brand-new Inferno match (which has fire surrounding the ring), a completely revamped tag team match, and four modes to compete in (Create-A-Finisher, Road to WrestleMania, Career, and a multiplayer season). Rosters and costumes have been updated too, as have movesets.
Game are selling the PSP version for £17.61 – click here for more details. Meanwhile, over at Play.com you can get either the PlayStation 3 (click here) or XBox 360 (click here) releases for £17.99 each.
Rounding things off is the Wii version for £19.56, again at Game. Click here to buy it.
When the PSP first came out it was slightly chunky and a bit clumsy to hold, so Sony took a leaf from Nintendo’s book and re-designed it to be much more user-friendly – hence the birth of the PSP Slim And Lite.
Whilst there aren’t all that many A-list titles available for the handheld console, there are enough to keep most gamers entertained for a while. There are one or two exclusives as well, such as God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
Click here to buy a PSP Slim And Lite, with two games, for £107.59 from Argos (click on the "Special offers" tab and it’s "Offer 5"). The two titles are the aforementioned God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and Tekken: Dark Resurrection, by the way.
Imagine: Teacher £12.93
08 Dec
Have you ever wanted to be a teacher, but didn't fancy having to act like a ringleader in the circus? Then Imagine: Teacher, on the DS, could be just the thing for you, as it's quite possibly the first teacher-sim game ever produced.
Increase your students' knowledge via fun mini-games, pay attention to their behaviour to manage their moods, and encourage them to find their true vocation. Sounds great.
Click here to buy this DS title for £12.93 from The Hut. Be quick though, as this is one of the cheap games' available in their "deal of the day" promotion (and I've left it bloody late telling you!).
