In the last couple of weeks Nintendo has come to a brave decision. In a Robin Hood style gesture, the big N has decided to take from the rich and give to the poor. Yes, Nintendo is effectively giving away the GameCube. This is less a gesture of goodwill and more a sad sign of desperation. At the new price point of around £79, the GameCube is cheaper than the Game Boy Advance SP – er, that's a handheld, in case you'd forgotten. Nintendo is on the verge of doing a three for the price of two deal. Buy two … Continue reading Nintendo Throws In The Towel? →

Gamer.tv has begun its search for the UK's sexiest gamer, according to this week's press release. It is this revelation that has brought me to wondering whether this is just the modern day search for the Holy Grail. Are gamers sexy? And if we are, what are the implications, if any? It is kind of like searching for the world's sexiest comic book shop owner. I guess there could be a sexy one somewhere, but do we really need to know!? Apparently, contestants of Gamer.tv's illustrious competition will be put through rigorous testing to prove that they are "genuine computer … Continue reading Sexy Gamers?!? →

You'll have to excuse me if sense eludes me this week, but I'm suffering from jet lag. ECTS wore me out, but fortunately I had a ten day holiday to the USA planned. Although relaxation wasn't really on the agenda, it was a welcome break for my brain and my ailing thumb. First stop was Washington DC for my best friend's wedding and some time with my cousins. No sooner were we inside my uncle's house than we were taken to behold a thing of wonder. This is the stuff of legend – a tricked out Xbox worthy of The … Continue reading American Holiday →

Hi gang. Welcome to the playpen. Unfortunately your favorite playmate has been hit with a terrible malady! Even now, as I write these very words I am risking everything. A cruel twist of fate has rendered my right thumb almost completely useless. And let me tell you, the implications this can have for a gamer are far-reaching and cannot be over-estimated. My thumb is a victim of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). No, this isn't some kind of divine intervention sending a plague upon my house for excessive gaming. And I'm not even mourning the death of my firstborn. This particular … Continue reading Chella On Injured Reserve? →

A couple of weeks ago dear playmates, I entered the 21st, no actually, the 20th century. And how did I make this brave leap I hear you ask? Well it took a steely nerve and a cast iron determination, but one Saturday afternoon I drove into town, walked right up to a sales assistant and demanded to be sold a mobile phone. Yes, that's right I now own a mobile phone, or alternatively"yes that's right I've never owned a mobile phone before! Needless to say friends and relatives were agog and aghast. Some were even slightly disappointed. People's mothers and … Continue reading Chella Is So 1980’s →

Games PR is a tricky business and with evermore games vying for attention it's not set to get any easier. As the competition heats up and publishers have more to lose with each passing year, games PR reps are feeling the pressure. I suppose we could argue that the industry has become a victim of its own success. As we creep closer and closer towards the mainstream, the less sway originality holds against a key license. Publishers are chasing the mighty buck and that means sequels, crappy licenses and cheap movie tie-ins. Why pour money into the PR for Rez … Continue reading Can I Get An Amen! →

Now Nintendo is not usually a name that conjures up thoughts of rage, frustration and disappointment. No, Nintendo (or Ninty if you're feeling all sentimental) is a name that is synonymous with cute, colourful, back to the halcyon days of childhood, type thoughts – fun for all the family and all that sort of thing. Plus they have a blindly loyal fanbase, which is something to be proud of, I guess, slavering and fawning aside. Fed up of playing catch-up with Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo are having a change of tack lately by trying to give themselves a more adult … Continue reading Ninty Growing Up? →

It's something that haunts us all, preying on the mind like a disease. On the outside, the world sees a happy, accomplished gamer, whilst inside fear, doubt and bitterness takes hold. Like a modern day Dorian Gray, only the portrait in the attic reveals the true torment we gamers feel over the unfinished game. We've all got them lurking under the telly, silently taunting us. Unfinished games are not necessarily a poor reflection of your gaming prowess, just a fact of life. There are many reasons why a game slips from the "currently being played" list to the "unfinished games" … Continue reading The Unfinished Game Curse →

Whilst the rest of the industry gets itself into a flap over E3, I'll be holding the fort over here in London. Once again it falls on me to ask the bigger questions and ponder the deeper riddles facing the gaming community today. Like, is there going to be an Ico 2? Rumors have been circulating and I have to say my interest has been piqued. Word on the street (well, okay, the forums, so not quite street, more like bedrooms, but they're on streets right!?) is that movements in Japan could signal the development of Ico 2. It all … Continue reading Holding The Fort →