January 2009 Archives

SO-called 'edutainment' and other self-bettering software is proving to be a big hit on the Nintendo DS.

We've been bombarded recently with ads of Patrick Stewart showing his skills at solving complex equations (such as what is 2 x 3) to Julie Walters, presumably to suggest in a somewhat patronising manner that this is stopping him (as an elderly-ish person) from going senile (after all, committing an entire Shakespeare play to memory probably is insignificant next to the power of the DS).

Even Nicole Kidman has got into the act, (why - who knows?) possibly to prove that people in the advanced stages of starvation can also give their minds a work out.

But now researchers from the University of Rennes, Brittany say edutainment brain-training games are not as educational as first thought.

Researchers at the University of Rennes, Brittany, have concluded that there is no evidence to support Nintendo's claims that games such as Dr Kawashima's Brain Training help to improve mental sharpness.

Nintendo has said that games such as Brain Training and Big Brain Academy can improve 'practical intelligence', and that regular use of such games can make users 'two to three times better' in memory tests.

The research found those people who took tests after playing on the games didn't do any better than those who did other mental exercises such as playing more traditional games such as scrabble.

And those using a 10p pencil and paper to carry out small problems did just as well.

Clearly giving your brain a work out is a good thing, but I can't imagine that it would have a really dramatic effect, and it is claims like those from Nintendo; namely that people would see a tangible, quantifiable benefit which is the problem.

Blimey - next thing they'll be telling us that going to the gym is better for the body than playing Wii Fit!

Below - Nicole Kidman nibbles on the DS stylus. We know she's thinking of pie and chips.

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Lord of the Rings: Conquest
XBox 360
Electronic Arts
£39.99

THE LATEST offering in the Lord of the Rings game series is by far the best I've played to date.

Having been a fan of the games since the first one I played on the Playstation 2 I was worried that I was just in for more of the same with Lord of the Rings: Conquest.

To an extent that's true, but the polished graphics, enhanced gameplay and the chance to take part in evil storylines instead just good ones meant that it didn't matter.

In this latest version you get to play as either a warrior slashing his way through hoardes of orcs, an archer who can fire explosive or poison arrows, a scout who can turn invisible and sneak up on enemies or a mage who can wreak havoc on enemy lines while defending your own soldiers.

Each have their own pros and cons but in true LOTR style whichever you choose there'll be no shortage of gore. Probably the best tribute I can give to this game is that my flatmate - who could best be described as a gaming Philistine - sat playing it for about an hour with obvious enthusiasm when I brought it home.

There are plot points in the game which will annoy some Rings fans and it is admittedly a bit on the short side - you could finish it in a day easily - but it more than surpassed expectations.

91 per cent.

By Will Oliphant

Rise of the Argonauts,
XBox 360
Codemasters
£39.99

A CROWD of bloodthirsty Argonauts on a rampaging mission for the golden fleece should make for a brilliant game - or at least you would think.

The basic idea is fine, following Jason's mission to find the fleece to save his wife who has been killed in an attack by mysterious magical enemies the black tongues.

Unfortunately as soon as you get into the first fight scenes it starts to go wrong. Initially there's no flow to the battles and it takes quite a long time before you're given the option to string together moves and get some fluid action.

The game camera also follows your character far too closely and it's incomprehensible why in a game where you have to search maps to find missions and characters to talk to, the makers have decided not to include a compass on the game screen.

The result is you have to keep going back into menus to access the game map, which is time consuming and irritating.

One of the saving graces is you the very satisfying way the camera slows when you finish off enemies and the ability to develop your player with god powers as the game goes on, but it can't make up for bad graphics, poor gameplay and boring interaction between characters.

55 per cent.

By Will Oliphant

Spammers are increasingly targeting social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, computer experts warned today.

Growing numbers of cyber-criminals try to trick users into revealing passwords so they can hijack their personal profiles and send out messages promoting everything from pornography to medication.

New figures from IT security firm Sophos also reveal that the UK is now the world's 10th worst offender for relaying spam.

Some 2.7% of all junk e-mails came from compromised computers in Britain in the last three months of 2008 - up from 2.5% in the same period a year earlier.

The US retains its crown as global spam king, being responsible for relaying 19.8% of unwanted e-mails between October and December last year.

Silent Hill Homecoming
XBox 360
Konami
£39.99

WHEN it comes to the skin crawling chill factor it's fair to say the Silent Hill franchaise has it sown up - and that's certainly the case with the latest offering, Homecoming.

And the game, now the sixth in the series, is bang on the money on that front and shows a return to form for the Silent Hill which had seen flagging sales in its fourth and fifth installments.

This time you take on the role of special forces soldier Alex Shepherd who has come back from a tour overseas to find his father and younger brother have gone missing.

As the game unfolds in characteristic Silent Hill style we find that Alex has what we would politely call "family issues".

At this point cue a riddle-filled and action-packed gameplay which follows on from what was started by the Resident Evil boys so many years before and features those unsettling but slightly sexy zombie nurses.

There are improvements to this game which haven't been seen before such as the dodge function which allows for more involved fights. Simply pummelling away with a knife or gun won't be enough to stop you from taking lethal blows this time.

Unfortunately the controls are still a little clunky.

You don't feel as in control of the character as I would like. Also irritatingly on the version I used the option to invert the view didn't work making it extremely hard to play. But once I got past this it was certainly enjoyable.

68 per cent

By Will Oliphant

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance
Nintendo DS
LucasArts
£24.99

NOT set in any of the films, this title sees the Jedi on the trail of a missing consignment of lightsaber crystals.

Needless to say, this doesn't go as planned and they find themselves in conflict with a band of force-using women called the Nightsisters.

It's set before the final 'prequel' Revenge of the Sith, so all the Jedi are still around, allowing you to play as Anakin Skywalker with Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Ahsoka Tano with Mace Windu.

The developers have done their best to make the story as immersive as possible, with tons of cut scenes and dialogue somehow fitted onto the DS cart.

In a way it's better that the story doesn't take place in the films, making it more fresh and possibly better written than some of the turgid nonsense in the prequels.

The stylus controls work reasonably well in what is a fairly complex game for this method , although the combat is sometimes a bit hit and miss, as you try and hit the tiny opposing enemy in the right spot.

LucasArts has also stuck a fair amount of additional content and bonuses in which reward repeated play, adding to the longevity.

78 per cent

Ben Hurst

NHL 2k9
Nintendo Wii
2k Sports
£29.99

LIKE most people I was wondering how a game like ice hockey would be implemented in the Wii, with its unusual control system.

But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the results of the development.

In your hands the Wii controller, using the cursor for slick passing, and giving the puck a good whack (hopefully) into the corner of the net.

And naturally it would be remiss not to mention the subject perhaps most readily associated with ice hockey - the punch-ups.

Yes there's nothing more satisfying than braining an opponent, using the Wii remote as a bludgeon.

But it';s also sad to say that the game looks terrible. Under the hood it all works well, but on the screen it chugs along, suffering from low framerates.

And it's not because the graphics are cutting edge - they're not, and frankly look a few years out of date.

So NHL 2k9 is something of a work in progress, and no doubt future releases will see improvements.

64 per cent

Alone in the Dark Inferno
Eden Games
£44.99

MORE scare the pants off you action from the latest in this long running series which first saw the light of day in 1992.

I suppose horror never goes out of fashion, and this one is clearly trying to move with the times, placing an emphasis on giving people episodic action for those in need of a "quick TV-style fix".

There are a number of changes which have been brought in on the PS3 after the Xbox 360 version received some criticism - including a 360 degree camera view solving one of the biggest niggles.

The absolutely impossible racing section has also been updated - now there is a checkpoint you can save at, which stops you throwing the controller through the screen.

It looks absolutely superb with excellent character models and overall design is great - I particularly enjoyed one sequence involving a race away from a massive fissure opening up in the city.

It has to be said that the replayability probably won't be that high, once you've got to grips with all the twists and turns in the plot, and when you're talking about £40 plus that might be a problem.

But overall it's an improvement on the XBox version and a pretty effective frightener.

74 per cent

Looming rules that will force internet companies to keep details of every email sent in the UK are an attack on privacy and a waste of money, it was warned today.

From March, all internet service providers (ISP) will have to keep data about emails sent and received in the UK for a year.

Content of individual emails is not being kept by the authorities, but the timing and number of each communication are.

The law is being implemented as part an EC directive, and the Government will reportedly have to pay the ISPs more than £25 million to ensure the law is obeyed.

Who says the internet is just for the inane, the bizarre and the downright smutty?

Me that's who - after reading this list of the most popular stories in Australia.

News website www.news.com.au lists them on the front page with a fuller list elsewhere.

It's a bit depressing for a journalist - few heavyweight articles about business or news investigations.

In the top ten: "Man smashes into shop for sex with dolls"; "Skier caught with his pants down"; "Teens suffocate in car after late-night love"; "Randy addict's need for speed and weed", and, er: "Vegemite under threat due to salt content." (well this is Australia we're talking about!).

Not only that, but the site is also split up into the story genres - so let's take a look at the more staid world of travel.

Oh dear: "Sex and the Chile"; and "Airline fires fat flight attendants".

Perhaps the serious business coverage: "Sex and Recession".

The problem is the best stories aren't the ones which are the most read - which encourages ludicrous 'search engine optimisation' techniques (cheats to get your story higher up google) such as inserting BRITNEY SPEARS into a story for spurious reasons (see what I did there?).

Some desperate types would even stick a needless picture in too!

The trouble is, with newspaper sales declining proper regional journalism is at risk.

People still come to local papers with tales of corruption, injustice and so on, but as that doesn't do so well online, will resource be given to that as budgets are squeezed?

I've often thought that the UK's low levels of corruption (trust me, it is low by comparison with other countries) and sense of justice is down to the free press, mainly newspapers.

I was on a course recently with a chap from Bulgaria who was telling me how there basically is no free press in that country. Run a negative story about the government, and you'll be put out of business.

Is it any coincidence that the country is also one of the most corrupt in Europe?

You may dislike it at times, but the local press does do a public service - so get clicking on those dull but worthy tales!

But perhaps we're kidding ourselves - and in spite of what we want, readers just want celebs, sex and the bizarre.

The saying goes: "you get the media you deserve." Do you really want to live in Bulgaria though?