Fans of rugby league have been out in their droves to buy the latest iteration of the series for the Nintendo Wii.
Sidhe Interactive’s Rugby League 3 managed to break into the top five of GfK’s Chart Track during its first week on games shelves, coming in ahead of the likes of Red Steel 2, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and F1 2009.
It is also receiving good reviews from gaming critics, with Ian Knott, writing for Stuff.co.nz giving it three stars out of five.
He stated that having been made with a relatively small budget, compared to EA Sports’ blockbuster titles, the Wii exclusive title focuses more on what is important, namely gameplay ahead of graphics.
With over 80 licensed teams from the NRL, State of Origin and Super League, as well as international squads, the game is "comprehensive", according to Mr Knott.
"At the end of the day I have no doubt that Rugby League 3 is the best League game on the market to date. Once you get the hang of the controls then you can really start to enjoy the game itself," he added.
Archive for April, 2010
Rugby League 3 hits top five spot in first week
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010Splinter Cell: Conviction given ‘outstanding’ review
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
The new Splinter Cell: Conviction game has been described as “outstanding” in a hugely positive review.
Alec Meer, writing for IGN, said that “classy” is a word which keeps coming to mind when talking about this new stealth title.
“All in all, Conviction is a splendid package, positively glowing with good health. The amount of content is huge as it is, but the range of options for how you play lends it enormous replay value too,” he added.
Mr Meer commented that the fifth game in the Splinter Cell series sees lead character Sam Fisher do away with tactical complexity and instead focus on “panther-like power” and high-speed multi-kills.
He stated that while certain elements have been done away with, the developers have concentrated perfectly on getting other aspects absolutely perfect, such as shooting, punching and hiding.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is proving to be a favourite among gaming fans, sitting at the top of Chart Track’s all format table this week.
All-time classic flies into the iPhone App Store
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
One of console gaming’s classic titles has arrived in the App Store for iPhone users to download.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will take gamers back to a time when the Sega Mega Drive and Game Gear were kings, with users having to defeat Dr Eggman and his army of critters.
Back in 2D, after recent next-generation forays into 3D, Sonic fans will guide their favourite hedgehog through numerous levels, collecting gold rings at ultra-fast speeds.
iPhone gamers will control the character using two on-screen discs, with a D-pad on the left and a jump button on the right.
So far, reviews of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 have been positive, with one gamer describing it as “brilliant”.
Sega has also made great strides in bringing some classic console titles to the Apple handheld device, with the original Sonic available to download alongside Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Columns, Super Monkey Ball and Super Monkey Ball 2.
Tap Tap Revenge 3 among best free iPod Touch games
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Some of the best games available for the iPod Touch are free to download, according to an industry expert.
Mark Brown, writing for Pocket Gamer, said that gamers can get hours of enjoyment from titles which cost the same amount as a chocolate bar, or in some cases, for free.
Picking out his favourite 20 free applications, Mr Brown said that Tap Tap Revenge 3 provides music fans with hours of rhythmic songs to play along to, with gamers needing to match the beat of the music by pushing buttons on the screen.
Mafia Wars was also praised by the expert, with mobsters, vehicles, jobs and weapons all forming part of the gangster experience.
For those looking at card-based games, PC favourite Solitaire is perfect for the iPod Touch, with users able to use the in-built accelerometer to play in landscape or portrait view.
iPod Touch users can also download a number of ‘lite’ versions, allowing them to test out a number of levels on different games before parting with their cash.
A3 Sportback ‘displays Audi’s premium character’
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Audi‘s new A3 Sportback displays the manufacturer’s “premium character” thanks to a refined style, agile driving fun and elaborate technology, according to a review.
A blog posting on NetCarShow said that the sporty elegance of the A3 models was already perfectly expressed, however, a number of new exclusive touches has boosted this further.
“The single-frame grille element and the trims on the B-posts are painted in high-gloss black, the lower air inlets have chrome struts, the exterior mirrors are aerodynamically optimised and there are chrome strips in the door handles,” the review stated.
Furthermore, at the rear, all the A3 versions now have a diffuser insert with eye-catching separating edge, while the rear lights have been tinted on the three-door version.
Last month, Carey Russ, writing for TheAutoChannel.com, said that the new Audi A3 Sportback offers “unique combinations” of performance and handling, while entry-level comfort and fuel economy has also been improved upon.
Opera iPhone downloaded ‘over a million times’ in first day
Monday, April 19th, 2010
The popularity of Opera’s new iPhone internet browser has been highlighted after it was downloaded over a million times within the first 24 hours of its launch.
Having taken over three weeks for Apple to approve the programme for release in its App Store, the application was downloaded by 1,023,380 people, ensuring that it took its place at the top of the download chart.
“An app has to be written especially for a particular phone to offer a high-quality experience. On many mobiles the browser provided with the phone is the only choice someone has,” said Forrester analyst Ian Fogg.
First demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, iPhone fans were told how the Opera browser can load web pages six times faster than the pre-packaged Safari programme, as it uses a server-side rendering process to compress web data.
Other favourites unveiled in the App Store last week included the handheld version of Football Manager, which gives people an opportunity to take their favourite side to glory.
Sony PSP ‘one of the best gaming consoles available’
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Sony’s PSP games console is one of the best on the market, with a number of high-class games to enjoy, according to a blog posting.
A guide written on HeadlineNews said that when the handheld was first launched, it was not too popular as there was a shortage of games to play on it.
However, the last three years has seen a number of titles being made available for the PSP, often following high-profile releases on the PlayStation 3.
Recommending some of the best games, the blog highlighted Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, as even on limited hardware, gamers can move around the virtual town and do everything that they could on the PC version.
Dante’s Inferno was also given a good review, with the blog stating that its “beautiful graphics” gave it an extra dimension.
Currently, LittleBigPlanet is receiving good reviews on Gamespot.com for the PSP thanks to its originality and level design.
MacBook Pro line updated
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Apple has updated the MacBook Pro line with a new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor for up to 80 per cent faster graphics and a ten-hour built-in battery.
New 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models come with Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, as well as Apple‘s new
- automatic
graphics switching technology that switches between powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and energy-efficient Intel HD Graphics processors.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 250GB hard drive or with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 320GB hard drive.
“With faster processors, amazing graphics and up to three more hours of battery life, the new MacBook Pro delivers both performance and efficiency,” commented Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.
Apple recently previewed its iPhone OS 4 software and released a beta version of the software to iPhone Developer Program members.
Crysis 2 ‘to perform better on PS3′
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
People considering buying a games console have been told that one of the most highly-anticipated titles will perform better on the PlayStation 3.
Crytek’s upcoming Crysis 2 will be released later this year, with the studio’s business development manager Carl Jones claiming that it is getting more from the Sony hardware than its Xbox 360 rival.
“At the moment, we’re getting slightly more performance from the PS3 compared to the 360. I’m very confident that products using CryEngine 3 are going to come out as the best looking, or at least in the top three, on every platform,” he told PSM3 magazine.
Mr Jones also said that the fact that the studio came to the PlayStation 3 arena late was also proving to be an advantage, as it was able to take its time and work out the right way to approach things.
The original Crysis, which was only released on the PC, gained rave reviews, with Gamespot giving it 9.5 out of ten.
New survey shows demand for iPhone is still huge
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
A new piece of research undertaken in the US has highlighted the popularity of the iPhone.
CNN reported that data collected by Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster found that 31 per cent of teenagers want to own one of Apple’s high-tech handsets, with 14 per cent already having one.
The semi-annual survey into teen buying habits reported that Apple’s “dominance in the consumer electronics and online music markets is going seemingly unchecked”.
Furthermore, the research found that the number of people who want to own an iPhone has doubled from a year ago, while the same could be said for the number of people who now own one.
Apple’s dominance was also clear in the MP3 player market, with data showing that of the 87 per cent of teens who own one of these devices, 92 per cent of that figure own an iPod.
One of the reasons for the success of the iPhone could be down to its burgeoning App Store, which this week welcomed a top-selling PC port of Football Manager.