Computer Games!

The upcoming Nintendo Revolution next-gen games console has been renamed the Nintendo Wii. Lots of people are knocking this change but I don’t think it matters. I mean the GameBoy and PlayStation sounded very camp when they came out but people still bought them.

For fans of Super Mario Brothers I bring you two treats. First is a live action Super Mario game filmed during a talent show. This is so inventive and they should take it on the road! Secondly you can download the mariosoup artwork. The peice “examines the unpacking of a Nintendo game cartridge, decoding the program as a four-color image, revealing a beautiful soup of the thousands of individual elements that make up the game screen.”

My PS2 only gets used to watch DVDs these days. I play a few games on my PC but my Nintendo Dual Screen gives me most of my gaming action. Sony thought it would trounce the NDS with it PSP but so far the sales haven’t been as high as expected and it looks like the NDS will win the day. Read more about the Handheld Wars at The Register.

The making of computer games involves teams of hundreds of people. Who are the best? Well take a look at the 100 most successful gaming studios of 2005 and find out for yourself.

I’ve also taken a look at mods this week. No, not the ones on mopeds, I mean game modifications. This is where home programmers make add-ons for existing computer games. I own (and have completed) the game Half Life 2 but the mod called Minerva: Metastasis 2 gives you 2 brilliant single-player levels to play free of charge. It’s amazingly well designed for a home modification and its given me a good few hours of enjoyment. Download it if you have HL2 on your system.

Anyway, lets all wish Graeme Dott best of luck in the World Snooker final with Peter Ebdon. £200 for me I hope!