VideoGamer.com Plays

What we've been playing this week.

Tom Orry, Editor - Football Manager Live, PC
I've been focussed on securing a play-off slot for my football team, The Noirs, with what happened late on Friday night ranking high on my list of greatest gaming moments. The play-off final was between me and Hayes Harriors, the team that had finished one place bellow me in the league. We'd met four times before and while I'd won on three of those four occasions, there had only ever been one goal in it. With my star midfield man Blondel coming back from an injury that saw him miss the final 15 games of the season and leading striker Inigo Diaz de Cerio hitting form again after being out of action for a week, I began the final with high hopes. What followed was a first half of near complete dominance. Even with tonnes of missed opportunities Obinna and Inigo Diaz de Cerio had put The Noirs 2-0 up after 45 minutes. Hayes Harriors weren't about to lay down and die, though, coming out in the second half with a formation I simply couldn't handle. After 80 minutes they'd pulled level, with the final 10 being some of the most nerve racking of my gaming life. Ex club captain and all-round work horse Miku broke clear of the defence to miss a glaring opportunity just before the whistle, but it ended 2-2. presumably going into extra time. This is where things got interesting. The mods had managed to set up the play-off as a one-off match that didn't account for a draw, so we had to play a full replay.

The replay played out with The Noirs dominating once again, but as the chances continued to be wasted my nails were slowly being worn down. The cries for penalties and red cards were heard by both managers, with FM Live finally brining the kind of community spirit and rivalry that it had promised since I signed up in January. This was a game to go down in history, despite it ending 0-0 after 90 minutes. So, it was extra time, with both teams suffering from players on their last legs. I made all the changes I could and prayed for a winner before penalties. After 110 minutes a Hayes Harriors centre back brought down Obinna in the box, and I had a penalty, a chance to win promotion. Due to the changes I'd made my penalty taker was no longer on the pitch, so to my horror up stepped part-time left-back Bruno Uribarri, who'd only got into the first team after a drastic change in formation (incidentally, he's a player I bought from James, who had been watching the play-off final and cheering on the other team). Cool as you like he became a legend, placing the ball calmly into the corner of the net, leaving Hayes Harriors as valiant losers. Football Manager Live certainly has its issues, but when it works it's something every football fan should experience.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor - Rhapsody - A Musical Adventure, Nintendo DS
You'll find more on this curious Japanese role-playing game in my review, but here I'd like to point out a question that Rhapsody has crystallised in my mind: why do I like to virtually role-play as women in video games? When faced with character creation in an RPG I always plump for a female. I did it in Mass Effect, Fallout 3... everything. In Rhapsody you have no choice - the heroine is a 16-year-old anime-inspired girl - but even presented with a choice I would have picked her over a teenage angst-ridden spiky-haired Cloud-a-like. But why? Is it because looking at a female arse in third-person for 60 hours is preferable to looking at a bloke's bum? Is it because of some deep-rooted, Freudian issue I have with my mother? I'm still trying to work it out. Answers on a postcard, please.

James Orry, News Editor - Football Manager Live, PC
So, it turns out I finished 9th in the All Evening Championship, missing out on a place in the Premier League play offs. However, because of a larger than expected team cull from the top division - inactive teams were kicked out - more spaces were made available for promotion. Therefore a last day win against the league winners granted me a place in the play offs. Wooooo. So, this means that I'm only two wins away from a return to the Premier League, which after my terrible start to the season would be quite some achievement. Come on the Danglers.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - GTA: Chinatown Wars, DS
It's been a bit of a quiet week in terms of preview events and new releases, but I can't say that I'm complaining too much: it's given me that much more spare time to play Chinatown Wars. I'm only just getting used to the idea of having a proper open world game on the DS, and on top of that the game seems insistent on throwing something brilliant at you every fifteen minutes or so. Sometimes it's a clever use of the touch screen, sometimes it’s a neat mission concept or a sharp line of dialogue; whatever form they take, these little pleasures send a fresh torrent of endorphins rushing through my brain. I love the DS, and I love this game.

For more on what we've been up to this week check out the brand-new VideoGamer.com Podcast.

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