Welcome to VideoGamer.com Plays, our weekly feature where we give you the inside track on what's been whirring in our disc drives this week. We'll be honest (so if we've been playing Superman on the N64 we'll tell you). But if we've been hammering the latest billion-selling blockbuster we'll let you know about that too.
Tom Orry, Editor - Crysis, PC.
I knew Crysis was going to look good. I've followed the game over the past few years, gawped at the tech demos, analysed the gameplay videos and cried when the demo made my Alienware PC look like a child's toy. What I wasn't prepared for is just how damn good it looks. The opening few hours of Crysis are like nothing I've ever seen, and it feels like I've been transported forward in time, to when cars fly and the Wii isn't in short supply. Everything from the insane motion blur, life-like characters and awesome lighting to the movement of leaves as you move through the jungle is just incredible. And this is before Crytek's much anticipated SLi patch. Maybe then the game will run as well as it looks.
Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor - Mass Effect, Xbox 360.
As you might have seen from my reviewer's diary series, I've been playing Mass Effect all week, and I've been loving it. I'm under strict instructions from Microsoft not to reveal certain details about the game, but here's a little secret I'm willing to share with you lucky morsels - the Elcor are an alien race in the game that's both hilarious and incredibly cute all at the same time. The best way to describe them is to say that they're like some mad scientist splice of Winnie the Pooh's depressed donkey Eeyore and Yogi Bear. So this week, I've been spending my time talking to them, enjoying their "interesting" outlook on life and wondering whether it would be appropriate to explain your tone before you say anything in real life, just to make sure it isn't misunderstood.
James Orry, News Editor - Scene it?, Xbox 360.
Have you scene it? Have you? Have you really scene it? I have and it's great fun. Sure it's not as ground-breaking a title as Sony Computer Entertainment's Buzz! series, but together with a bunch of movie fanatical mates (one of which sees any pause in a conversation as a sign to deliver Roy's famous "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe" speech from Blade Runner) it makes for an entertaining night in. Last night, wireless Big Button controllers in hand, a few hours passed by with no trouble and had it not been for work the next day we probably would have continued well into the early hours.
Will Freeman, Staff Writer - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Wii.
To my utter surprise, despite the weighty distractions of Phantom Hourglass and CoD4, which have both been eating into my time, this week I've really enjoyed Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. While it still pains me to see the two old rivals sharing screen space, I have to admit that the game itself is really good fun. Rather than being a lazy mini-game compendium that gets you shaking your Wii remote and flailing your arms in a way that completely contradicts the on-screen action, this saccharine ode to the Olympic Games is more like a jumbo sized Wii Sports compendium. The games themselves are actually fairly substantial, and the level of skill required is far higher than I had expected. While not exactly an essential purchase, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will likely make for an excellent alternative to telly over the festive season.
Nick Peres, Video Producer - Eve Online, PC.
I've rediscovered Eve Online - it's been two years since I last dipped my toe into space, I guess I needed a taste of MMO gaming again. I once worked as an insider but was eventually found out. I never got to fly a fully functional ship for more than 30 seconds after that fiasco. Now I have dived right in again and my character 'Signed Regards' is on the way to becoming an infamous (but fair) bounty hunter. Just a few days in and already low on money, I thought it was time for some real highwayspaceman action. I looked around for possible targets; the only thing I could see was a mining vessel in the distance looking completely redundant... a little suspicious even. As I approached I decided to offer terms; it was a female character after all and I was a gentleman. Unfortunately things didn't go well and the conversation quickly ended, with me pressing the missile launch button. While salvaging the remains I discovered a heard of sheep in the cargo hold. Odd.
Simon Hunter, Associate Video Producer - Eve Online, PC.
After reminiscing with some of the guys in the office about good ol' times in World of Warcraft, I was in the mood for an MMO this week. One that I always regretted not playing was Eve Online, so I decided to take the plunge and set up a trial account. My alter-ego was a beautiful young lady called 'Wet Whopper'. My dream was to become a rich-bitch through mining, only to famously crash land at the height of my power. Fate though had other plans... While doing my usual rounds of sheep smuggling, I received an anonymous communication offering terms: "Excuse me, I hate to be rude, but I want the contents of your cargo hold. I m really sorry about all this!" Obviously this didn't tie in with my plans so I unleashed everything I had at him: two dodgy mining lasers and a broken excavation drill. I'm sure I don t need to explain what happened next, but if I ever find that damned bounty hunter...
