VideoGamer.com Plays

What we've been playing this week.

Tom Orry, Editor - Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, PS3
I loved Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. On it's release two years ago it looked staggeringly good, expertly mixed platforming with third-person shooting and had a cast of fun characters that made the story something worth paying attention to. The mini-sequel Quest for Booty was an enjoyable, albeit short romp, but now Insomniac is back with a proper sequel. Crack in Time hasn't dazzled me so much with its visuals - although it still clearly looks impressive - but the new time manipulation gameplay features are superb. There are elements of ill-fated Xbox platformer Blinx here, as well as a large dose of Braid, but it comes together really well - and somehow manages to make the usually less than thrilling Clank sections a whole load of fun. Expect a review next week.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor – Tekken 6, PS3
Neon, Seb and I have been putting Tekken 6 review code through its paces this week. I can't tell you 'wot I fink' until later in the month, but it does provide an opportunity to lay a Tekken-related anecdote on your ass. Back in the day, Tekken 3 on the original PlayStation was king. I spent entire weekends playing it round a mate's house in Dulwich. I'd be spiky-haired grease monkey Paul. He'd be Japanese granddad (or is it great granddad? I can't keep up) Heihachi Mishima. Now, I won every time (of course), but he always scored a moral victory because he was using a fighting stick and I was using a pad with throws and counters mapped to the shoulder buttons. This, he claimed, gave me an advantage. I ignored him, but a part of me, that lingers to this day, felt he was right. Was he?

James Orry, News Editor - PES 2010, Xbox 360
With Wez having to ready his review, we played quite a lot of the latest edition of this fallen great this week. I have to agree with the 7/10 verdict, but there's no question I'll still find myself dipping into its less realistic charms every now and then. Despite its many problems - largely that the gameplay hasn't been altered for the better in any significant way in many years - a kick around in PES remains remarkable fun when playing with a mate or two. I just hope Seabass and his team can build a better football game around the fun for the 2011 edition.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - Modern Warfare 2, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
If you thought that Modern Warfare was fun in single-player, just wait until you try out Spec Ops mode in MW2. There's all the atmosphere and vicious gunplay of regular CoD, but on top of that you also get to deal with all the madness that ensues when two people are playing side by side. There's a great mechanic that gives you a brief window of time to rescue your buddies when they get gunned down: one of you will be lying in a bloody pool, desperately keeping their foes at bay with a pistol, while the other charges across the map in a frantic bid to save the day. Far Cry 2 had a similar feature, but it works even better here. Make no mistake, Spec Ops mode is going to be a massive hit with gamers when MW2 launches on November 10. It's a totally new approach to CoD, and you're going to love it.

Sebastian Ford, Video Producer - Forza 3, Xbox 360
I downloaded the demo as soon as it was out so I had played a bit already, but when Tom asked me to start getting footage of the game I had something special planned. Instead of the usual office TV, I ran the 360 through my 24inch PC monitor with a force feedback steering wheel bolted onto my desk. A 5.1 surround sound system and tilted chair later, and I'm tearing up the famous Nurburgring in the sexiest Aston Martin you have ever seen. Forget Porsche, forget Ferrari, forget dodge - Aston is the only way.

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