VideoGamer.com Plays

What we've been playing this week.

Tom Orry, Editor - Gran Turismo, PSP
Gran Turismo for the PSP hasn't been nearly as well received as I expected it to be. I'm not even the world's biggest GT fan, but having such an impressive driving game on the little handheld made the game feel quite special. It's certainly lacking things, most importantly a proper career mode and online functionality, but there are a ton of courses and cars included, and it plays like a proper console driving sim. I haven't been so glued to my PSP since God of War Chains of Olympus arrived what seems like years ago. Assuming you don't need a full-on career mode to keep you interested, anyone with an interest in driving games and a PSP should give GT a look. It doesn't even cost that much.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor – Dissidia: Final Fantasy, PSP
Dissidia is a Final Fantasy fanboy's wet dream. It's bonkers, of course, as is the Final Fantasy way, and the coming together of heroes and villains from Final Fantasy 1 through 10 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever (Sephiroth versus Tidus?), but it's still one hell of a thrill to lose yourself in what's probably the most fan service ever committed to a video game. I'm still not sure how it all works - it's an incredibly complex, detailed game - and the actual Dragonball Z-style combat isn't really my cup of tea, but the sheer Final Fantasy-ness of proceedings makes my commutes speed along as if I was actually on a Bullet Train. Well done Square Enix - the PSP needs more games like this.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
The hype train is a dangerous ride to take. When the choo-choo of expectation comes hurtling down the track of public demand, a tiny slither of disappointment is all it takes to cause a tragic derailment. Modern Warfare 2 is the most hotly anticipated game of the year, but if my hands-on in Los Angeles is anything to go by, it's going to be an absolute cracker. The basic ingredients remain the same, but Infinity Ward have taken a syringe full of craziness and jabbed it deep into the game's heart. There are bullet-proof shields, automatic sentry turrets, and heartbeat detectors that strap onto the side of your gun. There are weapon drops, several varieties of killer helicopter and, best of all, a multiplayer mode that closely resembles counterstrike. I only played the game for an hour or so, but I'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms - and we've seen nothing of the main campaign. The hype train rumbles on, and I don't think anything will stop it.

Sebastian Ford, Video Producer - Heroes over Europe, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
There's a reason that I don’t use the planes in Battlefield 1943. Quite simply, they are absolutely impossible to fly. Heroes over Europe is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, letting you pull off almost any acrobatic manoeuvre without even thinking about it. The truth is I don't much like flying games as a whole because nine times out of ten I end up crashing my plane into something important, resulting in me throwing my controller at something equally important. So for the first time in a long time I thoroughly enjoyed my reasonably crash-free air time - I even managed to unlock a couple of new planes before I was told to get back to work and do my job.

James Orry, News Editor - Football Manager Live, PC
Yeah, this is all I've been playing this week - nothing new there. However, while I can usually find something at least marginally interesting to mention, I've got nothing of any note to report this week. Well, that is unless you want to hear about my new stadium construction. What's that? You do. Oh, go on then. I've splurged the best part of a cool £1 million on a new North Stand at VideoGamer.com Lane. It's the biggest construction project I've ever undertaken and will put the club in a good position to expand if and when the team starts to win some games. That really is the most interesting thing to happen in the game this week.

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