VideoGamer.com Plays August 5, 2012

Tom Orry, Editor – New Star Soccer, iOS

An awful lot happens during a week of New Star Soccer. I transferred to Spurs in a move that I could refuse, and from then on I’ve become something of a star. I won the Champions League with Spurs during my first season, but that was countered somewhat by slipping up in the last two games to slip down to second in the Premier League. Still, I established myself as an England regular and have had offers coming in from all over the world.

I chose to stay at Spurs as I felt I still had unfinished business at the club. My focus was the league, which the team managed to win after turning around a fairly ropey opening few games. The season was made all the better by a stunning comeback in the final of the Champions League, making it a superb double winning season.

I felt it was time to move on, and a high salary offer from Barcelona was too good to refuse. Sadly, I tried to negotiate a better contract and in turn found myself in the manager’s bad books, meaning I’ve spent most of the early part of the season on the bench. Still, I’ve just bought a private island. Things could be worse.

@4ndySpence is mad keen about the FIFA 12 tournament in the office next week. I think he believes he’s going to win

Neon Kelly, Deputy and Features Editor – The Great Gatsby, Browser Game

Have you read The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald? It’s a classic American novel – one that frequently crops up on those “Best Books of All Time Ever” lists. There’s a fairly dreadful-looking film adaptation on the way from Baz Luhrmann, and there’s also an experimental theatre project – currently in London – that tells the book’s story in eight hours.

And now there’s also a video game, playable in the link above. Gatsby’s tale isn’t the kind of thing that normally gets made into a game, but that’s kind of the joke here: it’s a call back to the days of the NES, a time when licensed tie-ins had virtually nothing to do with their source material. If you’ve read the book, it’s well worth a gander; if not, it’s best to steer clear – the between-level cutscenes will spoil the novel’s bigger moments. In fact, the whole experience will probably put you off ever reading it – which would be shame, as it’s a bonafide masterpiece.

David Scammell, Staff Writer – The Amazing Spider-Man, Xbox 360

I’ve become obsessed with snapping up hidden collectibles this week, devoting hours upon hours of playtime to The Amazing Spider-Man to hunt down every one of the game’s 700 hidden comic book pages. Yes, you read that right: 700. 700 glowing comic pages littering the streets of Manhattan, and only three or four sound bites to accompany the collection of each one. “Huh, what’s this?” Parker asks after picking up the four or five hundredth page. If you don’t know by now, Spidey, then Lord help you.

Still though, if you can ignore the game‘s many distractions (and its rather weak opening), the crux of the game behind The Amazing Spider-Man has left me rather impressed. It’s essentially a Spidey-flavoured twist on Batman: Arkham City, with similar combat and a lighter-hearted tone, and is a lot better than you might think. And if you like collectibles, you’ll think it’s a ruddy marvel.

Matthew Nellis, Video Producer – Dota 2, PC

I would love to say that my past week has been spent playing the hot trendy “now” game Spelunky, but that would be a lie. Aside from a quick blast on ‘Orcs Must Die! 2’, each evening has been consumed with Dota 2 sessions with VideoGamer.com’s own Martin Gaston.

My transition from League of Legends was initially extremely jarring; even though they are essentially the same game everything just seemed so… foreign. The colour palette was different, animations seemed slower, and the overall pace of the game just seem sluggish. Game by game I’ve been acclimatising, learning the range of characters, skills and items. I can safely say that I’m no longer the worst player on the team each game and find often myself taking the leader role, issuing orders when other players aimlessly wander around in during the mid game.

I’m definitely enjoying my time with Dota 2 a lot more than when I first started, but whether it’ll completely replace League of Legends in the long run I’m not so sure. For now though, I’ll just keep pushing mid for the win.

Brett Phipps, Intern – Football Manager 2012, PC

Sadly, during video gaming’s summer lull, I have decided to re-enter the gaming abyss that is Football Manager. I have sunk countless hours into this series over the years, and it continues to eat into my evenings.

I have never been capable of taking a League Two nobody to the glories of the Champions League Final. Instead, I usually choose Manchester United and coach them to mediocrity.

I’ve just completed my first full season in charge, and despite going on a 10-game winning streak through the festive period and finishing third, the board are not happy. There’s been a severe tightening of the purse strings in the transfer market, and demands for improvement. No pressure then.

On a more positive note, I was selected to coach Team GB at this summer’s Olympics. Despite winning every game in our group, ending in a 4-1 thrashing of Uruguay, we were still drawn against favourites Brazil in the quarters. You can guess what happened…

Fingers crossed next season will be an improvement.