As predicted the PlayStation 3 is about to get support for streaming movies. The Netflix service will be offered on your PS3 before the end of the year. You can pay a monthly subscription to Netflix (from $8.99) and get access to TV shows and thousands of movies. You can also stream Blu-rays but apparently at first you’ll need a special disc to make it work. The streaming disc will be free. The same service costs $50 a year on the Xbox 360.
This is great news for US PS3 owners but what about the UK? Apparently similar plans are afoot but no announcement as of yet. Hurry up damn it! I want my streaming movies!
Crates have been an ever present feature of gaming since the days of Doom. The perfect crouching cover, climbing step, space filler and smashable hiding place for pick ups. Then there’s the king of crates - the exploding variety. Only barrels have even come close to appearing in as many games as crates and yet for all their cameos crates have never been center stage. Well get excited because that’s all about to change, crates have finally got their own game! It’s called Crate Expectations and it’s an awesomely addictive wee puzzler. Behold the trailer.
Now tell me you’re not excited. I’ve been playing a nearly finished build all night and it is fiendishly addictive. The simple aim is to slide your crates from point A to point B, you play against 2 opponents and the winner is the first to deliver 5 crates to point B. This simple premise is deliciously spiced up by the ability to add ice blocks and aid your passage or block your opponents. It manages to capture that kind of Bomberman feel and the easily picked up mechanics allow for a surprising level of tactical deviousness.
Icy winter wonderland maps provide a variety of grids to negotiate and you can play against AI or human opponents. The art style is cute and colourful and the whole thing has been put together with a good level of polish.
Where can I buy it? I hear you shouting. Well hold on there for a minute. You’ll need to wait a while for the PC release but you will be able to buy it on Xbox Live Indie Games by the end of the month. Even better it will cost less than a cup of coffee. The crate related puns alone are worth the price tag.
Mostly Batman: Arkham Asylum which is as good as everyone says it is. You can read my Batman: Arkham Asylum review or the Combat Guide and Hints & Tips. It is the best mainstream game I’ve played in ages and it doesn’t really do anything especially original or unique it is simply very well made, cinematic and highly polished. It’s the first game I’ve actually gone back and played after completing in years. If you are going to get it buy the PS3 version because you get to play the bonus challenges as the Joker as well.
The other game which has managed to pinch a few hours is Majesty 2. I did a review for Boomtown last month and then a strategy guide the other day. It is a nice RTS with a twist in that you don’t control units directly you offer them rewards to do things for you. It actually works very well and if anyone remembers the original game you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
The dud of the recent bunch was definitely Raven Squad, here’s the review. It was billed as an RTS and FPS cross which I suppose it kind of is but sadly it crosses a bad RTS with a bad FPS.
Mostly Batman: Arkham Asylum which is as good as everyone says it is. You can read my 