FEATURE
Game Shopping from your Sofa
Get your hands on some of the best video games of all time without having to leave the comfort of your living room.
Too hot outside? Fed up with your local game store? Skip the tedium of retail shopping and relax with some of the best titles the video game world has to offer, delivered directly to your console without CDs, manuals, or interpersonal contact. Some of these games are original creations, some are re-releases of well-loved classics, some are a little of both -- but all are well worth your time.
PS3
Calling All Cars!
Original release: May 2007
Price: $10
God of War developer David Jaffe created this cops-and-robbers romp, which sees God of War star, Kratos, take on a selection of modern-day criminals in a bloody, violent duel to the death. OK, so that's not strictly true, but we sure wish it was. Instead, Calling All Cars is a pick-up-and-play vehicular combat game with a strong multiplayer focus and an appealingly clean graphical style. Chaotic, combative and classy, it's only available on the Playstation Network.
Verdict: Kratos would be proud. 3.5/5
flOw
Original release: 2006
Price: $7.99
How would you feel if a game you designed as part of an MFA thesis turned up on the PlayStation 3 store, for the whole world to enjoy? Ask Xinghan "Jenova" Chen, whose unique ocean-sim creation, flOw is making waves in the independent games world. Originally a Flash game, the PS3 version adds Sixaxis motion sensitive controls, a bunch of new creatures, and high-def support.
Verdict: Go with the flow. 4/5
 TEKKEN 5: DARK RESURRECTION |
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Original release: March 2007
Price: $19.99
You might have seen this in the arcades -- if you're one of the twenty or so Americans who still frequent these sadly neglected shrines to video game culture. It's yet another installment in the outstanding and critically acclaimed Tekken series, and thanks to the Playstation Network, it's the easiest one to get hold of. Fans will thrill to the collection of new stages and characters, as well as the return of many old favorites. Although there's no online mode yet, one is promised as a free add-on in the not too distant future.
Verdict: Fans won't want to miss it. 4/5
 VIEW LEMMINGS SCREENSHOTS |
Lemmings
Original release: 1991
Price: $3
Although the iconic (and usually ill-fated) Lemmings trace their origins to a competition to produce the smallest possible character animation that still retained some, well, character, the sadistic puzzle game they spawned proved one of the Amiga's gems. Check out the PS3 port of Lemmings and perhaps, as you smirk at the sight of the despairing shake of an exploding lemming's head and ensuing shower of bits, you'll spot the gleeful disregard for suffering and social norms that gave rise to the early Grand Theft Auto games, which hail from the same developer.
Verdict: Let's go! 4/5
 MORTAL KOMBAT II |
Mortal Kombat II
Original release: 1993
Price: $4.99
One of the original "video game nasties," it's a little amusing to think of Mortal Kombat II, somewhat tame by Grand Theft Auto standards, causing a nation of parents to fear for the integrity of their offspring. The culprit, of course, was the game's infamous "Fatality" moves, which saw, among other things, contestants being decapitated, frozen alive, or sliced in half. Nice. While Mortal Kombat II's shock value is largely gone, the solid beat-em-up gameplay retains its competitive edge.
Verdict: Fatality! 3.5/5
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Posted: 25 Jul 2007