NZGamer writes: "With all eyes being on China at the moment, the 29th Olympic games is currently being watched by millions of people all around the globe. Beijing 2008 is the official game for this year's Olympics and carries on the traditional button mashing madness that started back in the 80s with other related titles. However, unlike the early days, Beijing 2008 is definitely aimed at being more of a serious sports simulation than a furious arcade time-waster. This game features 32 countries (unfortunately only a fraction of the 204 total competing in the Olympics) and 35 events across a range of disciplines, each with their own techniques to master.
The immediate problem with this "serious sporting" slant is that Beijing 2008 becomes a lot of hard work. Although the numerous events feature similar elements to their controls, very few gamers will be able to sit down and get a medal on their first attempt. Or even on their fourteenth attempt for that matter. It is obvious why Sega have made this game difficult to master, as it really does portray the amazing skill and dexterity required by the athletes who take part in the Olympics. But sadly, this has also removed some of the fun from the game as well."
Amazon have released their video game deal of the day for Thursday.
Nominations for Develop Industry Excellence Awards are unveiled, and two developers are likely to walk away with most of them.
Rockstar and Media Molecule will be contesting for the most category nominations. Rockstar snags six of them with GTA: Chinatown Wars and GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned from Rockstar while Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet alone is nominated for another five.
Wouldn't be surprised if Rockstar takes all their 6 nominations and brings home several prizes =)
Do you still suffer from Olympic fever? Are you constantly checking NBC looking for any glimpse of a balance beam, pool, or waving country flags? Fear not, Summer Athletics is here with your cure. Sure, you would think that an Olympic-styled game would just add fuel to the fire, but Summer Athletics is all but guaranteed to drown it, like Michael Phelps treats other Olympians' dreams.
If you remember the ancient Commodore 64 title, Summer Games, you know what to expect. The title is surprisingly similar, given the twenty-plus years between the two games. You have the option to play a single event, compete in a set of events (including a traditional decathlon), or build an athlete from scratch with career mode. The game gives you twenty-six events to play, in seven different categories. Save the lame career mode and a handful of additional events, it feels strikingly similar to the classic Commodore 64 title, except the older title actually plays better.
