For more lifestyle visit list.co.uk/technology It’s funtime
Henry Northmore offers a few suggestions on the best games to keep you amused while you’re cooped up with the family this Xmas
1
2 3
Lifestyle Games&Technology
Animal Croque £24 (currently on special offer online at £16.50) from poshlittletots.com One for the little ones or if you just fancy a very civilised mini game of croquet indoors.
Pointless £23.99 (approx) available from amazon.co.uk and all good games retailers The much loved TV quiz show with Alexander Armstrong comes to your house with this new board game based on the early evening BBC favourite. Angry Birds Knock on Wood £15.99 from John Lewis (johnlewis.com) The app phenom escapes into your living room with this table top version as you launch livid avians at those hungry piggys. ‘Build! Launch! Destroy!’
4 5
6
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Capcom PS3/Xbox 360; £24.99 (approx) available from electronic retailers including game.co.uk and amazon.co.uk Don’t fight with your family get it all out on this super fast paced action brawler featuring all your favourite comic and computer characters.
Rory Story Cubes £9 from amazon.co.uk Winner of the Game of the Year award in the Independent Toy Awards 2011. Bring a bit of imagination to your family Xmas. Roll each of the nine dice and make up a story as you go along. Skylander’s Spyro Adventure Activision PS3/Wii/Xbox 360; Starter Pack £47.99 (approx) available from amazon.co.uk and game.co.uk A mix of toys and videogames for the kids, players collect real world action figures that link directly to the game itself.
GAMES REVIEWS Murray Robertson check outs out the two big shooters going head-to-head this Christmas
First out of the blocks is Battlefield 3 PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (EA) ●●●●●, sequel to the 2005 tactical FPS. For the first time in the series’ history we have a single player campaign and it’s a turgid affair, plagued by over-scripting and infuriating enemy AI. Yet these mistakes can be overlooked as the package also contains one of the greatest multiplayer games on the planet, now with next-generation visuals, heart-pounding audio and a sandbox for up to 64 players to battle it out over a selection of massive vistas. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (Activision, pictured) ●●●●● does little to innovate over
previous iterations but when you’ve got the formula down pat then there’s only one way to go and that’s bigger. From the London Underground to Paris via the rest of the world, this is a game that isn’t afraid to scale up. The multiplayer has been tweaked yet again, now rewarding teamplay a little more but it remains a hostile environment with nothing of the strategy from its more considered rival. So who’s the winner? Anyone not
connected to the internet should plump for MW3’s bombastic single player campaign. But with its expansive multiplayer, BF3 is likely to hold gamers’ interests long beyond its rival’s next annual update.
15 Dec 2011–5 Jan 2012 THE LIST 61