2009 was a stellar year for games, and just a quick look at this year's nominees for the Best Game at the BAFTA Video Game Awards will show you why. Assassin's Creed II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, FIFA 10, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves all deservedly get a nod.

Tech Digest crowned Uncharted 2: Among Thieves its Game of the Year for 2009, but what do you think deserves the title? Answers on a postcard. No wait, sorry; answers in the poll below, if you don't mind please.

The annual BAFTA Video Games Awards take place at the Park Lane Hilton in London tonight, and Tech Digest will have live coverage from the event, as well as a run down on all the winners and losers.

Hosted by comedian Dara O'Briain, tonight sees gaming icon Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, receive the Academy Fellowship award. It's the highest honour BAFTA can bestow upon an individual, putting Miyamoto among such legends of film and literature as Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Harold Pinter.

Our coverage will kick off at around 6pm tonight, so check back then for the low down on tonight's festivities.

Here's a full list of tonight's awards and nominees:

Action

Assassin's Creed II
Sebastien Puel, Patrice Desilets
Ubisoft Entertainment Ltd/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development Team
Activision/Infinity Ward

inFAMOUS
Brian Fleming, Bruce Oberg, Chris Zimmerman
Sony Computer Entertainment/Sucker Punch Productions & SCE Foster City Studio

Left 4 Dead 2
Gabe Newell, Chet Faliszek, Tom Leonard
Valve/EA

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog and SCE Foster City Studio

Artistic Achievement

Assassin's Creed II
Sebastien Puel, Patrice Desilets
Ubisoft Entertainment Ltd/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development team
Activision/Infinity Ward

Flower
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/ThatGameCompany and SCE Santa Monica Studio

Streetfighter IV
Yoshinori Ono
Capcom/Capcom

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Best Game

Assassin's Creed II
Sebastien Puel, Patrice Desilets
Ubisoft Entertainment Ltd/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development Team
Activision/Infinity Ward

FIFA 10
Andrew Wilson, David Rutter, Gary Paterson
Electronic Arts/EA Canada

Left 4 Dead 2
Gabe Newell, Chet Faliszek, Tom Leonard
Valve/EA

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Family & Social

The Beatles: Rock Band
Alex Rigopulos, Paul DeGooyer, Josh Randall
Electronic Arts/MTV Games/Apple Corp/Harmonix Music Systems

Buzz! Quiz World
David Amor, Andrew Eades, Lee Clare
Sony Computer Entertainment/Relentless Software & XDEV Studio Europe

EyePet
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE London Studio

Guitar Hero 5
Brian Bright, Paul Robinson, Allen Freese
Activision/Neversoft Entertainment/Vicarios Visions/Budcat

New Super Mario Bros Wii
Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Hiroyuki Kimura
Nintendo/Nintendo

Wii Sports Resort
Katsuya Eguchi, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita
Nintendo/Nintendo

Gameplay

Assassin's Creed II
Sebastien Puel, Patrice Desilets
Ubisoft Entertainment Ltd/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development Team
Activision/Infinity Ward

New Super Mario Bros Wii
Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Hiroyuki Kimura
Nintendo/Nintendo

PixelJunk Shooter
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Q-Games & SCE Santa Monica Studio

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Handheld

Gran Turismo
Kazunori Yamauchi, Yuji Yasuhara, Hiroki Imanish
Sony Computer Entertainment/Polphony Digital Inc

LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
James Shepherd, Piers Jackson, Mark Green
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Cambridge & xev Studio Europe

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
Kenji Sakai, Saeka Horikoshi, Hiroya Matsugami
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Japan Studio

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Hiroyuki Kubota
Nintendo/Nintendo

Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Akira Tago, Akihiro Hino, Tatsuya Shinkai
Nintendo/Nintendo

Scribblenauts
Jeremiah Slaczka, Marius Fahlbusch
Warner Bros Interactive Entertainmnent/5th Cell

Multiplayer

Battlefield 1943
Patrick Liu, Gordon Van Dyke
Electronic Arts/Dice

The Beatles: Rock Band
Alex Rigopulos, Paul DeGooyer, Josh Randall
Electronic Arts/MTV Games/Apple Corp/Harmonix Music Systems

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development team
Activision/Infinity Ward

Halo 3 ODST
Development Team
Microsoft Game Studios/Microsoft

Left 4 Dead 2
Gabe Newell, Chet Faliszek, Tom Leonard
Valve/EA

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog and SCE Foster City Studio

Original Score

Assassin's Creed II
Jesper Kyd
Ubisoft Entertainment Ltd/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development team
Activision/Infinity Ward

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
James Hannigan, Zsolt Marx, Campbell Askew
Electronic Arts/EA Bright Light

PixelJunk Shooter
Dom Beken, Alex Paterson
Sony Computer Entertainment/Q-Games and SCE Santa Monica Studio

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Sports

Colin McRae: DiRT 2
Matt Horsman, Clive Moody, Guy Pearce
Codemasters/Codemasters Studios

FIFA 10
Andrew Wilson, David Rutter, Gary Paterson
Electronic Arts/EA Canada

Football Manager 2010
Development Team
Sega/Sports Interactive

Forza 3
Development Team
Microsoft/Turn 10

Wii Fit Plus
Shigeru Miyamoto, Tadashi Sugiyama, Hiroshi Matsunaga
Nintendo/Nintendo

Wii Sports Resort
Katsuya Eguchi, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita
Nintendo/Nintendo

Story

Assassin's Creed II
Sebastien Puel, Patrice Desilets
Ubisoft Entertainment/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: The Director's Cut
Charles Cecil, Neil Richards, Tony Warringer
Ubisoft Entertainment/Revolution Software

Brutal Legend
Tim Schafer
Electronic Arts/Double Fine Productions

Dragon Age: Origins
Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, Mike Laidlaw
Electronic Arts/BioWare

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Strategy

Command and Conquer 3: Uprising
Development team
Electronic Arts/EA Los Angeles

Empire: Total War
Development Team
Sega/Creative Assembly

FIFA Manager 10
Gerald Köhler, Cord Westhoff, Bernhard Maiberg
EA Sports/Bright Future

Football Manager 2010
Development Team
Sega/Sports Interactive

Halo Wars
Development Team
Microsoft/Ensemble Studios

Plants vs Zombies
George Fan, Tod Semple, Rich Werner
Popcap Games/Popcap Games

Use of Audio

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Sefton Hill, David Hego, Nick Arundel
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development team
Activision/Infinity Ward

DJ Hero
Jamie Jackson, Dan Neil, Tim Riley
Activision/Freestyle Games

Flower
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/ThatGameCompany and SCE Santa Monica Studios

Left 4 Dead 2
Gabe Newell, Chet Faliszek, Tom Leonard
Valve/EA

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog and SCE Foster City Studio

Use of Online

Battlefield 1943
Patrick Liu, Gordon Van Dyke
Electronic Arts/EA DICE

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Development Team
Activision/Infinity Ward

FIFA 10
Andrew Wilson, David Rutter, Gary Paterson
Electronic Arts/ EA Canada

LIttleBigPlanet (PSP)
James Shepherd, Piers Jackson, Matt Porter
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Cambridge & XEV Studio Europe

Singstar TakeThat
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE London Studio

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Development Team
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog and SCE Foster City Studio

BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital

Colour Coded
Murray Sinclair, Faye Wright, Liam Wong, Sean Donnelly, Nnanna Kama
(PixelPirates)
Quick as Thieves
William Wright, Michael Doig, Andrew Knight, Jamie MacKinnon, Lee Cresswell
(Gentleman of Fortune)
Shrunk!
Vykintas Kazdailis, Andrew Macdonald, Michael Cummings, Jacek Wernikowski, Stuart Kemp
(The Butterflyers)

GAME Award of 2009
(The only award to be voted for by the public)

Assassin's Creed II
Ubisoft Entertainment/Ubisoft Montreal

Batman Arkham Asylum
Eidos/Rocksteady Studios

The Beatles: Rockband
Electronic Arts/MTV Games/Apple Corp/ Harmonix Music Systems

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Activision/Infinity Ward

FIFA 10
Electronic Arts/EA Canada

GTA China Town Wars
Rockstar Games/Rockstar Leeds/Rockstar North

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
Nintendo/Nintendo

Street Fighter IV
Capcom/Capcom

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog & SCE Foster City Studio

Wii Sports Resort
Nintendo/Nintendo

Though the 2007 release of the Xbox 360 Elite souped up the games console's hard drive and gave it a lick of dark grey paint, the actual design of the machine hasn't drastically changed since it was first launched back in 2005.

That may all be set to change however, as rumours are now building that Microsoft are readying a new slim-look reboot for the console. The pic above is the first strong evidence that this may be true; it shows an Xbox 360 motherboard made considerably smaller by combining the CPU and GPU into a single chip.

The source who leaked the image claims that the plan is to install the new motherboard into a brand new svelte chassis, replacing the existing Xbox 360 look that many feel is a little too toy-like.

While there's no official details on this news yet, all the pointers seem to suggest that sooner rather than later an Xbox 360 Slim will turn up. The PS3 Slim has proved hugely popular, with its low price and smaller casing turning around Sony's flailing console fortunes. Also, with Project Natal sitting just over the horizon, a fresh new machine with potentially lower manufacturing costs to go hand-in-hand with the new motion controlling hardware could lead to big bucks for Microsoft.

Via: Kotaku

While motion control is again the buzz term in the games industry thanks to the incoming Xbox 360 Project Natal and PS3 Move peripherals, there are many gamers who still feel more at home with a traditional controller in their hands. PlayStation executive Jack Tretton has stressed that while Sony believe their Move unit is the most advanced motion based games controller yet seen, they wont be leaving the DualShock out to pasture.

Speaking to G4 at the Games Developer Conference, Tretton said; "We have a 15-year heritage in this business which, in some industries, is a short time, but in the game industry, it is a lifetime,"

"PlayStation has come to stand for accuracy, cutting edge technology, and we certainly give Nintendo all the credit in the world for what they have accomplished with motion gaming, but we really feel we ushered that in with the original EyeToy."

"So what we feel we have progressed to is the next generation of motion gaming experience where using the controller and the camera, we're able to get the most immersive, most realistic, motion gaming experience gamers have ever seen."

Trenton was keen to stress that the new Sony motion-based kit would not replace more traditional controlling methods. "The key though for the consumer is choice", he continued. "We don't want to force motion gaming down their throat, so for the shooter fan, it's gonna be 'well, I like motion gaming but I prefer my DualShock', so that's going to be there for them.

"The thing about this motion gaming is that it's an add-on, and enhancement, and an extension of what already exists, not a replacement."

Via: G4

You know your console is in trouble when even top-tier publishers are slagging off your machine. We'd imagine Sony are licking their wounds after Codemasters VP Gavin Cheshire launched a scathing attack on Sony's PSP console in the latest issue of Edge Magazine.

"Well, speaking as a person who bought a PSP, the problem was that I always thought - because it was a better screen than iPod's - that I'd be doing more with it" he told Edge. "But it was such a bollocking useless waste of space; just getting stuff on it was ridiculous".

"That was its downfall. Relatively speaking, [Codemasters] didn't do too badly on F1 PSP. But regarding the future, I think they've got - well... no".

Cheshire went on to outline the problems with Sony's latest offering, the PSP Go, which has suffered from very lacklustre sales.

"PSPgo's a lovely device," he adds, "really smart - but our senior VP bought one the day it came out and has a great story, because he ended up on some customer support line just trying to do basic stuff. He had to re-download his software, do an immediate firmware update, and that's your user experience."

"Sony just hasn't got it right. Stuff like that will make people leave it alone."

While all eyes may be on Nintendo at this year's E3 in terms of handheld consoles, with many expecting the DS2 to be unveiled, it's Sony who really need a shot in the arm concerning the portable market.

Via: Edge/ Kotaku

Just Cause 2 is one of the craziest open-world games we've seen here at Tech Digest. We caught up with lead designer Peter Johansson and asked his thoughts on how he feels the grappling hook-wielding explode-a-thon has turned out.

The original Just Cause came out relatively early in the life cycle of this latest set of games consoles. What lessons have you learnt since its release?

There were a lot of lessons to be learnt from the first game. The first game was essentially born from its engine, as was the whole company (Avalanche - Ed.) in fact. With the second game we have the luxury of having the engine already in place. Even though we knew we were going to change a lot of things we were confident that we could now focus on creating a game that took advantage of having such a big world to explore, filled with stuff for you to do, as well as a mission structure that takes advantage of that sense of scale. The first game was actually pretty linear, jumping from "story mission one" to "story mission two", but that didn't really work out as players just had only one really interesting spot in the game world at any one time. This time there's a greater sense of freedom, where you can think "lets head over there and create some chaos!". This time it's all up to you as a player.

Just Cause 2 sort of feels a bit like Bionic Commando on crack!

(Laughs) Yes! It does get kind of insane sometimes. It's an interesting point as I'd never even heard of Bionic Commando before starting on Just Cause.

How do you come up with the crazy ideas that litter Just Cause 2? Some of it seems like pub-talk gaming wish-fulfilment, especially some of the tricks you can pull off with the grappling hook.

Personally, I've always dreamt of making a game with a grappling hook, so it's a dream-come-true for me. We work quite organically at Avalanche, as we feel that some of the best ideas come from each others ideas a lot of the time. We'll try out an idea, and then tweak it, or throw it away. It's hard to find a straight path to great ideas. Just Cause gives us a lot of freedom to play around with this stuff, and at the end of the day it's all about having fun.

Is it a big development team at Avalanche?

It's pretty big. We've had well over a hundred people working on it. Of course that depends on where in the cycle we were at, but yeah, a lot of people involved. There's an insane amount of features in there after all!

This is the first time also that you've developed a Just Cause game for the PS3. How has that worked out for you?

It's been pretty smooth actually. It's been really interesting. A lot of people ask us if it has been problematic, but no. Of course it's quite different. It's definitely very powerful. But you cant tell each version apart between the PS3 and Xbox 360, so I guess it's just down to what controller you prefer. They were developed in parallel, so they've followed each other pretty well.

There has been a bit of controversy with the PC version, as Just Cause 2 will not support Windows XP. How did you come to make that decision?

We support a lot features that just wouldn't be possible on DX 9, so I think that's the main reason for it. I personally wasn't involved in that decision. If you remember the first game was even ported to the Playstation 2. But we want to be at the forefront of the technology this time around, with just the current generation in mind. But yeah, I've seen the response we've got from some people over the decision!

The sandbox, open-world genre is getting quite busy again on this console generation. You've got Infamous and Prototype to name just two titles, and of course Grand Theft Auto IV. Some would argue that they perhaps haven't caught the imagination of gamers quite as strongly as on the last generation of consoles. Do you think gamers expectations have changed?

Of course gamers expectations are always going up, and things are moving really quickly now. That's definitely a challenge for us. It's a problem, as before a game is even released people are already looking for the next big thing. But in this genre in particular the successful examples have been really good at finding their own flavour and style. GTA does the city really well, you really feel like you're there, and then there is Crackdown that doesn't do a story at all and it's all about having fun in its playground. It was important to us to find our own identity. We really wanted to inject a good dose of fun into the genre, and go our own way. It's important if you're going to make it in this genre.

Just Cause 2 never takes itself too seriously, but what do you think of games like Heavy Rain and it's focus on photo realism and narrative?

I think there is a place for realism, but it depends. It's almost hard to define realism in games, as they are primarily played for fun, but that can still mean that it can be realistic in visual terms. But it's so hard to define. When people push to recreate the real world it always becomes more and more clear that it isn't real. If I tried to simulate picking up a glass in a game, it's not at all how it feels to do it in real life. It's a difficult thing to crack. I find it easier to get involved in a game if it doesnt try to hard to mimic real life.

Just Cause 2 is pretty bombastic. A lot of people have compared it to playing in a Michael Bay movie. Do you feel such comparisons are justified? Do you take much inspiration from other media?

I think we do yeah. It's inevitable I think that we absorb lots of ideas, even if we aren't conscious of it. I don't think we ever were like " lets take this from this" though. I suppose the main inspiration was from the original Just Cause because that had a lot of potential that wasn't quite realised.

With so much going on in Just Cause 2 nailing down the physics must have been a bit of a nightmare, finding a balance between having fun and believable vehicle handling and so on?

That's a good question, especially in relation to how we've been discussing approaches to realism in games. Some people may react and say "oh, that's not realistic", but the thing is the physics system behind all this is really advanced. We fine tune and tweak everything to make it accessible and fun, and work together in a playful way. It's a challenge. All the vehicles have their different handling styles and are more suitable to different situations. Different ground materials too; if it beings to rain it gets more difficult to handle for instance. There are lots of small details that ensure that emergent situations keep happening.

Is it difficult to program those scenes of emergent action?

It's difficult from a testing perspective, and even from a design perspective. At the start it's easy to think "Ooo, we've got so much freedom", and then after a while you decide to not look at it that way, and instead decide to give the player a set of tools and let them find their own way. We work with the advantages that that provides instead.

Do you find that limiting when games signpost what they want their players to do?

I think that works out alright. There are a lot of guys, myself included, at the office who play games that are completely scripted and that can be a great experience. But it's a different experience. They all have their own charm, their own story. But there is a lot of value to be had in playing a game and discussing it with your pal and realising you've both discovered something completely different to each other. That happens all the time with Just Cause 2.

Do you have any favourite moments from when you've been playing with Just Cause 2?

One thing I did actually quite recently. There's a car chase in the game, and, depending on where you drive, I'd got to a gas station, trying to deliver this guy to a drop-off point. And I had a rocket launcher and I was driving past the gas station, so I jumped up onto the roof of the car and shot the rocket launcher and blew up the gas station exactly as the bad guys passed through it. It was perfect and lucky timing! It exploded and collapsed right on top of them, I took them all out in one go!

Those sort of moments I suppose must give it an edge over scripted games, where you know that these events have been set up for you?

It's a large part of what makes Just Cause 2 different. There are all these features and mechanics that we want people to throw together, shake around and see what happens!

We've also seen the game displayed today in 3D. Where do you think the future lies for games in that respect?

I think it's probably going to take until the next generation of consoles before it becomes supported more. For it to become mainstream it's going to have to be supported straight out of the box; the players wont have to think about it, it'll just work without any hassle. For the moment it's still a bit sort of hardcore. It's been great fun for us to work on it this early.

Do you think it will change the way you design games?

I think it will, by that time at least. I cant say that with Just Cause 2 there are many features that specifically harness 3D as it came in quite late into the development. But at that time for the next generation we will start to create experiences with 3D in mind as we know everyone will have a capable set up. I think it's going to happen, just the same as with motion-control stuff, and that's when it's going to start to get really interesting, mixing up the control schemes to see which part of the games really benefit from using all the new technology. One developers start learning how to really use motion controls that will be really interesting.

Lastly, how about DLC? It's in vogue right now. Any in the pipe-line for Just Cause 2?

Yeah, but unfortunately I cant talk about the details of it just yet, apart from the bonus you get for pre-ordering the game. It's premium DLC and you get some really cool stuff; I really like the hovercraft, driving from land to water and back to land, it's a really cool thing. But yeah we're going to have waves of it.

Great. Thanks for your time Peter.
Cool, thank you.

Just Cause 2 is released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on 26th March. We'll have a full review leading up to the game's release, so keep checking back to Tech Digest's reviews page in the next few weeks.

This week's Games Developer Conference has seen many speculating over what to expect from Nintendo's next hand-held offering. Rumours are now circulating that the so-called DS2 will have power comparable to the still-impressive Nintendo Gamecube.

According to developer sources, Raymond Padilla was told to expect the return of the dual-screen set-up, but with larger, higher resolution displays. Apparently, "the gap between the two screens is negligible", meaning they could be joined to be used as one single, larger screen should the situation require it. An accelerometer may also feature.

The most exciting news concerned the handheld's development kit, said to be capable of making games similar in scope to that of the GameCube. Nintendo's Wii-predecessor, the GameCube was super powerful for its day, and had similar graphical capabilities as to that of the Wii. Could classic Gamecube titles like Resident Evil 4 or Star Wars Rogue Leader be set for a portable makeover?

It's been speculated that the new Nintendo handheld could be ready as early as Christmas of 2010, so we may not have to wait too long to find out if the rumours revealing this portable powerhouse prove to be true.

Rhythm gaming fans are in for a treat here; Tapulous have just released the latest addition to their massively popular Tap Tap Revenge series for the iPhone, Kings of Leon Revenge.

The Nashville rockers supply ten of their songs to the game, including Sex on Fire and Use Somebody. Players are tasked with tapping scrolling icons in time with the music to keep the track from stalling to a halt.

It's the latest in a growing line of artist-themed entries to the series. Previously, both Nine Inch Nails and Lady Gaga have had their songs featured, while developers Tapulous also collaborated with pop-troupe the Back Eyed Peas on the Riddim Ribbon game.

Pick up Kings of Leon Revenge for your iPhone here.

Anyone old enough to have owned an Amiga 500 or Super Nintendo when they were first released will have fond memories of Channel 4's gaming show, GamesMaster.

The show was a mixture of gaming news and contestant-based challenges, set by the eponymous GamesMaster himself, a disembodied android-like head played by astronomer Sir Patrick Moore. Its popularity has not been replicated by any other gaming show since its initial run between 1991 to 1998, and was sorely missed when it was dropped.

As publishing house Future have now acquired the brand, including the renowned print publication of the same name, talks are said to be in motion to bring GamesMaster back to TV.

"We have ambitious plans for the future of this iconic gaming brand, kicking off with a major redesign of GamesMaster magazine in May," said GamesMaster associate publisher Emma Parkinson."We intend to develop GamesMaster across multiple platforms, updating the look and feel, while protecting its 19-year legacy and the immense respect it receives from gamers and the industry itself."

However, with the show's classic presenting duo of Dominick Diamond and GamesMaster Sir Patrick Moore all but ruled out of any comeback plans, who do you think should fill their shoes?

We've hand-picked some celebrity gamers we think could fill the role. Let us know what you think in the poll below.

Via: MCVUK

What do you get if you cross the team that brought us the excellent off-road racer Pure with about a zillion tonnes of TNT? That'd be Split/Second: Velocity, the latest driving game from Black Rock Studios.

Tech Digest recently got to have a quick sit down with some early code of the game. A mix between Burnout's high-octane racing and an adult-orientated, explosion-filled bout of Mario Kart, racers don't only compete with other drivers, but also with destructible tracks that can be triggered to topple down upon you and your opponents.

"Split/Second: Velocity elevates action racing to a new level by enabling players to strategically take out their opponents by dynamically altering the course in real time," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios.

So, by drifting tight and showing off some nifty manoeuvres to put Jenson Button to shame, you build a power meter which allows you to knock sky scrapers and fly-overs onto the track, totalling other drivers and changing the route of a race. But why are the lovingly-detailed tracks destructible you ask? Well, not just because it's a blast to play (no pun intended) but also because within the context of the game, you're a driver in a Death Race-style reality TV show. Explosions mean ratings, don't you know.

"We're creating huge memorable moments on par with the biggest blockbuster action films," said Nick Baynes, game director, Black Rock Studio. "Action racing has captured the imagination of video game fans worldwide and we're going to redefine that experience with Split/Second: Velocity."

It's a real clean HUD on display here too. Where some drivers get cluttered with onscreen overlays of lap times and speedometers, Split/Second: Velocity houses all the info you need in a discrete floating tickertape beneath your vehicle. Not only does it allow you to fully gorge yourself on the havoc you wreak, but also means you never have to take your eyes off the track to check lap times and positions.

It's still a long way from finished, but Split/Second: Velocity is definitely steering in the right direction. If the development team can tighten up the handling and polish off the assets, Black Rock Studios might have another winner on their hands, as well as a load of virtual car crashes on their consciences. Look out for this one on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC by the 21st of May.

Click below for a gallery of images from Split/Second Velocity's Downtown track.

The PS3's motion control tech has been officially launched at GDC 2010. Long rumoured as the Arc controller, Sony's new gear will now be known as the PlayStation Move controller.

Looking much like a Wiimote and Nunchuck, but with a wireless connection and a glowing ball on the end that the PlayStation Eye uses to pick up movement, the controller promises 1:1 accuracy between your movements and the action on screen.

Keen to show the controller wont be just a novelty party game toy, Sony kept the hardcore faithful happy by showing demos of the Socom and Little Big Planet series using the tech, among brand new IPs such as the beat em-up Motion Fighter and a brawler which seemed to show some sort of gladiatorial contest.

Sony are putting a lot of faith in their motion controller taking off, but is it little more than a Wii clone? The truth is in the testing, so we'll let you know as soon as we get our sweaty mits on a Move controller.

EA may be well known for their sports titles such as the FIFA and Madden franchises, but did you know they also dabble in a bit of high-tech fitness kit every once in a while? Last year the gaming giants launched their Active range to encourage users to shed the pounds, and now they're looking to update the range with Active 2.0

Unveiled at this week's GDC, Active 2.0 will offer "true fitness results by featuring an innovative wireless control system powered by new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor to capture intensity and a new online hub to track and share workout data."

There's not much more known about the new kit at this time, other than that it will be headed to iPhones and iPods as well as Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis some time this year. But with new motion controlling hardware headed to the two HD consoles, could there possible be some Arc and Natal features added along the way?

Via: Engadget

Apart from the PlayStation Network outage at the turn of the month, it's been a very stong couple of weeks for the Sony console. Both Heavy Rain and God of War III have picked up rave reviews, with Heavy Rain topping the gaming charts. And, if anaylsts predictions are to be believed, the only way is up for Sony's gaming powerhouse.

Strategy Analytic's David Mercer believes that within three years the PS3 will overtake the Nintendo Wii's record-breaking sales figures, making it the largest global console by 2013.

"The signs are that the Wii has peaked in terms of console sales, and its installed base will begin to decline after 2011", Mercer suggests.

"Meanwhile, Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 will continue to grow, so that the PS3 will become the largest platform globally by 2013. In terms of cumulative lifetime sales we expect the PS3 to hit 127m units, compared to 103m Wiis".

Mercer concludes that"Uncertainties clearly surround each of the major platforms, particularly relating to the new services and upgrades planned by Sony and Microsoft. Natal on the Xbox could be more beneficial to 360 sales than expected, and Sony's own motion controller, together with its plans to upgrade all PS3s to 3D capability, also represent potential for upside to our core forecasts."

Mercer also suggested that overall games sales could be down by as much as 6% this year, while overall hardware sales of PS3s and Xbox 360s should rise.

While the PS3 is certianly making headway after a sluggish start on the market, Mercer's predictions seem a little over-enthusiastic if you ask me. There's certainly a long way to go for the PS3 to catch the Wii up in terms of sales. And also, with consitent rumours of a Wii 2 or Wii HD just around the corner, his analysis may only prove to be a technical victory as consumers eventually migrate from one version of the console to the next, rather than abandoning it completely.

Via: MCVUK

Related: God of War III review

The App Store is awash with so many downloads these days that developers are finding it increasingly difficult to make any substantial money from. However, you'll be pleased to hear that there are still some success stories to be had, as the charming platform game Doodle Jump has smashed the 3 million sales mark.

Developed by two brothers at Lima Sky, who were merely looking to make a game with just their own programming talents and little outside support, Doodle Jump has become massively popular, which in turn will have made the pair massively rich.

Selling for 99 cents, the app would have made something in the region of $2.9 million dollars in revenue since it launched in March 2009. With Apple's 30% cut of that coming to around $891,000, that leaves the Lima Sky brothers with $2.08 million in a single year. Keeping in mind that a further 8 of their games are regulalry featured content on the App Store, and you could happily bump that total up by a few hundred thousand dollars, I should imagine.

So the brothers have made 1.04 million bucks each in a single year from a single iPhone app game. My careers advisor was, obviously, rubbish.

Pick up Doodle Jump here.

Name: God of War III

Genre: Action/ Adventure

Platform: PS3

Price: £37.73 (Amazon)

God of War III opens with the kind of show-stopping sequence that most other games would happily end on. The mythic cliffs of Mount Olympus are depicted as a sweeping, war torn battlefield, with conflicts exploding across the craggy rock-face far into the distance. Colossal Titans scale the mountainside in what they hope will lead to a final face off with the Greek gods of lore, but are being pummelled by Zeus's lightning bolts, causing them to plummet into the clouds miles below. Zooming in close, the camera rushes along the Titan Gaia's back, revealing a lush, detailed forest and our anti-hero Kratos cleaving his way through hordes of foes. And then, in a moment of jaw dropping realisation, you find yourself seamlessly in control. The stunning preceding action was not a pre-rendered cut-scene, it is the actual interactive challenge you are about to face.

It is the first in a relentless series of jaw dropping moments that make up God of War III's grand adventure. It's gaming on an unparalleled scale, and perhaps the defining PS3 moment thus far.

It's not that Kratos's monster slaying, deity defying adventure has drastically changed between the PS2 and this next-gen iteration. It's just that events now play out on a gargantuan stage. Kratos has been betrayed by the heavens innumerable times before, but whereas previous games have built to a climactic duel with a single god, your hit list this time reads like a "Who's Who" of Greek mythology, including Poseidon and Hades. Ultimately, Kratos is looking to indulge in a spot of patricide this time around in order to end his tragic saga once and for all, which is no mean feat when your father is the God of gods himself, Zeus.

Graphically, God of War III is unrivalled on consoles at the moment. From its epic battlefields down to the smallest undead grunt, the level of detail is incredibly high. Santa Monica Studios' art team deserve every accolade they are likely to pick up here, with some of the most fully realised and creative level design I've ever seen in a game. Texture sizes have apparently quadrupled since the last instalment, and paired with some lighting wizardry, the moody stages are really brought to life.

This extra layer of graphical sheen also means that God of War's signature levels of ultra-violence get a makeover too. I can say with some confidence that this is one of, if not the most violent game I've seen during this console cycle. Kratos's quick-time-event kills are more brutal than ever, and whether you're gutting a centaur or dicing a snake-hipped gorgon, you'll likely be shocked and thrilled in equal measure.

God of War's combat system has barely changed across each game, but that's no bad thing when it's as slick as what's on offer here. Kratos again has a menagerie of combos and grapples to dish out against his hapless foes, and long-time fans will likely be stringing together 100 hit flourishes straight off the bat. Kratos can now also use his chain-like blades to grapple from a distance, which is genuinely useful when taking on airborne nasties, as well using baddies as a battering-ram, which apart from a few early crowd-control moments is really merely just a giggle-raising cosmetic addition.

There are also a slew of new weapons to acquire across the course of his quest, including Apollo's Bow and Herme's fleet-footed Boots. Our personal favourite was the Cestus, a pair giant metallic gloves shaped like lions heads that were completely ferocious at close-quarters. God of War III bests its predecessors here by making each new weapon fun and useful in its own right; these aren't little distractions that you'll eventually tire of, reverting back to the standard Blades of Athena. You'll want to experiment with each new item, and will have to swap between each if your quest is to be a bloody success.

I'd say it's roughly a 70/30 split between combat and exploration in God of War III, in favour of the brawling. The few puzzles that litter the game are intricately woven into the stunning levels, and are some of the best the series have offered. One that clearly takes inspiration from the artist M.C Escher is particularly memorable, and visually captivating to boot. In fact, you'll often be so busy ogling the visuals that it's usually some time before the penny-dropping solution hits you with certain puzzles.

The cracks in the game's near-perfect execution are few, but worth mentioning considering the incredible level of polish exhibited elsewhere. God of War II's Icarus Wings return for some light platforming sections. Like all other assets in the game they look amazing, but the timing of their double-tapping glide-jump seemed a little inconsistent, resulting in some cheap deaths. Likewise, as the game is viewed nearly entirely from fixed camera angles, there are a few rare occasions where viewpoints result in "leap of faith" moments where a precision landing can be a little difficult to achieve. It would have been nice also to to see another dimension to Kratos's character other than the old gruff, angry-shtick; while his unrelenting quest for vengeance is portrayed as unsettlingly admirable, he's starting to sound a bit like a broken record by this game's conclusion.

But picking holes in God of War III is like noticing a smudge on a 20-storey diamond. Though the series has inspired many copycats (with Darksiders and Dante's Inferno worthy games in their own right), none come close to replicating the level of spectacle displayed here. A showboat on a sea of guts and gore, Kratos's intimidating shadow will loom far and wide long after God of War III's final curtain falls.

5/5

Related: Aliens Versus Predator - Xbox 360 review

The Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, the first bout of downloadable content for murky underwater shooter Bioshock 2 will be hitting consoles and PCs on March 11th.

The DLC raises the multiplayer rank cap to level 50 and introduces two new playable characters, an extra upgrade for each weapon, five new masks and twenty new trials. It's a bit of a shame that there isn't any new single-player action on offer though.

The new content will cost 400 Microsoft points for Xbox 360 and PC gamers, while PS3 users can pick the download up on the Playstation Network for £3.19.

2K Games also today confirmed that a whole load of other DLC is in the pipeline, so if you aren't done with the city of Rapture just yet, there will be plenty of plasmid-packing action still to come.

If your hands are of the sausage-fingered variety and you're finding it hard work getting around an average sized Nintendo DS or DSi, you'll be pleased to hear that the chunky Nintendo DSi XL hits UK stores today.

The DSi XL features two oversized 4.2 inch screens, a massive jump from the original's 3.25 inch displays. From our quick play with the unit, the bump up in screen size makes the DSi XL's lower touch-screen far more finger friendly, meaning its not the end of the world if you lose its now larger included stylus.

You can pick up the Nintendo DSi XL from all good games retailers today, priced around the £150 mark. Play are also offering some pretty good deals on the unit, bundling in a game too for just about £165.

To call the launch of Sony's PSP Go a disaster would be a bit like saying the Titanic's maiden voyage had a few hiccups; it bombed pretty hard, mostly due to the fact it wasn't compatible with PSP owners' back catalogue of UMD games.

But according to the Wall Street Journal, Sony may be preparing to launch a tablet-smartphone-PSP hybrid, as well as a smartphone with PSP-style gaming capabilities which will send all the naysayers packing.

According to "people familiar with the matter", Sony are once again calling upon Sony Ericsson to help in the design of the devices, though Sony are said to be more closely involved than in the past. The Wall Street Journal also suggested that these two devices will be compatible with a new online content platform that Sony plan to launch in the US this month.

Kunimasa Suzuki, responsible for Sony's VAIO and Network Mobile Center will apparently be taking up the charge of delivering these "segment-spanning" devices.

Still, if the precedent set by Nokia's N-Gage is anything to go by, mobile-gaming hybrids may not be quite as exciting as they first seem.

Via: Wall Street Journal

Tech Digest got to have a pretty extensive sit down with post-apocalyptic first-person shooter Metro 2033 this week. Read on for our initial impressions of what may prove to be the most atmospheric shooter of the year.

There will be many quick to compare Metro 2033 to Fallout 3, and while they share similar post-apocalyptic settings, this is a very different beast. Metro 2033 is a linear, scripted shooter, where jumps and scares are far higher on the agenda than exploration. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all considering the rich back story on offer here from Dmitry Glukhovsky's acclaimed, eponymous novel.

Metro 2033 throws you into the shoes of Artyom, a young man who has grown up on the wrong side of an apocalyptic event that has turned the world to ashes and rubble. His life has been spent scraping together an existence in Moscow's underground Metro station settlements, fending off mutant attacks from above. If that didn't sound grim enough, there's a gang of new mutants on the scene, known only as "Dark Ones" who use psychic powers to mess you up without even the courtesy to claw out your innards first.

Our Xbox 360 testing session let us try out the first few scene-setting missions. Many early sequences had us soaking up the atmosphere of Artyom's home station, Exhibition. Ukrainian developers 4A Games have obviously spent a lot of time making this world feel lived-in and natural, and there's a real sense of community in these underground tunnels, despite the bleak set-up. Kids weave in and out of shanty-style hovels, markets bustle with mercenaries looking to trade bullets (the game's currency) and every corner reveals an NPC with a well voice-acted story to tell. It all looks really great too, with moody lighting and a sense of foreboding written on each character's face.

A little further down the line and we're exploring one of the metro tunnels and fending off waves of rat-like mutants. Each gun (made to look like a "Frankenstein's monster" of salvaged parts) had a weighty punch appropriate to their strength, and the aggressive enemy AI definitely kept us on our toes. Ammunition is limited (perhaps a little too limited), giving a real survival-horror feel to proceedings. Your comrades put up a good fight too, and saved our sorry skins on more than one occasion. Getting pounced upon by the beasts sometimes throws up a little quick-time-event as you struggle to clamber away, but they feel well placed here, adding to the frenetic action rather than breaking the sense of immersion.

To traverse the hazardous tunnels, you've got a backpack full of gear to aid you, including a gas mask, lighter and map for navigation, and a hand crank for charging your headlamp. Donning the gas mask for too long in noxious areas sees the screen fog up, a really nice touch that obscures your view and adds to tension, as is the need to flick open the lighter to read your map in the dark corridors. There's no HUD here; everything is tactile and needs interacting with to be of any use to you, with the controller-trigger pumping charge crank being a good example. It all helps to immerse you in the desperate struggle for survival Artyom faces, but we couldn't help but feel that all these functions made the controls a little overly-busy at times.

The last area we saw brought us upon some human bandit foes, and required a bit of light stealth work. Tripwires and tin can alarm systems were set up to alert them to our presence, but just hiding in the shadows was enough to evade most of the baddies and allow us to deliver a silent throwing knife killing blow to our enemies. Stealth isn't looking to be too integral a part of the action, and that's probably a good thing, as we're pretty certain an enemy passed straight through us without detecting our presence at one point.

All in, Metro 2033 is looking to be a pretty enjoyable adventure. There doesn't seem to be anything revolutionary on the cards, but it's a solid shooter that just oozes atmosphere at every turn. It's literary background also looks to set it apart, and we're genuinely excited to see where the plot will eventually take us.

We'll have a full review of Metro 2033 in the next few weeks so keep an eye out in the days running up to its March 19th UK release.

There's been some strange goings on this week between publisher Activision and Modern Warfare developers Infinity Ward.

Following claims of "insubordination", Activision have terminated the contracts of Jason Ward and Vince Zampella, senior executives at Infinity Ward. The reasoning behind this remains sketchy, but there has even been speculation that the pair were forcibly removed from Infinity Ward HQ.

Activision cited "breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward" and said that "this matter is expected to involve the departure of key personnel and litigation".

Tuesday then saw Activision announce that they would be creating a new unit to take over production of the franchise, taking Infinity Ward (whom Activision bought in 2003) out of the Modern Warfare picture altogether. Could this have something to do with rumours that the Modern Warfare games are set to go down the MMO route?

Either way, why would you kick out the brains behind the biggest entertainment launch in history, one that saw Modern Warfare 2 sell 1.8 million copies in its first week of sale in the UK alone? Well perhaps Activision feared that the Infinity Ward duo were beginning to splinter away from Activision rule, which may have eventually seen them take their talented team to pastures new.

They wouldn't be the first to depart from Activision either. Last month Guitar Hero's Dan Rosensweig left after helming the franchise for just about a year.

For the sake of those who work for Activision at least, lets hope the board have made the right move here, especially when you consider the bulk of their revenue comes from just three franchises, despite having a massive catalogue of titles.

Guitar Hero and Warcraft are two, and the third? Yep, Call of Duty/Modern Warfare.