Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fortunately I’m single so I don’t have to bother splashing my hard earned cash out on cheap tatty gifts. Or maybe I’m just bitter, who knows?

Unfortunately Valentine’s Day also extends to the world of Red Alert 3, so Ric Flair, Gemma Atkinson and Holly Vallance have recorded videos as their respective characters from the game.

There’s no Tim Curry, but if you’re spending Valentine’s Day with Holly Vallance and Gemma Atkinson can you really complain? I know I wouldn’t!

Check out the rest in the related videos here!

Christmas is just around the corner and you’re constantly worrying about what to buy your gamer-minded partner/daughter/son/friend. Well, fear not my friends, for I have come up with a series of Christmas guides that point you towards some of the best games available today.

We kick things off with a personal favourite of mine, the Xbox 360, which surely has something for everyone.

Call of Duty: World at War

An epic single-player mode combined with one of the best console multiplayer experiences out there means that you can’t really go wrong with buying this as a bift. As we shall see from the following game you’ll be giving the gift of months of extra gameplay, but unfortunately you’ll probably be seeing a lot less of whoever you buy this for. Plus, did I mention that this game had zombies? I don’t think you should be considering to buy this as a gift, there should be no question about it!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 

If you actually know someone who likes shooters, owns an Xbox 360 and doesn’t own this game then ask them what cave they’ve been hiding in. If you do manage to find someone then this game is a much cheaper version of the game above. In fact, this is the game that spawned the excellent multiplayer that the game above uses, and you’ll easily still be able to find thousands of players enjoying this game. This is really a must-buy, and anyone who plays World at War before Modern Warfare is missing out on a great deal of fun, and maybe missing out on a game that actually surpasses it’s follow-up.

Far Cry 2

While it’s not the best FPS game on the market right now it’s still a good substitute for those that already own the above games. The single-player mode is a lengthy experience, packing enough in there for well over 20 hours of zooming around Africa before setting everything on fire. There’s also a pretty decent multiplayer mode, and while it’s not up to the standard of the above two games the in-built (and incredibly detailed) map editor means that there’s enough originality to keep people for a long time to come.

Left 4 Dead

I’ve always said that you can’t really go wrong with zombies, and Left 4 Dead isn’t about to buck the trend. Taking on the hordes of randomly generated zombies (and a bunch of other ’special’ zombies) with three other friends is where this game shines, and you can’t really beat the sheer hilarious terror when players see a tank barrelling towards them and scatter.

Gears of War 2

This is yet another ‘must own’, and if you know someone who owned the first Gears of War then you owe it to them to buy them the sequel. The sequel is packed with twice as much action, which means twice as much gory chainsaw kills. The multiplayer mode also returns, along with the addictive ‘Horde’ mode where players have to defend against increasing waves of enemies.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Here’s yet another ‘must own’ (the 360 tends to have a lot of these) and, damn, is this game epic or what? I’m a storyline guy, so I loved the concentration on Niko’s struggle to make something of himself in Liberty City (the games fictionalised recreation of New York City). Others were disappointed at Rockstar for removing things like jet packs and planes, but there’s still a pretty fun multiplayer mode in there for those that aren’t big on story. Regardless of your tastes the city is the real star here, and gamers just have to experience it if only to simply see just how far gaming environments have come.

Saints Row 2

As I said above, Grand Theft Auto IV is more about the story and a living breathing incredibly detailed city. Saints Row 2, while still having a somewhat interesting story, retains all the whacky and hilarious fun that can come with sandbox environments. From streaking around the city streets to firing raw sewage and pedestrians this game pretty much has everything. It also arguably has a more enjoyable multiplayer mode than GTA, and does trump GTA by allowing you to play through the main game with a friend. This isn’t an alternative, it should be bought with GTA IV so players can experience both sides of the fence.

Fable 2

Possibly the best fantasy role-playing game the 360 has right now, Fable II will never allow a gamer to utter the words ‘there’s nothing to do!’. Whether it’s raising a family and then setting them on fire, or adventuring around the world of Albion with a dog that you’ll fall in love with there’s plenty for gamers to do here. Everything the player does has a consequence, and to top it all off you can fret about your sins with a friend.

Fallout 3

Although this is the 3rd game in the post-apocolyptic RPG series Fallout 3 will probably be most gamers first introduction to the world. The first time you step out of the vault and see the sprawling wasteland ahead of you may actually scare you with the realisation that, for once, you have a choice of where to go and what to do.  Thirty hours on and you still won’t have seen everything this game has to offer, and some of it won’t actually tie into the main game. So, yes, you have a choice of whether or not you want to see this content, which makes it all the more exciting.

Infinite Undiscovery

Square-Enix (makers of the hugely successful Final Fantasy series) are no strangers to long RPG’s, and Infinite Undiscovery is no exception. This is for those gamers that enjoy hefty RPG’s crammed full of story all wrapped up in that unique Japanese style. The story takes a while to get going, but once it does it’s pretty entertaining, and there’s some great fast paced action sequences in there too. Perfect for those that love their JRPG’s.

Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise presents excellent value for money. Not only to you get a superb racer with absolutely stunning crashes, but you also get constant content updates from Criterion. Toy cars? Check! Floating cars? Check! Motorbikes? Check! Seamless multiplayer modes? Check! This is one racer that you have absolutely no excuses for not owning - unless you don’t like racers of course!

Dead Space

What better way to spend Christmas then watching your significant others jumping out of their skin every five seconds? I’m not going to lie, Dead Space is an absolutely terrifying game but this is why it’s so enjoyable. Combine this with some absolutely horrendous enemies, a decent storyline and enough puzzles to keep your brain ticking while you constantly watch your back and you’re on to a winner. Terrifying? Yes! Worth the price or new pants? Easily!

If you have any other suggestions then feel free to post them in the comments. I couldn’t put every good game for the Xbox 360 on the list, so I chose to post the games I thought were the best. Feel free to rip into my decisions!

Up next - Playstation 3 game buying guide.

Well, take a wild guess. The picture above this isn’t a hint or anything, really!

Well, ok,  I lied. The UK’s favourite video game character has been named as none other than Sonic the Hedgehog in a poll marking the launch of this year’s London Games Festival. The poll only involved 500 people, so while it’s still pretty unrepresentative of the UK population as whole it’s still pretty interesting to see the most liked characters of those who grew up with them.

Sonic gained 24% of the vote while Mario followed in a close second with 21% of the vote. Lara Croft’s boobs propped up third place with 16% while Donkey Kong drooled in fourth place with 11%.

Here’s the full list:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2. Super Mario (21 per cent)
3. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4. Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5. Pac Man (10 per cent)
6. Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7. Max Payne (4 per cent)
8. Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9. Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10. Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)

Other (3 per cent)

If you feel like playing a game with the nation’s favourite you can always take a look at our range of Sonic titles. In my opinion 90% of them are pretty bad, so maybe it’s for the best if you just stick to the original Sonic games. Then again, there’s always the animated Sonic series if you feel like reliving Saturday mornings when you were 12 years-old (maybe that’s just me).

(Via Kotaku)

Or, to be in line with the official language, Starcraft: The Board Game. Yes, it’s real and it’s a Fantasy Flight Games production that you can actually play without a computer. Or a mouse. With your hands and the help of 180 miniatures, quite a few board game pieces and a lot of cards. Really. It’s a proper impressive board game from the leaders in this field. You can actually grab it by following the previous link. Or this one. Apparently it’s been around for quite some time too and I simply cannot understand how I missed such an event. After all, I had been following news on its development pretty closely. Can’t believe I missed the launch… Oh, dear. I’m in shock. Have been even before I watched this pretty amazing (and quite explanatory) video/trailer of the game.

Ok. Better catch my breath here.

Ahh, yes, that’s better. Now, having just ordered the thing, I quite obviously don’t know how it plays, though I’m pretty sure it can’t be anything less than brilliant and ridiculously time consuming. Probably rules-heavy too, as it seems like an attempt at a full blown tabletop, turn-based, emulation of Blizzard’s original Starcraft. All three races have been included, as have a variety of popular tactics (Zergling rush anyone?), 50 or so pages of rules and quite a few victory conditions. Obviously 2-6 players multiplayer is a standard feature too. Joy!

It’s been ages since the last proper Street Fighter sequel, but it seems the wait has been worth it, for Street Fighter IV looks utterly gorgeous in its cel-shaded 3D glory. So, uhh, look at Zangief, gawk at Chun Li, laugh at Dhalsim, smile at Honda, thoroughly examine Blanka, be all impressed by the spankin’ shiny new Guile and generally enjoy those lovely SF4 screenshots we’ve posted all over the place (for your eyes only). Just don’t ask what consoles this will be released for. All I know is you should be playing it at the arcades soon, provided of course you live in Japan or any arcades in your vicinity have survived, and I would dare guessing the game should also be appearing on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Eventually, that is. Actually, a Wii version wouldn’t come as much of a surprise either. Oh, and the game will play in the traditional 2D way. Joy!

Still, for now, all you can do is be patient, lament the loss of the arcades and watch this space for further info. Intently. Till your head starts spinning. Better though, stop watching intently and start working on those fighting skills again. Intently. Playing anything (or everything) from Hyper Street Fighter II - Anniversary Edition to the complete Street Fighter Alpha Anthology on the PS2 should probably do the job. Lacking a PS2, well, you shouldn’t have trouble tracking down a SF copy for your Xbox 360, Dreamcast, PC, C64, SNES, whatever. You can even play Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX on the PSP. Anyway, here are the rest of the screenshots:

[Pssst… To find out what this is post is all about and/or have a look at the first part of this little Desert Island Disks feature, well, click here.]

Diablo II & expansion pack

I wouldn’t really call Diablo or its sequel a true CRPG, but I would definitely describe both of them as extremely addictive, time-consuming, fun and oddly atmospheric games. Oh, yes, and as action heavy hack-and-slash offerings set in a dark fantasy world featuring many nasty little (and pretty huge) devils too. Then there are them randomly generated levels and the huge variety of enemies, weapons, spells, you name it, that make sure the Diablos last more than roughly a dozen of your average FPSs. Obviously Diablo II is the better game, whereas Lord of Destruction a typically brilliant Blizzard expansion.

Heroes of Might & Magic III

I must have wasted quite a bit of my life on this one already, but nevertheless I’m sure I could waste a bit more. Especially if stranded on a bloody island. Heroes of Might and Magic III, you see, a game I usually spell Heroes of Might and Magick for some peculiar reason, is a superb turn-based strategy affair, that’s incredibly simple to get into and incredibly difficult to master. HOMM III is played on three levels (World exploration/strategic - City/resource management - Battlefield/tactical level) and happily excels at each one. Also sports tons of missions to beat. Failing to grab a copy of it, I guess I could settle for the admittedly deeper HOMM V, even though I still prefer my 2D graphics. HOMM IV is just despicable, mind you.

Sensible World of Soccer

Simply the best version of the best footie game ever and something you really have to play on an Amiga to truly appreciate. The pace is just right, the game actually feels like playing -not watching- football, the stylized graphics are pure genius and SWOS goes as far as to provide with an expanded team management bit. Probably needs a classic digital joystick too, you know, for the complete experience. Infinitely replayable, despite the fact I can easily win the Euro Cup with Malta.

TIE Fighter

Wing Commander was great, X-Wing was better and TIE Fighter is simply above anything else. Getting to play the bad guy -with an option for joining the order of the abominably nasty- while flying one of those highly maneuverable though totally shield-less TIE thingies was a fantasy come true and one I’m eager to relive. Happily, I haven’t played the thing for ages either, so I guess it should last me for a good 50-60 hours, what with its training missions, dozens of historic battles and three (if I remember correctly) pretty hefty campaigns.

Tetris DS

Alexey Pajitnov’s masterpiece, besides its billion-selling Game Boy version, has had more re-imaginings, versions, ports and knock-offs than any other game has bytes. As for me, I’ll pick the recent Nintendo DS version. Despite its flaws, Tetris DS offers a fresh look at the game complete with brilliant new visuals and all the classic gameplay. The five extra game modes (no that they are necessary) do add quite a bit to the longevity of the thing too.

Imagine yourself stranded on a tiny salty island of the Pacific with nobody to talk to, no access to the Internet, no way to communicate with the rest of mankind, no pizza delivery, nothing but a super-computer-console emulator thingy that could play each and every game ever. Now, imagine you weren’t an anti-social sociopath. Wouldn’t that be dreadful? Of course it would. You’d hate the place.

Anyway. Having established the setting, would you now be so kind and imagine you were foresighted enough to have brought ten of your dearest games with you so as to, you know, sort of ease the pain of boredom? Great! What would them games be? Too shy to speak, huh? Well, suit yourself dear reader, but here are my Desert Island Disks (CDs/DVDs too), all selected for their endurance.

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV

Not as groundbreaking as its esteemed grandfather, I’ll give you that, but definitely the pinnacle of the ever-evolving Civ series and a game I believe I could play forever. Well, almost. Still, trying to beat it at the toughest setting, experimenting with a variety of tactics, playing the tons of available scenarios (random or not), reflecting on human progress and living out megalomaniac fantasies should be both highly enjoyable and appropriately time consuming. Even in solitude and without multiplayer. Then, should the rescuers really take their time, there’s the excellent editor/modding tools to get creative with.

Elite Plus

Elite was huge, brilliant and a smash hit that all but dominated the home computing scene. It sported gazillions of planets to visit and/or exploit, the option to play anything from a space-pirate to a bounty hounter to a lawful trader and more importantly provided with some rare opportunities at daydreaming. Shockingly, this amazing space-sim-opera of a game hasn’t aged a day. Well, ok, a day. Elite Plus updated the graphics to glorious 16-bit quality and is thus the marginally better game.

Day of the Tentacle

Adventures, most probably my favorite genre, are unfortunately ill-suited for the desert island environment, what with their total lack of replayability. A shame, for Monkey Island would have been so appropriate. Thankfully, though, it’s been over 10 years since I last touched Day of the Tentacle and I’m bound to have forgotten most of the puzzles. Besides, there’s the full version of Maniac Mansion -one of the few Lucasarts games I have never finished- included as a game within a game. Oh, and as far as adventure games go, this is one of the best. Tim Schafer designed it you know.

Football Manager (any version)

Unless you have actually played Football Manager (or Championship Manager as they used to call it before them corporate people got it all mixed up) you just can’t understand the sheer brilliance of this coach/manager sim. It’s the only game that, while being as utterly realistic as it is, can keep you up till 6 o’ clock in the morning chain-smoking yourself to the next division. Or the Championship League finals. If you love football, you’ll love FM. I for one definitely do.

TES IV: Oblivion

This massive first person CRPG that might be slightly shorter than its predecessor, but also manages to offer a more focused story, better graphics, improved AI, more elaborate side-quests and a way more believable world, would be my RPG of choice for the island. Not that it’s so much better than KOTOR or Fallout 2, mind you. It’s just that I’m such a lover of huge fully 3D worlds I can’t resist it. Besides, I usually treat it as a virtual DM and feel like doing some proper role-playing.

…… Stay tuned for Part Two …… Well, here it is!

It’s not every day a new gaming blog hits the web, is it? Oh, really? Sure about that? Well, if you lot say so… Anyway, not every gaming blog is like ButtonSmasher, for ButtonSmasher is …err… different and ButtonSmasher has just opened its particularly virtual gates for your very own computer & video gaming pleasure. So, uhm, stay here, have a first look around, enjoy what’s there to enjoy and let us know what you think about the experience. Or wish us the best. Or, you know, just be nice.

But, I pretend to hear you ask, truly, what will ButtonSmasher be all about? Buttons? Smashing buttons? And if so what kind of buttons? Keyboard, joystick, joypad, Wiimote or mouse ones? Old or new? Will it also sport smashing of other sorts? How about sports? Shorts? Well, ask no more dear newfound friends, for I’m about to tell you what this very blog will be all about. Games. Yes, a shock, I know.

Expect regular updates covering everything from PC gaming and MMOs to retro gaming, to new releases, the Wii, handhelds and them shiny new PS3 / Xbox 360 consoles. Expect reviews, previews, rants, news, random posts and features. Expect the bloody unexpected.

Oh, and “Hello World”.