So, dear (fraction of) readers… you still got your lumbering beast of an Xbox under the telly, have no intention of buying another overpriced console, have already enjoyed the best Xbox game there is and are looking for something new, aren’t you? Well, look no further, for what I might have to suggest may not be particularly new, but still is an amazingly enjoyable -if flawed- game based on a classic movie: The Thing. A sequel of sorts to Mr. Carpenter’s frozen horror thriller in video game form, that picks up the story roughly from where the movie had left it.

As you would expect, the game takes places in a mostly abandoned scientific base and its snowy environs, where the alien entity widely known as the Thing, well, does it’s thing. You, assuming you choose to play this game, get to fight the Thing and its impressive variety of sibling in all its/their manifestations, uncover an X-Files inspired conspiracy and manage your squad of civilians and soldiers, while making sure (preferably by testing them) none of your supposed comrades is infected by the Thing’s thinginess that would transform him or her into a deadly monstrosity. Making sure they trust you would be a nice idea.

Where The Thing truly shines though is in the atmosphere, which has to be experienced to be believed and even makes sure you wont be frustrated by the millions of fuse boxes you’ll have to mend and the badly placed save-points. Oh, and it’s a third person fighter in case you were wondering. One with good graphics and controls too.

Ok, after hours of frustration I finally finished playing Psychonauts and all I can now do is bow in front of Tim Shafer’s superior intellect and then arrange for the man to meet Shigeru Miyamoto and be taught the way of 3D Mario. Psychonauts is brilliant, beautiful, absolutely original and at times downright sublime. It’s got great humor that actually uses the strength of the medium (err, that would be interactivity), excellent storytelling, interesting characters (shocking, I know) and a few moments that would make any great surrealist proud. Plus, the art direction is so masterful, uhm, a true master of art direction must have, err, directed it. Anyway. You get the idea. Psychonauts looks, sounds and feels fantastic.

On the other hand -and quite understandably as this is Mr. Shafer’s first attempt at platform gaming, let alone 3D platform gaming- the controls are simply terrible, sometimes even entering broken territory. Now, admittedly, this might have to to with the fact that I’ve played Psychonauts on the PC using the standard mouse/keyboard control method where obviously this is a game that would have greatly benefited from a dual analog controller, but apparently console reviewers aren’t to happy with it either. Then, there are more gameplay problems that would include a ton of things to collect, some truly infuriating boss battles, the lack of a proper save system and some god-awful combat bits. The question, however, is: do these flaws matter? Well, no, not at all.

For Psychonauts, dear readers, is hands-down the best action game I’ve played those last ten or so years and that even includes Super Mario Galaxy. It might have its fair share of problems and a distinct lack of polished gameplay mechanics, but it almost literally oozes class and originality. Besides, how many games let your in-game persona invade people’s subconscious and have arcadey fun around these mental constructs? How many games have you terrorize a city of sentient fish and collect emotional baggage while sticking bacon in your ear? How many games feature pie jokes? How many games sport ridiculously detailed levels based on wargames? None, that’s how many. Psychonauts is unique.

So, do yourselves a favour. Buy this game now. It is after all available for PC, PS2 and Xbox. Oh, and if you liked Psychonauts then you’ll definitely love Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango.

Football games, not unlike adventures and strategy games, don’t need fancy graphics, never truly age and are more than tricky to get right. They are, you see, one of them gameplay driven genres. That’s why Sensible Soccer still is a better game than the latest FIFA, that’s why thousands of people still enjoy Kick Off II and that’s why Football Manager -one of the most successful gaming franchises ever- is in essence a game without graphics. So, what are your options in digital football gaming, I pretend to hear you ask? Well, read on, read on.

Football Manager

Football Manager, the venerable series that began life as Championship Manager, has always been an immensely addictive time sink of a management game, an impressive ever-evolving database of the international world of of football and an incredibly fun game too. Nowadays, it can also be said that FM is a true football RPG, and one of those games we all take refuge in when our teams get disqualified/relegated/ridiculed. Traditionally FM 2008, the latest and best version of the game, is available for PC only, but you can also grab a stripped down version of the game for your PSP or go for FM 2006 for the Xbox 360. Oh, and a MMO should soon be released.

Pro Evolution Soccer

Pro Evolution Soccer is a rare yet happily popular attempt at realistically recreating football. There are no crazy scores here and precise crossing is a matter of technique. It really feels proper. Now, Pro Evo might lack FIFA’s official shine and impressive graphics, but -believe me- it still is the better game. By far. Makes for quite a brilliant party game too. Pro Evo 2008 can be played on the PS3, PS2, PSP and -provided you don’t mind less impressive ports- on the DS. The highly innovative Wii version of the game, a footie RTS of sorts, will soon be reviewed.

Sensible Soccer

This is the best football game ever. Want to know why? One word: pace. Care for more words? Well, how about after-touch, one button gameplay and lovely pixel-art graphics? To properly enjoy Sensible Soccer you should really play it on an Amiga, but lacking one, I guess you could try the equally retro PC or Atari ST versions of the game. Alternatively the best way to get some faithful yet up-to-date Sensi action would be via the Xbox Live Arcade. Sensible Soccer 2006 (PC, Xbox, PS2) is decent, as is the Mega Drive/Genesis version available via a certain TV plug-’n'-play thingy.

FIFA

Not much of a fan of the franchise really, but I must admit it’s quite enjoyable. And looks rather good too. FIFA 2008, quite obviously the latest offering in the long running series, can be played on virtually any console, meaning versions for the Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, DS and PSP have already been released.