Videogame consoles are the No 1 present teenagers want this Christmas according to research.
A poll conducted amongst residents of teenage virtual world favourite Habbo has shown that games consoles are the most sought after present for teens this Christmas – and the Xbox 360 leads the pack.
The most 'wanted' was Microsoft's Xbox 360 (39%), second was Nintendo's Wii (19%) and third Sony's PlayStation 3 (15%)- PSP and DS hand helds were well down the list.
If they can't get a console many would be happy with an Apple iPhone instead...
Woolworth are the third, large retailer, to go bust which could cost Ubisoft 1.5 million euros in unpaid bills.
Ubisoft recently suffered as a German and French default cost them about 300,000 euros.
Just days before the Woolworths collapse the company had paid Ubisoft 5.7 million euros.
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are also likely to suffer with this collapse.
On Friday another giant UK retailer 'Zavvi' went bust but it is believed that the Virgin group had guaranteed all debts on Zavvi - this guarantee was due to expire in the next few days... Zavvi are understood to own Woolworths £106 million.
HMV posted a loss of over £19 million for the last six months despite sales rising over 3%. The company has moving into the second hand games market in the UK and Ireland.
It remains to be declared what exposure EA has to these events.
Even though they are old they still fall in the must-have category.
Top 5 choices:
1. Call of Duty 4
Although a year old it still stands miles above the rest and the recently released Call of Duty World at War stands on par if not worse if going back to World War II wasn’t your thing. The single player sets you during the modern day and uses a cinematic feel which is fantastically engrossing and to get those hard earned veteran achievements you’ll be playing it many times over. Although the single player is great it’s the multiplayer which takes Call of Duty into its own and truly excels. With the best leveling up system I’ve seen on a console shooter to date, the ranking up from private to corporal is enjoyable. The ability to customize your characters perks and special powers extends beyond the normal weapon selection. Honestly this game is still tremendously popular both offline and online, some people are actually coming back from COD: World at War, and if you’re into some proper first person shooting action then this is the game to get this Christmas.
2. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Gosh, this one may be controversial depending on how much you cherish your childhood memories but you can’t doubt the success of the Lego games series. This year has seen the release of Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Batman but they all lead back to the Lego Star Wars series. I recommend getting the Complete Saga version as that gives you all 6 episodes on one disc. Even as a die hard Star Wars fan, I enjoyed this game. Don’t get me wrong; realism isn’t top of the list but it doesn’t disappoint in the enjoyment factor and keeps strictly to the storyline. Seeing those special moments recreated in Lego will make you laugh. Out of all the games on this list I think Lego Star Wars will take the longest for you to complete 100%; because of the way it’s been made you’ll have to play the game several times over to get the special treats. By earning studs you’ll be able to unlock characters so you can see once and for all what it would have been like if Mace Windu had magically been able to fight Emperor Palpatine to the death at the end of Return of the Jedi. These hypothetical situations are fun to play out but this game will appeal to not only fans of the Star Wars phenomenon but also anyone looking for something different this Christmas.
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
If you haven’t been part of the Guitar Hero craze you’ve been lying under a rock far too long. Last years release was the kick start to the music gaming revolution and has truly expanded with new Guitar Hero and Rock Band games going on sale this year. But that doesn’t pull away from the fact that this was a good game. To be honest the game hasn’t changed radically from Guitar Hero II. The only changes come in music tracks and instrument options. The basic premise is to feel like a rock star and play along with tracks by hitting the notes at the right time. It sounds easy but it gets hard quickly. Looking back, the songs aren’t going to be quite as up to date as you’d like but the famous tracks will be there to rock on too. With some money spent in the Xbox Live Marketplace you can update your tunes to something more modern. Remember you’ll need the guitar with this game to play properly as it’s not worth just using the controller. If you’re not at all interested in music I would steer clear of this.
4. Rainbow Six Vegas 2
This sequel wasn’t as much a new game, just as an expansion to the first. There was no major changes just slight graphical appearances which, in my opinion, appeared a bit better in HD than the prequel. But that’s not a bad thing; the original was such a good hit, putting you in the role of an elite anti-terrorist squad. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 builds on the success of duck-and-cover shooting as well as the team commands which seem quite easy to order and the missions are overall fun to complete. Set in and around the outskirts of Las Vegas, the environments aren’t repeated often but can seem bland. The multiplayer part of the game shares a similar leveling system as COD 4; they have a more cautious approach than the running and gunning of COD. This game requires patience during the single player campaign as well as multiplayer; but if you’re after that it can provide you with a thorough experience.
5. Assassins Creed
This makes my list on wow factor alone. Given the single player is quite short, Assassins Creed amazes people on it’s scale. There is a huge virtual map of four cities set during the time of the Crusades and never has history been so much fun as you play an assassin fighting against the Christian Crusaders, the Muslims and any evil force. Although over a year old the graphics hold up giving truly amazing views from the top of buildings; for once you just stop and stare in a video game as you try and point out things on the horizon. However that is just small compared to what makes this game a must play - the movement system is immense albeit easy. It doesn’t take long to get used to and you’ll be jumping across buildings and free running around ancient Jerusalem before you can say “Kill that infidel!” The implementation is very streamlined and makes simple running on the ground quite boring. Overall an entertaining game in an otherwise unexploited era but won’t be on your played list for long.
A 21-year-old computer whiz who created an on-the-cheap Flash video game - Hunter Forever on his home PC has hit the big time in the gaming world - the No. 8 spot on Time magazine's list of the top-10 releases of 2008, alongside such blockbuster titles as Grand Theft Auto IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Gears of War 2.
"I was thinking, how did they manage to mistype some other game that badly? Then I realized. I spent the next couple of hours in a state of shock, pretty much - not being able to believe it. I was so dazed I didn't even tell my parents until the next day."
The Wii remains one of the hottest Christmas gifts long after its release. The lower price and the interactive nature make it a wonderful toy for the whole family to enjoy.
The console does skew more towards kids and younger families, but honestly, there's enough variety and pure good gameplay to make a Nintendo Wii a great choice for anyone of any age who love games.
1. Wii Fit
Careful who you give this too, you don't want to intimate they need to lose weight.This is a blast though, using the Wii balance board and software to keep track of your weight loss goals and to streamline certain exercises. It's nothing you couldn't do on your own, pushups, lunges, yoga, but it does offer input, instruction and motivation. Wonderfully practical, and somewhat engaging "game" that will be a great introduction to fitness for those who often find it boring to work out. Some mini-games to keep the interactive levels high.
2. Animal Crossing: City Folk
Sort of a Sim City for kids, Animal Crossing: City Folk has you build the game.You can do it yourself, with friends or family in your house or even with other friends online. You move into a house, furnish and build it as you like, help to build the town, interact with everyone and everything, and even use the game's microphone to chat to friends over the internet.This game lets kids be in charge of everything and does it extremely well.
This isn't like the other music games out there, but it is a wonderfully creative way for kids to unearth the beauty of music. You use the Nintendo Wii controllers by shaking them around in time to either complete tasks in mini games or just to jam with friends.You play everything from the Theme to Zelda to Carmen, loads of classical choices in between. And the instruments? Well, yes, there's guitar and drums, but there's also tubas, banjos, flutes, recorders and even cat and dog suits. Very heavy on the cuteness, very heavy on musical exploration, very big on fun.
This is like the other music games out there, without all the clunky peripherals and price. Ultimate band plays rhythm-based hit songs from big artists, but just using the Wii controllers to play the songs. Sure it's not as deep or realistic as Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but is essentially the same concept and still offers a fun musical experience in a social setting.
Like last year's Smarty Pants, this is a trivia/Quiz game, but, as the title suggests, with a Disney flavour. From the Mouse family to newer faves like Lilo and Stitch and the Lion King (with Aladdin as your host), trivia questions and mini games make this a fabulous way for kids to get into the competitive spirit.More than 5,000 questions are included on all things Disney.
Nintendo's Wii sold over two million units in the US during November, in a month that saw overall hardware revenue grow 10 per cent to USD 1.21 billion.
Nintendo's home console sold 2.04 million units, over twice the amount sold for the same period last year, while the company's DS system also shifted 1.57 million units.
Total sales of software, hardware and accessories topped USD 2.91 billion during the month of November.
Sales of the Xbox 360 were more than double the PlayStation 3 during the month, with 836,000 and 378,000, respectively.
"The expanded supply of Wii systems at retail was clearly evident in the sales figures this month," commented Anita Frazer of sales group NPD.
"The 360 realised a nice unit sales bump over last November and the PS3 year-to-date unit sales growth is impressive."
Sony's PSP was its strongest hardware performer, selling 421,000 units, while the PlayStation 2 also managed 206,000 units.
"It's clear there can be more multiple victors this generation, and while price is certainly a strong factor, particularly as the current economic situation continues to prevail, the most important factor that will drive success in 2009 will be the line-up of compelling games that will keep consumers involved in the industry," added Frazer.
Sales figures for all hardware during November follow:
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