What's New?

Sorry folks, I know I got you excited. Say hello to Friday, February 7th. The day on which Unreal II: The Awakening first rose and shone in all its beauty. Unfortunately as we mused at length yesterday, when it comes to everything besides the technology, the whole thing is a rather paint-by-numbers approach to the First Person Shooter.

FPS fans disappointed by that though can turn to EA's cash-in expansion to Battlefield 1942. There are six new maps and a few odds and sods finally tucked in at the edges, but as Martin put it, a patch for 18 quid or so is still a patch - just an expensive one. The fans are of course going wild for these new arenas though and who are we to object? The prospect of an expansion pack shifting more than a couple of units is great for the industry.

Unfortunately it's a bit of a farce on the consoles this week. On PS2 we have The Clone Wars (6/10) and Legends of Wrestling II (5/10), just Legends on Xbox, and eight games, none of which has scored higher than 6/10 are out on Cube. Lowlights include BMX XXX (4/10) and Men In Black II: Alien Escape (so bad it's unrated), and the highlight is Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (better than most at 6/10).

The GBA, however, is worth a mention - not for its Treasure Planet, Jimmy Neutron and Wild Thornberries-related nonsense (to hell with quality, right?), but for Empire's Bubble Bobble - Old and New. Kristan stole that (and the free link cable) before most of us had even seen it arrive, and will be bringing you his thoughts early next week. Remember though - it's at a budget price (20 quid) and comes with a link cable, and is Bubble Bobble for the love of God. Amen.