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I, like many others, got this game when it came out on the PC in December 2001 and promptly got bored after a couple of chapters. Sure, it was pretty, but it was all-too apparent that this was A.N.Other FPS. Formulaic, tons of weapons, Quake III sound effects, some nifty architecture, and a major let down after all the hype. Apparently the multiplayer rescued the package for some people, but it was too late. I was off playing other, better games and never gave it another look.

Reports in the Japanese press are indicating Nintendo has opted not to hold a Spaceworld showcase event this year - making this the second year running that the event, previously an annual occurance, has been shelved.

Firste impresshins are everything, them say. Much to the detriment of crooked-nosed old hags everywhere, there's a lot to be said for that adage. For as much we all try to avoid passing judgement rashly, secretly there's a side to us that files everything and everyone into little groups - until they prove themselves to be something else, that is.

Daub your car with cigarette advertising and random website addresses, and rub grease in your eyes, folks, because TOCA Race Driver is about to go Platinum. As of June 13th, anybody with a PlayStation 2 and the desire to be an annoying American chasing women with severe hip disfigurements can pick up Codemasters' story-driven racing game for a mere £19.99. Although the PS2 version isn't really as good as the improved PC and Xbox versions, it's still better than some other racing games, like NASCAR.

There are some things that human beings are just not meant to see (but that our friends insist on emailing to us). Things like that picture of the man who had had his leg half munched off by a 12ft Alaskan bear, or that parade of unfeasibly obese naked women engaging in lurid acts; stick in your mind and refuse to ever leave, probably to the detriment to your life from that point onwards. Another such incident human kind should never have to bear witness to is the sight of Eurogamer staff parading with little dignity to the latest Dancing Stage game.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has spoken in the latest edition of Japanese gaming periodical Famitsu about Metal Gear Solid 3, vaguely commenting on some of the details outlined in the trailer released for this year's E3.

PlanetSide producer Dave Georgeson has posted an open letter to the game's website with the announcement that some major fixes for the game are on their way and undergoing testing. The fixes are set to crush the instability bugs that have been plaguing the game since launch, including server memory leaks and another which caused zones in the game to go down.

Acquire is working on a PS2 sequel to Way of the Samurai, called, simply enough, Samurai 2. Like WotS, the sequel will pack a reasonably large area of feudal Japan with characters and events and the anonymous player will be tasked with influencing them as he or she pleases. The developer is promising more enjoyable and diverse sword-fighting with refined tactics and more weapons, but presumably a similar experience system that determines skills in each area. The last one was creditable because it actively discouraged the player from repeating the same moves for eternity.

Furthering its plans for world domination, Vivendi Universal Games has signed a deal with "legendary" rock band Metallica for exclusive worldwide publishing rights to a multi-platform vehicular combat game featuring the band's voices and music, also furthering their plans for world domination. Perfect.

Those with a penchant for fighting perfect immortal machines would do well to dig that copy of System Shock 2 out from under the pile of mediocre sci-fi shoot 'em ups in the corner, and download a copy of System Shock 2 Rebirth, a user mod for the game by Etienne Aubert, of which the first public beta has just been released.

Vietcong is about to get patched to version 1.2. Today, if the game's official website, where the readme file has been posted ahead of time, is anything to go by. According to the doc, there are rather a lot of fixes taken into account, mostly very boring ones that stop players falling through the ground when they respawn, and improve weapon balancing. If you're into Gathering-sponsored jungle warfare, then we strongly advise you to keep an eye on their website.

Take-Two subsidiary Gathering is evidently so happy at the prospect of publishing PS2 and Xbox versions of Mafia, announced last year, that it's decided to announce them for the second time this week. The only difference being that instead of just 2003, we're now being told "fall 2003".

Remember "Rolling"? It was Rage's attempt at "extreme sports", harnessing the growing popularity of inline skating, baggy trousers and licensed pop rock. While we do hope that Rage's former designers have found work elsewhere since the company went under, we were somewhat relieved at not having to play yet another extreme sports game.

There was only one Xbox Live launch title that really stood out for us, despite a couple of other exciting titles, and that was Climax Brighton's MotoGP Online demo. By shipping with the Starter Kit, it not only got the guaranteed audience it deserved, but also inspired plenty of sales of the original game. Not a bad strategy.

This year is officially the year of the Nam shooter, and next in line is Line Of Sight: Vietnam, out on August 1st on PC from The Publisher Formerly Known As Infogrames (TPFKAI).

In these days of lowest common denominator development and identical ports, it's often a pointless exercise reviewing conversions like Burnout 2. It's akin to watching a DVD movie being played on a Panasonic machine and rewatching it on a Toshiba. There might be infinitesimally subtle differences, but it's hardly worth committing a thousand words to the subject. Games have become a little like that; what chance of Burnout 2 bucking the trend?

Ubi Soft will be producing a GameCube demo disc for its forthcoming Splinter Cell port. The disc will feature an introductory trailer, and a one level playable demo from the Chinese Embassy 2 map. The demo will also include the exclusive Game Boy Advance link-up features, showing the radar, and something to do with wall mines and sticky bombs.

Angelina Jolie reportedly "hated Lara Croft" when she first portrayed the character, describing the veteran videogame tartlet as nothing more than a bimbo in a pair of ridiculously short hotpants, even arguing with the screenwriter about her pointlessly flimsy wardrobe.

NovaLogic has released some details on the first expansion pack for Delta Force - Black Hawk Down. Team Sabre will feature two new single player campaigns that have players leading Delta Force into the jungles of Colombia to hunt down drugs lords, and then off to Iran to get their war on with some terrorists.

RTX Red Rock, LucasArts' forthcoming action adventure on PS2 - which has players controlling a lone soldier investigating a Mars-based colony searching for survivors after an alien invasion on Earth - has been scorched whisked off to a duplicating plant somewhere in America, meaning the game should appear on the shelves around about June time. Mmmm, colonists in trouble. Hopefully it's a bit like Aliens, but on Mars.

Ubi Soft will publish MMORPG EverQuest II and recently confirmed RTS Lords of EverQuest in Europe this winter, the publisher announced yesterday. Although the games are developed by Verant and Rapid Eye respectively under the guidance of Sony Online Entertainment, SOE has a longstanding relationship with Ubi Soft - indeed, Ubi recently published the firm's massively multiplayer FPS PlanetSide in Europe.

Atari (sigh) has confirmed that Shiny "will be doing another Matrix game", but that it will be out "around Christmas 2004", and not at the end of this year to tie in with Revolutions as recent reports have suggested. However, one rumour we've heard has it that a special edition of recently released Enter The Matrix could be on store shelves for the release of the third Matrix movie, perhaps explaining the confusion.

Sony has finally confirmed it is to launch its PS2 broadband network gaming service on June 11th, with a variety of pricing options available.

A number of online sources are reporting that Nintendo will launch the successor to GameCube as early as Spring 2005, with the platform holder allegedly already talking about the new system with key external developers.

When Donkey Kong Country arrived oh so very long ago, its "ACM" visuals made the SNES look sexy in ways the Super FX chip and years of development had previously failed to do. But it was the entertaining platform game underneath the pretty packaging that kept the game's core fanbase and propelled the inevitable sequel through the sales stratosphere.

Enter The Matrix made it three weeks at the top, with very little movement anywhere else in the All Formats Top 40.

British games development may have had a tough time of late, but the boys up at Eutechnyx have carved themselves a respectable niche as a specialist driving games developer, working with the biggest names in the business. But after the redneck truckin' rampage that was Big Mutha Truckers we were somewhat surprised to find that the game's lead designer wasn't in fact a confederate flag-waving hick, but actually a softly spoken Geordie... how bizarre is that?

Arguably the best game that wasn't Half-Life 2 at this year's E3, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle had been set for release on July 18th in Japan. However, GameSpot reports that the game's official website has quietly knocked the game back until August 8th, offering no explanation for the change. Still, there's no need to worry just yet, because even the Euroshabby Nintendo probably realises the importance of releasing this one over here when they said they would - and not in March 2004, which would seem more realistic going on past experience...

Majesco has announced that Terminal Reality, developers of vampire 'em up BloodRayne, is taking over development of forthcoming side-scrolling shooter BlowOut. We're not quite sure why the reins were handed over to Terminal Reality from the French studio Kaos Kontrol, but it's possible that Majesco were displeased with the quite ridiculous spelling of the company's name.

Start cringing now. Capcom is working with Japanese movie production company Gaga Communications - who also have film rights for Onimusha and Tekken - on a Devil May Cry movie. With a budget of $40 million and shooting scheduled to begin in 2005, the companies are still trying to settle on a director and cast. Naturally, Capcom and Gaga "hope to reflect the original games, showing off the stylish Dante and Trish in action." Will they ever learn?