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Gamemonger, the home of news about gaming and all things related to gaming. Endeavouring to bring you almost-objective news in a near-timely fashion. Will predominately be about PC-related games, but if anyone has a suggestion for a good console article, just let me know!

Christmas Gaming Ideas - Part II

November 28th 2007 11:30
Time for some more Christmas gaming ideas, what with December only a few days away. Can't leave it too late, can we...

Trade & Save - It may seem like an unusual idea, but it could save you a few hard earned dollars. Have a close look at your old games or, dare I say it, your kids old games, and ask the important questions. Do you still need them? Do you still play them? If the answer is no to both, then what better way to improve your chances of playing Call of Duty 4 or Need for Speed Pro Street this holiday season than trading in your old titles towards them.

You've got a few options, though, so don't go rushing. EBGames will get you some way towards it, as will GAME. But consider an alternative or two. If you're yet to hear of them, Gametraders is a good place to start. These guys sell everything you can think of, new and old, NES to Wii and more. Better yet, you can trade in your really old and rare titles for fair prices, something you can't do at your regular game store.


And then there's JB Hi-Fi, who recently joined in the trade-in hype. Here's the cool thing, you can trade in towards anything in the store. So if you're tired of gaming, why not trade towards the latest Stargate DVD collection. Cool, huh? What's better, the second hand prices are far nicer to the hip pocket than EB, so if you're looking for a cheaper way to pick up a Wii, 360 or PS2 title, JB's a good place to look.

Platinum Titles - For all the recent releases, there's an absolute ton of classics out there that shouldn't be left out of your collection. Whether it be PS2, Xbox, GBA or PC, there's plenty of great content to get your teeth into, and at a far cheaper price. Remember, cheap doesn't mean bad. It all depends on what you're interested in and what you've already played. If you're new to gaming, don't let the older graphics design of, say, Diablo II or Advance Wars cramp your style. If anything, they're as good if not better than much of this years releases. Think of them as stocking fillers ... but if you're getting it for someone else, better make sure they haven't played it in secret when they should have been studying.


Sales, Sales, Sales - Ok, so you don't have anything to trade and you want to spend some time on Assassin's Creed. Well, you're next best idea is the obvious one ... shop around. Don't get all lazy and spend the full retail price at EB for a game that you can easily get for $20 less at another location. Your best bets are JB (of course) and Big W, but as it's the season to be jolly, you might get lucky at Kmart, Myer, EB and GAME. Just always be on the lookout for those catalogues.

And don't forget online either. Stores have a habit of running out of stock just when you need it, so if you can't find what you're looking for, check out JB Online, DVD Crave and, hell why not, EBay.
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Greenpeace Ranks Nintendo Last

November 28th 2007 10:25
Here's an interesting one. Greenpeace believes Nintendo, of all the world's electronics companies, is the worst when it comes to 'going green'.

You can find all your necessary details via the good folks at Aussie-Nintendo.com, but to put it short, Nintendo was rated the worst in eliminating PVC's and fire-preventing chemicals from their warehouses, among other things. In fact, Nintendo was rated a zero out of a possible ranking of 10, where as the likes of Dell, Sony and Samsung ranked the highest, at 7.5.

In fact, of the three main gaming providers, Sony-Ericsson was the only solid score, with the third link in the chain, Microsoft, ranking just under a 3. Now I know some of you readers out there are keeping a close eye on our environment, so this comes as a bit of a surprise considering Nintendo is such a massive business right now, but at least Sony are supporting the initiative strongly. Here's hoping the Big N and Billy Gates work on this problem over the coming months.
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Wii Ready to Pounce

November 24th 2007 02:15
Many of the big pre-Christmas titles have hit the market world wide already, but few have been released upon Nintendo's hit console, the Wii ... until now.

As of this week, one of the biggest and most anticipated titles of all time will finally be unleashed, and the timing couldn't be better. I speak of none other than Super Mario Galaxy, a title which has already garnered a ton of critical praise for its unique use of the Wii control system, combined with the classic Mario presentation that has stood the test of time.

Super Mario Galaxy
Mario's Back, Baby Yeah!!!


As I said, the timing couldn't be better for the Wii. The likes of Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III, Assassin's Creed and Halo have all played their hands, leaving Mario's next outing with plenty of opportunities to impress without other titles taking away from its launch.

But that's not all. Link's Crossbow Training and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles are also due for launch before the end of the year, and both utilise the new Wii gun attachment, for those gamers who can't get enough of the old arcade shooter style.

Nintendo Wii Zapper
The Wii Zapper ... Neat Little Tool of Destruction


Of course, there's no guarantee that the Wii will take home the Christmas sales #1 position, but when you consider Big Brain Academy launched with little fanfare and is already a top seller for the console, amid a ton of competition, then you can imagine how big Mario Galaxy will really be. More on Mario's return later in the week.
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The Real Election - Mario vs Sonic

November 22nd 2007 10:58
Ok, so it isn't an election, but as of today, the fight to be crowned the greatest of all time begins ... kinda.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games officially launched today on Nintendo Wii, the first time both classic mascots have met face to face in an official title. It's all based around changing the face of those old Olympic based video games that no-one ever played, you know the ones? With all the sports that never translated well


[ Click here to read more ]
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Christmas Gaming Ideas

November 17th 2007 01:08
No matter where you turn, you know it's christmas at this time of the year. Whether it be the old decorations gracing the same spots they always have in your local shopping centre, or the dreaded S. Clause coming out of hibernation. Or, worse, the constant stream of bad music pumped out of those tiny mono speakers ... I shudder just thinking about that.

Anyway, the good news is, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing your fellow gamer (or yourself, go on, admit it) a present to spend the holiday season on. But there's a few bargains out there that shouldn't be overlooked, so over the next few weeks, I'll be hunting around and giving you all some ideal suggestions ... just in case you really are stuck for thought


[ Click here to read more ]
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Answering the call: Ghostbusters Return

November 16th 2007 08:07
Well it's about time, that's all I can say. The Ghostbusters, an 80's classic that defined my very existence as a child, are returning ... to the game screen, no less.

The real sequel has been on again and off again so many times over the years, it's actually a little surprising that this has finally come about. Vivendi and Sony will publish the game across just about every major platform, with two teams working on two versions. Terminal Reality will work on the 360, PS3 and PC editions, while Red Fly Studio have been handed the task of bringing a more family oriented version to Wii, DS and PS2


[ Click here to read more ]
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Guitar Hero vs Rock Band Round 2

November 10th 2007 23:59
Let's skip past the obvious 'Guitar Hero III is out now' news, and get down and dirty into the more important topics, as round 2 of this epic battle takes place...

Activision, from all accounts, have put together a worthy sequel in the franchise, and the good news is, there's even MORE room for improvement. While just about everything is as it was before, the addition of online play modes and 'boss battles' certainly adds some much needed spice to the franchise. And, of course, the wireless guitar works wonders


[ Click here to read more ]
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What's up, Traveller's Tales?

November 8th 2007 11:53
Warner Brothers are the new owners of TT Games, parent company to LEGO Star Wars creators, Traveller's Tales. The good news is this latest ownership news will not cease previous partnerships made by the company, namely the highly successful Star Wars series (The Complete Saga is on store shelves as of wednesday, as you know) and the upcoming LEGO Indiana Jones, another title co-developed with LucasArts.

So why the ownership? Clearly TT are onto a winning formula, and when you associate a mainly children's game developer with one of the biggest names in children's animation ... well you can see where I'm going. But in truth, why not? Everyone else is doing it


[ Click here to read more ]
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Game of the Week: November 5 - 9

November 8th 2007 11:30
I know what you're thinking. How could Gamemonger possibly find one game out of the stack of big releases this week?

Or 'How can Guitar Hero III not win


[ Click here to read more ]
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November has just begun and, taking a look at this weeks release, you'd be forgiven for thinking Christmas has come early this year ... come to think of it, Christmas came last month. I mean, who buys decorations in October?

So anyway, we've got Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, The Simpsons game on just about every format imaginable, Guitar Hero III (which I'll be taking a closer look at later this week), Big Brain Academy on Nintendo Wii, The Lego Star Wars is complete (another game I'll be looking into for sure), and Pro Evo returns for 2008. Hell, even Dirty Dancing is getting a release this week


[ Click here to read more ]
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