OMG HAX!

Now all they need is lines showing how the ball will bounce around the table, then it will be just like Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker.

Nice to see this coming to a game that isn’t racing or sports (or Halo 2). Sadly, it’s bound to fall prey to cheaters and exploiters just as much as any other online ranking system does, especially since it’s coming out on PC. Still, it’s a fun idea. The acronym H.O.R.S. ain’t the smartest though.

There will be very many different categories; so far, players who are the Highest Paid, Most Wanted, Fastest, Most Accurate, Create the Most Accidents and of course are simply the Best Hitman will be honoured.

Some people take their Christmas lights very very seriously. Seems like it’s done in real time too. The excellent music is by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. (nice find manero)

On the Official Xbox Magazine site, no less. It’s just as funny as the episodes, go read. You can of course watch said episodes on the BBC site, though sadly they’re using the horrid Real Player format. Anyone complaining about their Glaswegian accents gets a head butt.

They’re apparently keen to use a 65nm fab process which is driving chip prices up and yields down. We’re talking half the console price or more. This thing had better anihilate the Xbox 360 CPU or Sony are going to look really stupid. Right now it doesn’t look like that’ll happen, but then it’s up to a year away.

To expand on the heading, seems butterfly wings work like LEDs. Of course, nature does it a little better thanks to the wonders of evolution so scientists are looking to learn from that.

So says… Something Awful, in contrast to the 1-UP video. I mean, they’re right - you’re looking at several thousands of pounds to get the best out of this thing, right? Crazy.

I really like the 1-UP video reviews in here. They’re far, far superior to the dull, scripted GameSpot reviews and more informal than the fairly decent IGN ones. It’s like you asked a mate what he thinks of a game and they filmed the answer then threw in some footage. Relaxed but still informative.

Well, more comedy than drama. It’s not even that clever, I guess I’m just a sucker for macho humour.

While you’re at it, P.A.N.I.C.S. from the RvB guys is utterly great, I can’t believe I’ve only just noticed it. I loved the short they did on the F.E.A.R. special edition, I had no idea they made a full series. Seems they’re churning them out way faster than Strangerhood episodes too, probably because it’s quicker to record an FPS.

Kill it. KILL IT.

The Escapist continues to publish some fantastic, intelligent articles. Jim Rossignol treads familiar ground with his look at EVE and how the evils it allows go hand in hand with the freedom - I’m still wondering what the infamous Guiding Hand Social Club will pull off next.

Laura Genender’s look at anti-griefing in A Tale in the Desert is a very interesting piece - it’s about a group that planned to use griefing against a semi-legit exploiter who had monopolised a particular resource. The best MMOs are the ones where the developers throw out a framework and then let the players build upon that. Sure, it’s riskier, but ends up being far more fun than endless questing.

So says Chris Morris over at CNN. I’m getting that feeling all round too having now I’ve actually played some games. We’ll see great things from that console but the only game seriously tempting me right now is PGR3.