As you are probably aware, Electronic Theatre operates both online and as physical, high-street retail outlets. Many people use both services but for those only visiting online I felt that it would be nice to keep you updated as to what the buzz is, and what people are talking about in Electronic Theatre Retail Outlets. I will keep you updated with the in-store community each month, hopefully enlightening you as to what other people are playing and what is important to them, and us, in a game.

With Christmas upon us there have been lots and lots of AAA titles released in the last few weeks. Some of them will become known as classics, others will not stand the test of time; but they are all games that are on peoples’ minds at the moment. As this is the first instalment in my new regular series, I’ve decided to keep things simple, and simply bring you a rundown of those titles which are considered the hot-picks of Christmas 2007.

Super Mario Galaxy

Welcome to Super Mario Galaxy – an amazing and fun place to visit for everyone! Not in the least surprising, there has been an amazing amount of interest in this game and they have been flying out of the door, not a single person has been back with negative feedback! A suspected result when dealing with Mario Platform titles. Another must-have for every Wii gamer.

Assassin’s Creed

With Graphics described by many as “playing a film”, there has not been much disappointment with the release of Assassin’s Creed. Being able to free-roam and climb nearly anywhere in a Crouching Tiger; Hidden Dragon way this game truly appeals to the masses. Using stealth, skill and brutal violence you must negotiate missions to become the ultimate assassin. Lots of people visiting Electronic Theatre have felt that they were up to the challenge – ARE YOU?

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

By many of our customers, the latest instalment has been described as the best in the series. Graphically the game is far superior and with new features, such as being able to shoot straight through thin walls, realism has been added that previously simply was not there.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect is brought to you by the same team responsible for the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic series on Xbox. The first in a suggested trilogy and although the universe is not as large to begin with as that seen in Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, there is huge potential and will expand over time.

WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2008

Truly a huge game, it is packed with so many features that I can not list them all but feel free to read WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2008 In-depth Review. Packed with options to cutomise pretty much anything, there is almost no need to buy any other Wrestling game as the possibilities are almost infinite. The High Flyer Edition was very popular at Electronic Theatre Retail Outlets, with a free T-shirt, Collectors Edition Postcards, Players Guide and 2008 Calendar all for the typical price of the standard copy.

Need For Speed: Pro Street

There has been much interest in the new title from the Need For Speed series. Need For Speed: Pro Street is track-based rather than on the highways allowing for even closer comparisons to the likes of the Juiced and Project Gotham Racing series. You are able to buy, modify and race cars both within the one player game and also online. A must have for any car enthusiast, but from what has been said in-store it is not a must have for any gamer.

Mario & Sonic At The Olympics

As a child of the 1980’s I simply can not believe that the day has arrived that both Mario and Sonic are together in a game! This game will be the natural successor to Wii Sports due to the variety of game-play and the controls. It has been much talked about in the shop and some people have simply entered to tell me how great it is that Mario and Sonic are together – it really brightened up their day! This has already been a great success and I am sure that this will continue well into the New Year.

The Orange Box

The Orange Box is amazing value, given that there are five games on one disc; including Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2. For this reason, and also the fact that each game is an exemplary performer in its own right, they have been simply flying out of our stores. I was amazed when I tried Portal for the first time. The idea and the technology simply has never before been seen in any game ever! The technology is so impressive that it’s been reported that even NASA have licensed it!

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… STAND OFF!

Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock

This is the next instalment of the extremely popular series. Unsurprisingly we sold out on day one of release as people had been pre-ordering months in advance. If you are unfamiliar with the Guitar Hero series, a specialist Guitar Controller is used to play along with songs. Very similar in design to most Dance Mat games, and the GameCube’s Donkey Konga series, there is a time line that shows you which buttons to press at the correct moment. Guitar Hero is definitely here to stay.

The Simpsons Game

As if you haven’t heard that this had been released! Probably one of the most recognised families in the world in a game…. again. Most The Simpsons fans rushed out to buy this, some talked about getting it, and went out to buy it later, and other people just bought it simply because it was The Simpsons. Either way, it has been a very popular release - and also created a lot of speculation before release. It is just another Platform game, but one that is full of funny Cut-Scenes, hilarious one-liners and fart jokes!

Retro Gamer

20/12/07

Return to the Articles Archive 2007 here.

 Each of these articles has been written either independently of Electronic Theatre or by an external viewer. The opinions discussed in these articles in no way reflects the opinions of Electronic Theatre.

If you wish to inquire about pricing of any titles for these formats not listed on this site, drop me a line at kjoyce@electronictheatre.co.uk