Wii Wish You a Merry Game-filled Christmas

Liverpool Echo

Do you remember Sonic the Hedgehog on the Megadrive, Tetris on the Game Boy, and maybe even asteroids on the Atari?! The video gaming industry has advanced leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, leaving some of us struggling to keep up with our WiFi and wiimotes and whatsits.

Gaming and games consoles are now a huge business and Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are battling it out to top this year's Christmas wish lists. New video game consoles come out every few years from each of these manufacturers, and each new version brings with it sharper graphics, more powerful performance and more diverse functions.

The recent UK launch of the XBox 360 Elite plus price drops across other XBox editions may sway many, while others will be drawn towards the strong brand image of the Wii and the possibility of working off those Christmas pounds thanks to its unique controller and Sports package.

Sony, however, hope that the recent launch of a cheaper 40GB PS3 model will provide an attractiveentry point to the world of High Definitiongaming and movies.

If you're looking for a Christmas gift or you just want to treat yourself, check out five of this season's front-runners.

NintendoDS Lite, RRP pounds 99.99The Nintendo DS Lite is a sleek and sexy updateof the popular portableconsole, fully compatiblewith all existing Nintendo DS (and Game Boy Advance) games but smaller,sleeker and lighter. The DS Lite is available in three separate colours -sleek black and white mayhave been the must-havelook this summer, but nowit's all about pink. NintendoDS Lite retains theadvanced touch screen technology,allowing players to control the software with a stylus or even their finger, as well asdual screens, voice recognitionand Wi-Fi capabilities.

Weighing nearly 60g less than theoriginal, it is just two thirds of the size of the original Nintendo DS, and features adjustable screen brightness with four settings, a repositionedmicrophone for ease of use and a larger and more comfortable stylus. Thisconsole is perfect for everyone regardless of age, gender and gaming skills. Most popular games includeNintendogs, Brain Training and Metroid Prime Hunters.

Sony PSP Slim and Lite, RRPpounds 129.99 The PSP hasan impressive arrayof functions for a portablegaming device. The console itself and availableadd-ons mean that it can have a camera, digitalTV receiver, web browser and GPS, as well as playing games with better graphicsthan any other comparablehandheld device.

The reworked andimproved PSP Slim and Lite console is 33% lighterand 19% thinner than its predecessor, and is equippedwith a video-out port, allowing users to viewtheir PSP content on their home television. ThePSP is an elegant portable device that excels at playing games and is a good music player, video playerand photo viewer.

Nintendo Wii plus Wii Sports Pack, RRP pounds 179 With the Wii, Nintendo have taken allthe very best bits of theGamecube, improved uponthem and added new dimensionsof functionality. Theunique controller - the'wiimote' as it is now popularly known - is the defining feature of this console and offers a levelof interactivity never before achieved on a home system.

The motion-sensitive, wirelesspointing device can be adapted to an impressiverange of game formats, including tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing.

The Wii also boasts some fantasticplatform games such as Super Paper Mario, an incredibletake on the traditional2D side scrolling plumber's adventures, with the ability to flip everythingto reveal an altogetherdifferent 3D world.

It's a brilliant, innov-ative touch, which combined with fantastic graphics and thekind of gameplay only Mariogames can create, resultsin one of the best Wii titles to date.

XBox 360 Elite System,RRP pounds 299.99 Xbox 360 Elite is the newest addition to the Xbox family that includes a huge120GB hard drive. TheXbox 360 has three powerfulcore processors for fantastic graphics, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, antialiasingfor smooth textures, full surround sound and DVD playback right outof the box.

In addition to playing games and movies, the Xbox360 can streammusic andvideo from a wide varietyof electronic devices, including iPods and the Sony PSP. One of the main appeals of Microsoft'sconsole is Xbox Live, whichallows gamers to face each other head-to-head online and download classicarcade games.

Internet access via theXbox 360 also allows users to download movie trailers, game demos, music videos, TV shows and more.

It's probablyan understatement to say that Halo 3 is the most eagerly anticipated console game for years. In this third and final adventure with Master Chief you'reout to save the humanrace, all done with incredible weapons plus more vehicles, characters and challenges. The single player story is outstanding,but it's the multiplayer mode that make this game really stand out fromthe crowd.

Sony PlayStation 3 Console, 40GB Core Version, RRPpounds 299 The PlayStation 3 brings a new worldof High Definition gamingto the home. When connectedto a HD television the picture quality is flawlessly crisp and clear,and it has both Blu-rayand HD DVD compatibility,with up to 80GB of memory.

Blu-ray's vast storage capacity supportsthe large data requirements of high-definition games and movies anddelivers pristine picturequality.

Its Cell Broadband Engine delivers an incredible gaming experience, 40 timesfaster than the chip found inside the PlayStation2 console.

The PlayStation 3 and PSP are designed to worktogether, so you can easilyexchange media such as photos, videos and musicfrom your PS3 system toyour PSP. To make the most of the PS3 get your hands on Resistance: Fall of man, Motorstorm, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and,coming early next year,Grand Theft Auto IV.

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