I don’t find much time to play games, and rarely finish them, but here’s a list of some gaming related items that have caught my attention in the last 3 months or so:

• Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion on Xbox 360 – beautiful, deep, but also curiously artificial. Only about 10 hours into it, and I doubt I’ll ever find the time to get much farther. A pity as there’s so much to see
• Amped 3 on Xbox 360 – Underrated in my view. Huge mountains, loads of missions, bizarre (in a good way) cut scenes, and the controls just feel right. Great to just pick up and play for 1/2 an hour
• Battlefield 2 on the PC – I still keep coming back to this one. I don’t play it a lot, but I find little can compete with the feeling you get when you’re playing well. I’m rather anti social though… I don’t fly things, and I don’t join squads. I much prefer just being being a lone wolf (probably says something profound about me), and trying to help my side capture or hold bases
• Outrun 2006 on the PC – I loved Outrun 2 on the Xbox, and was disappointed that Outrun 2006 wasn’t available in any form for the Xbox 360. I waited for the PC version, and despite a few issues (such as stuttering audio with my Audigy 2 card unless I disable DirectSound acceleration), I’m very happy. Wonderful levels and handling, and it looks great on a good PC monitor. Arcade racing perfection – it’s like a child’s fantasy about driving a Ferrari brought to life on your screen
• Which brings me onto the Xbox 360 Wired Controller. The best joypad ever in my view, and it works in Windows (via USB), with Outrun 2006. Just a pity that the Wireless Controller bundled with the Premium Pack Xbox 360 doesn’t work with Windows, not even through the Plug & Charge (USB) kit
• My new GP2X is everything I hoped it would be. Perfect emulation of the Sega Megadrive, Atari ST, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, lots of other interesting programs, and expansion via SD card. Need I say more?
• As well as picking up a GP2X, I recently traded my Nintendo DS in for a DS Lite. I wouldn’t normally have bothered, but there were some great deals available, so once I factored in the bundled copy of New Super Mario Brothers, the upgrade only cost me £34.99. No regrets as the screens are much improved, and the smaller form factor works very well. And I can’t help but notice, that it looks rather like a new Apple Macbook that has been shrunk in the wash