The same, of course, has gone on to be said about tablet computers and smartphones (although, it’s worth pointing out that for all the fuss over tablets, their market share remains relatively small).

So does all this mean that our beloved desktops, starting point for all gamers everywhere and for so long a mainstay of our daily lives are on the way out? Will PC World have to change its name to Laptops R Us? Could it all be over for Windows?

Probably not.

First of all, for all the processing punch that you can squeeze into a tablet or a laptop, desktop computers will always have so much more, primarily because it has much more space for all the hardware to squeeze into – just take a look at the desktop specs on PC World. Impressive. As games manufacturers, and manufacturers of just about anything to do with computers always make the most of the processing power available to them, desktops will always be the best for anything requiring a lot of power.

New for 2012: the ADVENT DT2111 Desktop PC

Then, there’s the fact that because you don’t have to move them, they can have better (maybe even 3D) screens. In fact, Sony has already released 3D screens for the Playstation, and it’s well known that other manufacturers are looking to do the same for computers. With the power available to users of desktops, surely 3D games are going to be at their best when run through a computer?

So we can be fairly confident that the desktop isn’t about to die, but that doesn’t mean it’s not about to change, possibly in significant ways. After all, anything that requires limited energy – like word processing, and surfing the internet (broadly speaking) is probably better on a laptop because you can do it anywhere you like, any time you like. Likewise, streaming videos will probably be shifted to televisions – after all, people have been predicting the end of televisions for years and we’re just too attached to them to let them go.

So, maybe the future of desktops lies in the specialist arena…graphics processing, gaming, film editing, in short, anything that requires a lot of get up and go (and most of the things that are the most fun) will still be using desktops. And long may it continue.

Even though the trailers and gameplay videos looked great I wanted to test the gameplay for myself, to see if it was as good as I imagined it could be, and wow, it's amazing! Once you master the short tutorial, which can be a little frustrating first time round, you will be running and jumping, slipping and sliding, all over the cityscape.

I played through the tutorial and the small portion of a mission they provide for the demo and on the first attempt I was falling, missing jumps and generally getting lost, but the second time around I was almost like Spiderman the way I leapt around the level. The controls are intuitive; one button for jump, one for duck and one for attack. You can use the buttons in combination to perform certain moves, for example L1 R1 L1 in quick succession allows you to run up a wall spin and grab an opposite ledge. You can also press L1 for jump then R2 in mid air for a kick, which is great if you jump and there is an enemy where you're about to land.

What I like most about this is that when I was being chased I really felt I had to run for my life, the first person view works extremely well in that regard. Levels in the demo are as you have seen in various trailers, crisp visuals, with not too many colours. White buildings, blue skies, red runner-vision items (these are what you need to look out for but not limited to using, when proceeding with your mission). I had some jerky redraw in some areas, but that maybe due to my standard definition tv, or at least I hope so.

This game looks impressive, and it is certainly on my forever growing list of games to purchase.

Treyarch have chosen to go back to WWII for the latest incarnation of the popular Call of Duty series and to be honest, it may not be everyone’s first choice but it's not a bad thing. There would have been more scrutiny if they had kept the Modern Warfare theme, and many comparisons would have been made. Call of Duty 5 (COD5) Uses the same game engine as Modern Warfare, so there are a lot of similarities, and COD4 fans will feel right at home with the game interface and menus, as they are very similar.

Once in game you notice that everything is gritty, the 3 maps on offer in the Multiplayer Beta are a small Japanese style castle and grounds, a train yard / shipping yard environment with battered locomotives littering the area and finally, a beach side fishing village with huts on stilts, and jungle surroundings. They are all very unforgiving environments, no real places to hide while reloading or recovering from being hit. Add the grittiness and tension it sometimes feels like a survival horror game!

Gameplay is pretty much as you would expect, and as mentioned earlier uses the same features as Modern Warfare, it is almost like a different time period in the same game. Differences are; Artillery Strikes which replaced Air Strikes, very forceful when they hit and have a haunting wail as they come in. Instead of the chopper attack, there are attack dogs, which I don’t like much, it only takes one or two hits from a dog and you die and they can't be eliminated in the same way the dogs in Call of Duty 4 can. The Dogs will find you no matter where you try to hide, and if you kill them they respawn for a certain time period, unlike the choppers, which you could shoot down.

Other features remain the same, challenges, ranking systems perks and weapon unlocking. One thing I do like is the Nemesis box on the results screen, it lets you know who killed you the most within that round so you can exact some revenge in the next round!

Weapons are standard WW2 fare, I noticed some players had Molotov Cocktails, and the fire effects are impressive, using your melee attack to knife other players just sounds more brutal than the swish sound they had in COD4. It is a shame the Flame Thrower is not featured in the Beta, as that looks like an impressive weapon.

Overall I think this will be a popular game, it is certainly better than both COD2 and COD3, only time will tell if it can top Modern Warfare in terms of popularity.

Video Games are often at the cutting edge of technology. The latest innovation to sweep the game playing masses is the motion controller. This takes six tiny accelerometers and uses them to work out how the controller is moving in real space.

The first time you take hold of the Wii's TV remote styles control, or the Playstation 3's Sixaxis controller, and play a game just my tilting and waggling the experience is almost magical.

After the success of Wii-Sports and Warhawk PS3 a slew of similar games started hitting store shelves. However, these are often less successful as they imitate the real innovations, and lack the investment, of the system selling launch games. After trawling through these various titles the last year, I thought I might try and shed some light on what makes or breaks these gesture based games.

For me the joy of controlling a game by movement alone is the simplicity and directness of the experience. The cause and effect gap that usually separates me from the game starts to disappear. The ball is hit towards me in Wii-Sports, so I simply wait for it to arrive then swing my racket to return it. No buttons, no training, no thinking, just me and the game working together.

This is best delivered when the controller’s motion match real life. Their beauty is that they are flexible enough to be shaped to fit the game you are playing. If these gestures are also in sync with, performed at the same time as, the game world you have a pretty special experience on your hands. Even though the controller might struggle at times, if it generally matches the movements you make you can start to play the game more instinctively. No one has to tell you how or what to play, the freedom of the controls simply invites experimentation.

Games that haven’t had the time and money to develop these nuances usually revert to

using waggles in place of button presses and stick movements. For me this makes a mockery of having a motion controller. What’s more the game would usually be better without the motion controls. Waggling is a rough science, and one not suited for accurate schemes that have been designed for button presses.

Golf games on the Wii present an interesting dichotomy. Some, such as the recent (and by no means poor) We Love Golf from Capcom provide a swing that is based on the player matching their motion to the on screen guide. This takes the usual button presses and replaces them with movements. Others, such as Tiger Woods throw the old control schemes out and simply ask that you swing the Wii-mote like you would a club.

Both these games provide polished enjoyable experiences and have obviously thought carefully about their controls. But for me the joy of the Tiger Woods free swing mechanic simply eclipses any other golf game controls. So much so, that I ended up selling my graphically superior 360 version simply because I couldn't bear playing it without the instinctive motions. And this is in-spite of the 08 version of Tiger on Wii being a pretty ropey game. Playing with some friends through the winter, we often encountered bugs that resulted in miss-scored holes, inaccurate ball lie and the odd crash. But we were happy to persevere because it was such fun to hit the ball.

This one-to-one real life motion control is few and far between, and for good reason. To produce a game like this requires a team devoted to refining the controls over the life of the development. Many were worried about the added cost of PS3 and 360 high definition graphics and surround sound. Ironically then, it is getting those Wii controls right that will cost the savvy teams most dearly. But make the investment here and the game is simply easier and more enjoyable to play. For a family audience this is invaluable as we can all genuinely enjoy video games together.

You may have noticed that I like to make a bit of a song and dance about games get these controls right in my reviews. Of recent note has been the brush painting in Okami, the one-to-one block nudging wonders of Boom Blox, the well matched motions of Family Ski and the excellent badminton sensitivity of Sports Island. These games are a handful out of the hundreds on offer that simply wouldn’t be as much fun without motion controls. Although they often cost a little more than the movie tie in, or cross platform re-releases, their hand crafted controls create a whole different experience to the tick the box waggling of less devoted developers.

Video gaming however often seems to be almost the opposite. Such is the clamour for new, bigger and better experiences that many defining gaming moments are lost in the past. Bringing my family and my handheld gaming together has made me rethink all this. As I introduce my kids to their first handheld and mobile games, I instinctively want to share the experiences I remember from my younger years.

So, rather than starting my kids (and other half) off on the PSP, DS or high end Nokia N series phones, I handed them a grey and maroon Gameboy from the early 90's. The great thing about this was that with no frame of reference they happily played the games on their own merit, rather than worrying about the 4 grey-scale graphics or basic synth soundtracks.

Weekends and evenings were spent trawling through my old Gameboy cartridges. They marvelled at each new discovery and I had my memory jogged as I reacquainted myself with my old games. I had forgotten how much enjoyment had been squeezed out of these 64 and 128k carts. No saving, no loading, no customisation, no multiplayer - just pure unadulterated fun. The jewel in the crown for me was laying my hands on Top Rank Tennis, a game I had all but forgotten. Just five minutes later I had again become addicted to this surprisingly flexible tennis game.

Top Rank Tennis from Nintendo doesn’t look like anything special. In fact it trots out that well worn forced isometric rendering of tennis court and players that has graced many handheld systems. I was soon reminded why I loved it so much.

Firstly, it accurately simulated the connection between player and ball. The trajectory of your shot depended on your shot selection combined with your relative position to the ball and button timing. These factors combined in miniature pixel precision to produce true nuanced ball control. I often found myself running round a back hand so I could drive a dipping forehand down the line, or backing up to smash away a dipping lob.

Secondly, it squeezed every last drop of control out of the old Gameboy. Not only did you have the standard top spin and flat shot on the A and B buttons, but it also used the Start and Select buttons in game to provide slices and lobs. (To pause the game you had to tap up twice before your serve). This flexibility combined with the believable physics to encourage real imaginative play. It sounds slightly absurd to say it, but I genuinely felt as in control of my game here as ever I did in Virtua Tennis on the 360.

Finally, although not impressive these days, back in the 90's Top Rank Tennis wowed gamers with real voice synthesized umpire commentary. The score and break/match points were enunciated for all to hear. All this from such a small cartridge, and less memory than my washing machine, still impresses me today.

I’ve been in the element over the last few weeks as the family vied for position, seeing who could climb highest up the Top Rank Tennis ladder. Breakfast conversations often turned to the merits of serve/volley versus a back court game, or the success of using chip and charge against different computer opponents. Admittedly some of the younger members of the family still prefer the simpler Gameboy games, but there is also plenty for them to play there as well.

In the weeks to come it will be interesting to see what they make of the newer handheld machines, and whether improved graphics and controls really make the games better. Top Rank Tennis on the Gameboy has certainly set the bar high.

But also, so I'm told, when you have parents it is just as obvious that they are not going to enjoy the same games as you. Everything from their available time, to their gaming history to their faltering senses means that they want something tailored to their needs.

Our families bring these varying expectations and desires together in the same pot. When these different people spend their free time together they can so easily pull in different directions and end up enjoying entertainment in different rooms of the house. But as I've discovered writing my regular Family Gaming article, there are some games that tend to unite rather than fragment the family unit. More interestingly for us pocket gamers, many of these games are played on handheld and mobile devices. Something about the low cost, simplicity of design and accessibility means that a wider variety of family members are happy to pick then up and play together.

I had a Eureka moment the other day when my four year old daughter wanted to have a go on my DS. Being a modern Dad, I handed her Mario Kart DS and sat back to see how she'd do. Needless to say about 15 minutes later the DS was flying across the room and Ellen was somewhat frustrated. Not the ideal introduction to my childhood hobby I had imagined.

Thinking the best thing to do would be to get back on the horse, I had a little chat with her about 'not throwing Daddy's toys across the room' and thumbed through my games collection with her. 'That one Dad, with the moon man', she had picked out Pac N Roll. I'm not sure whether it was something familiar about the Pac Man or if she just liked the bright colours, either way the choice was inspired.

It turns out that while the D-Pad and buttons required for Mario Kart DS were beyond her, the simple stylus interface of Pac N Roll went down a treat. The direct mechanic of stroking the bottom screen to control Pac's rolling, combined with the absence of other buttons, led to many hours of happy gameplay for Ellen. She had made the crossing into the weird and wonderful land of games.

But this got me thinking, why no-one had told me about this game's suitability before. And what other games might I be missing out on that would be great to play with her, or the rest of the family. With this in mind I thought it was time to a column that collected together a little bunch of like minded family gamers to share these valuable stories.

'Small Hands' is a guest post from Paul Govan at Game People

I have considered getting an mmorpg a number of times so when I was asked if I wanted to beta test Mythos (after mentioning it recently) I jumped at the chance.

Obviously reviewing (or previewing) an mmorpg is a tough task, it's not the sort of game you can complete, so this preview is based on my first 5/6 hours of play. So far I have managed to level up to level 8.

The first thing to point out is that Mythos is to be free. Once you create your account on the Mythos website (you have to be invited) you can download the game file (about 450 Meg) and play. Currently there are no clues as to how the game will be monetised but I suspect it will be through some sort of microtransactions within the game (buying items. clothing/ weaponry).

[photopress:Mythos_050608_10.jpg,thumb,alignleft]After installing the game you will probably want to change the game settings - this took me longer than the installation as the default settings on my laptop were full detail for everything, so the game ran at 3 frames per second on my laptop. I will probably try the game on my desktop computer but it would have been nice if I had been given a chance to set the detail levels in an environment that wasn't so processor heavy.

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Once you're logged in and playing you can go through the standard rpg character creation process. I chose a gremlin but there are 3 other races to choose from (human, cyclops, and satyr). You can also chose which game mode you want to play, normal (which I chose), Elite, Hardcore, and "Shadowlands Only", each mode being harder than the one before and offering different positives and negatives. This means you can play the game the way you want to play it, making it hard or easy as required.

[photopress:mythos_012508_14.jpg,thumb,alignright]The game starts quite smoothly with no long tutorials or cutscenes. You are quickly tasked with going into a vestry to return the undead to the soil from which they crawled and once complete are sent to the castle town, Stonehill. This is the primary world hub, where you can get new quests, buy/ sell and upgrade items, and access your storage chest.

One thing that interests me (and this is where my lack of mmorpg/ classic rpg experience shows), is the random dungeon generation. As you move from area to area the environments get loaded with random layouts. Going back to the hub city seems to reset the generation. This makes learning the levels more difficult but since the actual maps don't affect the gameplay I don't think it's a problem at all.

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The game seems to play mostly like a classic rpg. Complete quests, fight bad guys and monsters, and level up your character. The quests are generally fetch and carry, or rid an area of a certain monster/ monsters.

[photopress:Mythos_050608_01.jpg,thumb,alignleft]My biggest concern with the game is that there's a lot to take in for first time gamers. For a normal rpg I wouln't think this is a problem - but since this is free it has the potential to attract a much broader audience. Hopefully, since this is a beta, the extra dev time will allow them to improve the tutorial/ docs. Being a massive multiplayer game you can always ask if you get stuck, however currently the world is quite empty. I am not sure if this is due to the fact the game is a closed beta or that the game has been designed this way.

I haven't spent as much time with this game as I would if I was reviewing it, but so far I think Mythos has a lot of potential. Superficially it looks really nice (despite my having to reduce the graphics settings) and the game is fun to play.

Sierra, the publisher of both the Spyro and Crash games, had a press event last week and they announced a bunch of new versions of their most popular franchises, along with some fresh blood - namely Ghostbusters.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

Apparently Dawn of the Dragon is only the third game of the Spyro trilogy - I could have sworn there had been more...

Anyway the new game is going to be another platformer, this time Spyros adventure takes on an interesting twist.

In the final chapter of the trilogy, players find Sypro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy, to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master’s (voiced by Mark Hamill) evil envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfil his destiny and unlock the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his tracks.

On top of this the tiny pink dragon has some new tricks up his sleeve, namely flying at any time and cooperative play. For me the co-op play is the most interesting. I am a big fan of playing through the same game with other people - I loved going through Gears of War and the HALO series with my brother.

Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant

A new Crash game has been announced, and it's coming to all major formats (Wii, DS, 360, PS3, PSP) later this year. The game sounds like it has seen a major evolution since it's early platforming days. Mind Over Mutant will feature elements of Pokemon (collecting and rearing small mutants), and GTA (free roaming environment) - along with a new female companion and abilities new to the crazy marsupial.

Ghostbusters

A game with a mottled history. I think the fan love has done a lot to get it off the ground, and it looks like we won't be disappointed.

In December and January you always get people making Top 10 lists of their favourite games and I built up a collection of links to some of them as follows:

Arcade Town

ArcadeTown has made a Top 10 list for 2007 which includes Build-a-lot which was voted the no. 1 Action/Arcade Game of 2007 by Big Fish Games and also did really well on Reflexive Arcade. Another game in their list is Star Defender 4, which I've really been enjoying recently and plan to review soon. Note that you can also see their game awards going back to 2004! It's always worth checking out older years for gems too.

Reflexive Arcade

Reflexive Arcade has a different top 10, but it's crammed full of great games and is a bit more action oriented. I particularly recommend Peggle Deluxe, which is a unique and very addictive experience. The also pimped two of their own games: The Great Tree (review coming soon) and Ricochet Infinity (the ultimate incarnation of this successful franchise).

Gamezebo

The Gamezebo writers have all listed their favourite games of 2007, each with a little synopsis. Worth checking out.

Retro Games

If you are intro Retro Games then your should seriously check out the 2007 Retro Remakes Awards which contains a top game and an honourable mention for each month - so 24 games in all. Classics like Cybernoid and Wizball, amongst other greats, can be found in that list. Get downloading now!

Jay is Games

Jayisgames.com has made a huge list of the Best of Casual Gameplay 2007. There's a big list of different genres, each containing a list of nominated games and a winner. It's an extensive resource. Mainly it's flash games but there is a section for downloadable games too.

Freeware Games

Indiegames.com (formerly http://indygamer.blogspot.com/) has made MULTIPLE "best of 2007" lists including remakes, RPGs, platformers, adventure, action and other. These games are all freeware and there are some really amazing games in the lists. You can also find the same sort of lists for 2006 at the bottom of the page.

Game Tunnel

Oh, and a little while back I posted an article about Game Tunnel's Game of the year awards which you can check out if you missed it the first time.

Conclusion

Top 10 lists are a great way to find quality games to play for free or buy - I love them! The lists above probably contain enough games to keep you going all year until the next batch of lists come out. I hope you find them useful.

Of course there are many other top 10 lists out there, so please feel free to post them in the comments. Thanks!

He posts these games on his blog - Kloonigames.com.

Recently he started work on a deluxe version (you can see a gameplay video here) to one of his most popular experiments, Crayon Physics, and he was kind enough to answer a few of my slightly rubbish questions that I sent his way.

Hi Petri - let's start with the basics - who are you, where do you come from, and what's your favourite hot beverage?

Petri : I'm a Finnish computing science student. I was born 83 in Kouvola (New Jersey of Finland) and right now I'm living in Helsinki. My favourite hot beverage... that's a though one. I drink a lot of coffee, but I have to say that my favourite is hot blackcurrant juice. It's cool, because if you spill it, the stains look like blood splatters.

I've been playing the Crayon Physics Deluxe beta for a few of days now and I must say - I love the whole concept. Where did the idea come from... in fact where do all your ideas come from?

Petri : And I thought the favourite hot beverage question was though...

In crayon there have been so many different influences, but the biggest conscious one has to be Crockett Johnson's children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon. After I heard about it, I started thinking how could I turn that into an interesting game. Crayon
Physics was the product of that thinking.

Usually the ideas for my games come from many different sources. But I just looked back at the games I've done and noticed that a lot of late ones have been influenced by movies. So I could say that the ideas come from movies. But that's only part of the truth; the ideas come from anything that I happen find interesting.

It seems you're largely using open source and free software to develop the games. Care to share what software you use (in case anyone feels like following in your footsteps)?

Petri : The reason why I use a lot of open source code, is that there's really no point in trying to do something someone else has done and allows you to use. Especially if you're trying to do a game in a very limited time. Like I mostly do.

There is one bit of code that I quite frequently use, that isn't publicly available. And that's a game engine that I've coded. I use it mainly, because I don't want to recode a sprite class every time I do a game.

As for the software that I use. I code in Microsoft Visual C++ (both 6.0 and 2005) and I use Photoshop for my graphics. Pretty boring stuff.

All of your games have very unique distinctive graphics. Are these your creations and if so where do you get the inspiration for them?

Petri : Yeah, they're all made by me. The inspiration comes from various different sources. Usually it has something to do with the theme of the game. I surf through a lot of photos and try to find something that I can use in the game. Usually I just go, I'll make it all black and white so I don't have to worry about colors.

You recently released the first of this seasons prototypes, Bloody Zombies, another game that makes use of physics (albeit more simple ones). How did you fit so much blood into such small zombies?

Petri : Because the blood is all the same color I just used LZW compression.

Your games seem to inspire modders. Both Bloody Zombies and the original Crayon Physics prototypes have had graphics edited and even new levels made. Is this something you encourage (you seem to on your blog)? Do you build your games with this in mind or did it just kind of happen?

Petri : It's half on purpose and half not. Usually I'm creating a game in such a big hurry that I really don't have time to "think of the modders". If I have to make the decision to do something fast or to spend more time with it to make it more available for modders, I'm going to go with the speed. However I use very open and easily editable file formats, so that's probably the reason why there have been so many mods.

Also it could be that the games are so simple, that modding them isn't really all that difficult or time consuming. Weird thing is I get a lot Mario mods... Don't know why.

I assume that when you're not making games, you're playing them - so what games have you been enjoying recently?

Petri : I test a lot of different games, but I rarely spent more than an hour per game. Sometimes I do and I end up praising those games like a small maniac. Last addition to my compulsive praising list was Portal. It's a small gem of a game. I highly recommend it to everyone. And I really mean Everyone. In fact I have started dropping hand made notes to random mailboxes that say: "Play or Portal or you will die in a week". That's just my way of supporting fellow developers.

You are currently developing one prototype a month whilst working on Crayon Physics Deluxe. Where do you find the time and motivation to keep going?

Petri : I wonder that myself. The one prototype per month is easy. They are so short projects that it's more about finding enough time to do them, than about finding motivation. They practically do themselves once you get the ball rolling. No time to get unmotivated. Also if I don't have enough time, then I'll try to find something I can do in the time that I have.

Crayon Physics Deluxe is a different beast. Sometimes it's a bit more difficult to find motivation to work on it. But I'm usually eager to do stuff, because I want something done before my next testing session.

Do you have any time away from the computer for real world stuff (eating, sleeping etc)?

My student apartment is so small that I really don't have any other choice than to eat and sleep at my computer

Crayon Physics Deluxe is currently entered into the Independant Games Festival. Have you played any of the other games and what do you think your chances of success are? (fwiw I think they're pretty good)

Petri : I've played a bunch of them, Cinnamon Beats, Clean Asia, Cortex Command, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!... There are so many entries this year and the most interesting ones of them you can't play right now: World of Goo, Fez, Noitu Love 2.

My original plan was that I could probably get in to the finals through the student category, but that was before I saw the student entries. Those games are amazing, I didn't know there are so many talented students out there. The level of quality in the student category is more impressive than in the real category.

So now I'm thinking I have better change in main category, but I don't know. I'm somewhat pessimistic by nature, so if I make it to the finals I'm already a winner in my book.

Can you give away any sneek previews for this months Kloonigames prototype?

Petri : I haven't really started it yet. I still have way more than 7 days still left

Thanks for your time, and best of luck with the IGF.