337 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
337 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
technology
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video-games
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7737193
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# Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review
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## Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an enjoyable adventure, which
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can't help but feel somewhat dated.
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][1]
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Image 1 of 7
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Nothing to do with the film: The only thing the new Prince has in common with
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Mr Gyllenhall is his wardrobe
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][2]
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Image 1 of 7
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Dust storm: Compared to its predecessor's pretty cell-shaded graphics, the new
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game's veneer is a little bland
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][3]
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Image 1 of 7
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Magical abilities: As the game unfolds, players gain access to attacks such as
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the shattering whirlwind
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][4]
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Image 1 of 7
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Getting better all the time: the elemental attacks can also be upgraded to
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dish out even more damage to opponents
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][5]
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Image 1 of 7
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Have at you: The boss battles are suitably epic in scope if a little on the
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easy side
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][6]
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Image 1 of 7
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Have at the lot of you: The swordplay in the game is somewhat lacklustre
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![Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands video game review][7]
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Image 1 of 7
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The heir takes to the air: Once again the Prince's parkour skills are present
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and correct
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[![Tom Hoggins][8]][9]
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By [Tom Hoggins][10] 5:05PM BST 18 May 2010
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[Follow Tom Hoggins on Twitter][11]
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[Comments][12]
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**Formats:** Xbox 360 (tested), PS3, PC
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**Developer:** Ubisoft
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**Publisher:** Ubisoft
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**Released:** 21 May 2010
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**Score:** 7/10
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"It's not the game of the film," we're told of The Forgotten Sands, though you
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can see where the confusion begins. The game is released on the same day as
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Bruckheimer's blockbuster, and while our digital hero doesn't share Jake
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Gyllenhaal's likeness, he has at least been ruffling through his wardrobe.
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But no matter. Timing and aesthetic dalliances aside, Forgotten Sands is very
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much its own thing: yet another reboot of our lithe Prince. We were here just
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two years ago, the last time Ubisoft decided to give our royal hero a
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makeover. And with yet another image change, you start to wonder if the
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developers are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in order to placate
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... well, I'm not sure who, exactly.
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At least this time there is a goal: to turn back the clock seven years and
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recapture the magic of Sands of Time, widely regarded as the series high
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watermark. So all traces of [2008's Prince Of Persia reboot][13] has vanished;
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the pretty cel-shading, the roguish Prince, the instant restarts by the hand
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of the gorgeous Princess Elika. All gone, replaced with last generation's
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time-reversal mechanic and a smattering of new ideas.
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Ultimately, though, we're on familiar ground - or walls - here. The Forgotten
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Sands goes old-school, relegating its story (the Prince's brother, Malik,
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unwittingly unleashes a demonic sand army into his palace, you have to send it
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back) to brief interstitial cutscenes. Its only logic is to push you on,
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throwing up new challenges and granting you new powers at key points.
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## Related Articles
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* [Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood review][14]
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26 Nov 2010
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* [Assassin's Creed II video game review][15]
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01 Dec 2009
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* [Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines video game review][16]
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17 Dec 2009
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* [The Saboteur video game review][17]
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16 Dec 2009
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* [Splinter Cell Conviction preview][18]
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05 Jun 2009
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* [Prince Of Persia review][19]
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02 Dec 2008
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Otherwise it's the same wall-running and pole-swinging that made the Prince
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such a hit. Though you perhaps wouldn't guess it from the game's opening,
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dropping you into a depressingly brown, war-torn castle. It's a typically
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bombastic opening; swathes of soldiers smash into each other below the rampart
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you're standing on, and in the middle distance, a horde of guys in armour come
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charging your position, spoiling for a rumble.
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Prince of Persia has never been renowned for its combat and The Forgotten
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Sands isn't about to challenge the perception. Swordplay isn't terrible as
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such, but it is rather uninspiring. The Prince attempts to swing with
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elegance, pirouetting in between enemies before smacking them upside the head.
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But he moves as if cutting through treacle; slow and slightly laboured. In
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your hands it's gluey and unresponsive. It has its moments; booting a skeleton
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off a ledge is always good for a laugh and the Prince can cheerfully jump on
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the heads of these ghouls, hopping between each one before flipping into the
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air and ramming his sword down an exposed gullet.
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So the combat is gloopy and a little bland, but not entirely unpleasant -a bit
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like rice pudding. But, and not looking to labour an analogy, we need a juicy
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dollop of jam to sweeten things up. The Prince's greatest strength has always
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been his heady, exhilarating form of parkour. Scuttling across and up walls,
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swinging from handy poles, defying gravity and death as he scoots over
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spinning razor blades sweeping across walls (Persia's essential home defence
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accessory). Hurling the Prince across great chasms is as easy and approachable
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as ever, and it becomes clear where the focus in the game's engine lies. While
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this could have gone someway to explain the rather disparate fighting, with
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the two disciplines never quite feeling part of the same whole, The Forgotten
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Sands uses the same engine as [Assassin's Creed II][20], a game in which the
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climbing and combat always felt connected. Quite what has been lost in
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translation is unclear, but it remains a regular blemish on the series.
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The platforming is enjoyable and familiar enough. Maybe too familiar, The
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Sands of Time is seven years old, and throughout your first hours of The
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Forgotten Sands, the template can show its age. To pepper the clambering with
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some variation, the Prince is granted the power to solidify water which gushes
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out all over the place in Malik's palace. Waterfalls become walls to run on
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and spurts become convenient swinging poles. It's a neat trick, but quickly
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starts to feel like just another button to hold down as you negotiate the
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palace's terrain. And it's all rather charmless, as the Prince (a prissy twit,
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it has to be said), in his brown vest, runs across a brown wall up to a brown
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ledge where he fights some brown ghouls. It's all a bit dull, frankly, and you
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start to wonder just what this new makeover brings to the Prince of Persia
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canon, aside from pounding old ground. And brown.
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But then, the game blooms. Slowly, at first. A growing confidence in ideas
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begins to mould more elaborate playgrounds. The odd cinematic set-piece raises
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the pulse. That water mechanic starts to make a great deal more sense, as you
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flip across frozen poles, re-liquefying the water to leap through a tumbling
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waterfall, solidifying it again to grab the next spurt of water guiding your
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path. Giant, head-scratching clockwork puzzles break up the action. And before
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you know it, colour starts to creep into the environments; detailed baths,
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tiled in blue and gold mosaic; luscious green roof gardens, and an arresting
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scene as the Prince clambers up the outside of the palace, spires twisting
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below while the Persian sun glistens on the horizon. It's a shame that the
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time-rewind isn't used to more effect than just correcting mistakes and
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bringing you back from the dead, but further powers add kinks to the
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platforming. Even the combat starts to pick up, with a pleasant upgrade muddle
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of elemental powers to unleash on your ghastly enemies.
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As the game reaches its zenith, you find yourself propelled forward, enjoying
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a new-found sense of pacing. That stodgy opening but a distant memory as all
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the powers you have gathered coalesce into a formidable arsenal, tackling huge
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vertical puzzles that get bigger and more intricate, with your fingers needing
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to be as nimble as the Prince on screen. By the end, the Prince is still the
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same twit, but the world he inhabits has developed a character, even if it can
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take a while to reveal itself.
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So, yes, to an extent, The Forgotten Sands does capture some of that Sands of
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Time magic. That's a credit to Ubisoft and the game's greatest strength, but
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also its biggest flaw. That we have to go back to 2003 for inspiration says a
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lot about Prince of Persia, a video game series seemingly stuck in a cycle of
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identity crises. As a game in the here and now, The Forgotten Sands can feel
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dated, its hero outshone by glossy new kids on the block like Nathan Drake.
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The Forgotten Sands is certainly fun while it lasts, but you can't help but
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wonder where next for our fair Prince of Persia. It's a puzzle that cannot be
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solved by just another makeover.
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[X][21] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][22]
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* Share: [Share][21] [ ][23] [ ][24]
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[Tweet][25]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/7737193/Prince-of-Persia-
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The-Forgotten-Sands-video-game-review.html
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Telegraph
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## [Video Games][26]
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* ### [Technology »][27]
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* ### [Microsoft »][28]
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* ### [Sony »][29]
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* ### [Tom Hoggins »][9]
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* ### [Technology Reviews »][30]
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In technology
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[![Brink hands-on preview][31] ][32]
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### [UK video game chart 16 May 2011][32]
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[X][21] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][22]
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Share:
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* [ ][21]
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* [ ][23]
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* [ ][24]
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* [Tweet][25]
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* Advertisement
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![][33]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][34] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][35]
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[![Follow The Telegraph on social media][36]][37]
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Advertisement
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sponsored features
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Loading
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## [VIDEO GAME TRAILERS »][38]
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### [Renegade Ops - Teaser Trailer][39]
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[![Renegade ops game][40] ][39]
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Renegade Ops puts players in a mobile commando unit sent behind enemy lines to
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defeat Inferno, a madman intent on global domination.
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### [Exclusive: LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - official trailer][41]
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### [Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Escalation DLC Trailer][42]
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### [LA Noire - new trailer][43]
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### [FEAR 3 - 'Ides Of March' Trailer][44]
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### [Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Reverie DLC Trailer][45]
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### [Forsaken World - launch trailer][46]
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### [Star Wars: The Old Republic - Fate Of The Galaxy trailer][47]
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### [Spanking video game pulled from UK][48]
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### [LA Noire Gameplay: Investigation and Interrogation][49]
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### [Call Of Duty: Black Ops - 'Berlin Wall' DLC trailer][50]
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TECHNOLOGY ADVICE AND REVIEWS
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### [Samsung Galaxy Tab: Review][51]
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[![Samsung Galaxy Tab][52] ][51]
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Slick, well-designed and highly usable - it's clear that Samsung's new Galaxy
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Tab tablet computer represents a real challenge to Apple's iPad
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### [Photoshop Elements 9 review][53]
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### [Just Dance 2 video game review][54]
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Advertisement
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Classified Advertising
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* [Cars][55]
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* [IT Jobs][56]
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* [Events][57]
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