Guy Cocker

Flock is a new browser that my brother set me onto, and it looks pretty nifty. You can pull content from all your networking sites (Flickr, Facebook, WordPress etc) all from one simple interface. For example, you can post a photo on Flickr and then physically pull it across to one of your friends to see on Facebook. I’ll be checking more of it now, but it already looks like it will be one of my new favourite programs.

My brother has been working on these cool little dolls for an arts project called ‘Cakes and Crafts’. He gave me one as a gift on my last visit home, so I took some photos of the little monster lounging on my mum and dad’s leather chair.

Gil’s currently entering his last year at Edinburgh College of Art, and has been hand-making the dolls to sell locally at Sofi’s Bar in Leith. He’s posted about the story on his blog here.

DS, Available now, £29.99

Mario Hoops is a basketball game starring the portly Italian plumber, but apart from having two nets and a ball it doesn’t have much in common with the real sport. The game is controlled via the DS touchscreen, with an emphasis on making choreographed runs to the net to score extra points. The single-player game is easy and unspectacular, but the game comes alive in multiplayer, where you can share a variety of games from one cartridge. It’s also the best looking game on the DS, even if the touchscreen doesn’t quite offer the required precision.

Originally appeared in the November 2006 issue of Hotdog magazine.

Xbox 360 (version tested), PS2, Available now, £39.99

If Grand Theft Auto and Far Cry got drunk and horny, Just Cause would undoubtedly be the lovechild. The main point of the game is to topple the corrupt government of San Esperito, but half of the fun is exploring the fictitious island and taking part in the side missions. You can parasail from any vehicle thanks to a grapple hook, and if you get bored you can become a prominent member of a drug cartel. However, as with many games this ambitious, there are a mountain of bugs, and it just isn’t as much fun as the games that inspired it.

Originally appeared in the November 2006 issue of Hotdog magazine.

PS2 (version tested), Xbox, PC, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS, GameBoy Advance. Available now, £29.99-£39.99

The FIFA series may sell by the truckload, but it has long been chasing Pro Evolution Soccer as the critics’ football game of choice. This year, EA Sports is genuinely approaching Konami’s masterpiece, with a superb new first-touch control system that makes the game more realistic without ruining the fun. If you’re online, real-world football updates are delivered in-game, and you can mirror the season by playing weekly fixtures against people from all over the world. Add in the option to manage your favourite team and transfer your season to a PSP, and this is without doubt the best FIFA to date.

Originally appeared in The Telegraph, 11th November 2006.