The Conduit - First Person Shoot 'em Up On The Nintendo Wii

Right on the front of the box is a quote from IGN claiming that this is "the best shooting game on the Wii" so I had no choice but to buy it and give it a go!  Two and a half hours later and I was still playing it so I guess they could be right!

You take the role of Agent Michael Ford, working for a Government Department known as The Trust.  Your in a bunker and your fellow Agents seem to have been taken over by some sort of Alien technology so you have no choice but to kill them with the weapons and munitions you find around the underground bunker.

I've played games such as Call of Duty on the Wii (I still own one of them) but to be honest, for me their too realistic as the wars they are set in are still in 'recent' history so I find them a little bit disrespectful/distasteful and that puts me off playing them.

The Conduit reminds of the good old days before such COD type games existed and you have missions to go on that involve blowing the brains out of aliens and such like as you progress through the many different levels - a 'Doom Style' game (as I call them) and it's absolutely fantastic!  The graphics and gameplay are brilliant and there's plenty of different weapons to get to grips with, but be careful if you have an itch as when I scratched my head with my hand that had the nun-chuck in a inadvertently threw a grenade and blew myself up!

Wii Mans Game Rating

Fun Factor: 8/10 – First person shoot 'em ups don't come much finer than this!
Playability: 9/10 – Wii Controller & Nun-chuck required - don't scratch you head else you might throw a grenade though...
Gameplay: 8/10 – The first time I put in the disk I spent hours playing this game so it must be good!
Graphics: 6/10 – The graphics are just as good as any other Wii game out there with nothing outstanding to give it a higher rating
Sound/Music: 8/10 – Atmospheric sound(s) in this game increase the overall gaming experience and help make this game fantastic!

All-in-all a great game, but there's still something missing that I cant quite put my finger on as yet that would make this game so much better.

Overall 39/50

Apple iPhone 4 on Vodafone

I am now the proud new owner of Apple's iPhone 4 and I have to say it's the best gadget I have ever brought!  Not sure how it rates as a phone as make/recieving phone calls is a bit redundant for a lot of people these days as text messages and social networking on Twitter and Facebook are becoming more commonplace.

A lot of people who get an iPhone or iPad moan about having to use iTunes to copy files to their device but once you get used to it, it's actually a very good idea as it's actually quite a simple program to use and takes the pain out of having to manually delete things from your device to make room for other things you want to put on it - a simple tick in a box means it gets copied across and an un-ticking of a box means it gets removed.

One of the best features of the iPhone (and iPad I suppose) is the App Store where you can get games, utilities and all sorts of other programs to either keep you occupied or help you through the day.  There are thousands of free Apps so it's not necessarily going to cost you an arm and a leg to get any Apps on your device but it wont be long before you're tempted to purchase the odd one or two at 59p each - just remember they soon add up to quite a lot so be careful you don't get trigger happy and buy too many!

After wandering around my local High Street and shopping centre comparing prices, I found all but one to be pretty much the same prices.  The one that differed in price was Phones4U where they were £70 cheaper on the handset on an 18month contract on the Vodafone network than the Vodafone shop itself!

I dont get a particularly brilliant Vodafone signal where I live (I knew this before I purchased the phone) I get a good phone signal but only get an Edge connection for internet browsing etc. but as I have WiFi I wasn't concerned about that.  I went with Vodafone for the simple reason that the handset price on the package I was after was significantly cheaper than all the other networks.

iLife '11 - First Impressions

I've just installed iLife '11 on my MacBook and my first impressions are that it doesn't seem to be a great deal different to the '09 version that I previously had installed.

Apple have updated iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand.  I don't use GarageBand so I can't really comment on that one.  After opening up iPhoto I was prompted to update my photo database which (as I have thousands of photos) took quite a while.  iPhoto looks pretty much how it used to and from what I can see doesn't really have any new features, all they seem to have done is improve the interface to make using iPhoto a little bit easier.

Is it worth upgrading to iLife '11 or should you stick with iLife '09?  I'll see how I get on with it over the next few weeks/months and let you know.

Office Pranks/Practical Jokes - Tin Foil

I've always wanted to do this and the opportunity arose this week to do it!  We began work during our lunch-breaks on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with the 'grand finale' occurring this afternoon!

On closer inspection you can see we did an excellent job on the phone and as you can see not only did we wrap the contents of his desk, but the desk itself!

 

We didn't forget his drawers (which he forgot to lock) and everything from an individual business card and CD-ROM to his stapler and rolls of tape got wrapped in foil!

I can't wait to see his face on Monday when he returns to work after a week off - he was warned no less than 10 times to stop crossing the line when joking around and this is what happens when you use up all 10 strikes!  We have plenty of other things ready to do should he not get the message this time!

Karaoke Karen - Wellingborough

I was just watching a few videos on YouTube when I came across a very short video of Karaoke Karen from Wellingborough, Northants!

When I was attending Tresham College we used to go down the town at lunch for something to do and most days you would see her outside the Swansgate Shopping Centre dancing away to music on her boombox.

Greased Lightning Showroom Shine

I've now run out of the Greased Lightning Showroom Shine - so why don't I order any more I hear you ask?

Well I have done, I ordered some from the Ideal World shopping channel that (other than their website) is the only place to buy it from (certainly the cheapest place to buy it from).

The problem is I ordered it over a month ago and they still haven't delivered it.

As I ordered it via their website I have reference number so I have emailed them quoting the reference number telling them how unhappy I am and that I have run out of the product and I haven't heard a thing.

I sent the email to them nearly a week ago now and to just ignore me is an absolute disgrace and extremely poor customer service.

My first order can within 2 weeks (still not that fast - but at least it arrived).

With regards to the shopping channels name, it is most definately not an Ideal World as if it was I would of had the items I ordered by now, or at least an appology as they're late - but so far nothing!  Not impressed, not impressed at all.

Greased Lightning Showroom Shine is such a great product but it's being let down by the disastrous people at Ideal World.

:(

Safari Version 5

I'm currently downloading the latest version of Apples Safari (Version 5) which claims to be even faster than before - in fact it says it's the fastest most innovative web browser out there!

They've addded something called 'Safari Reader' which basically strips out all the adverts on a website so you can just read the article - that's bound to have an effect on websites who can only exist due to advertising revenue, no adverts shown then there's nothing to click on so websites go under :( also they seem to have done a deal with Microsoft as Bing search is now integrated in to it.

Is it any faster than before?  I'll find out once I've rebooted my laptop!

More details from Apple directly here:  http://www.apple.com/uk/safari/

What Is The Point Of Twitter?

 

Ever since Twitter first began, I've never really understood the point of it all.  A few months ago I finally joined up to see what all the fuss was about and after entering a few 'tweets' I still couldn't work out what the point of it was.

I started to follow a friend of mine and soon knew when she was at work, when she was at home, if she was having dinner, getting a drink and a fair few other mundane pieces of information.

I just didn't get it.

I then started looking for some famous people to follow and that's when I started to realise what it's all about!

It's about following people that you find interesting and when you follow the right people you'll start to enjoy twitter and that's what I think it's all about!

I've even started following local business to me such as my local paper so I can see local headlines with a web link, if I want to read more I can click on the link else I just ignore it!

I've recently discovered the Lists function so I've now grouped together all the local people I'm following, people I actually know, famous people and funny people!

One of the people I'm following is @thekeithchegwin who tweets a lot of funny jokes and it made my day when I replied to one of his tweets saying I had just found him on Twitter and hadn't laughed so much in a long while and he sent me a reply!

I'm also following the lead singer of the band Twisted Sister @deesnider and he Re-Tweeted one of my comments and added to it!  In what other situation could I be chatting with a megastar like that?!

If you want to see the people I am currently following on Twitter then take a look at my lists here:

http://twitter.com/andrewfarren/lists

When it comes to Tweeting, I have decided not to Tweet about everything and anything but will mainly Tweet about the different day trips I go on along with the odd thing that I find interesting or relevant to me.

If you want to follow me on Twitter then take a look here:

http://twitter.com/andrewfarren

Best Buy Open First UK Store

This May Bank Holiday weekend the US giant Best Buy open their first electrical retail outlet in the UK - offering fantastically low prices with knowledgeable staff (9 weeks of training each) who aren't on commission and want to help you.

DSG International (Currys & PC World) and COMET are in for a huge shock as more new Best Buy stores are on their way.

I can remember assisting in the Currys 'Big Bang' project where they moved pretty much all the stock in the warehouse out on to the shop floor so if you wanted to buy a TV you didn't need a sales person, you simply picked up the box and dragged it to the cash desk!

They even opened new stores that didn't have a warehouse at all, when a delivery arrived it was scanned on to the system as it came in the back door and went straight out on to the shop floor!  This was a HUGE advancement and now Best Buy is on the scene they'd better come up with another idea this big else they'll quickly lose market share and Best Buy will take over.

Electrical retailing in the UK is about to change, forever.   How will it change?  Only time will tell - we'll have to see how COMET and DSG International fight back.

Check Your Tyre Pressure Properly For Good Fuel Economy

A few months ago I had to get new tyres on my car.  Normally I would pick some Toyo ones from www.blackcircles.com and get them fitted at a local garage but I didn't have time to arrange this so had to make do with whatever they happened to have in stock.

Within just a few days I noticed that the fuel economy of my card had gone down by around 15% so I was not best pleased.  I checked the tyre pressure of each wheel with my digital pressure reader and I couldn't get a proper reading so I tried my foot-pump to see what that said and they all seemed to be at the right pressure.

I've recently just had a full service on the car and the fuel economy hasn't got any better so it had definitely got something to do with the tyres and all that people say is make sure the tyre pressure is correct.

As I had already checked the pressure with my foot-pump and my digital pressure reader and not got anywhere, I decided to head off to Halfords to see what they had in the way of a decent reader and that's when I saw this:

It was in the sale for around £15 and it looked really well built so I though 'sod it' and brought it which as it turns out was the best thing I could have done and should have done soon after I had my tyres put on rather than wait this long!

When I connected it to each wheel the connection felt better than my cheapo foot-pump (Halfords own brand from a couple of years ago) and instantly gave me an accurate reading of the pressure and needless to say all of them bar 1 were under pressure so I promptly pumped them up to the correct level.

I then filled up my car with Diesel and reset all the counters and one week later going to and from work the MPG was back up to where it should be so the £15 (or whatever it was), was money well spent!

Get Some In!

Written by the people who also wrote The Good Life & Please Sir! and starring Tony Selby and Robert Lindsay, Get Some In! is a fantastic TV Sit-Com that was set in the 1950's.  Jakey (Robert Lindsay) goes to the RAF to do his National Service and meets the Drill Instructor from hell, Corporal Marsh (Tony Selby).

The show ran for 5 series and was originally broadcast between 1975 and 1978 and you can now get all five series of the show in a singe DVD 'Box Set' available from all good stockists (I got mine on special offer from Amazon for a bargain price of £14.97 when others were selling for £49.99 - a bargain if you ask me)!

Twisted Sister!

Up until yesterday, I was under the impression that I owned every single Twisted Sister Album they had released.  On this very rare occasion, I was wrong.

I was unaware that I was not the proud owner of their Stay Hungry album!  Needless to say I went straight on to iTunes (normally I'd get the CD but that would take a couple of days to arrive through the post and iTunes is instant download).

On searching for the Stay Hungry album I came across the 25th Anniversary edition which was only a couple of quid more than the standard album so clicked on 'buy now' and it began to download...

The download was taking a lot longer than I was expecting so I had a look at iTunes to see what it was up to and low and behold - there were 26, yes 26 tracks downloading!  More than double what was on the original album and loads of 'new' songs I had never heard before.

I have had a quick listen to the whole of the album but it was very late at night and I didn't want to disturb the neighbours so only had the volume on low - heaven help them today!  Now that it's day time the volume is going LOUD and I don't care if it's a Sunday and everyone is chilling out and enjoying the peace and quiet, in my neighbourhood they are about to be woken up to TWISTED F@*%ing SISTER!!!

The Dowsing Kit

Dowsing and divining are basically one and the same thing.  Dowsing is the interpretation of signs, symbols or movement of a dowsing object to.  There are different types of dowsing/divining ranging from tarot, I Ching to the use of L-rods or a pendulum.

In paranormal terms, dowsing rods (L-rods) and/or pendulums are used to either locate things or to ask questions and get a yes/no type of answer.

The dowsing kit that I have is by Sig Lonegrem and has everything you could ever need to begin dowsing:

Learning to dowse is a lot simpler than you might think and in the next week or so I will give you a brief insight in how to begin dowsing.  Even though I will tell you how to get started, I still recommend that you get hold of a proper dowsing kit (like the one I have) to get you started as the book(s) that come with it go in to a bit more detail than I will and have a lot of dowsing charts that you may find usefull...

Do Fairies live at the bottom of your garden?

Maybe not anymore, but a recent discovery would suggest that they probably did. What appear to be the mummified remains of a fairy have been discovered in the Derbyshire countryside.

The 8 inch remains complete with wings; skin, teeth and flowing red hair have been examined by anthropologists and forensic experts who can confirm that the body is genuine. X-rays of the 'fairy' reveal an anatomically identical skeleton to that of a child. The bones however, are hollow like those of a bird making them particularly light. The puzzling presence of a navel even suggests that the beings reproduce the same as humans despite the absense of reproductive organs.

The remains were discovered by a local man, who wishes to remain anonymous, while walking his dog along an old Roman road situated between the villages of Duffield and Belper.

Apple iPad Preview Review

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed with the iPad - but I will reserve full judgement until it's released and I can go and see one at my nearest Apple store.

Why am I disappointed? Well, it's the OS I'm disappointed with, I was kinda expecting a cut-down version of OS X to be installed on it so you could install OS X software on it. People keep commenting on how Flash isn't on the iPad - well it wasn't on my MacBook or Dell desktop, but I could install it if I wanted it and was expecting to be able to do the same thing with Apples new product but this doesn't seem to be the case.

Before it was revealed, it was rumoured Apple was going to release a Tablet computer and the iPad is most definitely not a Tablet - Tablets are similar but have a 'proper' operating system. What Apple have done with the iPad is invent a product that is a cross-between an e-Book reader and a Netbook.

Just like what they did with the App-Store and the iPhone, it makes good business sense to do what they've done as something similar to the App-Store is on it's way for use with the iPad.

The one thing that people seem to be getting confused about is exactly what use the iPad is. It is designed for people who browse the internet, read news websites, go on to social network sites, watch videos online, go online to quickly look something up, updating their blogs, checking their emails, reading e-books and many other use

What it's not primarily for, is for creating websites, writing essays, creating large documents, photo editing, video editing or anything else that you really need a proper keyboard and mouse to do! I'm not saying you can't do these things on the iPad (maybe when the right software comes along you can) - but it wont be as quick and easy to do than if you had a laptop with a proper keyboard and scratchpad.

e-Book readers haven't really taken off yet and nobody really knows what to do with a proper full-size Table computer, Apple's iPad is likely to either revolutionise this or put a stop to it once and for all.

Will the iPad to to e-books and Netbooks what the iPod did to MP3 players? Only time will tell.

New Medical Computer System Now Available At Tesco

One day, leaning on the bar, Jack says to Mike "My elbow hurts like hell. I suppose I'd better see a Doctor!"

"Listen, don't waste your time down at the surgery," Mike replies.

"There's a new diagnostic computer at Tesco Pharmacy.

"Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and only costs five quid..... a lot
quicker and better than a doctor and you get Club card points."

So Jack collects a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Tesco. He deposits five pounds and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits.

Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:  "You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity.. It will improve in two weeks."

That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Jack began wondering if the computer could be fooled.  He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter and the cat, and masturbated into the mixture for good measure.

Jack hurried back to Tesco, eager to check what would happen.  He deposits five pounds, pours in his concoction, and awaits the results.

The computer printed the following:

1) Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener.
2) Your cat's having kittens. Get a vet
3) Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo.
4) Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab...
5) Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
6) And if you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.

Thank you for shopping at Tesco, every little helps!

Greased Lightning - Showroom Shine - 2nd Time Using It

Since cleaning/washing my car with the Greased Lightning Showrooms Shine product I used last month, I haven't had the chance to wash/clean my car again as the weather was dry so I have been off exploring the countryside again!

The last two weekends I have ended up down single track roads that went from being tarmac to simply mud tracks - so needless to say my car has ended up being covered in mud - an ideal opportunity to see how Showroom Shine can cope with a very dirty car!

As with the last time, I timed how long it took me to clean my car from start to finish and despite it being even dirtier than the first time I used this product, it only took a couple of minutes longer this time round to do than the last time!  Just 1 hour and 15 minutes to completely clean/wash the outside of my car!

I did end up using a little bit more of the product due to the sheer amount of mud on my car but it was still so much easier than my old method of hosing down the car, filling up a couple of buckets with water and car shampoo and then rinsing it down with the hosepipe followed by a rub down with a Chamois cloth.

My hands are dry (due to me wearing rubber gloves) and nice and warm as there was no water involved in the cleaning/washing!  It's still bloody cold outside so using a waterless car cleaning product is a fantastic idea for staying warm!

Is It Any Faster Than Washing The Old-Fashioned Method With A Bucket And Sponge?

To be honest, I'm not sure as I never timed myself washing my car the old way, it certainly feels quicker cleaning this way - as you clean your car a section at a time you get to see instant results which is a satisfying experience that motivates you to keep on cleaning your car!

For me it's certainly a lot easier than my old method and will continue to use it.

I'd imagine if I was to use it once a week to clean my car (rather than leaving it for a month and going down mud tracks) then it most likely would be a lot quicker and then 1 hour and 15 minutes it has take me  to clean/wash it this time - only time will tell...

Time For The Photos!

The ones on the left are BEFORE and the ones on the right are AFTER.

(Click On The Photos For A Slightly Bigger Image)

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and the results of cleaning my car with it - I would recommend Greased Lightning Showroom Shine to anyone who wants an easy and waterless way of cleaning their car!

:)

BookArc - Vertical MacBook Laptop Stand

Oh my god, I can't believe I've just spent £34.99 on a small piece of metal!

About a week ago I was trying to work out how I could make a bit more space on my desk so I started looking for a solution via the Google search engine.  I came across loads of normal laptop stands, some plastic, some metal and some with built-in fans to help keep your laptop cool - but none that would help me free up some space.  :(

Then I came across a company called Twelve South who produced a vertical laptop stand specifically for MacBooks - hooray!   I had a quick look on the shop on Apple's web site and when I saw the price I quickly closed my web browser in shock!   £39.99 + delivery costs!!!

I refused to believe that it would cost so much so I had a good search around and the best price I found was on Amazon.co.uk where after much debate with my wallet, I finally ordered the stand at a cost of £34.99 + 4.50 delivery.

After placing the order 3 days ago (despite all the snow we are currently experiencing here in the UK) it landed on my doormat this afternoon!  :)

Straight away I could see that a lot of effort has been put in to this premium product as the packaging looked very 'Mac-ish'.  After removing the sleeve and opening the box you are greeted with a thank you message.

The BookArc comes with 3 differently sized pieces of rubber which you can fit to the BookArc depending on what model of MacBook you have.  I have to say though, it's not as snug as I expected and I'm not sure this is a design issue or if it's meant to be like that.

My MacBook is now working in Clam-Shell mode and is sitting to the left hand side of my monitor and has freed up a fair bit of room.

So is the BookArc worth spending around £40 on?  Not really, but are there any other vertical laptop stands?  Not that I could find, so if you want a vertical laptop stand then it's the BookArc or nothing.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a vertical laptop stand then there is one available, but it comes at a price.

Greased Lightning Showroom Shine - Waterless Wash & Wax

I had a look out of the window this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see the snow had melted off of my car, time to try out the Greased Lightning Showroom Shine Wash & Wax that I received in the post earlier on in the week!

The first thing I did was to nip out to Tesco Extra to get a couple of micro-fibre cloths, one to put the stuff on with and the other to buff it with.

I wanted to see how long it would take me to wash my car so using my mobile phone I took a couple of photos of my mucky car which would have a time stamp on it so as long as I took a photo at the end I would see exactly how long it too me to clean my car.

I put on a pair of rubber gloves, shook the bottle and the proceeded to liberally spray it on the roof of my car.  Using a blue micro-fibre cloth I rubbed the liquid on the roof and the dirt started appear on my cloth and not on my car - I then used my yellow micro-fibre cloth to buff the area I had been working on.  Why two different coloured cloths?  For no other reason to make sure I remember which one is which - one for putting it on and the other for buffing it!

I then continued the process for the rest of my car and found it to be so much easier than lugging a bucket of soapy water around with me!  Spray, use a cloth to remove the dirt and then buff with another cloth to make it shine - that's as complicated as it gets!

My Father came out to see what I was doing and remarked that I was brave to be washing my car in such freezing cold weather (snow on the ground and the temperature was at 1.5 degrees) as he assumed that the bucket of water would start to freeze and my hands would be frozen.  He wandered around my car looking puzzled, he could see half my car was glistening and the other half was dirty and there was no bucket to be found!

The whole process was very easy and to be honest, whilst I was washing my car I thought to myself that even if it takes the same amount of time to wash my car than my old method, it was still well worth buying as it was so much easier to do!

After finishing by cleaning my alloy wheels, I immediately removed my rubber gloves, got my mobile phone out and took some photos of my car so I would now have a 'before and after' set of images with that all important time stamp on them.

I started 'washing' my car at 10:38 and finished at 11:50 so it had taken me 1 hour and 12 minutes to clean my car.  Normally I would start by rinsing my car with a hose pipe to remove any loose dirt, then I fill a bucket with water with some car wash shampoo and then wash my car with a sponge, (I normally use two buckets of water with car shampoo in it).  I then get the hose pipe and rinse of the suds and then chamois the car until it shines.  I'm never in any hurry when I'm washing my car and it normally takes me about an hour and 45 minutes to do all that.

So overall, by using Showroom Shine I have saved myself about 1/2 an hour which is pretty good going if you ask me!  I'll time myself the next time and see if I'm any quicker!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AND NOW FOR THE PHOTOS!

The ones on the left are BEFORE and the ones on the right are AFTER.

(Click On The Photos For A Slightly Bigger Image)

And not a scratch to be seen!  All in all I am very impressed and very pleased with my purchase as the results are brilliant!

Greased Lightning - Parcel Arrived The Other Day

Finally the order I placed on Ideal World has arrived on my doorstep.  I was slightly concerned to see a read warning label on the box saying "FLAMABLE LIQUID" on it...

It seems that up to 30% of the liquid in the bottles is Petroleum Light Distillate which sounds pretty flammable to me!

With all the snow about (and more on the way) it is far too cold for me to venture outside to wash/clean my car so I'll have to wait to see if this stuff is any good or not.

:(

Nintendo DSi XL

First came the Game and Watch, then came the GameBoy, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy Advanced, GameBoy Advanced SP, DS,GameBoy Micro, DS Lite, DSi and now...

THE DSi XL!!!

Recently made available in Japan, Nintendo's latest hand-held console (the DSi XL) is selling fast!

Featuring 4.2" screens the DSi XL is due for release in the UK "early 2010".  Rumoured to have built-in games and an additional larger stylus, Nintendo's latest offering will no doubt be something to keep an eye out for!

Where Have All The Games Gone?

For nearly a year now my Nintendo Wii has been gathering dust and today for no reason what-so-ever I decided to dust it down and power it up!  On looking for a game to play I remembered that as I hadn't used it for a while I sold most of my games so I had nothing to play so off down the town I went...

I went in to HMV, GameStation and Game and was dismayed and confused - where have all the games gone?  There wasn't a single game that took my fancy.  I'd already had a quick look on the Internet so was expecting to find the latest Need For Speed game for sale but in those three stores I couldn't see a single NFS game, let alone the latest one.  :(

As an absolute last resort I nipped up to Tesco Extra and was pleasantly surprised to see a much better game selection (namely a full chart plus a section of random titles) than that of the so called 'proper' games stores.

Not only did I find Need For Speed: Nitro (which claims to have been written from scratch just for the Wii) but I also saw Wii Sports Resort sitting on the shelf with the new sensor attachment thingy so I popped them both in to my shopping basket.

Is the Nintendo Wii reaching the end of its life-cycle?   If stores like HMV and Game aren't stocking many new games and leaving it down to the supermarkets such as Tesco to fill the gap is the reign of the Nintendo Wii coming to an end?  I suppose only time will tell...