A Fantastic game that was marketed perfectly. 3 different editions to buy, a pre-order campaign that started 6 months ago, far more consoles in homes than 18 months ago when GTA set the bar, and a (deliberately?) leaked controversial scene just 1 week prior to launch. Top shelf Activision.

I agree that the trade values Gamestop & others give often feel like or a rip off (or are), but it's naive to think that developers & publishers don't benefit from the trade in program. Sure, they see no royalties from a game being sold over & over again as 2nd hand, but they would never sell as many copies of anything if people couldn't get some value for their older titles.

This Christmas there will be thousands of people who'll get a brand new console that they (or their parents) could never afford without the discount that they'll get by trading in their old machine or games.

It'll have UMD capability for one big reason - So retailers support it. The PSP Go with all it's fanfare failed to sell even 1000 units in Australia after its initial 3 weeks beacuse the leading games retailer, EB Games, failed to stock it. Why didn't they stock it? Because there is no further income stream for them after the hardware sale - which makes little margin anyway. I'm sure the sales have been disappointing world wide because of similar poor support from retail.

As much as hard core gamers may hate the inflated retail prices, the mum's and dad's buying these toys will always go to the shops. These days the mainstream or family customer are becoming the larger market (look at all the "family orientated" entertainment like band hero, natal, eyepet, and Wii).

PSP Go was the first foray into the "digital download only" arena for one of the big 3, and it's an epic fail. It'll force a re-assesment of future plans. Maybe they should look at Apple for inspiration. After all the Ipod touch is the greatest trojan horse since the real thing. Buy an MP3 player, and then download 1000's of games for less than $5. Sure, I'll buy that.

I'm lucky enough to have the three current consoles. The Wii is the one I play the least, and when I do, it's usually playing an old classic that has been downloaded from the Wii shop.

My wife, however, loves the Wii & her DS. Up until the DS she HATED video games, which meant I had to hide the terrible "addiction" I've had for them since the day I first flipped open my Donkey Kong Game & Watch. But now thanks to Nintendo she has seen the light. All I have to do now is look for some co-op games, even if it is shooting the stars in Galaxy while Mario runs riot.

Nintendo should be applauded. They did what they needed to do to survive as a company. After losing the battle with Gamecube they wisely decided not to compete with Microsoft or Sony for the existing market in this generation. Instead, they created a new market, expanding gaming beyond the stereotype and stigma it has suffered for years.

Field Runners is an excellent tower defence game