I've got the 3 Fs this week - Far Cry, Fable 2 and Fallout 3. You can see what I think about Far Cry 2, since I reviewed it.

I thought the demo was ok. I was expecting something like Mass Effect with Norse mythology thrown in. There are similarities, but I think Mass Effect wins out over Too Human frmom what I've seen.

I was slightly baffled by the control scheme (left joystick moves and right joystick operates melee weapon attacks). Because of the traditional right stick camera being removed, the viewpoint was behind the character Baldur and sometimes fixed in some cinematic mode. I did get used to it but I think the control is more limited without a camera, so sword fighting tends to be joystick waggling (the equivalent of button mashing) while watching Baldur skate over to the nearst foes and despatch them.

The auto aim is rather generous, but it has to be since there is no way to control the camera. It also does feel odd to start shooting the gun before you can aim it, since once firing, the right joystick becomes auto-target selection. There is quite a bit of restriction in movement with many invisible walls that limit exploration.

Dead enemies do evaporate in a fairly gore-free whisp of smoke and somethimes leave power ups and armour. But when Baldur dies, there is a really cool cinematic of a Valkyrie with big metal wings appearing in a halo of light and taking Baldur up through the roof. Seconds later, a rebirth with seemingly no consequences happens and you're on your way again.

I was worried by the cheesy scripted dialogue sections that I had to sit through. It all seemed half assed and over-long, but the cut scene animation was ok, if not remarkable.

The upgrade system is a bit clunky in the demo, but there seems to be loads of different weapons and armour to wear.

I did end up playing the game for over an hour - until the demo spat me out, so it does have some appeal to keep my interest for that long. I guess I'll be looking out for a cheep copy in a month or so, as I don't think it'll be worth the RRP.

Well, I've had a good look around the site and can say I'm amazed at the potential here. I have been looking forward to this site launching for a long time. Very well done to all concerned.

I used to post in Gamespot quite frequenly, up until Jeff mysteriously left. He had always been a strong influence in Gamespot and contributed hugely to the site. I particularly enjoyed "On the Spot" with Jeff, Ryan and Rich Gallup. I also liked Alex Navaro, although his brief appearance on a recent bombcast touting rockband shows him as coming across quite awkwardly. I liked reading all of their reviews and opinions on games.

Post Jeff, gamespot went into serious decline. I stopped posting there about games and used the forums instead to spead my own atheist agenda. I went to other, previously unexplored, gaming sites to get my gaming fix and deliberatley avoided Gamespot. I thought the CNET decision to get rid of Jeff was totally stupid and I think Gamespot will feel the ill-effects of their decision even more now this site is up.

I used to read Jeff's blogs while he was "resting". For a while, I read about his quests to get a seriously high GamerScore, then the first fragments of Giant Bomb together. It has been fascinating to watch up to now and I will be interested to see how the new team cope with the huge success this site will inevitably get.