Gaming news roundup: The whole world in your hands

If you thought that playing Monopoly with your family was competitive, you ain’t seen nothing yet. This week saw the launch of ‘Monopoly City Streets’, a global take on the game that allows anyone with a web connection and a burning desire to own virtual property to have a go at buying up the world’s thoroughfares. You’re given 3m Monopoly dollars, and you can build not just hotels and houses but also football stadiums, castles and skyscrapers – anything you want, provided you have the skills to create it in Google SketchUp. Ah, Google – without it, thismega Monopoly wouldn’t have made it out of the box because the global grid is built on Google Maps API. To try it out, go to monopolycitystreets.com.



Slim, trim and top of the charts

The new-look, slimline PS3 is proving to be popular with gamers in both Japan and the UK. Here, barely a week after itwent on sale, the dusky beast has outsold the Xbox 360 as well as both theWii and DS Lite by three-toone. It’s 33 per cent smaller, 36 per cent lighter and uses 34 per cent less power than its predeccessor but is still pretty pricey at £249. However, it doesn’t seem to be putting off all those buyers.

Nice jumper for comic fans

This week, developer Twisted Pixel announced its latest project and it sounds brilliant. ‘Comic Jumper’ will mash up visual styles as hero Captain Smiley bounces into different comic books to “alter their story lines”. Expect backdrops from both the Powerpuff Girls and Frank Miller’s ‘Sin City’. Noword on its release date but to watch a preview, visit tinyurl.com/pprk33.