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Games: Get online

PES 2008: Use Ronaldo to hammer online opponents.

The XBOX 360 is without a doubt the daddy on consoles when it comes to online gaming, mainly due to the excellent connectivity and robust XBOX Live network.

Other consoles are slowly getting their act together, Sony are continually fine tuning their PS3 offering, with a new XMB allowing for cool stuff like trophies, all of which bodes well for mouth watering releases on the horizon such as Killzone 2. Super Smash Bros Brawl was a welcome addition to the Wii’s online gaming offering but there is still no headset and the ‘friend code’ scheme has few err... friends.

So for now, it’s the XBOX 360 that is most likely to ruin your relationship with the missus and make you pull one too many suspicious sickies. Here at MegaStar we recommend these three games for starters.

Online gaming can take over your life … just make sure you remember to eat!

Pro-Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)

Even with the disappointments of PES 2008, it remains at least head and shoulders above the other pretenders. Yes, you can score glory goals with FIFA but it's just not realistic. PES gives us a game where sometimes the best you can hope for is grinding out a 0-0, or where 89 minutes of domination can be snatched away by a fluke last minute winner. As long as you can resist pressing the reset button at that point, PES IS football in all its frustrating glory. And that goes double for the online version. We may be imagining it – or maybe our connection is better? - but the fluidity seems to have improved of late and, while it gets boring playing the same old teams all the time (seriously chaps, do you always have to be Manchester United or Barcelona?), the ability matching system and interactivity is excellent. The only downside is the ultracompetitive knobs who want to win but instead of putting in the practice would rather pause the game so that you eventually give up and 'concede' the game. So come on XBOX Live. How about interactive electric shocks via the controller next time that happens?

Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City (Rock Star North)

You can get GTA IV on the PS3 but why would you? Microsoft paid a rumoured $50m to ensure online exclusivity and the level of interaction is superb. And that's before all the exclusive online expansions kick-in later this year. It's already a game that you'll never tire of, and a game that you'll never really finish: the level of detail, the back stories, the little quirks all mean that you can revisit Liberty City again and again and again and never get tired. Apart from those inevitable nights when you play through til morning. Is there a morality issue with a game that requires you to blow up cars and evade the police? Probably. Is there an inordinate amount of pleasure in a game that also allows you to go bowling and play pool and darts and listen to the radio? Oh yes. Is it all made even better by hooking up with friends online? That would be an understatement.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)

A must have title for anyone who has shelled out their hard-earned for an Xbox Live subscription. This barnstorming FPS is not simply a game, it’s a lifestyle choice – it’s that good. The single player campaigns are pretty impressive but multiplayer takes this seminal title to another level, simply put, it’s more fun than you can shake a joypad at. Newbie’s to online multiplayer games can fly straight in to one of the many requisite battle modes (Free-for-all, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch and more..) Despite the risk of a real spanking the exhilaration of the kill is enough to leave you panting for more, like a battle hungry dog. Soon enough you will find yourself creeping up the rankings, earning ace new weapons and perks, learning the maps and many unwritten rules (no camping out by respawn spots, people). Most importantly you’ll be dishing out abuse via the headset and making enemies of our ‘friends’ on the other side of the pond. Mesmeric.

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