Today's new-look Guardian features the new-look Technology section, emerging out of the ashes of the old Online section which had its home at the end of Life before the broadsheet version bit the dust. Well it's got its own front cover again, a new name and - along with the rest of the paper - a re-haul beyond the fabulous Technicolor that livens up its pages. Interested gamesblog readers will note that the games coverage in the Technology section is new too.
No longer is there a page dedicated to lots of latest releases and industry news; instead, there's a page dedicated to one release, which may or may not be hot off the shelf. Newsy info will be elsewhere in the section. This week's game of the week is Greg's fave of the year, Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy in North America). Doing the honours, Kieron Gillen balances the pros and cons of "one of the most interesting games of the year". With both he and Greg breathing down my neck, perhaps it's time to put it back in my PlayStation 2 to really have a proper go at it.
I admit, I was surprised when I heard about this shift in games coverage a few months ago, as surely a weekly conduit for games-related news should cover the whole range of new gaming on offer. One whole page of review seems excessive when there are so many other titles that could capture the imagination, but it works. It helps to maintain the focus of The Guardian's games coverage as in-depth, after-the-hype, real critical analysis in words that everyone - not just gamers - can understand. Only, it's longer.
More games do end up on the page, but they dwell under the Back Story section, which places the reviewed game in its wider context. This week Kieron covers five games which have helped to define Fahrenheit's genre. I appreciate this kind of coverage, as it allows me to revisit old favourites and to discover ones I may have missed along the way.
The editors promise that there will be more games in Technology than before, with more features and other elements liberally littered throughout the section. You can also catch specially-scribed gamesblogs entries, albeit in dead-tree format. This week I'm in there with my orange hair.
Let us know what you think!
