Many Finns might now know it, but the country's gambling sector is evolving into a unique model for other nations.
For starters, Finland's state-directed gambling sector is highly successful. In an age when economists tend to downplay the role of nationalised industries, Veikkaus has managed to create an efficient, popular, and socially responsible role.
When it comes to Finland’s reputation on the world stage, the first words that appear in the minds of most people are design, video gaming, and sometimes, Moomins. It is therefore hardly surprising that Finland continues to be ranked as one of the best places in the world to be a game developer. Surve
The Finnish gaming industry is one of the fastest growing in the global gaming market with an average growth rate of 45%. In 2016, the Finnish gaming industry set a record-high turnover of 2.5 billion euros. The share of Finnish mobile game development was roughly 7% of the global revenue of 35 billion.
Zumba Fitness Core review (Xbox 360)
It's coming up to New Year, which means you might be interested in getting (back) into shape in the next few weeks. If you're a Zumba expert then Core might be the game for you, as this Kinect-only title is going to be kicking your arse from the first five minutes. If you've never donned a colourful leotard and shaken your booty to the strains of hip-hop influenced salsa before then go for the much more friendly Zumba Fitness Rush.
Far Cry 3 Review (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
In these days of constant triple-A titles it's a joy to be reminded that every now and again one of them actually exceeds its promise - before roasting it with a flamethrower and kicking its charred corpse over the side of the boat. Far Cry 3 is an incredible game that, unless you have some weird natural abhorrence to FPS games you should go and buy immediately.
LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3)
I'm a sucker for karting games, me. There's nothing more fun than downing a few brewskies with your mates and letting loose with some ridiculous power-ups and unrealistic physics. LBP Karting is essentially a fusion of LBP and ModNation Racers, but unfortunately it ends up being less than the sum of its parts.
Forza Horizon (Xbox 360)
Forza Horizon is a strange beast. On the one hand it's got Forza in the title, so you'd be forgiven for assuming that the realism and endless tinkering possibilities are present and correct. On the the other hand it's a pedal-to-the-metal arcadey racer with thrills and spills aplenty, almost more reminiscent of Need For Speed than the series from which it takes its name.
Resident Evil 6 (360, PS3)
I’ve never been a fan of survival horror so the fact that RE6 isn’t particularly scary doesn’t really bother me.
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (360, PS3, PC)
It’s definitely nice to play a game that’s unlike the usual crop of shooters and sports games, and TTSH is certainly of a more cerebral bent.
Sleeping Dogs (360, PS3, PC)
There are many things that make a good game, but one thing that definintely helps is having a seriously kick-ass protagonist that makes slightly overweight gamers (not, me, obviously) feel like the biggest baddest mutha on the planet, all from the comfort of their own sofa. From the opening scene, Sleeping Dogs' Wei Shen IS that kick-ass hero, a Hong Kong cop with a penchant for roundhouse kicks and chops to the face who must go undercover and break the gangs controlling illegal activity in the settlement. It's a scenario that lives up to its promise.
F1 2012 (360, PS3, PC)
The most amazing thing about this franchise is how they manage to improve each iteration. LAst year's release was a quality title with realism in spades, but this year Codemasters have pretty much surpassed that as well.
