In Ireland only children play video games

Above is how Toyota created an SUV television advertisement using the World of Warcraft game. That was in the US. In Ireland, only children play computer games.

Or at least that is what you’d think looking some things such as the Irish Film Censor’s ban on Manhunt 2.

With the massive amounts of advertising spend by games firms in Ireland recently ad space sellers here should by now notice the scale of the computer games market.

Of course, it has been growing in the past years, but on going high-profile ad campaigns such as those for PS3, Halo 3, and Fifa 08 should cement the view how widespread computer games now are.

But if we have really moved on might remain a unanswered question for some time. It’s only a year or two ago that one of us at Games Toaster had a phone conversation with a regional newspaper to be told that there is no money in computer games.

Alan Wake - will the hype kill?

Normally we like to focus on gameplay first and shiny graphics second. But we were reminded recently that the graphics on the upcoming Alan Wake (above) are so much of a focus for the studio we’ll be disappointed if the shiny bits don’t live up to the hype.

Microsoft were smart enough to retain an exclusive with Remedy, developer of Max Payne, so the action adventure thriller game staring fictional novelist Wake will be appearing on Xbox 360 and PC, but not PS3. Let’s just hope the graphics on 360 will do, as our PC (or at least my PC) would burn into flames just trying to install the game.

A few impress videos are here, while there are screenshots here and more on a fan site at alanwake.co.uk. Now, all we need is a firm release date: maybe even a release year?