Presenting the illusion of a living world is always a challenge for a game developer. Real people often have quirks that even advanced artificial intelligence has trouble mimicking. Some developers compensate for this by giving the AI more control, but this too has flaws as the AI can become unpredictable. For S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the developers at GSC decided to combine the two approaches and get the best of both
Tuesday 28 November 2006
Philips' amBX - that's oxygen-saving marketing speak for 'ambient experiences', by the way - wants to play smoke 'n' mirrors with your gaming. With a bank of high-power LEDs, a few purring fans, some speakers and a rumbling keyboard rest, amBX aims to extend your experiences beyond the screen and into the air around you. But is it worth buying? We delved into the amBX treatment to find out.
The kit we were presented with was a no-expense-spared setup: four light sticks
Twenty years ago, Chernobyl was the site of the worst man-made disaster to ever hit the face of the planet. Equally representative of man's brilliance and arrogance, the early morning explosion that ripped apart Reactor #4 changed the face of nuclear power across the world. The incident not only irradiated a large swath of Eastern Europe, it turned a thriving city of more than 50,000 into a ghost town overnight.
Due to both its history and the rumors surrounding the disaster, Chernobyl seemed
The developers of Crackdown, a free-roaming, car-throwing, super-powered future-cop simulator in the vein of Grand Theft Auto, seem unusually keen on bucking videogame tradition in every way possible. Their character designs are no exception; rather that going with a typical good-looking hero, they've unveiled a diverse cast of eight beefy misfits from an unusual range of ethnic backgrounds.
Their designers have taken pains to give these superheroes as much weird, unconventional personality
It's here. Can you believe it? We've all been waiting so very, very long. But it's time. The next generation of gaming is complete. Microsoft led the charge a year ago. Nintendo is right around the corner. And Sony, the leader of the last two console generations, has arrived.
Still mystified about the PS3 itself? We have extensive hardware impressions that should set you straight - just click here and we'll spell out every fact you need to know about the hardware.
Before we dive into all the
As our regular readers might know, we recently got our hands on a final, boxed, same-as-you'll-buy-at-retail PlayStation 3. By the time you read this, roughly 400,000 Americans will have, too, and a good chunk of them will be unloading the things on eBay at inflated prices.
The difference between them and us is that we've had our console for over a week as of this writing, and we can tell you exactly what to expect from Sony's shiny new chunk of chrome-plated plastic. If you were lucky enough
In case you missed the memo, Gears of War is friggin' fantastic. It's a no-nonsense shooter that's big, brutish and bloody.
We've crawled from our holes to bring you a list of the essential stuff that you absolutely have to check out on your first Gears of War session.
So, grab your COG togs and get stuck into the action...
Chainsaw
So, you've got this gun called the Lancer, right, and it's a good gun - it can waste Locust scum from a decent range and spits bullets at a rapid rate, but it's
Welcome to the fifth week of PokemonRadar, GamesRadar's look at the new Pokemon of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, out now in Japan. We're getting deep into the game, here, but we'll still be providing Pokemon for longer than you can imagine. Keep your eyes here.
This week we're looking at five Pokemon with but a single evolutionary stage. While single-stage Pokemon are generally less popular than those that evolve, they can often have interesting and experimental type combinations and often learn
Sim games certainly aren't anything new. Hell, games that let you make your own theme park, and then manage every tiny detail of said park have even been around for decades. If that's the case, then what's so special about the upcoming Thrillville? Weve got the inside word straight from the developers and producers on why you're going to plop down on the couch and become the next roller coaster tycoon.
Every week until the game ships (that'd be November 21), we're delivering a
David Braben, Chairman of Frontier Developments and Executive Producer on Thrillville
My role as executive producer means that I have an overview of the game as it's being developed. It's up to me to ensure that it stays true to the original vision - to make sure it works well overall.
The idea for Thrillville came from a general feeling we had something more to offer over and above the strategy/simulation games of the past. Why should the "computer people" get all the fun? Playing mini-golf,
