Features

We began this year full of hope for software success on the Wii, the little system that did. As it entered its third year on the market, fans dreamed of seeing the end of shovelware, as developers had now had plenty of time to make great games for the console. Maybe we’d see some great original content at last? No more PSP ports and half-finished releases, now that developers had come to understand the console so well?

Ever since the Xbox 360 arrived three years ago, the so-called next-gen era of gaming has been depressingly devoid of beautiful games. We’re not talking graphics, mind, we’re talking colors.

This week's topics:

Top 7… E3 announcements you missed – the stories and games that slipped right past us.

Nintendo’s E3 press conference – was a lot like last year’s, and we’ve got the audio evidence.

Prototype Super Review – Mikel finally admits he accepts bribes from Microsoft. And Activision. Oh and Sony. Probably Nintendo too.

And more!

Can you believe it? T-Dar is officially half a year old! Dan Amrich from OXM and Scott Butterworth of PTOM fame team up with Chris and Brett to make this a podcast for the ages... if ages were determined by discussions about videogame presidents, Gears of War 2 and how to get kicked off Xbox Live.

Another holiday shopping season is here, bringing with it the grim realization that, once again, the game industry has failed to learn its damn lesson. Just like every other year, seemingly every game publisher on the planet has decided to shove its biggest releases onto store shelves for the holidays, confident that they won’t be buried under the avalanche of every other publisher doing the exact same thing.

We're not gonna lie – this is a sparse month for games. The biggest publishers are saving their biggest products for September, October and November, leaving August with a very short list to choose from.

Fear not, however, because scattered across the barren wasteland of the next four weeks are some very promising oases of gaming goodness. Some of these titles will be just enough to last through the end of summer, while others have the potential to keep you occupied – and happy – right through the fall, distracting you completely from Call of Halo or Fallout Rising 2...

Looking for categories like Best PSP Driving Game? Greatest Achievement in Control Layout, Artistic? Eastern European Developer Most Worth Watching in 2011? Then our end-of-year awards might not be for you.

GamesRadar's Platinum Chalices are different. We're not interested in checking off a massively tedious list of genres, platforms and technical subdivisions… we'd much rather focus on the stuff that makes this hobby, you know, fun. And reward whichever games delivered the most of that stuff.

So if you're looking for the best fan service, most satisfying gore or greatest achievement in old-school kickassery in 2010, you've definitely come to the right celebration. Let's get it started…

Do you own a PSP but have no idea what games you should play? It can be tough choosing from the huge library of games available, but we’ve got you covered with a list of our 10 most highly acclaimed, must-play games on Sony’s portable…