GamesRadar - Gamecube

Fanboys: 8 reasons why they deserve some respect (Feature)

Nov 17, 2009

To be called a 'fanboy' is one of the worst insults in gaming. It suggests a misguided person characterised by an irrational devotion to a piece of software or soulless mega-corporation. A person incapable of intelligent thought. A person that is a despised twat.

But wait. Let's cut them some slack for a moment and think what purpose fanboys actually serve (beyond being a dumping ground for derision). We fancied a bit of a challenge, ...

Fun projects for your NES (Feature)

Oct 30, 2009

There’s a good chance that you’ve got an old Nintendo Entertainment System in your closet or basement. There’s also a good chance that it’s been collecting dust all these years. If you’re like us, that’s because any fond memories of 8-bit gaming on your NES are tainted by the flickering screens and garbled graphics that taunted you every time you tried to load a game. Well, we think that’s a shame. ...

50 3D milestones in gaming (Feature)

Oct 30, 2009

All this week our friends at 3D World have been looking at the landmark 3D titles in gaming, starting in the arcades and charting the most cutting-edge advances in 3D technology all the way to the games that we play on home consoles today.

Night Driver (Atari, 1976)

Generally held to be the very first 3D video game, Atari’s Night Driver managed to conjure a 3D experience out of very little computing horsepower by ...

The Top 7... Scariest games you've never played (Feature)

Oct 26, 2009

We fear the unknown. Psychologists have proven that nothing troubles the human mind more, in fact, than that which cannot be predicted. Our phobias of death, darkness and strangers all stem from this single, simple truth. Apparently, so does our predictable taste in horror games. ...

The top videogame controller buttons - Part 1 (Feature)

Oct 20, 2009

Back before you were a gamer, we didn’t have the multi-button, clickable-thumbstick, solar-powered controller gizmos you have today. We used to have to invite friends over and work together to push down the A-button because it was too stiff to move on our own. If we were lucky, we’d get two, maybe three good presses in before it got stuck and Mario just had to hope the rest of the level was flat. ...

10 amazing 'one-button' iPod Touch and iPhone games (Feature)

Oct 13, 2009

Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch have no tactile buttons at all for gaming. But it doesn't matter. The ‘prod mechanic’ is ideal for a platform sometimes problematic when it comes to precision controls and the simplistic, single finger approach has given us a whole bunch of addictive, immediate, accessible games. Here are 10 of the best.

Canabalt

Buy it from the App Store

The Flash sensation makes a ...

6 things about games that aren't true (Feature)

Oct 6, 2009

Anything new and relatively untested will be subject to more misconceptions than facts. Ridiculous and sensational news reports about the seedy underbelly of Animal Crossing and batshit-insane lawyers like Jack Thompson have diluted the truth about gaming. Combine their ignorance with our own misconceptions as gamers, and there’s a lot of nonsense to sort out. We can’t sort it all out, but we can at least hit some of the bigger points of confusion with our hammer of truth and brief internet research ...

13 iPhone RPGs with some bite (Feature)

Sep 30, 2009

Waiting sucks. Period. Fortunately, there is a cure. While many iPhone games lean towards the short, cute, and casual end of the spectrum, we’ve consulted the dark tome of Baphomet to summon forth a demonically delicious sampling of portable RPG gems capable of consuming voluminous amounts of time and possibly a few souls.

Not afraid to geek out in public? We’ve got your back ...

Game censorship around the world (Feature)

Sep 30, 2009

Games are banned in two primary ways. The first is by corporate policy. When a company refuses to sell or distribute an unrated game, it is effectively censoring the game, but they can’t be entirely lampooned for attempting to maintain a positive image. Nintendo has every right to prevent “Sextrobes: Pornigins” from being released on the Wii ...

9 Facebook games worth playing (Feature)

Sep 29, 2009

Question: what gaming platform has a userbase that rivals the entire current generation of consoles? If you answered Facebook, well, you're partly right. It may not have been originally designed for games, but the social networking platform has steadily built up a library of titles that are sure to distract you when you should really be getting some work done. The problem is, the games section is filled with so much crap that it can be tough to find a good game ...

QOTW: What's the first game you bought on your own? (Feature)

Sep 17, 2009

It could be the first game you bought after escaping the bonds of your parents with your very own driver's license, or the first game you bought with money you earned from your first job. In other words, what was the first game you acquired without having to beg for a Christmahanaquanzika present? ...

Fanboy wars throughout the ages - Settled at last! (Feature)

Sep 17, 2009

We decide the winners of 27 years of system rage, so you don't have to. ...

Nintendo 64 Time Capsule: Perfect Dark and THPS (Video)

Sep 16, 2009

Nintendo's first disc-based console that debuted in November 2001. Its four controller ports and cascade of "for everyone" software made it a family - and hardcore - favorite.

Nintendo 64 Time Capsule: Fighter Destiny and R2R (Video)

Sep 16, 2009

Nintendo's first disc-based console that debuted in November 2001. Its four controller ports and cascade of "for everyone" software made it a family - and hardcore - favorite.

Game Boy Color Time Capsule: Remember these? (Video)

Sep 16, 2009

Nintendo's first disc-based console that debuted in November 2001. Its four controller ports and cascade of "for everyone" software made it a family - and hardcore - favorite.

QOTW: What's your fondest Sega memory? (Feature)

Sep 10, 2009

Hey everyone - this week is the 10th anniversary of the Dreamcast! Oh, you noticed? Well, it's almost over, so you won't have to deal with our blubbering nostalgia for much longer, but if you're also the type for reminiscin', then tell us what Sega console or game makes you feel all bubbly inside just to think about. We won't judge. ...

The Top 7… Best Dreamcast games of all time (Feature)

Sep 7, 2009

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the launch of Sega’s Dreamcast, possibly the most beloved failed console of all time. Following a thunderous, record-breaking launch on Sept. 9, 1999, the Dreamcast died a quiet death less than two years later, when Sega opted to pull the plug rather than compete head-on with Sony’s PlayStation 2 juggernaut. In that time, however, it built up an impressive library that included some of ...

The 13 most hateful video game mascot characters of the '90s (Feature)

Sep 7, 2009

The risible zeros who tried to be heroes. ...

QOTW: What peripheral let you down the most? (Feature)

Sep 3, 2009

We've all drooled over one peripheral or another in the past, and when we finally acquired the things that would change gaming forever and held them in our trembling hands, we expected our TVs to explode with rainbow-colored debris of purified fun. That didn't happen. The gray, plastic reality of our purchases silently glared at us through cheap red buttons and glossy light sensors, and our anticipation metamorphosed into disappointment and bitterness. Which peripheral made you bitter? ...

The evolution of Japanese game commercials (Feature)

Sep 3, 2009

Japan has a well-earned reputation for daft, brilliant and disturbingly odd TV game commercials, but it took a long (sometimes painful) evolution along a course signposted by geeky TV celebs in bad jumpers during the 1980s and PlayStation-sophistication in the 1990s, for that rep to be won and maintained.

Back at the end of the 1970s, Japanese gamecorps started trying to convince their public that games were not something to be afraid ...

The 10 most hardcore iPhone and iPod Touch games (Feature)

Sep 1, 2009

In this feature, we’re opening your eyes to the real iPod touch and iPhone hardcore gaming list. Forget Wolfenstein 3D Classic, Metal Gear Solid Touch and Myst. Our list provides a selection of games that force your brain to scream and your reactions to sharpen. If you can master and beat these ten titles, then you can lay claim to being a truly hardcore gamer. ...

QOTW: Have you beaten every game in a series? Which one? (Feature)

Aug 27, 2009

Alright, technically that's two questions. That aside: what series hooked you so thoroughly that you attacked every new game with the utmost vigor? If you've never completed an entire series, you've at least probably gotten close, or have plans to. Start typing! ...

Technically, that's not correct... (Feature)

Aug 25, 2009

Game developers are wrong about 90% of everything 83% of the time. I know, because I’m a super-expert on facts. My dad invented facts. So hold on to your sugary carbonated bevorage, uncross your legs and take your left hand off your face, because I'm about to drop a straight-up 10-megaton truth bomb on this bitch. All the subjective bullshit and “artistic license” that game designers cower behind is polluting the hard facts... ...

QOTW: What band do you now love because of music games? (Feature)

Aug 20, 2009

Guitar Hero, Rock Band and other rhythm games have introduced a lot of bands to gamers who otherwise may have never heard of them. Have any bands stuck themselves onto your musical taste buds because you played their song in a game? ...

Neuromancer: 25 years later (Feature)

Aug 14, 2009

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of William Gibson’s first novel, Neuromancer, which became the manifesto for the nascent cyberpunk movement. In the years since, cyberpunk has grown from a niche sci-fi genre to a startlingly accurate description of modern times. Cyberpunk’s cultural influence has become so powerful as to be practically invisible; it’s the default setting of our daily reality ...

QOTW: What's your favorite N64 game of all time? (Feature)

Aug 13, 2009

Stop. Hammer time. That is, the hammer that'll come down on you if you say Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time. We know you loved those - but you must have a personal anecdote about some oooooooooother N64 game that touched your heart in all the right ways. Like those Scion commercials say, become one of us by becoming none of us. ...

The best TI-83 RPGs ever (Feature)

Aug 13, 2009

For some, nothing was more exhilarating in high school than playing a cool calculator game right in front of the teacher’s face while she thinks you’re graphing some crazy parabolic curve. Every kid who’s privy to the beat on the street knows that the first thing to do after persuading your parents to buy you a $100 Texas Instruments graphing calculator is to grab a link cable and get some Space Invaders and Final Fantasy ...

A celebration of C64 loading screens (Feature)

Aug 12, 2009

Loading. In the context of modern gaming it's a bit of a dirty word. No matter how cunningly it's disguised, nobody enjoys doing nothing while waiting for the next chunk of game to sort itself out. It's kind of strange, then, that so many gamers weaned from the 8-bit bosom remember the ceremonial act of loading with such genuine affection. But there's a damned good reason for that. The Commodore 64 loading screen.

Commodore 64 loading ...

Disabled but deadly: Gaming’s physically challenged killers (Feature)

Aug 11, 2009

In a medium full of perfect teeth, washboard stomachs and breasts that have their own gravitational pull, it’s rare to see characters with disabilities. But they do exist… and they’ve done some badass things. Be it killing gods, eating hardened soldiers or even creating the Nintendo universe; being physically challenged never got in the way of this bunch’s fun.

The End

Disabled and deadly in: Metal Gear Solid 3: ...

Tokyo's underground game bars (Feature)

Aug 10, 2009

Shikoku, one of the four major Japanese islands, is renowned for its Buddhist temples. With a history stretching back for over a thousand years, tourists and followers of Shingon Buddhism regularly come to visit 88 of these holy shrines as part of a traditional pilgrimage.

But today, many visitors see Japan as a Mecca for the modern and geeky. ...

QOTW: What once-beloved game do you now hate? (Feature)

Aug 6, 2009

Seasons change and so do our feelings about our favorite games. Have you ever gone back to a cherished title only to realize that nostalgia goggles tricked you into thinking some garbage game was the best thing ever? ...

The worst things a gamer can say to their girlfriend (Feature)

Aug 6, 2009

Unless you're one of those few lucky men with a girlfriend that shares your passion for gaming, you'll no doubt appreciate that spending hours sat in front of the TV playing with pretend wizards and space marines can be the cause of many domestic disputes.

It may not trigger a 'bastard-you-slept-with-my-best-friend' sized tsunami of relationship-ending heartbreak, but gaming can undoubtedly cause its fair share of problems. To help ...

Welcome to the Week of Geek (Feature)

Aug 6, 2009

Join us for a gleeful celebration of all things uber-nerdy ...

How to use your GameShark for good - not evil (Feature)

Aug 5, 2009

Shark Week on GR is about sharks and games (and not at all about riding on the caudal fin of the Discovery Channel’s popularity). So what the hell could be a better way to celebrate sharks and games than by featuring the GAMESHARK. Just look at it, it has both words right there. ...

Fake ass Shark games (Feature)

Aug 4, 2009

Admittedly, “SHARK!” certainly makes for a compelling headline (see above). For the most part, humanity recognizes the authority these bloodthirsty badasses hold over 2/3rds of the globe, and uses their name sparingly and only when necessary. ...

What is Shark Week? (Feature)

Jul 31, 2009

Before man invented fire and before dinosaurs roamed the land, sharks ruled our oceans. With no remorse and no mercy, these cold blooded killers have been commanding their aquatic kingdom with an iron dorsal fin, feeding on the weak, and growing stronger in preparation for their inevitable assault against all bi-pedal land-based mammals. ...

QOTW: What are your top 5 games of all time? (Feature)

Jul 30, 2009

Not just the games you liked the most, but the games you played the most. Give us your absolute fondest memories - the ones that make you feel all warm and tingly inside when you reminisce about them, or are even still playing today. Nostalgic stories are always a plus! ...

8 games with disastrously botched rescue missions (Feature)

Jul 30, 2009

Generally, the first rule when it comes to rescuing hostages is ‘don’t let everybody get horribly done in.’ But sadly, this proves too much of a stumbling block for many game heroes. Be it accidentally killing geriatrics with a killer virus or letting the damsel in distress get crushed by a cow, the following rescue missions all get botched. Spectacularly.

&# ...

The 15 worst-reviewed games of the past 15 years (Feature)

Jul 28, 2009

Everyone remembers the names of the great… the games that sold, inspired or won over millions. We still recall them with nostalgia and discuss them with reverence. But what about the opposite extreme? What about the worst of the very worst? Shouldn’t their names be equally famous, if only so that we may study their sins and promise never to repeat them? ...

Comic-Con 2009: Photo diary (Feature)

Jul 24, 2009

In recent years Comic-Con has become one of the biggest events in the US for anyone who enjoys videogames/comics/movies/anime/science fiction. But actually being there is totally overrated - the crowds, the overpriced hotels, the aromas of the unwashed masses - especially when you can follow all the spectacle and excitement from the comfort of your preferred computer workstation. ...

QOTW: What superhero game disappointed you the most? (Feature)

Jul 23, 2009

There have been a few really good, and a lot of really, really crappy comic-based games. Given that Comic-con is currently burning up San Diego, we decided to open the floor for some superhero related venting - dig in! ...

10 movie tie-ins that nobody wanted (Feature)

Jul 22, 2009

Everyone expects certain movies to receive the video game treatment. It's pretty much law, for example, that all kid films and superhero flicks are converted for the purposes of gaming entertainment. But sometimes a movie tie-in that absolutely nobody was waiting for comes out of nowhere and surprises us all. They're the games based on the movies that really have no business ever being made into a game. Here are 10 such examples of misfiring ...

New York City: As seen in videogames! (Feature)

Jul 14, 2009

New York City is one of the most recognizable and revered cities in the world. It’s no surprise then that it’s been portrayed in videogames ever since programmers realized that electronic computation boxes could transmit graphicals on their cathode readouts. We hope you’ll enjoy this comprehensive collection of digital New Yorks, cultivated with the utmost love and respect for The City that Never Sleeps. ...

Trailer Trash 11 (Feature)

Jul 9, 2009

Welcome to another edition of Trailer Trash! Is it 11 already? We’re here every week, slap-chopping our way through the week’s worst trailers for your amusement. Got your own gut-busting take on what you’ve seen here? Tell the world with a Comment*.

*See “Comments” field at bottom of page. User account required for posting. No, you can’t use mine.

Artist ColonyHave a gander at Artist ...

QOTW: What is your all-time favorite console? (Feature)

Jul 8, 2009

Which console grabbed you and gave you the biggest, warmest electrical hug of them all? (PC is also acceptable, but tell us about the specific machine!) Why is it your favorite? How did you get it? Did you have to mow lawns, beg your parents? What games or features did you obsess over? ...

Upcoming games that could revolutionize the industry (Feature)

Jul 3, 2009

Contributors: Chris Antista, Charlie Barratt, Brett Elston, Matthew Keast, Shane Patterson, Mikel Reparaz

Hundreds of games are released every year, then played and forgotten by the next. Only a dozen or so will be remembered a decade from now, and only a few of those will have any lasting impact on the medium as a whole.

Which upcoming titles stand the best chance of leaving that meaningful mark? ...

What to say to the guy who comments "First!!!!" (Feature)

Jul 2, 2009

Comment etiquette dictates that the first commenter must tack the word “first” to the beginning or the end of any comment they make. ...

QOTW: What dead company or franchise do you miss the most? (Feature)

Jul 1, 2009

What defunct game company or franchise are you most sorry to see go? The company may not even be out of business - it may have just strayed so far from its original vision that you consider it dead (likewise with franchises). ...

What are the favourite 'types' of people used on video game box-art? (Feature)

Jul 1, 2009

How this works: We randomly collected together 100 recent examples of video game box-art all completely unrelated with the exception of one common factor: they all featured a person or people as part of the design. We then looked long and hard at all the examples to find out what types of people are most commonly used on video game box-art. And by extension, we guess, in video games. This is what we discovered. Prepare to be partially amazed ...

Gaming words and phrases you never hear any more (Feature)

Jun 26, 2009

Mandatory install. Red ring of death. Motion control. All terms that mean something in the current generation of gaming. But five years ago they meant a whole lot of nothing in the video game vernacular. Yes, things move at lightning-speed in gaming, and that includes the buzz-word obsessed language of gamer speak. The following collection are all forgotten words and phrases that have long-since slipped off the lips of gamers.

Arcade ...

These consoles are fake! (Feature)

Jun 24, 2009

Over the next three pages you're going to find some of the best and worst fake consoles to ever grace the ‘nets. Some have been rendered quite professionally by respectable publications. Others look like they've been knocked up by some kid in his room using Photoshop. While the most dedicated have gone that extra mental mile and physically built crude contraptions in an effort to fool folk.

Above: We’re gutted the BS ...

The Top 7... best games of 2009 (so far) (Feature)

Jun 22, 2009

Much like the Oscars tend to ignore movies released between January and September, end-of-year game awards usually forget the top-notch software released in the first six months. It’s true that the holiday shopping season is stacked with surefire hits, but let’s not forget the games that kept boredom at bay when 2009 was still the New Year. ...

The games of summer 09 (Feature)

Jun 19, 2009

Summer’s right around the corner (starting tomorrow in fact) and despite the glorious weather that comes with it, this time of year is usually thought of as the unsufferable months until the real games come out this winter. Seriously, we’re getting tired of a hundred games flooding stores between October and December. Spread the love throughout the year, dummies! ...

Trailer Trash 8 (Feature)

Jun 18, 2009

This week in Trailer Trash, we’ve received a couple of videogame trailers geared toward girls. Not that there’s anything really wrong with it, but when will developers ever come out with a good girl game? Oh, that’s right - never. Because guns will always be way cooler and more badass than pots and pans, smashing glass is more awesome than raising kids, and splattering blood everywhere is cooler than washing your ...

Stupid game terminology (Feature)

Jun 18, 2009

Why can’t some people just call a spade a spade? Or, in the case of video games, call a health pack a health pack, instead of a multi-purpose, cosmic healitron 3000. We’re sick of developers trying to give their games extra context or dimension by pasting unnecessary and sometimes baffling terminology onto simple, every day game actions or objects. It’s convoluted, embarrassing and totally comically. Below are some of the ...

QOTW: What's the most you've geeked out over a game? (Feature)

Jun 17, 2009

What was your absolute nerdiest videogame moment? Have you ever obsessed over a game so much that even your nerdiest friends got tired of hearing about it? ...

Before and after: the games that changed during development (Feature)

Jun 15, 2009

Splinter Cell Conviction

Sam Fisher’s gone through some midlife crisis-sized changes over the past couple of years. One minute he’s a tortured emo agent on the run, with as little respect for the law as he does for kept facial hair. The next he’s a malicious murderer, who makes Jack Bauer look like Jack Osborne.

Above: From badly groomed to just plain bad

The Conviction of 2007 has heavy influences from ...

The unspoken truths of E3 2009 (Feature)

Jun 11, 2009

E3 is an explosion of information, and if you’re at its epicenter you’re likely to be momentarily blinded by the brilliant flash of gaming dynamite. But as the smoke clears and the debris falls back to Earth, the smoggy LA landscape becomes littered with questions. Now that we’ve had some time to pick through the remains of E3’s decadence, here’s what we’ve deduced.

Exclusive announcement deals are ...

The best and worst credits (Feature)

Jun 10, 2009

Nobody watches the credits. We’d rather spam the start button than devote even a few minutes to the people who made it all possible. Some developers get this; some don’t. Join us as we berate and praise in roughly equal measures ...

The Top 7... E3 announcements you missed (Feature)

Jun 8, 2009

Ah, another E3 over. And what an E3 it was. It was a veritable clusterf*ck of news. Megatons were going off so often a casual reader couldn't possibly keep up. Hell, we here at GamesRadar barely could and it's our freaking jobs. So it can be forgiven with all the Natals, Metroids and Final Fantasy XIVs that some news that would have been a big deal any other week got missed. But GR has you covered with the 7 most important news items you probably weren't aware of ...

E3 09: Top 10 things you need to know about today - Thursday edition (Feature)

Jun 4, 2009

1) A Lego game will finally let you build your own levels, Lego-styleLego Indiana Jones 2 will feature new levels based on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, along with “re-imaginings” of scenes from the first three films that appear differently than they did in the original Lego Indy. Horrified yet? Well, here’s a piece of news that might lift your spirits ...

E3 09: Why wait? E3's hottest games reviewed NOW! (Feature)

Jun 4, 2009

Every game looks great in screenshots and trailers. Do you really want to wait four months before finding out the game you’ve been lusting after actually sucks and just got its face rocked off by some other game? Of course not. That’s why we’re here. We’ve played everything at E3, and this is what we’re rating each game in its current state, right here and now. Let’s get it on ...

E3 09: Top 10 things you need to know about today - Wednesday edition (Feature)

Jun 3, 2009

Maybe you’re overwhelmed by our constant barrage of tweets and extensive E3 coverage. Maybe you’re drowning in the sea of E3 info that’s flooding the web. Or maybe you’ve got a life and don’t have time to waste reading previews and staring at screenshots for games you’ll never care about. That’s why we’ve filtered out all the bull to bring you the exciting news that matters the most ...

QOTW: What was your favorite E3 2009 moment? (Feature)

Jun 3, 2009

The biggest gaming show of the year isn't over quite yet, but the three biggest conferences have already come and gone. So what was your favorite moment? Best announcement? Most awkward presenter? Did your favorite company meet your expectations? Tell us what you thought! ...

E3 09: GR's Absurd Photo Diary (Feature)

Jun 2, 2009

We're attacking the hell out of E3 with a snarl of cellphones, laptops, cameras, coffee, hard alcohol, knoted cables, and eyeballs. Want to see what our screen-burned eyes are seeing? Of course you do! Check here often for updates - new photos will appear at the top! ...

E3 09: It's closed! But also slightly not (Feature)

Jun 1, 2009

It’s the first day of E3. It’s open for business. But also actually not. Press types can register. Giant shaven headed men pull heavy cartons about the place. Doormen pace about guarding nothing from nobody. No music. No lightshows. No games. Yeah actually it’s closed. But ever vigilant to the possibility of something within the absence of anything, Team GR presents this visual tapestry of an E3 asleep. ...

E3 09: Tell us what you want to see with Twitter (Feature)

Jun 1, 2009

As you may have guessed, GamesRadar is at E3 in something of a 'force'. We also have knapsacks full of frequently malfunctioning equipment, with which we will endeavour to broadcast you images, words and videos of everything that's going on in the LA Convention Center.

However, in the spirit of community we've decided to let you set some of the agenda for our E3 coverage using Twitter. All you need to do is follow @GamesRadar... ...

QOTW: What big reveal do you most want to see at E3? (Feature)

May 28, 2009

What games do you want announced? What trailers do you want to see? What's the most earth-shattering announcement you can possibly imagine? ...

Smashiest glass! (Feature)

May 27, 2009

Do you love breaking glass? We feel your pane. Every time we play a videogame, we have to shoot and melee every window or other potentially breakable object. The tinkle of shattering glass is like music to our ears. The sound of glass breaking is so bad-ass, even wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin uses it in his entrance song. ...

The 10 most common game design mistakes (Feature)

May 22, 2009

Making games is hard. Making fun of them isn’t. It’s really, really easy, actually. Of course, we wouldn’t be so critical if we didn’t love them so damn much (and if we weren’t, you know, critics). We think games are just the bee’s knees, and that’s why we get so pissed about all the stupid crap they do ...

QOTW: What game are you most ashamed you never beat? (Feature)

May 21, 2009

Sure you played it, you just got...distracted, and then you moved on. So what if it is a classic? It's not your fault the final boss was so cheap! You'll get back to it one of these days... ...

Which number is the best number? (Feature)

May 15, 2009

Because we enjoy making graphs, looking at graphs, and talking about graphs so darn much, we decided to do a little research experiment. Our goal was to discover which numbered entry in a game series (not the number of games into the series, the actual number in the game’s title) is most often the best. Is it scientific? Not in the least, but it still might surprise you. ...

QOTW: What game do you always go back to? (Feature)

May 14, 2009

Every week the hosts of TalkRadar present and answer a new "Question of the Week" - a personal inquiry which unearths some of our deepest, and sometimes most sinister, gaming memories. Everyone is encouraged to answer each week's question, so go ahead, tell us your most glorious, nostalgic, or shameful story!

This week's question:

What's your biggest hobby aside from gaming?

After 50 podcasts and 33 questions, it's safe to assume we ...

QOTW: What's your biggest hobby aside from gaming? (Feature)

May 7, 2009

After 50 podcasts and 33 questions, it's safe to assume we all play a crapton of games. But what else do you do? What's next on the list for hobbies, interests or passions? What do you do when you finally bore of jumping on platforms and shooting locks? ...

Gaming’s most memorable epidemics (Feature)

May 6, 2009

AW CRAP! We’re all going to DIE! Or at least, some of us might, because people die. Here at GamesRadar, we’re more worried about eye-strain than we are the ePIGdemic, but it’s hard not to think about it a bit, especially with that glowing box in our living rooms telling us we all have loaded guns with hairpin triggers stuffed up our nostrils. ...

A salute to swine (Feature)

May 1, 2009

We don’t know about you, but we’ve been thinking a lot about pigs this week. It’s probably because we’ve read the word “swine” in almost every news headline. Apparently there’s this flu traipsing about that made this week’s terror alert in America. ...

123 games with untapped franchise potential (Feature)

Apr 30, 2009

Store shelves are littered with sequels to crappy games and franchises that have no right to exist. Hello, Dynasty Warriors! What Faustian covenant keeps you alive?? Meanwhile, videogame history is teeming with amazing, innovative titles that were mercilessly trampled underfoot when the balance sheet didn’t add up. This is our ode to games with unrealized franchise potential. ...

15 music videos that rip off games magnificently (Feature)

Apr 30, 2009

MTV may now be home only to would-be celebrities and attention-starved whores, but there was once a time when it played nothing but music videos, back when the M stood for “music” instead of “malaise.” In fact, music videos hit their stride in the mid-to-late 1980s, right as NESes were being installed into every living room in the world. With a shared history that’s intertwined the art forms from the beginning, it's no surprise that we'd occasionally see videogame influences creeping into videos ...

QOTW: What was the first game you remember pre-ordering? (Feature)

Apr 30, 2009

The 16 most awesomely bad videogame movie moments (Feature)

Apr 29, 2009

Movies based on videogames, to make a blanket generalization, are effing terrible. It’s no secret that Hollywood thinks of gamers as a massive collective of emotionally stunted mouth-breathers who’ll pay to watch anything with guns, and that the films it produces reflect that attitude. ...

Old predictions of the future of gaming (Feature)

Apr 29, 2009

Do you eat candy made from your own underwear? Do you have your own personal helicopter parked on the roof? Do you play 11-player space games around a stand-up cabinet? Neither do we. Yet that was the future as predicted by 'experts'. But could anyone predict the future of gaming and foresee the wondrous technology us gamers take for granted today? ...

Game characters for Obama (Feature)

Apr 21, 2009

Posters: Your room needs more of them, and we’ve got a fine selection of perfectly printable pin-ups that will Obama-fy your favorite game characters with red, white, and blue. Just click on any image below for a friendly file, which will print out nicely on standard 8 ½ by 11 paper ...

The return of Trailer Trash! (Feature)

Apr 16, 2009

Our long-time readers will remember a weekly column we used to run, a mischievous little scamp known as Trailer Trash, in which we mercilessly heckled the week’s most odious videographic drivel from our haughty tower of jaded idolatry. Because no one demanded it, Trailer Trash is back from the dustbin of obscurity to provoke, titillate and otherwise flaunt convention. Over the weeks ahead, we’ll be evolving the format, but rest assured gentle reader that we shall continually strive to bring you +1 lulz every Thursday ...

10 simple steps to being a better videogame bad guy (Feature)

Apr 16, 2009

We've killed countless enemies in our time playing games. Thousands. Maybe even millions. We like to think it's because we're full of skill, but the truth is that gaming's grunts just aren't that smart. It's almost like they want to be shot to bits or blown to pieces. So to even things up a bit for the recruits of gaming's axis of evil - whether terrorist, Nazi or hostile alien - here are 10 simple steps to being a better videogame bad ...

Paul vs 8-bit (Feature)

Apr 10, 2009

Sometimes you just know from the moment you get up that it’s going to be a horrible day. On one such day, we followed Paul Ryan around San Francisco with a camera. This is the completely unadulterated video document of what we witnessed. ...

Videogame music makes Star Wars better (Feature)

Apr 10, 2009

VIDEO: See Episode IV improved with an 8-bit redub. ...

Videogames versus the real world - final round! (Feature)

Apr 9, 2009

Remember reality? That place to which your loved ones are always urging you to put down the controller and return? Completely overrated. And compared to the gloriously exaggerated world of videogames, completely underwhelming. To be sure, though, we’re giving reality one last chance. After humiliating defeats in both Part One and Part Two of our versus showdown, can the stuff around you finally beat the stuff inside your gaming machine? Let’s find out. ...

The Top 7... Most embarrassing live-action game scenes (Feature)

Apr 6, 2009

If you make a bad game, it can only haunt you for so long. All that ties you to failure is a name in the credits – that’s not so bad. But star in a game’s horrific live-action cut scenes and your image is tarnished forever. Your horrible accent, ridiculous costume, and unmitigated willingness to make an ass of yourself for money are all digitized and archived forever - ripe to be picked out of the interdepths years later ...

Why it's hard being a girl gamer, explained by a dude (Feature)

Apr 3, 2009

Take it from me, being a girl gamer ain't easy. As women, we're still the minority with a hobby enjoyed mostly by dudes. And even among fellow gamers, femininity sets you apart, even more than just being the only one with boobs and pretty hair. Unfortunately, guys who don’t read our site see girl gamers as an excuse to try their favorite Final Fantasy pick-up lines, rather than seeing them as legitimate fellow games enthusiasts. Frankly, I’m sick of this out-of-touch attitude about women who enjoy gaming and decided to pick the worst things about being a girl gamer for them ...

100 reasons fanboys hate casual games (Feature)

Mar 27, 2009

Is there anything more disgusting than the casual gamer? We checked the internet, and can definitively say that no, there is no baser creature in existence. Not even these guys. While hating on shooters or RPGs is sure to be divisive, we can all unite in our hatred of casual games. What better way to bring the Week of Hate to a close? Got beef with casual games, or with our lovely video?

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38 favourite bullshit PR cliches (Feature)

Mar 24, 2009

Promotional crap translated into real-world truth. ...

The Top 7… hated habits of the mainstream media (Feature)

Mar 23, 2009

Today marks the beginning of the Week of Hate, GamesRadar’s annual celebration of all things callow, lame and detestable about videogames and the industry that surrounds them. Stay tuned all this week for a fresh round of features and videos dedicated to everything we hate about the hobby we love. ...

What lifestyle gaming pics looked like in the 70s (Feature)

Mar 20, 2009

Like most things about gaming, lifestyle photos that pretend to represent a snap shot of gaming life have changed dramatically over the last few decades. Thanks mostly to the Wii, our eyes are regularly offended by pretend perfect people pretending to play games in pretend perfect studio apartments. We find the whole thing putrid and distasteful. Here's a sick-making example of gaming through the lifestyle lens so you know what we're talking ...

Chinatown: Videogames versus reality (Feature)

Mar 17, 2009

Thanks to two films - Chinatown and Blade Runner - every action game is practically required to have a Chinatown level. It’s not the Chinatown you see in real-life - a thriving community and marketplace established over a unique hybrid of Western and Chinese culture – no, it’s all neon signs and gangsters, dragon statues and tile roofs. A lot of tile roofs. And it's usually in the future or ...

Gaming's greatest blood sports (Feature)

Mar 10, 2009

What’s the best part of any car race? The mad crazy wrecks. Hockey game? When a 6’5” Czech man-beast levels a lesser player with a right hook. Ultimate fighting? The whole thing. We like seeing people destroy each other; it’s in our blood. Or maybe it’s in their blood, and the way it spills everywhere and inspires unanimous ‘YEAHs from stadiums full of adrenaline junkies too timid to risk their own ...

Inventions that would make gaming better (Feature)

Mar 5, 2009

Good inventions are brilliant. They're new things that are specifically designed to make things better. The top of our 'Good inventions we want' list reads like so:

1.Time machine.2.Star Trek-style transporter.3.Cigarettes that won't make us dead.

Yeah, it's pretty unimaginative, but anyone that doesn't have a time machine and Star Trek-style transporters on their list is just trying to be a smart ass. Anyway, being big fans of ...

Amazing game peripherals from the stupid ages (Feature)

Feb 27, 2009

Game peripherals are no new thing. They've been with us for as long as we've had home videogame systems to plug them into. The first wave of game peripherals hoisted upon the virgin generation of gamers was a hit-and-miss mix of pointless plastic tat and genuinely innovative inventions. Here we've gathered a pretty even mix of the two, plus a bunch of stuff that falls somewhere in between. Be amazed.

Game Mate 2 Wireless Game ControllersThe orthopaedic shoes ...

Gaming's most absurdly oversized limbs (Feature)

Feb 25, 2009

Abnormally sized limbs that are sort of funny to look at: a premise that only minutes of arduous brainstorming could have birthed. Can we actually fashion a coherent article with a subject weaker than the plot of a Family Matters episode? Carl Winslow would believe in us, and it isn’t as if it hasn’t worked for us in the past. Enjoy, and be sure to come back next week for “100 slices of bacon that look like Mario.” ...

Things gamers would never have believed 20 years ago (Feature)

Feb 23, 2009

There's no way that anyone alive and gaming at the end of the 80s could have predicted how videogames would evolve over the next two decades. We know because we were there. Sure, it was pretty safe that graphics would get more better and consoles would get an ass-load more powerful, but besides that we were pretty clueless as to what gaming in the 21st Century would really be like. Now that we've arrived in the future, here's some of the things we could never have seen coming 20 years ago ...

Why do licensed kiddie games suck? (Feature)

Feb 20, 2009

A couple of years ago our Nintendo editor, Brett Elston, rolled up his sleeves and undertook an inquisition. His heavily-armed crusade van was fueled by his shamelessly excessive nostalgia for classic kid’s games like Duck Tales, Tiny Toons, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and his target was modern licensed kiddie games (also known as “expensive Frisbees”). It was a commendable cause – today’s kiddie games do ...