It was released way back at the start of the 80s. So surely anything worth saying about Pac-Man has been said already? Actually, we don't think so. You may have heard how Pac-Man is gaming's premiere pop culture icon and how he single-handedly pushed electronic entertainment into the big time. But what you haven't heard until now is why Pac-Man is the original Resident Evil. Or why Pac-Man is more like Grand Theft Auto than you could ever ...

Pac-Man's got to be right up there with Mario as one of the most recognisable videogame characters of all time. And because his basic design is simple, you can see him everywhere. Whenever you take a slice of pizza or cut a segment from a cake, he's there. Then the noise starts to go in your head: waka waka waka waka waka ...

Pain, eh? Nature's way of saying 'this'll learn ya' when you do something stupid like fall on your keys in a nettle patch made of razor wire. With salt on it. Videogame-wise, however, there's virtually no chance a game will be able to physically cause you pain. Thankfully, there's a much more cathartic alternative - you get to inflict it instead. ...

It's been a good eight months since the anarchic, Jackass-inspired destruction-porn game PAIN hit the PlayStation Network, and the game is finally getting a second level. The good news is that the game's new playground - a massive, working indoor carnival called Abusement Park - is bigger, brighter and offers many more opportunities for bone-crunching hilarity than its predecessor. It'll also be released alongside two new characters (who we ...

For millions of MMO players, there was no love lost. In fact, last July’s widespread report, that the Chinese government had banned gold farming, was met with giddy rapture.

For years, gold farmers had been the worker ants in games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest, trading virtual loot for real-world profit. ...

Is there anything better than a bag of popcorn, a cushy sofa on which to recline and an iPhone or iPod Touch loaded with games? Well yeah, there is, especially considering what popcorn fingers can do to a touchscreen. But when you’re on a bus on your way to work, being able to punch up a bloody gorefest like Alive 4-ever or kick it through the uprights in a football sim does help while away the commute time. ...

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. ...