All Features

A history of Bond girls (007: Quantum of Solace)

Jul 9, 2008

No Babes Week would be complete without a look back at the ladies of 007. James Bond is the original womanizer, using his debonair good looks to charm his way into the pants of slinky double agents or bored (and possibly kidnapped) heiresses. We’ll take a look at how the girls have evolved over time, comparing their appearances across game titles and hardware generations. We’ll also evaluate the videogame versions against the ...

James Bond is a gamer! (007: Quantum of Solace)

Jul 2, 2008

During our recent visit to Treyarch’s LA studio, we had the opportunity see a demo of the upcoming 007: Quantum of Solace game and to interview Garrett Young, the Executive Producer. Aside from various details about the game, he also revealed that Daniel Craig is a gamer and likes to play Guitar Hero in his trailer on set. For the whole story on Quantum of Solace and Craig’s leet gaming skills, have a listen to our interview. But ...

50 Cent Bulletproof (50 Cent Bulletproof)

Jul 4, 2005

You can't accuse hardcore rapper 50 Cent of hypocrisy when he says "get rich or die trying." When we were delivering papers for some cash to buy North vs South, 50 was selling vials of crack. At school. From the age of twelve, 50 always had his eyes on the Benjamins. And it flowed his way - first via a $5000 a day crack business, then by building a huge underground reputation on mix tapes.His breakthrough came when he was spotted by Eminem and smashed records left, right and centre with his ...

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation)

Apr 5, 2007

Air Combat (PlayStation - 1995) You are the team leader of an elite corps of mercenaries - fighter pilots hired to strike where NATO air forces have failed. It's the summer of 1995. The whole world is eyeballing Sony's PlayStation, a machine that's supposed to somehow topple videogame giants Sega and Nintendo. While Sega digs its own grave with a rocket-powered backhoe, Nintendo sticks to its guns in all the wrong ways, leaving Sony with a free, open road to success. Part of that initial ...

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation)

Apr 4, 2007

You may have noticed that day four of our Ace Combat 6 coverage is a retrospective on the whole series. Seems like the right thing to do, see where the franchise has been, where it's going and what it's brought to the gaming masses over the years, But what do the actual developers think about the series? It's obvious they have a love for jets, missiles and fan service, but are there any ambitions left unfulfilled or projects that didn't quite pan out as planned? To get this point of view, we ...

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation)

Apr 3, 2007

Being the insatiable Ace Combat fans that we are, Namco saw fit to invite us out to its Japanese headquarters to talk with the newest Ace team. Well, they're not quite new, as many of the members have been involved with series for some time. We spoke with producer Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi, director Natsuki Isaki and sound director Nakanishi Tetsukazu, three men well versed in all things Ace Combat. Read on for our exclusive interview. You can also click here to watch it in video format. Thank you ...

Age of Conan: The Ikea Adventures (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

May 28, 2008

Over Memorial Day weekend my girlfriend decided the shower curtain rings in our bathroom were the wrong color, which meant a trip to our local Ikea. Yes, I went too; I’m not completely whipped (yet), but going on couple-y expeditions like this buys me points that can be redeemed for several hours of uninterrupted gaming time that I can spend on my latest addiction, which at the moment happens to be Age of Conan.Thus, barbarian warriors ...

Age of Conan Collectors Edition unboxed (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

May 22, 2008

Funcom released 111,000 copies of the Age of Conan Collectors Edition, and every last one has been sold. That’s a big enough deal as it is, but you really know a game’s got traction when it starts showing up on Craigslist. And that’s just one ad in Washington, D.C. - we found them in ...

Age of Conan Characters (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

May 7, 2008

Age of Conan goes live on May 20 in all of its Mature-rated, graphics-intensive, literary-high-minded glory, but beta testers have been blabbing about the game for weeks now. Far be it from us to keep our mouths shut when everyone else is yakking - we played the first 20 levels of the beta, including a straight shot through the game’s single-player quests.

In the single-player game, you’re pursuing your character’s ...

The women of Hyboria (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

Oct 22, 2007

Oct 22, 2007 According to Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures community team, “Hyboria will be FILLED with women of all kinds, from the “to be expected” female prostitutes to the extremely able female fighters.” They go on to reveal that in contrast to the more sexist setting of Robert E. Howards world, “any female player in Hyboria should be just as strong and able as any ...

Funcom: From MMOGs, with love (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

Jun 11, 2007

Funcom is a developer heavily involved with the MMOG genre. With sci-fi massively multiplayer online game Anarchy Online already tucked under its belt, they're currently developing Age of Conan for PC and Xbox 360, and they recently announced The Secret World, raising an eyebrow when they said it's an MMOG that's going to be something completely different than what we're used to. Currently, the developer's keeping its lips firmly sealed where The Secret World is concerned, but with MMOGs ...

Age of Conan Interview, part two (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

Feb 20, 2007

We've been speaking to Funcom about its forthcoming PC and Xbox 360 MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian adventures, and last week we brought you part one of the resulting interview. Today - guess what? - we're bringing you the second and concluding part of our chat with product manager Erling Ellingsen... What occurs in the single-player section of the game, and when that's completed is it a traditional MMORPG that we move into? Erling Ellingsen: The single-player feature has changed much since we ...

Age of Conan Interview, part one (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures)

Feb 20, 2007

Blizzard's all-dominating World of Warcraft is set to face its most serious challenge yet in 2007, a number of new 'big name' MMORPGs preparing to enter the market before the year is out. Product manger Erling Ellingsen reveals that on top of creating a compelling MMORPG experience Funcom is aiming to incorporate cross-platform adventuring into Age of Conan. So, while the PC version will release first this October, PC gamers and Xbox 360 gamers could eventually be able to buddy-up and compare ...

The Agency - interview (The Agency)

Jul 27, 2007

Last month Sony Online Entertainment drew back the curtain on The Agency, an espionage-themed MMOG for PC and PS3 that the developer describes as a "fast-paced online action shooter filled with espionage, intrigue and betrayal" and a "pick-up-and-play experience." We caught up with the game's lead designer, Hal Milton, to discover more... Exactly how massively multiplayer is The Agency? Hal Milton: The game world will support many, many people in a variety of public and private social and ...

What ever happened to Alan Wake? (Alan Wake)

Dec 12, 2007

Dec 12, 2007 The games industry is a strange, strange place. Its almost 30 years old now, but it seems developers still cant agree on the best way to PR their babies. In our experience, they go one of two ways: trundle down the elaborately stage-managed Assassins Creed path, a game wrapped so tightly in Ubisoft cotton wool that it was little wonder dire rumours surfaced that the game might be one huge stinker (thankfully, as our review attests, we neednt have worried). Or they take a plunge ...

Alone in the Dark's six worst ways to die (Alone in the Dark)

Jun 4, 2008

Alone in the Dark invented the survival horror genre. Hell, the original Alone in the Dark was arguably the first to introduce fear itself into the gaming experience. You wouldn't believe how terrified we were of a couple of shadowy strategically placed polygon blocks back in 1994...

Now imagine what the franchise can do with cutting edge graphics, surround sound, real world physics and cinematic storytelling. More importantly, after ...

An evening with Uwe Boll (Alone in the Dark)

May 29, 2008

Thanks to his videogame-based cinematic failures, Uwe Boll is one of the most loathed men on the internet right now. In fact his detractors hate his work so much that most of them have never watched any of it.

So in the interests of scientific endeavor, we picked up three Boll DVDs and commited ourselves to watching them all in one night. Does Boll deserve the vitriol he so readily receives from the gaming community? Read on and find out. ...

Grimm - EXCLUSIVE screens and interview (American McGee's Grimm)

May 29, 2007

Producer and designer American McGee didnt win much love from critics or fans with his last two titles: Bad Day L.A. and Scrapland. But making games safe for consumption by the masses has never been his MO. If theres one thing you can expect from an American McGee title, its something different, something that breaks ties with the expected and mundane. In his next project, words will be weapons and censorship will be your enemy. McGee is returning to his trademarked fairy tail twisting that ...

20 Most Rabidly Patriotic Games (America's Army)

Jul 4, 2008

To celebrate Independence Day (the holiday, not the movie), we’ve scoured our encyclopedic minds for the most patriotic games to be developed. But that wasn’t funny enough. So, we dug deeper to find the most rabidly patriotic games every developed. Ya know - the ones with so much love for Old Glory that it starts to get a little ridiculous. Behold - our results!

America's ArmyUS Army | 2002Any game can add the word ...

10,000 Gamerpoints in 30 days (Amped 3)

Mar 1, 2007

Last year a fellow with the Gamertag StripClubDJ became the first Xbox 360 owner to smash through the 100,000 Gamerpoint barrier. Quite an Achievement (excuse the pun). Instead of being shunned by the gaming community for being a daylight-dodging loser, hes been widely revered and showered with friend requests by fellow 360ites. But if youre not one of the Gamerscore elites, logging in to Live to see your buddies clocking up tens of thousands of points while you languish in the late hundreds ...