Half-Life 2: Episode Three

Welcome one and all to a very special podcast. What makes it so special, you ask? Well not only is it set to make you even more excited about E3 in preparation for next week's big event, we've also gone to the trouble of writing 'special' on the header above. 

As well as regulars such as the GamesRadar Hotline and What We've Been Playing we discuss the games that are making us giddy to see more of at E3. We also hammer out a wish list of big hitters we'd like to see at the show, which includes a segue into a long conversation about GTA V and Bully 2. We also hazard a guess as to who will win the conference war between the big three, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, and why we're hopefully optimistic of the show being aimed at hardcore gamers and not casual gaming buffoons. 

One of the challenges of an action game is creating a villain that you, the player, will want to destroy. Some games, like Killzone 3, end up crafting bad guys so cool and awesome, you're rooting for them instead of the so-called heroes. Then there are games that just get it right, making an entire army of bastards you just want to punch in the face.

Thanks to a mixture of visual design, atmosphere and writing, some games go beyond even that, and are able to craft an entire race of enemies that are simply despicable to behold. They're ugly, they're disgusting, and they garner absolutely zero sympathy. Those are the truly successful baddies in videogames, and now we rightly pay tribute...

2011 is going to be a pretty big year for gaming. The launch of the 3DS is looming large, Sony’s prepping a stable of high-profile sequels, and a bunch of games that were delayed out of their planned 2010 releases will finally arrive. That last item raises the question of which high-profile 2011 games will actually see release this year, and which ones will be shoved – either by longer-than-expected development cycles or market forces – into the uncertain void of 2012.

You know it’s going to happen. It always happens. It’s just a question of what it’ll happen to. In order to properly brace for unexpected disappointment, we’ve taken a look at some of 2011’s biggest releases and – based on what little we know now – made a few guesses as to what’s going to be pushed out to next year.

Scoff all you want, but remember: the last time we did this, our predictions were 100 percent accurate. Will we repeat that success? Let’s hope not...

 

Puns are awesome. We know this. You know this. Donkey King Kong knows this. That's we've taken our two favourite things in the Solar System, namely games and movies, and mashed them up in the name of good punnery. So prepare to look at the Man With No Name and Tony Montana in a new light, as we blend famous film characters with gaming's finest heroes.

Will Wright (aka Mr. Sim City) is making a TV Show. No really, we kid you not. Entitled Creation Project, if it's anything less than a half hour programme of Wright flying about in jet packs, we’ll be gutted. And this made us get our ponder on. What kind of shows would other game developers make? Well, you’ve come to the right place to find out.

Above: Would you watch Cliffy B's 'Pump Your Geek Guns' Workout Hour?

Here’s a new line of Hatewear for you to try on. We’ll trot out a beloved sacred cow franchise and give you five simple reasons why it may not be the hippo’s nipples after all. We’ll be here all week, making lists of things to hate about the things you like. Will we pick on your favorite franchise? Check back tomorrow. Until then, see what’s not to like about Half-Life.

A lot of official game art comes through our inboxes every day. Produced by game developers and distributed by their public relations teams to the media, eye-catching official game art is the stuff that magazine covers are made of and are often posted on sites like this.

People like to see good triumph over evil. It's the reason Superman always wins despite getting stabbed in the face with shards of Kryptonite. Why John McClane beats a skyscraper full of heavily-armed terrorists with nothing but a string vest. And why those pesky S.T.A.R.S. agents always get the better of the T-virus. Sometimes, though, there are games brave enough to spit in the face of convention and let their no gooders go

When Blizzard showed off Diablo III for the first time at the developer's World Wide Invitational 2008 in Paris, France, more than a few long-time fans of the franchise experienced self-induced strokes at the sight of some of the revamped features. Change, after all, is difficult to cope with.

We’re big fans of dicking around, so when someone suggested that we attempt to reproduce a classic sitcom in Half-Life 2’s Garry’s Mod, we cited the “why the hell not” clause of our operating procedures and immediately began violating ragdolls. While our interpretation of the greatest nihilist sitcom ever may not win us any awards at machinima festivals, it can at least inspire some ironic