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Oct 6, 2008

The Top 7... Game expos better than E3

PC Feature | PC

Imagine the room you’re in spiraling inward as soothing celesta music transports you to another time and place. You’re in LA; it’s 2006 and you’ve just walked onto the E3 show floor. Everyone is buzzing about the Wii and the DS Lite. Jokes about the PS3’s $600 pricetag are circulating, but anticipation of Sony’s powerhouse is hardly damaged. Flashing lights and beautiful women accompany lavish displays of ... » Read More

Oct 3, 2008

Who fights a Bill of Rights?

PC Feature | PC

Stardock and Gas Powered Games’ recently suggested Gamer’s Bill of Rights seems to have motivated all sorts of people to action. Within days of its unveiling, I received e-mails alerting me to the Casual Gamer’s Bill of Rights, the Comcast Peer-to-Peer Bill of Rights, and some sort of U.S. Bill of Rights demanding, among other bizarre ideas, the freedoms of speech, assembly, and protection from the quartering of ... » Read More

Oct 3, 2008

Primetime to real-time

PC Feature | PC

While games based on movies and TV shows have a long and proud tradition of sucking really, really hard, there are a few out there I’d love to see make the jump to real-time strategy. Picking them out ended up being harder than I thought, since most movies and shows have small groups of central characters, which doesn’t really work well in a game where you need disposable units. After much deliberation, here are my top four ... » Read More

Oct 3, 2008

Games vs Movies: 20 cutscenes compared

PC Feature | PC

If you’ve played a movie-based game in your lifetime, we’re sorry. We’re sure you know that most games strive to stick as close to the film as possible. Even when taking “creative license” with the source material - in cases like Superman Returns, Hulk or any other boring action film - you’re bound to see some semblance of the movie’s story acted out in glorious 3D. ... » Read More

Oct 3, 2008

Epic game plots made simple

PC Feature | PC

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Oct 2, 2008

Why WoW players should switch to WAR

PC Feature | PC

Playing an MMO isn't a hobby. It isn't a pastime. It's an obsession that grabs you by the nuts and doesn't let go until you become a sleep-deprived zombie with an insatiable lust for more loot. MMOs aren't just games. They're an all consuming way of life that replaces your family with guildmates, sacrifices sleep for more raiding, and leaves you hung over with blurry visions of gear upgrades. ... » Read More

Oct 2, 2008

Evolution of the tree

PC Feature | PC

You don’t know how good you’ve got it. With the latest generation, you’ve got one of the most sophisticated pieces of technology in the world sitting under your television (or sitting on your desk), obediently pumping out hundreds of thousands of polygons a second and making trillions of calculations, all so you can sit there grunting about how the draw distance isn’t that great, or how the characters’ faces aren't that well animated. ... » Read More

Oct 1, 2008

What's your gaming pet hate?

PC Feature | PC

You remember your first set-piece. They’re exciting to begin with. You’re playing a level, you turn the corner, and – OH MY GOD! – a spaceship has just nuked that building! But... but... but Alpha Team was in there. Commander Jenkins! Michael. He saved my life in the Martian Wars. Good god. We’ve got to get in there, and now. ... » Read More

Sep 29, 2008

The Top 7... Stupidest Puzzles

PC Feature | PC

Puzzles aren’t meant to be simple - they’re meant to sell hint books and strategy guides. Obstacles aren’t meant to be obvious - they’re meant to artificially lengthen the adventure! Here are the seven most bizarre, irrational and frustratingly convoluted examples we’ve ever encountered. They don’t just spit in the face of logic... they kick logic right in the balls. ... » Read More

Sep 29, 2008

The coming digital tidal wave

PC Feature | PC

A huge change underway in how videogames are made and sold is poised to transform the entire industry. Digital distribution will not only affect how you get games, but also the types of games you experience. Buying boxes from brick-and-mortar stores will wane significantly over the coming years, while downloading titles over the Internet will continue to grow.Consider how much things have changed in the way music is sold. ... » Read More

Sep 25, 2008

See GTA IV with 8-bit graphics...

PC Feature | PC

We’ve seen some great remakes this year. The success of Bionic Commando Rearmed on Xbox LIVE and Final Fantasy IV on the DS shows that playing old games on new hardware is still fun. But the good folks at The Independent Gaming Source have turned the idea of remaking classic titles on its head with their recent Bootleg Demake competition. ... » Read More

Sep 24, 2008

Can you really rocket jump?

PC Feature | PC

We take a lot of things for granted in games. Such as guns that leave nothing but skeletons when they hit the enemy, or that you can hack a computer by playing a simple puzzle game. But no more. PC Gamer wanted to find out how far science was being abused for the sake of our entertainment. ... » Read More

Sep 24, 2008

Game moments you don't want a loved one walking in...

PC Feature | PC

There’s ‘do you think anyone smelt me dropping that beef biscuit?’ embarrassment. And then there’s ‘accidentally relieving your bowels in public after one too many beers and a chicken vindaloo’ embarrassment. Guess which category the following gaming shames fall into? ... » Read More

Sep 23, 2008

Intelligent AI design

PC Feature | PC

As game makers can probably attest, one of the biggest challenges of creating a good first-person shooter is the artificial intelligence development. Programming an AI-controlled bot to perform with enough skill and unpredictability to convince you it’s a real opponent is a tremendous feat. In fact, I don’t believe any modern shooter has produced artificial intelligence that would pass the Turing Test (a thought experiment where a ... » Read More

Sep 22, 2008

The 2008 PC Builder's Bible

PC Feature | PC

Getting your hands dirty and building your own system is what separates PC gamers from their console brethren, and it just so happens to be one of the most exciting parts of our hobby. Unfortunately, it’s also a pretty daunting process for anyone who hasn’t assembled his own rig from scratch. Thankfully, this guide not only gives you all you need to know about every component that goes in your gaming PC ... » Read More

Sep 19, 2008

The Guide to our favorite Guides

PC Feature | PC

Congratulations on finding your way to our Guide to Guides! If you’re on the wrong console page, use our helpful links to figure out what game you would like to become excellent at first. ... » Read More

Sep 16, 2008

Sim racing grows up

PC Feature | PC

While waiting for my maiden online iRacing.com event at South Boston Speedway to commence, I took a cursory glance at the drivers I’d be competing against. There, at the top of the qualifying list, was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yes…that Dale Earnhardt Jr.It was one of those defining moments where you realize you aren’t playing games anymore.For those who haven’t heard, David Kaemmer (of NASCAR Racing, IndyCar Racing, and GPL ... » Read More

Sep 16, 2008

Top 10 TalkRadar moments of all time

PC Feature | PC

O HAI! I didn’t see you click in. I’m one of the co-hosts of GamesRadar’s super-ific, fantastical podcast, TalkRadar. What started out as an excuse for us to bite back at the internet and industry that feeds us quickly gained a following we weren’t quite expecting. That other podcast you like? This one’s funnier, better even. ... » Read More

Sep 15, 2008

Management is not the enemy

PC Feature | PC

I have never been a strategy gamer. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the genre as its own art form, but I am by nature such a manager, organizer, and taker of care that to me, the idea of building sufficient resources and ordering units from place to place isn’t fun—it’s like work. Or grocery shopping. Or a family reunion. I like games with logic puzzles and games with explosions. Which are also a little like a ... » Read More

Sep 12, 2008

The Least Faithful Movie Games

PC Feature | PC

There’s probably no genre more reviled than movie-based titles. We think it’s agreed upon that most of these games generally suck. And we get it. With the development team having to hit a specific release date, there is no way programmers have the necessary time to make a stellar title. That’s why we get crap like Enter the Matrix. More often than not, we get titles that take great liberty with the material. ... » Read More