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In defense of Portal, shitty alternate endings, and we kick off a week of Outworldish entertainment...
Sure, organic enemies are tough, don’t get us wrong. Nazis, mercenaries, cannibal chefs, insane clowns, monsters of every shape and size, zombie everything: gaming’s fleshy baddies have a rich tradition of wreaking havoc and murdering our favorite characters. But fully organic opponents have always lacked that extra something that makes a truly epic amoral sociopath: processing power. The technological terrors below have all the advantages of clean circuitry and streamlined programming to churn out the homicide. Untroubled by annoying human traits like the necessity for food or an aversion to wide-scale genocide, these machines can compute carnage at a speed that leaves the human brain in the dust...
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As you're likely already aware, last week we posted our 100 best games of all time list. Judging by the response from you and other readers around the internets, we ruffled a few feathers and "left out" some key games. We assumed this would happen (of course it would, there's no way we'll include every game everyone ever loved) and spent a big chunk of our latest podcast defending and expanding on said list.
This discussion was part of TalkRadar 145, but if you'd prefer to hear it in isolation (and not part of a two-hour podcast), we're presenting it to you now for easy access.
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Taking your phone calls, our Top 100 Games explained, Macho Man, and the failingest handhelds ever all in one place...
Since its release, Portal has met with overwhelming popular and critical success thanks to its quirky physics and dystopian humor. Yet beneath the mainstream success lies the most subversive first-person shooter (FPS) ever created. Portal is essentially a feminist critique of the FPS genre, flawlessly executed from within the margins it assails. Gender politics just got a whole lot more fun.
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Listening to pundits, parents, and politicians, you'd think that videogames were the worst plague ever visited upon humankind. They make us dumb. They make us violent. They make us perverted. They make us twitchy and impatient. They make us disconnected loners and social misfits.
Here's the antidote to such overblown criticism – seven games that will make you smarter. Next time someone's trying to tell you that your hobby is stupid, show them one of these and see if they can solve even a fraction of its brilliance...
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Above: Video editor Lizzie Cuevas admires the Portal Companion Cube Plush. Love it. Hug it. And enter now for a chance to own it
This week, have a very special prize for GamesRadar’s weekly weekend giveaway. We are pleased to present the Portal Companion Cube Plush for your consideration. Coming straight from the Aperture Science Division at ThinkGeek, the weighted Companion Cube is loveable and huggable. And if you’ve got the time to leave a comment on this article, it could be yours…
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Who cares if games themselves are art or not? They make damn fine subject material for proper art. Or, more precisely, Pop Art - the colourful, bold style popularised by Andy Warhol in the 1960s, which inspired artists like Roy Lichtenstein. I've applied Lichtenstein's beloved 'Ben-Day Dots' style to six modern video games for your eyes' enjoyment. So please, step into the gallery...
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In case you missed the news, Portal will be free for the Mac and PC until May 24th on Steam. Since so many people are playing this great game for the first time, we thought it’d be fun to highlight some of our favorite add-ons for the first-person puzzler…
Devoted fans have been covering their favorite videogame theme songs for ages on guitars and violins, on synthesizers and in high school bands. But some fans go to the extreme and turn their very choice of instrument into an artistic statement. Just add Tesla coils and suddenly a tired old rendition of the Super Mario Bros theme is magically made new again. We’ve collected some of our favorite unique performances for your enjoyment.
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