There are a lot of myths and half-baked assumptions surrounding Mafia II – so let’s start by clearing them up. First off, this isn’t a GTA clone. It may have a crime theme, and have a limited amount of free-roaming, but it’s first and foremost a linear, story-driven experience. Secondly, it isn’t ‘just another gangster game’. That description does the game a huge disservice. ...

The only thing better than zombies is lots of zombies - and the only thing better than that, is killing lots of zombies. That’s why we’re happy to bring you the latest news from this year’s Tokyo Game Show on how Dead Rising 2’s single and multiplayer modes are shaping up.

Meet Chuck. He’s a motocross racer who finds himself competing in a zombie filled, Running Man-esque sports arena event called Terror is Reality ...

A LEGO game lacking the franchise affiliations of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Batman could have ended up feeling generic. Instead, Jumpgate developer NetDevil has delivered a massively multiplayer world where you get to bash ninjas, astronauts, pirates and medieval knights, all while platforming through castles and spaceships. ...

Square’s last MMORPG was Final Fantasy XI. Its major problem was a lack of accessibility. Because if you didn’t have a large group of friends, all with PCs that could play it or PS2s with special PS2 hard drives, the fun was severely limited. But that’s all changed in XIV, a timed PS3 exclusive. We interviewed producers Sage Sundi and Hiromichi Tanaka at GamesCom, and they explained the changes they’ve made. ...

We put it to you, dear readers, that a lot of people remember the first Tropico game fondly. We also put it to you that of those people, only a minority actually gave it any significant degree of time. Let’s forget about the second game – where the setting was changed from a fictional Caribbean socialist paradise to a community of bloodthirsty, grog-swilling pirates – and concentrate on the first one. ...

The bleed effect is just ridiculous. Awesome in its spectacle, brilliant in its execution. It works like this: Diablo III’s monk class plays as if he’s stepped out of God of War, or any other console brawler. If he chains three punches in quick succession, he can set up a finishing move. One is a flashy flurry of strikes like something from the Pokemon cartoons – zipping through the air and hitting everything in range. ...

The first Assassin’s Creed was an incredible sensory experience. So you’ll be glad to know the slack-jawed awe that comes with staring at massive cityscapes from a lofty tower is back with a vengeance. Better yet, from our hands-on with the upcoming Tokyo Game Show demo, it’s clear Ubisoft Montreal has really been working on the assassinations. ...

Since the last time we saw StarCraft II, we’ve learned a little more: it’s to be delivered in three distinct packages, with Wings of Liberty focusing on Jim Raynor’s battle against the treacherous Mengsk, whose Dominion is establishing a classic propaganda-spewing dictatorship. ...

See, we always knew that bald guy known only as Kane was a decent fellow. He was just misunderstood, only wanting a better world for the entire human race. Granted, he may be responsible for the deaths of thousands and his insane quest for personal deification and radioactive tiberium crystals is the reason the world has turned into a bleak, green, irradiated wasteland. But forgive and forget? ...

Earlier this month we got to try out Fairytale Fight’s blood-drenched yet sugar-cute gameplay for ourselves, and we found that one of our favorite aspects of the game so far is working together with friends through story mode in co-op.

But as you might expect from a hack ‘n’ slasher full of dismemberment and creative killing, Fairytale Fights isn’t all about working together ...