Shadow of the Colossus

Love’s a funny old thing, ain’t it? It inspires great works of art. It knows no boundaries, conquering race, creed and geography. And it totally forces you to fork out for cheap-ass chocolates on anniversaries. While love affairs can end a bit messily in real life, we’ve yet to see a couple with romantic woes commit international espionage or murderise a series of skyscraper-sized monsters for each other. But in video games? Hell, its normal practice for digital Cupid’s arrows. So, in the spirit of being a week late for Valentine’s Day, we thought it was high time to celebrate some of gaming’s most ruinous romances.

By the time 2005 had rolled around, it looked like the beginning of the end for PS2. Critics started to refer to its once-impressive hardware as “aging,” and the Xbox 360 was gearing up to snatch away its crown and claim dominance over the next console generation. And because previous hardware cycles had lasted about five years, most assumed that the PS2’s days were numbered, and that the machine would be largely discarded once the PS3 finally hit.

Only now do we realize just how wrong we were to count the PS2 out so early. 10 years after its North American launch, it’s still getting games and moving units, if not exactly going strong. With the anniversary of that launch just around the corner, let’s take a look at the best of what we thought, at the time, would be the PS2’s final great year...

Video game water levels, the old saying goes, are a lot like pubic lice. Irritating, deeply unwelcome, and it seems like they’ll never go away, but if you like having fun there’s a chance you’re going to run into them eventually. The bane of every gamer’s existence, they’re usually a developer’s lazy attempt to throw in a bit of variety by mixing up the gameplay and upping the difficulty. And nine times out of ten, they turn into an awkward annoying mess beloved of absolutely no-one who plays them.

But there are exceptions. Via clever design, innovating thinking, and (shock) even using water for its fun potential rather than the opposite, some designers have turned up some absolute soggy stormers. They’re rare, but they exist. Everyone else, please start taking notes now.

Brace yourselves now, because we’re about to drop the most exciting news since we discovered Steven Seagal hates being filmed by games jarnalists. Ready? Right, two artists who worked on Uncharted 2 and Flower have teamed up and are currently designing a game inspired by Ico. Be still our beating horns.

No. I’ve not gone mad, honest. I’ve got a certificate from the doctor and everything. Yes, it’s the one Sony game everyone, including most of my colleagues, wanted to see at the company's E3 conference last week. But bear with me and I’ll tell you why Team Ico’s adventure doing a no-show might actually be a good thing…

Composers in games are always the bloody bridesmaids. While Kojima, Clifford Bleszinski the Third and Shigeru Miyamoto lap up all the credits, complimentary hookers and free mini muffin baskets, the men and women behind their games' epic music go unnoticed.

Steven Spielberg famously said that composer John Williams' score in Jaws was responsible for 50% of the movie's success. And when you consider the iconic tunes from Super Mario Bros. or Shadow of the Colossus' sweeping score, it's hard to underestimate the impact a well composed soundtrack can have on a title. That's why we're giving some of gaming's finest composers the long overdue recognition they deserve.

Yesterday the rumour dropped that some of us have been waiting for since the PS3 launched. And when I say 'some of us' I mean anyone who's finished Ico and Shadow of the Colossus three and seven times respectively <cough>. That's right, it looks like two of the most beautiful, evocative games ever <sniff> could be hitting PS3 in shiny Blu-ray form in full HD some time next year. And inside, you'll see just how purdy they'll look.

Ever wondered who's bigger out of God of War's Gaia and the Riftworm from Gears of War 2? Of course you have. That's why we've created pretty much the biggest image on the interwebs to showcase the biggest baddies in games and how they match up to each other size wise. Click on either of the preview images below to see the image in all its gargantuan glory.

Drinking is evil we tells ya! Evil! Well, provided you’re under the legal age to wash alcohol-based beverages down your throat. For everyone else, slowly eroding your liver by getting shit-faced is both big and clever. Being drunk automatically makes everything better, too, including playing games. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best titles to play when you’re off your tits.