What better way to celebrate Halloweek than with a Photoshop frenzy of brains and bile as we zombify some of gaming's best loved characters. Be warned, however, some of these images are a tad graphic, full of weeping sores, rotting flesh and exposed rib cages, so don't go getting disturbed for life over these. Promise? Good. ...

One reason we like games is that the stakes are high. The good guys are really good, the bad guys are really bad, and the princesses are really doe-eyed. But sometimes, games manage to work in villains that operate in shades of gray… and other times, they accidentally make a villain out of the most sympathetic guy in the story. ...

Fact: random things are funny. Without spontaneous bouts of unpredictability, we wouldn’t have treasure troves of humor like Family Guy (now entering its eighth season), Picture is Unrelated and, of specific interest to us, the Videogame Name Generator. ...

About a year ago we reveled in the dorky glory of gaming’s cheesiest music, a thorough collection of hopelessly goofy game songs that will inspire facepalms for years to come. This time we’re focusing on actual bands or contracted jingle-slingers who crafted tunes based on games that never needed a lyrical companion in the first place. ...

The secret lives of gaming's greats, in 140 characters or less. ...

Quote of the week: “Look at that treasure trail…" ...

Ah, noobs. With their awkward fingers and stupid questions, it's a wonder we ever let them near our joypads at all. It's nice to get someone started in gaming, but it's so hard to witness utter incompetence at your favourite games.

But instead of yelling, snatching the pad and showing them how it should be done, why not sit back, make encouraging noises and tick off each entry in our list of classic rookie mistakes ...

Ever wondered what it would be like to have video game characters in your Pokemon party? Why choose boring old Bulbasaur when you can choose a beautiful Kasumi? Or a level 50 Sackboy?

We've given 21 game characters the Pokemon treatment, with four moves to choose from and some evolutionary states too.

Who would you choose? ...

For too long, political correctness has choked expression much like smoking might choke someone’s lungs. Back in the good old days, it was common for prominent pillars of society to be seen smoking: baseball players, gangsters, Popeye. Now it’s incredibly frowned upon, because “smoking may slowly kill you,” if you believe “proven medical facts.” ...

So that’s what Konami’s mystery site has been teasing for weeks, then. A rainy field, the occasional lightning strike; it all alludes to a new MGS game, Metal Gear Solid: Rising. As many of us expected, it stars our favourite whiny bleach blonde, Raiden, in the lead role. While we’re still waiting for concrete details, below are the features we expect to see in Hideo Kojima’s latest entry in the much respected stealth ...