GamesRadar - PS3 Features

The most sick, morally questionable Achievements and Trophies (Fallout 3)

24/09/2009

In the context of a game, Achievements and Trophies are harmless. They're just carrot-dangling tactics that we're happy to indulge for our greedy pursuit of intangible virtual rewards. We wouldn't think twice about nail-bombing a kitten orphanage if it meant five more gamer points.

But, let's say, purely for the purposes of this here article, that we take Achievements and Trophies out of their virtual world settings and reconsider them ...

What if Niko Bellic was in Mario Kart? (Fallout 3)

16/09/2009

So what would happen if amoral Balkan sociopath Niko Bellic was in everyone's favourite cute and cuddly cartoon racer? Would Mario and chums accept him into the line-up with grace and humility? Would Niko keep the lid on all his murderous rage when Yoshi was firing red shells up his tailpipe? Of course, not. This is what would happen if the worlds of Liberty City and the Mushroom Kingdom clashed...

And that got us thinking. What ...

The Top 7… 2008 games we can't stop playing (Fallout 3)

27/07/2009

Unless you’re an eagle-eyed bargain hunter, the price of videogames can put a serious dent in your finances. Here in the US, $60 a pop means the game in question needs to offer hours of content to offset the steadily increasing cost. ...

What if GamesRadar designed Downloadable Content? (Fallout 3)

7/07/2009

You know the only real problem with downloadable content? It’s typically designed by the same people who made the original game. That’s boring. Why not give other folks, who don’t necessarily worry about whether something is “a good idea” or “sensible” or “legal,” a shot? Sure our ideas might be a little unusual at times, and a couple of them could conceivably land someone in jail. ...

Gaming's most facepalm-worthy heroes (Fallout 3)

26/06/2009

When the hero's mistakes end the world instead of saving it. ...

Games invade Google Street View (Fallout 3)

25/06/2009

Have you ever seen Google Street View in action? It's incredible, and already coming up with some amazing images... it's a wonder the world survived without it. But we've spotted some more familiar faces in the passers by.

Can you spot them too?

...

Video: Fallout 3 is full of idiots (Fallout 3)

22/06/2009

Fallout 3 is a superb game. So superb, in fact, anything in it that's less than brilliant sticks out like a third thumb. And, sadly, that's most apparent in the human characters. That's right, Fallout 3 is chock full of idiots. But don't just take our word for it - here's the evidence ...

Stupid game terminology (Fallout 3)

18/06/2009

Why can’t some people just call a spade a spade? Or, in the case of video games, call a health pack a health pack, instead of a multi-purpose, cosmic healitron 3000. We’re sick of developers trying to give their games extra context or dimension by pasting unnecessary and sometimes baffling terminology onto simple, every day game actions or objects. It’s convoluted, embarrassing and totally comically. Below are some of the ...

The 10 most common game design mistakes (Fallout 3)

22/05/2009

Making games is hard. Making fun of them isn’t. It’s really, really easy, actually. Of course, we wouldn’t be so critical if we didn’t love them so damn much (and if we weren’t, you know, critics). We think games are just the bee’s knees, and that’s why we get so pissed about all the stupid crap they do ...

The Top 7… RPG towns that explode (Fallout 3)

18/05/2009

There are lots of excellent reasons to want to blow up an RPG town. If you’re a villain, for example, you might level a place because it’s friendly to some resistance movement, or it’s in your way, or the heroes are stopping in briefly on their way to kill you. If you’re a game designer, you might do it to raise the stakes, or to give players some emotional reason to want the villain dead. ...

The Top 7... game religions (Fallout 3)

11/05/2009

Founded by a group of religious cultists who worship an unexploded megaton bomb, who then built their church at the centre of the crater the bomb created. These Children of Atom believe that the atomic masses released by nuclear bombs contain whole universes and are therefore sacred.

How about being constantly surrounded by the most upbeat, glass half full folk any of us are ever likely to meet? Full ...

Guns that don’t shoot bullets (Fallout 3)

6/05/2009

“Guns don’t kill people, bullets do.” But do they have to? Not at all, and in fact, this is all the destructive power you’re going to get out of shooting bullets. ...

GR Asks: How do devs decide the size and price of DLC? (Fallout 3)

29/04/2009

Welcome to GR Asks, our weekly Q&A with the games industry that answers questions submitted by YOU. Is there something game-related you’ve never seen addressed? Message GRAsks and we may just get it answered! ...

The best and worst game promo T-shirts (Fallout 3)

20/03/2009

Amongst the games, press releases and bulging envelopes of cash curiously marked '9/10, yeah?' that we receive from publishers each day we also get clothing. Mainly T-shirts of random ill-fitting sizes. And they fall into three categories: Outdoors, Indoors, and Bin. ...

The most superior superior races (Fallout 3)

5/02/2009

Don’t get too comfortable, puny human. You may be perched high on your planet’s food chain right now, but it won’t last forever. There are plenty of races waiting for their chance to assimilate you into their culture, usually by killing you. ...

The Top 7... Best Beginnings (Fallout 3)

26/01/2009

Gamers are a fickle and impatient bunch. After spending our childhoods at the altar of a twitchy, flashy, interactive dream box, we tend to act a bit ADD. The best games, however, can cut through this clutter right from the start. They dazzle us with cinematic spectacle or immerse us with unexpected realism. They overwhelm our eyes and ears with technological power or capture our minds with extraordinary storytelling. Within those first few minutes of play, they demand our attention. ...

2008: A year to dismember (Fallout 3)

31/12/2008

Videogames have always been violent. Violence is inherent in the medium, inseparable from the essential experience of playing games. Without competition and conflict resolved by violence, games wouldn’t be games: they’d be screensavers. Gore is a slightly different matter, though. Better graphics and physics have ushered in a new era of explicit gruesomeness. ...

Fallout 3 vs. Reality: Photo Comparison (Fallout 3)

4/12/2008

In making Fallout 3, Bethesda recreated Washington D.C. and the surrounding area surprisingly accurately (though distances were significantly shrunk). The resemblance was too strong for some - certain D.C. residents were miffed about Fallout 3 subway ads which depicted their city in ruins, claiming they didn't need to be reminded that D.C. is a prime target for terrorist attacks. Apparently no one told them that D.C. is destroyed in nearly every hypothetical war/alien invasion. ...

Fallout 3: How to be an evil SOB (Fallout 3)

13/11/2008

If you were like me on my first playthrough of Fallout 3, you just couldn't do it. You couldn't pull the trigger, choose the cruelest dialog, or pal around with worst terrorists. Maybe you broke into a few houses, stole some empty whiskey bottles, slapped around a few back-talking civilians, but you never cut Moira's head off and laughed as it rolled around on the floor. ...

Fallout 3: Basic Leveling Guide (Fallout 3)

11/11/2008

Whether you're unaccustomed to this crazy RPG business of stat-chi-ma-call-its and skill dongles, you're a bit rusty after years without a new Fallout to play, or you just want to design the most badassiest character ever, this guide will gently push you and your character in the right direction. I suffered through hours and hours of low-level mudsuckery to determine exactly how to make sure you're not flailing around at level 10 with a ...