Did we play Spore correctly? We have the sinking feeling that we were supposed to be using Spore’s dynamic editors to create our own original creatures, vehicles, and cities. ...

Mario is a cultural phenomenon. Final Fantasy is epic. Resident Evil, Fallout, Diablo... all of these classic franchises will eventually be tossed away, but they won't be stamped with expiration dates anytime in the foreseeable future.

Other franchises started growing mold before they even left the grocery store shelves.

The somehow-less-inspired franchises may sell millions, contain lovable ...

Gears of War’s Lancer is perhaps one of the finest “default” weapons in any videogame ever. Awesome firepower aside, the Lancer’s gratuitous chainsaw bayonet is capable of chewing enemies into puddles of gore. When we heard that a special bundle was shipping with a battery-operated replica Lancer, we knew we had to have it. Oh yes, it must be ours… ...

Eleven years and over 170 episodes already? South Park's been slaughtering Americana's sacred cows since we were still playing the PSX, eviscerating all manner of politics, entertainment and religion. So with the effortless vigor Trey and Matt have taken the piss out of Paris Hilton, Mormons and Al Gore - what hope does the frail and sensitive gamer ego have? ...

Nobody really expected Lego Star Wars to be as good as it was, or to sell as well as it did, when the game dropped in 2005 - but developer Traveller's Tales surprised us all by turning what should have been the ultimate crappy licensed game into a fun, well-designed runaway hit. Since then, the Lego-game dynasty has grown to include Indiana Jones and Batman, both based on existing Lego toy lines, and both fun despite being essentially ...

No one really breaks their controllers in a fit of unchecked aggression for failing in difficult games like Ninja Gaiden II. That doesn’t mean we don’t secretly glance at our systems periodically and crave to bash the ever-loving crap out of what we hold dear as some sort of cathartic release. Well, you can’t. After all, gaming is an expensive hobby/lifestyle/deviance. ...

Dogs may be known to some as simple leg-humping bastards that like to lick your face after chomping on their own feces. But even the most ardent members from the anti-canine camp can’t deny the powerful comfort provided by a dog’s unwavering loyalty and the charm of its waggling tail. ...

Oh my divided stars and garters, there’s an election going on! And a damn important one at that. Kinda makes you want to know the issues, what’s at stake, which candidate addresses your interests, stuff like that. But golly, all that political jargon bores the shit out of us. ...

It's the turn of real-life developers to duke it out, dust it up and do each other over like blood-hungry gladiatorial champions. We've taken 16 of the industry's best-known, best-respected and most beautiful developers and smashed them head-to-head in an entirely make-believe orgy of violence. Let the fighting begin! ...

You've seen E3's selection, now sample the European contingent. ...