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As in life and Uwe Boll's Postal, it's always the good that die young in video games. Playing Earthworm Jim HD recently, we suddenly started thinking about 90s characters we'd loved that slipped away into gaming obscurity long before they should have. So join us, as we hold a wake for our favourite game stars from the decade of Jar Jar Binks, who all checked out in premature or undignified fashion . Sleep well, gentle princes. You truly were too beautiful for this world <sniff>. 

It’s not easy being a horse, especially a diabetic horse who loves sugar cubes and games. As a proud member of the Equidae family, I don’t give a damn about the new protagonist in Assassin’s Creed II or the stupid non-animal flying device he’ll pilot. I just want to know if Ezio will be riding a freaking horse through the Tuscan countryside. Will he get to mount a Salerno, or perhaps a San Fratello?

There are plenty of real-world truths that make their way into video games--even if they're often a tad exaggerated...

Bethesda, Blizzard, DICE - we know they make the hottest games in the world like Battlefield 4, Skyrim and StarCraft II - but what did they work on before they became famous? What strange games lurk in their back catalogue? We dig into the pasts of 8 huge studios and find some real surprises.

Long before unboxing a “Special” edition meant netting anything from a Master Chief helmet to an Altair action figure, the act usually consisted of cracking the shrink wrap on a tin case to discover a miniature art book or making-of DVD. While scooping up these limited releases has gotten more exciting – and expensive – in recent years, this season’s offerings seem to be scaling back. Some publishers seem to think downloadable extras are an acceptable substitute for cool swag, and Activision’s even shelving their annual Call of Duty Prestige Edition – you know, the one that previously gave us working night-vision goggles – for an all-digital Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition...

Looking for categories like Best PSP Driving Game? Greatest Achievement in Control Layout, Artistic? Eastern European Developer Most Worth Watching in 2011? Then our end-of-year awards might not be for you.

GamesRadar's Platinum Chalices are different. We're not interested in checking off a massively tedious list of genres, platforms and technical subdivisions… we'd much rather focus on the stuff that makes this hobby, you know, fun. And reward whichever games delivered the most of that stuff.

So if you're looking for the best fan service, most satisfying gore or greatest achievement in old-school kickassery in 2010, you've definitely come to the right celebration. Let's get it started…

You think you've fought some huge video game enemies in your day? These big bosses will make those guys look like pipsqueaks...

With the recent announcement of Guitar Hero World Tour, not to mention hints towards a Rock Band sequel, music-based games are undoubtedly more popular than they were a few years ago. One need only look at the recent slate of rereleases like the XBLA port of Rez or Samba de Amigo for the Wii

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.