Wii Features

If there's one thing videogames have become exceedingly good at, it's forcing tedious, mind-numbing busywork upon unsuspecting gamers. Repetitive and tawdry tasks, or uninspired, frustrating, cut-and-paste missions infest an inexcusable number of games, and it's getting pretty dire.

I'm sick of games making me do the same old shit, and it's about time somebody did something. Nothing solves the world's problems quicker than a sarcastic list column, so join me as I stomp my feet over the miserable chores that videogames keep imposing upon me...

Zombies and videogames go together like parasitic viruses and juicy human brains. Especially in recent years, we've had an almost ridiculous glut of zombie games, each one providing its own take on the living dead. While you may at first think of zombies uniformly as mindless flesh-eaters, you'd be surprised at what a wonderfully diverse bunch of characters they can be. Sure, the mindless flesh-eating part still stands, but there's a lot more to your average ghoul than that.

From the axe-wielding maniacs of House of the Dead to the classic rotters found in Resident Evil, there's a surprising amount of variety and depth to the common garden zombie. Read on and celebrate the diversity of animated cannibalistic corpses in all their decomposing finery...

Can’t wait for the 3DS? Own a pair of old-fashioned blue-and-red 3D glasses? Have a look at the Mario Kart video below. It works even better if you squint and cross your eyes as well. Warning – may cause headaches and/or blindness. Enjoy!

It’s unfortunate when a game has many lovely fundamentals that ultimately fail to come together as a game. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon had such a situation, which we pointed out in a recent feature. It had a haunting story and a very evocative atmosphere, and some truly sad moments, but its off controls, constant backtracking and the occasional onset of boredom held it back from greatness. But isn’t our Game Music feature a perfect chance to spotlight one of Fragile Dreams’ best elements? (Answer: yes!)

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.

Halo: Reach hate mail, Inception mash-ups, bad game audio, phone calls, and PANTS! Oh my GAWWWD!

That’s why we thought it’d be fun to share some of our editorial team’s favorite websites to visit. These sites all sit off the beaten path and great places to visit for a quick dose of fun. You’ll also notice that these sites are all made possible by incredibly dedicated and talented individuals and communities. So check them out and share your favorite destinations with us, too!

After yesterday’s onslaught of news which included a new Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden 3 and game reveals galore, we thought (read: prayed) today might be a little quieter. But no dice! TGS had more wild news from Sony, Microsoft, Sega, Konami and more. Here’s the big stuff...

Among all the innovations gaming has introduced over the years, the greatest may be one of the simplest: the ability to pause your game indefinitely, whenever you want, for whatever reason. It’s a feature that’s largely taken for granted, though, and that can make it a little harder to notice when a developer applies its own unique touches to the function. Still, plenty do, and their games are made more memorable for it, even if only a little bit.

In the name of celebrating these subtle but important efforts,we’ve pulled together some of the most iconic, memorable and flat-out awesome pause tones we could find. A few are obscure, but many of them, surprisingly enough, are among gaming’s most recognizable sounds...

In a generation full of autosaves and games that let you record your progress wherever you are, it's easy to forget a world where you had to take your saves as and when you got them. The noble save point has been slaving away unsung for years, dutifully preserving our adventures in the event of death or those rare occasions when one needs to leave the house.

In honor of the save point, here is a list of the seven best ones, as judged by nobody of any importance. Can you think of any better? Feel free to tell us!