Xbox 360 Features

We like to end things on a positive note. That’s why 2009 was capped with not only our annual Platinum Chalice Awards, but also a whole week’s worth of celebratory articles talking about the accomplishments of the past decade. Now though, with ’09 safely out of range for a retaliatory strike, we can piss all over the idiotic, baffling and just plain dumb occurrences that peppered our otherwise fine year.

If hack-and-slash combat with plenty of magic casting, elemental enemies and practically naked anime-style heroines tickles your gaming bone, then the recently released X-Blades is for you. And to rejoice the release of X-Blades, SouthPeak Games has generously furnished us with a PlayStation 3, PS3 controller and a copy of X-Blades to give away to one winner, while two runners-up will each win a copy of X-Blades for PS3.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos has published her report on the sexualisation of young people. It's a sound enough topic for discussion - a look at any fashion game or music video will show you there's at least a potential problem. Though every medium is covered in the report, the section on 'Computer games' has some interesting statistics.

Citing Dill and Thill (no, really) from a study in 2007, she says:

83 per cent of male

This week's XBLA/PlayStation Network release was X-Men Arcade, a home conversion of an arcade classic that countless children of the '90s have been waiting for. Now that it's finally here, will the mindlessly fun gameplay hold up, or is this former quarter-muncher merely a relic of the past? Let's find out together!

Yesterday a small childhood fantasy finally came true - a home conversion of the classic X-Men arcade game that dominated pizza parlors and bowling alleys from coast to coast. I played through it immediately (and then grabbed other GR editors to discuss it in an upcoming FAP) and found that not only did I still enjoy it, but the music was mind-blowingly fun. Never noticed that in the arcade... maybe I couldn't hear it over all the drunken fathers yelling at their kids.

It's funny how the games business works. Big successes become popular franchises, we keep buying 'em because they keep getting better, and developers keep churning 'em out. Later, we'll complain about Call of Duty being the same stupid thing, buy it, verify our complaint, and keep the cycle strong. What about the stuff that doesn't review well, though, or doesn't sell, or doesn't quite live up to the hype? Those games are usually left for dead, and an original IP hoping to make its big break becomes a one-shot failure.

Aren't these the games we should see sequels to? Disappointing games are the ones that need the most improving, and are the games that'd benefit the most from a second chance. Remember, Assassin's Creed eventually became Assassin's Creed II. We'd love to see some of this generation's biggest bummers – even if they had a lot going for them – take off bigger than they have...

Traditionally, a videogame advert is supposed to highlight its product’s strong points in a concise, well-edited package that screams to impressionable consumers: “Buy me, and all my officially-endorsed peripherals!”. That, or be a 30 second, cynically-produced tapestry of lies made to trick and entice people with big explosions, misleading FMV and lady parts.

The latter is the sure-fire path to tread if you’re

Everyone’s got their favorite superhero, but none are as consistently badass as James Howlett. Sorry, Logan. Sorry again, Wolverine. With incredibly quick healing powers, an indestructible metal alloy grafted to his skeleton, and three claws that emerge from his fists, Wolverine quickly made an impact in the comic book world with his first appearance in 1974.

Few sounds in this life are sweeter than the "boop" or “ding” noise that comes when you have earned an Achievement on 360 or Trophy on PS3. Not only do you get the satisfaction of completing an in-game goal, but points get added to the overall score attached to your online profile, showing your friends how awesome you are.