Xbox Features

You know the biggest problem with iPhone games? Volume. About a thousand of them come out each month and no gamer has the time or the cash flow to sift through the mountains of sludge and search out the good stuff. That’s where we come in. We’ve navigated the iMinefield of cash-ins, wannabes, and just plain crap to deliver to you the five mega-funnest, most addictive, and flat-out best games released during the past month

Games are much more than just a whole lot of fun – they also offer a vast wealth of gaming challenges. Just think of time-trialling in your favourite racing game, trying to shave seconds off your best lap time (we lost months of our youth doing just that on the Ghost Valley 1 course in the original Super Mario Kart). Or trying to survive 50 waves of Locust bad guys in Gears of War 2’s Horde mode… Games always want us to do better, to improve our skills and beat the best of the rest

Today is the ten-year anniversary of The Sims franchise. That’s a decade of miniature births, miniature lives and, eventually, miniature deaths playing out upon our game screens. A decade of little computer men and women landing their first virtual jobs, buying their first virtual homes, meeting their first virtual friends and holding their first virtual marriages. A decade of glowing green plumbobs and red-alert bladder meters.

Halo: Reach isn’t the only reason that 2010 is going to be a huge year for Halo fans. This is a franchise that has become bigger than the games themselves, with toys, books, comics and more helping Halo become one of the strongest, most recognizable brands in the world.

The recently formed 343 Industries has been anointed the overseer of this brand, including any new games and every conceivable spinoff.

Almost any multiplayer is fun...  initially. That’s why you see such glowing reviews and previews from people like us - we’re playing it in a perfectly populated, cheat-free environment, with no latency.

Apple announced its iPad thingumawhatsit this week, and if everything falls into place, it should revolutionize the way you interact with books, magazines, and spreadsheets the same way the company did with music and movies. Which led to the inevitable question: What existing products will Apple make rounded, glossy, and proprietary next?!

Imagine you're a hot shot game developer. Maybe a sexy lady one that is helplessly attracted to thirty-something video game journalists. You've spent the last three years pouring your heart and soul into a brand new game. It's received with critical and commercial success. It's high-fives all round. But when the back-slapping is done, you realise that you're expected to do it all again for a sequel. Only problem is, you've used all your best

The wait finally is over. At last, the Apple tablet everyone’s been talking about has been officially revealed. Is the iPad for work? Is it for play? Yes and yes. But is there anything to be truly excited about in terms of gaming? Maybe. Our inner cynic is telling us that the iPad is just an over-priced piece of hardware designed to prey on the masses of Apple-loving sheeple

The moment Steve Jobs wrapped up his propaganda-esque pitch for Apple’s “what is this for?” iPad, we immediately wondered just how big it would be compared to the other handheld devices gamers typically use. Using something called a “ruler,” along with “pencil and paper,” we measured and mocked up the iPad standing next to leading machines – and then promptly used Photoshop to present them.