GamesRadar - Xbox 360 Features

59 levels to play before you die: G - L (Half-Life 2)

Mar 21, 2008

Legions of exasperated gamers whined that Kratos' escape from the bowels of Hell - complete with rotating columns of bladey cartilage, platforms of bone and two huge towers of spinning blades - was 'stupid', 'cheap' or 'toohardIwantmymummy!' but we loved it. ...

Gordon Freeman: Strongest personality in gaming (Half-Life 2)

Jan 18, 2008

18th Jan, 2008 [Warning: Like our Portal article from December, this piece features some pretty heady discourse, and also benefits from a visit from Mr. Narrative Theory. If that stuff makes you run screaming, then feel free to run screaming. Also, if you haven't completed Half-Life 2, leave now. This contains some inhuman spoilers.] Half-Life 2 is widely and rightly regarded as a modern classic. In terms of both gameplay and artistry there have been few, if any, games in the FPS genre which ...

Interview: Half-life 2's David Speyrer (Half-Life 2: Episode Two)

Jan 17, 2008

David Speyrer was interviewed for his job at Valve on the day the original Half-Life went gold in late 1998. He started working there soon after, just as Half-Life 2 began its lengthy development. Since then, hes risen through the ranks from programmer to project lead. Now, David talks us through some of the processes that led to Half-Life 2: Episode Two being the remarkable game it is. Warning: if you havent played Episode Two yet, there are spoilers ahead. Has Episode Two taken you anywhere ...

Flash Gordon (Half-Life 2: Episode Two)

Jul 26, 2007

Having written sci-fi and horror novels such as Dad's Nuke, The Orchid Eater and The 37th Mandala, Marc Laidlaw joined Valve in 1997 during the development of the original Half-Life. He's a charming guy, and given the opportunity to speak on his specialist subject, he does so perceptively and at great ...

Valve's industrial revolution (Half-Life 2: Episode Two)

May 18, 2007

Back in 1996, two Microsoft executives quit their spectacularly high-paid jobs, formed a games company and made the best game ever. Twice. They didnt like the way retailers were throttling the industrys creativity, so they cut them out. They did what a lot of mod teams were doing, they hired them. They published any game they liked through their digital distribution network, however commercially risky, and saved several independent developers in the process. Their revolution was so successful ...

How modern gaming has made us into wimpy gamers (Halo 3)

Sep 16, 2008

Think you're hardcore? By current standards you might be. But you're still a noob. Here's why. ...

The Top 7... games we want announced at E3 (Halo 3)

Jul 13, 2008

It's everyone's favorite time of the year again, when thousands of overcaffeinated journalists descend upon E3 with their live-blogged, 2000-word diatribes on the most minor of details. The objects of their unending speculation? The biggest games of the show, which, oddly enough, have been known to the gaming press for months and will surprise literally no one.

That's why we're interested in games that haven't been seen, announced or ...

The Top 7... Worst Parts of Best Games (Halo 3)

Jun 16, 2008

Nothing's perfect. Stare closely enough at anything - even a masterpiece - and you're bound to find flaws sooner or later. They might be small. They might be insignificant. They might not detract from the overall quality of the piece at all...

Except when they really, really do. With these seven games, in fact, you don't need to stare. Their flaws are so huge, so obvious, so frustrating and so effing obnoxious that you can't help but ...

Sexy Fan Art: Cortana Edition (Halo 3)

Jun 13, 2008

Why do we love Cortana? After all, she's no more than an intangible chunk of computer software, a particularly well programmed series of 1s and 0s. You can't touch her. You can't look at her without seeing right through her. Even to the fictional characters within the fictional universe of Halo, she is utterly unattainable. And that is precisely what drives our overactive imaginations wild. She is the ultimate dream girl. Sassy, spunky, sexy... but beyond our reach in every possible way. ...

Our boring masked heroes (Halo 3)

Jun 6, 2008

See if you can guess what game we’re talking about: in the war-torn near future, a supersolider - outfitted in skin-tight armor - wages battle against legions of aliens/other supersoldiers. To protect his scar-ridden face, he dons a nondescript, yet sleek helmet, thereby rendering him mute and indistinguishable from everything else on sale. Give up? It’s a trick question.

You might remember our feature on the ...

HaloRadar: How Bungie Plays (Halo 3)

Apr 24, 2008

You think you're good at Halo. You think you've mastered the multiplayer. But could you beat the very best? Could you win against the actual men and women who designed Halo 3 in the first place?

We recently had the pleasure to visit Bungie headquarters and test the new maps. At the same time, we also had the pleasure of being sorely trounced by Bungie's employees in Halo 3 deathmatch. Our humiliation is your gain, however, as we ...

Halo 3 vs. Call of Duty 4: The DLC Showdown (Halo 3)

Apr 16, 2008

Here we go again. After stirring extreme fanboy ire with our BioShock vs. Halo 3 throwdown, then risking all-out internet anarchy with our Gears of War vs. Halo 3 debate, only one great argument remained to be settled... Call of Duty 4 vs. Halo 3. According to our sister site, Next-Gen, these games aren't just this generation's most popular shooters. They're the two best-selling games of any genre and of any platform. How could we not pit them against each other? Now we finally have an excuse. ...

50 Reasons you're a crappy customer (Halo 3)

Apr 15, 2008

Not too long ago GR threw a big ol' pillow fight we called The Week of Hate. We got a lot of crap off our chest, and the internet rejoiced in the only way it knows how: with an amusingly disproportionate amount of resentment. And that’s beautiful! We’re all about venting here. It’s extremely therapeutic.

So, when the employees of an actual Minnesota game store sent us a list of the 50 things they hate about their customers, we couldn’t help but chuckle in agreement. Our office contains more than a few veterans of retail, and we can confirm that many of you stroll into your local GameStop completely unaware of how much of an ass you are.

Consumers: The time has come to educate yourself! Because for most of you, it’s not a question of which number below represents you - it’s how many. ...

HaloRadar: Legendary Maps (Halo 3)

Apr 11, 2008

Halo 3, the game so big it's inspired millions of multiplayer matches and over two dozen HaloRadars thus far, is due for an expansion. To help you prepare for the fresh dose of mayhem, and to help if you decide if the pack is even worth the money, we've got everything you need. Read on for tips, strategy and expert guide videos from Bungie... plus our analysis, impressions and custom gameplay footage. ...

HaloRadar: The Halo 3 Olympics (Halo 3)

Apr 4, 2008

White men can't jump, but Master Chief sure can. He also knows how to dunk, dribble, throw a touchdown, hit a homerun, drive a race car and score on a penalty kick. He's quarterback, goalie, point guard, slugger, pitcher and motorist - all wrapped into one genetically enhanced super athlete.

Hold up... you thought Halo 3 was just a shooter? Clearly, you underestimate the power of Forge and Custom Games. The editing tools don't just ...

HaloRadar: 37 reasons to hate Halo 3! (Halo 3)

Mar 28, 2008

After years of waiting and hours of gameplay, what have we learned? The Covenant is bad, Master Chief is awesome and Bungie needs to write better scripts. Here's our vastly improved version: Sarge says, “Those aliens are assholes! Go kill them, Chief,” and then nobody says anything else for the next six hours. ...

The world's best counterfeit games (Halo 3)

Mar 27, 2008

Not happy with what the devs are doing with your favourite games? Then let the gamers take over production. ...

HaloRadar: Craziest Stunts, Part 3 (Halo 3)

Mar 21, 2008

Halo frags are like snowflakes - each one is unique and beautiful in its own special way. Some kills, however, are a hell of a lot more special than others. If you watched our first two Craziest Stunt collections, you know exactly what we mean. Some players snipe; others snipe through two heads simultaneously. Some players hijack a vehicle; others hijack a Banshee in midair after leaping out of a Warthog (also in midair!) Some players die; others kill themselves spectacularly with orange traffic cones or elaborate Mouse Trap-like death machines. ...

HaloRadar: Machinima Academy Awards (Halo 3)

Mar 14, 2008

Watching one Master Chief kiss another Master Chief is funny as hell. So are two SPARTANs arguing over the morality of teabagging, or an Elite ordering food at the drive-thru. A skilled machinima director can make you laugh, cry, feel fear... completely within the confines of the game's environment.

We announce our favorite Halo 3 filmmakers and give you a sampling of their work. The envelopes, please!
...

Gaming's hidden messages (Halo 3)

Mar 14, 2008

Subliminal messages? Hidden Easter Eggs? Or are you just looking for things that aren't really there? While the film world has the topless woman in The Rescuers or advertising has the suggestive image in a cube of ice in a coke ad, games have been just as controversial too. Now, some of these are a bit creepy (and naughty), so be warned... ...