The Wii is the home of clueless casual gamers, housewives and grannies: fact. Ok, so that’s not entirely true, but there’s no doubt the aforementioned groups have helped propel the little white box into the sales stratosphere. But while they’re undoubtedly the backbone of Nintendo’s current business model, there’s only so long they can last on Wii Sports and Wii Fit. That’s why we’ve taken some of ... » Read More

22 May 2009

The 10 most common game design mistakes

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Making games is hard. Making fun of them isn’t. It’s really, really easy, actually. Of course, we wouldn’t be so critical if we didn’t love them so damn much (and if we weren’t, you know, critics). We think games are just the bee’s knees, and that’s why we get so pissed about all the stupid crap they do ... » Read More

22 Apr 2009

GR Asks: Why does the Xbox 360 run so loud?

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Welcome to GR Asks, our weekly Q&A with the games industry that answers questions submitted by YOU. Is there something game-related you’ve never seen addressed? Message GRAsks and we may just get it answered! GR Asks: Why does the Xbox 360 run so loud? Answered by: Benjamin Heckendorn, creator of some amazing laptop Xbox units and featured in Official Xbox Magazine. ... » Read More

4 Mar 2009

The largest collection of monkeys in gaming EVER

360 Feature | Mass Effect

They're just trying to be friendly - so come and watch them sing and play. They're the young generation - and they've got something to say. Sounds kinda like "Ooo ook ook oo aaaah! Aaah! Aaaaaaaah!" ... » Read More

16 Feb 2009

The Top 7… worst games in great games

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Today, we’re taking a timeout to break through the fourth wall of online features about games to highlight the seven worst games set in the worlds of great games. Why? Because these minigames are a special breed of boring. We’re tired of tacked-on gambling activities, awful fictional sports, and stale satires of classic arcade hits that dwell in the bowels of some of the best games ever. Why does this happen? ... » Read More

5 Feb 2009

The most superior superior races

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Don’t get too comfortable, puny human. You may be perched high on your planet’s food chain right now, but it won’t last forever. There are plenty of races waiting for their chance to assimilate you into their culture, usually by killing you. ... » Read More

20 Jan 2009

Games George Bush should play now he's got time on...

360 Feature | Mass Effect

So, today is the day when George Bush finally - finally - exits the White House. His eight year stint in the presidential hot seat will be remembered for many things. Most of them bad and with terrifyingly global ramifications. But GamesRadar isn't the place to pick apart George W Bush's political legacy. No. That's what the rest of the internets is for.Instead, we mark the historic momentousness of today by cooking up some ... » Read More

16 Jun 2008

The Top 7... Worst Parts of Best Games

360 Feature | Mass Effect

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 ... » Read More

2 Jun 2008

The BioWare Technique

360 Feature | Mass Effect

If you love role-playing games, you love BioWare, a company set up in 1995 by industry legends (and medical doctors), Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka. Consistently the greatest RPG creators for the past decade, they have developed an enviable list of triple-A titles including the Baldur’s Gate saga, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. They also created a gun-toting cigar-smoking dog with four arms in MDK2, but ... » Read More

16 Apr 2008

Most Annoying Game-Over Screens Ever

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Nobody likes to see a Game-Over screen. As if knowing you suck isn’t bad enough, some games rub it in by torturing you with really annoying Game-Over screens. What could be worse than having to watch your demise from multiple angles, or sitting through the same long-ass cutscene of the world ending every time you fail? Tack one of these onto a tough boss fight, and you have a perfect formula for gamer rage. We’ve hand-picked this ... » Read More

4 Apr 2008

Five in-game deaths that actually made us sad

360 Feature | Mass Effect

More and more games seem to be plucking our heart strings to great affect and eliciting a genuine sense of woe amongst players. Here we look at five recent videogame deaths that have made us appropriately gloomy for all the right reasons and ponder how they succeeded in stoking the cold blue flames of our sadness. ... » Read More

18 Feb 2008

The Top 7... Failed Franchises We Know How to Fix

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Videogames, television and movies frequently overlap. With so much cross pollination, you'd think the biggest and best film franchises would have respectable game adaptations by now, but that's just not the case, is it? Sure there are a handful of successful tie-ins, but many series flop around for years, seeing game after terrible game created with little or no regard for the source material. Well, we're sick of it. ... » Read More

12 Feb 2008

Mass Effect Sex Guide

360 Feature | Mass Effect

When Fox News anchor Martha McCallum broke the story that Mass Effect contained full graphic nudity and player-directed sexual encounters, we immediately loaded up the game and went back for another play-through. How could we have missed such an opportunity? But for some reason we could only find the same two tired, barely R-rated cutscenes. Since we had a bunch of Mass Effect footage already on hand from other projects, we decided to compile a ... » Read More

8 Feb 2008

Box Art F'ups

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Derp! Ready the eBay accounts, cause that company that prints game box art - Acme Video Game Box Art Co. Inc. Ltd., we believe they’re called - pulled a gargantuan boner and misprinted a shitload of our favorite titles. We don’t mean to call them out, but we can’t allow the public to be misled. ... » Read More

6 Feb 2008

The Biggest Prick in the Galaxy

360 Feature | Mass Effect

As anyone who bothered to play or research Mass Effect knows, you're free to make decisions that directly affect the plot, the characters and even the ultimate outcome of the game. Most of us try to stay on the nice-to-neutral side of the law, generally helping people out while occasionally dipping into the renegade pool when a particularly devious choice presents itself. But what if you play the entire game as a rootin' tootin' ... » Read More

22 Nov 2007

Mass Effect galaxy guide

360 Feature | Mass Effect

22 Nov, 2007 With Mass Effect's galaxy consisting of so many different systems and planets it's difficult to really know where to start and the sheer cosmic expansivenessness of it all can be somewhat intimidating. But there's no need to cower from the final frontier, because we've got what every intrepid space cadet needs - a galaxy guide. Over the next few pages you'll find the systems that appear on the Galaxy Map when you first take control of the SS Normandy. You'll find every planet ... » Read More

20 Nov 2007

Mass Effect: Space monkeys and other galactic...

360 Feature | Mass Effect

20 Nov, 2007 So you've got your space ship and the whole galaxy is just a quick swoosh away. But besides levelling up by collecting artefacts, salvaging probes and searching for minerals, what reason is there to make like a tourist and embark on a spot of intrepid planet hopping? We'll tell you what - space monkeys. After all, everyone loves monkeys, even the spindly, dead-eyed kind. Right? After hiking from one end of Mass Effect's galaxy to the other, we've collated a rough guide to some of ... » Read More

16 Nov 2007

Mass Effect: Hero of a Thousand Faces

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Nov 16, 2007 Anyone can save the universe. No, really... You could do it. Your neighbor could do it. Your kindly old grandfather could do it. Mass Effect's character customization system is so detailed that, with a tweak here and there, you can cast whoever you like in the epic saga. Everything can be altered and scaled, from eye color to nose size to lip curl to gnarly scar ... » Read More

10 Oct 2007

Mass Effect - game of the year?

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Oct 10, 2007 1) Classy There are six different classes of character to choose from at the beginning of the game, and selecting different types change how you play the game. Engineers will be better with technology, for example; Infiltrators will be great at stealth or sniping, while Vanguard or Soldier classes will excel in raw combat. Complementing your choice with the different classes of your crew will allow you to approach situations in different ... » Read More

17 Sep 2007

The Future of Mass Effect

360 Feature | Mass Effect

Sept 17, 2007 Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder and president of the mighty BioWare, is always a great interview. It immediately becomes clear as soon as he enters to room that he can't wait to sit down and have a good chat about Mass Effect and where it's going. Would you say this is BioWare's most challenging game to date in terms of ambition and what you want to achieve with it? Greg Zeschuk: Every time we do a new game we want to up the ante. Mass effect has probably covered more territory ... » Read More