Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Battlefield 6
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2025
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Evercade Alpha closeup with Ryu from Street Fighter on screen
Retro Best retro game consoles 2025: my favorite ways to play classic capers
Nintendo Switch 2 sitting in centre with Steam Deck OLED above on left, Anbernic RG Cube aboveon right, Anbernic RG28XX directly left, Modretro Chromatic on right, and MSI Claw 8 AI+ below on woodgrain desk.
Handhelds Best gaming handheld 2025: I'd hit these portable PCs and emulation consoles first
BenQ X3100i projector with a DualSense controller on a wooden desk
Peripherals The best projector for gaming: the top throwers I've tested in 2025
Acer Predator Orion X review of the PC next to another ITX chassis
Desktop PCs The best gaming PC 2025: Find your perfect pre-built powerhouse
Asus ROG Flow Z13 running Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on battery power
Mobile Gaming The best gaming tablets in 2025
Flexispot E7 Plus in standing mode with Game Boy and screwdriver set sitting on top
Peripherals Best gaming desk 2025: all the surfaces I'd use for PC and console setups
Best PC controller buying guide hero image showing the Victrix Pro BFG controller and its suite of components
Gaming Controllers The best PC controller for gaming 2025
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro with Call of Duty Mobile main menu on screen
Mobile Gaming The best gaming phones 2025
Resident Evil Requiem screenshot of Grace Ashcroft, who has white short hair and glasses and wears a black blazer with an FBI badge, sitting at a desk in front of a PC monitor
Games Gamescom Day 1 live coverage – all the news, interviews, and previews as they happen
Future Games Show Gamescom 2025
Games Everything announced at the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025
Grace Ashcroft looks at a computer in Resident Evil Requiem screenshot
Games Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025
A collection of board games laid out face-up, including The Sandcastles of Burgundy, Gwent, Disney Villainous Unstoppable, Dungeons & Dragons Horrified, and Triangle Agency
Board Games I've been reporting on board games and tabletop RPGs for years, and I think these upcoming projects need to be on your wishlist
Gamescom logo in white with a black background
Games Gamescom 2025 schedule: all of the showcases and biggest reveals
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
PC Gaming If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
The GamesRadar+ logo sits in the middle of images from four games: Ninja Gaiden Ragebound in the top left, Skin Deep in the top right, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater in the bottom left, and Donkey Kong Bananza in the bottom right.
Games The best games to play in 2025, so far
  1. Games

The 8 best things we saw at GDC 2012

Features
By Hollander Cooper, Mikel Reparaz published 10 March 2012

The annual Game Developers Conference may be an industry-facing event, but there's still plenty of cool stuff on display

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

For more than 20 years, the annual Game Developers Conference has been a place for people in the industry to gather, network, share ideas and recognize achievements in game design. More recently, its become a place to reveal new games, new technologies and to dissect games for the benefit of a wider audience. GDC 2012 has been one of the most interesting yet, and what follows over the next several pages are some of the best, most impressive things its had to offer.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Quantic Dream's Kara demo

Quantic Dream's Kara demo

Quantic Dream founder David Cage may make some divisive games, but he can be a hell of a storyteller when he puts his mind to it. And in just seven minutes, he managed to transform what appeared to be an impressive tech demo for facial-animation technology into a surprisingly poignant meditation on machine intelligence, the commodification of women and the moral acceptability of slavery based on someone or somethings perceived humanity.

Even if its not a game, Kara like The Casting before it manages to tell a succinct story while promising a new step forward in face-rendering tech, and it was easily one of the most impressive reveals of the show. If nothing else, its riveting to watch; if you havent already, we recommend you do so now. Go ahead, well wait.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
SimCity's GlassBox engine

SimCity's GlassBox engine

Maxis new SimCity will take a more natural, physical approach to simulating city-building than other games in the series. During a panel about its new engine, some of the creators explained exactly how GlassBox works, taking the typical SimCity elements that typically rely on mathematics and, instead, actually simulating them.

The easiest way to understand it is by hearing how a factory works in the GlassBox engine. It doesnt just sit there pumping out money instead, it actually needs workers, so itll put out a call for workers when it opens up that will cause locals to actually get in real cars and drive to the factory. Theyll park and go to work. After theyre there, it will make actual boxes that will be picked up by actual trucks that will drive them to actual stores. Its still a bunch of coding, but it plays out in a more natural way that makes us fear for the inevitable AI takeover of the world.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III

After weeks of rumors, leaked art and teased information, Ubisoft invited a handful of journalists over to its offices to finally see Assassins Creed III in action. It was pretty amazing, and the stuff that happened in the wilderness alone was oh, but we cant tell you. Not just yet. As much as we want to gush over every detail right now, Ubi only showed it to us on the condition that we not reveal anything until later this month. So be sure to check back here again around, oh, say, March 26 if you want the full story.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
All the cool stuff that got cut from Portal 2

All the cool stuff that got cut from Portal 2

Postmortems, in which developers lay bare their creative process and talk about how they made a particular game, can be fascinating. But the things that get left out of games can be almost as interesting as what got left in (and sometimes more), and during a panel led by Portal 2 writers Erik Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek, the two focused almost entirely on what was left on their games cutting-room floor.

In its early stages of production, Portal 2 was envisioned as a 1980s-set prequel with no Chell, no GlaDOS and something called F-Stop in place of portals. Then, as it developed, the plan was to kill off Wheatley early, add six more personality cores for players to interact with, and then throw in a couple of phony endings for the kinds of players who liked riding the elevator down into the fire pit in the first Portal. We did a detailed write-up of it all, which you should probably go take a look at.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Mario helping to heal a national tragedy

Mario helping to heal a national tragedy

We always expected a lot from the first 3DS Mario game, but we could never have anticipated that it would be seen as a ray of light after the dark days that followed Japans earthquake and tsunami a year ago. However, when Super Mario 3D Lands director, Koichi Hayashida, took the stage to discuss the game at GDC, we learned that while he nearly lost the will to work following the disaster he saw Mario as a way to bring happiness back to Japan.

From there, the teams goal was clear: bring smiles to as many Japanese faces as possible. The team did their best to make the game challenging and accessible for everyone, and to draw on their own childhood memories of gaming to produce the best, happiest, most creative game they could. And it seems to have paid off, judging by the comment Hayashida received from one Japanese fan: "This game has been like a light finally shining into what has been such a depressing time. I feel like this game has given me the power to go on living."

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
The Glitchhiker funeral

The Glitchhiker funeral

At GDC, one of the developers of Glitchhiker gave what he referred to as the first actual postmortem. The theme of the 2012 Global Game Jam was extinction, and its one that the six people who made Glitchhiker took to heart. Instead of making a game about zombies, or a virus, or dinosaurs, it made a game that quite literally had the capability to die. Games were linked together, and every time a player scored more than 200 points the game literally gained a life. Less than 100 points? It lost a life.

With each life lost, the game became glitchier and harder to play, thus making it more difficult to score high points. After six hours, the game itself had been completely and utterly destroyed. There was no backup, no secret hidden version. After the last life was gone, the game was gone completely, erased forever. Extinct.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Some surprising facts about Bastion

Some surprising facts about Bastion

During a speech on immersion in games, SuperGiant Games Greg Kasavin said that the team wanted the tone of Bastion to be very depressing, but still very fantastical. This evolved over time, but started off with the simple, but absurd concept of What if Cormac McCarthy made Dark Crystal? That was the developers goal: to create something as depressing as The Road, but as magical as Dark Crystal, which we would argue it did surprisingly well, considering how silly it sounds.

Meanwhile, Darren Korb, the guy responsible for all of the music and sound effects in Bastion, recorded just about every single part of the game in his small New York apartment. He did the music himself, mixed it himself, and even made noises into the microphone for the sound of animals dying himself. It was all him. But when it came time to do narration, he called on his friend Logan Cunningham, who sat in his closet recording audio. Literally, he had to sit in a small closet in a small apartment, because it was the most soundproof spot in the whole place. Classy.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Deus Ex: Human Revolutions director finding something to apologize for

Deus Ex: Human Revolutions director finding something to apologize for

When speaking publicly about their games, its common for developers to admit their missteps, or point out things they wish they could have made better, or talk about what crushing time constraints they were under. But an actual apology? Thats pretty rare, especially when its coming from a director of one of last years most critically acclaimed games. But when Francois Lapikas of Eidos Montreal started talking about the boss fights which drew a lot of criticism for forcing players into firefights, when the rest of the game provided them so many more options for dealing with conflicts apologize is exactly what he did.

"They were a big part of the game, and we should have put more work behind them," Lapikas said during a postmortem panel on DX:HR. "So, sorry about that."

Of course, he spent a lot of time talking about things that went right with the game, too, and most of it was pretty riveting. The full details are in our write-up of the panel, if youd like to learn more.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
See more Games Features
Read more
Resident Evil Requiem screenshot of Grace Ashcroft, who has white short hair and glasses and wears a black blazer with an FBI badge, sitting at a desk in front of a PC monitor
Gamescom Day 1 live coverage – all the news, interviews, and previews as they happen
 
 
Future Games Show Gamescom 2025
Everything announced at the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025
 
 
Grace Ashcroft looks at a computer in Resident Evil Requiem screenshot
Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025
 
 
A collection of board games laid out face-up, including The Sandcastles of Burgundy, Gwent, Disney Villainous Unstoppable, Dungeons & Dragons Horrified, and Triangle Agency
I've been reporting on board games and tabletop RPGs for years, and I think these upcoming projects need to be on your wishlist
 
 
Gamescom logo in white with a black background
Gamescom 2025 schedule: all of the showcases and biggest reveals
 
 
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
 
 
Latest in Games
Battlefield 6
The Battlefield 6 movement saga reaches new heights as players find glitch that lets you fly into the clouds on a drone, preferably with a sniper for taking out enemies from the sky
 
 
GTA 6
GTA 6 "deserves to be $100," says original Saints Row designer: "The scope and magnitude of this production deserves that price tag"
 
 
Earth Must Die
Game of Thrones actor leads a lovingly vulgar tribute to "those old point and click adventure games that people gave a sh*t about in the 1990s" with a Steam Next Fest demo custom-built for Monkey Island fanatics
 
 
Sam Fisher and Zinnia Mckenna aiming their laser sights while wearing night vision goggles
With no new game in sight, Netflix is keeping Splinter Cell alive with a second season of its Deathwatch animated series
 
 
Elder Scrolls Online Seasons of the Worm Cult
Elder Scrolls Online devs make their bets on the world-first clear of the MMO's Writhing Wall event, watching entire servers fight a rift in the world map itself
 
 
Motorslice screenshot of blue haired girl P
Sprinting past EA and Ubisoft, one dev blends Mirror's Edge and Prince of Persia to make a slick parkour action game that's going on my Steam Next Fest winners list
 
 
Latest in Features
Wind Waker
As The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary looms, I'm begging Nintendo to stop ignoring its greatest run of Zelda games and make this generation's Ocarina of Time
 
 
Indy the dog in Good Boy
Good Boy made me realize I've judged horror fans who fuss over furry on-screen stars too hard, and now I've found 9 more scary movie dogs that prove them right
 
 
A space ship landing on a beautiful tropical planet in No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky's biggest problem in 2025 is being too good, and now I'm trapped in a vicious cycle
 
 
Aaron Paul's character Robert Robertson in Dispatch, stood holding a dog in an elevator filled with strange superheroes
Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul has "always wanted" to be in a game, but The Boys-esque superhero comedy Dispatch was the first truly irresistible role: "Nothing really felt like the right fit"
 
 
Olden Era
I've been playing Heroes of Might and Magic since I was 6, and after putting 10 hours into Olden Era's huge Steam demo, the strategy series has never felt better
 
 
Photo of a black gaming mouse sitting on a Final Fantasy TCG playmat, with a Lorcana playmat to its left.
I swear by using TCG playmats as mouse pads, and that's never going to change
 
 
  1. Ball x Pit
    1
    Ball x Pit review: "Vampire Survivors and Breakout collide in this brilliant roguelike ball basher that struggles with repetition"
  2. 2
    Pokemon Legends: Z-A review: "Fast fluid real-time fights and a world worth exploring make this finally feel like the anime come to life"
  3. 3
    Little Nightmares 3 review: "An overly safe, uneven, and half-baked follow-up where co-op is a hindrance instead of the evolution it should've been"
  4. 4
    With a new season on the way, is Blood Bowl's second edition still worth a look?
  5. 5
    Battlefield 6 review: "More refined than innovative, this FPS is on target with multiplayer even if its campaign is just a big shrug"
  1. Tron: Ares
    1
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  2. 2
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  3. 3
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  4. 4
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  5. 5
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  1. Splinter Cell Deathwatch
    1
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  2. 2
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
  3. 3
    Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger"
  4. 4
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  5. 5
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...