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E3 2010: The best of E3
There were a huge number of excellent titles at this year's E3 Expo. Rather than overwhelm you with huge lists broken down by category, we decided to instead reward a short list of products that we felt were truly outstanding.
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Nintendo 3DS: The unanswered hardware questions
The 3D consumer electronics trend reached a boiling point today when Nintendo announced the portable 3DS gaming device, a no-glasses 3D system promising simplicity and elegance for gamers seeking a 3D experience. After getting a hands on with the new gadget at E3, there is little doubt that the era of effective and sensible 3D has finally arrived.
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How to snag a gamer girlfriend
The girl gamer is a rare breed. Like a ninja or a flying unicorn, she remains perpetually shrouded in myth and/or shadow.
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The evolution of video game media
From jumper cards to hard disks, these are the cards, cartridges, and drives that have shaped the world of gaming.
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Is Apple's iPhone OS 'Game Center' a Nintendo DS killer?
Is the iPhone a legitimate gaming platform? Ask anyone who's ever fiddled with one for more than a few minutes anyone that isn't Nintendo, anyway). Ask anyone who understands, correctly, that video games are more than just Modern Warfare 2 and World of Warcraft.
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Nintendo's 3D-capable 3DS: Five questions
Nintendo announced on Tuesday that it is developing a 3D-capable version of its Nintendo DS mobile gaming device, tentatively named the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo says that the portable gaming machine won't require any special glasses to view 3D images, and that the devices will hit store shelves before the end of the company's current fiscal year, ending March 2011.
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A history of gaming's biggest scandals
We all lap up celebrity scandals blissfully, exhilarated by the unfortunate plights of the rich and famous (Lara Bingle, we're looking at you). But watching a scandal unfold in the gaming world is akin to watching puppies being drowned. It’s no fun at all.
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In pictures: Mana Bar's grand opening
Last weekend, Australia's first gaming bar, Mana Bar, opened its doors to a gaggle of gamers, cosplayers and gawkers.
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The story of NeoGAF
At the end of the 20th century, the word “Internet” had yet to bore into everyday vocabulary. Computers still weren’t a fixture in most homes, and mainstream opinion held that the machines were ticking bombs set to go off when the calendar rolled over to the year 2000. But at the same time, a young, enthusiastic cluster of game-loving writers realized the Internet’s huge communicative potential, and resolved to bring other gamers together.
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Craving Legitimacy: just shut up and play!
Is Bayonetta sexist? Is Resident Evil 5 racist? Does Call of Duty have something relevant to say about global warfare? These are just a few of the recent debates that have cropped up in the games press and in fan communities online — an example of the passionate and intellectual discussion that has become increasingly possible as games have evolved.
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In pictures: the most badass video game villains
It’s no secret that villains have all the fun. They get the best lines, wear the coolest outfits and are usually one step ahead of the hero. They also get to kidnap princesses, blow up planets and cackle maniacally while spinning in swivel chairs. By contrast, most heroes are bit... well, lame.
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Infinity Ward scandal: Did Activision kill the goose that laid the golden egg?
Infinity Ward finds itself without a proverbial head today after two senior executives were sacked late yesterday. With a new Call of Duty game on Activision's to-do calendar every year from here on out, what does this scandal mean for the series? What does it mean for you, the gamer?
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One gamepad to rule them all?
You've heard of universal remotes, but what about universal game controllers? Universal remotes let you control different brands of consumer electronics, primarily television sets, using a single button-smothered controller. They've been around since the mid-1980s, a late reaction to the VCR invasion, with an eye toward the multi-rack-module "entertainment center" we take for granted today.
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GamePro's Valentine's Day round-up
Say what you want about Valentine's Day (or Singles' Awareness Day, if you prefer), we'll take any excuse we can get to celebrate video games and video game culture. Usually, that turns out to be a handful of fan-made video game Valentines cards or a recurring special event in a massively multiplayer online game -- but it seems to us that there's more going on than ever before this year for Valentine's Day 2010. Probably because it falls on a weekend.
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In pictures: The sexiest cosplay girls in the galaxy
Journalistic integrity is a funny old thing. On the one hand, we strive to produce articles with substance and integrity: our motto is to inform and enlighten, as well as entertain. But on the other hand, our readers like to look at hot babes dressed up in video game and manga outfits. Who are we to deny them, eh? If bringing joy to thousands of sweaty-palmed gamers is wrong, we don't want to be right. Walkleys be damned.
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Square Enix financials: people love to buy Final Fantasy
In 2008, Square-Enix was creating Final Fantasy games. In 2009, they released Final Fantasy games. In 2010, they'll release more Final Fantasy games. Those three facts are the main reasons Square-Enix reported a 50-percent increase in revenue for the last nine months of 2009 over 2008, and why the company forecasts a successful first quarter for this year.
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The nine most underrated games of 2009
Sometimes, we truly question our readers' ability to comprehend the English language. When we presented our 'most overrated games of 2009' feature last month, we explicitly stated that "none of these games are bad: they're just overhyped." …And yet, within minutes of hitting the blogosphere, our article was torn to shreds by irate gamers demanding our resignation for calling Uncharted 2 a bad game. Sigh.
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Category Killer: will iPhone be the death of handheld gaming?
With its 130,000 available apps, built-in camera and GPS capabilities, the iPhone sits squarely at the center of convergence. There's little question that the iPhone has taken a bite out of sales of some standalone devices, notably navigation units and cheap cameras.
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Where did all the music games go?
In his first editorial for us, columnist Joe Rybicki explores the changing dynamics of the music game genre, and examines what needs to change in order to keep things viable in the years ahead.
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Nintendo Wii: the ultimate hardcore console?
Recently, there’s been a lot of press about SEGA and EA’s disappointment with the sales of 'adult' Wii games, such as Mad World and Dead Space: Extraction. While games like Wii Sports Resort seem to sell by the truckload, many 'mature-themed' titles struggle to break even.