Gaming News

Is Medal of Honor the new Modern Warfare? (Medal of Honor)

It's difficult to talk about the upcoming modern-day Medal of Honor reboot without making comparisons to the Modern Warfare series, so we won't (we don't like difficult things). Modern Warfare 2 is immensely polished and popular, but it does suffer from cheap tricks which unbalance the multiplayer modes, a slew of glitches, and a campaign that's riddled with plot holes and accelerates like a Toyota. Will Medal of Honor restore balance to modern-day combat? Here are a few reasons it might. ...

True Crime versus GTA (True Crime)

Grand Theft Auto invented the open-world crime epic and, even after a decade filled with countless imitators, Grand Theft Auto is clearly still the king of the genre. So how can you observe any new contender and not notice the differences or similarities? How can you write about any new contender without making the most obvious and interesting comparison?

Answer – you can't. Or at least I can't. So that's exactly what I did ...

Civilization V is very much the same, yet totally different (Civilization V)

Civilization is one of gaming's longest-running franchises by far, with the first entry debuting all the way back in 1991. To give our younger readers some perspective, that's a full year before the release of Wolfenstein 3D and the popularization of the first person shooter. Since then, Civilization has given us three sequels, four spin-offs, six expansion packs and eight compilations. So, for this fifth edition of the turn-based empire-building strategy series, what's left to improve? ...

Crysis 2 – first look (Crysis 2)

Forget Far Cry 2. The real sequel to Crytek’s tropical PC-only shooter was Crysis, a game so powerful it could only run on a nuclear-powered PC the size of a semi truck. Until now.

For the past twelve months, Crytek have, through a series of tech demos, been floating the very real possibility of a Crysis sequel running on consoles as well as PC. CryEngine 3 videos seemed to point towards modifications – but not many. ...

Just Cause 2 – hands-on (Just Cause 2)

We recently got another chance to test out how well Tarzan (er, Rico) the secret agent swings in the run up to his launch into the public sphere in late March. And it turns out that he’s swinging rather well, as it happens.

Let’s do a quick recap for those who haven’t been here very long. Rico is a sort of Hispanic James Bond, but with an even more uncanny ability to dodge death and defeat evil. ...

A gentleman's guide to losing at StarCraft II (StarCraft II)

Let’s not beat around the bush. There’s always been one thing that we’ve been great at in StarCraft: losing. When it comes to fumbling build orders, leaving ourselves open to an early rush, and mismanaging our economy, we’re pretty much the best. But that hasn’t stopped us from playing StarCraft II’s multiplayer beta non-stop since we gained access. It’s just that good. ...

Street Fighter IV on iPhone – hands-on (Street Fighter IV)

It’s tough being Capcom. There are fanboys of every stripe in the gaming world, but rarely are there more rabid and stubborn fans than those of fighting games. Die-hards analyze every frame and gameplay change down to its core, and they petition endlessly for their favorite obscure character to be included in every game Capcom releases. ...

Meet Dead Space 2's necromorphs (Dead Space 2)

Pre-production work on Dead Space 2 has only been official for less than six months, but it was never in serious doubt. Isaac Clarke’s first encounter with the alien virus that created the necromorphs was a hugely atmospheric blend of action shooter, with grim tones of survival horror. Admittedly, it was a survival horror in which you had enough bullets, and the exposition was clumsy. ...

Medal of Honor – first look (Medal of Honor)

We imagine the people who qualify to be Tier 1 Ops have lots of medals. Enough to use them as shuriken, at least. They’re so skilled and sneaky we’d never heard of them, which just makes Green Berets and Commandos look rubbish. ...

6 things you need to know about Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands)

Since it was announced late last year, there’s been a healthy amount of curiosity swirling around Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Set for release this May, it marks a return to the storyline of the last-gen Sands of Time trilogy, something that’s made fans both elated and suspicious. With the release of the movie right around the corner, is it a “real” Prince of Persia game? ...

Two Worlds II – hands-on (Two Worlds II)

Next time you’re listening to a Kate Bush album, imagine her singing in the voice of an East European who, through no fault of his own, isn’t very good at English. Then, imagine that the lyrics to Wuthering Heights were “Your hungry and warm temper resembles my jealousy”. That was the first and insurmountable obstacle that stood in the way of Two Worlds gaining any serious mass appeal. That and the fact it was ...

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction – hands-on (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction)

Picking up roughly two years after the events in Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Conviction puts you into the role of one very angry Sam Fisher and aims to strike a new balance between tip-toe snooping and punchy action. ...

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer (Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer)

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, is Funcom's brutally epic MMORPG set in the high fantasy world of Conan, Robert E Howard's barbarian king. In retrospect the brooding Cimmerian's literary world was such classic material for an MMORPG, the only real surprise was that no-one had beaten Funcom to the punch when Age debuted back in 2008.

During beta over half a million signed up for the dark, adult-orientated vision of the grim ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned (Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned )

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies raked in over a billion dollars worldwide. There’s no doubt that a big part of that success was down to the loveable sea dog Captain Jack Sparrow. So how will a licensed game without him fare? Batman: Arkham Asylum was a big influence on Armada of the Damned. That game took all the things that made the DC characters and the universe so awesome, and then did something fresh and unexpected with them. ...

Metro 2033: Most intriguing new FPS of 2010? (Metro 2033)

Updated impressions: We've played some more of THQ's quirky survival shooter. Here's what you need to know. ...

Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West (Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West)

I’m carrying a bag filled with gold. My team is plundering a mine, and I’m the point man - lugging burlap-wrapped bullion back to a capture point in our base. My teammate is a desperado, and he’s yelling at me from beneath his face bandana to hurry the hell up.

“Throw the gold!” he hollers. I’m trying. ...

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 – first look (LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4)

Deep within your brain, there’s a little lobe that desperately wants you to act like a nine year-old. This little lobe is in control every time you queue up The Princess Bride on Netflix or decide to buy a candy bar to reward yourself for a trip to the dentist. In that lobe, there’s also a little box with all your favorite moments from the original Star Wars or Indiana Jones or Batman movies, along with your memories of building ...

LEGO Universe – hands-on (LEGO Universe)

For almost three and a half years, MMO developers NetDevil (Jumpgate, Auto Assault) have been working on their latest creation. In that time, the world of LEGO Universe has remained shrouded in darkness. Let there be light.

LEGO Universe doesn’t play like a typical MMO game. It isn’t an open world. It doesn’t ask you to grind.It won’t expect you to spend hours punching boars. ...

RUSE – hands-on (RUSE)

We’ve managed to shore up our right flank with a set of howitzers, but they’re being harassed by fighter-bombers coming over the river. We’re running low on provisions and our reconnaissance vehicles have just caught sight of a bucketload of unidentified enemy units massing on the other side of that ridge. ...

Supreme Commander 2 (Supreme Commander 2)

A Monkeylord has steamrollered the front lines, Titan bots are overwhelming your point defence, and a Sky King Extreme just pelted your Commander so hard he had to eject his own head to survive. And your secret weapon, an automoton the size of the Empire State, is only 70% complete. In any other RTS, game over. ...