Life Ain't A Game

Videogames exist in a strange universe. No matter how different two games may seem, you’ll always find common rules that link the two – like Forza 4 and Prince of Persia sharing a rewind function, for example. Now imagine if our world was governed by those rules. Would it be better? Or worse? In this feature I take a look at real life through a skewed lens, and ponder what it would be like to live in a world governed by the rules of the videogame.  

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - "The Borderwatch" (Fan Fiction)

Loredas, 5.50 p.m., 15^th Last Seed, 4E 201

Northern Cyrodiil

 

I never did care for the taste of blood in my mouth.

When the Imperial bastard with the gap-tooth grin and nervous twitch struck me again, I ignored the sting of impact that lanced my frozen cheek and spat a long plume of bloody saliva across his leather boot. He cursed, long and loud – something about feeding me to a frost troll – and raised his hand for a third strike. I glared at him, willing him to do it, to stoke my rage just a little more – but the officer behind me intervened.

Made of Win or Straight to Bin... Dark Souls

A lot of games split opinion on launch; even more split opinion during the pre-release hype when judgement is passed purely on leaked screens, hollow publisher PR waffle and the pedigree of the developer. In my new feature, Made of Win or Straight to Bin, I’ll attempt to balance the arguments for and against the biggest incoming games by presenting the five best reasons to be excited and not so excited about their release. First up is incoming dungeon crawler, Dark Souls.

2009’s Demon’s Souls is an awesome game, but upon release it divided the PS3 community down the middle with its contrast of incredible gameplay and knuckle-whitening difficulty. This October, From Software launch the “spiritual successor”, Dark Souls, as a multiplatform title and are hoping to recapture the same sense of online community and hardcore respect as they did with Demon’s Souls. But will it be any good? Let’s have a look…

Why I Don't Mind Batting for Both Teams (Figuratively Speaking...)

I’ve been a self-confessed Xbox “fanboy” (as much as I hate the term “fanboy”) for a good nine years, ever since I borrowed my uncle’s console and a copy of Halo while he buggered off to Tenerife for a fortnight. Two weeks and three playthroughs later, and my Playstation One went over the trade-in counter quicker than a copy of BMX XXX.