Arrested Development

Freedom of Expression is a term that’s bandied around a lot in these days of “gore-porn”, 3-hour blockbusters, hip-hop, thrash metal, reality TV on all 400-plus channels and every other celebrity “accidentally” leaking a home-made sex-tape, and certainly it’s a term that’s really hard to quantify in terms of taste and decency. Very little seems to be off-limits in this world of mixed media entertainment – until, of course, videogames are brought to the fore.

Dragon's Dogma - Preview

Consoles have seen their fair share of dragon-based games in recent years, from Dragon Age 1 & 2 and Divinity II to the upcoming Skyrim – but none can boast the level of dragon-twatting promised by Capcom’s new action-RPG IP, Dragon’s Dogma. Borrowing heavily from their own Monster Hunter series, Capcom are hoping to make Dragon’s Dogma unique by giving you the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of cottage-sized beasties, from feathery griffons to multi-headed hydrae.

I Don't Suck at Games - I'm a Dad, Actually

Anyone who’s had their arse handed to them by a 13-year-old FPS enthusiast will know and understand the shame and pain I felt on Wednesday night. After being “fragged” for the 11th time in a row by a prepubescent gamer who, judging by the accent and put-downs, may have originated from Arkansas or, possibly, the eighth circle of Hell, I was seconds away from rage-quitting when an epiphany hit my like a flashing blue sticky bomb in the face.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Preview

The Deus Ex franchise is one synonymous with innovation. The first game, released in 2000, lifted the idea of free-form gaming to new heights. Whilst RPGs as a genre were nothing new by the turn of the millenium, we’d never really seen a game that offered so much choice. Set in 2052, it followed the exploits of nano-augmented UNATCO agent JC Denton as he uncovered a conspiracy involving lethal viruses, advanced AIs and shady organisations like the Illuminati and Majestic 12. Three years later, Invisible War was released, this time allowing the option of creating a female version of new protagonist Alex D. Set after a cataclysmic event known as The Collapse, Invisible War brought a heap of new choices to the table and helped to define the term “Action RPG”.