There have been too many dreadful movies based on videos games. From Super Mario Bros. to BloodRayne to the recent Pixels, these films almost always trade on brand recognition alone rather than - you know - being well-made entertainment. They don't ask you to think or feel anything; all you have to do is sit quietly and receive a series of images that sort of remind you of a game you might have played once. They're a $13 dollar lobotomy-via-cinema, complete with a side of popcorn.

Thankfully, they're not all terrible. From AAA blockbusters all the way down to independent ventures, there are some video games movies that show a modicum of respect for their source material. On the Hollywood side, there's Wreck-It Ralph, the first Silent Hill movie, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And on the independant side there's a bevy of fan-made passion projects that really demonstrate the creator's love of the game. Imagine that: art from passion. Here are some of our favorites...

Our Take: This one's worth it for the costume designs alone. Seeing the Zelda cast reimagined as gunfighters from the Old West is a treat, and their outfits - especially Zelda's - are expertly crafted. I mean, come on, Zelda even has Triforce-embroidered gun holsters! The film is shot slowly and deliberty. There are several closeups on eyes and hands slowly reaching for guns - this is a gunfighting movie after all - punctuated by flashbacks that give context to the action while maintaining the tension. It's enough to make you pine for another Red Dead Redemption.

The Premise: After lighting GLaDOS up and escaping from Aperture Science, things still aren't great for Chell as she tries to deal with the traumatizing memories of her time in the facility that keep coming back to haunt her. But in , she does find ways to cope, namely by taking comfort in simple pleasures like, say, baking a cake.

Our Take: Portal has its fair share of fan films given the game's wild popularity, but they rarely capture both its darker aspects and ridiculous sense of humor. Outside Aperture dodges that problem as gracefully as Chell dodges turret death lasers, showing how her experiences have affected her while not taking itself too seriously. You get a real sense of her personality from watching her break a TV with the portal gun and waiting in front of the oven for her cake to bake. It's not all smiles, but it's not drowning in ennui either, which captures the spirit of Portal in a way that feels truly in touch with the source material. I wouldn't be surprised if some fans preferred this version of events over Portal 2.

The Premise: Set before the fall of Rapture and the events of BioShock, follows siblings Charles and Arthur as they explore the possibilities of life in a world without moral boundaries. Gradually, their passion for sculpture and the arts spirals out of control as the underwater paradise of Rapture collapses around them.

Our Take: The Brothers Rapture succeeds at putting a human face on the many faceless Splicers you mow down in BioShock. Even with all the tape recorders and graffiti scattered throughout that game, it's easy to forget these monsters were once people searching for a better life under the sea. Actors Nicolas Taggart and Charles Alexander both give excellent performances as Charles and Arthur, conveying genuine affection amid the growing chaos surrounding them. Supported by some surprisingly top-grade special effects, The Brothers Rapture is one of the best in this lineup.

The Premise: Some fan films may get a nice shout-out from the team behind the source material if they're particularly good, but few are so well-received that they end up getting worked into the original game. That's what happened with , a Team Fortress 2 fan creation that sees the Red team trying to derail a warhead-bearing train before it destroys their compound. The film adheres to the goofy but action-fueled nature of TF2 so well that Valve eventually integrated it into the game's December 2014 update with custom cosmetics and weapons, so now some fans think it's an official video. That's some high praise.

Our Take: You can't swing a dead cat around YouTube without hitting something made in Source Filmmaker - Valve's video capture and editing suite - and it's pretty easy to tell the enthusiast work from Valve's professional releases. But the team behind End of the Line clearly knew what they were doing, building dynamic and detailed action scenes and never once flinching on the quality of the animation. Plus, even without any dialogue the film features some stellar visual humor that's just as impressive as the action. I hope I never laugh that hard at a kitten orphanage again.

The Premise: Street Fighter mainstay Ryu has long struggled with the Satsui no Hadou; basically this universe's version of the Dark Side. But when he hears a demonic voice rumbling in his mind, he realizes a new evil influence has revealed itself: the Devil Gene. Then Tekken's Kazuya Mishima shows up and Ken gets thrown into the mix and everyone is punching everyone and it's glorious.

Our Take: If "glorious" wasn't high enough praise, consider this: how many times have you seen a Street Fighter movie did not fall into this trap. Hadokens, Shoryukens, and even Ken's Shinryuken all make an appearance and look surprisingly not terrible. This high standard carries over to the fight choreography, which is every bit as kinetic and exaggerated as its video game counterpart. And if you like what you see, the same production company has a ton of other nerd-worthy fight videos.

The Premise: Calling a fan film is a bit of an understatement - it's two fan films, a two-season web miniseries, and an upcoming spin-off series all rolled into one. Following a barely competent gang of raiders made up of a former slave, a ghoul, a soda-addicted ex-vault dweller, and a Courier who follows close on their heels, Nuka Break shows just what the life of a Fallout raider is like. It mostly involves getting shot at and drinking irradiated water, but over the series' three-hour run, they get up to other hijinks too.

Our Take: Putting this much effort into a fan creation isn't just admirable - it's damn impressive given the film's production quality. Each part of the series has its upsides. The first film is a rough cut full of on-point humor. The second is incredibly atmospheric (if a bit on the slow side). And the miniseries brings unique character designs and a clever premise together to create an enthralling Fallout experience. The fact that its fan-creators were able to successfully Kickstart a third season (starring the near-silent Courier) isn't surprising, given how great the series is. Plus, you know, it's Fallout.

The Premise: ZombiU (sans U) is can give you a rundown of how things work… in a way. Focusing on an hour in the life of a random survivor while he goes on a perilous quest to scavenge toilet paper from the local corner store, the film calls back to its inspiration by putting the Wii U gamepad and up-front menus into the film itself. It's hard to take a man seriously when he's walking around waving a Nintendo peripheral around, but that might be the point.

Our Take: The Real ZombieU could have easily ended up looking like a generic "[video game X] in real life" video, especially if it was just ten minutes of a guy hiding from zombies. But the fact that the creators skillfully work the gamepad and the game's upfront UI into the film's environment, know where to inject just the right amount of humor, and understand the meaning of quality cinematography, all work to set it apart from the crowd.

Our Take: Mega Man has some major highs and some major lows. It's wonderfully flawed, delightfully campy, and filled with Mega Man love; but often stumbles in the execution of its craft. At its best, Mega Man focuses on character: Rock's desire to find meaning in his existence is set against Roll's carefree attitude; Dr. Wily's jealousy is set against Light's altruism. These are interesting ideological conflicts that we can relate with. At its worst, Mega Man focuses too much on awkward action scenes. This plagues the latter half of the movie as we slog through the robot masters; a problem compounded by some unconvincing VFX. Even so, I'd take a double feature of this and the by the group over Pixels any day.

It's impossible to deny the epic scale of religious histories. That may help to explain why so many video games take such inspiration in their theologies (here's looking at you multiple Jesus-clone messiah protagonists). In essence, they're a ready-made source of rich and detailed adventures with profound resonance, their enduring popularity and name-recognition long-since assured. What publisher wouldn't want that?

Of course, the other side of the equation looks a little less rosy. The odds of offending large swathes of your potential player base only increase when tapping into existing religions, meaning most developers using them play around with their presentation to a greater or lesser degree. The following seven games all opted to take that risk, representing complex belief systems via the interactive medium. Some edged closer to the sacred scripture than others, but all shall be judged of their worthiness. Do any of these games offer a worthwhile introduction to the great gamut of the gods? Let's find out.

Developer Silicon Knights envisaged Too Human as an attempt to rationalise complex Norse theology via futuristic technology. Here the gods of the pantheon are not born, but made, granted their astounding powers through advanced cybernetic augmentation. In place of the nine realms of existence, Too Human supposes a singular planet, broken up into numerous distinct sectors, such as the human city of Midgard. Their implacable opposition - the giant folk of Jötnar, are now sentient machines, while the likes of Beowulf's Grendel and the menacing Dark Elves become simple boss and enemy types.

As for the game's hero, Baldur - god of light, joy, purity and presumably also lollypops - Too Human opts to introduce us to a much gruffer deity. Expanding upon the most famous of all Baldur stories - his untimely death (as orchestrated by the mischievous half-god Loki), Too Human takes both this and other existing legends as the basis for an entirely new saga, one based upon rebirth and ultimately revenge. As an introduction to Norse theology, Too Human represents a strong and surprisingly accurate start, familiarising players with the names, relationships and dwelling places of these Germanic-Scandinavian gods. If you can ignore the sci-fi trimmings, shoddy gameplay and freshly expanded lore, then Too Human is a good a way as any to begin your ongoing course in Norse.

See Also - Age of Mythology, Jotun (2016), Viking: Battle for Asgard

Strange as it may sound, the single most inaccurate element of the entire God of War franchise is the game's ongoing depiction of central character Kratos. Indeed, far from being the frenzied father-stabber that he appears in the games, the theological Kratos is instead counted among the most zealously loyal of Zeus' retinue. He's also considered the God of Strength, as opposed to the demi-god and later God of War he's portrayed as in the games. That being the case, it seems highly likely that Sony Santa Monica chose the name Kratos as an ironic nod to the original character, inverting not only his loyalties but also on occasion his actions. Case in point, the scene in which a virtual Kratos frees the heroic titan Prometheus, having done just the opposite according to the original Greek narrative.

Like many of the games on this list, the God of War franchise positively excels in taking existing theological legends and using them to create new and exciting adventures. One such example is the renewed Titan vs. God war, the big round two of an event that dominates much of the ancient theology. While Kratos' actions may not bear much relation to the stories upon which his world is based, God of War remains a fine foreword to the rest of ancient Greek mythology. After all, what better way to become accustomed to the characters, places and epic tales than by cutting a bloody swathe right through them?

See Also - Age of Mythology, Disney's Hercules, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, Spartan: Total Warrior, Titan Quest

Despite some rather obvious parallels Okami's exact relationship to the Shinto theology remains somewhat difficult to define. That's because the team at Clover Studios has always tended towards a vague and imprecise language when discussing that facet of the project. Game director Hideki Kamiya argues that Okami's characters, in particular Amaterasu, are not necessarily the same as those found in the Shinto faith, though they do share a great deal in common. It's possible that this tack was taken simply to avoid offending believers, though it could also indicate an intentional level of ambiguity.

Familiarities (and differences) include the aforementioned Amaterasu, goddess of the sun in both Shinto tradition and in Okami. Interestingly however, no mention of wolves or wolf-form is ever made in reference to the Shinto deity, while the virtual version is neither strictly male nor female, at least not in the Japanese version of the game (translation difficulties forced the team to pick an English pronoun i.e. he or she, thereby confusing the issue). As for the game's celestial brush gods, none appear to correspond directly with Shinto deities, but are instead based upon the Far Eastern Zodiac signs. Susano meanwhile appears somewhat similar to the Shinto hero Susano-o - both of whom are famous for slaying (or helping to slay) an 8-headed serpent named Orochi. As a guide to Shinto deities, Okami is hardly authoritative, not would the game's designers have you believe that it is. All told, those wishing to learn more about Shinto via the game should probably support their playthrough with the odd spot of research.

See Also - Okamiden

Basing a game on the tenets of an active religion is always going to prove tricky. Basing a game on two even more so. Asura's Wrath manages to monkey around with details of both the Hindu and Buddhist faiths (the two groups share a number of common legends, including those drawn from the Indian epic The Rigveda). That's not to say that either side became too irate about it, most just balking at the perceived inaccuracies. So what exactly did the game get right, and more importantly, what did it get wrong? Well for starters, the game - much like Too Human - opts to take the sci-fi reinvention route, trading in powerful demi-gods for massively upgraded cyber soldiers.

Speaking of demi-gods, the term Asura actually applies to all beings of this type, not just to any one individual. The game also leaves out the more benevolent set of deities known as the Devas, although the game's final boss Chakravartin may be considered as such. While religious tradition holds that the two sets of gods waged war upon each other, Asura's Wrath finds these so-called 'Guardian Generals' (i.e. the Asura) battling it out against the Gohma, a race of hideous monsters led by Vlitra, a planet-devouring serpent similar to Vritra, an evil demigod from Hindu Vedic tradition. The Gohma, meanwhile, appear to have little to no basis in religious texts. All things considered the game does present a solid introduction to the Asura deities, not individually perhaps but rather as a group, nailing their look, temperament and abilities as recounted in various religious texts. The rest, however remains somewhat less authentic.

You might expect that there'd be a litany of titles covering the ancient Egyptian pantheon, and you'd be right, though precious few of those exist outside of the god game and RTS genres. Consider Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy a rare exception to that rule, dealing as it does with the likes of Ra, Set, Osiris and co. through the format of an action-platformer. The game stars Sphinx, an upright, decidedly more human take on the beastly man-lion hybrids that guard many an Egyptian temple. Truth be told, this incarnation is little more than a teenager with a tail, though other ancient icons ring truer. Horus has his falcon head, Anubis is a jackal and Tutankhamen is covered from head to tow in bandages. Likewise, King Tut's mummification also results in the storage of four sacred organs, just as it would have in ancient days.

Interestingly however, the game also chooses to shift around several well-established relationships. Tutankhamen's mother and father become his lover and brother, respectively, head honcho Ra is created via the union of Osiris and Set - as opposed to being his own independent deity - and Osiris' son Horus is now working for Set, instead of actively trying to murder him. These elements aside, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy does an entertaining job of familiarising fans with the unique iconography - think ankhs, amulets and sarcophagi - as well as many of the major players of the ancient Egyptian tradition.

See Also - Age of Mythology, Pharaoh, Ankh: Battle of the Gods

Alright, first things first - Dante Alighieri's Inferno isn't exactly considered canon by the Christian church. However the epic poem does make use of, and even helped to inform, certain elements of popular Christian theology. Suffice to say, this blood and guts actioner shouldn't be taken as a literal guide to Christian tradition, but rather as the retelling of an influential Christian myth. So, how does it fare? Well, much like the gameplay itself, largely hit and miss. Alighieri's epic poem stars none other than the author himself, indulging in a brisk walking tour of the nine levels of Hell. Digital Dante, meanwhile finds himself recast as a fighting knight of the third Crusade, wading through the underworld so as to free his beleaguered lover from Satan's icy grip.

The game does get a lot right, including the presence of Roman poet Virgil, who acts as guide to both iterations of Dante. Likewise, many of the levels of Hell, and the punishments performed therein, reflect those originally envisaged by the writer. Other translations prove less authentic, with the knife-wielding babies of the purgatory level proving particularly false. So too the use of Cleopatra as a willing servant of Satan, as opposed to the simple prisoner she appears in the poem. Strangest of all however, is the inclusion of an absolve/punish mechanic for beaten enemies. Somehow it seems difficult to believe that the Church would sign off on an admitted sinner forgiving other offenders their sins. All in all then, a decent visual trip through quasi-Christian tradition, chock full of crosses, demons and holy iconography. Just take it with a massive pinch of salt.

See Also - Super Noah's Ark 3D?

A surprisingly popular tradition, at least where video game settings are concerned, the world of Celtic theology entirely informs the 2007 RPG Folklore. The title takes place in a small country village that just so happens to act as a functioning gateway to a bizarre realm of the dead. In keeping with Celtic tradition, this fissure only appears once every year - on the night of Samhain, to be precise, a major inspiration for modern Hallowe'en - leading the spirits of the dead to revisit our world, as adventurous peoples head off in the other direction. Folklore's depiction of this netherworld is largely in keeping with that of the ancient Celts, drawn an underground paradise - known alternatively as Mag Mell or Tír na nÓg - made up of strange and fantastical creatures.

These inhabitants, or 'folk' will occasionally attempt to kill the player (somewhat less authentic, though as the game explains, other adventurers have previously 'broken' the paradise) and are largely modelled after fabled Celtic creatures. Taken as a whole, the game provides a strong overview of ancient Celtic theology, though crucially it does gloss over the role of the actual gods, including Balor, Crom and Morrigan. As such, it might better be described as a game of mythology, or as the title itself states, folklore.

See Also - Bloodforge (much greater focus on the Gods - terrible, terrible game), Hellblade (2016), Sorcery

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that make the greatest difference. Consider the minigame: a bite-sized experience nestled within a larger video game. We all know some terrible examples - ones that force you to complete arbitrary nonsense so mind-bogglingly boring, you'd rather watch your theoretical future son be left at the theoretical future altar by his theoretical future spouse then finish one more hacking puzzle.

But every now and again, a minigame comes along that cuts through this bleak miasma of mediocrity with the shining rays of clever game design. Like a fine wine or exquisite, European cheese, this minigame is the perfect blend of complexity and accessibility. It's ingenious systems keep you coming back time and again, sometimes siphoning hours from the main storyline; or in extreme cases, eclipsing it completely. What follows are the creme de la creme; peerless minigames that will deliver your son from his theoretical, future heartache.

Video games have a rich history of card game sidequests (some of which are included later in this list). The Witcher 3's Gwent is certainly among the best, even without the . It's a trading card game built around speed and efficiency. You can tailor your deck to fit a certain playstyle. You can fake out your opponent with different tricks and strategies during a match. But the most refreshing thing about Gwent is that it will end - no matter what - in three rounds or less.

The limited play time adds gravitas to each card placed on the table. Strategies must be decided upon quickly, and their results are felt almost instantly. A bad call in the first round could easily lead to an early defeat in the second. Unless that first round was a feint; a ploy to lure your opponent into wasting their best cards. Gwent, like all great TCGs, is a game of calculated risks. What's nice is that it doesn't take another 45 minutes to see if your bet paid off.

This unassuming casino game hides an interesting mix of Minesweeper and Sudoku. Just like in Minesweeper, you want to reveal all the panels on the grid that do not contain mines (or, in this case, Voltorbs). Revealing one of those is an instant Game Over. Avoiding the Voltorbs is where the Sudoku aspect comes into play. With a bit of mathematical reasoning - and luck - you can deduce which tiles are most likely to contain Voltorbs based on the clues provided and which tiles you've already flipped over.

For example, look at the screenshot above. You see the red box in the bottom left-hand corner? The '02' means the numbers in the column add up to two, while the '3' next to angry-face Voltorb means three of the tiles are Voltorbs. Each row and column is labeled like this, and by comparing them all against each other, you can puzzle out where the Voltorbs are hiding. It's basically one big logic puzzle, and clearing a really challenging board feels like you've achieved Holmesian-levels of deductive reasoning.

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Winning at Command Board feels just like winning at Monopoly. While you're swimming in an ocean of cash, your opponents are stuck paddling around the board bleeding money at every turn. It's a . But the Monopoly comparisons don't stop there. You earn your fortunes by buying up colored spaces on the board and - stop me if you've heard this before - improving those spaces so that their rent increases. And you better believe that owning all the spaces of an identical color nets you a hefty rent multiplier. The only thing missing is a diminutive old chap with a cane and tophat.

A well-executed game of Command Board is really a thing of beauty. When you exploit the board to its fullest, snag the high-traffic sections you want, and exploit those territories for all they're worth, it makes victory taste that much sweeter. To help speed the game along, each player can also spend cards for special abilities - such as rolling three dice instead of one - to tilt the odds in their favor. The only real drawback is the braindead AI, which can only stumble blindly into victory when the stars align and Lady Luck has completely abandoned you.

used to invoke images of Fallout 3's word search or BioShock's rip-off of Pipe Dreams. But Deus Ex: Human Revolution puts them all to shame. Its hacking challenges require you to think fast, act faster, and juggle about a half-dozen tasks all at once. Your objective is clear: bypass a series a nodes until you reach the one controlling whatever it is you're hacking. Along the way, there are various bonus nodes you can hack for extra credits or items, but doing so will almost always trigger the security AI. And once that's done, your hack becomes a mad dash for the virtual finish line.

The security AI is basically doing the opposite of what you're doing, only with the efficiency of a machine. It wants to reach you, you want to reach the final node. You can slow down the AI by reinforcing nodes you've already captured, or by using special programs you've collected to disable it temporarily. This is where the juggling act starts, as you jump between reinforcing some nodes, capturing others, using programs to maintain control, and more. It's a fun minigame that throws just enough techno-jargon at you to make you feel like a hacker.

thanks to its wonderfully challenging platforming, quirky personality, and a little soccer distraction called Kung Foot.

At first, you won't even notice this totally optional minigame because it's unassumingly tucked away in the main menu. But once you hop into it for the first time with a friend or two in tow, it's nigh impossible to escape its addictive grasp. It's so simple: You just run around trying to kick a soccer ball into the opponent's goal by using the platforming and physics established by Legends' campaign. Hours turn into days, days into months, and before you know it you'll have missed the birth of your child - a heinous crime that has only one remedy: more Kung Foot (and maybe a nice bottle of Gulden Draak).

You're familiar with Rapunzel, right? That gleefully light-hearted story about the little girl who's kidnapped and confined against her will in a tall tower in the middle of a wooded glen, whose captor climbs her hair like a rope because ladders make way too much sense? In , you can enjoy that delightful children's tale as a puzzle minigame found in Vincent's favorite watering hole, the Stray Sheep bar.

The gameplay here mimics the block-based puzzle stages of Catherine's (somehow more bizarre) main story. As the fabled prince smitten by Rapunzel's beautiful voice and physical appearance, you have a limited number of moves to manipulate a series of blocks and scale them to your objective. Every few stages, a new bit of the minigame's narrative is unveiled via a series of rhymes <(a href="http://catherinethegame.wikia.com/wiki/Rapunzel_Story_Transcript" target="new">full transcript here), eventually uncovering a tale that's almost as tragic as Vincent's own life.

When it comes to Final Fantasy minigames, two of the most loved are both grid-based trading card games: Final Fantasy VIII's Triple Triad, and FFIX's Tetra Master. In both games, the goal is to control as many of the cards on the playing field as possible (think Tic-Tac-Toe, but far more complex) by the time its grid has been filled out. Here's the kicker: you can gain control of the opponent's cards. In Triple Triad, this was super basic: If the card you played had a higher value assigned to it than the opponent's adjacent card, you'd win.

But in Tetra Master, each card had its own HP, damage, and defensive stats, and could potentially attack any adjacent cards or diagonal ones. This added a shiz-ton more strategy to the game, even allowing for combo attacks that could sweep the entire board at once (thus explaining those seemingly random situations in which an your opponent would suddenly flip every card you had and win the game). Compared to Triple Triad, Tetra Master offered a far deeper layer of strategy, even though its systems were woefully ill-explained.

In hindsight, it's pretty wild to think that one of the Xbox 360's first successful downloadables started life as a minigame in Project Gotham Racing 2. Geometry Wars, a twin-stick arcade shooter, can be found within the in-game garage between races. What began as a neat side attraction eventually became the primary reason for booting the game back up long after we'd scratched our racing itch.

Its ruleset is brilliantly simple: controlling a claw-shaped ship, you have to blow up as many enemies as you can before getting destroyed yourself. It wasn't long before bragging about record PGR lap times gave way to bragging about high scores in Geometry Wars. And because of its popularity, it eventually led to the creation of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2--one of the .

The World Ends With You is one of the most memorable JRPGs in the Nintendo DS catalog thanks to its story, neat battle system, carpal tunnel-inducing control scheme, and, of course, Tin Pin Slammer. The goal of this minigame? To slide your pins around the board in an attempt to knock your opponent's pins out of bounds. Basically, it's 1971's Milton Bradley board game , except the DS stylus replaces the plastic guns and little metal pellets. Crossfiiiiiuuur!

Trying to outmaneuver your opponent made the game addictive enough on its own, but the addition of "whammies," or special moves, made things a bit teresting. You could, for instance, summon a giant mallet from out of nowhere, which would spin in a circle and send every pin it made contact with flying. You'll get caught up in the Crossfiiiiiuuur! Of course, that's not to mention the stage variations, which add handicaps to change the rules on-the-fly, or the fact that you can collect hundreds of pins, each with unique stats and properties. And when you finally overcome a particularly grueling match-up, victory will have never tasted so sweet. Crossfiiiiiuuur!

In the world of Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, peasants and adventurers alike gambled in taverns by way of Arcomage - a tabletop game not unlike Magic: The Gathering (freakin' nerds). Each player has a deck of cards, a tower (which acts as an HP counter), and a defensive wall (think MTG's creatures) that protect said tower. Each turn, you generate resources that can be spent to play cards that either fortify your wall, replenish your tower's hit points, or attack your opponent's tower, creating a delicate balancing act of knowing when to strike and when to play it safe.

In its earliest forms, Arcomage was a mere minigame in a single-player RPG, meaning you'd only ever get to play against AI opponents. It became popular enough, though, that The 3DO Company eventually released a standalone version that could be played with others via LAN or an Internet connection. These days, enhanced variations of it, such as the Android game , are readily available and surprisingly popular.

Few things in life are as exciting as recounting tales of the good ol' days, back when Windows ME was the hot new OS (that everyone quickly grew to hate) and people had to sit through this before they could connect to the World Wide Web. It was during this now-ancient time period that we lost many a night to Mephisto farms, Diablo grinds, and, eventually, Taco Baal Runs in Blizzard's beloved hack-and-slash RPG, Diablo II. But there's another aspect to the game that dungeon crawler veterans will recall with ease: playing .

Now, it may not have been immediately apparent at the time, but everyone soon picked up on the joke: trying to rearrange your inventory just so you could pick up that rare hunting knife meant moving items around just so, dropping them on the ground to swap others in, then out, then back again. And just when you started to think that the Horadric Cube was a space-saving godsend, you discovered that it only complicated the sadistic game of inventory Tetris by increasing the number of windows you had to manage in order to maximize your rearrangement efficiency. Ah yes, the good ol' days, indeed.

An action RPG is perhaps one of the last places you'd expect to find a highly customizable rail shooter, but Kingdom Hearts II's Gummi shooting segments were surprisingly enjoyable. On the surface, Gummi ships were just a neat way to open up the next world for Sora and his crew to explore. But if you were willing to spend a bit of time poking through everything Gummis had to offer, it was easy to get hooked.

We've spent hours unlocking new Gummi pieces just so we could build new ship designs from scratch. The sheer variety of vessels you could create was downright impressive, ranging from basic starships to freakishly inventive designs . Best of all, the on-rails shooting was enjoyable all its own, complete with operators Chip Dale, who sounded an awful lot like Slippy from Star Fox 64.

In the mid- to late-'90s, digital pets were all the rage. Anyone who was anyone had a Tamagotchi or a Nano Baby; ownership of one of these was mandatory to get any kind of street cred on the middle school playground. But this craze also made its way into a staggering number of console games, including 1998's Sonic Adventure, in which you could hatch and raise living, breathing plant-people called Chao.

Though you couldn't really do much with the Chao in the first Sonic Adventure, its sequel allowed you to affect the baby Chao's alignment to good or evil. If you were playing as, say, Sonic, cooing to the baby and patting its delicate head would make it a good Chao. The process for making an evil Chao? Step one: Bash a Chao egg into into sharp rocks over and over, forcing it to hatch prematurely. Step 2: Kick / slap the baby Chao until it cries out in utter, heartbreaking despair. Step 3: Respond to those cries with complete indifference.

Christ.

Seeing Blitzball appear in a list of awesome minigames will cause you to react in one of two ways: either you'll agree, or you'll tell the writer of this very article to please go cartwheel into highway traffic. Still, many came to fall in love with Blitzball. It's basically underwater rugby, where two opposing teams - such as Tidus and Wakka's own Besaid Aurochs and the damnable Al Bhed Psyches - try to drop kick a medicine ball through the other's goal.

Matches are frustrating early on, seeing as the RPG stats of your player roster matters just as much as (if not more than) your skill. But once you scout out some free agents, level up your team, and win a few games, it's easy to to play for hours on en - just kidding, we all know Blitzball is fu***** terrible.

I don't know about you, but I used to think anything that went up on the internet would stay there for eternity. Sadly, that's not the case. Servers get switched off, domain names expire, companies go under… even technology becomes obsolete. But sometimes, old official websites for video games slip through the cracks and remain live for years after their useful life.

The beauties you see now are like fossils, lurking below the bedrock of cat pictures and fertilising surface mulch of Oculus Rift Photoshops. And they aren't just cached or retrieved from WayBackMachine. These old video game websites are still live, right now (at the time of writing, at least), offering a perfect time capsule of what the net used to be like. So let's do this. Let's time travel!

The Gamecube's Animal Crossing website was designed to look like a newspaper - and feels exactly like reading an old paper, too. Excited prose explains how features like multiplayer work. You have to insert your friend's memory card into slot B, then you can visit their town. WHAT? You can trade items with friends, but Tom Nook has to give you a special code that you type into your game to redeem. DOUBLEWHAT? I'm suddenly incredibly grateful the last 10 years happened.

It's also amazing how much Animal Crossing itself has changed. I mean, considering it , just look at the malformed monstrosities that passed for cute animal residents back then. If anything makes me glad that New Leaf exists, it's this website. Still, nicely done, even if it does seem to be the first version of the site that was surely supposed to be updated. Why haven't the 'coming soon' boxes been filled up? Most odd.

Visit the site .

Sonic Adventure was THE most exciting video game in 1998. No, I'm serious. It was the first AAA quality title of the 128-bit generation. Look, OK, that might just have been me. But it has a website. It still has a website. In it, you'll find some still-great screenshots, lyrics for the cheese-tastic theme music and even the 2.6MB video that brought my college's net connection to a standstill in when it took an entire lunchtime to download.

Unfortunately for most people reading this, everything is in Japanese, with the occasional English word in CAPS for emphasis. But at least if you click through the links, it's pretty obvious what you're looking at. There are even some pre-release screens that show things that didn't make it into the final game. And look at the production values. They spent millions on the game, but about 100 Yen on the website, it would seem…

Visit the site .

This website won Macromedia Site of the Week AND Site of the Day on March 29, 2003, according to the banner proudly displayed on the landing page. This is gonna be good. And you know what? It really is! There's a first-person, pseudo-3D flash game to play, where you explore Tallon IV, uncovering suit and weapon upgrades, which play little video clips from the game itself, showing the features in action.

The video clips may be small, but they're of surprisingly decent quality considering the age of this site. And the fact that the game element still works (albeit with a slow-loading server at the other end) makes this worthy of a visit, if only to remember when Metroid Prime was the coolest thing in the world.

Visit the site .

Yes, it's Ridge Racer. I know. But we have to stop saying it one of these days. Besides, there's something more important to say here: Please be warned that while the site still works just fine (and that even includes the Shockwave-powered animations), minutes after I'd visited this page, Windows stopped working on my PC. Twice. Coincidence? Windows doesn't normally crash on me. So maybe it's best if you take my word for it that this one still works, rather than check it out.

But it really does still work. Look at those little tiles of joy. There's even a short loop of music from the game, which keeps playing forever. This site must have looked sensational back in 1998. Just like Ridge 4 itself did. Aww, man - I love that game. I'm gonna totally add this site to my web ring.

Visit the site .

Clearly nobody was expected to have any screen resolutions larger than a postage stamp in 2001, because this is tiny. But what a treasure trove. For starters, it's brilliant fun reading promotional words trying to explain a game you now know everything about. "Ico is a very different game. It's an adventure game but it has a look and feel that's worlds away from many other adventure titles." No kidding.

But this website actually has a Flash game built into it. It's a bit like Chu Chu Rocket in that you have to guide an automatically-running character by changing the environment – in this case moving blocks. As you do so, Yorda's cage gets closer to being within reach. That game doesn't work in every modern browser, but Chrome seems to run it just fine. Is it anything like Ico's gameplay? Hell no. But still, it's a curio and it's amazing it still works.

Visit the site .

Well that's one way of handling screen resolution. This is actually a remarkably slick website, allowing you to choose your favourite character pairing from four options at the start, which customises the colour scheme of the site accordingly. So Web 2.0, it hurts.

Sadly, the music loops waaaay too quickly. You can turn it off, but wait! There's also the option to change it, shifting between 50cc music, 100cc music and 150cc music. All dire, but also better than music. Yes, you're welcome. But even more sadly, there used to be some kind of Flash game called 'Racing Challenge'... but I can't get it to load. Probably no great loss.

Visit the site .

This early PS2 title may just be a brawler starring a guy who but it deserves better than to be lost to the mists of time. Square-Enix must think so too, because its original website is still live. It's actually not half bad. But it is 'half a screen' these days.

It's actually a multimedia fest with a Flash animation, complete with raucous music… and even a Flash game. That part doesn't work on my machine… apparently you'll need Shockwave ver 7.0.2 to make it work. I don't think anybody's had that since colonial times. Similarly, there are videos (using what must have been massive file sizes at the time), but they use Quicktime 4. And an ancient version of RealVideo. I feel so old.

Visit the site .

I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find a website for the original Ape Escape, but the totally-forgotten PS2 sequel is still cocooned in the world wide web, unable to break from its sticky prison, preserved exactly as it was in 2003.

The site appears to be rather basic at first, but it has its moments. The spinning monkey head that transitions between sections of the site is the dictionary definition of 'zany', there's a secret section of artwork if you get a password from doing well in the game itself (clever) and even two 'delectable' recipes for banana-based smoothies. Show me a modern site that does THAT. In fact, I'm off to make one. I'll probably post a pic of it on LiveJournal.

Visit the site .

While Yuke's' official WWE series has garnered mixed reviews in recent years, one area it’s always strong in is attention to detail outside of the ring, specifically arenas, wrestler entrances, and t-shirts worn by members of the crowd. In fact that latter apparel-based matter has become a flawless, ambient tie-up with each game's roster over the years. Simply, if a WWE superstar or diva is in the game, so too is their official merchandise, and vice versa. As a result, 2K’s recent of Finn Balor and Seth Rollins’ entrances inadvertently blows a good deal more future reveals, unveiling - at least to eagle-eyed fans - another 22 roster members in WWE 2K16 who haven’t yet been ‘officially’ announced.

With more than 120 wrestlers featured in the upcoming edition, there’s been a clamour for stars both old and new to join current-era combatants like John Cena and Randy Orton. And on this evidence, 2K and Yuke’s have delivered. Stalwarts The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and The Rock are joined by the returning Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, while NXT standouts Baron Corbin, Enzo Amore and Charlotte are among this year’s debutants. For all 22 in-game characters unveiled in this way, and an updated list of every guy and gal revealed so far, read on…

Well, duh. Like the great one was going to miss out on a WWE game for the first time in forever. Rocky’s inclusion rounds out the names revealed so far to 42, roughly one-third of the final line-up. That makes the full, current list (*deep breath*)…

Bad News Barrett, Baron Corbin, Booker T, Bray Wyatt, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Charlotte, Col Mustafa, Colin Cassady, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Emma, Enzo Amore, Eva Marie, Finn Balor, General Adnan, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Kalisto, Kane, Kevin Owens, Lord Steven Regal, The Miz, Natalya, Paige, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Shawn Michaels, Sin Cara, Stardust, Sting, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Summer Rae, Tamina, The Terminator, Triple H, Tyson Kidd, The Undertaker.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is almost upon us, and with it comes closure to a decades-spanning saga. While the series has amassed a huge following over the years, for many people, The Phantom Pain will be their first exposure to a convoluted world filled with walking battlemechs and genetically-enhanced supersoldiers. It's not exactly the easiest story to keep track of, as characters and organizations often go by multiple names and are usually double- or triple-crossing one another. To make matters worse, the story is told out of sequence, so there are plenty of instances where series creator Hideo Kojima has retconned important events from past games in order to fit into the current, overarching plot.

But you don't need to fret, because I've compiled a timeline detailing the series' most important events. There's even a glossary at the bottom in case you get your Snakes mixed up (it happens to the best of us). If you're hopping into Big Boss' shoes for the first time (or simply need a refresher), and you don't want to watch hours upon hours of cutscenes to get the big picture, this will get you properly up to speed. The events of the Metal Gear saga cover over a century of world history, so strap in and enjoy the ride. Oh, and if anything doesn't make sense to you, just remember: nanomachines probably did it.

Big thanks to the and the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database on PS3 for helping me keep my dates and names straight while I wrote this.

Metal Gear's story truly begins in the aftermath of World War 1, as the wealthiest and most influential members of the US, the Soviet Union, and China form a secret organization known as the Philosophers. With their vast reach and near limitless resources, the Philosophers aim to influence world events so we never have to experience another global conflict on the scale of WW1. As its members die off, the group begins to splinter, and by the 1930s, the true purpose of the organization had distorted from its original ideals, eventually giving way to the Cold War, an era of nuclear tension that began thanks to the infighting between members of the Philosophers.

Before their nasty break-up, the Philosophers pooled together vast sums of money to stop World War 2 in its tracks, gathering over $100 billion (or over $1.6 trillion, in 2014 dollars) to develop nuclear weapons and genetically-enhanced supersoldiers. The money-laundering records needed to store this amount of cash were kept on microfilm - called the Philosophers' Legacy - along with the names of all of the organization's members. The Cold War started because each of the world's three major superpowers fought over this massive chunk of change, until a Soviet commander and Philosopher agent named Boris Volgin stole the microfilm and passed it on to his son after his death.

The Philosophers may have lost their slush fund and they may be fractured, but they haven't lost their teeth. Before the events of Metal Gear Solid 3, President John F. Kennedy goes against the will of the Philosophers during the Bay of Pigs invasion and is subsequently assassinated - such is the power of this shady organization.

A Soviet rocket scientist by the name of Nikolai Sokolov wants to defect to the US, so the government calls upon FOX, a CIA covert operations unit formed by Major Zero (a British SAS officer) and The Boss (head of Cobra Unit, a legendary squadron of soldiers who fought numerous battles in WW2). John (code name: Naked Snake), an ex-Green Beret and the first-ever FOX operative, is sent into the Soviet jungles to retrieve Sokolov, but is stopped when The Boss, Snake's mentor and mother figure, double-crosses him. The Boss recaptures Sokolov and joins up with members of Cobra Unit and Commander Volgin (son of Boris Volgin), who steals the Shagohod, a nuclear-equipped tank and Metal Gear progenitor, and launches a Davy Crockett nuke at his homeland, ensuring the US gets blamed for its illegal presence in the Soviet Union.

In order to prevent retaliation and mutually-assured destruction, Naked Snake must return to Volgin's command center, destroy the Shagohod, and kill The Boss. Along the way, he receives help from EVA, an ex-NSA agent/actual Philosopher agent and Snake's sole contact in the Soviet Union. He also meets Russian GRU officer Adamska (code name: Revolver Ocelot), forming a special warrior's bond with him despite their opposing allegiances. With their help, Snake defeats each of the members of Cobra Unit, destroys the Shagohod, takes down Volgin, and faces off against The Boss. Before Snake deals the final blow, The Boss hands over half of the microfilm containing the location of the Philosophers' Legacy.

Snake returns to the States a hero, and receives the title of Big Boss, but he also learns the horrible truth of his mission. The Boss was secretly working for the US from the inside to recover the Legacy, but thanks to Volgin's nuke, the parameters of her mission changed: she had to die by Snake's hands, forever known as a traitor. While Snake succeeded in his mission, he grew disillusioned with the government who betrayed him, renounced the title of Big Boss, and quit FOX.

FOX has gone rogue, and is now being led by Gene, a super-soldier the Philosophers used as a subject for genetic experiments. Gene wants the Philosophers' Legacy to create his own empire, so he captures a base on the San Hieronymo Peninsula and kidnaps and tortures Naked Snake, since he's the last person to know its whereabouts. Snake promptly escapes from the facility, along with Green Beret Roy Campbell. After meeting up with Major Zero, he learns that the government has classified him as persona non grata, thinking he is the cause of the FOX revolt. In order to clear his name, Snake forms the beginnings of FOXHOUND along with Zero, Ocelot, and Frank Jaeger, a war orphan Snake rescued a few years prior.

Snake recruits a variety of soldiers and finally defeats Gene, who recognizes him as the true successor to The Boss, and bequests FOX to him, as well as the plans to a soldier's paradise called 'Army's Heaven'. Of course, this wouldn't be a Metal Gear game without some kind of twist: the entire rebellion was actually staged by Ocelot and Major Zero as an attempt to lure the CIA director out of hiding and grab his half of the Legacy. Ocelot kills the director, snags the Legacy, and forms a new, even more shadowy secret organization called the Patriots with Major Zero and Naked Snake.

Snake, Major Zero, and Revolver Ocelot originally formed The Patriots to honor The Boss' dream of a perfect world. Zero interpreted this to mean creating a 'World Without Borders', effectively uniting the nations of the world under one rule. So Zero exaggerated and distorted the legend of Big Boss, using it as a means of control. Snake isn't too happy about being a puppet for Zero, believing that Zero is skewing The Boss' vision for his own gains.

The final straw was Zero’s creation of the Les Enfants Terribles project without Snake's knowledge or consent. The project aimed to take Snake's DNA and use it to clone a series of enhanced supersoldiers. From the project came three 'Sons of Big Boss': Solid, Liquid, and Solidus, each one representing the best parts of Big Boss' DNA, with some accelerated aging thrown in to prevent the enemy from copying the clones' genetic code. Snake finds out about this and is understandably pissed off. He leaves The Patriots and FOXHOUND, drifting from skirmish to skirmish, until he meets Kazuhira Miller and forms the Militaires Sans Frontieres. Sometime after Snake's departure, Major Zero and the Patriots take on the code name 'Cipher'.

Snake is asked by Costa Rican agents Paz Andrade and Ramon Galvez Mena for assistance regarding a mysterious army that's holed itself up in the Latin American nation. He only agrees when he hears a recording of The Boss' voice, seemingly alive and well. That voice actually belongs to an AI program attached to Peace Walker, a nuclear-equipped weapon created to ensure that mutually-assured destruction could never come to pass… by guaranteeing mutually-assured destruction would occur if anyone ever launched a nuke. It's best if you don't think about that too much.

Anyway, Snake and Miller set up Mother Base off the Costa Rican coastline and design it to resemble an offshore oil rig. Snake wanders the jungles, recruiting soldiers for his army, researching new tech, rescuing Dr. Huey Emmerich (the scientist responsible for Peace Walker's design), and building his own nuclear deterrent, a walking battlemech called Metal Gear ZEKE. Snake discovers that Galvez is a KGB agent who wanted Peace Walker for himself, but Snake puts a stop to him and once again prevents a nuclear holocaust, finally adopting the title Big Boss as his own.

Oh, it's not over yet. Paz is also a double agent, who actually works for Cipher (aka Major Zero). She attempts to steal ZEKE and frame MSF for launching a nuke should Snake decide not to join Cipher. Snake quickly defeats ZEKE, and Paz is flung into the ocean from the resulting explosion. Miller was also apparently a business partner with Cipher and knew all about Paz's plot, using his connections to build MSF into a driving force of the Cold War economy. Snake is apparently cool with this, and the two continue to operate MSF together, growing Mother Base into massive mercenary operation.

On the eve of a nuclear inspection (brought about by Huey's insistence that MSF proves to the world that it's running a squeaky clean operation), Miller and Snake receive word that Paz had survived their encounter, and is currently being held at Camp Omega, a US black site in Cuba. To make matters worse, one of Snake's recruits, a young teen named Chico, went off to rescue her and got himself captured. Both Paz and Chico know of the existence of Metal Gear ZEKE, so Snake needs to rescue them before they reveal any information to their captors.

Snake infiltrates the facility and rescues them, but returns to find Mother Base under attack by operatives of a mysterious new organization, XOF, led by their equally enigmatic CO, Skullface. Snake finds Miller and the two escape via chopper, only to be thwarted by a bomb planted inside Paz's body by XOF. She leaps from the helicopter in an attempt to save Snake, but the blast causes their helicopter to crash, putting Snake into a coma which lasts for nine whole years.

Snake awakens from his coma to discover that his left arm is missing and… Well, we don't know what's going to happen in this game since it's not out yet, but the final chapter of the Metal Gear saga aims to close the loop on Big Boss'/Naked Snake's history, showing his descent into villainy as he rebuilds Mother Base and gets his revenge on Cipher. Hopefully, we'll also find out how he gets back into the US government's good graces well enough to take control of FOXHOUND again, which will lead into...

The US learns of a secret weapon of mass destruction in a South African facility known as Outer Heaven, and calls on Big Boss and his FOXHOUND unit to take care of the situation. One problem: the US doesn't know that Outer Heaven belongs to Big Boss, and thanks to retroactive continuity, he's using it as a staging ground to build another Metal Gear and take down the Patriots. He sends in his son, Solid Snake (who doesn't know Big Boss is his dad at this point), as a way to stall the operation so Big Boss can complete his plans.

Big Boss feeds Solid Snake faulty intel, leading him into a series of traps, all of which Snake overcomes. He rescues Gray Fox (aka Frank Jager), destroys the Metal Gear, and defeats Big Boss before NATO carpet bombs the place into oblivion. Big Boss survives the explosion, and gathers the survivors together, returning even stronger a few years later.

The world is rapidly running out of oil, and Dr. Kio Marv has the perfect solution: OILIX, a synthetic fuel source that could solve a potential global crisis. So of course he gets kidnapped by a military force in Zanzibar Land. Roy Campbell, now head of FOXHOUND (y'know, after Big Boss proved to be, ahem, less than reliable), brings Solid Snake out of retirement to rescue the doctor.

Snake finds a hell of a lot more than that in Zanzibar Land: Gray Fox is now his enemy, Big Boss is alive, and - you guessed it - there's another Metal Gear. Dr. Marv is tortured and killed, and the OILIX formula ends up in Gray Fox's hands. Snake is able to defeat both Fox and Big Boss before the day is through, but not before learning that Big Boss is his father in a grand Empire Strikes Back moment. Snake leaves Big Boss for dead and retires to the Alaskan wilderness. The Patriots pick up Big Boss' body and place him into a nanomachine-induced coma, where he will remain for the next 15 years as a sentimental prize of Zero's. Oh, and his genes are once again stolen from him, this time to create the Genome Soldiers used in...

Keeping FOXHOUND around seems like a hell of a lot more trouble than it's worth. Liquid Snake, Solid's twin brother/clone, is now commanding officer, and - I sound like a broken record here - has gone rogue, using the newly-created Genome Soldiers to take over Shadow Moses Island, a nuclear weapon storage facility and home of Metal Gear REX. Liquid, Revolver Ocelot, and friends plan on launching a nuke unless the government hands over the remains of Big Boss and $1 billion.

Roy Campbell drags Solid Snake out of retirement once again to rescue a few VIPs, all of whom die of mysterious heart attacks thanks to the FOXDIE virus Dr. Naomi Hunter secretly injected into Snake's body before the mission. After a battle against Revolver Ocelot, Snake learns that Gray Fox isn't just alive, he's been turned into a cyborg ninja - who promptly slices off Ocelot's hand with his katana. Snake then meets up with Campbell's daughter Meryl Silverburgh, as well as REX designer Hal Emmerich (Huey's son), both of whom help Snake make his way through the facility.

After a variety of trials and tribulations, Solid Snake finds himself face-to-face against his brother Liquid and Metal Gear REX. Gray Fox steps in to sacrifice himself, giving Solid Snake enough time to destroy REX. Liquid then gives Solid a long-winded speech about his origin as a clone of Big Boss. The two do battle on top of the destroyed mech, Solid Snake wins (because of course he does), and escapes the facility alongside Meryl. Liquid continues his dogged pursuit, ultimately dying at the hands of the FOXDIE virus. Revolver Ocelot escapes (sans one hand), and in the game's closing moments, we learn that Solidus (aka George Sears and the perfect clone of Big Boss) is currently President of the United States and was essentially in on the whole thing.

Prior to MGS2's events, Revolver Ocelot grafts Liquid Snake's hand onto his arm and begins selling Metal Gear REX's schematics to the highest bidders. Oh, and Liquid's hand starts taking over Ocelot's mind, affecting his speech and thought patterns (more on that later).

On a tip from Hal's sister Emma (an AI programmer who is also working on a type of Metal Gear), Solid Snake infiltrates an oil tanker off the coast of Manhattan. He arrives just in time to see the ship being taken over by Russian soldiers, but Snake doesn't care too much about that - he just wants to find Metal Gear RAY and expose its existence to the world. After wending his way into the belly of the tanker, he finds and photographs RAY and uploads the images for Hal. Just in time, too, because Ocelot/Liquid shows up, betrays his Russian comrades, steals RAY and blows up the tanker, leaving Snake for dead. Snake is framed for the destruction by the Patriots, as tons of oil allegedly seep into the New York coastline. It's enough to greenlight the construction of Big Shell, an offshore facility designed to clean up the 'oil leak'. But nothing is ever so simple in this universe, as the facility is actually a front, housing the construction site of the greatest weapon of them all: Arsenal Gear.

Big Shell is taken over by the Sons of Liberty, a terrorist group made up of members of Dead Cell, an (ironically) anti-terrorist organization that has - say it with me now - gone rogue. They're led by Solidus Snake (aka ex-president George Sears), and they've taken the current US president hostage and have demanded $30 billion in ransom. Of course, that's not why they're really there - Solidus wants access to Arsenal Gear and GW, the AI program inside of it.

Raiden, a rookie operative trained by VR (and the player character for the rest of MGS2), is sent to Big Shell to stop the terrorists at all costs. He finds a poorly disguised Solid Snake, who helps him infiltrate and navigate the facility. As Raiden closes in on Solidus, he finds a cyborg ninja, everyone he's supposed to save mysteriously dies of a heart attack, and his ultimate goal is to find the GW AI and upload a virus that mimics FOXDIE. If a lot of the events of MGS2 sound familiar, it's because the Big Shell incident was an attempt to recreate the events of Shadow Moses in order to train a soldier on par with Solid Snake.

Or… not. The Big Shell incident was actually part of a Patriot plot to prove the effectiveness of the GW AI's ability to control and distort information and manipulate individuals through this distortion. The Colonel Campbell giving Raiden orders throughout MGS2 was actually this AI, and thanks to Raiden's unquestioning devotion to the mission, the program was a smashing success. An out-of-control Arsenal Gear smashes into the Manhattan coastline, and Raiden and Solidus are forced to do battle atop Federal Hall. Raiden emerges the victor, completing his role as the Patriots' pawn. Ocelot/Liquid once again escapes, this time with RAY in tow. Ocelot uses RAY, as well as the remnants of the GW AI found in Arsenal Gear, to quickly build an army of private military corporations, forming the basis of a newly-created war economy.

A rapidly aging Solid Snake is brought out of retirement (once again) by Roy Campbell. His final mission: to assassinate Liquid Ocelot (yeah, he's basically Liquid at this point) and stop the never-ending proxy battles fought by his PMC organizations. This wouldn't be so difficult if it weren't for the fact that everyone is loaded up with nanomachines, and Liquid controls the AI program that governs them, causing soldiers to convulse wildly at the push of a button. Snake fails to capture him in the Middle East, but tracks his assistant, Dr. Naomi Hunter, to South America and rescues her - with a little help from Raiden, who's gone full cyborg ninja by this point.

Snake then makes his way to Europe, searching for Big Mama (aka EVA, from Snake Eater), and the remains of Big Boss. Ocelot finds Snake and uses the remains of Big Boss to unlock the final key in the Patriots' AI program, giving him control of virtually every army on the planet. Things are looking grim: EVA is dead, Snake is wounded, and Ocelot escapes to Shadow Moses, where he plans on stealing REX's nuke (because it's one of the only ones freely available that isn't controlled by the Patriots) to use it to destroy the Patriots' global AI network. Snake gives chase, reliving old memories in the derelict facility, but ultimately fails to stop Liquid from stealing the nuke.

In a last ditch effort, Snake and his crew storm Liquid Ocelot's base of operations, Outer Haven (*nudge*), where he uploads a virus of Dr. Hunter's design called FOXALIVE (*nudge nudge*) and defeats Liquid one last time. With the world saved and free from the Patriots' influence, Snake visits The Boss' grave for one final goodbye... and discovers a Big Boss who is very much alive. It was Solidus' body that actually burned back in Europe, and when the Patriots' AI went offline, Big Boss was awoken from his years-long coma. Big Boss explains how Ocelot used nanomachines and psychotherapy to make himself believe his body had been taken over by Liquid's hand in order to trick the Patriots into granting him access. He then suffocates a geriatric Zero and shares a final tender moment with his son before succumbing to the FOXDIE virus still mucking around in Snake's body. With their deaths, the Patriots are effectively destroyed, and Snake can finally retire - for good, this time.

Thousands upon thousands of video game characters have been invented, so it's inevitable that some of them will look similar. But this lot... well, let's just say it would have been quicker but just as effective to hit Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V and have done with it.

The saddest thing is, while the older examples have rather innocent explanations, the newer examples are almost certainly indicative of a more sinister trend in the industry. They're faces that the target demographic will relate to, or aspire to be. Makes me sick. So let's have a look at the offending couples and hope they never meet each other. The space/time continuum may just implode if they do.

This is pretty funny, really, but understandable considering they were designed by the same person, namely Square-Enix and Final Fantasy legend Tetsuya Nomura. Sora from may as well be a younger version of Sion from The Bouncer. Same penchant for dangly chains and zippers everywhere, same hair, similar clothes... if you'd never played The Bouncer before, you could be forgiven for wondering why everyone's calling Sora 'Sion'.

Sora's wardrobe design was apparently intended to echo Mickey Mouse's, as a tribute to the Disney legend in this incredible Square/Disney collaboration. White gloves, red shorts and big, yellow shoes (oh yes, NOW his feet make sense)... I can see that. But still, you could also see Sora as Sion in unconvincing Mickey Mouse cosplay. Awkward.

The new on the side. Seriously, these are the exact same guy. Look at them! Same age bracket, same colour hair, same hairline, same scar above the right eyebrow, same facial hair...

(house style dictates I have to put a paragraph break here but I'm still going) ...same shape of flattish nose, same thin lips and mouth length, same piercing eyes - although he's clearly wearing blue contact lenses on the left - same angle of brow... the only difference is that 'Rico' Max has bent his eyebrows somewhere, presumably where they got melted in an explosion or something.

This one is particularly well-documented, not least because the character model for Ellie in was altered prior to release, which some say was to make her look less like Ellen Page, who didn't lend her likeness to the game and got a bit upset at ostensibly being in it. Ironically, I actually think the revised Ellie looks even more like Ellen. Different colour eyes, though. Yep. Those virtual contact lens people must be making a killing.

Of course, Ms Page DID lend her likeness to , which means we have an in-game render of Ellen Page to compare with an in-game render of not-Ellen Page. The result? Ellen Page. If anything, Page is probably happier with Naughty Dog than Quantic Dream right now. At least Naughty Dog didn't include a fully anatomically-correct naked version of their leading lady in the game. One step forward for gaming, two steps back...

Come on, own up. Who stuck a bicycle pump up Kirby's bum? Pokemon's Jigglypuff looks suspiciously like an uncomfortably-inflated Kirby. Ears and wisp of hair (ice cream?) aside, it's all the same. Pink. Spherical. Rounded protrusions instead of limbs. Visible tongues. Same shaped, small, smiling mouth. Large eyes. Dilated pupils. Exaggerated, manga-style reflections in eyes. Rounded feet. Rounded everything. Kirby and Jigglypuff might as well be brother and sister. Or married. But not both, obviously.

It's stock game journo fact #237, but Kirby was created as a placeholder, while the real hero was decided upon. But the endearing nature of the character (and therefore characters) is that both fit the 'infant proportions' archetype. Large, round face, big eyes, small mouth - it's instinct buried within your DNA that says these things are cute. YOUR BRAIN THINKS THEY MIGHT BE YOUR OFFSPRING.

There aren't that many male video game protagonists with a slightly receding hairline who wear glasses. In fact, I can only think of two. And because there's only one other notable character in that bracket who existed before Alex Taylor of , perhaps it would have been wise to make sure Alex didn't look exactly like him.

But no, it's time to get the Picard facepalm pic out. Half-Life's Gordon Freeman appears to have started street racing. This is weird. Especially as this bespectacled scienti...I mean 'racer' talks. And when he talks, he sounds like Troy Baker. I suppose if Half-Life 3 ever gets made and Gordon does work out how his vocal chords work, assuming Nolan North is still busy recording new Destiny lines, you can bet Troy Baker would step up to voice him.

In these pictures - both taken from Knuckles Chaotix on 32X, Mighty the Armadillo arguably looks more like Sonic the Hedgehog than Sonic the Hedgehog does. Indeed, for a while, I was convinced Sonic's sprite was simply altered to take him out of the playable roster (as the would suggest he was intended to be in it), and this 'Mighty' chap was actually Sonic wearing fake ears and armadillo armour. Look at the picture - surely Mighty is Sonic, right?

Wrong. Mighty The Armadillo was in SegaSonic the Hedgehog - the arcade Sonic game that also starred Ray the Flying Squirrel. No, you're right, you haven't heard of him either. Seeing as that game predates Sonic 3, Mighty arguably has more right to be in the game than Knuckles. And therefore, that shell doesn't come off. Not without a lot of screaming.

On the left: 's hero Chris. On the right, Atari classic Adventure's unnamed hero. It's totally a young Chris. Slightly richer colour (newer, see?), but those right-angles are unmistakable. Mind = blown.

And on that bombshell, that's it. Thought of any more gaming lookalikes? Let us know in the comments and I will update this article. Either that, or one that looks just like it. Hahahaha*gunshot*.

For all the flashy graphics, cool moves, and complex combos, a fighting game is only as good as its cast. Without a strong roster of compelling, unique fighters to choose from, brawls will end up feeling kinda 'meh'. But Capcom's legendary Street Fighter series has always offered a diverse range of awesome characters - and it looks like will be no different. Whereas Street Fighter 4 put a lot of emphasis on its eccentric newcomers, SF5 looks like it'll bring back old favorites - with a few new twists.

Only a handful of fighters have been revealed so far, but rumors are always afoot about who might secure a spot in the roster. We've rounded up all the for-sure fighters who will be in SF5 - and just for the fun of it, included our picks for some hopefuls (or ridiculous long-shots) that might make a return. So, which character will you be choosing as your go-to main? Time to make your selection.

These guys and gals will definitely be in Street Fighter 5.

It simply wouldn't be Street Fighter without series frontman Ryu. With his iconic gi, noble fighting spirit, and fireballs aplenty, Ryu is back to kick some butt in SF5. As always, his suite of specials - hadokens, shoryukens, and hurricane kicks - make him a well-rounded fighter that can deal with any situation, against any opponent. Ryu's the kind of character that appeals to beginners and veterans alike, thanks to his versatility and timeless moveset.

In SF5, Ryu seems to have retained his signature moves - including his normal attacks, such as the crouching medium kick that easily combos into a point-blank hadoken. His V-abilities are also perfect for anyone who loved Street Fighter 3: Third Strike. Ryu's V-Skill is a parry (the only one in the game), while his V-Trigger, Denjin Renki, lets him power up fireballs for extra guard-breaking power.

The first lady of fighting games is back, and it looks like her kung fu is better than ever. You no doubt know Chun-Li for her adorable hair buns, spiked bracelets, and thigh muscles that look beefy enough to snap bones like twigs. Like Ryu, Chun-Li has her standard special moves at the ready: lightweight kikoken projectiles, lightning legs that strike like a machine gun, and a variety of tricky flip kicks that can throw opponents off-balance.

Her playstyle favors agility over big damage, but Chun-Li's more than capable of some devastating combos and meaty hits. Counter to Ryu's lightning-based V-Trigger, Chun-Li enhances herself with the power of flowing water, which makes her normal attacks deal additional hits. Her V-Skill also enables tons of tricky mix-ups, since she does a short hop into the air.

In English versions of Street Fighter, he's Charlie; in Japanese, he's Nash. Convenient, then, that his full name clears up any possibility of mistaken identity. Charlie is a staple of the Street Fighter Alpha series, before he met a heroic end saving Guile and Chun-Li from a fatal explosion. So if he's dead, how is he back for SF5? One look at his new form, which appears to be bits and pieces of rotting flesh stapled together like Frankenstein's monster, should provide some answers.

Not only has Charlie's appearance changed - he also has some new game-changing special moves in addition to his previous toolkit of sonic booms and flash kicks. Through some kind of strange magic (no doubt related to the jewel embedded in his forehead), Charlie can now teleport around the screen for devious mix-up opportunities. He's also got a face-electrifying command grab, and his V-Trigger lets him instantly dash in any direction. Crazy!

For us, the moment M. Bison returned to Street Fighter was the most important day of our lives. But for him... it was Tuesday. The classic big bad of Street Fighter is back, and that head of white hair under his trademark cap indicates that yes, the ol' dictator can actually age. Known for his mighty Psycho Crusher and unrelenting Scissor Kicks, M. Bison is the perfect fit for players that like to apply pressure on their opponents and never let up.

In addition to his lightning-fast teleport, it looks like Bison will have another tool to get close to fighters that like to keep him at bay: a projectile reflector that sends a burst of Psycho energy back at whoever's chucking fireballs. And his V-Trigger mode lets Bison unleash his raw Psycho power on the poor opponent, complete with devastating double-headstomps and additional hits on his Scissor Kicks.

SPIRAL ARROW! Prepare to protect your legs for dear life, because Cammy's probably going to kick her way clear through your shins. This British special forces agent has been a fan favorite ever since her debut as a new challenger in Super Street Fighter 2, getting by without a projectile thanks to her screen-crossing dive attacks. Cammy's one of the most nimble, tricky-to-read fighters in the whole franchise, and her extensive, finesse-demanding combos always get spectators pumped up.

In SF5, one of Cammy's existing moves has become an invaluable asset: the Axel Spinknuckle, which is now her V-Skill. This attack was already pretty effective at throwing your rival off-balance in previous games, but it can actually pass through opponents in SF5, making it one of the simplest and most effective cross-up attacks imaginable. Cammy's V-Trigger, Delta Drive, also makes all her special moves safer by giving them similar phase-through properties. Your enemies will be spinning in circles trying to figure out which way they should block.

We never would've guessed it before, but this stylish punk from the streets of England is back after being AWOL since Street Fighter Alpha 3. Birdie seems to have neglected his workout regimen, since he's got a spare tire where his six-pack used to be. That might have to do with his voracious appetite for junk food, a new character trait that factors into his existing chain-grabbing moveset. Basically, this is Birdie by way of SF4's Rufus, minus his iconic mohawk with the physically impossible circle in the middle.

Birdie's suite of V-Gauge abilities all revolve around food. His V-Trigger, called Enjoy Time, has him scarf down a hot pepper and go red with heat, adding extra damage and guard-break to his attacks. And his three distinct V-Skills feel like something out of Smash Bros.: Birdie can gulp down a donut for a V-Gauge boost, a banana for a stationary, opponent-tripping peel, or an energy drink which he rolls along the ground as a projectile. And Birdie's never sated - every match ends with him hungrily digging into a pastry that's the size of a small child.

Acting as the American yin to Ryu's Japanese yang, Ken Masters is as much a part of the series as his trusty sparring partner. The brash, dragon-punch-happy fighter is literally letting his hair down in SF5, showing off a magnificent mane of blonde locks and loosening up his trademark red gi to reveal his slick Under Armour-esque suit. Ah, Ken - ever the showman.

As before, Ken's special move set is a tweaked version of Ryu's tuned for quicker attacks and constant offense, with hurricane kicks that travel faster and Shoryukens that are more damaging (and flashier) in exchange for increased risk. When Ken activates his Heat Rush V-Trigger, he goes full-on Human Torch, adding searing flames to all his attacks. Meanwhile, his V-Skill encourages constant aggression, as it lets you dash in to close the gap if your opponents flee from your red-hot feet.

If Akuma and The Flying Spaghetti Monster had a lovechild, it would probably look exactly like Necalli, the first newcomer to be revealed for the SF5 roster. Necalli's tentacle-like dreadlocks flop around wildly whenever he goes in for the attack, which is pretty much always, given his in-your-face special moves and brutal command grab. He may not be one for conversation - or words in general - but Necalli lets his V-shaped tribal markings and 'crazed warrior' stare do the bulk of the talking.

Those who enjoy C. Viper's tricky Seismic Hammer attack in SF4 will appreciate Necalli's Culminated Power V-Skill, which slams the ground to trip up the opponent from any range. And when you're ready to go Super Saiyan, you can activate the Torrent of Power V-Trigger, which turn Necalli's hair into an explosion of demonic tendrils and significantly alters his moveset (including a super move that can only be activated in this mode).

Everyone's favorite high-flying, narcissistic pretty boy is back. Vega earned the nickname of the 'Spanish Ninja' with his acrobatic attacks and wall-jumping slashes, and his metal claw provides incredible reach on his normal strikes (provided the opponent hasn't knocked it off). If you're the kind of player who likes to frustrate the competition by wearing them down with tricky mixups and keep-away tactics, you'll be all over Vega and his beauty-preserving mask.

Dashing off of walls and into the air is still the crux of Vega's offense in SF5, and his iconic rolling attack gets an upgrade with an overhead kick to cap it off. The Matador Turn V-Skill lets Vega nimbly dodge incoming attacks - great for bypassing fireball spam - which can transition into a knockdown counterattack. There's also Bloody Kiss, Vega's V-Trigger, where he flings a rose at his target (not unlike SF3/4's dapper boxer Dudley); if it hits, Vega will unleash a savage zig-zag of slashes to carve up his enemy.

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Tiger Uppercut! With the way people gravitated to him when SF4 first debuted, Sagat seems like a no-brainer addition to the hypothetical SF5 roster. Less of a villain and more of a principled antihero, Sagat's eye patch, scar, and obsession with moves named after large feral cats are all a well-established part of Street Fighter lore. We're just hoping that, if he is in SF5, he won't be as overpowered as he was in his first SF4 incarnation.

Of the four brand-new fighters to be introduced in the Street Fighter 4 roster, Viper's the one with the most staying power. Capcom set out to create a cool, technically complex heroine that felt like she could belong in the King of Fighters universe, and the result was a hit with players who don't mind difficult inputs for combos. Plus, her part in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 made her something of a hit - her crazy Seismic Hammer and Thunder Knuckle setups are always a sight to behold.

Believe it or not, Poison had never been playable until Street Fighter X Tekken (unless you somehow picked up the ridiculously obscure Final Fight Revenge). But popular demand spurred Yoshinori Ono to include her in the game, and the resulting elation following her announcement was an encouraging sign for fans of the transgendered fighter. Now, with two fighting games under her belt - including a strong showing in Ultra Street Fighter 4 - there's no reason Poison can't come back for SF5.

Here's another female fighter who should totally stick around for SF5. Ibuki makes up for her relatively weak damage by having some of the trickiest mobility in the game, letting a skilled player dash circles around their confused opponent. Adding her to the Super Street Fighter 4 roster was a stroke of genius, and her aerial attacks and kunai-tossing work just as well in 2.5D as they do in regular ol' 2D.

Alright, we could probably go on stating obvious character inclusions all day. Blanka, Zangief, E. Honda, Dhalsim - we have no doubt in our minds that they'd make the cut for SF5, and if they're ever confirmed, we'll gladly add them to the list. But it's interesting to hypothesize about the borderline characters; fighters who have enough clout to sneak their way into the SF5 roster. The more the merrier, we say, so if Capcom sees fit to include the followings fighters, we'd be delighted.

Despite only appearing in Street Fighter Alpha 3, Karin’s a fan favorite who never misses the chance to demean her assailants. Born into the rich Kanzuki family, Karin fancies herself to be Sakura's rival after Sakura trounced her in a scuffle. Like Dudley, she’s always accompanied by her loyal butler; unlike Dudley, she rarely treats her butler with much respect. But all is forgiven when you see her crazy kick loops in the corner!

Everyone's favorite loincloth-wearing tyrant deserves to make the jump to 3D. Ever since he debuted in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, he's been a fairly popular mid-to-high-tier character, knee-dropping and Chariot Tackle-ing his opponents into oblivion. His Aegis Reflector super move can also be a game-changer, bouncing back incoming projectiles and setting up nasty unblockables on knockdown. We'd gladly welcome this metal-controlling megalomaniac into the SF5 roster.

When it comes to Capcom games, Maki’s been around the digital block. First appearing in Final Fight 2 as an analogue for the absent Guy, Maki resurfaced in Capcom vs SNK 2 before finally landing a gig in the Street Fighter lineage, with a slot in the Street Fighter Alpha 3 ports for the Game Boy Advance and PSP. Like Guy, she's another disciple of the Bushin-ryu style, using her tonfa to lay the smackdown on Mad Gear goons and rivals alike. Maki and Ibuki would get along like ninja peas in a pod.

It seems like SF fans have been quietly waiting to see the triumphant return of Q. This terribly mysterious fighter might be man, machine, or monster - no one's seen underneath his metal mask and lived to tell about it. His fighting style is also quite unlike any other character in the series' history: a sort of lanky, lumbering brute that can withstand absurd amounts of punishment when played correctly. Something tells us that Q is just enough of an oddball sleeper hit to make it into the next game.

This zany pro wrestler has only appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 3, but she gets a nod in SFxT via Kuma's alternate costume. With her ridiculously impractical attire and a grappling style fashioned after Zangief's piledrivers, R. Mika deserves life in 3D for the next crossover. Like Hugo, she utilizes her butt as a weapon, flinging herself into the opponent backside first for maximum damage. It's all for her fans, and the Japanese wrestler's moxie comes through in her win quotes: "Don't underestimate me! I believe in my dreams!"

So, which fighter are you planning to play as (or hoping makes a comeback)? Let us know in the comments below!

And if you're looking for more, check out .

And here we go! Gamescom, the games industry's other big expo, starts tomorrow in Cologne, Germany. We're going to have a bigger GR+ contingent than ever before out on the show floor, scrambling for demos and nodding sagely through press conferences, and even more of us covering the show from our respective offices all over the damn planet. It is, without doubt, going to be a big deal.

But enough about us. You know what's more important? The actual games. And oh boy, are there a lot of them this year. To help you stay focused, as Gamescom news starts hurtling into your face at a rate of knots over the next week, we've compiled this handy and delightful list, running down the biggest and best titles getting a fresh showing this year, alongside what we reckon we're specifically likely to see. So without further ado, click on to start with probably this year's biggest game of all, and then proceed to hype yourself silly over the following pages too.

Have you ever reflected on game a few days after finishing it only to realize some major plot point slipped under the radar? It could be a killer who wasn't unmasked, or a key bit of info everyone seemingly forgot about. At first these thoughts don't make sense. Surely they addressed this at some point, you rationalize. They wouldn't just leave this kind of thing hanging. Sadly, that's where you're wrong. Some plot points are introduced only to wither on the vine, never to be seen nor heard from again.

Until now. I've rounded up some of the juiciest, most dead-ended plot lines from a variety of games. Not only were these details clearly stated in their respective storylines, but they were all later dropped without a trace - almost as if they never existed in the first place. I've also included some insights into how these lost tidbits could have manifested themselves in their respective games, had they not been so abruptly abandoned.

What was abandoned: Zero being Dr. Wily's final creation. This is strongly , of all places) as a major part of Zero's mysterious backstory. But at X5's climax, this 'major reveal' is still only vaguely referenced. We see the iconic Wily 'W' projected on the background should you fight against Zero, and Wily's silhouette appearing during Zero's ending. And that's about it. The big mystery of Zero's parentage doesn't amount to much of anything, and is largely ignored in subsequent games.

What could have changed: a creation-versus-creator storyline. Dr. Wily creating Zero goes hand-in-hand with another abandoned plot point: Dr. Wily is still "alive" in the MMX timeline. Wily's presence would force Zero to grapple between who he is and who he was meant to be. Plus, the entire MMX universe revolves around robots with free will being corrupted by sinister influences. Zero grappling with the machinations of his creator would have been the perfect thematic fit.

What was abandoned: The dark energy subplot, which was introduced during Tali'Zorah's . Tali was collecting data on a star that was dying prematurely, before she and her team were ambushed by Geth. Based on that data, Tali theorized "dark energy" was behind the star's demise. Shepard then states "A lot of Quarians died here. What [that data] worth it?" I guess not, because by the third game dark energy and its impact are never discussed again.

What could have changed: According to Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer on the first two Mass Effect games, this concept of dark energy could have been behind the Reaper's motivations. In an interview with AM 60, reported by , Karpyshyn said, "The Reapers kept wiping out organic life because organics would eventually evolve to where they were using biotics and dark energy, and that was an entropic effect that potentially was going to hasten the end of the universe. And being immortal beings, that is something they did not want to see."

What was abandoned: Corporal Adrian Shephard, protagonist of Half-Life side story Opposing Force. Like Gordon Freeman, Shephard also gets caught up in the Resonance Cascade catastrophe at Black Mesa, shoots a bunch of monsters, gets lost on an alien world, and is ultimately detained by the G-Man at the . But while Gordon later awakes at City-17 at the start of Half-Life 2, our poor Colonel is neither seen nor heard from again. He's still locked away in the G-Man's extradimensional storage locker somewhere, eagerly awaiting Episode 3.

What could have changed: Shephard was ripe to become the perfect "bad guy" version of Gordon Freeman. In the Half-Life 2 episodes, we see G-Man having some trouble maintaining control over the scientist-turned-savior. If their connection was ever completely cut, who better to fall back on than Shephard? He went through the same trials as Freeman and was also hand-picked by the G-Man. He also worked for one of the main antagonist groups in the original Half-Life; the man is prime villain material.

What was abandoned: The Deleter. Throughout Other M, Samus learns there's a traitor among Adam's team of Federation soldiers. That traitor - who Samus dubs "The Deleter" - is killing off soldiers one by one. A lot of time is spent thread: we see The Deleter shoot other soldiers, kick them into lava, and you even fight against someone who is almost certainly The Deleter in a giant mech suit. And then, this person just quietly fades away. By the end of the game, all of Adam's team is either dead or MIA, and Samus shows no concern over discovering The Deleter's identity. Basically, no one cares.

What could have changed: Well, for one thing, Samus and crew would seem a little more believable as human beings if they showed a bit more concern about confirming who in their group was trying murder them all. The Deleter's presence could have also shed a harsh light on the Federation - or some conspiratorial group within the Federation - seeing as how The Deleter went to such great (and murderous) lengths to try and cover up the BOTTLE SHIP's connection to the Federation.

What was abandoned: The captured soul of Ares. If you had the wherewithal to actually complete God of War on the game's hardest difficulty setting - God Mode - you unlocked from Kratos himself. Kratos congratulations you on a job well done before revealing that he has located the soul of Ares in a secret chamber. Kratos isn't sure how it ended up there, or what it could be used for, but figures it could help him put the hurt on Zeus in the next game. Only it doesn't, because the soul and this secret chamber are never mentioned again.

What could have changed: In the God of War games, Kratos draws strength from all sorts of mystical weapons and artifacts, so the soul of a dead god really wouldn't be that out-of-place in his arsenal. But perhaps it would have been a double-edged sword, with the fallen god Ares whispering in Kratos’ ear, driving his already already fragile mind deeper into madness. Perhaps Ares' influence could have been the primary motivator for Kratos' angst at the opening of GOW2.

What was abandoned: Ethan Mars' periodic blackouts. For all of its creativity, Heavy Rain isn't exactly rock solid when it comes to storytelling. Ethan's blackouts are a prime example. Throughout the game, it's implied these blackouts are no mere coincidence. Ethan finds a folded paper crane in his hand after one blackout, leading him to believe there's a connection between himself and the Origami Killer. Maybe he IS the Origami Killer. All this existential dread, however, just gets swept under the rug as the game enters its final act and Ethan simply stops blacking out.

What could have changed: Not much, according to the developers at least. In this , developer Quantic Dreams runs through some of Heavy Rain's deleted scenes. Among them are several relating to Ethan's blackouts. Apparently, Ethan was supposed to establish some sort of psychic link with the real Origami Killer. The blackouts were a result of this connection, and players would swim through a surreal dream sequence while Ethan was unconscious. They had nothing to do with Ethan being the killer.

July ran the gamut as far as game releases go, but the good far outweighs the bad. You can safely skip stinkers like are all going exceptionally strong. That just leaves our two nominees for this Game of the Month celebration... start writing down those guesses now.

At the end of each month, we look back at the standout games that demand your attention above the rest of the year's releases thus far. That way, you know what to prioritize before you're caught up by all the other amazing . So, without further ado, here's what you should be playing right now to tide you over until next month.

An entire realm being reborn is a tough act to follow, but aces the trial that is an MMO's first expansion. By expanding on just about every aspect you can think of - most notably, some gigantic zones and three intriguing Jobs - it feels as substantial and vibrant as the revamped version of the base game. Oh, and you can soar through the sky atop a flying mount, including a tubby Chocobo with tiny, adorable wings which you motivate with a slice of cake on a stick. For some, that fact alone will justify a renewed subscription.

Heavensward sweetens the deal with a wealth of engaging, plot-thickening quests (provided you've reached the end of A Realm Reborn's storyline), and the fresh abilities for each class make the journey to the new level cap a joy. For all you living room adventurers, FF14 continues to be the best console MMO on the market - but whether you're playing on a PC, PS4, or PS3, chit-chatting with Moogles, felling colossal Primals, and dancing some merry jigs in celebration is simply delightful.

is what happens when ‘the beautiful game’ is usurped by clusters of rocket-powered battle cars. It’s not quite as intricate or as Messi as football, but Rocket League is sincere in its sports presentation, right down to the chanting arena crowds and cheesy pop music in the menus. It also doesn’t feel derivative, coming to its own cartoonish crescendo when those somersaulting sports cars butt bumpers over an oversized, blinking ball. It takes a long time to master the bumps, the bounces, the jumps and the jukes, but Rocket League is brilliant right off the bat.

Even while you’re learning the right timing for a forward-flip, or when it’s ok to drive on the stadium ceiling (right now, actually), you’ll pull off some amazing stuff. It’ll be the perfect metallic maneuver: clipping the ball with your front left tire in a graceful somersault, sending it straight into the points pen where it explodes with a satisfying KABLOOSH. Wow. Just… wow. And nobody has to know you did that completely by accident. We’ll just keep that between us.

is an absolute marvel of storytelling, making ingenious use of out-of-order video clips to spin out its mystery. Despite the fact that the game’s unique structure means your path to the end won’t match anyone else’s, Her Story is complete and coherent, though its solution is open to interpretation. It’s a detective game that relies on your natural instinct to push its narrative forward, never nudging you in one direction or the other, letting you explore avenues of investigation as they come to you.

Watching FMV clips on a reproduction of a computer from the '90s certainly doesn’t sound terribly exciting, but you’ll be thinking about Her Story for days after you’ve tracked down that last video. You’ll find yourself rolling little details around in your head, mulling over their implications, deciding that you finally know the “truth,” only to realize that another detail makes your assumptions invalid. But then again, does it? One final bit of advice: go in knowing as little as possible, and don’t try to game the system. Be a true detective.

is another biff-pow display of Rocksteady’s exceptional craftsmanship in bringing a classic comic icon to life. Though combat and stealth are again refined and expanded within Batman’s beautifully rain-slick city, the game’s elegant design is reflected not in its individual components, but in how well they connect with one another, like nodes in a web.

Though the Batmobile’s roaring arrogance has made it a controversial addition to the Arkham series, there’s no question about how integral it is to Batman’s latest patrol. Conceptually, it’s meant to be a way to move quickly in a much wider slice of dour ol’ Gotham, and its visual appearance is, of course, inspired by Batman’s history of driving - as The Riddler calls them - rocket-powered hearses. But Rocksteady dives in fully and makes sure the vehicle connects to combat, stealth and every part of Batman. The overall game’s polish and continuity can be seen in one motion, with the Batmobile hurtling down an alley and launching Batman into full flight, right through a window and into a savage display of ne’er-do-well punishment. It’s one move, one world and one of the coolest moments of 2015. It’ll get you pumped to track down every last super criminal, including whoever masterminded the dreadful PC port.

In a sea of multiplayer shooters obsessed with grit, gore, or teabagging, stands out like a brightly colored squid catapulting through the air - which is actually a thing that happens regularly in this game. Nintendo's take on team deathmatch puts the focus on marking your squad's territory with a rainbow of ink rather than racking up kills, but it still delivers the thrilling blend of twitch shooting and coordinated tactics that define the genre.

Even if those human-squid hybrid Inklings are dripping with kid-friendly personality, this is the kind of joyous multiplayer experience that anyone of any age can enjoy. There's still weapon progression like you'd expect from Call of Duty or Battlefield, but with ink-filled Super Soaker facsimiles and colossal paint rollers. You won't hear anyone raging on voice-chat (because there isn't any), but the GamePad provides clear cues for what to do next. And while the selection of maps currently feels a bit sparse, the moment-to-moment gameplay is fresh, exciting, and - most importantly - good fun.

As open-world experiences go, takes high fantasy to new heights with its staggeringly massive world and rich, engaging storytelling. The grizzled Geralt of Rivia finds himself in landscapes that are as picturesque as they are treacherous, where otherworldly beasts and crazed cultists lurk in the wilderness. There are unforgettable side-quests and delightful supporting characters to distract you at every turn, but you best remember Geralt's primary goal: finding his adopted daughter (and witcher-in-training) Ciri before some supremely evil people get to her first.

That's not to say that you need to rush through the main story, because taking the time to stop and smell the eviscerated corpses is well worth it. The sword-and-spell-casting combat looks stunning on new-gen, and the deep upgrade system gives you plenty of options to slay your way. There are a few hitches - notably some framerate issues that can hopefully be patched out - but the sheer depth of the overall experience makes The Witcher 3 a triumph among action RPGs. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got to return to a rousing round of the in-game card battler Gwent.

It takes a lot to make a fighting game appeal to the masses. You need slick graphics, excellent presentation, and the kind of depth that'll ensnare those highly skilled players who people want to watch. has got all that, and more. While the Fatality finishers still pack in more gore than you can shake a disembodied limb at, MKX brings a lot of new, refreshing ideas to the table that really make this fighter stand out.

For starters, there's the variations mechanic: every combatant has three unique movesets to choose from before each fight, letting character loyalists mix things up and giving the roster a wildly diverse variety of playstyles. You'll also have a blast playing through the elaborate story mode, which introduces a swath of likeable newcomers while imbuing familiar faces with . The online play still has a few kinks that could be worked out, but fans of the Mortal Kombat series - or fighting games in general - will have one hell of a time with MKX.

Of all the re-releases that have come out this year, .

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is massive, sporting one of the most interesting locales ever designed. Its sprawling swamps and rolling hills - all set on the backs of two titan-sized dead gods and filled with beasts both great and small - are practically begging to be conquered. While its lush, verdant landscapes lose a little luster and detail on the smaller screen, what you trade in graphical quality you gain back in portability. Being able to take an adventure of this magnificent scope with you wherever you go is a technical marvel. Don't miss it.

somehow manages to be diamond tough and lovingly tender at the same time, balancing out its demanding difficulty with a story that'll practically yank your heartstrings right out of your chest. Playing this open-world platformer puts you in a wondrous state of conflict: the tight controls inspire you to run free throughout the lush world, but the sheer depth of the beyond-gorgeous backdrop art makes you want to stand still and gaze at the environment for hours.

The protagonist Ori is such a cute li'l critter that it's hard to watch the fuzzball die again and again while you struggle to overcome the many deathtraps and spike pits in this treacherous forest. But you'll get over any bruises to your ego, so long as you remember that you're the one responsible for plunking down checkpoints before delving into the trickier bits. The degree of challenge here may rattle anyone without an affinity for hardcore 2D platformers, but Ori's dazzling presentation has a universal, heartfelt appeal.

You’ve probably heard that is really hard. You might've heard it’s really easy. The reality lies somewhere in between. Yes, it sends an army of writhing, fanged, flayed, terrible, tormented beasts your way, beasts only someone bragging about their perceived gamer cred would ever deem a pushover. But it teaches you how to deal with them expertly, their unique attacks and defenses and behaviors, building you up until you look and feel like a great gothic badass. And when you do, you'll have earned it.

In streamlining some of Dark Souls’ complexities (the weight system, magic attacks, a few character skills here and there), Bloodborne gains a rawer sense of immediacy, with vital combat that require relentless attacking sans the comfort blanket of a shield, and unpredictable bosses that force you to develop reflexes alongside your already honed skills of pattern memorization. Oh, and the world. That mystifying, atmospheric, intricately hewn world. Developed for PS4 from the ground-up, the enigmatic Yarnham looks like a beautiful waking nightmare.

If you've yet to succumb to monster hunting fever, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Plenty of games let you battle vicious beasties and craft fancy gear - but few can develop the kind of player investment and cooperative dedication typical of Monster Hunter. For the uninitiated, is a great way to educate yourself on its gloriously addictive ways. Not just because it's the most beginner-friendly entry in Capcom's hit series - it's also the best Monster Hunter game yet.

Gathering materials and killing harmless herbivores is really just a build-up to something greater: downing fearsome creatures after incredibly demanding battles that require true mastery of your chosen weapon. Series vets are already familiar with MH's captivating gameplay loop of fighting and looting, but the new Charge Blade and Insect Glaive playstyles offer entirely unique ways to test your prowess. If you're looking to start or join a dedicated hunting party - preferably with an expert as your guide - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate offers the kind of adventure that can hook you for hundreds of hours.

Majora's Mask is... well, it's a bit weird. Instead of following the familiar formula that Zelda games have stuck to for years, Majora's Mask asks that you play the same three days over and over again, trying to make the world a little bit brighter each time. It's certainly strange, and more than a little stressful - but taking the time to learn its rhythm opens up one of the most intriguing and creative Legend of Zelda games ever made. Perhaps that's why, 15 years and a 3DS port later, it feels even better than ever.

Much of that feeling is thanks to the improvements found in this portable version of the N64 classic. The updated Bomber's Notebook makes tracking numerous sidequests a painless process, boss design has been retooled to make things teresting, and additional save points help make portable adventuring much more palatable. Plus, New 3DS owners even have some improved camera control with the C-Stick. Whether this is your first time playing through those ominous 72 hours or your hundredth, is a master quest that stands the test of time.

Grim Fandango is, without a doubt, one of the most unique video games ever made. The quest of an undead travel agent as he attempts to atone for his sins is a love letter to film noir greats like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, but it also transcends its influences to be something truly original. And with , you'll finally get to play this lost classic on your PlayStation 4, complete with (some) updated graphics and a fantastic re-recording of the original score.

Grim Fandango is also one of the most uniquely frustrating games ever made, and the Remastered edition only serves to highlight its many game-ruining bugs. Whether it's glitching out a puzzle, clipping you through a wall, or just flat out crashing, Grim Fandango Remastered actually seems buggier now than it did 17 years ago. Make no mistake: Manny's journey is still definitely one worth revisiting - just remember to save your game. Often.

sounds kinda ridiculous at first - it's literally a remastered HD version of a rebuilt SD version of the original Resident Evil. Turns out the joke's on us, though, because that's all we really needed to enjoy the survival horror staple all over again: the HD Remake gives all the main characters and the Spencer Mansion an enticing facelift but keeps the little quirks that make Resident Evil awesome/a total headache/undeniably unique.

You'll still need to manage eight (at most) inventory slots, and you'll still need to keep your distance from downed zombies - or preferably burn them on the spot. The most major change is the new default control scheme, which makes it handle more like a modern fixed-camera game, but you're free to select the old 'tank' controls if you want. With modern conveniences where it needs them and good old weirdness where it doesn't, Resident Evil HD Remake is a near masterpiece… of unlocking.

In games, nothing can be said to be certain except death and… well, mostly that. Death as a consequence of failure has been a part of games since the days of , and what came after has stayed pretty much the same: a Game Over screen, a Continue? prompt (maybe with an exchange of quarters in there somewhere), and you begin again as if nothing happened. That's been the gaming standard for decades and it's practical enough, but it can make death insignificant.

But not all games play to that standard - some choose not to ignore that you were a corpse just a moment ago, opting instead to weave the reason for your resurrection into the gameplay. Death isn't merely an inconvenience that loudly reminds you you're in a video game!, but a real part of the game with a place in its world. It’s not the right fit for every situation, of course, but a creative workaround for death can genuinely enhance your playing experience.

As seen in: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Assassin's Creed, Tales from the Borderlands

We all know how it goes when you tell your friends some incredible personal story: you fudge the details and forget things, so you sometimes have to back up and correct yourself. Most of us stop short of claiming we died during our travels, but video game protagonists have a habit of trading in extremes. When they describe their adventures after the fact, they'll detail their own demise before remembering that they're very much alive, and none of that actually happened.

Being able to explain away death as overenthusiastic storytelling is a happy accident - the frame exists for bigger reasons, to keep you wondering how (rather than if) the hero escapes deadly harm to recount the story later. That makes this non-death a close cousin of the standard revert-to-checkpoint approach, but one thing saves it: its sense of humor. You get to feel like you're in on the joke, and hearing how the protagonist explains away their mistake can be worth the failure. It can even seem logical, if it's .

As seen in: BioShock, Borderlands, Crackdown

In the very near future (sometimes so near that it's actually the past), mankind hammers out all the ethical and biological ramifications of cloning and starts mass production on personal body copies. Now you can get clones like snacks out of a vending machine, which is convenient when your job involves being repeatedly destroyed by enemies who want to nail you into the ground like a tent spike.

This kind of death-dodging works best in games that are meant to be challenging, but also aim to create a certain feeling around each fight. For instance, the most satisfying conclusion to a Big Daddy battle in BioShock is watching a giant monster go down after throwing everything you have at it, which doesn't work as well if you have to completely restart the fight every time it kills you. Fighting your way through Rapture has to feel difficult if the struggle is going to be meaningful, but you don't want to lose out on the rhythm each fight is meant to have. Having another you waiting in the wings, ready to be spawned on a moment's notice, keeps you on beat.

As seen in: Dark Souls, Shadow of Mordor, Bloodborne

If used incorrectly, this can quickly become the narrative equivalent of the creators throwing up their hands and storming out of the room. Given that you do technically come back to life time and time again, immortality is the laziest possible explanation if nothing more is done with it. Thankfully, the games that use this concept best avoid that by making immortality an even bigger part of the game.

The immortality method takes some serious commitment from the game to avoid looking like a cop-out. By planting the concept deep in their world lore (the way, for example, Dark Souls does by making you an Undead out to destroy the source of your reanimation), unending life becomes as much a part of the plot as it is a gameplay device. It never feels like there's an unnatural break when the protagonist dies, because it falls perfectly in line with the storyline.

As seen in: Grand Theft Auto, City of Heroes

There's little way to play this one straight, but that's half the fun. Regardless of what sort of damage your character is subjected to - falling from a ten-story building, getting run over by a Jeep, slamming a jet into a suspension bridge and succumbing to the resulting inferno - nothing actually kills them. Instead, after the loading screen comes and goes, they trot out of the nearest hospital, with nothing to indicate their misadventure except a slightly lighter wallet.

This undeath is sure to get a few laughs on principle, which is part of its appeal: it's the game giving you a wink and a nod over your unfortunate and likely stupid demise while showing it doesn't really care to punish you. In fact, it purposefully moves you from the place where you died so you can start fresh somewhere else and not have to immediately deal with what just killed you. That's why you mostly see this in sandbox games - where it would be incredibly annoying to restart far away from your goal in a linear title, in an open-world it feels like a respite, so you're free to go cause mayhem elsewhere.

As seen in: Destiny, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Too Human

It's good to have friends in high places - or low ones, depending on your perspective. While the hero may not have a supply of body copies on hand, they do have a patron deity who's interested in keeping them alive. That means whenever they bite it, their connection to those divine beings is what raises them from the dead, just in time for to charge back into the fight and send their enemies into cardiac arrest.

This one can both be taken seriously or played for laughs, based on how the game frames the situation. The ethereal Traveler in Destiny is taken very seriously, so it's a matter of grave importance when its power is used to raise a fallen guardian. Same goes for Too Human, where you're resurrected by Valkyries. Meanwhile, in Conker's Bad Fur Day, a drunken squirrel makes a deal with the Grim Reaper to pay for new lives with severed squirrel tails, which everyone involved knows is weird. In either case, it gives the main character an even greater sense of importance: not only are they untouchable, but they have a patron god keeping them that way, because they're just that important to the survival of the world (or whatever's going on in Conker).

As seen in: Psychonauts, The Talos Principle, Ether One

We're getting downright here, when death adversion is based on the idea that you have no physical form to kill. Whether that's because you're a robot, or are projecting into a digital world, the result is the same: you get an infinite amount of 'lives' because dying kills the image of you, not your essence. Deep.

While that seems like a simple way to handwave in-game death, since your synthetic form can be mentioned once and never again, it takes serious legwork to implement it in any game with a hint of story. Portal's co-op mode gets away with it because the robot bodies are just there to facilitate you shooting holes in the wall, but something like The Talos Principle has to explain why you, robot, need so many bodies to accomplish your objective. Robot-projection death only works if it's built into the bedrock of the game, but when it is, your mechanical immortality can itself open up interesting questions. Reaching your goal is the only way for this all to end, but what could be so important that the game keeps endlessly rebuilding you to do it?

As seen in: Super Meat Boy

You're not a creature of this world. For whatever reason the laws of physics and biology don't apply to you, and after being mercilessly splattered against a stray sawblade, you're able to gather up your own remains and reconstitute yourself. There's no pretenses of logic here, no attempt to explain how you flagrantly defy the blueprint of the universe. Just you, reforming yourself at the end of every death, the game daring you to question it.

This approach only really works if a game is willing to commit to the levels of absurdity it demands. But once that's accomplished, this may well be the most indisputable death dodge out there, because it isn't really a dodge at all. You die, and have enough will left to rebuild yourself through a means that only the unforgiving cosmos understands. That, in a weird way, becomes the epitome of persistence. If the protagonist is willing to scrape what remains of their flesh off yet another death contraption and do it all over again, what excuse do you have?

The creative twists on death I've described here range from stiff-lipped serious to unapologetically silly, but all have the same aim: give in-game death as much consideration and coherence as every other part of the story.

When death is tweaked to fit the game, rather than the other way around, that attention to detail makes the world of the game feel so much fuller, and death itself more genuine. Many of these death-aversions are just as strange as time-reserved regeneration, if not more so. Most players will buy the idea of a restart without a second thought, while walking out of a hospital unscathed after falling out of a helicopter might be hard to buy. But it's the effort that makes it believable, to carve death into the proper shape that makes it fit into the overall puzzle. And so you have a better game, even when it involves a helium-inhaling Grim Reaper.

The above image is the very front of the line to get into Quakecon's Bring Your Own Computer hall last week. The rest of the line took around a minute to walk along. That's a long, long line. Bad for those waiting at the back, but really good for those wanting to ogle some ludicrously impressive custom machines.

And ludicrously impressive we got. Over the course of the week, my frequent trips back to that vast, barely-lit cavern of flickering neons turned up a ton of great stuff, ranging from immaculate recreations of pop culture goodness, to just plain impressive industrial light shows. My one regret is that I didn't track down the guy with the full-scale Team Fortress 2 turret. That thing was insane. As was the drivable, remote control tank. Bah, Next year...

But never mind! Click on for the rest!

So today is turning out to be a really good day for Great Video Games That Aren't Out Yet. Following up this morning's , aka 'that game that loves letting us think we know how good it is so that it can suddenly look even better and laugh in our sweet, naive faces'.

What have I seen and learned today? Quite a lot. I've learned about a new companion character. I've learned about a new location. I've learned about the new levelling system, and seen the brilliant-looking new combat. I've also learned of the kind of names Bethesda expects you to give your characters, and good Lord, does Bethesda not expect a high standard of decorum from you at all.

No point beating around the bush here. That's legitimately a thing you can do in Fallout 4. Bethesda has recorded Mr. Handy - the game's plummy-voiced robot companion - saying 1000 of the most popular names players might want to bestow upon their character, in order to give the game that extra-immersive personal touch.

We were presented with a demo video of a few names to show off Handy's versatility. The final two of those names were "Mr. McFly" and "Mr. Fuckface". And lo, a million players who had never considered calling their character Fuckface will now be calling their character Fuckface. Because that is how humans work.

There are going to be around a dozen companions in Fallout 4. We already knew about Handy, Dogmeat, and Preston, but now we can add Piper <(i>not pictured above) to the list. Which is good, because she's pretty damned cool.

Initially encountered trying to get into a locked down Diamond City (built in the ruins of Fenway Park baseball stadium), she opportunistically uses the Sole Survivor's presence to get in, pretending he's a trader with valuable supplies to sell, in order to bluff past the guards. Once inside, it transpires that she's the editor of the post-apocalyptic newspaper, Public Occurrences (is it just us, or is Fallout feeling distinctly more civilised these days?). The mayor hates her, referring to her as a "devious, rabble-rousing slanderer". Clearly, she is not on message with the local political PR. We like her.

Yup, the leveling system has been given an overhaul. Customised via a brilliant, animated Vault-Tec poster in-game, perks (which can be unlocked at level-up, as usual) are tied to the various ability stats in your character's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ratings.

There are 70 base perks, but each has a series of XP rankings of its own, meaning that it can be leveled up alongside its respective S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat in order to unlock greater abilities. With all graded perks taken into account, the total comes to 275. Happy grinding.

Later on in the Quakecon presentation we got an extended gameplay demo of a new town area, Lexington. With a lengthy new stretch of the game on show, it rapidly became clear just how radically upgraded Fallout 4's world is from that of its predecessors. In short, it makes Fallout 3 look like a game made out of cardboard.

It's not the result of any one change, but rather a raft of little tweaks that seem specifically designed to address the issues that cropped up in F3's world after prolonged exposure. There's the vast swath of vibrant colour. The sheer, open airiness, the sense of light and space. There's the amount of movement and fully structured environmental detail in each frame when exploring. There's the way that multiple camera angles during conversations make them feel like properly directed cutscenes, and the way your fully-voiced character reacts to even the most innocuous discoveries and events. As compulsive at it is to explore, navigating Fallout 3's world can at times feel like silently observing a diorama. Fallout 4 feels like having a real presence in a real place.

Speaking of real presence, holy crap, does Fallout's combat look to have improved. As in, it looks like a genuinely respectable open-world FPS now, rather than an RPG with a rather crap, rather static shooting model tacked on. The VATS slow-mo targeting system looks a whole lot faster and slicker for a start, but that's not the really exciting bit. The really exciting bit is that it doesn't look like you'll be wanting (or needing) to rely on it half as much.

While hardly as fast and flowing as its Quakecon sibling, , Fallout's gunplay looks much smoother and more dynamic than before. While enemies (Ghouls in particular) still have a habit of charging straight into your face, dealing with them is no longer a case of frantically back-pedaling while waiting for VATS to recharge. Sidestepping, strafing, and weaving all look entirely viable while shooting smoothly and accurately, and level design looks set up to properly accommodate that stuff this time around, with well-placed cover, choke-points, lines of sight, and exploding hazards aplenty. And throughout it all, the Sole Survivor looks delightfully capable and versatile.

Leading on from that last point, sweet crap, does Fallout 4 look effective as an action game. While the core combat mechanics look immensely improved, it's the stuff around them - the presentation and feedback of combat, and the bigger situational picture - that really pushes things to the next level.

We've seen hand-cranked laser muskets (effectively a clunky retro sci-fi shotgun) hit with delightful impact, and leave the burnt meat of Ghoul flesh billowing with smoke. We've seen crucial hits with bats shatter knees and set up skull-cracking executions, and that's just the start. The end of our demo sees the Sole Survivor dashing between cover points in an open street to avoid and retaliate against rooftop snipers, just as a Brotherhood of Steel gunship arrives. The aircraft starts peppering the road around him with cluster bombs, forcing a frantic, improvisational fight on two fronts, until the Ghouls above send it spiraling down into a nearby building. It’s still Fallout, but now it has set-pieces, and genuine, visual spectacle. Seriously.

You're not ready for Doom. You're really not. This morning I played an hour of back-to-back games in the new demon-bothering shooter's versus multiplayer, and my head still isn't right. It is, however, very happy.

Doom, you see, is intense. It's intense in ways we haven't seen in a mainstream FPS for quite a while. It's not just the aggression, or the speed, or the gibs (though all of those things certainly factor in). It's more than that. It's Doom's cleverness. It's Doom's deceptive, layered complexity. It's the constant, gleefully ferocious back-and-forth between demand and reward. Doom is great. And it's messed me up rather brilliantly. Here's why my head is such a giddy shambles right now.

You'll notice this immediately. Doom is fast. And it's not just about Doomguy's immediate running pace, which is both blistering and relentless (no sprint toggle here: you're either charging forth or you're standing still, in which case you're probably dead). It's about the kind of speed that permeates the whole game.

This isn't Call of Duty fast, where running hard and aiming quick are the be-all and end-all. This is multi-dimensional fast. Speed dictates everything. Your forward momentum, your lateral movement (ducking and weaving is a way of life in Doom, due to the proliferation of dodgeable, physical projectiles and lengthy health bars), your vertical movement, your spur-of-the-moment escapes and rapid, rethought retaliations... Your first few games will be spent recalibrating your brain to operate at a rate of knots in every respect. When you get it though, it could not be more exhilarating.

If you have a storied history in multiplayer shooters, there's another aspect of Doom that's likely to throw you off at first. You see, Doom's persona is a little ambiguous. Yes, the tight, intricate map design - packed as it is with opportunities for creative navigation and clever vertical assaults - is pure Doom. But in other respects? There's a whole lot of Quake here.

There's the quad-damage pick-up. There's the springy, double-jumping focus on bunny hops. There's the splattery crowd-control of the plasma rifle. There's the way any of each match's million and one frantic, cat-and-mouse skirmishes can break into explosive, high-flying madness at the drop of a rocket. Reconciling the two games' traditional elements can take a little while. At times it feels like an airier Doom, at other times a tighter, more restrained Quake. Ultimately though, the two games' conceits do compliment each other, leading to a relentlessly aggressive, but pleasingly focused game. And speaking of focus...

Doom might be all about the carnage, but igniting that destruction effectively requires sharp, thoughtful shooting. With a bit of experience using Doom's weapon-set, it quickly becomes apparent that this is not a game that rewards mindless spamming. Its guns are imposing, but to get the most out of them, you're going to have to fight smart and stay on your toes.

The rocket launcher, for instance, is not the easy harbinger of devastation you might expect. Its splash damage area is deceptively small, demanding fast, precision shots and a whole lot of target-leading. The faster-firing weapons can be painfully weak unless you utilize their more powerful secondary modes (such as the repeater rifle's high impact Magnum rounds), at which point even more methodical precision - and sometimes the reduced view of a scope - comes back into play. Doom's equivalent of a railgun is a classic example: a decent, medium-to-long range weapon as standard, which requires a zoomed charge in order to bring the delicious one-shot action. And at no point will Doom slow down enough to make any of this easy. As such...

If you're fighting at medium to long-range and trying to get by with reaction shots, you're already too late. Fact. With no radar, and an arsenal that favors real, physical, trackable ordnance over point-and-click hitscan firing, Doom's combat is all about thoughtful, preemptive play.

You need to predict your opponents' behavior. You need to influence it into advantageous shapes with smart use of weapon switching and spatial control. You're required to understand the many subtle interplays between your weapons' rate (and type) of damage and speed to target, your opponents' probable responses, and your own follow-up options at any given time. In short, if you're not playing with your head two seconds into the future at any given time, you're playing too slowly. And goddamn if that isn't constantly exciting.

Don't go thinking that the intensity of those skirmishes means you're just looking at a few tense flare-ups with plenty of time to recover in between. Doom is relentless. You're never more than ten seconds away from the next scuffle, and even if you manage to stay out of the action for a while, it won't do you any good unless you use that time wisely and bravely.

With no inherent life regen, health and armor pick-ups are your only hope of staying in the fight. They're plentiful, but they're not going to just drop in your lap - you need to seek them out. You're going to have to scavenge. That means build healing break-aways into the entire rhythm and flow of your fighting, often while under fire. And you're never going to know whether a lone-wolf loot run is going to end in your salvation or the exact opposite. When it's the former though, especially with an enemy on your tail, there's no sweeter comeback. As for lone-wolfing it, well...

Yes, Doom looks - and often feels - anarchic, but talking, planning and synergizing with your team is how you're going to stay alive. Given the drawn-out nature of Doom's one-on-one firefights, the numbers game is a big deal. Ideally, you always want at least one buddy on hand to cover angles and call out situations you might not be aware of.

Of course, a fast, creative player can definitely beat stacked odds alone (or at least escape to fight another day), but such situations are certainly best avoided. Especially when the Revenant comes into play...

Every couple of minutes (at least in the single mode shown at Quakecon), a pentagram powerup will drop into the map. Once someone grabs it (following an inevitably intense fight for control of the area), they'll transform into one of Doom's skeletal, rocket-slinging Revenants. They'll do ridiculously overpowered damage. They'll inflict a nasty amount of splash damage. They'll be able to fly. In short, they become a miniboss on the map, fighting on behalf of one team until it either times out or is killed.

The latter is obviously the preferable option, and that's where the real joy of Doom's design comes together. For a team to take down a Revenant quickly, everything previously mentioned has to come together as part of one big, glorious, smoothly cooperative machine. Tight, preemptive play. Smart aggression balanced with canny self-preservation. Insightful understanding of the limitations of attack and defence. A team you can rely on. It's tough. It's grueling. At times it's terrifying. But it's never anything less that triumphant, hilarious, explosive fun. And that, right there, is Doom all over.

The God Damn Batmobile. It should absolutely work in video games. In fact, it may as well have been designed for them. A racing car mixed with a tank mixed with a Transformer mixed with a bat mixed with a Swiss Army Knife? By rights that should be the most exciting thing you could possibly be handed the controls to. Or so you might think...

The Batmobile's various flirtations with the world of video games have rarely ended well. Occasionally spectacularly, yes, but 'consistent' isn't a word I would associate with the quality of the offerings. Nor 'dependable' or even 'adequate'. So let's look at the best and the worst of the Batmobile in games.

The Batmobile bumps, slides, shoots and clatters through Gotham's streets, in between buildings and under overhanging pipes. The scaling effect of sprites that make up the scenery is best described with sexy words like 'rampant'. Or 'engorged'. It's action-packed, too, with big crims' vehicles packing flamethrowers, and giant Jack-in-the-box heads bouncing around on springs.

And you know what? I don't think it's a coincidence that Arkham Knight's Batmobile is best when you're using it exactly like you do in this game. Chasing other vehicles, barging into smaller ones, and breathlessly tearing through the amazing gothic architecture of Gotham City... this is how it should be done.

It's funny how things evolve, isn't it? The Mega-CD game you just saw is eerily reminiscent of this now-ancient movie tie-in, from the undulating terrain to the pleasantly solid-feeling vehicles you need to avoid. But all you do is drive – there's no shooting here. And then there's the problem caused by technical limitations. How exactly does Batman turn into a side-street when the graphics engine can't handle a 90-degree corner?

I'm sorry – I'm forgetting Batman is the Batman. He simply shoots a grapple line out of the side of the Batmobile, latches onto a handily-placed, titanium-strengthened, mile-rooted lamp post and swings the whole thing around, picking up where the action left off on the next straight. He loves doing this so much, if he misses, he waits for the next street so he can have another go. Never once even considers applying the brakes and turning the corner like anyone else. Weird bastard.

But let's spare a thought for poor old ZX Spectrum users, who didn't get any pseudo-3D Bat-shenanigans. Instead, they got to negotiate side-scrolling Gotham rush hour, erm… bumping into taxis. And occasionally turning left.

Come to think about it, Batman only ever turns left, which inevitably means he's just driven around the block a few times, ending up one door away from where he started. Probably could have walked, mate.

How could the Batmobile be in a fighting game? Images of some Daytona Hornet-style boxing-wheeled monstrosity come to mind, but - fortunately - the reality is much more sensible. Batman has a Batmobile Takedown.

It's actually very much like the Batmobile-assisted combat takedown in Arkham City, only instead of firing a non-lethal round during a combo, Batman just tells the Batmobile to run down his opponent. Luckily, they go up over the bonnet, otherwise we might have had another '' situation.

This is ADORABLE. Look at the cute little low-poly Batmobile. It even has to drive around wire mesh fences. The game is a free-roaming chase-'em-up in the style of the animated series The New Batman Adventures, and actually looks pretty decent for a PSone game. I could try and argue that this sort of thing suggests that a 3D GTA could have worked on PSone, but there's no point opening that can of worms now. The worms are long dead.

Still, wonky graphics aside, this doesn't look too bad. Well, except for the AI's problem with passing other cars. And the sudden, inexorable loading screens. And the lack of variety. Or speed. Or any sense of actually being Batman. Apart from that, it's marvelous. Or, should I say, DCicious? No, I didn't think so, either.

How brilliant this is and yet how massively disappointing. Lego Batman 3 features Lego-ised versions of all your favourite Batmobiles, which is fan-pleasing-tastic. They're playable too, which should be cause for bat-celebration. What a shame they're so utterly, utterly rubbish to use.

The handling is abysmal. It's almost as though these are small, plastic vehicles with no suspension. Funny, that. And as for the sickly green, sparsely-populated free-roam area you can use to take them for a test drive? It's actually pretty close to what I imagine Hell to be like. I know some people like it, but then some people also like listening to Morrissey and I can't understand that, either. I wonder if there's a venn diagram to be made there.

Another Batman game on Mega-CD? Which came out after Batman Returns and is solely about the Batmobile? Surely this should be a bat-win in every way? Well… not really. It isn't as good as Batman Returns. Similar third-person, into-the screen Batmobile shenanigans, yes, but the scaling is merely 'smooth', as opposed to 'rampant'. That sort of thing makes a big difference, you know. Not as sexy.

Perhaps the strangest scenario you find yourself in during the game is traveling through a bumper car assault course that Joker has set up for you. The track is lined with twisted versions of giraffes, hippos and zebra… and you can blow them up. They are animatronic, but they raise their necks when you approach like actual animals reacting to your approach, so it's a bit like you're blowing up real ones. It's all got a bit weird in here.

When you've got all the power of the 128-bit generation at your disposal, the Batmobile should be able to drive through a small fence. But alas, this Batmobile can only drive on the roads, crashing into enemy vehicles and somehow also crashing into giant translucent chevrons which block off streets you shouldn't drive down. I don't even…

It's quite funny to see the on-board Bat-computer displaying a wireframe representation of every vehicle you smash to smithereens, along with a confirmation of 'no casualties'. It's a little hard to believe when you've hit every car on the road in a thunderous mobile tank, flipping sedans and utility vehicles like they're cardboard boxes, burning, crushing and maiming anyone unfortunate to be in your way. But sure, if the bat-computer says no casualties, let's go with that.

What is it with the Batmobile and corners? Even though this is a fully polygonal 3D city environment, when it's time to turn a corner, the camera cuts away to show the Batmobile screeching around the 90-degree bend. It's kinda cool the first time it happens, if a little jarring, but when you realise it happens every single time, it gets a bit much.

The reason for this odd cornering is that you're not really controlling the Batmobile 'properly' at all. You're just steering left and right on a fixed camera trajectory, a bit like OutRun. Or should I say… BatRun? If only it had Magical Bat Shower or Bat Wave on the radio. Or Passing Bat-Breeze. Yeah, you don't wanna get a whiff of that.

The United States is a vast country, filled with a wide variety of cities and individual pockets of culture, so it makes sense that many American developers often look to their own hometowns for inspiration. But game design is a worldwide industry, with studios found all over the globe, and many of them are just as intrigued by the American way of life as the people who actually live there. But in many ways, the outsider's perspective of the good ol' US of A is far teresting, because these games often provide a different look into how the country presents itself to the rest of the world.

Sure, America eats a lot of cheeseburgers and drinks more coffee than tea, but the American experience is much more than just a few stereotypes. That's what makes these video games so fascinating: they're games about America, made outside America, and they all seem to have their own interpretations of what makes the United States tick. Whether they're focusing on American culture, a specific region in the country, or an aspect of America's own history, these games all focus on something Americans find important, and hope to give a different take from a unique perspective.

Made in: Japan

Technically EarthBound takes place in Eagleland, but it's basically the United States in everything but name, and the cities in the game certainly feel like their US counterparts. You've got the sleepy burg of Onett, the busier suburbs of Twoson, and even the bustling metropolis Fourside. Only things are... off. The skate punks run around wearing onesies and brandish hula hoops. The country's biggest band, The Runaway Five, has six people in it. The town of Threed is overrun by zombies. And you're constantly accosted by Unassuming Local Guys and New Age Retro Hippies.

The best part about EarthBound isn't how it combines so many different American pop culture references and analyzes them from a completely different cultural perspective. No, the best part is that it's so sincere about it, like eating a slice of warm apple pie while watching Leave It to Beaver re-runs. EarthBound clearly comes from a place of love, even when it's portraying an evil blue-loving cult or corrupt politicians. It's a game that lets you bask in the joy of wandering through department stores or without judging you for partaking in empty consumerism. While a game this goofy could easily come off as as mean and sarcastic, Earthbound is anything but.

Made in: UK

If EarthBound is the optimistic, "Gee, isn't this country swell?" vision of America, then Grand Theft Auto is its polar opposite. America is often referred to as 'The Land of Opportunity', but GTA asks a question that nags Americans in the back of their minds when someone refers to the 'American Dream': "Does the 'Dream' really exist, and if it does, is it worth the paying the price to achieve it?" GTA's answer comes with big, sardonic sneer. Many of the businesses and products sport self-aware puns for names, like Ammu-Nation or GoPostal, and many of the ads for these products make snide, pithy comments. The biggest social media platform is called Lifeinvader. And everyone is so self-absorbed it's a wonder society hasn't fallen apart at the seams. GTA's satire is incredibly over-the-top, a caricature of what America is really like, but there is truth there.

While GTA 5's depiction of Los Angeles is perhaps the most authentic, GTA 4 distinctly captures the outsider's view of what America is, as it's about Niko Bellic, a Serbian who arrives in America for the very first time in order to escape his past. To Niko, Liberty City is a massive culture shock from his relatively simple life overseas, and while his cousin Roman has acclimated to his new life of excess well enough, Niko finds the opportunity the city offers to be fleeting and empty. The one thing it does share in common with Niko's home is the one thing Niko is trying to escape: an endless cycle of violence. GTA's vision of the American Dream is distinctly pessimistic, considering the evils one has to go through in these games to attain it.

Made in: Japan

Did you know that there's an airstrip under the White House? Yeah, the whole ground opens up so Air Force One can take off in case Washington, D.C. is overrun by an enemy invasion. Oh, and the President of the United States is also a damn good mecha pilot. Wait, you say you missed all that stuff in history class? That's OK, because Metal Wolf Chaos is here to educate you with a patriotic grand slam of a video game.

Metal Wolf Chaos is essentially Team America: World Police: The Game as made by Japan. It is pure, jingoistic Michael Bay-hem in video game form. Evil Vice President Richard Hawk has stolen the presidency from Michael Wilson, reinstated such American gems like slavery, and is generally responsible for a litany of war crimes. So it's up to Wilson to take the White House back, which of course means travelling across the country in a giant flying mech and unleashing burning American justice on anyone who opposes him. Metal Wolf Chaos is a celebration of patriotic excess, a game that you can't help but laugh at while pumping your fist and shouting "USA!", and it's a crime that this game .

Made in: Finland

Ever since Twin Peaks became a cult TV phenomenon, the wooded, rural areas of the Pacific Northwest have become synonymous with creeping psychological dread. It's not entirely unwarranted: some of the smaller towns you can drive through are disturbingly eerie in that 1950s-America-as-seen-through-the-Twilight-Zone kind of way (especially at night), and the constant fog and rainfall certainly don't help. Alan Wake takes these inspirations and uses them craft a truly unique horror game that feels like an HBO mini-series.

The town of Bright Falls, Washington looks like your average secluded logging town, and it's got the small town charm that goes along with that; the diner that looks like it never made it out of the mid-20th century, the kitschy city-wide festival that everyone takes part in, the dense, sprawling forest parks that are begging to be explored. It's also got a bunch of creepy shadow monsters that come out at night, but I doubt those are on the travel brochure. But it's not just the setting of Alan Wake that evokes strains of America; the game's very narrative structure resembles that of a hit American TV show. Broken up into six distinct episodes, playing Alan Wake is like experiencing an interactive version of Twin Peaks or The Twilight Zone, taking as much inspiration from American television dramas and horror fiction as it does from the rural Pacific Northwest.

Made in: Japan

The Metal Gear series has always had an ample supply of self-aware anime and video game weirdness, but applying that weirdness to something as intimate to Americans as its own history and government only multiplies that feeling exponentially. It's one thing to hear a fictional conversation between world leaders Lyndon B. Johnson and Nikita Khrushchev; it's another entirely to realize one of the world's superpowers is dealing in walking nuclear-armed mechs. But despite its most absurd moments, there's a bizarre truth underlying how Metal Gear envisions the American government.

Take the ending of Metal Gear Solid 2, for instance. At the time, it seemed like total nonsense, as the AI that has been directing your every move exposes its plans for world domination. But the things it talks about - how information never disappears, so anyone can cling to a specific 'truth' they believe in - is particularly prophetic in hindsight, especially in the face of what's going on with the Internet, the 24-hour news cycle, and current events in American government. And Metal Gear Solid 4's exploration of private military corporations may be exaggerated (never mind the presence of numerous bipedal battle tanks), but it's no secret that the US government uses PMCs to sub-contract much of its work. Metal Gear Solid may go way beyond realism in many respects, but many of its core concepts are generally based on fact. In many ways, the series isn't about what 'is' or 'was' in American history, but rather what 'could be' or 'could have been' - if things were a bit more like one of Otacon's Japanese animes, anyway.

Made in: Czech Republic

Like Alan Wake, Mafia 2 makes no effort to hide where its influences come from. Evoking strains of classic gangster movies, Mafia 2 takes bits and pieces from films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, and On the Waterfront, sprinkles in some classic 1950's tunes, and sets it all in a GTA-style open world that uses its city to flesh out its setting and story, rather than fill it with a bunch of random minigames and side missions.

The game opens on protagonist Vito Scaletta as he reminisces on his past while looking through an old photo album. Born and raised in Sicily, Vito immigrated to Empire City along with his family when he was a young boy. Once again, the 'American Dream' turns out to be a sham, as his father can barely afford to make ends meet at his grueling job on the docks, so Vito does what he can to help his family: he turns to a life of crime. The fictional city is an amalgamation of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit during the mid-20th century, and while it doesn't feel like any one of them in particular, it certainly evokes nostalgia of America's biggest metropolises post-World War Two. Mafia 2 is essentially a pastiche of gangster movie tropes, but 2K Czech uses those tropes to tell a surprisingly authentic story of the difficulties of rising out of poverty in a large city, the rise of modernity in American society, and the racial tensions of the era.

Made in: Japan

Ahh, consumerism - the hallmark of the American economy. And what better way to celebrate consumerism than to head to your local shopping mall and spend, spend, spend? Well, unless the mall’s overrun with mindless zombies, that is. There's probably a metaphor in here somewhere, but hell if I know what it is. Anyway, the classic tale was initially told by the George Romero flick Dawn of the Dead, but Capcom takes that idea and lets you fend off zombies while shopping until you drop.

The mall itself is enormous, featuring everything you could ever possibly want in a single shopping center. It's your one-stop-shop for televisions, CDs, children's clothing, power drills, books, restaurants, swords (!), and more. It's even got a roller coaster! Virtually everything that isn't nailed down can be turned into a weapon, or worn, or eaten, leading to situations where our hero Frank West is bashing zombie skulls with a sledgehammer while wearing a tutu. It seems a bit ridiculous to run around in a mall this huge, but it's actually loosely based on the in the center. If there's one thing Dead Rising gets right, it's that Americans sure love to shop - but most of America's malls aren't even close to being as big as they are in this game.

Made in: Canada

Many games on this list try to evoke the feeling of being in America, but as much as Liberty City or Empire Bay feel like New York, their cities are facsimiles of the real thing. Ubisoft's futuristic crime thriller Watch Dogs, on the other hand, tries to replicate Chicago with painstaking accuracy. While it takes some liberties with the size of the city and the landmarks inside it, Watch Dogs' version of Chicago is actually stunningly accurate.

Chicago has a vast history, filled with legendary gangsters, dramatic shootouts, and iconic architecture, and Watch Dogs serves as pretty decent virtual tour guide through the city's greatest hits. You can hop in your virtual car and drive to the exact virtual spot where the . The plot itself is rather ridiculous, a high-tech tale of corruption and revenge, but parts of it do have roots in the city's long history with organized crime.

Made in: Japan

Admittedly, No More Heroes is probably the most over-the-top entry here, but at first glance, the city of Santa Destroy looks like any other Californian city. It's got the palm trees, the wide stretches of sandy beaches, and the endless sunshine. But if you look closer, you'll notice that the entire city has an absurdly violent streak, and you'll find that No More Heroes becomes a commentary on America's fetishization of violence as its gameplay revels in gleeful geysers of pixelated blood.

First, there's the name of the city itself: Santa Destroy, a peculiar combination of words that immediately evokes an air of wanton violence. A quick drive around the city on your massive Akira-style motorcycle will reveal a wide variety of shops and locations, each with names that feature a strange fascination with violent activities, with a heavy focus on wrestling. There's Burger Suplex and Destroyer Antiques, and locations like the Atomic Drop Ward and Body Slam Beach fill out the rest of the city. Local ad company K-Entertainment is actually a front for a corrupt organization that assigns contract killings. There's also the Destroy Stadium, home of the Santa Destroy Warriors, who, according to the in-game map, lead the league in "violence towards fans." And the main character, Travis Touchdown, has no problem murdering people with the beam katana he won in an online auction. Despite how obsessed the city is with violence, Santa Destroy is a surprisingly safe place to live - outside of the events put on by the United Assassinations Association, of course.

It's hard to hone in on the essence of stealth. Many stealth games focus on slow, methodical movement and punish you for slipping up, but others give you the opportunity to react before your cover's blown, or abandon the idea of caution altogether. Which of these truly defines stealth?

We believe the truth is somewhere in the foggy middle. The common denominator that links these games is knowing how, when, and where to stay hidden, but the specifics are not explicit. At the same time, good stealth games also give you little guidance and happily kick you into the fray to let you figure things out for yourself. The true measure of a stealth game, then, is freedom: the freedom to explore what stealth means, while giving you a place to plot, learn, and screw up for yourself. With that standard set, we've smoked out the 15 best stealth games of all time to show you what this shadowy genre is made of. Don't look away though, or they might escape.

The original Sly Cooper did something few mascot games ever manage - it was a genuinely great genre game, with a cast of universally loveable characters. Sly 2 is basically Sly+, with a raft of improvements and expansions on the stealth formula. But with all the same anthropomorphic heroes. Good.

The stealth is so tight and feature packed, and laid the foundations for the stick-to-the-city free-running of inFamous. Sly’s sneaking is more traditional, while support characters like Bentley and Murray mix it up with more gadget-heavy / combat-heavy stealth, respectively. The result is a well rounded sneaking game with a charming cast and absolutely loads of stuff to do. And it isn’t all dark and gritty like most…

Stealth Inc is the suspiciously bright passageway where stealth mechanics and mini-games meet. In a series of time trials, you - a sphere-headed clone with giant glowing eyes - must solve all the puzzles in a given room before the aggressive machines inside spot and kill you. You're unarmed and will die the instant they hone in on your position, so all you have are your wits and shadows to keep you alive. And it works remarkably well.

Gleefully tossing aside the gritty environment, gadgetry, and slow movement common to most stealth games, Stealth Inc goes for something more colorful and frantic, where you're encouraged to speed through the level as fast as you can without getting killed. Yet the stealth mechanics are absolutely essential for the game to function, and the controls for movement are incredibly tight, so it's no one's fault but your own if you stumble into a puddle of light and get vaporized. It's the ultimate test of a very different kind of stealth, where speed is favored over caution.

Second Sight, Free Radical’s unjustly forgotten original leaves you painfully vulnerable from the start. Controlling the sickly John Vattic, you wake up wearing nothing but hospital scrubs with no clue where you are, how you got there, or much about who you even are. The amnesiac patient may not be the most original protagonist, but he’s certainly one that immediately makes you want to hide until you know what the hell is going on. What makes Vattic’s stealthy hunt for safety so pleasurable is that he can control people and objects with his brain.

Like a cross between Solid Snake and a particularly wan Ben Kenobi, the most fun you have as Vattic is figuring out which of your freaky psychic abilities is best suited to getting you out of a jam. Does it make sense to possess a guard and shoot all the others? Use an astral projection to scout ahead and determine the best path around them? Vattic’s arsenal of skills, coupled with a story jumping in time, proved Free Radical can make more than just an excellent shooter.

When Rocksteady rebranded Batman’s sneak punching as ‘Predator Mode’, it wasn’t screwing about. Arkham City's approach to combative hide-and-seek is one of total domination, of giving you the tools and the information to concoct emergent, creative, horrifyingly powerful divide-and-conquer strategies on the fly. Rather than concerning you with claustrophobic creep-and-dodge work over your immediate vicinity, Arkham’s approach is to give you vantage and control over the whole arena: its every gantry and walkway, its every intricate path, route, and flow of activity.

Except when it’s not. It balances that sense of dominion, with an immediate fragility should things go wrong. Lose your concentration, slip up, fail to spot something important, and you’ll be panicked and flapping away in fright in an instant. That’s the dichotomy that makes Arkham’s stealth so good. It’s about cleverly making you look unstoppable, while knowing that you’re anything but. In short, it’s about being Batman.

Is Riddick strictly a stealth game? Probably not. It’s a mix of sneaky-sneaky, stabby-stabby, and punchy-punchy. But that’s no bad thing - the way stealth and more brutal combat mix makes for a pleasing, bloody adventure. As the perpetually on-the-run Riddick, it’s your job to escape Butcher… look, it’s all in the game name. You do so by fighting your way out of the cells, then getting into the vent system, and eventually off the planet.

It’s the executions that really make this game, combined with the savage first-person combat when things inevitably require a bit of brute force. Oh, and those fancy night-vision specs that Riddick uses are a neat way of avoiding the trap many stealth games fall into, where you end up staring at the screen for hours because everything's so damn dark.

The best games take complex concepts and make performing them feel effortless, and Gunpoint's low-fi take on the stealth genre is one of the best. Don't be fooled by its simplicity, though - its pixelated graphics and sidescrolling gameplay belie one of the smartest, funniest stealth puzzle games ever made.

Armed with a special hacking device called the Crosslink, a pair of hydraulic 'hypertrousers,' your fists and your own wits, you must infiltrate each of Gunpoint's expertly crafted levels without being detected. Your special pants let you blast up the side of buildings, attach to ceilings, and launch into guards to provide a few swift punches to their face. And your Crosslink allows you to hack into nearly anything (like light switches and security cameras) and rewire them to open doors or activate enemy weapons. It's one thing to completely ghost a level - it's another entirely to reprogram everything inside the level and manipulate the guards to solve it for you. Gunpoint may not offer as many weapons, camo patterns, or other fun stealth gadgets as other games on this list, but its simplicity proves that less is indeed more.

While similar in many ways to the Hitman games that came before, Blood Money improves on an already strong stealth system with a setup that rewards perfectly silent missions, and makes life a whole lot harder when you don't pull it off.

While the goal of any stealth game is to get from whatever window you crawled through to a certain goal without being seen, the threat of discovery usually ends when you finish the mission. Not so in Blood Money, where 47's notoriety rises every time he's spotted by a guard or security camera, and that notoriety makes him more recognizable to enemies in the missions that follow. You have to be on the ball at all times, and Blood Money gives you all the tools to make that happen, from elaborate costumes to new mechanics that make it much easier to dispose of a body or knock out the lights to a whole building. Everything in Blood Money has a place and a use, and the only limit on how well they work is your own skill.

Good stealth games give you a wide variety of tools and options to help you out of a jam if you get spotted; great ones encourage you to never want to go loud in the first place. While later entries in the Splinter Cell franchise have embraced 24-style action to go along with more traditional stealthy maneuvers, no other game in the series comes close to the purity of Chaos Theory's stealth playground.

Armed with a wide variety of gadgets and a trusty combat knife, you have everything you need to infiltrate a variety of multilayered environments undetected. You'll need them, too, because enemies react organically to your every move, spotting your handiwork well after you've moved on. To combat that, each level in Chaos Theory is filled with pipes to climb, hidden passageways, and multiple pathways to explore, providing you with a level of freedom few stealth games can match. And that's just the single-player - Chaos Theory also includes a brilliant competitive multiplayer mode (Spies vs. Mercs), as well as cooperative levels that require perfect synchronization.

Adding Deus Ex: Human Revolution to list of best stealth games can be a sticky issue, given that it forces players to go guns blazing into boss fights, even if they've otherwise been quieter than a church mouse augmented with hover technology. But while those forced battles are an unfortunate fact that can't be undone, Human Revolution's interpretation of stealth in every other instance is so strong that the good outweighs the bad.

While the game lets you customize the way you approach every challenge, protagonist Adam Jensen shows off the best of his abilities in stealth mode. Sneaking up behind guards and finishing them with a takedown puts his strength to better use than a gunfight, and can clear a room without a shot being fired. The cover system works well, letting you move seamlessly between hiding places. And where the brilliant Deus Ex inadvertently makes stealth easier with oblivious AI, Human Revolution has enemies that quickly spot you if you make mistakes. That means no dodging between cover while a guard is looking right at you, as it should be.

Sure, Dishonored does let you bust down the door of a mansion and use your powers to creatively murder every guard and unfortunate maidservant in sight... but there's something more elegant about sneaking through the one open window, snuffing out a single target, and sliding back out again without anyone realizing you were there.

Dishonored's stealth is also made more enticing by the fact that many of your dark abilities are meant to benefit a sneaky playthrough. We're talking a teleport ability that lets you juke between spots of cover, a power that disintegrates your victims, or x-ray vision that helps you map out guard locations while you're crouched on the roof. Get good enough and you can make it through the entire game without a soul outside your immediate circle - a badge of honor for any sleuth.

It wouldn't feel right to talk about stealth without mentioning at least one ninja. Mark of the Ninja is a 2D, side-scrolling stealth game, which puts you in the role of a master ninja (duh) defending his clan - which has had no contact with the modern world for centuries - from gun-toting invaders. Stealth is all you have to level the playing field but, thankfully, zipping between shadows is so fluid and sharp that it's a pleasure to take the job on.

Every ability in your low-tech arsenal is designed make sleuthing simpler, from darts that shatter lights to a panther-like crawl that helps you scramble up walls and squeeze through tight spaces. Each action flows naturally into the next, making every stage feels like a graceful, silent dance that you start at the beginning of the level. Far from fearing discovery, Mark of the Ninja makes you feel like a powerful stalker, a sense that few games <(a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/assassins-creed-chronicles-china-review/" target="blank">try as they might) have been able to replicate.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a great stealth game because it makes you terrified of being caught. You don't have so much as a sharp stick to your name when it punts you into the heart of a dark, creepy castle and tells you to watch your step. With no means of defense and little way to tell random ambiance from the approach of a horrible monster, you're left utterly helpless.

Terror is your motivator here, because you're facing something that can utterly destroy you, and you never know where it's going to come from. Being discovered is horrible, not just inconvenient, and the tentative stealth play that follows doesn't have to be forced. It just comes naturally, and never having to see the monster is all the reward you need.

The Thief series might not seem particularly remarkable these days. Its defining qualities are all pretty common for the genre - a first-person view, hiding in shadows to stay concealed, throwing objects to distract guards, and poking your head around a corner to see where your enemies are. None of that sounds remarkable until you find out that Thief is responsible for inventing those familiar mechanics, and that its best chapter, Thief 2: The Metal Age, still uses them better than most games that have come since.

Wide-open levels offer creative freedom, and the many different things you need to consider when developing a plan (how loud this particular patch of floor will be, or if you should club the guard in your path or try to sneak around) create a deep, complex stealth experience where few limits are imposed on how you play. It's by no means simple, but when you finally execute the perfect plan, you feel every bit the master thief the game claims you to be.

The hero of a stealth game tends to stay one step ahead of their pursuers because they’re predictable and rooted in patrols. That's what makes Alien Isolation so different and unsettling: the central enemy moves of its own free will, so you never know exactly where it’s going to appear.

In resetting your expectations for how a stealth game is meant to go, Alien Isolation forces you to relearn the basics. Moving slowly and quietly makes you better able to hide when there’s something horrible in the room with you. Even letting your guard down enough to walk into an empty hall can be deadly, because it invites doom from above. Hiding and crafting the tools you need to survive is fraught with anxiety, and being spotted by the immortal and hungry Xenomorph, after completing an intricate set of tasks, becomes painfully common. But there's no greater feeling than managing to make it to the next save point. Were you ever happier to see a pay phone in your life?

Snake Eater is the quintessential Metal Gear game, tip-toeing perfectly between stealth and storytelling. It's equal parts silly and melodramatic, diving deep into Cold War hysteria as viewed through Hideo Kojima’s lens of paranormal activity and self-aware video game-isms. But Snake Eater isn't just the ideal Metal Gear game; it's the best stealth game, period.

Snake Eater expands into unprecedented freedom, whether you want to Rambo your way through or make it to the end without killing a soul. Beating the game without leaving behind a body count is totally viable, thanks to your tranquilizer gun and a wide variety of camouflage patterns that help you inch past guards even in broad daylight. Snake Eater is also host to one of the greatest boss battles of all time: a multi-screen, hours-long battle of attrition against the world's greatest sniper. If you can wrap your head around the controls, you'll find that Snake Eater's construction still remains the pinnacle of the genre.

First person shooters are some of the most engrossing, personal, and powerful entertainment experiences you can get. You aren't just watching some character play a part on the screen, you are that character. You're seeing all of the action from their perspective, aiming down the sights of a gun in your hands, then pulling the trigger. It's the closest you can come to being a soldier, or zombie killer, or space marine. We love playing FPS games, which is why we've put together a list of our all-time favorites.

For this list, the games need to be in the upper echelon of shooters in terms of gunplay mechanics - which is why you won't see any BioShocks and Metroid Primes here (even if they do rank as some of the ). Also, we at GamesRadar+ are all about the console side of gaming, so while plenty of PC shooters are outstanding, you won’t find them well represented here. So, with all that in mind, here are the best FPS games we've ever played.

GoldenEye 007 takes its rightful place as the worst of the best; a shooter that can hang with the best of them, but only by a hair. It was the Smash Bros. Melee or Halo of the late '90s, the four-player, college dorm juggernaut that ate away the afternoon faster than an extra large pizza on Friday night. An entire generation of gamers were introduced to the magic of first-person shooting thanks to GoldenEye (on console at least). And yet, the years have not been kind to this game. The advances made in console FPS'ing thanks to Halo, Call of Duty, and others, have exposed GoldenEye as being - frankly - a bicycle riding on square wheels.

While the actual shooting in GoldenEye may feel horribly, painfully antiquated, the sheer size and scope of this first-person shooter remains its strongest suit. GoldenEye is packed with all sorts of different guns, gadgets, secret codes, an extensive single-player campaign, and several multiplayer modes to keep you busy. Anyone who spent time with this game remembers the cutthroat nature of Man with the Golden Gun, or how friggin' unfair Oddjob was (he's still banned to this day). GoldenEye 007 shone bright in its heyday, and certainly helped paved the way for the rest of the entries on this list.

Gruff, comically macho Sam Stone is the definition of a one-man army, given the sheer body count of violent creatures he's put down in his time. The Serious Sam games are all about increasingly grandiose rampages, constantly spawning hundreds of enemies right on top of you to achieve maximum amounts of cartoonishly violent chaos. Luckily, you've got the means to take down whatever supernatural horrors that await in ancient Mesoamerica, from the typical firepower (shotguns, miniguns, and rocket launchers) to the exotic (vintage cannons, laserguns, and flamethrowers).

The Second Encounter is the peak of the series' knack for perfectly orchestrated set pieces, no cut-scenes required. Secrets that end in jumpscares, stampedes of the raptor-skeleton-looking Kleers, and parades of the screaming Beheaded Kamikaze soldiers (which make no physical sense, by the way) are just a few of the unforgettable moments that seem to happen back-to-back-to-back as you progress through the wide-open levels. It's a silly thrillride, full of color and comedy, and evokes the classic era of FPS that prioritizes the simple fun of shooting guns at moving targets over all else.

Borderlands 2 is probably the weakest game on this list when it comes to shooting mechanics, with gun damage that relies more on elemental multipliers and player level than shotgun-to-the-face equals dead. But wandering around Pandora, collecting loot, and using the thousands of guns to make bloody fountains out of bandits is an absolute pleasure. Plenty of shooters confine players to narrow corridors, scripted enemy encounters, and squat and pop shootouts. Not so much with Borderlands. The world is massive and open for you to explore.

The game is as much RPG as it is shooter, with multiple player classes that range from dual machine gun wielding Gunzerkers, to psychic-powered Sirens. Then there are upgradable talent trees, elemental weapons, and quest rewards. Take all of that and slap it into a four player co-op shooter experience with an open world filled with weaponized vehicles, hordes of monsters, and gargantuan bosses, and you've got a shooter that's like no other.

Love the large-scale, vehicle-filled firefights of Battlefield, but wish the scope was a little bit bigger? As in, 'over 1,000 players battling across an entire continent' bigger? Sounds like you need to enlist for the ever-raging sci-fi shootouts of at 1,158 concurrent combatants. That makes for a lot of bullets, lasers, and tank shells flying through the air on planet Auraxis at any given time.

The unique balance of the three available factions is reminiscent of StarCraft's asymmetrical, immaculately balanced warfare: the Terran Republic has rapid-fire weaponry and faster vehicles, New Conglomerate forces hit harder at the cost of speed, and the Vanu Sovereignty prefers hovering all-terrain vehicles and copious laser guns made possible by alien technology. Likewise, the six distinct classes ensure that every player has a specialized role to play in this never-ending fight for allied territory. This FPS is the closest you'll get to having your boots on the ground in a planetary war, and it is glorious.

Global Offensive is a paradoxical multiplatform sequel: it was developed to bring console gamers into the fold of this legendary FPS series that flourishes on PC, but ended up making little impact on the Xbox 360 and PS3, while becoming the de facto choice for the most loyal CS fans and legions of mouse-and-keyboard newcomers alike. It doesn't change much, and it doesn't need to - underneath the graphics' grittier realism, this is still pretty much the same team-based, Terrorists versus Counter-Terrorists shooter that values quick thinking and even quicker reflexes.

But CS:GO dared to introduce a few new elements to the tense, one-life-per-round skirmishes of the original. The CZ75-Auto pistol offers a high-risk, high-reward purchase, molotov cocktails can temporarily deny large swaths of the map, and the single-shot, insta-kill Zeus x27 exists solely to be an expensive taunt. In a series that's known for adhering to a proven formula, these additions have gone over well for the second most-played game on Steam. Oh, and those primo weapon skins - a purely aesthetic perk, rest assured - will delight your inner collector, especially if you're lucky enough to score a rare knife.

The sad truth is that PC and console players have very different experiences with Team Fortress 2. While PC players see regular updates, new game modes, and an overflowing cache of items both useful and , the version released for the Xbox 360 only contains the original, vanilla edition of the game. That means no cart-escorting Payload mode, no additional weapons, no hats. But before you demand the poor thing be put out of its misery, know this: that bare-bones version is still amazingly fun.

That's not hugely surprising when you think about it, since everything that made Team Fortress great at the start is there. Maps are colorful and more complex than they look, letting you charge right into a fast-paced slaughter, or sneak into an enemy stronghold and take them all by surprise. Each class is distinct in ways that are outside the norm for shooters (the camouflaged Spy and up-close-and-personal Pyro in particular) and complement each other perfectly, so it never feels like one outclasses the others. Most importantly, it's easy enough for new players to pick up and have a lot of fun, but deep enough for veterans to keep coming back even updates are a far-flung dream. Compared to that, hats really aren't that big of a deal, no matter how beautiful they are.

Unless you’re a hardcore veteran of the great Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament wars of 1999 and utterly set in your ways, there’s something for everyone in Unreal Tournament 3. Epic Games really diversifies the frantic fragfest with all sorts of spins on deathmatch, territorial combat and flag capture. Oh, and it has hover boards.

Unreal Tournament 3 was also one of the first console games to support mods, at least on the PlayStation 3 version. The well-tuned foundation of its first-person combat, bolstered by classic weapons like the Redeemer and the Flak Cannon, meshed perfectly with vibrant sci-fi environments, weird user-created mods and a pulsating soundtrack. The game seemed to expand every time you played, though it never quite took off commercially - in fact, Midway’s marketing is probably what pushed the series into dormancy until 2015.

If it’s possible to be ‘famously’ buried by non-existent marketing, you could say Singularity is chiefly known for how unknown it was upon launch. Developed by the FPS veterans at Raven Software and dumped on an unsuspecting public by Activision, Singularity turned out to be a weird, timey-wimey shooter completely smitten with its own silliness. The game uses a ‘time manipulation’ glove (just go with it) not only as the crux of a weird alternate history plot, but to taunt and torment enemies in bizarre ways. There’s a disturbing thrill in aging an enemy rapidly to the point of no return, or to revert them to a primitive man-beast that can’t tell friend from foe. Even better, a temporary time bubble traps goons and other objects in stasis, letting you suspend precisely aimed bullets mid-air and let them all go at once with a snap. There’s plenty of temporal puzzle solving in Singularity too, but it’s only in combat where the game’s really on the clock.

sounds like it should be a dismal failure, an example of too many strange ingredients combining to make an unpalatable mess. It's equal parts stealth shooter and old-school run-n-gun, moving its fight against WW2-era Nazis into an alternate version of the 1960s where the Third Reich has effectively taken over Europe. Oh, and it also attempts to turn the silent, meat-headed Nazi killer B.J. Blazkowicz into a more human and relatable character. But The New Order doesn't just take all these disparate elements and make them work as a worthy follow-up to a series that spawned a legion of copy-cats - MachineGames has crafted one of the smartest 'mindless' shooters ever made.

Nearly every moment of Wolfenstein: The New Order is malleable, allowing you to tackle its labyrinthine pathways and devilish challenges how you see fit. Levels are open-ended, providing multiple pathways to its objectives, allowing for an equally numerous variety of strategies. Slink through hidden ducts and stealthily shoot enemy soldiers from the shadows with a silenced pistol, then seamlessly go loud with a pair of akimbo AK-47s if you get spotted (or if you just have an itchy trigger finger). Blasting Nazis with an astonishing range of interesting weapons provides its most immediate thrills, but its story is a contemplative investigation of the nature of war and things people are capable of doing to protect the ones they love, and choices you make in the game's opening chapter ripple outward and encourage multiple playthroughs.

First Encounter Assault Recon is an absurd acronym. It sends the wrong message! Even if special forces soldiers with superhuman abilities were actually fighting ghosts, psychics and the walking tanks that protect them, they probably wouldn’t go around calling their business something that implied that they’re constantly terrified. As a name for Monolith Productions’ thriller shooter, though, it’s wonderfully evocative. The studio made a shooter as laudibly simple as it is nervewracking; all you do is blast stuff, but that stuff is going to freak you out good along the way.

F.E.A.R. is clearly a product of its time. The source of all the supernatural phenomena and paramilitary shenanigans you’re fighting against is a little girl with scraggly black hair - a psychic and mad science experiment subject named Alma - straight out of the many Japanese horror movies popular during the early ‘00s. The ability to slow down time for a limited period, the game’s big twist on shooting, was also de rigueur at the time. What elevates F.E.A.R. above its familiar components is an incredible sense of atmosphere and incident. The first level remains one of the all time greats, a perfect roll out of jump scares, weirdness, and big taxing shoot outs that gives you simple weapons and asks you to just use them well. The pace that level sets never lets up the whole time even as F.E.A.R.’s plot gets sillier and sillier.

No game here is better at putting boots to asses than . It's a bull in a china shop; a runaway train that's on fire, strapped with explosives, and barreling through downtown. If you find carnage an art, then Bulletstorm is your Louvre. Creative killing is rewarded in abundance here. Strap a bandit with explosives and kick him into another bandit before detonating them both in a shower of bloody giblets: you get points. Use your beam lasso to toss a guy into an overgrown cactus just for the hell of it: you get points. Steering your sniper bullet around a corner to land the perfect headshot before detonating that bullet to trigger an exploding barrel that obliterates two other enemies: you get so many points.

The best way to approximate Bulletstorm would be to imagine any Mad Max: Fury Road trailer, re-work it into a first-person shooter, and then temper it with a streak of gallows humor that stops it from ever taking itself too seriously. And just like Fury Road, Bulletstorm's action isn't just vapid eye candy, but extremely satisfying gunplay that constantly challenges you to think of new and exciting ways of utilizing the (deadly) toys it gives you. Try it out and see if the heavy KA-THUNK of your quad-barreled shotgun doesn't warm your heart as it melts your opponents into a bloody stew.

Quake 3 is the Olympic gymnast of the FPS genre. Knowing how to aim each beautifully unique weapon is only half the battle, because there's a multitude of mobility options that blast the maps wide open, provided you can master them. Tricky maneuvers like rocket jumping, plasma climbing, and grenade jumping are all stacked atop your basic pace-quickening bunny hop, making it so that a skilled player can fly through any of the artfully laid-out maps at blazing speeds.

Competing in this arena makes absurd demands of your hand-eye coordination; those rail gun headshots aren't going to hit themselves. But at high-level play, it also becomes an intense battle of wits over space control, knowing the precise timing of power-up spawn-ins and deducing where the opponent is based on subtle audio cues. Listening to Shane "rapha" Hendrixson explain all the multilayered thought processes behind his flawless play in this is like going to church for those who can appreciate the finer minutiae of FPS skill.

Most pure shooters rely on a scripted gun-range mentality as a rule. Obedient targets rush into view and everyone merrily mows them down. Far Cry 4, on the other hand, is open world paintball where the focus is on dealing with whatever the hell turns up. Any FPS built on emergent events and improvisation needs a tight gun-handling model and this nails it, letting you pop off crossbow bolts and rockets almost with the power of thought alone, it’s so easy.

You could almost forget it’s not linear, such is the cavalcade of trigger-pumping action as honey badgers burst from bushes or trucks skid off the road spilling guards ready to attack. The behind-the-scenes scripting required to achieve such a smooth flow of action is impressive. However, perhaps its best contribution to the FPS world is that aggressive, rapid-pace stealth: swapping hiding behind corners for sprinting machete runs and stolen gun double take downs.

Battlefield is the king of big scale, multiplayer battles. While COD offers a much personal, more enclosed FPS experience, Battlefield goes big on everything. Maps, vehicles, events, team-play, stats… one of the game’s real strengths is making you feel like you’re a small part of a much larger, ongoing war. And you’re never out-gunned, because there’s always a way to take out a tank, or deal with groups of enemies - you just need to be smart with your squads and their load-outs.

Battlefield 3 specifically hits the sweet spot in terms of shooting mechanics, well-designed maps, and balanced classes/vehicles. It’s no longer the most shiny or comprehensive game, but there’s still a healthy community desperate to shoot you in the face and gather the XP. Sure, Battlefield 4 looks nicer, and has levolution, but it’s not as robust and well-designed as BF3.

You might think, as old as Perfect Dark is, it's long past due to retire from best shooter lists like this one. Released in 2000 when developers were turning out 3D games like proud primary schoolers at their first science fair, the adventures of Joanna Dark have aged in ways that would push other games out of consideration. But by a stroke of good fortune, and thanks to design choices that look smarter with every passing year, much of what made Perfect Dark great back then is still near-perfect now.

There's its eclectic arsenal of weaponry, including everything from a basic pistol, to an x-ray sniper rifle, to a rocket launcher that you can control via first person view, cackling as your friends scatter to avoid the inevitable. Even the sound of the guns and the way they reload is satisfying, alongside the actual shooting, which is smooth enough for dedicated players to master or newcomers to get the hang of quickly. Plus, with the option for four-person multiplayer and dozens of challenges to overcome, there's even more to do after the campaign than during it. This girl is in her golden years, and she's still got it.

Titanfall may not have a single-player campaign, but honestly, it doesn't need it. Not only is this shooter able to provide those big, explosive moments you'd get from a single-player Call of Duty campaign in a multiplayer setting, it's able to provide them by weaving them organically into the core gameplay. Besides, a proper story would just get in the way of its immediate, moment-to-moment action.

Titanfall is a game in constant motion, whether you're boosting up onto a billboard and wall-running into a bombed-out building or you're picking off AI-controlled NPCs to whittle your Titan's respawn timer down a few more seconds. And once that timer hits zero, down comes your giant mech, which you can either pilot yourself or use as your personal robot bodyguard. There are few greater thrills than hopping onto the back of an enemy Titan, shooting it to pieces, launching yourself into the air, landing on another Titan, blowing that one up, then launching onto the roof of a building, all without breaking your stride. Most games wish they could be half this exciting - this kind of stuff happens in Titanfall all the time.

Metro: 2033 felt more like a promise than a fully realized game when it first came out in 2010. Its post-nuclear war world, where humanity survives underground, felt forbidding and harsh, but almost comforting at the same time. Was it violent, poisonous and overrun with killer mutants and sociopathic idealists trying to control the Moscow underground’s precious resources? Sure it was, but it also never felt apocalyptic; life in Metro went on after the bombs fell, people just wore gas masks a lot more often.

As full as its world is, though, the original Metro was miserable to play. Limp gunplay soured vivid ideas like having to manage bullets that are both ammunition and currency as well as the delicious tension of having to constantly search for mask filters on the irradiated surface. , the package that paired 4A Games’ second chapter Last Light with a vastly improved version of 2033, delivers on the original promise in full. Not only does lead character Artyom’s journey finally feel complete with both games under one roof, the action is as fully realized as the world itself.

Few things in life are better than splattering digital zombie brains all over the walls of post-apocalyptic alleyways. And that's why Left 4 Dead 2 is so great. You get to decapitate and explode hostile, risen corpses to your heart's content. And, sure there are plenty of games that let you gun down hordes of undead with everything from a shotgun to a katana sword, but Left 4 Dead 2 is easily one of the best at what it does.

There aren't any complicated stories to keep up with or kill to death ratios to worry about. It's just you and your co-op friends trying not to get eaten alive by player-controlled super zombies and common undead as you move from one safe house to the next. You get the shooting mechanics of Half-Life 2, classic zombie slaying weapons that feel oh so satisfying in your hands, and hundreds of running corpses to shoot. If you somehow get tired of blasting zombies to bits, you can join the other side and hunt the humans as the opposing super zombie team. Left 4 Dead 2 has it all, and absolutely deserves a place as one of the best shooters of all time.

Say no more than ‘Super Shotgun’ to summarize the best of what Doom brought to the demon dissection table. The indispensable weapon lets you barrel through hell with, well, twice as many barrels as you’re used to, amping up Doom’s classic monster-mash to a bloody crescendo.

While its predecessor is the dominant cultural touchstone, Doom 2 shows far more ambition in its level design and its nightmarish menagerie, even drafting old bosses from Doom to fill in as regular enemies. It also abandons the strict episodic structure in its move from Phobos to Earth, letting you keep your arsenal for the duration of the game. And at the end of this hell-jaunt, in a secret room, you’ll find the remains of hell’s true architect: John Romero’s severed head on a stick. It makes the trip worth it, every time.

Chances are, you’re one of the many people who played and enjoyed the original Resistance (because it was a PS3 launch game), got burned badly by Resistance 2 (because it’s ass), and didn’t even bother with Resistance 3. Big mistake. It was one of the best story-driven shooters of the last console generation.

There are definite shades of Half-Life and Metro in Resistance 3, which tells the tragic story of Nathan Hale’s eerie, cross-American journey, where he attempts to save humanity from the seemingly unstoppable Chimera. There are so many stand out moments in the narrative, and the emotion Hale goes through - as he turns his back on his family for the sake of humanity - really gets under your skin. Oh, and the weapons (because they’re made by the creative minds at Insomniac) are both unique and utterly brilliant. Come on, Sony. Stop pissing about with Killzone and give us more Resistance.

In terms of pure shooter feel, has few equals. The gunplay in Bungie’s opus is a delightfully refined, deceptively subtle evolution of the action we know and love from the Halo series, buffed with elemental abilities and a dizzying array of weapon/armour perks. It just feels so great to play; to be in that world, hosing enemies. What’s truly commendable too, is that the shooting works perfectly in both PvE and PvP - few games truly achieve excellence at both.

And because the shooting is so smooth, so endlessly entertaining, it’s easier to forgive some of the game’s perceived flaws. Sure, Crucible still isn’t the finished article, and it’s occasionally unbalanced and glitchy, but every match is taught and brutally contested. No, the plot isn’t explained very well, but who cares when the shooting is this good? And the best part is that Destiny improves with every update, so this already-first-class FPS just keeps getting better.

is the game that defined modern FPS games. After Modern Warfare came out, many shooters tried to capture some of its new FPS magic, whether it was adding progression systems to multiplayer, or rollercoaster-ride action sequences to story modes. The game has one of the most memorable and satisfying single player campaigns in any shooter, genre-changing multiplayer, and an innovative co-op mode, each being just about enough content to justify as its own game but packaged together to make a gargantuan shooter that you could conceivably never stop playing.

Even with the yearly sequels, the series has yet to top the disturbing, yet ultimately unforgettable events of Modern Warfare’s story. After all, it's not every game that you get to experience your own death in the wake of a nuclear blast, or camouflage yourself in tall grass as enemy troops walk right over you. The multiplayer is still home to players looking for a pure CoD experience, where killstreaks only come in three varieties and gunplay skill reigns supreme. No Call of Duty game has changed the genre as much since Modern Warfare, and it doesn't look like it will be topped any time soon.

This may seem like a bit of a cheat since is an anthology of previous Halo games, but here are the key reasons why it deserves its own recognition. First, each game has been updated in some noticeable way, whether that's a simple update to the frames per second as is the case with Halo 4, or if it's a complete re-tooling with a new engine, cut-scenes and content as is the case with Halo 2 Anniversary. In other words, despite the word ‘collection’ being right there in the title, this isn't a simple rehash. The Master Chief Collection offers experiences you simply can't get anywhere else. And yes, they are all that good. Whether it's the immediately-comfortable feel of Halo: Combat Evolved, the dual-wielding and bigger-than-life action of Halo 2, the masterful sandbox design of Halo 3 or the storytelling expertise of Halo 4, each individual game in The Master Chief Collection deserves its accolades.

Second, in a move that we hope more developers take note of, 343 Industries combined multiplayer matchmaking across all titles to offer a singular experience. True, The Master Chief Collection suffered at launch (and some time post-launch) with matchmaking bugs galore, but with the technical hurdles now behind us, it's easier to appreciate the wealth of content available to players. Just as importantly, 343 didn't try to force its hand in terms of unifying the online experience. Want to play with original Halo rules? Go for it. Blood Gulch has been re-released about a bajillion times, but you can choose your favorite version. Choice is the defining attribute here, and that's worth some serious kudos.

You’ve probably heard a lot about how Half-Life 2 is the most groundbreaking, most important, most genre-changing FPS ever made. You’ve probably heard endless championing of its prowess in the areas of interactive narrative, precision pacing, awe-inspiring set-pieces, and deliriously inventive interaction. You’re probably sick of hearing it. But there are two important points about the now 11 year-old rhetoric of unreserved Half-Life praise. Firstly, it’s all entirely true and accurate. Secondly, none of it really gets at just how damn fun Half-Life 2 is.

It’s easy to talk about a game like this by listing concrete innovations and bullet-pointed achievements, but the fact is, you won’t be thinking about any of that when you’re whirling between the buildings of one of H-L2’s, small, open settlements, gunning down two Combine troops in a row before spinning around and launching a pinball of plasma springing around the wall to nail an unseen third. Not as you catch the fourth one’s grenade with the Gravity Gun and hurl it back into his face half a second later. Not as you look up, spot a gunship and a Strider coming over the horizon, and immediately pull out your rocket-launcher, deciding which will suffer your laser-guided fury first. Yes, Half-Life 2 is a cerebral genius, but when it comes to fighting, it’s a Swiss Army Knife strapped to a pinwheel.

Wait, what? A semi-obscure, two-generations old cartoon shooter beating out the likes of Half-Life 2 and Halo? Yes. Because while it never quite made the iconic status of its genre's brightest stars, the GoldenEye team's best game is flat-out the most creative, imaginative, lovingly-crafted, and just outright fun FPS ever made. Not only that, but in its format, structure, and content offering, it's a game so far ahead of its time that we're still waiting for someone to catch up.

Its loose, time-travelling plot is the gateway to a pantheon of utterly unique, immaculately conceptualised levels, each with a feel, flow, and design as special as its setting and look. And although consistently hilarious in its film-pastiching conceits, it's a game packed with immense depth and precise intent, an intricate structure of differing approaches, strategies, and immediate, gratifying fun. But then there's the seemingly endless array of blisteringly fast, entertaining, and kinetic multiplayer options. And the similarly vast, ludicrously creative challenge modes, that push the tight but accessible shooting and madly eclectic weapon-set to their limits, and beg for a second, online-enabled life. And good Lord, those unlockable characters. Monkeys vs. Gingerbread Men in a chaingun battle to the death? Hell yes. Hell yes indeed.

Early access is a fascinating grey area in gaming consumerism, where developers can charge money for unfinished-but-playable products with no clear indication of when - or if - they'll ever be completed. Valve, ever the risk-taking experimenter, launched the Steam Early Access program back in March 2013, letting customers buy into alpha builds so they could give developers direct feedback, kickstart the beginnings of a community, and bring needed bug fixes to light.

This uncertain space in the game market isn't going away anytime soon; just look at the runaway success of the recent 'sandbox survival with dinosaurs' Early Access game ARK: Survival Evolved, or Microsoft's E3 2015 announcement of the puts it, "You should be aware that some teams will be unable to 'finish' their game."

The quick pitch: DayZ was one of the first breakout hits in the 'open-world survival' genre, dropping your unarmed avatar into a world full of brain-munching zombies and players ready to backstab one another to survive.
You could buy it as far back as: December 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Things aren't looking too good at the moment. When it first hit Early Access, DayZ was all the rage: fans of the original Arma 2 mod were excited to try this standalone version, and innumerable livestreams and Let's Plays exposed thousands to a pioneer of the 'zombie survival' genre. But two years later, a lot of those customers are feeling betrayed, given that the game's still in alpha and riddled with bugs. It may end up limping to the finish line - and now it has to compete with almost identical Early Access games like 7 Days to Die and H1Z1.

The quick pitch: A canonical sequel to the indie oddity (deep breath) AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!, you zoom through a void weaving around shapes generated by your MP3 library.
You could buy it as far back as: June 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Unlikely. The terribly acronymed 123KIDTBLAUB has had a tumultuous existence, first 'launching' on April 1, 2011 as part of the Portal 2 ARG, then inexplicably transitioning onto the Steam Early Access platform in mid-2013. Given that the game hasn't been updated since July 2013, it's all but assured that it's been unceremoniously abandoned, especially given that it's no longer for sale.

The quick pitch: Live out your dreams of being the warden of a maximum security prison, doing everything in your power to prevent breakouts, riots, and general tomfoolery.
You could buy it as far back as: March 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Assured, but it'll probably be a while. Prison Architect actually tried out the Early Access format before Steam did, offering a buy-in alpha build on its site as early as September 2012. Things have been improving steadily since then, with a new build every month and plenty of ways to put your inmates through hell (or try to rehabilitate them, but where's the fun in that?).

The quick pitch: You're a buck-naked guy in the wilderness. What comes next is up to you - but whatever you want to accomplish, it's going to involve loads of crafting, resource gathering, and quite probably being held up at spear-point by a tribe of experienced players.
You could buy it as far back as: December 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? High. Rust's community is still thriving, and the developers provide a steady stream of weekly updates and constant communication. Recently, one such update introduced variable penis sizes for your randomly generated male avatar. This has created, as PC Gamer calls it, a .

The quick pitch: Not to be confused with Aliens: Colonial Marines, this tactical, squad-based FPS has you playing a near-future soldier wearing a helmet with a seriously spiffy heads-up display.
You could buy it as far back as: July 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Uncertain. Updates from the development team have started to pick up speed as of this year, but the progress is slow going. After two years, the single-player/co-op campaign still only has a scant two levels, and there isn’t much to distinguish its bare-bones multiplayer from all the other near-future shooters out there.

The quick pitch: Explore a procedurally generated chunk of the universe in your colorful astronaut outfit, gathering minerals from passing asteroids and building space stations piece by piece.
You could buy it as far back as: October 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Good. Constant updates keep the game fresh for its dedicated playerbase, including new modes like Survival and the PvP-enabled multiplayer. If you've ever wanted to play a version of Minecraft with realistic graphics and an outer space setting, this is it.

The quick pitch: A frenzied top-down shooter that evokes 16-bit classics like Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Smash TV, created by the inventive minds at Vlambeer. As a member of a ragtag group of apocalypse survivors - cutesy mutants, mostly - you have to blast your way through white-knuckle shootouts across the wasteland to claim your seat on the Nuclear Throne.
You could buy it as far back as: October 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Definite; the question is when. Nuclear Throne might be a case of trying to polish a piece of art ad infinitum - it's already got tons more features and inventive weapons than most indie games, and it's imminently playable to boot. Vlambeer says it'll "be in Early Access until it is done", but at least you get new updates every weekend to tide you over 'til its nebulous release date.

The quick pitch: A gorgeous pixelated take on classic DD, Dungeon Dashers sees you slashing swords and casting spells through monster-filled caverns and fortresses, one turn-based tile move at a time.
You could buy it as far back as: October 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Improbable, though there's reason to hold on to hope. Early buyers were miffed that the game had such great potential, but hadn't heard a peep or played an update from the developer since September 2014. That's because he was devoting his attention on Crossy Road, a side project that unexpectedly became a hit on mobile. In a commendable gesture, the money from that success will go into rebuilding Dungeon Dashers in unity, giving this RPG another chance at life.

The quick pitch: Bohemia Interactive is best known for its military simulation series Arma, but this curio lets you be the first astronaut to explore the barren surface of Mars.
You could buy it as far back as: August 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Could be any day now. After two years of alpha development, Take On Mars should transition into beta sometime this July (the game was originally projected for a June 2015 release date, but Early Access buyers can't be choosers). From there, it's only a matter of time until it's officially launched, much to the delight of gamers who can appreciate the serene, almost unnerving tranquility of trekking solo through a red desert.

The quick pitch: You're the husky, abstractly rendered survivor of a shipwreck, trying to fend for yourself on a 2D tropical island via exploration and crafting. It's a spiritual successor to indie game jam gem Under the Garden, from the same developer.
You could buy it as far back as: April 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Zero - but that's only in reference to the original version. The project was in dire straits when it was revealed earlier this year that from Steam, due to depleted funding and the departure of the game's lone programmer. But earlier this past April, the developer has claimed that he'll restart the whole project, working solo this time around. Kudos to him for trying to see the game through.

The quick pitch: One of the earlier games to employ the 'survive and establish a fort in this sandbox desert apocalypse' structure, and easily among the most ambitious. Its RPG elements are more prominent than its contemporaries, and the intriguing weapon and costume designs give it a Mad Max vibe, minus the cars. Also, there are cannibals, conical hats, and samurai swords.
You could buy it as far back as: March 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? Decent, but don't hold your breath waiting for a final build. Kenshi is a labor of love, with one developer that it's been nine years since the project started. But the new alpha versions continue to steadily roll out, so the game's bound to be finished at some point.

The quick pitch: Try your hand at rocket science by building a space-voyager from scratch, with some inevitable crash-and-burn failures along the way. Thankfully, you're cheered on by the adorable Kerbals (which, come to think of it, are not unlike mint-colored Minions).
You could buy it as far back as: March 2013

What's the likelihood of it escaping Early Access alive? It already has! Of Steam Early Access' class of 2013, Kerbal is undoubtedly the valedictorian, graduating in April 2015 to universal acclaim from players and critics. It's the exemplar of an Early Access game done right: it launched with a unique concept that got players interested, kept them hooked with constant updates, and ultimately delivered the product that was promised and anticipated from the beginning. Two years can feel like a long time, but Kerbal Space Program made the wait painless with continuous iteration atop a perfectly playable foundation.