Move through this gallery to see characters from some of your favorite franchises, like League of Legends, Street Fighter, and everything in between [note to editor - these will change depending on what I actually photograph]. Maybe you'll be inspired to don your own gaming garb...

For more great games of dress-up, check out the .

Move through this gallery to see characters from some of your favorite franchises, like League of Legends, Street Fighter, and everything in between [note to editor - these will change depending on what I actually photograph]. Maybe you'll be inspired to don your own gaming garb...

For more great games of dress-up, check out the .

When you put a ton of smart, creative people in the same space, good things are bound to happen. That's the idea behind the Game Developers Conference, the annual week-long gathering that invites people from all walks of game industry life to sync up and share ideas. As of today, GDC 2015 is wrapping up, and after five days of attending panels, playing indie gems, and getting a closer look at the VR tech that may very well determine gaming's future, we're feeling thoroughly enriched.

But if you couldn't make it out to San Francisco this year, don't fret. We picked up tons of interesting factoids and behind-the-scenes stories at GDC '15 - the kinds of tidbits that can get overlooked amidst all the news and previews. So here, in one convenient location, is a collection of the most downright interesting things we learned at GDC. Get ready to feel enlightened... or at the very least, feel like you've got a cool new anecdote to share with a friend.

It's probably no surprise to learn that triple-A game developers use a lot of data and focus groups to fine tune their games. Bungie was no different when it came to developing the missions and systems of its open-world shooter, . The dev team used lots of pre-release testers to play early builds of the game and let the creators know which parts of the game were fun and which sucked.

Typically, pause buttons are used to take a break from a game and collect feedback from the test participants, but because pausing isn't possible in an online-only game like Destiny, the developers had to think of some other way to get that precious data. The solution: give players instant access to button combinations that would tell the developers when they felt confused, lost, frustrated, or when something awesome happened. From there, the developers were able to create heatmaps of the awesome spots (as well as the not-so-great areas) and fill out the lame spots with extra awesome stuff. Awesome, right?

At the more technically focused talk titled ‘ Motion Capture Pipeline,’ Naughty Dog’s Damon Shelton talked about what happens with motion-capture data after the actors are done. Basically it takes a lot of programs and developmental elbow grease to craft the people of that dystopian future, including test footage using two of the only complete character models. So, to map out the involved animation of Ellie battling a Clicker, Naughty Dog had to make a ton of test footage featuring Joel’s model attacking the last person you’d expect him to.

Obviously this footage of Joel attacking Ellie would never be used in the game, Naughty Dog dropped the proper models in when all the assets were complete. Still, it must have been odd during development to cycle through hours and hours of footage of Joel attempting to bite Ellie’s face off. Shelton also revealed that Joel’s actor, Troy Baker, is actually a few inches taller than Joel, so they had to shrink the actor down to fit the finalized character model.

Back when first came out, a lot of people were shocked to discover how good it was. Meanwhile, the folks at Telltale Games were just shocked (and incredibly relieved) that so many people liked it. "We were sweating bullets when Walking Dead went out, because it was so weird," Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner said during a panel on the company's narrative approach to gameplay. Specifically, the game was an odd entry in the adventure game genre, since it had very few puzzles and focused almost entirely on player choice and dialogue. Given that standards for the genre were set by the likes of Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island, The Walking Dead looked like a bit of an odd bird, and no one was really sure how it was going to pan out.

Thankfully, things worked in the game's favor, but that hasn't made the Telltale team less anxious. "Every time something comes out, we are terrified [about] how it's going to be received," Bruner noted, pointing to the skeptical reactions the studio received received after announcing Tales from the Borderlands. Still, the goal remains the same as it did in The Walking Dead's development: "I don't think we were trying to build… the world's greatest anything. We just wanted to build something that we thought was good."

Danganronpa and its sequel got a lot of critical buzz last year, but still stayed under the radar for many mainstream gamers. Those who played it loved the characters and densely written plot, but perhaps the series potential is limited by its platform. The Vita isn’t known for big sales, and Danganronpa's creator wishes things were different.

While clarifying that he wasn’t being paid in any way by Sony, Kazutaka Kodaka began and ended his presentation with funny slides that exclaimed, 'why won’t people buy a Vita!' He didn’t elaborate on those frustrations too much, as he soon dove into the nuts and bolts of writing a game’s story, but the situation is understandable. Kodaka and his fellow developers are certainly invested in the handheld, even if the sales are dwindling worldwide. It's tough to maintain a system on niche titles like Danganronpa, even if they do tell some of the best stories in games.

Much like his most famous games, Japanese developer Hidetaka 'Swery65' Suehiro is so quirky and unassuming that you just can't help but love him. While hosting a panel about the development of the Xbox One episodic mystery D4, Swery hinted that . But that's not all - he also shared a whopping 65 tips pulled from his very own development process, including this valuable bit of wisdom to game makers: don't play the game you're creating every day.

"By leaving a little bit of room [between playtests], it allows for you to not get stale and have the same [recurring] opinions," he said. To ensure that he doesn't miss the forest for the game-development trees, Swery onlys plays the games he's making once a week - on Thursday, to be exact. Some other fun facts about Swery: whenever something bad happens at the office, his solution is to simply hug it out. When developing the characters for his games, he likes to map out a timeline for each of their fictional lives. Also, he owns four Power Gloves.

Stop me if this has happened to you: you're on a prisoner transfer ship, and all of sudden, the ship is attacked. You, the crew, and all the prisoners are rushed onto escape pods and jettisoned down to a mysterious planet. You find yourselves lost in an underground dungeon, and must work together to get out. It's so awkward, right? I hate it when that happens.

Dungeon of the Endless is a little bit dungeon crawler and a little bit tower defense. You explore randomly generated dungeons room by room, collecting new items and leveling up your characters in solo or co-op play. You also earn currency used to build fortifications in the rooms you've visited, in case hordes of enemies spawn when you enter the next area. Once you finally reach an exit, the finale involves running back to your starting point, picking up a special item, and slowly carrying it to the exit, all the while fending off an endless stream of enemies pouring in from all sides. Hope your fortifications are up to snuff in time for this PC-to-Xbox One port.

Magicka 2, a game about mages mixing magic spells to defeat imposing hordes of enemies, . This is new territory for publisher Paradox Interactive, which is known for catering exclusively to the PC market - though apparently not for lack of trying on Sony's part. "Sony asked earlier if we would like to publish our games on PlayStation 3," Paradox studio manager Mattias Wiking noted during a demonstration of Magicka 2. "We said 'No, it's a bit too complicated for us. We need to do regular game updates that our fans are really demanding.' So, it wasn't really a good platform for us."

What happened to change Paradox's mind? The PS4, and serious efforts by Sony to simplify the process of developing for it. "One day Sony came and said, 'Now we have the PlayStation 4... we're gonna make it really easy for everyone to publish their games." Wiking explained. "And we were like, 'Yeah, this will work.'" As Sony and Microsoft vie for ever more exclusive content from third-party developers, it's interesting to hear straight from the creators about how these interactions go. If Paradox's example is any indication, Sony has genuinely upped its game for this generation, with a focus on making its system attractive to a wider range of game makers.

If you're a fan of the ship combat from , but wish there was a lot more to it (and it was set in space), Rebel Galaxy is your space sim. You own a spaceship, with which you can do whatever you want. There is a full, open-world galaxy for you to explore, tons of characters to meet, and plenty of opportunities to rake in the dolla' bills.

There are many ways to approach Rebel Galaxy. Those who are keen on a complex storyline can follow the main quest chain, help or exploit important characters, and make universe-altering decisions. Alternatively, you can just skip all of that and raid merchant ships for their valuable cargo, becoming an infamous space pirate. The choice is yours.

Ever wanted an asymmetrical online multiplayer game about being constantly freaked out? You absolutely need to try , which has a simple setup but horrifying results. Rounds start with everyone controlling one of the Flock: large, skeletal creatures living in the eternal darkness of ancient Earth. Somewhere on the map is the Light Artifact; if you're holding it, you're winning the game. Naturally, the other Flock will try and take it from you, but you can stop them by shining your light in their direction. Should a Flock move while exposed to the light, they'll instantly burn to a crisp.

Imagine it: you're running through a narrow, stone valley. It's completely dark, save for the dim beam emanating from the Light Artifact. All around you are clicks and scrapes from the Flock's talons as they encircle their prey, unseen. Suddenly, a crash! You spin around, coming face to face with one of the hunchbacked beasts, knowing that the moment you look away it will cut you down. But, from behind, you can hear the scratching drawing closer.

To announce that Unreal Engine 4 is now free to everyone, Epic Games showed off a mesmerizing cinematic trailer, which depicts a giant open world that could easily double as the next entry in the Elder Scrolls series. At a subsequent panel, Epic divulged the secrets to developing this stunningly convincing landscape - but the bottom line is that proper lighting plays a huge part in a world's believability.

Hundreds of reference photos of cliffs, plains, and moss-covered rocks were taken to create a scene reminiscent of the Isle of Skye in Scotland for the . But even with high-res textures covering the landscape, the scene still needs to react properly to incoming light sources, or the illusion is shattered when shadows don't line up with their environment. Luckily, Unreal Engine 4 can handle some absurdly complex lighting jobs, able to compute the amount of sunlight that should bounce off the ground onto other objects, or the way light scatters on human skin.

Outside of the meeting rooms and show floor, there were a number of displays in the halls and foyers of the Moscone Center. One of the most interesting had to be the Videogame Museum’s display near the North Hall. The Texas-based organization brought some of its most valuable artifacts from gaming history for all to see.. This display was dedicated exclusively to the history of Atari, the first truly mainstream console maker in the US, and the showing wasn’t limited to mere games.

There were pristine game boxes, countless promotional materials that were kept in very good condition, and working models of every system setup. And the mood was perfectly set by '80s pop hits playing in the background. Check out our for a first-hand look at the loving tribute to a huge part of gaming history - and make it complete by listening to Boy George while you do it.

Are you annoyed at how rare interactive toys like amiibo can get? Do you wish Nintendo would just make a few more? Well, it’s not all that easy, as GDC’s Disney Infinity 2.0 panel attested. The second release in Disney Interactive’s toys-to-life series added a ton of new figures to the world, many from Marvel Comics, and the production took 10 long months.

The amount of pre-planning for figures even afford the Disney Infinity team the lead time to help inspire the comics themselves - the current look of Venom in the comics is informed by his Infinity design. The developers also dodged any questions about Star Wars figures being added to the mix... but if that’s happening in time for December’s new film, then the toys are likely being made at this very moment, right? Unless they somehow shortened the production time since 2014.

Was this look behind the scenes engrossing? Do you want to ask the folks that attended GDC some more questions? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Want to get even more GDC trivia? Check out .

I may not have any experience making games, but I've been involved with them as a fan and as a professional long enough to know that game development is some seriously difficult business. There are so many things that can go wrong, whether engine licenses expire, publishers change hands, or high-ranking developers leave everyone high and dry. Even when things go right, ambitious titles can take years of development before they ever see the light of day.

In many cases, the games that enter what we call 'development hell' don't turn out so hot - a quick Google search for Duke Nukem Forever and Daikatana will tell you as much. But sometimes, magically, everything comes up sunshine and rainbows, and that game you've been reading about since grade school finally arrives and turns out to be pretty great. These games prove that, even if you take over a decade, all will be forgiven if the experience turns out to be worthwhile. OK, most of it will be forgiven.

Number of years in development: 6

Coming hot off the success of Max Payne 2 in 2003, Remedy Entertainment decided to shift gears a bit, leaving the fate of the previously-constipated noir hero in the hands of Rockstar Games. Its next project would be a bit darker, a bit more horrific, and a hell of a lot more forested. At E3 2005, Remedy announced the arrival of Alan Wake, a new breed of psychological horror game, that would make its way to Xbox 360 and PC. Despite this early reveal, we wouldn't get a chance to play it until 2010.

Alan Wake was originally supposed to be an open-world game, where time would pass in a realistic fashion, people would go about their daily lives, and you'd have to interrogate suspects and investigate clues to solve the bigger mystery. The PC version was dropped to focus on Xbox 360 (but eventually saw release in 2012), and its scale was cut back from its original plans significantly. It would have been interesting to explore an open world set in the spooooky Pacific Northwest, but the linear constraints placed a much tighter focus on the narrative, amplifying the scare factor considerably. Plus, its episodic nature makes it feel like you're playing through a television mini-series, which is actually pretty cool.

Years in development: 5

Gran Turismo has always been known for its realistic driving physics and jazzy soundtrack, and after two successful outings on the PlayStation 2, racing fans were looking forward to the gorgeous looking cars that only the next-generation of hardware could render. But that kind of slavish attention to detail takes time, and the arrival of Sony's flagship racing series wouldn't arrive on the PlayStation 3 until 2010.

The first concept footage of what Gran Turismo could be on PlayStation 3 arrived at E3 2005, even though the console wouldn't release in stores for another year. Development continued plugging along, with the occasional bit of news/confirmation of existence peeking out every few months. In that span of time, developer Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo HD Concept (a free demo designed to show off what Gran Turismo 5 would be capable of) and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (a paid expanded 'demo' designed to show off what Gran Turismo 5 would be capable of). When Gran Turismo 5 finally finished development in 2010, it was met with widespread acclaim. And even better, the developers learned learned the value of picking up the goddamned pace, releasing Gran Turismo 6 a mere three years later.

Number of years in development: 7

Ambition is admirable, and L.A. Noire is nothing if not ambitious. After developing the uniquely cinematic actioner The Getaway, Brendan McNamara formed Team Bondi to work on a 1940s neo-noir detective game called L.A. Noire. Development started in 2004, with publishing duties originally handled by Sony. L.A. Noire would be a showcase for the PlayStation 3, featuring realistically modeled digital actors, complete with realistic emotional cues and facial tics that would truly sell the team's vision of 1940s Los Angeles.

Ambition can also be deadly, as L.A. Noire missed numerous deadlines. The publishing duties were transferred to Rockstar Games in 2006, and it was supposed to hit in 2008. And then came the delays, eventually getting pushed back to 2010, and once again to 2011, where it finally saw release to a mixed reception. Its narrative isn't perfect, and its tech doesn't so much as creep past the uncanny valley so much as it pours gasoline over its head, lights a match, and elbow drops all the way down. Not to mention that pressing that 'doubt' button sends Detective Phelps on some pretty volatile mood swings. Even so, it's a solid detective story, and there's still nothing else quite like it.

Years in development: 6

Before Fallout 3 filled our heads with visions of fully explorable irradiated wastelands, there was STALKER (written here without all of the individual periods between letters because I value your sanity). It was announced in 2001, with an original release date of 2003. But since this game is on a list of games that entered development hell, it (obviously) missed that date by a mile.

I remember reading about it in magazines like PC Gamer, where each update seemed to remind us that yes, this game does in fact still exist, and yes, we will believe it when we see it. When it finally released in 2007, its stability can best be described as ranging between 'working' and 'on fire'. But when it did work, its open-world… was really something special, plopping us into a hellscape filled with opportunistic bandits and mutated beasts. Many of its issues have since been smoothed out, and fans have even created mods that up the graphical quality significantly.

Years in development: 5

BioShock Infinite states that there's always a man, a lighthouse, and a city, but even that seemed uncertain at the onset. During the first few months of development, the team at Irrational came up with several possible locations for the sequel, including revisiting Rapture and even setting it during the Renaissance, though the reveal of Assassin's Creed 2 stopped that idea in its tracks. Eventually, the team settled on the skybound city of Columbia, which allowed for the natural implementation of the sky-hook.

Even with the setting solidified, the game itself shifted constantly, even from its explosive reveal in 2010 to its eventual release in 2013. Drinkable Nostrums (think a passive version of Vigors) gave way to equippable gear, multiplayer plans were developed and ultimately shelved, and several high-profile members of the team left years before finishing. Epic Games' Rod Fergusson was brought in late in development as a closer, intent on getting this game shipped. While what we got was certainly a far cry from the initial demo revealed in 2010, BioShock Infinite is still a highly-entertaining shooter filled with the sort of big ideas you don't often see in mainstream games.

Years in development: 6

When Freelancer launched in 2003, it seemed almost miraculous, such was the development hell famed Wing Commander dev Chris Roberts found himself in. Initially conceived in 1997, Roberts and his team at Digital Anvil wanted it to be a massive, virtual galaxy, full of possibilities. Two years later, Freelancer was revealed to the public, with a scheduled release of fall 2000.

Chris Roberts left development after Microsoft bought out Digital Anvil and forced the team to scale back many of the ambitious plans Roberts desired. Automated flight maneuvers, multiple dialog options, and multiplayer capable of supporting thousands of concurrent players were either reduced significantly from their initial goals or abandoned completely. While the final product was a mere fraction of the game originally promised, Freelancer still turned out to be a fun, light-hearted take on the sprawling space-sim, though much of that was done without its original creator at the helm. Now that Chris Roberts is sitting on a pile of Scrooge McDuck money thanks to the crowd-funded success of Star Citizen, maybe that original dream will finally become a reality.

Years in development: 5

While a certain capper to the Half-Life saga may eventually end up on this list at some point (if the damn thing is even in the works), Half-Life 2 went through its own tumultuous road to release. It began development in 1999 (mere months after the first Half-Life) and finally saw the light of day in 2004. Five years may seem like a long wait when we live in a world where three Five Nights at Freddy's games have come out in less than eight months, but compared to many others on this list, it was downright speedy. That doesn't mean the wait was any less agonizing, though.

Developed in secrecy until its unveiling at E3 in 2003, Half-Life 2 was slated for release later that year, and the path even to that point was fraught with the perils brought on by new and untested technology. Unfortunately, a leak of its source code, maps, assets, and other data (along with the typical concerns of a big project) caused a year-long delay, pushing its release to November 2004. How did it turn out? I mean… Though five years is nothing compared to…

Years in development: 8

There's this joke that Valve Time operates on a different plane of existence than what we mere mortals are used to. If Valve says something will come out in September 2003, they really mean November 2004, as was the case with Half-Life 2. If Team Fortress 2 is any indication, you don't want to hear the word 'soon' escape anyone's lips, because you'll have to wait eight goddamn years.

Team Fortress Classic released in 1999, and was beloved by all who got their hands on this instant multiplayer, well, classic. But that wasn't enough for its developers, who instantly began work on Team Fortress 2. First shown off at E3 1999, Team Fortress 2 sported a modern military aesthetic, a command hierarchy, and even allowed for parachute drops. After several years of silence, Team Fortress 2 reemerged with a much more lively, cartoony look inspired by Cold War spy fiction. Its release as part of The Orange Box (along with Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Portal) virtually guaranteed its success, and its constant updates (including those coveted hats) have kept it relevant eight years after its release. Now, if we could only get an update on another highly-anticipated Valve game. Preferably in real time.

Years in development: 11

Prey went through numerous false starts and stops on the road to its eventual release in 2006. First conceived in 1995, Prey was imagined as the start of a long-running series that would be the showpiece for 3D Realms' in-house engines. Unfortunately, numerous technical issues and the departure of Tom Hall (who left to form Ion Storm with John Romero) caused the project to come to a screeching halt in 1999.

But it wasn't quite dead, as 3D Realms picked up development of the title again in 2001, bringing on Human Head Studios to help out. Even with this new lease on life, the new Prey wasn't officially confirmed until 2005, and even then, Prey still had another year left before it saw release on PC and Xbox 360. While 11 years of development may not have given us the greatest video game ever conceived, Prey was still a very highly entertaining sci-fi romp, filled with mind-bending portals and one of the .

Sure, delaying a game sucks, but if it means making a troubled game better, then it's probably worth doing. Unless it's Duke Nukem Forever. Some games deserve to be buried. What are some of your favorite, horribly delayed games? Let me know in the comments.

Looking for more? Check out these .

Fans of classic point-and-click adventures know the name by heart, with its open exploration, cheeky humor, and ever-present threat of comical death. Sierra's influential series is making a comeback courtesy of indie developer The Odd Gentlemen, and it looks like this new King's Quest has all the right stuff to keep up with adventure game contemporaries while still delighting old-school fans.

Comparisons to are inevitable - and given that series' pedigree, that's not at all a bad thing. KQ employs a similarly picturesque, hand-drawn look - in this case, literally, as all the backdrop textures in the game were printed out, painted with watercolors by hand, and scanned back into the environment. In terms of animation, KQ has the edge; exaggerated movements and cartoony poses give life to whimsical characters like a small, conniving merchant or a stocky, jerkwad knight.

Like Telltale's games, KQ comes in five individually sold chapters, which all tell a unique story from King Graham's rich history of clever heroism. with that use a framing device similar to The Princess Bride; you're playing through the memories of King Graham's youthful days as he narrates to his granddaughter Gwendolyn. But unlike The Walking Dead, where all paths eventually lead to the same endpoint, the choices you make here can alter both the telling of your coming-of-age story and Gwendolyn's personality. Exactly how this will affect your ending is still unclear, though knowing would admittedly be a huge spoiler.

Graham may not be the land's fastest, strongest, or smartest would-be knight, but he's all about ingenuity and creative solutions. Puzzles use a familiar combination of inventory items and environmental interaction - and just like the original games, you can pretty much die at any time if you're not careful. Thankfully, this King's Quest will actually autosave instead of kicking you back to the main menu upon death. With amenities that new players expect - no backtracking puzzles or dead ends, smooth controls, and simplified inputs - and the qualities that fans of older adventures adore, this King's Quest looks to be the perfect mix of new and old.

Check out the following screenshots for fo!

If you've played games for any length of time, you've likely heard this at some point from your parents/significant other/teacher/driving instructor: "Put those games down! They'll rot your brain! And watch the road!" Yeah, sometimes that's true. I've collected enough doodads and saved enough worlds that they all start to blend together into a mindless mash of bullets and gruff space marines. But not all games are brainless. Some actually strive to teach you something.

Games aren't just an amazing entertainment medium. They're a powerful tool that can be used to teach countless skills in ways that are way more compelling than sitting through two-hour lectures or filling out a hundred workbook pages. Play these games and you might actually learn something, much to your parents' chagrin. Eat that, mom and dad! I mean, thank you for raising me, and I appreciate the birthday check you sent last month. Yes, I will call more.

The incessant clacking of plastic guitars may sound like nothing more than a cacophony of noise, but it's the first step down the road to music appreciation and developing actual rhythm. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band let you take apart individual sections of songs and focus on them, subtly teaching you how the bassline for, say, 'Reptilia' fits in with the rest of the song. But if you want to graduate to actual rocking, well, you're in luck.

Rock Band's drum controller is actually a pretty reasonable facsimile of the real thing, complete with four drum pads and a foot pedal. While it's missing a few items from a full kit (namely the hi-hat), if you're drumming on expert, you're probably ready to join a band. If you're looking to get good at playing guitar (or bass), Rock Band 3's pro controller will help teach you actual chord structure. Or, hell, just grab a real guitar and hook it up to Rocksmith, a game which actually teaches you how to play guitar by slowly increasing difficulty levels and throwing fun mini-games your way. With enough dedication, you could go from gamer to rock god in a few months.

Quick: What's the best way to travel around the globe in 80 days? If your answer has the words 'Travel Channel' anywhere in it, you're doing it wrong. It's 19th-century Steampunk London, and you're following in the footsteps of Jules Verne's classic Around the World in 80 Days, and if you don't know your way around a globe, this brilliant mobile game will teach you real fast.

Do you take a hot air balloon across the Middle East? Or do you hitch a ride on the Trans-Siberian Railway? Where does that train even start? (Answer: it's Moscow) 80 Days' maps may not be entirely up to date (considering how much has changed in the last decade, let alone century), but it'll provide a decent crash course in world geography, culture, and even teach you how to survive on as little money as possible. Who knows? Maybe it'll even inspire a bit of wanderlust of your own.

You've seen Apollo 13, right? Three people get shoved inside a tin can, shot into space, everything goes horribly wrong, and somehow they get back to Earth relatively unharmed? Yeah, outer space is hard, and it's probably best to get some hands-on rocket-building experience without sacrificing actual people to do it. That's where Kerbal Space Program comes in.

Learn how to send your lovable Kerbals into space, land them on the moon, or get them to orbit their home planet through loads of trial-and-error (mostly error). You'll need to take into account things like trajectory, gravity, weight, propulsion, fuel, rocket shape and more to launch your Kerbals out of the atmosphere (and build a subsequent rocket to rescue those Kerbals once the first mission inevitably goes south). It's a fantastic way to learn actual rocket science. Hell, even NASA has endorsed the game, providing additional add-on missions and digital rocket parts for the realistic space-sim. Just… don't think too much about the Kerbals you've sent to their doom. It's all in the name of science.

Back in my day (God, I'm so old), if you wanted to learn about science or engineering, you got a few wires, some clock pieces, a potato, and you went from there. Now? Well, we've got Minecraft, and it's not just good for punching trees and turning them into swords or whatever you kids do these days. Nope, now you can actually learn electrical engineering, thanks to an in-game mineral known as Redstone.

With Redstone, you can power all sorts of mechanical devices. But it's not as simple as just hooking it up to whatever. No, much like actual electricity, correctly using Redstone means having to wrap your brain around how its current moves, splits, and transforms based on the blocks you use. Throw in some different logic gates and if you're good enough, you can create something as complex as a . So yeah, if you figure out how to use Redstone, you could probably figure out how to properly wire an actual city block with energy. Or at least how to wire up a clock without using any potatoes.

If you're like me, you abandoned all good sense, advice, and market trends to pursue a career in online media. Don't be like me. Take some time to learn a programming language. As our society moves further into the digital age, learning how to code is becoming ever more important. Hell, they're even teaching it to grade schoolers along with reading and arithmetic; it's that big of a deal. And like any skill worth learning, there are a few games you can play that will teach you the basics.

If you want to learn the logic behind if/then statements and recursion (also known as loops), look no further than a shot, which incorporates actual Javascript into the gameplay. Enough practice and you could become a level 50 Zuckerberg.

Along with coding, quick and accurate typing is probably one of the most important skills you'll need in today's workplace. No one wants to wait for a report from the guy who hunts and pecks at keys with his index fingers. But games are all about shooting guns and clicking on bad guys. They can't teach you how to type. Or can they???

Spoilers: They totally can. Check out , a twisted gem of a game that trades light guns for keyboards. Instead of shooting at zombies with bullets, you'll need to type out the on-screen prompts as quickly and accurately as you can. With randomized word selection and multiple difficulties, Typing of the Dead will put even the most adept keyboardist through the grinder. It's as awesome as it sounds.

If your dance moves have a tendency to clear a floor or put anyone within elbow's reach in the emergency room, you need to do two things. First, quit cribbing from Saturday Night Fever. I know Travolta seems hip, but seriously, no one wants to see that finger pointing move any more. Second, maybe it's time to give Dance Central a shot.

It's a great way to learn some rhythm, get in shape, and master a few professionally choreographed dance moves in the process. And thanks to the Kinect, you'll get instant feedback on how awkward and clumsy you look, which you can use to fuel your own self-loathing and drive for improvement. Sure, you probably wouldn't want to bust a lot of these out on an actual dance floor, but the increased coordination will certainly help.

Staying in shape is hard work, especially when fast-food companies continue to to get me to shove grease and fat down my mouthhole. Thankfully, Nintendo is there to help me not only get in shape, but increase my awareness of how my body operates. Hint: fried Twinkies don't help.

Wii Fit U has something for everyone. Yoga newbies and aficionados alike can work on their poses and breathing exercises. A variety of minigames will get your heart pumping while you have some fun in the process. And Wii Fit U will track your activities as well as your progress with different graphs, giving you perspective on your weight loss over time. It's not perfect, but it'll do more to improve your health than pretty much every other game in existence.

Supply and demand. Buy low, sell high. These are things that people spend tens of thousands of dollars on business school to learn. Or, you can skip all that and pick up a copy of Recettear, which gives you your very own item shop. It's up to you to figure out how to make it profitable.

You'll learn valuable skills like customer service, inventory management, and haggling. Keeping your patrons happy is a surefire way to gain repeat customers as well as new ones. Plus, by placing high-value items in the shop window, you'll be able to draw in even more customers as they lust after your rare and unique wares. Now, don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure you can list Recettear on an application for a small-business loan. You probably won't need to kill off a bunch of monsters to secure inventory for your actual, real life store, though it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

If you want to pick up a new language, get ready to spend a lot of time doing a ton of boring memorization and verb conjugation. You didn't pick up English overnight, so don't expect to be parlez-vous français-ing without putting the time in. If only there was a way to learn a second language and make it fun, too...

Good thing you're reading this list, because there totally is. Games like Influent and the My Language Coach series break down vocabulary words, verbs, and sentence construction into easily digestible parts, and let you practice to your heart's content. Both games have tons of audio recordings of native speakers of each language, and they're filled with puzzles, minigames and other activities to keep things interesting. Just because you're managing your dangling participles doesn't mean you can't have fun while you do it.

While these games will help teach you some important real life skills, you only get out what you put in. So really, you should just play more games to get really smart. Have you learned how to become a culinary mastermind thanks to Cooking Mama? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more? Check out the .

Whether it's the fault of starry-eyed art departments or marketing overseers with an eye for sexy box art, most playable character rosters could double for fashion model listings. Seriously, whether you can play as a guy or a girl in any given game, chances are your character is going to be really, really, ridiculously good looking - in anything from Altered Beast to Zelda. It's gotten pretty old.

Fortunately, through dedication to a non-standard aesthetic (or perhaps a basic misunderstanding of human faces), some less-than-perfect specimens slip into the final product. And I'm here to celebrate the least perfect of them all. Come with me for a look at some of the ugliest characters ever to surface in your video game, and let's hope to see more of their kind in the future!

It's cool that Nier is a JRPG character who doesn't look like he's cutting PE class to save the world, but he didn't have to swing quite so far in the other direction. Speaking of PE class, his wrinkly face is particularly weird on top of that smooth and muscular frame. For real, though, just bush up his eyebrows a little bit and he's the bodybuilder version of Andy Rooney.

Take away the eczema sores, the patchy male-pattern balding, the huge bags under his eyes, whatever is going on with those eyebrows, and the last dozen years of speed addiction, and Trevor Philips could actually be a pretty handsome guy. But you and I both know he'd rather be ugly as hell than give up that sweet, sweet meth.

I'm not calling Remedy's Sam Lake (the original face model for Max Payne) ugly. He's actually pretty good-looking, in that hardcover-dust-jacket way. But Sam Lake with his face permanently pinched into a bizarre sneer with eyebrows arched, nose wrinkled, and mouth smirked? Yeah, that's ugly. Fortunately for Mr. Lake, Max got a new face for both of his sequels.

The other Whispering Rock campers are cute in a demented way, but Raz's little overripe tangerine of a face is just too much for me to stomach. Not to mention his facial features are all so squished down that he looks like his parents bound his head as an infant - wait, maybe that's why he developed psychic powers?

Motherfucker looks like Brock Lesnar forgot his sunscreen and got stung by a bee.

Perhaps in other cultures, a high, wrinkly dome atop your head is a sign of power and nobility. To me, it just looks like a potato. Though it's more of a baked potato that's been left in the oven too long for Heihachi, with steam shooting out from either side. I'm pretty sure his brows are permanently furrowed at this point, too. I'd never say any of this to his weird face, of course, lest I get mine rearranged.

Does including Wario on this list seem a little too on-the-bulbous-pink-nose to you? I can see where you're coming from, but I must disagree. It would actually be an insult to leave off that baggy-eyed, crooked-stached, Chiclet-toothed visage. Wario basks in his propensity to inspire physical revulsion, and I ain't gonna hate on him for it.

The security guards in Half-Life are clearly modelled after Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show. That said, Valve probably would've been better off using a picture of Don Knotts for reference, instead of travelling some eight years into the future and exhuming his desiccated corpse. Fortunately, Barney clearly got some sun/nutrition between then and his starring role in Blue Shift.

Before I saw Steve, I never would've thought it possible to pack that much dishevelment in an eight-by-eight pixel area. But there he is, squares expertly stacked to suggest a cruddy little goatee and uneven, ruddy skin. Do you think if Notch knew Minecraft was going to be a worldwide phenomenon, he would've spruced Steve up a bit? I hope not.

This isn't even a weight thing. Big guys can look classy, too. But not with a bizarre handlebar mustache and bulging, veiny half circles for eyes. And oh my god, what is going on with that braided top knot? It makes his bulbous head look like a bell on a chain. Let's just try to pretend that nobody noticed the trail of body hair poking out of his unzipped jumpsuit...

There are pretty much two paths to walk in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's character creator. Either embrace the madness, as seen above, or create a character who looks roughly like a human being… who was found floating face down in a bog. Actually, there's one more path: just make a damn Argonian and avoid the whole issue.

Her giant face-eating maw is terrifying, but the way it kinda shoves all the rest of her features aside is maybe even scarier. Also, your eyes don't deceive you, Mileena is the only lady on this list - and you barely even see the ugly half of her face, since she usually wears a mask. C'mon, game developers! Not every playable woman has to be pageant material!

Meth, man. Not even once.

Nobody's looking too hot in the CD-i Zelda games, but the rubbery faced monstrosity that is Link might have gotten the worst of it. There is literally not a single scene where Link doesn't look like a self-satisfied dick, though his overall appearance does at least vary from "smug chipmunk" to "smarmy cadaver".

Mega Man is wincing in agony. There appears to be a tear emerging from the corner of his eye. But it's not because of his pelvic-breaking stance, or his freakishly swollen shoulders, or the pain of trying to wield a cubist handgun in naturalist fingers. No. It's the lament of a simple little robot soul trapped inside a freakishly repugnant human body.

I know that some polygons and texture details had to bow out to bring one of the Wii's most visually impressive games to 3DS, but I fail to see how making Shulk into a gawping fishman could improve performance. To use an equestrian term, the poor bastard looks like he was rode hard and put away wet. Wait, am I saying he's a seahorse? Sure, he's an ugly seahorse.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

What, you thought Sega was going for some kind of style thing by leaving Greendog's face blank? Nope. Just look at the guy in the background. He's clearly wracked with abject horror. Sega simply couldn't render Greendog's ghastly visage without destroying your Genesis, so it made his head appear to be a featureless orb instead. A bit Lovecraftian, if you ask me.

Boogerman's raison d'etre is being generally unpleasant, but that doesn't forgive whatever's going on with that chin of his. You'd think his nose would be his most exaggerated feature, being Boogerman, right? But no - his chin-neck region is front and center, extending down roughly to his bellybutton. More like Tonsil-stoneman.

Marcus Fenix was never meant to be a good-looking guy, but Epic Games may have done its job a little too well. Seriously though, look at all those scars - both physical and emotional. He's lost so much in these endless wars. Hopefully he loses that awful soul patch next.

Woo! I could keep going all day. But I won't - because I want you folks to have something to talk about in the comments! It's definitely not because I ran out of ideas and was kind of stretching on that Greendog one. Definitely not. Anyway, who are some of your favorite ugly characters?

Want more freaky faces? Check out .

When it comes to nerds, comic book fans may be the most quantifying. They keep track of first appearances, costume changes, how many times a character has died and returned. With all that cataloguing of continuity, you’d think a fanboy such as myself would always appreciate when game adaptations recreate every little detail from a comic universe. But sometimes even I think, “Was that really necessary?”

I’m not talking about correctly listing the place where Bruce Wayne’s parents died, or the real name of Kraven the Hunter - Crime Alley and Sergei Kravinoff respectively. No, I mean tiny bits of continuity that 0.01% of players would even notice, or accurate scenes that actually detract from a game’s pacing. As much as it pains my geek sensibilities, maybe we’d have been better off if games had ignored these moments in comic history.

In 1992, the far off year of 2099 felt like a mystical dream world, a future that deserved to have its own wallcrawler. Spider-Man 2099 was the core title of the short-lived 2099 imprint, and its futuristic hero was virtually unseen after the series was cancelled in 1996. Then, in 2010, the cyberpunk Spidey returned as a co-star of Shattered Dimensions, an incredibly comprehensive Spider-Men team-up. And, despite feeling like I’m the only person that read the book back in the day, Shattered Dimensions dedicates a shocking amount of detail to the series' world.

Spider-Man 2099’s stages are full of references to evil corporation Alchemax and the totalitarian police force known as the Public Eye, which add some nice flavor but don’t have much to do with the cross-dimensional plot. Offhand mentions of losers like Goblin 2099 at best got me to say, ‘Huh, oh yeah, I guess that was a thing in that comic,’ and move on. Oddest of all is Spidey 2099’s voice - the developers made the admirable choice of casting each Spider-Man with a voice actor who previously played Peter Parker. Unfortunately, while Dan <(i>Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends) Gilvezan did a fine job, he still sounds like a guy in his late 50s. That adherence to fanservice left 2099 sounding more like a grandpa than a gritty, sci-fi hero.

Aquaman has been a joke to the world at large for years, though DC has been trying for decades to make the Prince of the Seas into a badass. Years before his makeover as Jason Momoa, Aquaman became a grim and bearded malcontent who had his freaking hand eaten by piranhas. That ‘90s reboot is certainly a far cry from talking to dolphins, but it was a bit morose for some fans. Battle for Atlantis would go down as one of the worst things ever put on disc, though it should’ve helped the hook-wearing Aquaman cement his legacy. Though you can’t say it got the character wrong.

The blandly technological Atlantis of the game matches Aquaman’s ‘90s kingdom, right down to the ridiculous underwater cars. Black Manta and Ocean Master are just as lame in the comics as they appear in the game’s inarticulate cutscenes. And boringly floating around as the super-powered merman feels ripped from the page. The developers clearly put a lot of work into properly recreating Aquaman - if only they spent that energy on making the game playable.

The Hulk is at his best when he’s smashing everything in his path, fully embracing the power fantasy that’s made him such a memorable character. His greatest game, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, understood that, and the 32-bit era Pantheon Saga gets it on a certain level. The green machine certainly breaks a lot of fuzzy-textured boxes, but not before fighting a half-dozen forgotten X-Men wannabes.

The Pantheon is a group of demigods that Hulk went on to lead, and the group includes Iliad characters like Ulysses, Ajax, and Hector - only now they’re boosted by silly sci-fi weaponry. In both the game and the comics, Hulk beats the crap out of them, then goes on to lead The Pantheon. That means the game is choked with Grecian jerks in place of more compelling villains and heroes. Why punch the gamma-irradiated Abomination or team-up with Iron Man when there’s Atalanta and her laser arrows? No wonder the Pantheon hasn’t been seen post-1998.

I miss the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, because they featured pretty much every notable hero and villain that Marvel ever hosted. DC Comics attempted to do the same with Justice League Heroes, and the one-off could’ve been the start of something grand. Superman, Batman, and the rest came together to stop the ultimate embodiment of evil in Darkseid. The only problem is that Darkseid is backed up by a team of villains that were about seven years out of date.

Beginning in 1995, writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter rebooted the JLA in one of the most epic series ever, but was firmly in the past by Justice League Heroes’ 2006 launch. And yet the game is full of JLA baddies like The Key, Queen Bee, and Prometheus, as opposed to more classic antagonists like Amazo or Despero. Removed from Morrison’s genius writing, guys like The General and the White Martians come off as bland bullet-sponges, no matter how important they once were to JLA’s legacy. The devs should’ve dug further back in their collections.

I don’t think any game before or since works has worked nearly as hard to reflect comic book continuity as Ultimate Spider-Man. The 2006 title doesn’t just share a name with the Marvel comic book. The game shares the same writer (Brian Michael Bendis), Mark Bagley’s distinct artistic style (with added cel-shading flare), and is officially set after the events of Ultimate Spider-Man #71. What a lot of work for Activision’s annual Spider-Man release.

If you were a regular reader, references to the Ultimate versions of classic villains and Bendis’ motormouth dialogue felt right at home. Even though regular readers numbered in the tens of thousands, this major fall release brought the comic to life for millions. But the attempt at continuity was all for naught. Despite advertising that future issues would spin out of the game, it never really happened, and Ultimate Spider-Man’s plot eventually got repurposed and rewritten as a storyline three years later.

The Scribblenauts games have always been intriguing for their ‘summon anything’ approach to puzzle-solving. Want to see if a T-rex can fix a car? Write it down and give it a shot. The child-friendly series certainly has its grown-up fans, but Unmasked's dogged devotion to the DC Comics dictionary may be lost on its intended audience. Virtually every DC character ever can join Scribblenaut’s hero Max on his journey, but how many tykes taking a break from Cartoon Network will notice?

When I first got my hands on the title, I put it to the test and couldn’t believe how many oddballs it includes. Goofs like G’nort and Ambush Bug appear alongside every possible alteration of Superman and Batman - including both pirate and caveman varieties. The most obscure I found had to be Funky Flashman, a rarely seen agent of Darkseid that first appeared in a few little-read 1970s issues as a way to mock Marvel mainstay Stan Lee. I love that the game went above and beyond like that, but that all seems like far too niche a market to chase.

There’s a simple recipe to Wolverine’s endearing popularity: he’s got attitude, he’s an unkillable brawler, and he has claws that can cut anything. But from 1993 to 1999, that last key element of the character was missing following Magneto's forcible removal of the adamantium covering Logan’s bones. For years Wolverine’s sleek metallic blades were replaced with unsightly bones, but that fact was rarely recognized outside comics. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the only game that actually bothered to redesign the calcified stabber.

Though Wolvie’s sprite is mostly similar to how he appeared in Capcom’s other fighting games, the devs took care to reanimate the mutant with his current bone claws. And they went farther than that, giving him new attacks and damage properties, including extended reach - I suppose the bones can grow longer without metal? The effort would probably be lost on mainstream fans unaware of the storyline loss of Logan’s signature weapons, and it sadly came too late. Wolverine got back the adamantium in December 1999, while MvC2 premiered in arcades in early 2000.

Even just considering big bads like Lex Luthor, Braniac, and Zod, Superman has some of the crappiest bad guys in comic history. Beyond geeks like Toyman or The Prankster, Clark Kent has run afoul of also-ran misfits like the Underworlders. They’re a pack of freakish experiments gone wrong that live beneath Metropolis, and are about as dangerous to Superman as a marshmallow is to anyone without diabetes. Somehow, those gross idiots ended up in the Kryptonian’s best game, The Death and Return of Superman.

Unfortunately, being Superman’s greatest game still means that it’s a kinda bad beat ‘em up. The stages follow the comics of the same name chapter for chapter, including an opening where Supes beats the stuffing out of the Underworlders without breaking a sweat. Were it me, I’d have skipped straight to Doomsday demolishing the Justice League, but apparently the disposable Superman: Man of Steel #18 is worthy of its own stage in a Final Fight clone. Admittedly, the weirdoes are adequately punchable fodder, but why even waste time raiding their underground lair? Let’s hurry it up and kill Superman already!

Those are the games that strive too hard for accuracy, but I'm sure some of my fellow nerds are ready to chime in with 'Actually, in this issue of Spider-Man...' And I welcome that discussion, so share all your factoids in the comments!

But if you’d still can’t get enough fanboys, be sure to check out

Quick, your loved one of indeterminate status is in trouble, and you must save them from the clutches of a dastardly villain! You struggle against the odds and through valiant and bloody effort you achieve victory. Finally, you get to hear your loved one say, "Congratulations hero, what took you so long? If I'd known I was gonna be here this long I would've brought a crossword!" Wait, no, that doesn't seem right…

Don't worry, that dizzying bout of cognitive dissonance isn't just you. While games have had the [blank]-in-distress plotline on lockdown since Jumpman first rescued Pauline from not-King-Kong, sometimes a wrench gets thrown in the works that makes you feel disinclined to rescue the focus of your efforts. I don't mean independent folks who didn't really need rescuing please leave me alone now either - I'm talking characters who desperately need and/or straight up ask for assistance and then make you instantly regret your decision to help them. Need an example? Already have one in mind? Is it one of X characters I have listed in the slides beyond? Why don't we find out?

I can cut Rinoa some slack over having to be saved early in the FFVIII storyline, when she basically ruins your assassination attempt by getting herself mind-controlled. She was at least trying to help, right? I don't mind saving her from falling off Garden either, because it's not like she asked for the floor to collapse. But then I get irritated when I have to find out how to save her from some damn coma, and then… space? Space? I have to rescue her from freaking SPACE?

Seriously, even if you get past Rinoa's and still like her as a character, the amount of times you have to come to her rescue makes the effort feel futile. Yeah, I saved her from electrocuting herself on an open power panel, but then she's walking in the path of a moving train, or falling down a manhole, or getting attacked by killer bees. She does admittedly get a moment of redemption when she saves Squall from a giant spoiler, so maybe they're just goddamn perfect for each other and I need aspirin right this second.

Somewhere between lighting nasty not-zombies on fire and trudging through gallons of misplaced viscera in The Evil Within, I was vaguely aware that I should be trying to rescue this kid named Leslie. He's the only patient to make it out of Beacon Mental Hospital, so he's plot-critical, and he's a defenseless kid running around a carnival of madness and so, so much blood. You honestly feel bad for him at first and want to make sure he's okay, because seriously a man in an iron mask with a bloody tank top and a cleaver just ran by dear God.

Your sympathy is pretty quickly tested though when you realize two things: Leslie does perfectly fine on his own, and you always get screwed over when you try to protect him. You can only watch this kid squeal away into the darkness, leaving you trapped behind a wall of monsters so many times before he starts to get on your nerves. Since his innocence and vulnerability is the only reason you're given to care about him, any attachment you might have quickly disintegrates when he leaves you locked in a room with Boxman HOLY FREAKING SLDKJFKLDS.

Ruto deserves props for fitting that much moxie in one tiny body. When Link makes his way into the cavernous belly of pampered fish god Jabu-Jabu to rescue her at her father's request, she makes it clear that she doesn't want to be saved. I can respect that kind of independence - until ten seconds later, when she's totally interested in letting you save her. And you're gonna have to work for it by carrying her around like the world's smallest and luckiest palanquin team. Aren't you grateful? Aren't you?

What makes saving Ruto so teeth-crackingly annoying isn't the act itself ('save princesses' is right before 'buy milk' on Link's chore list), it's how spoilt she is about the whole thing. If you ever put her down, she tells you to be a man and take responsibility for her well-being. But then she'll command you to do things that put her in peril and continues to be a diva when you're forced to save her. Turns out this is a sign that she's crushing on you and isn't mature enough to express herself better, but you know what? She probably has cooties, so there.

If you're a Star Fox 64 fan, you may remember Slippy Toad from the constant screech of "Whoooa, help me!" that echoes through the darkness of your nightmares. As the 'adorable' screw-up amongst the Star Critter crew, Slippy has a nasty habit of having a bogey on his tail 99% of the time, and he never seems to be able to handle it on his own. You can only hear him thank you for saving him so many times before your dentist has to prescribe you anti-grind jaw braces.

While Slippy certainly has the drive to be a badass Arwing marksman, there's no accounting for raw skill, which he distinctly lacks. That ends with a lot of crying to Fox and the rest of the team for help, all while they're kinda busy at the moment not getting blown up by the exact same enemies. It wouldn't even be a big deal if you only had to bail him out a few times (Falco and Peppy certainly don't have perfect records), but the fact is that it happens all the damn time and he never learns! When even your own teammates are loudly pointing out that suck at your job, you know there's a problem.

If Sonic '06 had blessedly failed to exist and Princess Elise appeared in some mediocre but hedgehog-less JRPG, she might've been bearable. Her entire personality could be boiled down to 'girl who doesn't cry because magic', but at least every moment she's on screen wouldn't get you one step closer to zoophilic snogging. But sadly, Sonic '06 happened, the Sonic/Elise romance is as real as it is , and every moment we have to spend saving Elise feels like pure torture.

Credit where credit is due, she's at least grateful to her knight in shining quills, so she won't have you snapping your controller in hatred over her snobbishness. But still, her tendency to get kidnapped by the same guy over and over again to goad the plot along gets old pretty much instantly. Plus, every time you sigh deeply and re-rescue her, your reward is watching a cutesy love scene between her and Sonic, each more vomit-inducing than the last. Okay Eggman, you can have her as long as I don't have to watch things get bestial. Please. Please.

If you're like me, the words, "Hey cousin!" make you immediately crush anything you happen to be holding (which explains the coffee burns) as The Dark Times flash through your mind. That's not just because Roman has an annoying desire for constant family time either, but because he needs to be saved from himself way too freaking often. Spending all his money on back alley poker tables is a sign of a gambling problem. Gambling away so much than his cousin has to repeatedly save him from brass-knuckled goons is a sign of something way worse.

Perhaps more than anyone else on this list, going to Roman's rescue is annoying as hell because the trouble is his own fault and, unlike Ruto, he's a goddamn adult. From the moment he sets foot on American soil, Niko has to start rescuing Roman from gang members trying to aerate his guts, and it just gets worse as time goes on. He even has to bail Roman out of gambling trouble with one mob while they're on the run from a different mob. And yeah, maybe Niko gets him into some trouble too, but you know what? Screw you cousin! I love you and I want to smack you.

You know that cranky dad character who shows up in way too many lives movies, who's impossible to please despite every effort to break through his shell of cigar smoke and disappointment? The Council in Mass Effect is a bit like that, except there's no silent nod of acknowledgement before the credits roll to show that you dun good, kid. Thwarting the plans of a planet-hopping psychopath? Keeping giant cuttlefish robots from murdering every organic being in the known galaxy? Saving their asses after they refused to listen to a single thing you said? Yeah, fine, but you could've done it better.

Even when you go so Paragon you make Mother Teresa look stingy, the Council is intent on nitpicking everything you do and pointing out that you did something wrong, however minuscule it may be. Their attitude is so infuriating that when the time comes to choose between saving them from the Reapers and letting them die, you kind of want to go with the latter just because they're assholes and you hate them. It's almost like BioWare did that on purpose or something.

Those are the most annoying, useless, aggravating game characters you'd rather leave for dead than rescue. Which of these characters do you hate the most? Did I miss someone incredibly, egregiously awful? Can you even think about those questions through the headache these characters have probably caused you? Tell me in the comments below, then maybe go have a lie down.

Want to hear about some bearable characters after all that frustration? Check out .

Kart racers endure as one of gaming's purest, most enjoyable genres. As developers continue to push the envelope with convoluted plotlines and complex mechanics, kart racers remain focused on one thing: fun. They're the sort of game your parents, siblings, and best friends can sit down and play together, and everyone will have a good time.

For years, Nintendo's Mario Kart series has led the pack in the kart racing genre. But if you've only ever raced as the iconic plumber or one of his friends, then you're missing out on some incredible karting beyond the confines of the Mushroom Kingdom. Here are the top picks for the kart racers that can go toe-to-toe with the mighty Mario any day of the week. Break one of these out the next time you have guests over, and you won't be disappointed.

does for kart racers what Little Big Planet did for platformers. Almost every aspect of this game is customizable - including the tracks, racers, and vehicles - and all of these creations can be shared online. This means if you've ever wanted to see Colonel Sanders, Mr. Monopoly, and the Powerpuff Girls duke it out on the racetrack (and why wouldn't you?), then you've come to the right place.

All this creativity would be for naught, however, if the karting itself wasn't up to par. Thankfully, Racers successfully captures the basics of kart racing with fluid controls mixed with copious amounts of boost pads and drifting. There are plenty of destructive items to collect, and items can be leveled up to increase their power. ModNation Racers has a lot going for it, and the bevvy of user-generated content means you'll never hurt for something new.

Funnily enough, Konami beat Nintendo at its own game. That is to say, Konami Krazy Racers crossed the finish line before Mario Kart: Super Circuit as the first Game Boy Advance kart racer. And even though Konami doesn't have a storied history of crafting stellar racing games, Krazy Racers ain't half bad. While the gameplay mimics Mario Kart pretty closely, what really sets this GBA oddity apart is its roster of racers.

It's safe to say that no other racing game lets you chuck items and powerslide as that most famous of mystical ninjas, Goemon. For whatever reason, Dracula and Gray Fox are the picks from Castlevania and Metal Gear, rather than the obvious Simon Belmont or Snake. And then there are the racers who most Western gamers can't even name, like cutesy inclusions from Japan-centric series such as Pop'N Music, MLB Power Pros, and Parodius. But even if you don't know who the hell you picked, after a few laps around the track, you'll learn to love them.

Look around online at people's lists of "Favorite kart racers of all time" and you'll find Crash Team Racing pops up more often than not. A solid game all around, CTR demands a bit more skill from players than what is required in, say, the Mario Kart series. The power slide, which is basically drifting, has an added mechanic where players must tap one of the shoulder buttons at the correct time to pick up mini-boosts while sliding.

As many critics have noted, CTR is an excellent Mario Kart clone, and there's nothing wrong with that. The game has well-designed tracks, a wide variety of weapons, and handles as well as the best of 'em. It also packs an extensive number of modes to keep you busy, whether you're playing alone or with friends. While it certainly doesn't break new ground for the kart racing genre, CTR shows that Nintendo's secret formula can be cracked, and an amazing kart racer can be made outside of Japan.

Diddy Kong Racing deserves better. Released in 1997, this game takes the fundamentals of Mario Kart and smartly expands upon them in some interesting ways. Most notable are the vehicles. While Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed has racers switching between three different vehicle types mid-race, DKR has three different vehicles types racing simultaneously. That's right: a plane, kart, and hovercraft can all compete head-to-head on the same track, and the interplay between them helps make this game feel unique.

Items are also a big part of Diddy Kong Racing, as they are in most kart racers, but they too come with an interesting twist. In the game, there are five different types of item boxes - or rather, balloons - each with a unique color and type of item. By collecting balloons of the same color, items can be leveled up to become more powerful. For example, an oil slick can become a land mine or a rocket can become a homing rocket, if you're patient. Diddy Kong Racing received a remake on the DS in 2007, but this version is ultimately inferior due in part to its wholly unnecessary touch controls.

Speed Punks (or Speed Freaks, as it's known in Europe) is a stellar kart racer that hails from the unlikeliest of places: Ireland. Made by the team at Funcom Dublin, it's pressed-to-disc proof that great kart racing doesn't hinge on iconic characters or recognizable track themes - it all comes down to the racing itself. Speed Punks outshines Crash Team Racing as the greatest karter on PS1, with super-colorful locales, tight handling, and a wonderful sensation of speed as you zip around the courses.

The choice of weaponry found in floating item boxes is also a little more varied, since you can actually shoot at competitors with machine gun bullets, or gum up their tires with a pool of icky slime. Speed Punks also utilizes a system very similar to Mario Kart 7's acceleration-boosting coins, albeit over a decade earlier. You probably missed it due to its relatively late appearance in the PS1's lifespan , but if you ever get the chance, you should absolutely take Speed Punks for a spin.

is a noble experiment on the part of developer Bizarre Creations. The goal: to merge real-life race cars and locations with kart-racing mechanics. Prior to Blur's release, the developer was known for its Project Gotham Racing and Geometry Wars series, so designing a game that took the realistic race style of the former and mixed it with some of the arcade action of the latter seemed like a natural fit.

The two styles end up blending together better than expected. Seeing a Dodge Viper and Ford GT lob energy missiles at each other is little strange at first, but the explosive action and tight handling won it a lot of praise with consumers and critics alike. However, such praise fell upon deaf ears, as poor sales drove Blur into an early grave. A sequel was planned, , but was later canned after Bizarre Creations shut down in 2011. For shame!

It took Sega a long time to develop a true competitor to Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise, but in 2012, it finally did it with . While its predecessor, 2010's Sonic Sega All-Stars Racing, nailed the karting basics of tight controls, fun weapons, and a diverse roster, Transformed gave the series an identity all its own with the transformation mechanics.

Transformations are at the very heart of this game. As you run laps around the track, the course itself will shift and change. Certain sections may be flooded, or drop off into a bottomless pit. To accommodate, your vehicles transform between a race car, boat, and airplane. Each handles a bit differently, and jumping between them mid-race helps mix up the action. And for you die-hard Sega fans out there, Transformed is loaded with callbacks to the developer's classics, including Ryo Hazuki, who can cruise around on a Shenmue motorcycle or an OutRun arcade cabinet turned go-kart. How awesome is that?

There are plenty more kart racers out there that didn't make it into victory lane this time around. Which one is your favorite, and why? Let us know in the comments below, and help spread the word about these under-appreciated gems that will forever live in the shadow of a fat plumber and his bright red go-kart.

And for more high-speed fun on GR+ look up .

There are few universal joys quite like the rush you get from completely and utterly destroying something. It's why Edward Norton punched Jared Leto in the face a dozen times in Fight Club. It's why people spend hundreds of dollars to buy expensive gadgets on launch day then throw them at the ground in front of dozens of heartbroken onlookers. It's often why we play video games - so we can fulfill our most destructive urges while staying out of jail.

Some games let you build up an entire world and take it apart brick by brick. Others are filled with tons of explosives and breakable objects. And the real special ones let you demolish entire structures and watch them topple to the ground. Either way, these games provide some of the most satisfying ways to break, blow up, or otherwise destroy everything in sight.

Back in the '90s, Rare was one of the greatest studios around, and Blast Corps was one of its best games. It's based on a simple premise - a giant truck seemingly packed with every last drop of the world's supply of nitroglycerin, plutonium, gunpowder, and gasoline is on a collision course with ruin, and it's up to you and whatever vehicle you can get your hands on to keep it from blowing up. So yes, in order to prevent ultimate destruction, you have to destroy everything. Makes sense to me.

Whether it's a set of explosive barrels, some innocuous crates, or a random barn, everything blows up real good. And you have a vast array of machinery to enact your brand of destructive carnage, from bulldozers, to dump trucks, to flying mechs that ground-pound and uppercut objects into oblivion. Part action, part puzzle, but always satisfying, Blast Corps is a demolitionist's delight.

Remember that scene from Ghostbusters? No, not the one where Dan Aykroyd dreams about getting frisky with a ghost. No, not the one that heavily implies that Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis just had sex. I'm talking about the part in the hotel where our trio of misfits finally get their big break and catch their first apparition. How fun would it be to just wreck house with a proton pack? Well, thanks to Ghostbusters: The Video Game, now you can.

The first level is pure fanservice, as you revisit the Sedgewick Hotel to hunt down a bunch of ghosts - only this time, you get to raise hell and destroy everything in sight in your quest to prevent mass hysteria. Chandeliers, paintings, furniture - all will fall to the might of your proton beam. Don't be shy - you're not going to get billed for any damages. It sets the scene for a game filled with environments just waiting to be blasted. Just don't cross the streams.

For a guy with the word 'smash' in his catchphrase, The Incredible Hulk hasn't really had a game live up to his signature acts of wanton destruction. But all of that changed with Ultimate Destruction, an open-world game filled to the brim with tools of annihilation. There are so many things for The Hulk to grab, throw, and otherwise wreck that he's basically running around like a kid in a candy store. A volatile, explosive candy store.

From the word 'go', you're basically given carte blanche to run around open environments and tackle objectives how you see fit. Break a car in half, crush it onto your hands and use the car bits as steel boxing gloves. Run up the side of a building, leaving pockmarks in your wake, and launch into a helicopter. Ultimate Destruction puts you in the shoes of a living wrecking ball, basically making it the best superhero game ever made.

Half-Life 2 is a physics wonderland, a playground of see-saws, breakable boxes, and launchable buzzsaws. It blew our faces clean off of our faces when we played it ten years ago, and even now, the gravity gun is a total blast to use, letting you rip objects off of the walls and throw them at your hapless foes. And it doesn't get much better than the spooktacular sandbox found in Ravenholm.

What once was a fairly standard (if best-in-class) first-person shooter now becomes a survival horror game, complete with an over-abundance of face huggers and a distressing lack of supplies. Only now, you have a gravity gun, and it because your ultimate tool of improvisation. Grab a buzzsaw off the ground and slice those zombies in half. Or pick up an explosive canister and lob it in a group of 'em. Ravenholm is filled with tons of breakable objects, volatile barrels, and Rube Goldbergian traps, and whipping them around with the gravity gun is still satisfying to this day.

King Kong may have invented the 'giant monster' genre, but Rampage actually let you be the ape. Or huge lizard. Or multi-story werewolf. Rampage is all about destruction, as you and your monster buddies move from city to city, levelling skyscrapers and eating helicopters out of the sky. Methodically chomp on innocent bystanders as they poke their heads outside of their windows, or quickly take out the building's supports and watch it crumble into dust - the choice is yours, as long as you've got enough quarters.

Other games might have brought kaiju destruction to a three-dimensional space, but there's something captivating about the purity of running from side to side, slowly climbing up buildings, and punching them to the ground. Plus, Rampage takes the whole 'ripping out of your clothing into a disproportionately large monster' thing to its .

Minecraft may seem like an odd inclusion on a list filled with shoot 'em ups and explode-athons, but hear me out. It's certainly not filled with gratuitous violence and realistic physics systems (though, if you're not careful, those creepers will blow you to kingdom come). But what it does seems almost more ambitious - it lets you build the world as you see fit, then dismantle it piece by piece.

It's the ultimate crafting game, letting you chop down trees and carve into mountains, and turn their constituent parts into houses, tools, and even works of art. And the best part is that, as long as you have the proper equipment, you can mine just about anything. Turn on creative mode and fly to the highest heights or the deepest depths, and take the entire world apart one pixelated brick at a time.

I was wondering why it took so long for somebody to let The Force off its chain and chase after the neighbor kids, but I'm so glad someone finally did it. The Force Unleashed lets you get in touch with your inner Sith, allowing you to launch, blow up, or otherwise decimate pretty much anything you can think of - and it's as amazing as it sounds.

The Force Unleashed gives you your first taste of power by putting you in Darth Vader's black military boots, letting you unleash hellish fury on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. Blow open massive wooden gates and watch the splinters rain down, cut trees into toothpicks, and pick up and launch Chewbacca's buddies off a cliff (sorry!). But it doesn't stop there. Eventually, you'll take control of Vader's apprentice and learn a whole new array of explosive abilities - like grabbing a Star Destroyer out of the sky and slamming it into the ground. Is it over-the-top? Yeah. Is it stupid? Totally. Is it fun? You bet your nerfherding butt it is.

Of course Red Faction is on this list. What started as an average shooter with some terrain-deforming ideas, Red Faction didn't fully come into its own until its third outing. It was cool to be able to blow up pretty much any wall or other obstacle that stood in your way, but its gameplay was too linear, its options too limiting. With Guerrilla, you're not funneled down corridors - instead, you're given a whole planet to destroy.

While Guerrilla doesn't let you make a dent in the surrounding terrain, it does let you take out entire goddamn buildings if you're so inclined. Just grab your sledgehammer, take out a few supports, and blammo - that three story building is now lying in pieces on the ground. And it's not just buildings. Cover can be blown away with a well-placed grenade, bridges can be levelled with a few rockets - pretty much any man-made structure can be turned into so much debris with a good smacking. It never gets old.

Sometimes you just want to watch the world burn. These games let you do it without leaving the house - or hurting anyone. That's the important bit. How do you like to live out your most destructive fantasies? Let me know in the comments below!

Looking for more? Check out our list of .

The first few months of the year are notorious for scant game releases - the holiday season is behind us, and summer blockbusters feel all too far away. But rest assured, 2015 is going to be a huge year for video games. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U all have new games in cornerstone series on the way, and third-party developers are nearly finished with some of their biggest projects to date. For proof, just look at the impressive list of incoming . But what about the here and now?

February didn't exactly make waves, and when the hype trains for finally arrived at the station, they weren't quite the seminal AAA titles some of us might've been hoping for. But never fear - not a month goes by without some awesome games coming out that are well worth your time and money. Let's take a look at the winner and runner-up for the best games of February, shall we?

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.

Those are the first few games that made their mark in 2015, but they won't be the last. Stay tuned to this page to see what will are the best games for every month this year. Only time will tell!

For formation on 2015's releases, be sure to check out our list of the .

Oddball spin-offs, such as the ones included this list, have become something of a rarity these days. In the high-stakes world of video game development, most major game developers won't take the risk and put, say, Marcus Fenix in a baseball game. But every so often, someone will roll the dice and put together such an odd pairing. And the results - be it good or bad - are almost always entertaining.

Some developers, however, might've gone a bit overboard in trying to change things up, producing some of the weirdest spin-offs that the world of gaming has ever known. What follows are the series outcasts that threw us for a loop, with bizarre premises that are often wildly detached from the source material. And come on, where else are you going to find a Final Fantasy rhythm game, or Solid Snake playing cards?

Original genre: Turn-based RPG
Spin-off: First-person photography

This entry was truly a neck-and-neck race between Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Conquest, the turn-based strategy game that . Because why the hell not? At least Conquest is a turn-based strategy game, so there's a logical connection with the original games. A Pokemon game about taking pictures is just plain weird.

The fact that Pokemon Snap didn't kick off a new wave of first-person, on-rails photography games is a crime. You take pictures of Pokemon. That sounds really boring on paper, but dammit it makes a strangely engrossing game. It's not enough to just take pictures - you have to take good pictures, and that means thinking about composition, son. And when you've got Pidgey flying all over the place you need to have a hair trigger on the shutter to make sure you capture to the majestic beast right at the opportune moment.

Original genre: Real-time strategy
Spin-off: First-person shooter

Command Conquer: Renegade isn't the sort of game you see very often. Rarely does an established strategy game developer, such as Westwood, decide to dive headfirst into a genre they've never touched before. It's like if Blizzard tried to make StarCraft into a shooter, and we all know what happened to that .

For fans of the Tiberium Wars series, Renegade is a real treat because it gives an up-close-and-personal view of the action, a perspective never-before-seen in a Command and Conquer game. It blended some of its RTS roots in with the FPS action, such as letting you spend resources to requisition better weapons and vehicles - sort of like Battlefield with resource management. The game was so beloved, in fact, that just last year a group of superfans released , which updates Renegade's designs with Unreal Engine 3.

Original genre: 2D platformer
Spin-off: Puzzle and golf hybrid

Kirby's Dream Course sounds like a recipe for disaster. 'Hey guys, let's take this fun, co-op platformer and needlessly turn it into a golf game. Because if there's one thing kids love, it's long, boring games of golf.' Okay, maybe it didn't happen exactly like that, but I'm glad someone had this idea because the resulting game is actually awesome.

It helps to think of Dream Course not as a golfing game, per se, but as more of a puzzler with some golfing rules sprinkled on top. Kirby is the ball, there's a hole, you want to get 'em in there with a few hits as possible. The pink puffball's signature power-ups are in the mix, letting you zoom across the course as a wheelie or skate across frozen lakes with the power of ice. And because this is a Nintendo game, all the controls are super smooth and easy to learn. It may be an odd pairing, but Kirby's Dream Course is - wait for it - a hole in one.

Original genre: 2D platformer
Spin-off: Soccer (or football, or whatever)

Mega Man Soccer and Kirby's Dream Course share a lot in common. Both games take a popular, 2D platformer and mash it up with a popular sport. But while Dream Course is a good game, Mega Man Soccer, quite frankly, sucks. It sucks worse than my ability to come up with soccer metaphors. Its most redeeming feature is performing special shots that utilize the powers of the different robot masters, but even those all do the same basic thing.

Things really go downhill quickly. The game will chug when more than, say, three characters are on the screen, and the limited field of view makes it nearly impossible to play the field - a problem which the AI doesn't seem to have, mind you. There's also this ominous tidbit from the game's Wikipedia page: "The game has no ending." There's a paper thin plot, but no conclusion, meaning the blue bomber is likely stuck in soccer-playing limbo for all eternity. Maybe that's why we don't see him around much anymore...

Original genre: 2D fighter
Spin-off: Color-matching puzzler

In spite of Mega Man Soccer's poor reception, developer Capcom surged ahead with their "Let's give it a shot, why not?" strategy and released the masterful Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo two years later. This game is a real gem - literally. It's a fast-and-furious, competitive puzzle game centered around building up large gems of a single color, and then smashing them to send garbage blocks over to your opponent's screen and, hopefully, ruin his or her game.

And it also starts a crossover of Street Fighter and Darkstalkers characters (plus Devilotte of Cyberbots fame) because, again, why the hell not? And it's glorious. You're constantly trying to build a larger and larger gems so you can squash your opponent quickly while simultaneously hoping they don't send a bunch of garbage your way and muck up your plans. Plus, the little characters in the middle duke it with hadokens and shoryukens while you play. It's adorable.

Original genre: Tactical strategy
Spin-off: First-person shooter

When Syndicate launched back in 1993, it was a deeply complex isometric tactics game. Using a squad of cyborgs to establish world-wide domination via assassinations, infiltrations, and “persuasion” was a simple yet alluring premise, and the whole experience was bolstered by the ability to research new equipment and tax conquered territories for income.

But Starbreeze Studios’ 2012 reimagining involved a little less politics and a lot more shooting, as the Syndicate reboot launched in first-person shooter form. Fans of the original were none too pleased. It was only related to Bullfrog Productions’ 1993 classic in so much as the word “Syndicate” showed up a lot, and it had guns in it--even though it was a fairly decent game in its own right.

Original genre: Turn-based strategy
Spin-off: Puzzle

Depending on your genre preferences, there’s a good chance that this spin-off will resonate with you far more than Might Magic’s traditional gameplay. Instead of old-school, turn-based warfare between gangs of evil wizards and noble warriors, Clash of Heroes took a hard left turn into Japanese puzzle game territory.

With an aesthetic similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender and one-on-one stacking battles akin to Puyo Puyo and Magical Drop, this was a game that had next to nothing in common with the franchise entries before it. But sometimes, a little experimentation pays off--and the intricate, addictive strategy of placing your adorable troops just so was a blast of ridiculously fun fresh air in a series that seemingly had one foot stuck in the PC gaming past.

Original genre: Japanese role-playing game
Spin-off: Rhythm game

Square Enix's storied JRPG franchise had seen its fair share of spin-offs prior to 2012, but this bizarre yet endearing 3DS rhythm game takes the cake by far. Despite having a name that literally no one on the planet knows how to pronounce (or spell without consulting Wikipedia, for that matter), Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is the perfect homage to the role-playing series. It allowed players to build a party by choosing from several of the characters from each of the main entries in the franchise before embarking on a rhythm-based journey to save the universe.

While its plot was relatively simple (and perhaps loosely based on the film Footloose), the gameplay was delightful in its odd presentation. Battles and exploration were successfully completed by tapping and swiping the 3DS’ touch screen with the stylus to the beat of Nobuo Uematsu’s classic compositions. Anyone with a deep appreciation for all things Final Fantasy will find this to be an absolute treat.

Original genre: Action adventure
Spin-off: Card game

After three hugely successful outings on the PlayStation 3, the Uncharted series moved on over into the mobile arena. First, there was , where Nathan Drake’s treasure-hunting exploits depended more on card game tournaments than life or death adventures.

Fight for Fortune was basically a lite version of Magic: The Gathering in which you’d use your best cards (unlocked when the game would synch its data to your progress/Trophies from previous Uncharted titles) to duel an opponent. While this was certainly a departure from the series’ roots (and contained 150% less Nolan North), it was a mildly entertaining affair for anyone with five bucks to burn.

Original genre: Platformer
Spin-off: RPG

Though Sonic is no stranger to freeing animals trapped inside the metallic bodies of evil robots, he was a stranger to turn-based battles and experience points. That is, until BioWare’s first-ever handheld project, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. As it turns out, several of the Canadian developer‘s employees were fans of Sonic the Hedgehog--so much so that they developed an RPG set in The Blue Blur’s universe.

This Nintendo DS exclusive featured a large cast of playable characters and a lengthy (albeit lightweight by BioWare standards) narrative, which was fortified with stylish cutscenes. Exploration and traditional RPG battles were done via the DS’ touch screen and stylus, and though many found the game to be far too easy, it was generally well received.

Original genre: Stealth
Spin-off: Trap action

Before hit the scene, the Tenchu franchise delivered the go-to games for when you wanted to sneakily execute feudal Japan-era guards, using a combination of traditional trickery and sick-nasty ninjutsu. Flash-forward to 2008--one decade after the release of the PlayStation original--when From Software decided to mix things up with a downloadable XBLA title that bared almost no resemblance to its predecessors.

The basic gameplay involves sneaking around an overhead-view map, much like Bomberman, as you pepper the tiled playfield with spike traps and springboards to comically take out AI guards or player-controlled rival ninjas. Think Rube Goldberg meets Hanzo Hattori. To date, it’s the only Tenchu game that’s rated E for Everyone.

Original genre: Platformer
Spin-off: On-rails shooter

Mario’s done a lot of…interesting…things in his tenure as the most recognizable face in video games, but blasting enemies out of the sky while riding atop a Yoshi ranks up there pretty high on the weird-o meter. Yoshi’s Safari, an on-rails shooter, took advantage of the Super Nintendo’s Super Scope, forcing players to annihilate baddies from a first-person perspective by using a two-foot plastic cannon peripheral.

Each level offered plenty of platforming segments and branching paths, allowing you to choose your route, which would determine which items and enemies you would encounter. As you rode Yoshi around, all you’d see was your gun cursor and the dinobeast’s head bobbing as he ran. Fun fact: If you accidentally shot Yoshi in the back of the dome, you’d lose health and receive his ultimate death stare, all while he continued to sprint forward at full speed.

Original genre: JRPG
Spin-off: Shooter

It’s no secret that Final Fantasy VII is, to put it lightly, rather popular. So when Square Enix announced the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries--a collection of spin-off games, films, and novels meant to expand on the game’s universe--we weren’t exactly shocked. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII was one entry in that collection, a third-person shooter that put side character Vincent Valentine in the spotlight.

It featured an over-the-shoulder perspective not unlike Resident Evil 4, and Vincent would gain experience points and Gil as he buried bullets in the chests of his foes. The RPG elements lent a bit of familiarity to an otherwise foreign outing for the FF franchise, and though Dirge of Cerberus wasn’t the FF7 sequel or remake fans had been hoping for, it did provide a few answers to the many questions spawned by its progenitor.

Original genre: Action platformer
Spin-off: Turn-based strategy

This is a series that’s seen plenty of re-envisioning, from misguided Godsmack incorporation to beautiful cel-shading--but we don’t recall the dashing Prince regaling us with tales of an Advance Wars clone. For whatever reason, Ubisoft Montreal felt the need to bridge the story gap between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within with a fictitious war between India and Persia.

Said war revolved around defeating demon armies, summoning troops with collectible cards, and vying for control over Chess-esque tiling. Battles was largely ignored at retail, immensely overshadowed by its console big brother, , which released that same week. But for DS owners who fancied turn-based strategy, it became something of an off-brand, off-kilter cult favorite.

Original genre: 2D fighter
Spin-off: 3D beat 'em up

Here’s a great way to alienate your entire fanbase. Step one: Title your so-called sequel as “2,” for a fighter that’s had a stereotypical number of nonsensically named iterations of the same base game. Step two: Make the gameplay completely different in every way. Step three: …Profit? Guilty Gear 2 stars some familiar faces from the legendary anime fighter, like Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske. But past that, Arc System Works went totally off the rails, plopping the formerly pixelated pugilists into a Dynasty Warriors-style melee.

In theory, Overture actually sounds pretty cool: You have a modicum of control over waves of spawning troops, all the while turning the tides as a stereotypical anime super-soldier. In practice, it ended up being a mediocre disappointment that left longtime fans of the series scratching their heads in befuddlement.

Original genre: JRPG
Spin-off: Action adventure

Yes, the iconic smiling Slimes of Dragon Quest have practically become the face of the wildly popular franchise. That doesn’t mean we need a game revolving around the adventuresome exploits of the lowly enemy. Somebody must’ve pined for it, though, because Rocket Slime is the second in a three-part series all about that lovable, blobby mascot.

This bizarre game tells the story of Rocket, a Slime who must save the abducted citizens of Boingburg. His war machine of choice: the flute-powered Schleiman Tank, with firepower capable of blasting enemy panzers, like the Cactiballistix and Carrot Top, to smithereens. If that plot summary made any sense to you, you’re in for a treat--this spin-off hit a perfect, whimsical balance between enjoyable exploration and lighthearted-yet-intense tank showdowns.

Original genre: Survival horror
Spin-off: Co-op hack 'n' slash

If you're a diehard fan of the Silent Hill series' trademark tension and pants-wettingly disturbing monsters, then the concept of this spin-off is bound to befuddle you. Instead of a terrifying, solitary adventure into one’s deepest fears, is a top-down action game that features up to four-player multiplayer.

Unsurprisingly, it’s somewhat harder to establish cerebral horror when the core gameplay has you and your friends wailing on mutated creatures with lead pipes and electric guitars. The game suffered as a result of this identity crisis between the brand name and the arcadey experience. It just goes to show that sometimes, it’s wiser to take a gamble on a new IP than risk offending the hardcore fans of an existing franchise who might be repulsed by the out-of-left-field experiment.

Original genre: Sidescroller
Spinoff: Pinball

Oh sure, plenty of game-themed pinball tables exist, whether virtual (Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter II) or physical (Super Mario World, Street Fighter II again). The next step up from those are the out-and-out pinball games that completely revolve around a popular property; think Pokemon Pinball, Mario Pinball Land, Sonic Spinball, or The Pinball of the Dead. But Metroid Prime Pinball is a very special spin-off case, where the premise has a smidgen of canonical believability. It’s possible--however unlikely--that Samus could get stuck in Morph Ball form as she’s bounced around an oddly ramped-filled space station.

The tables themselves are taken from established Metroid lore, including familiar locales like the Phazon Mines and Phendrana Drifts. You’ll also have the chance in ball form to batter infamous bosses like Meta Ridley to death. Listen: We’re suckers for a finely crafted pinball game, and when you ground the high score proceedings in some semblance of a Metroid plot, our delight reaches astronomical levels.

Original genre: The definitive sidescroller
Spin-off: Pretty much anything you could imagine

Okay, here's the thing. Mario is a plumber. He's good at jumping (and jumping on things), and he even managed to saved a princess a time or two--that alone is pretty admirable considering his other talents include removing junk and fecal matter from clogged up pipes. So... why does he also prescribe medicine? He's a blue collar worker, not an MD. And he certainly doesn't make for a very good pinball.

Now that we think about it, he does a lot of things that don't really make sense. Why is he teaching typing? We've never seen a single computer in the Mushroom Kingdom. How the hell does he even know what a keyboard is? And why is he so good at every sport that isn't the long jump or "mustache growing"? He's not exactly athletic. While we'll continue to tip our hats to Mario's adventurous ways, the fact remains--pretty much everything about that dude is pretty damn weird.

Original genre: Arcade
Spin-off: Puzzle

It isn’t unnatural to see a mascot like Pac-Man appear in a number of spin-offs, but in the early 1990s Namco’s pellet-muncher rarely strayed outside of his comfort zone of chomping ghosts in mazes. That changed in 1993 when the popularity of puzzle games--particularly Tetris--were hard for publishers to ignore.

Namco decided to meld the concept of constantly falling blocks with Pac-Man’s unending appetite, but this time the combination ended up working out. We were pulled in by the odd challenge to not only match blocks, but also to create the optimal path of ghosts for Pac-Man to eat. Though left alone many years, Pac-Attack was recently rereleased on iOS devices, giving many a new chance to experience this unusual chapter in the arcade icon’s life.

Original genre: JRPG
Spin-off: Racing

These days Square Enix is ready to take a chance on combining any disparate genre with Final Fantasy, but a kiddie FF side game was still fairly novel in the late ‘90s, particularly a kart racer. Following in the footsteps of Crash Team Racing, Square adapted the Mario Kart concept to fit with their more adorable creatures, including chocobos, black mages, and moogles as the drivers.

The gameplay didn’t do much to differentiate itself from similar games, but the most bizarre choice was that--aside from Squall and Cloud being unlockables--Square went with cutesy characters instead of the more popular humans from the main games. It was a mistake they wouldn’t make again with Kingdom Hearts.

Original genre: Turn-based JRPG
Spin-off: Action RPG

Forget everything you know about the series and just imagine a game based on the following description. An amnesiac tween is living happily on an island with child version of Final Fantasy heroes. The idyllic paradise is attacked by shadow monsters that kidnap the other amnesiac kids.

The incredibly convoluted story then has the kid teaming with Donald Duck and Goofy, visiting dozens of worlds based on films from the Disney vault, and saving Mickey Mouse from certain doom. Oh, and he also battles Sephiroth and Cloud in Hercules’ battle coliseum. If there wasn’t so much proof that these games actually exist, we’d think that this was particularly immature fan fiction.

Original genre: Sidescroller
Spin-off: Rhythm game

Mario is the king of spin-offs, able to have a great time whether playing golf or medicating patients as Dr. Mario. Still, there’s one thing that will likely never look natural on Mario and that’s dancing, a fact that this DDR digression for the GameCube proved expertly.

In Mario Mix the portly plumber fights Waluigi, Bowser, and many other regular enemies, though instead of jumping on their heads, he battles them with smooth moves on the dance floor. Sadly, this wasn’t the last time Mario .

Original genre: Stealth
Spin-off: Turn-based strategy

Millions have enjoyed Solid Snake’s long career in espionage, mostly involving sneaking around corners, shooting guards in the head, and pontificating on the nature of war. Series creator Hideo Kojima is one of the most experimental minds in gaming, so no potential spin-off seems totally impossible. However, translating Snake’s mature tale of betrayal and intrigue into a collectible card game was not something we expected to play when the PSP launched.

Set in a separate continuity from MGS, the usual lengthy cutscenes were replaced by cheaper motion comics, while Snake’s normal actions all work within the concept of what card you pulled. It grew a cult audience, and the sequel fixed some of the problems, but most Metal Gear fans were left waiting for the “real” PSP Metal Gear that they got in Portable Ops.

Original genre: JRPG
Spin-off: 2D fighter

Persona 4: Arena brought together two different niche fan bases together with one fighting game. Developed by the team responsible for Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, Arena pulled together the emo high school students of both Persona 3 and 4 into one 2D fighter.

Even weirder than the idea of mashing together genres as dissimilar as fighting games and RPGs was the fact that the single-player story was canonical. Everything that happened in it was official as far as Persona publisher Atlus was concerned, even though they could have gotten away with calling it an imaginary game. A weird choice, but one appreciated by Persona fans addicted to the franchise’s mythology.

Original genre: Rhythm game
Spin-off: Slightly blockier rhythm game

LEGO Rock Band was a weird side gig for all parties involved. For Traveller's Tales, it was a departure from the usual film-based brick-a-thons it had been cranking out for Lego; and for Harmonix, it was an uncharacteristically kid-friendly take on its head-banging Rock Band series. The whole concept felt like it was born out of a drunken night of brainstorming between the two studios, except unlike most creative projects born of alcohol, both developers remembered it the next morning.

Luckily, the game fared well amongst critics, and sold more than enough to break even. Still, we've never heard of anyone who played it, and by the time the music faded, both studios were ready to go back to solo projects.

Original genre: Lightgun shooter
Spin-off: Typing tutor

In 1999, WOW Entertainment envisioned a zombie apocalypse fought not with shotguns and secret agents, but with keyboards and, uh, guys who could spell goodly. Copied and pasted from House of the Dead 2, the Sega-published “edutainment” title replaced the satisfaction of shooting monsters with the hardcore, finger-tapping excitement of typing words to rid the world of evil, one labeled zombie at a time.

The Typing of the Dead was later ported to Dreamcast in 2001 by Smilebit (Jet Set Radio, Panzer Dragoon) where it proceeded to ruin Christmas for a generation of gamers. Was this Sega's way of fighting mankind's greatest plague, illiteracy? Perhaps. But even though critics were kind to it in reviews, we're not sure many schools wound up making this part of their curriculem. Curriculim. Corric ... er, school learning.

Original genre: FPS
Spin-off: RTS

When Bungie left Master Chief in stasis at the end of Halo 3, it fell to Ensemble Studios to keep the series frosty with Halo Wars, a prequel that mutated the franchise's FPS DNA into a top-down RTS. The genre switch was jarring for the fans to say the least. Think of Half Life: Episode 3 arriving as a puzzle game or Gears of War returning as a point-and-click adventure.

Thankfully, with the talent of the Age of Empires studio to back it up, Halo Wars made the adjustment with nary a scratch to the series' reputation (even if it left some of the more hardcore FPS fans scratching their heads). As one of the highest selling RTS games for consoles, it'd be a stretch to say Halo Wars was a failed experiment.

Original genre: Action adventure
Spin-off: Shooting gallery

We know why Link's Crossbow Training was made. Nintendo needed a celebrity to plug the Wii Zapper, and Link (presumably) needed the extra rupees. As for whether or not this glorified tech demo has a place in the Legend of Zelda canon, however, we're not so sure. Before Link's Crossbow Training, the famed Hylian never touched a crossbow.

What's more, all that training later went to waste because there was nary a crossbow to be found in Skyward Sword or the DS games that followed. And with merely a couple hours of content, Link's Crossbow Training didn't even match up with its full-release brethren in size or scope. Nevertheless, the game sold nearly 5 million copies and remains among the Wii's top 20 best-selling games, so it looks like the endorsement worked. Fire away... we guess?

Original genre: Stealth Action
Spin-off: Action Stealth

What does a ridiculously complex spy series and a lighthearted monkey-catching franchise have in common? Not much. That didn't stop Konami from outfitting Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with Snake vs. Monkey, a minigame which tasked the master infiltrator with heading into the jungle to capture wayward monkeys from the Ape Escape series. Sony responded in kind with its own “Mesal Gear Solid” add-on in Ape Escape 3, a minigame which followed Pipo Snake as he battled monkey-esque Metal Gear on a mission to save Solid Snake himself.

Granted, neither Metal Gear Solid or Ape Escape were ever known for making sense, but this crossover was weird by even their standards. Snake vs. Monkey was later dropped for the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, meaning you're going to have to hit the retro shops to enjoy this odd (but strangely charming) spin-off.

Those are our choices for the strangest spin-offs in all of gaming--but perhaps you've got something even weirder in mind. Tell us about the strange side game we missed in comments, and remember, insane amounts of change can sometimes be a good thing.

And for more fun stories on GR+ head on over to .

Sometimes we all get stuck browsing the interwebs, reading random articles, watching YouTube videos, and shopping for things that we just don't need. That last one is actually quite the black hole of distraction and procrastination. But rather than help by trying to pull you out of it for the sake of productivity, I'm going to drag you down with me into the pit of unessential online shopping.

It probably began with my fascination with lightsaber replicas, but I always get caught up contemplating the finer points of geeky replicas. There are some pretty badass props out there. From gaming heroes' swords to iconic hand cannons, there's a ton of items to add to that useless, wall-mounted weapon rack full of fake weapons. Buy hey, they're awesome to look at right? Here are some of the most accurate, amazing, and tempting props to fill your home (and mine).

The Portal Gun is probably one of the most unique weapons in gaming - if you could even call it a weapon. It's able to shoot portals into solid surfaces, creating an instant doorway and an excellent gameplay mechanic for a first-person puzzler.

I don't even and I still want this thing. It looks so much like its in-game counterpart that it's crazy. Apart from actually shooting physics-tearing portals, it has it all: lights, sounds, stickers. Now you're playing with portals.

Half-Life 2 is definitely one of the greatest shooters ever. Heck, it's one of the , period. To earn its title as king among shooters, it had to have some awesome weaponry right? Well, yes. The zero point energy field manipulator, better known as the gravity gun, gives players control over the world's physics like no other weapon in games had done before or since. Who knew it would be so fun to throw garbage at people's heads with extreme force?

How sweet would it be to have the gravity gun sitting on your coffee table. Just about everyone knows what Half-Life 2 is. Even guests who don't call themselves gamers might pick this thing up and start pretending to levitate your couch with it. Video game weapons don't get much more iconic than Gordon Freeman's gravity gun, so what's better than actually owning it?

The Mass Effect series has a ton of futuristic weaponry to pull from. There are guns with unlimited ammo, rocket launchers, and even black hole emitters. But for a personal, technologically advanced gun collection, sometimes simple is best.

If you played a Biotic class in the Mass Effect series, the M6 Carnifex was most likely your bread and butter. This replica is massive, weighs seven pounds, and even plays the sound effects so you don't have to make the "pew pew" noises yourself. Pair this with a replica Omni Tool, and you're set.

Forget hanging Grandpa's old hunting rifle over the fireplace, you know what will really get people's attention? A fully-automatic rifle with a chainsaw sticking out from underneath the barrel.

Gears of War's Lancer became one of the most recognisable gaming weapons when the first title hit the store shelves. It became so iconic, Epic started selling full-size, limited edition replicas at the launch of the first sequel. You can get one now for a couple hundred bucks. It might not have an actual spinning bayonet blade, but it's still super fucking awesome.

The is probably one of the most interesting items you can get in a shooter. It's like a hand held roller coaster car. Not only does it give you the thrill of flying across an environment mid-gunfight, its one of the most brutal killing machines in the game. And I want it in my collection. The replica linked below actually spins the hooks when you pull the trigger, though I wouldn't recommend trying to get it to work in real life. Hanging from a wire using a prop is ill advised. But having a Skyhook on display alongside the rest of these crazy weapons would make any collection feel more complete.

Like the Boy Scouts say, "Always be prepared." And if you want to be prepared for everything, you're going to need a space-aged just in case an infestation of undead necromorphs crops up in your neighborhood (or if you decide to mine space rocks). Isaac Clark's limb-severing plasma cutter is hard to mistake and makes a pretty sweet addition to a display case.

In Dead Space, the plasma cutter's blade shifts from horizontal to vertical slicing modes, allowing Isaac to get a perfect chop on an approaching necromorph. The replica does the same, and even lights up the blue green laser lights when you pull the trigger. Looks legit.

What kind of video game weapon collection would be complete without a few iconic swords? WarCraft's .

How could you not want to own the sword that corrupted the golden boy prince Arthas, causing him to betray his friends, kill his father, and take the place of the Lich King on top the Frozen Throne. You can't even possess this sword in the digital world of WoW, but for a pretty penny, you can own it in the real one.

The isn't much of a sword, more like an oddly shaped mace with a few nasty looking prongs. But hey, with a weapon as recognisable as the Keyblade, it's tough to pass up a full-size replica - especially because the real-life versions aren't very expensive compared to the other weapons on this list.

Sora's Keyblade is like the Excalibur of the Kingdom Hearts universe, coming only to people worthy of wielding it. I'm not going to get into the entire lore of keyblades, their wielders, and why their shaped like that (find that in our article). But if you need a totally awesome video game replica, the Keyblade is a classic.

Kratos' are probably the most insane hand-to-hand weapons ever imagined. They're two monstrous knives attached to ten foot long chains, which are fused to a human being's forearms. And how do you kill things with them? Why, you swing them over your head and around your body creating a cyclone of spinning, razor-sharp blades, of course. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't recommend that readers bring these things into their homes.

Well, luckily the real life replicas of these death knives on chains aren't nearly as dangerous - unless you attach the chains to your arms and start swinging them around (please don't do that). When displayed on their stands (and not being swung around your head) the Blades of Chaos make pretty sweet decorations.

You can't talk about collecting video game weapons without mentioning the Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda series. This is the ultimate hero's sword. It's the blade of evil's bane, the birthright of every green-garbed hero, and heck, one of the coolest sword designs ever conceived.

It's pretty easy to find a replica of the Master Sword, but honestly, some of them have pretty shoddy craftsmanship. Sometimes the shape isn't quite right, the paint jobs are questionable, and the steel just looks cheap. A legendary blade such as this deserves better. There have been some amazing Master Sword replicas out there as well, but this ain't bad.

Well, hopefully this article didn't derail you into a video game weapon shopping spree spanning the vast world wide web. But if it did, did you come across any particularly awesome video game replicas? What would you add to the list? How many game weapons do you have in your collection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Looking for more articles to distract you from your daily responsibilities? Check out our list of .

The last Season Pass DLC for Far Cry 4 is a doozy. Crash landed in an even-remoter region of the Himalayas, Ajay Ghale must struggle to survive against dangerous beasts, murderous cultists, and a certain abominable snowman. You'll have to set up camp to survive the frigid landscape, upgrading it with scavenged tools so that you can ward off boneheaded (literally) cultists at night. Thankfully, you won't have to do any of it alone - not even the story missions.

Yep, Valley of the Yetis will be fully playable in co-op when it releases on March 10 in North America and March 11 in Europe. Sounds like an appropriately bonkers way to close out Far Cry 4's DLC, though you're still free to explore the new region at your leisure with a friend or on your own. Make sure you click on for more details on the rest of the open-world shooter's downloadable expansions.

Before I get to describing Overrun, the fourth piece of DLC for Far Cry 4, here's a reminder: the game does, in fact, including a competitive multiplayer mode. Said mode will be of utmost importance to your enjoyment of Overrun, since it adds a new mode, more maps, and a dune buggy to your online battles. It may be the only expansion for Far Cry 4 multiplayer that we know of, but at least it looks like a pretty cool one.

First off, the eponymous mode sees the Golden Path and the Rakshasa squaring off to control one of three king-of-the-hill style locations. There's a twist, though - at some point, the location will shift, meaning both teams had better get their butts in gear to claim the new spot. And how better to plot a course through four new maps than in the comfort of your own personal dune buggy?

By this point in the Far Cry franchise, you either want more Hurk, or you don't want anything to do with Hurk. The third Far Cry 4 DLC pack is better suited to the former kind of open-world shooting enthusiast. Ubisoft released the Hurk Deluxe Pack on January 27, adding five new missions which star the globetrotting good ol' boy for both single-player and co-op. As you can probably guess from Hurk's starring role, things get weird.

The pack also introduces several new weapons, including Hurk's beloved harpoon gun. The Hurk Deluxe Pack (we've officially passed the point where 'Hurk' begins to sound less like a character and more like a choking sound) is available on its own or as the third part of the Far Cry 4 Season Pass.

Far Cry 4's Escape from Durgesh Prison isn't content to throw a new weapon or ability your way and let you go to town on familiar enemies - y'know, the standard DLC shtick. Instead, it takes the opposite route: protagonist Ajay Ghale and his co-op buddy Hurk find themselves locked up in the eponymous prison, completely stripped of all their weaponry. But that's not the worst of it. With no friendly places to mend his wounds nearby, if Ajay gets taken out, he's done for.

That's right, Escape from Durgesh Prison introduces permadeath to the open-world shooter, meaning you'll have to play cautiously and learn from your mistakes if you're ever going to complete your grand exodus.

That's the score on the Far Cry 4 DLC for now. Was it tempting enough for you to invest in a season pass, or are you happy to wait and see? Let us know in the comments below!

If you want to know all about Ajay, Pagan Min, Hurk, and Kyrat at large, be sure to read up on everything we know about .

When you have your own Twitter parody account, that's when you know you've made it in this industry. Forget all the awards and accolades and years of backbreaking work. When your persona has been refined to the point where someone else can mold it into a twisted parody of itself - that's the true measure of success. Or at the very least, it'll do wonders for your ego.

The video game industry is not without its share of celebrities, and some of these celebrities have very, very dedicated fans. I'm talking people who are willing to, day in and day out, drum up new material to fuel their parody Twitter accounts, which skewer some of gaming's biggest characters (and caricatures). Here are 10 of the best that are still going strong today.

The REAL Peter Molyneux: is a veteran game developer with an extensive track record that includes such games as Fable, Black White, and Populous. He currently works at 22Cans developing the Kickstarter-funded Godus. Recently, Molydeux has come under fire for not delivering on promises made regarding Godus, which has become something of a habit.

The FAKE Peter Molyneux: is a video game visionary who cranks out outlandish game ideas on a regular basis. For example, "Imagine a FPS where your hair can overgrow and obstruct your view?" See what I mean? It's actually not too different from the real Molyneux. Molydeux is also the inspiration for , a 48-hour game jam whose entries are inspired by those same tweets.

The REAL Polygon: is a video game and entertainment website founded back in 2012 as part of Vox Media. Before launching, the site gained a lot of notoriety for bringing in several big-wig video game writers from various outlets. There was even .

The FAKE Polygon: is a satirical news feed that lampoons video games, the people who make them, the media, YouTube personalities, and damn near everything else in between. As its profile notes, any "resemblance to journalism is accidental." Right now they are knee-deep in skewering The Order: 1886, complete with mock headlines and developer quotes.

The REAL Kazuo Hirai: is the President and CEO of Sony Corporation. He has dedicated his professional career to Sony, starting in the early '80s when he joined the marketing department of Sony's music division in Japan. However, most people will likely recognize him as the "It's Ridge Racer!" guy from Sony's E3 2006 press conference.

The FAKE Kazuo Hirai: is a megalomaniacal, equal-opportunity hater who excels at pointing out the faults of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and anyone else who catches his eye. It's not uncommon for his insults to circle back on themselves and burn everyone involved: "Microsoft are so desperate to emulate the PS4′s success that they are copying everything we do, which is why XBOX LIVE is also down."

The REAL optimistic indie: doesn't exist. This is for two reasons: one, this parody account isn't parodying any one person, but rather a type of personality. And two, there's no such thing as an optimistic independent game developer. Are you kidding me? Making video games is nightmarishly hard work. They don't have time to be happy.

The FAKE optimistic indie: is full of really helpful advice for up-and-coming developers. His own game(s) may never get finished and his hairbrained marketing strategies never seem to work out, but by-golly he's at least got a sunny attitude. And an empty bank account.

The REAL Moms Against Gaming: isn't a real thing, however I think we can all think of a few organizations out there that are all-too-similar to this fictitious group. You know the ones, ready to expound upon the evils of gaming and the mind-warping, homicide-inducing damage they're inflicting on the youth. Just like comic books, rock and roll, and Dane Cook.

The FAKE Moms Against Gaming: is fighting the good fight against the many evils of video games. And they're ready to back up their claims with as many made up facts and figures as they can muster. In a more recent tirade, MAG pointed out how Majora's Mask teaches our children to fear the moon: "By saying the moon is bad, the creators of legend of Zelda are forcing our kids to avoid parties and late night social events for gaming."

The REAL Jim Ross: is a long-time wrestling commentator and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. His energetic, excitable commentary style has earned him the unofficial title of 'Voice of the WWE'. He also has his own line of barbecue sauce. Sauce it!

The FAKE Jim Ross: is where the worlds of professional wrestling, fighting games, and (on occasion) Pokemon collide. This bizarre mashup takes Ross' signature, over-the-top commentating style and applies to whatever fighting game tournament is happening on that particular weekend. He'll also pull the reverse and mix the FGC into the latest . In both cases, someone always gets BROKEN IN HALF. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!

The REAL Samus Aran: is the well-known star of Nintendo's Metroid series. Despite starting her life as an awesome, 200-pound space marine, she was later retconned into a supermodel with rocket boots that are totally not high heels. Her most recent outing was the extremely unfortunate Metroid: Other M, where she constantly acted like she didn't understand what was happening.

The FAKE Samus Aran: is a hard-drinking bounty hunter with an on-again/off-again rivalry with Princess Zelda and is the closest thing I'll get to Twitter fanfiction on this list. She's also extremely bitter about the lack of Metroid games on the horizon, and isn't afraid to go on a stream-of-consciousness rant about it. Proceed with caution.

The REAL legendary engram: isn't a person, it's a thing. Specifically, it's the legendary version of an engram, a special type of loot found in Destiny that must be decrypted in order to find out what it does. The Destinypedia claims they "may contain a legendary item, an exotic item, or Ascendant Materials" but as most players have discovered they typically contain "crap you don't want."

The FAKE legendary engram: is here to remind you how badly these items love to troll Destiny players. The typical tweet will be something like, 'Spent 8 hours finishing a raid? Here's a crappy level 18 hand cannon for your trouble.' However, the real culprit here is Destiny's loot-generating algorithm, which always seems to reward the players who aren't you.

The REAL Fork Parker: is also the fake Fork Parker. That is to say, there is only one Fork Parker, and he is an imaginary character featured in a smattering of Serious Sam games. He is depicted as the CFO of publisher Devolver Digital, though one would assume there is a real CFO of Devolver out there who doesn't look like Colonel Sanders.

The FAKE Fork Parker: loves taking advantage of ignorant, independent game developers and making lots of money. He is also full of random non-sequiturs and doesn't care what you think unless what you think is how you need to buy more Devolver Digital games.

The REAL David Cage: is the founder of Quantic Dream, the studio behind such games as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. It should also be noted that, before he did all that, Cage directed 1999's Omikron: The Nomad Soul, which features David Bowie and is totally rad. His games focus heavily on narrative, and Cage has often expressed that games can "do more" than how they're currently used.

The FAKE David Cage: can be summarized with a single tweet: "I believe the Devil May Cry fails its name when it places an emphasis on combo action over emotion." He takes the artistic medium of electronic gaming very seriously, always placing narrative above all else. He's also full of big ideas, not unlike a certain other European developer on this list...

Before we wrap up, I just want to give a quick Honorable Mention to . This 687-tweet epic retells the timeless story of Final Fantasy 7 with the assumption that all of the characters were completely high all the time. The attention to detail is really quite impressive. If you've got a parody account you enjoy, be sure to let us know in the comments below, and help fill out your fellow reader's Twitter feeds.

And for more great features on GR+ look up .

As PBS series Antiques Roadshow has taught me, the world of collectibles is a volatile one. You may have a priceless, one-of-kind game sitting on your shelf right now. Then again, it’s just as likely something you think is rare has become all too common in this increasingly digital world. In my many years as a gamer, I’ve seen a number of titles go from hard-to-find to ubiquitous.

GamesRadar has already explored the world of valuable . Now’s the time to explore what happens when a previously unavailable game go back on sale. Did their prices drop on eBay? Did the public give these rare games a new chance? Read on...

Back in the mid-’90s, owning Chrono Trigger was your key to instant gamer cred. The SNES time travelling RPG was an early darling of the online gaming press, but its late release on the console was overshadowed by the PlayStation and Saturn. Though easy to find at launch, the limited number of copies meant that a couple years later it was fetching at least $80 for the cartridge on eBay, and the cultish popularity seemed to doom it to never see rerelease.

Collectible prices on an English language version kept increasing until 2001, when North America finally got the PSone remake. Some shabby load times and other tech hiccups kept it from being perfect, which still kept the SNES version in demand. The DS remake finally did the port job correctly, even if . Currently, the DS version is pretty easy to come by, while a boxed SNES edition can go for up to $200 on eBay. Much like a classic car, it seems people want to stick with the original.

Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan) has a similar case to Chrono Trigger, only its publisher let it grow even more obscure. After the prequel almost saw release stateside, EarthBound got a massive promotional push from Nintendo back in 1995. The game’s massive box, odd advertising, and off kilter writing and visuals made it stand out from the pack, but also virtually guaranteed it to fail commercially. Despite the hard work of Nintendo of America, the sales were poor, meaning a relatively small number of copies were available from resellers.

Earthbound received both a remake and a sequel in Japan, and its characters have made multiple appearances in the Smash Bros. series, but the game itself remained hard to get ahold of. The prices for the SNES version climbed and climbed on eBay as the Wii’s Virtual Console made a habit of selling seemingly every classic Nintendo game except for EarthBound. In 2013, nearly 20 years after its initial release, Nintendo FINALLY put EarthBound on the Wii U’s eShop, to the pleasure of a very vocal minority. Now millions can legitimately experience the game, though that hasn’t hurt the price of the original cart, which, even without the box, sells for at least $150.

Metroid Prime does the impossible by artfully translating the series’ iconic exploration into a first-person adventure game. The series of games are some of the best stuff the GameCube ever saw, and the third entry works amazingly with the Wii’s motion controls. Remaking the first two releases for said waggly inputs and packaging them as a trilogy sounds like goldmine, but Metroid Prime Trilogy instead became one of the Wii’s most elusive titles.

Within months of the 2009 launch, Metroid Prime Trilogy became hard to find, often fetching close to $100 second-hand. Some conspiracy theorists believed Nintendo wanted Prime off the market to put the spotlight on Metroid: Other M, but whatever the reason, the trilogy became the most desired Wii game around. More than five years later, Nintendo pleasantly surprised fans by putting the trilogy on the Wii U eShop, even charging as low as $10 for it in the first week. Though the physical release still has some value, I feel bad for anyone who splurged on getting the original edition a month earlier.

Based on this list you’d think Nintendo has a thing for making some of its games really hard to find. Xenoblade is an extra-strange case, because it seemed like it would never come to the United States, even though it should have. After critical success in Japan, Xenoblade got a full localization by Nintendo of Europe, while the US branch seemingly ignored the JRPG. When it finally came to the US a year after its EU launch, Xenoblade arrived in limited quantities that were sold exclusively at GameStop. Obviously it soon became a real collector’s item.

Though remarkably common in Europe and Japan, American Wii owners were paying a pretty penny for the RPG to resellers, GameStop included. The game became available once again in the US, when GameStop suddenly had an influx of used Xenoblade copies it sold for $90. , saying ‘Stop received new copies and instead chose to mark them up as used, and the outcry pretty much calmed down once that limited stock vanished. Now the game will see a full remake on the New 3DS, and most shocking of all, it’s coming out at basically the same time worldwide.

This game was once the perfect recipe for an expensive collectible. Radiant Silvergun is a Japan-only release that had critical acclaim as the best Saturn game you’d never be able to play, which made Sega fans more rabid than ever. Plus, the title was developed by Treasure, a company known for avoiding sequels and remakes, and it’s for Saturn, a system that was once notoriously difficult to port from. No wonder the game went for more than $300 on eBay at the time.

The 2000s saw Treasure not only relax its stance on never wanting to do remakes, as Saturn ports became increasingly common on the 360 and PS3. Still, Radiant Silvergun was a holdout on the list of remakes until 2011. When it finally arrived, players worldwide could finally get a taste of its particular brand of bullet hell, perhaps coming to the same con conclusion I did: Ikaruga did it better. Regardless, the import version of the Saturn original still commands $200 on eBay, though maybe that’ll go up if Radiant Silvergun’s digital version never shows up as a current generation download.

Fans have been begging for an HD remake of Final Fantasy 7 for years, and it wasn’t that long ago those same people had trouble getting their hands on any version of the game. FF7 was a major early hit for the PSone, and the first Japanese RPG to truly go mainstream with western gamers. Despite sales in the millions and multiple print runs, Final Fantasy 7 was actually a difficult game to find during the PS2 era.

Whether you blame Square-Enix not keeping the game in-print, or collectors not parting with their copies, FF7 commanded a fairly high price once - especially if the game wasn’t in ‘Greatest Hits’ packaging. By 2009, after a handful of FF7 spin-offs suggested the first game was left in the past, the original version of the three-disc adventure came to PSN, making the game finally playable on PS3 and PSP. An HD-ish port is planned for the PS4 soon, and in the meantime, the PSone retail copies are now in the $60 range. Imagine what those would go for if an actual remake happened?

Every other game on this list has its share of fans, whether those diehards number in the thousands or even just the hundreds. Meanwhile, this 1994 biblical tribute is more of an infamous industry footnote. Super Noah’s Ark 3D reskins Wolfenstein 3D - seriously, even the map is the same - making the Nazi shooter into a game about tranquilizing goats. And it’s the only unauthorized game that legally works on the SNES, thanks to the odd bypass of plugging another SNES cart on top of Noah. How in the heck (don’t want to offend Noah) does this game even exist?

Like most of publisher Wisdom Tree’s games, Super Noah’s Ark 3D didn’t reach a large audience, but it later on became a prize for collectors of sheer oddities. Then, in 2014, the game resurfaced, not just as a legitimate PC download, but in a brand new run of that are still available for purchase. This new lease on life is just the type of miraculous resurrection one expects from the creators of Jesus in Space (a very real game, honest).

Monkey Paw Games is the MVP of this list, because giving new life to forgotten PSone games is pretty much why the company was founded. This small-scale publisher has been banging out PSN ports of games no one else cares to make available, re-furnishing the world with the likes of Tomba!, Alundra, and Vanguard Bandits along the way. But getting Arc of the Lad out digitally may be the group's greatest triumph.

The Arc of the Lad games began in 1995 in Japan, but didn’t see release in the US until all the games were bundled together as a collection in 2002. The series wasn’t only among the last major PSone titles, but also one of the final releases of niche publisher Working Designs. All those factors meant the game would be in short supply and high demand, so the collection’s rare, fancy box set and extras still command a high price on eBay. Fortunately for those of us on a budget, Monkey Paw finally expanded Arc’s potential audience by porting all three games to PSN in 2011.

Those are some previously super rare games that the less dedicated, more thrifty can finally get their hands on, but I’m sure you gentle readers can think of a few I forgot. If so, please tell me all about them in the comments!

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I love adventure games. There's something about the way that they seamlessly meld gameplay and narrative that's always spoken to me - even if I frequently have to glance at a FAQ just to make it to the end. But it was somewhere during the time I spent reviewing - probably at the point where I lured my in-game best friend back to alcoholism - that I realized adventure game heroes are dicks.

And it's not just Grim Fandango. Adventure games are filled with these sadistic moments, forcing you to screw over everyone around you in order to make any progress. Sure, you're ostensibly doing it for the greater good, but most of the time, you're the most selfish and opportunistic one around. These are some of the most despicable adventure game 'heroes' ever and the cruel things they've done in the name of puzzle solving.

Gabriel Knight is a smarmy asshole. I mean, look at that face above and try to tell me you're not resisting the urge to punch your computer screen. He's manipulative, he's a womanizer, but worst of all, he's just a terrible friend.

Take his relationship with his partner Franklin Mosely. Knight calls him 'Mostly' in front of all of his peers, much to his chagrin. In Knight's first adventure, Sins of the Father, he also, ahem, commandeers Mosley's badge in order to gain access to, , you have to lure Mosely out of his hotel room with candy, then swipe his wallet and his jacket - all so you can rent the bike shop's last scooter under his name. I hope Mosely is at least getting some free meals with all this shit he has to deal with, because with friends like these, who needs enemies?

George Stobbart seems like your average, run-of-the-mill, rakishly handsome American Everyman. Patent lawyer by trade, George regularly finds himself swept up in huge global conspiracies that threaten the very fabric of our society - y'know, normal, everyday kinda stuff. But, it also turns out that he's unintentionally a huge prick to one guy in particular: Duane Henderson.

Duane's either a humble greeting card salesman or a CIA operative - but either way, he's a little off his rocker. When George meets him in the Yemeni city of Marib during Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, Duane's on the lookout for a priceless artifact and George needs money for cab fare. A broken replica and a little bit of face paint later, and George cons $50 out of Duane with worthless junk. Not one to hold a grudge, Duane meets up with George again in Central America in the sequel The Smoking Mirror. He helps George escape from prison, only to get arrested by the generalissimo of this despotic third-world country while George slips out the back scot-free. Poor guy.

When you've got not one, but two whole universes at stake, you'll do practically anything to save the day. But what if that means harassing and potentially maiming a perfectly innocent bystander? That's exactly what plucky art student April Ryan does in The Longest Journey.

Near the beginning of her adventure, April has to make it inside a derelict movie theater to meet someone important. Unfortunately, a detective is eyeballing the joint on the street corner, looking for any suspicious activity. How do you get him to scram? Simply hand him a jawbreaker - covered in a definitely toxic/possibly radioactive green goop, of course. Shortly after this, you find him reeling in a bathroom stall - and, because adventure games, you need his glass eye. Turn off the lights, snag his eye when he drops it, replace it with a toy monkey's, and voila! You're officially a terrible person!

If you're stuck on a strange planet with no way to escape, you likely won't give a damn about what you'll have to kill to get back home. But that doesn't make what you have to do any less disturbing.

There's a part in The Dig where Commander Lowe's path is blocked by a massive sea creature. The key to this puzzle is the turtle-like thing hanging out right next to it - the problem is that it just got devoured by said sea creature. Time to reassemble some bones and revive it with a mysterious crystal. Do it wrong and, well, this crime against nature melts back down into a puddle of goo (you monster). But if you put it together correctly and place an explosive canister inside its carcass, you get to sit back and watch the fireworks. Don't worry, you're only killing off a heretofore unknown alien species for your own personal gain. Humanity - 1, Aliens - 0.

Like Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and all the other great film noir heroes, Grim Fandango's Manuel Calavera teeters on the edge of likeable and deplorable. He may be a suave, smooth-talking playboy, but he's also not above knocking his best friend clean off the wagon or locking a claustrophobic waiter inside a pantry. But all of that pales in comparison to the time he faked a man's death just to steal his job.

In order to get passage on the S.S. Lambada, you need to find a job on the ship. The only problem is that the ship is already fully staffed. But that's nothing to worry about - one of the sailors is currently getting a tattoo in town. Simply spike his drink so he falls unconscious, steal his dog tags, then toss them onto some (double) dead bodies at the morgue. The captain'll think he's pushing up daisies and welcome you into the crew. Nothing like conning a complete stranger out of an honest day's work.

Guybrush Threepwood wants to be a mighty pirate. Pirates, as you know, are not exactly honorable people, what with all the looting and pillaging. Still, it seems like there should be some mention in the Pirate Code that sealing a live man inside a coffin is a total dick move.

In Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Guybrush comes across a used-vessel-turned-used-coffin salesman named Stan. Stan's got a key to a crypt that Guybrush needs, but, of course, Stan won't part with it willingly. What he will do is try to sell you a deluxe used coffin, even going so far as to demonstrate how roomy it is by hopping inside. Guybrush then closes the lid on him, seals it shut with some nails, snags the key, and walks out, all while listening to Stan's increasingly desperate pleas for help. Stan remains stuck inside that coffin and locked away in a crypt until you unwittingly free him six years later in The Curse of Monkey Island.

What would you do to make your wildest dreams come true? Would you lie to someone you loved? Steal something important from them? Murder them? How about causing the deaths of untold millions via a nuclear missile? Well, in The Cave, you can do exactly that!

The Cave is an incredibly dark tale about a group of explorers who each enter a mysterious cavern in search of the prizes hidden within. The thing is - this cave has a real dark sense of humor, and requires that you complete some truly sadistic objectives to proceed deeper into its depths. The most terrifying? Priming and launching an active nuke at a densely populated city. Is it real? Or is it all a hallucination created by the intoxicating allure of The Cave? Best not to think about it, lest the guilt eat away at you for the rest of your life.

Just 'cause you're the good guy doesn't automatically mean you're nice, as shown by these truly misanthropic moments in adventure game history. Are there any terrible things caused by your pointing and clicking that still haunt your conscience? Let me know in the comments below!

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Ever since the original Team Fortress set the standard, class-based shooters have followed a pretty simple formula. Your choice of specialized roles usually corresponds to where you want to be in a shootout: on the frontlines as an assault trooper, right behind them as a supporting medic, bringing up the rear as an engineer or anti-vehicle expert, taking potshots from afar as a sniper, or infiltrating enemy territory as a stealthy spy. It's nice that you can find the niche that best suits you - but wouldn't it be even cooler to play as a soldier that really stands apart from the usual archetypes?

As with the most , I'm fascinated by the stranger, more unique concepts that some multiplayer shooters have to offer. It's not rewarding enough to just point and shoot at anything that moves - you've got to score kills and capture objectives with your own distinct style. So, for your enjoyment, I present a list of the misfit classes that merrily defy the traditional class structure. You might die in the line of duty, but you'll be ten times more memorable than yet another humdrum Assault soldier.

requires you to bring a Medic along in your hunting party, but at least prospective healers get three options to choose from. While Val has the standard healing-beam and Caira wields an unconventional health-restoring grenade launcher, Lazarus is by far the strangest of the bunch. Why? He's a healing class who will watch unflinchingly while you die at his feet.

This Rasputin-looking physician does have the ability to heal his allies, but only in very limited bursts. His real power comes from his ability to instantly revive downed or dead teammates, paired with his personal Cloaking Device. A good Lazarus knows to wait patiently and invisibly from the shadows, keeping an eye out for timely revives instead of providing direct, continuous support. He'll gladly watch you get mauled to death, but only with the team's best interests at heart.

Frankly, every TF2 class has a ludicrously wide range of utility and possibilities within its prescribed playstyles. But if I have to pick one standout, it's got to be that ever-dapper Frenchman, the Spy. Plenty of shooters have a class that's meant to sneak behind enemy lines with temporary cloaking or disguises - but it's the Spy's methods that make him so distinct.

At launch, most players had a tough time spotting fake teammates intent on stabbing their tender back-meat. And just when people started to adapt to the Spy's subtle behavior patterns, new items gave him the tools to outsmart enemies once more - particularly the Dead Ringer, which lets you feign death to slip by defenders unnoticed. Succeeding as the Spy means thinking like your enemy, and blending in without being blatantly inconspicuous. Yes, that's an oxymoron, but TF2 vets know exactly what I mean.

Lead and Gold's playerbase has gone the way of the dodo - which is a shame, because it has some pretty distinct characters. I almost gave the nod to the Trapper, a lady with a coonskin cap, bear traps, and a sniper rifle - but the Deputy class (pictured front and center here) and his vigilant team leadership is too nuanced not to pick.

The Deputy can tag up to two enemies as targets, making them fully visible to his teammates (even through walls). Here's the catch: he can also remove those same tags from allies if they've been marked by an opposing Deputy. The juggling act of providing your team with built-in wallhacks while denying them from your enemy is key, giving the Deputy the power to control the flow of kills in a match without actually scoring them himself.

finally lets you play as everyone's favorite / most hated robot pal Claptrap. So how does one capture the essence of this delightfully / annoyingly chipper companion as a playable mercenary? Simple: by screwing with your teammates at every available opportunity. But in a productive way!

Claptr - sorry, Fragtrap's signature ability is VaultHunter.EXE, which lets you morph into different forms every 40 seconds (i.e. incredibly often). Thing is, the effects of this seemingly random transformation can also apply to your allies - and some are more disruptive than others. Your teammates might start cursing you out when they're suddenly bouncing around or uncontrollably firing off their entire clip in the middle of a heated firefight. That's when you shrug, wink, and sheepishly say "I was just trying to help!"

Despite all their freaky, incredibly invasive body modifications, the Strogg aren't so different from us. That's if Quake Wars is to be believed, since all the human classes have analogous counterparts on the Strogg side. Whereas the Global Defense Force has the Fields Ops role, a support class that can deploy turrets, call in airstrikes, and drop ammo for teammates, the Strogg can deploy the functionally identical Oppressor. Or rather, it would be identical if not for one crucial difference.

The Oppressor - great name for a cyborg alien soldier, by the way - isn't able to resupply his allies with extra ammo. Instead, he gets the ability to plant tactical shields around the map, creating temporary cover for his teammates where there was none before. In the hands of a tactical mastermind, the Oppressor's power to transform the battlefield by creating new chokepoints or offensive bulwarks makes him one of the most influential shooter classes ever created.

Imagine staring down an entire legion of Oddjobs. Now give them luscious beards. That's Shadowrun's Dwarfs in a nutshell - short in stature, but no less lethal for it. Instead of a class system, this cyberpunk shooter lets you pick a soldier from one of four races and equip them with whatever magic or tech you like. Succeeding as a Dwarf is a matter of tricky resource management: your spell-casting energy regenerates at a snail's pace, so you need to drain essence from your enemies - or leech off your teammates, oddly - to stay useful.

But here's the weirdest part: scoring a headshot on a Dwarf is meaningless, because unlike the other races, it won't inflict increased damage. As with the Necromorphs in Dead Space, defending yourself against these fighters goes against the cardinal rule you learned in every other shooter.

Halo 4 doesn't have classes in the traditional sense, but it does have specialized loadouts. Once you've hit level 50 in the Spartan Rank progression system, you're given a choice from eight distinct classes, which have to be leveled up individually if you want their respective rewards. The most tasty carrots on this stick are the perk-like buffs you get for maxing out each class, but they also come with a spiffy suit of unique Spartan armor.

All of the Support Upgrade and Tactical Package rewards are functionally useful; Operators make vehicles more resilient, Rogues have steadier aim, and Wetwork operatives get quieter footsteps. But there's one oddball: Pioneer, the Neon Genesis Evangelion-looking commando you see above. His signature ability? Gain more XP after a match. That's it. In a group of specializations that provide tangible benefits during gameplay, the Pioneer offers you exactly nothing in the heat of a firefight. In essence, the Pioneer only exists to grant a perk that unlocks other, more useful classes slightly quicker.

Typically, if your teammates are screaming that you're the one to blame for a loss, they're just a bunch of whiny babies who can't understand the concept of collaborative effort. But in the case of Red Orchestra 2, that blame-throwing might actually be appropriate. Like any real fighting force, teams in this WW2 shooter have a handful of Squad Leaders, but only one Commander. Playing as the Commander is a critical responsibility, since you and you alone have access to the Radio, a tool that facilitates airstrikes, aerial recon, and ally-respawning reinforcements.

Because RO2 servers support up to 64 players, that means you might have 31 other people relying on you to make the right calls. Your tactical insight - or idiocy - can lead your team to organized victory or disgraceful, discombobulated defeat. If you're not prepared to do some extensive voice-chatting, or take serious heat when you make a blunder, the Commander is certainly not the class for you.

Unless you're a Call of Duty vet, you might be unfamiliar with the concept of TTK. Short for Time To Kill, it's the measure of any given weapon's lethality, reducing all that twitch shooting to cold, hard math. Being pro at CoD means obsessing over your TTK, since you want to be racking up headshots and calling in killstreaks as quickly as possible. That's what makes the Riot Shield such a strange, typically undesirable choice for your primary slot: it's a slow, clunky means of self-defense in a series that's all about frenzied killing.

And yet, the Riot Control loadout, which revolves around the use of the Riot Shield, is one of the preset builds provided in both Modern Warfare 2 and Ghosts. Seeing as Riot Control is presented to new players as one of a few default class options, it seems bizarre to promote a playstyle that runs counter to everything CoD stands for. Then again, the general public's unfamiliarity with how to fight against these shield-wielders could be the perfect edge.

Meet the mysterious tenth class in the Team Fortress universe. Shooters often include modes where you escort an objective - typically an NPC hostage, or some kind of explosive payload - from point A to point B. But when playing as the Civilian, you are the objective. Caught between a team of Assassins that want to snipe your head off and the Bodyguards attempting to protect you, the outcome of each round in VIP mode hinges directly on whether you live or die.

It's the ultimate fantasy fulfillment for players that love being the center of attention - though you won't be doing much shooting yourself, since the Civilian's only weapon is a plain old umbrella. Will you dazzle everyone on the server by ? Or will you singlehandedly unbalance the entire game mode by utterly failing at self-preservation? That's really for you to decide.

Though this class title reads like a kindergartener proudly writing his name for the first time, it's actually an acronym for Mechanized Assault Exo-suit. And to call the MAX a class almost feels like a misnomer, since it's essentially a walking tank on two legs amidst a crowd of regularly proportioned soldiers. But hey, that's how PlanetSide 2 labels it, so who am I to argue? Even though you can't deploy as a MAX right from the get-go, it has its own set of customizations to unlock and intricacies to learn just like any other class.

For starters, there's no aiming down your sights - the MAX has two giant guns for arms, so pinpoint targeting isn't really an option. You also have to decide if you want to be built to counter infantry, aircraft, or ground vehicles, which presents an interesting quandary. Do you spec yourself to be a godsend in one type of scenario but useless in others? Or do you go with a more adaptable loadout that can deal with anything but excels at nothing? Whatever you go with better be good, since you're spending precious resources every time you don this robo-suit.

If you've ever wanted to play as a perpetually farting mercenary in a class-based shooter, this is the best chance you're ever going to get. Everything about the Astrek Recluse brings flatulence to mind, given that this advanced Biotech battleframe (read: subclass) is defined by its use of noxious gas. Biological warfare isn't funny, but watching your souped-up soldier vault away from enemies with a blast of greenish-brown gas really, really is. That move is called Evacuate, by the way; it's unclear whether or not bowels are involved.

Maybe I'm just immature as all hell, but I would relish every opportunity to brag about killing my enemies when they caught a whiff of my Creeping Death. Not every shooter lets you combat the opposition by creating a around yourself. Firefall does.

In a game like Tribes, where everyone's soaring around the map like majestic eagles, the Juggernaut feels about as mobile as an overfed pig. But when you pack this kind of heavy firepower, you don't need to be fast. The Juggernaut's Fusion Mortar launches devastating explosive rounds, letting you bombard the enemy base until the flag runners come home. Once you're able to accurately judge the giant arc of your shot, you'll be a one-man airstrike on any stationary fortification.

But the true beauty of the Juggernaut class is that moment when an enemy zooms by, and you reflexively launch a fiery emerald mortar bomb over the crest of a nearby hill - not where your prey is now, but where they will be in a few seconds. You'll probably be too far away to even see the resulting kill, but it's as joyous as shooting a swish from half court, or that long-bomb snowball throw from Elf.

Ah, Wascot - the evil doppelganger of MNC's smiley mascot Bullseye, and my absolute favorite class from this criminally underplayed shooter. His backstory is perfect: Wascot's an obsessed fan who both adores and wants to murder the foam-headed hypeman for this futuristic bloodsport. But besides the hilarious lore, Wascot's playstyle is an absurdly unique take on close-quarters hit-and-run tactics in shooters.

Getting in someone's face is easy thanks to Wascot's Crook Hook, which yanks him directly to his stunned target - and if anyone tries to throw you, activating Shifty Shuffle will automatically counter them (and give you some lifesteal to boot). Instead of killing players directly, Wascot's primary Coin Launcher weapon shoots damaging doubloons that enemies will foolishly try to collect - it's an ingenious take on Mario Kart's decoy item boxes. And unlike the deadly melee weapons used by other Commando types, like the Assassin's dagger or Captain Sparks' electrified sword, Wascot simply uses a paddle. All the better to spank the opposition with, my dear.

You probably recognize these pillbug-like automatons from The Phantom Menace, where their firepower was enough to make even trained Jedi run away with their lightsabers between their legs (pretty dangerous, if you ask me). They're called Droidekas, and they're an exclusive asset to the Confederacy of Independent Systems in Battlefront's massive multiplayer shootouts. It's what you would get if you took a durable, stationary turret, then gave it the power to zip around in spherical form like AiAi from Super Monkey Ball.

Anyone foolish enough to stand in your way will be gunned down instantly by your dual laser blasters, and your personal shield emitter gives you the ability to act as a slow-moving blockade. But the trick is knowing where you're needed most, because once you've switched forms, you're pretty much committed until your targets are eradicated or you're a scrap heap on the ground.

Do you play Destiny and love the distinct abilities and exclusive armor types worn by your Guardian? Then you absolutely have to try Warframe, because its rich, exotic flavors of player classes make Destiny's trio look like lukewarm vanilla ice cream. Each of the collectible, craftable Warframes acts as both your armor type and your spell selection, and they're all gloriously unique in both form and function.

No matter which Warframe suits your fancy, they're all quite capable of excelling in the missions, though by very different means. Maybe you want to teleport around as the backstabbing Ash, zap targets with weaponized lightning as Volt, become a killer sci-fi airbender as Zephyr, or misdirect enemies with clone decoys as Loki. To me, the 22-and-counting classes feel like rare jewels in a sea of shooter stereotypes. It might cost you a small fortune or years of dedication to unlock them all, but you don't have to play every last Warframe to appreciate their invigorating originality.

Pretty awesome, right? The next class-based shooter I'm stoked for is , which is sure to introduce tons of unique character concepts. For instance, take Tracer (pictured above), who can rewind time mid-firefight. Which oddball shooter class is your favorite? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

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

We all have that one game. That detestable, despicable game that sits lost and forgotten apart from our collection. The same one that, when mentioned to friends (or otherwise normal coworkers) gets nothing but praise and cries of "How could you possible not love it?" We don't just not love it, dammit, we hate it! And we're not afraid to admit it. It's not our fault the rest of you are too blind to see its teeth-gnashing, aneurysm-inducing flaws.

Nonetheless, we'll give it a shot. Each editor has selected a game that has won widespread praise, yet that he or she feels - quite frankly - is crap. Dive into this list with an open mind, and you might just... no, you know what, we don't care. Close your mind. Keep playing these infuriating games. WHO CARES IF WE NEVER GET ANOTHER SKIES OF ARCADIA. GO PLAY MORE CALL OF DUTY. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONGWITHYOUPEOPLE!!

Though the Final Fantasy 13 saga may not be the most well loved of FF titles, of them Final Fantasy 13-2 is certainly the favorite. And oh, what a black hole of hatred I have in my soul for that game. While the battle system was an improvement on 13's linearity, I would have gladly taken 100 Final Hallway games over the shallow plot and shoddy characters 13-2 dropped in my lap.

Where 13 actually had a decent if flawed cast, 13-2 removed all the folks worth a damn, replaced everyone else with flattened and awful versions of themselves (I think I've developed a persistent eye twitch from Serah fawning over how cute it is that Snow's being a jerk to her), and added in some of the most infuriating characters I've seen in a long time. Like Noel. Fuckin' Noel. Refusing to do the one thing that would save the universe full stop because it involves killing a guy with whom he has zero friendly interactions but they're somehow totally great friends! Combine that with inconsistent and illogical time travel, a final 'twist' that might as well have written in the clouds, and the fact that Noel is so goddamn stupid that he's singlehandedly responsible for the death of mortal universe and I...

Ugh, Borderlands. I want to love you! I love shooters. I love action RPGs. I love distinct art styles with lots of bold colors. I love corny jokes. All the elements are there, but I still hate Borderlands. You have to understand, I'm pretty good about giving games the benefit of the doubt even if they don't grab me straight off - particularly if tons of other people seem to really enjoy them. But rarely have I felt more actively disinterested in a game than when I tried to play Borderlands.

Maybe it's how the first region is full of skags and axe-wielding psychos, which makes for rote backpedaling as you unload ammunition into their faces. Maybe it's how the first few hours of the campaign are spent performing asinine tasks for unpleasant characters, like trying to grind through an MMO that calls you names whenever you turn in a quest. Even good co-op company (yes, I was playing in co-op) couldn't keep me from dozing off at best or actively resenting the experience at worst. Maybe Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel fixed all these problems, but I don't really care enough to find out.

I just don't understand the appeal of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Many members of the GR+ staff swear by the game, citing a wealth of special attacks, imaginatively designed arenas, and lashings of Nintendo fan-service as the reason for its greatness. All I see is a mess of color, as if an excitable toddler has vomited Skittles onto an LED screen. I mean, what the hell is happening? It's wanton chaos. It's like the , with all the clawing, naked sinners swapped for Nintendo mascots.

During the games I played in the UK office, literally no-one could work out who was winning or why, which really takes the sting out of victory. "Oh, I came first did I? Fuck me, I thought I just kept falling off a ledge and getting my nose broken by Yoshi." And, honestly, why does no-one see the futile absurdity in someone like Samus Aran smacking the Duck Hunt dog in the jowls, while the Wii Fit trainer tries to brutalise Kirby in the whatever-it-has-instead-of-bollocks? I'm out.

I know I'm going to get hate for this, but I did not like Final Fantasy 7. I've played most of the FF games as they were a big part of my childhood. I even dumped an ungodly number of hours into FF11 - how's THAT for dedication and love for the series? I tried playing FF7 when it came out, but the whole jump to 3D and polygon graphics just did not appeal to me. I was not blown away. I was blown away by the intro to Final Fantasy 8, and when I booted up Final Fantasy X my life changed. But Final Fantasy 7? Meh.

I eventually went back to play through the entire game on PC, and just couldn't bring myself to be invested in any of the characters. That OMG HOW COULD YOU scene? Felt nothing. Meanwhile, the ending to Crisis Core? Cried. I loved that game, but maybe I was just not in the right frame of mind when Final Fantasy 7 came out to really enjoy it. The music was good though. Gold Saucer FTW!

Destiny is mind-cripplingly dull. The 'characters', the 'plot', the 'void damage', the colour coded rarity system of weapons that everyone seems so het up about - I couldn't care less. All anyone ever seems to do is grind. And everyone keeps saying 'oh the game doesn't begin until level 8, 15, 20, 30... WHEN DOES IT GET FUN?

The enemies only seem to have two attacks each. There aren't enough planets. I can't feasibly play with everyone else now because I haven't bought the DLC. There is no spark of life in its cold, dead eyes. I hate the Ghost thing and its stupid disinterested voice. Destiny is a husk of a game and I don't know what anyone sees in it. There, I've said it.

I'll never understand why people praise Gunman Clive. Maybe they've been blinded by the low, low price tag of $2, which sounds like a steal - but I've easily played a thousand free Flash games on the 'net that were 10 times more enjoyable than this trite 2D shooter. The graphics are either bland or butt-ugly depending on your tastes, the controls are floaty and unresponsive, the soundtrack seems to be a sampling from 'My First Chiptune Album', and the stark level designs are straight garbage.

If you're going to rip off Mega Man stage gimmicks, your controls need to be on point, instead of making me feel like a jellyfish in low gravity. Also, it's best to avoid a difficulty curve that goes from toddler easy to 'Why am I still playing this vile horseshiz' hard. The fact that so many people compare this repugnantly unfun grind of trial-and-error platforming to the greatness that is Sunset Riders makes me sick to my stomach. Kill me for this radical opinion if you must - just promise that you'll .

I wouldn't say I hate Skyrim, exactly. Hate is a word I'd reserve for real dreck like Ride to Hell Retribution (or those hoverbike segments in Battletoads). But by God, I will never understand the undying love and devotion this open-world fantasy RPG gets - especially when compared to the vastly superior Fallout series.

There certainly is something impressive about how Skyrim generates seemingly never-ending quests to get lost in, but the world and its characters do absolutely nothing for me. Why should I spend the time talking to everyone and solving all their asinine little problems if I don't even care whether they live or die? Maybe I just prefer dinking around the futuristic wasteland of North America more, but every time I've tried to get into Skyrim, I last about six hours and then I bail.

I don't like Super Mario Bros. 3. There I said it! I was the hugest fan of Super Mario Bros. 2. I loved the weirdness of it and have many, many, many fond memories of playing it with my brother. In fact, it was one of the few games the we beat together.

I was pretty excited for 3. I even faked friendship with a girl who I knew had a copy of the game, just so I could go to her house to play it. And then karma struck for my trickery; a few levels in I was confused and I didn't like it. I know it has Tanooki Mario and a ton of things people other people love but I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm for it. I expect I'll be eating lunch alone from now on.

I've probably put more than a thousand hours into the Call of Duty series, BioShock is one of my favorite games of all time, and I simply can't stop playing Destiny. Outside of a Zelda adventure, blasting away enemies, throwing grenades, and scoring long-distance head shots are my favorite gaming pastimes. But the one FPS game I just can't manage to enjoy at all is Half-Life 2. Matter of fact, I pretty much hate all Valve shooters because they all share the same flaw.

Sometimes it can be the tiniest detail that turns you off to a game, and that one little thing in HL2's case is simply the way the Valve shooters handle. Moving around feels you're just controlling a floating head (and not just because you can't see your legs). Running feels more like flying (not in a good way) and there's no weight to your steps. It sounds like a lame excuse, but for some reason that floatiness kills my immersion immediately. It's really the only hurdle I can't get past, and much like with , I just can't overcome it.

MMO's are video game hell. They strip otherwise interesting genres of all fun and enjoyment. In their place, they stuff their victims full of monotonous tasks (collect 5 beaver pelts), point-and-click combat, and ravenous paywalls. The only tradeoff for all this BS: multiplayer. You can play with an entire world of other people who are running around yelling and cursing and killing one another - often for no reason. Does this remind you of someplace?

At the very bottom of this hell sits World of Warcraft, laughing and weeping into a lake of fire. WoW's corruption is slow and insidious. In the beginning it's all fun and games, but after a year or two the 'fun' becomes 'work' and the 'games' become 'obligation.' It isn't here to entertain you. It's here to enthrall you with its unending quest for loot which will let you get better loot which will let you get better loot which will...

Also the selfie feature sounds dumb.

We've shared some of our darkest gaming secrets with you, dear reader. Now it's time to balance the scales. Let us know in the comments below your least-favorite, but still wildly-popular, game. Just be prepared for plenty of backlash from everybody else.

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