Videogames versus the real world - final round! Remember reality? That place to which your loved ones are always urging you to put down the controller and return? Completely overrated. And compared to the gloriously exaggerated world of videogames, completely underwhelming. Bosses don’t have glowing weak points in the real world. Car crashes don’t reward bonus points and death isn’t solved with a continue.
Just to be sure, though, we’re giving reality one last chance. Characters you never knew had the same voice actor. One is a pure, bubbly and pretty-as-pink princess who rarely reveals even the skin of her ankle. The other is a sassy, sexy and no-nonsense computer program who has spent her entire existence in the nude. Within the tightly linked and extraordinarily small world of videogame voice acting, however, these two women are the exact same person. Such behind-the-screen crossovers are countless once you start searching for them.
While a physical performer can be typecast or limited by looks, the vocalist is free to transform at will. Good guy or bad guy? Cartoon mascot or lethal assassin? Greek general or Jedi warrior? As these 21 strange and surprising matches prove, the best voices can do all of the above. Common voice: Jen Taylor The games: Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Super Princess Peach, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Party, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi Common voice: Reuben Langdom The games: Street Fighter IV, Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 3. Video game villains who got away with it. People like to see good triumph over evil. It's the reason Superman always wins despite getting stabbed in the face with shards of Kryptonite. Why John McClane beats a skyscraper full of heavily-armed terrorists with nothing but a string vest.
And why those pesky S.T.A.R.S. agents always get the better of the T-virus. Sometimes, though, there are games brave enough to spit in the face of convention and let their no gooders go unpunished. Like shady politicians, these assholes always manage to manoeuvre themselves onto the winning side. Above: Honourable to the last Despite repeated acts of kidnapping and terrorism, the Robert Mugabe of the Mushroom Kingdom never seems to face any jail time or significant punishment for his evil ways. Above: 'Hard time' in the the Mushroom Kingdom penial system The killer karate master who likes to orphan kids in his free time, Shenmue’s prime antagonist is pure evil we tells ya!
Above: Just punishment for any murderer. Robots that don't make any sense. Some robots make cars. Others make candy. We need cars and candy to sustain our unsustainable lifestyles, so those robots make sense. Videogame robots, however, don’t generally make Toyotas. They don’t make Tootsie Rolls, either. They definitely don’t make sense. Fictional robot designers detest practicality. Of course, none of these robots were meant to make any sense. That thing on the right is supposed to be a robot. Jack (Gears of War) Jack is an invisible floating robot which appears whenever a map needs to load. Chibi Robo Chibi Robo is a great game with a great premise. It would be kind of cruel, actually, to intentionally design something that’s barely capable of the task you’ve programmed it to be obsessed with.
Above: What God would wish me such torment?! Flybot (Base Wars) We can accept that someone designed a bunch of robots to play baseball. Mousers (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Mousers are Dr. Above: This is a giant Mouser, but it's really more of a Turtler Gizmoduck (DuckTales) The most superior superior races. Don’t get too comfortable, puny human. You may be perched high on your planet’s food chain right now, but it won’t last forever. There are plenty of races waiting for their chance to assimilate you into their culture, usually by killing you. Whether they’re in deep-space hibernation, hiding under the surface of your world, supposedly “extinct” or latently waiting on the internet, it’s only a matter of time before a superior form of life makes you its bitch. But with so many sources of imminent demise, which one should you worry about the most?
Evidence and source material: Turok Why they’re superior: Dinosaurs are, like, 100-feet-tall and weigh as much as the monster truck that turns into a dinosaur. The downside: They’re going to eat us. Will they replace us? It was only after dinos were wiped out (possibly by one of the other races on our list) that the age of mammals began, and human beings took their tremulous position as Earth’s number-one superior race… for now! Which console will win Fall 2010? At the beginning of this year, we put our heads together to predict which console would “win” 2010. Not in terms of sales, necessarily, but in terms of who was going to make the strongest showing, and whose machine we were going to want to play the most.
Back then, the impending double threat of Kinect (then called Natal) and Halo: Reach prompted us to give it to the 360. Above: Even so, the fight still rages Now, however, E3’s over, summer’s in full swing and most publishers have seemingly shot their wads early by delivering some of the year’s best games in its first half. With a much better idea of where the industry is headed (and a healthy margin of error), here’s where we think things are headed for each system over the next few months: 1. This fall, some customers will carefully weigh their console options, comparing the pros and cons of each before finally deciding which deserves a place in their budget. 2. Above: SIGH Or did it? Above: Meet your replacement 3. 4. Plus, Fable III! Game music of the day: Halo 3 ODST. Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.
Game: Halo 3:ODST Song: Neon Night Composer: Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori Above: Neon Night from Halo 3: ODST It's nearly been a year since ODST landed as a holiday Halo holdover, meant to tide the rabid fanbase over for the next "real" sequel. This song, "Neon Night," plays while you explore the dimly lit streets of New Mombasa. This song, "More Than His Share," also sticks out in my mind as a great example of echoing typical Halo music without copying it.
Even if you can't stand Halo, or passed on ODST, the soundtrack is immensely listenable. Game music of the day: Transformers: War for Cybertron 'Til All Are One by Stan Bush Game music of the day: Fallout 2 My Chrysalis Highwayman by Mark Morgan. Plasticene Plants vs Zombies. 1925′s vision of 1950′s America. 25 Annoying Things About Non-Gamers. S Top 7 compendium. Which games feature the hottest girl-on-girl kisses? What are the bloodiest games you never played? How do you know if you're a gaming snob?
If a ninja kills someone in a forest and there's no one there to hear him, does he make a sound? We like to ask the really tough questions here at GamesRadar. If you missed out on our Mario Party drinking games or the terrible games we're embarrassed to admit that we love, then now's your chance to see what you've been missing. So scroll down and enjoy GamesRadar's Top 7 compendium. GamesRadar's Top 7 Compendium Top 7... Top 7... '90s games that need HD remakesWe're not graphics whores, but an update would really benefit these aging classicsClick here Top 7... Top 7... Top 7... Top 7... Top 7... The Top 7... Top 7... Top 7… Tasteful game heroinesVideogame girls treated with dignity and respect?
Top 7… Things we hate about sports gamesHow the so-called next generation has epically failed sports fansClick here Top 7... Top 7... Top 7... Top 7... The Top 7… Tasteful game heroines. Like comic books and movies, videogames tend to present an exaggerated representation of men and women. Dudes are typically muscle-bound meatheads with powerful jaw lines and a thorough understanding of all forms of combat, while women generally have back-breaking chests and dress like strippers regardless of their profession.
Above: Strong women, not exactly tasteful Lara Croft, for example, is a world-famous icon that carries an entire franchise. She’s smart, tough and more capable than the men she’s pitted against, yet still goes spelunking in skin-tight belly shirts and shorts too small for a fifth grader. Where are the female leads with a sliver of believability or appropriate clothes? Few and far between, it seems. But that makes these seven standout portrayals all the more important. Even though she has the superheroic trait of mastering multiple disciplines that each take a lifetime to perfect, Jade still comes across as a fairly normal person.
The Top 7... Stereotypical gamers we hate. We'd rather be stabbed in our necks with rusty ice picks than try to hold any sort of conversation with one of these imbeciles. Emergency tracheotomies would both be less painful, and more likely to get us shots of morphine. We're referring to rare, but very real individuals who by some astonishing means perfectly embody corny, old gamer stereotypes that definitely shouldn't describe any actual person ever. The following seven profiles illustrate the stereotypes that are most capable of initiating our gag reflexes. They should be avoided vigorously. 7. Usually plays: Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3Favorite snacks: Brewskies, pizza, passed-out sorority chicks It's hard to tell when these douche bags are actually playing a game as they're just as likely to yell "Score! " These ravenous consumers of all things sequel and all things licensed are the undiscerning gamers that lazy publishers wish we all were.
The top 7... rudest cheats. We can’t deny that, despite being unfeeling binary illusions, video game chicks are hot. We’d delve into the deep psychological curiosities that make these digital fantasies so appealing to libidinous male gamers, but it’s more fun to just show you how the hormone-infused gaming community has sexed up some of the most popular games ever. Whether the developers intentionally created the titillating features, or they were modded by pubescent hackers, they’re hot (if a bit misogynistic and creepy), and we’ve got the scoop on how to get them. The screens in this feature are censored, but if you’re really into hot polygon love, follow the instructions to replicate them yourself. Also be warned that any links to external sites are pretty much guaranteed to contain porno ads and other lewdness.
If you saw this article when it was originally posted, you were blasted with a grand parade of uncensored boob screens and absurd footage of frolicking virtual nudists. Please verify your age. The Top 7... Worst Parts of Best Games. Nothing's perfect. Stare closely enough at anything - even a masterpiece - and you're bound to find flaws sooner or later.
They might be small. They might be insignificant. They might not detract from the overall quality of the piece at all... Except when they really, really do. Do we usually end up loving these games anyway? The best parts: Beloved Disney characters; beloved Final Fantasy characters; successfully merging the two; gorgeous animation; Hollywood-grade voice acting; genuinely heartfelt story. The WORST part: GUMMI SHIP This selection shouldn't stir up much controversy, as you probably saw it coming from the moment you read the headline. Everyone hates the Gummi Ship. Why? Ha. Dishonorable mention: No matter how big a fan of Disney and The Little Mermaid you are, we dare you to make it through all five of Kingdom Heart II's Atlantica "musical challenges" without wanting to tear your own ear drums out. "Swim along, just join in the song... The Top 7… Tasteful game heroines.
The 14 best videogame couples. 7. Jackie Estacado and Jenny Romano (The Darkness) First met when: They grew up in the same orphanage. Why they’re the best: First-person shooters have been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until The Darkness that one of them asked us to interact with a woman in a believable, relatable way. Mob hitman Jackie Estacado might be a cursed, supernaturally tough killing machine when wandering the streets of New York, but when he’s face-to-face with his lifelong sweetheart Jenny, he’s as vulnerable and flawed as anyone. If you played The Darkness when it came out, it’s possible you’ve forgotten the details of Jackie’s time with Jenny. It was, in short, the closest thing to a real relationship that we’d ever seen represented in a game, and it made Jenny and Jackie instantly endearing. Jackie and Jenny were a sweet onscreen couple, but their relationship helped elevate The Darkness’s story from mindless action to emotionally involving art. The Top 7... Worst Parts of Best Games.
HaloRadar: Easter Eggs, Halo 3 Xbox 360 News. Oct 26, 2007 For more of our weekly HaloRadar coverage, click here. You followed our Skulls Guide (with video!) And nabbed all 13 noggins. Then you used our Terminals Guide (more video!) Well... only a hidden heaping of nudity, public indecency, love letters, coded symbols, mysterious music, creepy characters, pop culture references (Mario? Don't believe us? We'll start with three of the toughest eggs. EASTER EGG #1 - Actual Easter Egg A shimmering sphere of mysterious numbers hidden high, high, high above the multiplayer desert of Sandtrap.
EASTER EGG #2 - "How did you do that? " Halo 3's creators know how to reward the hard work - and the inspired madness - of their fans. EASTER EGG #3 - Super Mario Scream Nintendo's mascot in Microsoft's mascot's adventure?