Released on 21/04/2011

• Portal 2 - Preview

  Portal 2

  How do you follow up a game that was praised for its originality and simplicity without smothering everything people enjoyed first time around? Repeat yourself too much and people get bored. Change too much and they get cross and angry and call you bad names on the internet. This is the tightrope that Valve is walking with Portal 2, the considerably more blockbustery follow up to the quirky little bonus game tucked away inside their Orange Box compilation.

  The game picks up hundreds of years after the original, and the Aperture Science laboratory has fallen into ruin. Chell, the heroine of the first game, was pulled from the wreckage shortly after her escape and held in suspended animation by persons - or robots - unknown.

  Chell is awoken by Wheatley, one of many automated "personality cores" that have been maintaining the basic lab systems over the centuries. While exploring, Chell and Wheatley accidentally reboot the remains of GLaDOS, the politely malevolent AI that put you through your paces with her sinister Autotune voice. "I think we can put our differences behind us, for science. You monster" she purrs.

  Valve has clearly had a lot of fun reimagining the pristine antiseptic white hallways of Aperture Science as crumbling ruins. The game is insanely detailed, with the fearsome physics engine working on much more than neat cubes this time. Broken wall panels creak and tumble, debris clatters as ancient machinery wheezes back into life. There's a delightful organic feel to the decay, opening out the gameworld without losing the linear focus that drove the original. You'll also be going beyond the prescribed areas and seeing a little of how the unseen Aperture Science workers live. Or lived.

  Of course, Valve has always been a confident builder of worlds, so none of this should be surprising. What is surprising is how cleverly they've expanded the gameplay, while always keeping one eye on the reality-warping portal concept. That still remains, unchanged. Two portals. One blue, one orange. Place them on walls, ceilings, floors. Walk in one, come out of the other. Simple. Brilliant.

  Complicating matters in bewildering ways are a host of new fixtures that Chell obviously missed during her previous visit, all blessed with creepy corporate names that belie their actual function. Excursion Funnels are tractor beams that can gently tug you, or objects, along their path. Aerial Faith Plates are springboards, automatically activated when touched. The Thermal Discouragement Beam is deadly to both you and the automated gun turrets, but can be redirected using prism cubes. The Pneumatic Diversity Vent is a gigantic vacuum, capable of pulling the fittings off the walls. Repulsion Gel and Propulsion Gel, meanwhile, squirt out of pipes and either send you hurtling upwards or skidding along the floor.

  Each one suggests its own brain-busting possibilities but when combined with the portals concept, the result is literally mind boggling. Put a portal under a Pneumatic Diversity Vent, place the other in the middle of an impassable collection of turrets, then laugh as they get sucked into the floor like spiders down a plughole. Use the Excursion Funnels to carry vital cubes through walls, vertically, horizontally, across Escher-style landscapes. Or just try working out the correct sequence of portals needed to lay down a carpet of propulsion gel able to speed you past a gauntlet of lethal traps.

  And these are just some of the situations encountered during the annoyingly brief E3 demo. Ingenious in design, and fiendishly clever in construction, Portal is definitely back. Bring your own cake.

• Gamescom 2010: Portal 2 Dated - 9th Feb 2011

  Portal 2, the sequel to Valve Software's critically-acclaimed, mind-bending first-person puzzler Portal, will be arriving on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on 9th February 2011.

  The original Portal was loved by critics for its dark humour and gameplay which saw you shooting portals to make your way through the puzzling environment of an eerily sterile testing facility.

  It also featured possibly the best end credits ever.

  You can pick up the first Portal as part of ultra-value package The Orange Box for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 - you-ll also get Half Life 2 plus Half Life 2: Episodes One and Two, and Team fortress 2. Bargain.

• The National crooning in Portal 2

  You probably didn't need a fresh reason to get excited about Portal 2. Valve's forthcoming puzzle game sequel sees a return for one of gaming's funniest and most ingenious series. That said, if you're a fan of the American indie rock band The National, you should be extra thrilled: the group has written a song just for the new game.

  "The inclusion of the original song, Still Alive, in the first Portal game was part of what made the game special," explained Valve's Portal guy Chet Faliszek (thanks, Eurogamer)."For Portal 2, we wanted to extend the use of music. When Bug Music mentioned to us that The National might be interested, we jumped at the opportunity to work with them."

  Still Alive was the song that ended the first game - and it will be fascinating to see what The National has in store for the sequel. Beyond songs, of course, we already know you can expect a deep storyline, an entirely separate co-op campaign, and new gadgets like special gels that allow you to pick up speed or bounce along the ground.

  Valve rarely puts a foot wrong, and this could already be heading towards Game of the Year territory. We'll find out for certain when Portal 2 hits the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on 22nd April.

• Portal 2 Review

  The Impossible Sequel

  Portal 2 is no ordinary big game sequel. For starters, it doesn't exactly follow a big game. The first Portal was a short puzzle adventure that creator Valve released as part of The Orange Box, with Half-Life 2 and its episodes and Team Fortress 2, back in 2007. It was also released as a standalone download game.
  

  But Portal's wicked sense of humour and brain-melting puzzles quickly earned it a passionate fan following. In the game, you have to escape a series of test chambers (devised by a mad computer called GLaDOS) using a kind of gun that can open two connected portals on certain surfaces, allowing you to teleport yourself or objects around the room. You can even use it to bend the laws of physics for example, placing a portal at the bottom of a long drop and another in a wall above you, so you fall vertically through the first and shoot horizontally out of the second.
  

  Portal was small but perfectly formed, and it's hard to imagine how Valve could expand on the idea for a big-budget, full-price sequel. But they have done and they've done it brilliantly.
  

  Fun with computers

  Portal 2 is a full-scale single-player game with a great story, and a separate co-op campaign for two players. It feels very much like Half-Life 2, as in it's a well-rounded, gripping science-fiction epic. Only in Portal 2 you're exploring, platforming and solving riddles rather than shooting at enemies.
  

  Oh, and laughing. Portal 2 is hilarious. GLaDOS is back with her cruel, sarcastic quips delivered in a mechanical monotone. You're also accompanied for much of the game by a metal eyeball called Wheatley, who sounds and acts like a dim, accident-prone middle-manager from Bristol thanks to voice actor Stephen Merchant.
  

  Although the player character never says a word, the jokes and banter of these two computers and some other recorded voices you'll hear later on, when the plot takes an unexpected twist will have you roaring with laughter. The story sets up some spectacular action set-pieces, too.
  

  Science is the answer

  But the meat of Portal 2 is the test chambers themselves. You'll be scratching your head figuring out how to escape them using not just the portal gun, but a series of new devices and toys introduced in this sequel.
  

  There's the Aerial Faith Plate, a sprung platform that shoots you into the air; the Hard Light Bridge, a beam of light that works as a platform; the Excursion Funnel, a sort of tractor beam; and Repulsion, Propulsion and Conversion Gels, which are coloured paints you can splatter around the rooms to increase your jump height and running speed or make portals in hitherto inaccessible places. That's on top of several different kinds of switches and objects (including laser switches), and the stationary gun turrets you need to pick your way past.
  

  For chamber after chamber, Valve finds hugely fun and ingenious ways to combine these elements with the portals themselves. Wisely, the designers avoid mixing all these mechanics together early on it's only towards the end of the game that things get really convoluted. You will get stumped sometimes, but it's always worth it for the massive satisfaction of the eureka moment when the solution pops into your head.
  

  Two heads are better than one

  All that goes double for Portal 2's co-op mode, where you and a friend play as two comical robots (the animation in this game is exceptional), meaning that you can have four portals on the go at once. Valve uses this to put together even more devious tests of your ingenuity and skill.
  

  If that sounds brain-scrambling... Well, it is, but because you can talk through the puzzles with a friend and combine your brain-power, you will get through and you'll have a blast doing it. It's a fantastic experience, unlike any other co-op game. You really need to work together, and you're rewarded with huge laughs and opportunities for slapstick fun not to mention hours more fun and new puzzles to solve after you've completed the single-player game.
  

  Thanks to a hook-up with Valve's online service Steam, PS3 owners will be able to play this mode with PC and Mac players. The console versions have a split-screen option, too. The game looks and plays sensationally on PC but Portal 2 is a classic, whichever machine you choose to play it on.
  

  It may only be April, but Portal 2 is an easy contender for game of the year. It's great value and totally original, with a satisfying story, a laugh-out-loud script, a wickedly clever design and a completely new kind of multiplayer experience. An essential purchase.
  

  

  Huge success:
  + A big, exciting, mind-expanding single-player adventure that's unlike anything else.
  + One of the funniest games you'll ever play.
  + Co-op campaign is an unforgettable experience.

  Birthday blues:
  - Some Half-Life fans might think it's too silly to be set in the same world.
  - Not as simple and pure as the first Portal.
  - Might make you feel stupid.

• Portal 2 getting huge reviews

  Portal 2 out this Friday for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, and wee getting properly excited about it. The reviews are in, and the game riding very high on Metacritic with an overall score of 95%. There are only a handful of titles that ever see that kind of response.

  There plenty to enjoy, by the looks of it. A devious blend of puzzle game and first-person shooter, Portal 2 drops you back into Aperture Science test labs and hands you your portal-gun again. Your objective is to get through a challenging series of rooms by placing firing bizarre physics-bending doorways into the walls and floor. It ingenious stuff.

  Valve, the Half-Life creator, and the game developer, has upped the ante on this one, throwing in new elements like gels that allow you to move quickly or bounce across surfaces, and a bigger emphasis on physics. There also a separate co-op campaign that casts you and a friend as a duo of quirky robots armed with portal guns of their own.

  Stephen Merchant, the co-writer of The Office, hands in a stellar performance as your guide, Wheatley, and the script is one of the funniest in gaming.

  If you want to see what all the fuss is about, then, you can get down to Gamestation on Friday.

• Portal 2 tops 3 million sales

  Good news: at least three million of you out there have really excellent taste. How do we know that? Because Valve, the legendary PC developer, has just announced that it sold 3 million copies of Portal 2, its latest title. That according to Joystiq at any rate.

  Phew! That not bad going, considering the game only been out for the last few months. It entirely deserved, however: Valve puzzle-action game makes for an amazing experience on the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Mac, and we can think of a game that made us think so hard or laugh so hard for quite a while.

  While this is all great to hear, though, what we really want is for Valve to shed some light on what it up to with its brilliant Half-Life FPS series. The sci fi shooter has been away from our screens for too long, and wee getting serious withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully the fact that Valve is booked in to demo a game at Gamescom this August should mean wel hear something, at least, on that front very soon.

• The Best Games of 2011... So Far!

  The Best Games of 2011...So Far!

  Summer can be torture for us gamers. It's the slow season, when publishers hold back their biggest releases for Christmas and we're forced to venture outside, blinking and confused, in the hope of a few days of decent sunshine.

  It doesn't have to be this way though. True, July may not bring much in the way of blockbuster releases, but why not take advantage of the lull and catch up on some of the great games that have already been released? Here's our pick of the year so far.

  

  Killzone 3

  Sony got 2011 off to a bruising start with this hefty, punishing first person shooter which surely ranks as one of the most visually stunning games of this console generation. Trapped on the toxic planet of Helghan, you'll battle your way through some of the most memorable action set-pieces in the genre as Guerilla Games shows you just how high the FPS bar has been raised. Also playable in 3D and with PlayStation Move, Killzone 3 is a taste of the future of shooters today.

  "One of the most visually stunning games of this console generation."

  

  Brink

  If you prefer your shooting action a little more fluid and team-based, this striking multiplayer mash-up from Splash Damage hits all the right notes. Playing as either Security or Rebel forces on a ramshackle floating city gone to ruin, the ability to run, scramble and leap over scenery with a single button press opens up the traditional deathmatch action in fresh new ways. Add in some of the best character customisation ever seen in a shooter, and the option to play offline against AI bots, and you've got one of the smartest genre refinements in years.

  "One of the smartest genre refinements in years."

  

  Mortal Kombat

  How do you expect to FINISH HIM if you haven't even started yet? OK, so the Mortal Kombat series hasn't been in the best of health in recent years, but this blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right you can safely start over with this one. It's simply a blistering one-on-one fighting game, with an array of well balanced classic characters, but it's the ridiculous gore that makes it stick in the mind, like a ruddy big kitchen knife. Bodies are sliced, diced, crushed and skewered with savage abandon, so even if you're getting beaten to a squishy pulp it's impossible not to be entertained.

  "This blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right."

  

  Portal 2

  Maybe you prefer a little more wit and style in your gaming? If that's the case then the lovely polished geniuses at Valve have you covered. This sequel to their oddball Orange Box bonus game is a master-class in interactive storytelling, as Stephen Merchant's quirky robot walks you through another mind-bending series of space-warping puzzle rooms. Effortlessly building on the potential of the already brilliant original, Portal 2 even offers a completely separate series of co-op multiplayer puzzles, making it an unmissable package.

  "A master-class in interactive storytelling."

  

  L.A. Noire

  Rockstar takes us back to the Los Angeles of the 1940s in this critically acclaimed adventure, which benefits from the most stunningly realised characters in gaming history. As Cole Phelps you move from beat cop to homicide detective, uncovering conspiracies and solving serial slayings in a city that's drowning in sleaze in L.A. Noire. Ground-breaking facial capture techniques mean that catching the culprit is only half the job you then have to outsmart them in nail-biting interrogations where every twitch of the lips or flicker of the eyelids can be a clue. Truly a game that has to be played to be believed.

  "Ground-breaking facial capture means that catching the culprit is only half the job."

  

  3DS

  Feeling a little flush? Fancy treating yourself to a whole new gaming system? The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library, with must-haves like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time now reworked in astonishing glasses-free 3D. The wireless StreetPass lets you swap game data with passing strangers, there are built-in Augmented Reality games, and it can even take 3D photos. Just like its predecessor, the DS, this is a handheld that will only get better with age. Jump aboard now and ride the wave!

  "The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library."

• Portal 2 receives free DLC pack this week

  Fans of the critically acclaimed Portal 2 can get their hands on a new downloadable content pack this week.

  Entitled Peer Review, the free add-on is available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and provides a new cooperative testing track, starring comedy robot buddies Atlas and P-Body.

  Gamers will once again have to combine their wits to figure out how to use their portal-generating powers to navigate various perplexing test chambers, while outsmarting the ever-vigilant AI overseer GLaDOS.

  The DLC will also introduce a new single-player and cooperative challenge mode, as well as online leaderboards.

  Portal 2 topped the UK charts on its release in April 2011 and has since gone on to sell more than three million units, as well as receiving universal critical adulation.

  The quirky first-person adventure earned praise for its ingenious puzzles, interactive storytelling and offbeat sense of humour, as well as its vocal performances from the likes of Stephen Merchant and JK Simmons.

  Published: 04/10/2011

• Skyrim and Portal 2 lead GDC Award nominations

  Skyrim and Portal 2 lead GDC Award nominations

  The nominees for this year's prestigious Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards have been announced, with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Portal 2 leading the pack.

  Voted annually by industry professionals, the ceremony will take place on March 7th 2012 during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, representing some of gaming's most prized accolades.

  Bethesda's smash hit role-playing title and Valve's comedic puzzle action game both received five nods each, in categories such as best game design, best audio, best technology and best narrative.

  Both titles were also named in the game of the year category, alongside superhero sequel Batman: Arkham City, hardcore role-playing action title Dark Souls and sci-fi shooter epic Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

  Other titles to receive multiple nominations included acclaimed games like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, LA Noire and Battlefield 3.

  Last year, Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption dominated the awards, claiming the game of the year prize as well as three other gongs.

  Published: 09/01/2012

• Games With Girls

  

  Games. Girls. Historically they've not really been words you put together, at least not in a positive way. Time was girls barely played games, and when it came to female characters in games, they were rarely more than damsels in distress.

  But things are changing. Games have evolved. Female characters are stronger, bolder, more prominent and, most importantly, playable.

  This is our run-down of some of the best and brightest girls in gaming today. The women who solve problems, kick @$$ and actually matter.

  Lara Croft
  Tomb Raider

  Lara seems the obvious place to start really, the first real female lead in a game - not simply the character you played, but the character the game was centred upon. And she was the first to really achieve widespread media attention.

  Lara Croft and Tomb Raider took a male-dominated genre and character type and did a gender switch. Strong, feisty, independent and intelligent, Lara was everything a stereotypical female character wasn't. That said, there was always one thing (well, two things) that garnered Lara the most attention.

  Since 1996's original Tomb Raider, Lara has appeared in eight sequels to date, with a ninth due this year. Again simply titled Tomb Raider, we go back to the start of the story and find out what made her the woman she is.

  Tough, smart and sexy, there's no doubt that Lara Croft is still the benchmark.

  Jill Valentine
  Resident Evil: Revelations

  The Resident Evil series has seen many female characters, from the cunning Ada Wong to the tough Sheva Alomar. But Jill Valentine is the one that stands out.

  Debuting in the original Resident Evil and continuing throughout the series, Jill proved herself to be more than a match for those virus-ridden zombie types. Jill was designed to complement partner Chris Redfield by having different strengths and skills, thus showing that she wasn't just a female 'version' but an independent character and a genuine alternative to the male lead.

  A promotion to sole protagonist for Resident Evil 3 showed she was capable of carrying a game on her own. Although she would return to shared billing in later games, including this year's Revelations, her continued appearances throughout the series is testament to the strength and staying power of the character.

  Chun-Li
  Street Fighter X Tekken

  Where would this list be without Chun-Li? The archetypal beat 'em up girl showed she could certainly handle the male fighters and spawned a thousand* imitators.

  Introduced in Street Fighter II, Chun-Li is one of the few characters to have appeared in almost every Street Fighter game (and crossover game) since. She has a fighting style, a character and a story that is completely her own. She's as tough as they come, but at the same time, her avenging-her-father's-death motivation showed a humanity that sets her apart from the crowd.

  With a look as iconic as any you are likely to find in gaming, Chun Li has been taking on - and taking out - all comers for 20 years and shows no sign of stopping. Which is just fine - would you try to stop her?

  *not actually a thousand. This is a dramatic exaggeration!

  Lightning and Serah
  Final Fantasy XIII-2

  The Final Fantasy series is well known for blurring gender roles, with androgynous boys and tomboyish girls. Appearances aside, it has had some strong female characters, exemplified by the Farron sisters, Lightning and Serah.

  Lightning was the protagonist of FF XIII, a soldier whose gruff confidence hides a more sensitive, vulnerable edge. At once both strong and feminine, she may be one of the most mature and emotionally rounded characters in the FF franchise. Serah takes the lead in FFXIII-2, and is almost a mirror image of Lightning - seemingly vulnerable on the outside, but tough and determined, and willing to do what needs to be done.

  Lightning and Serah go beyond two-dimensional 'types' and prove we can have strong female characters that don't have to play up - or play down - their femininity.

  SPECIAL MENTION: Samus Aran
  Metroid Series

  Yes, she doesn't have a game out at the moment, but this list would be remiss without a mention of Samus Aran.

  Ten years before Lara put on her exploring shorts, Samus was the surprise lead in Metroid. Surprise in that it was only as you completed the game that she took her helmet off and you discovered she was, well, a she under all that armour.

  One could argue that hiding her true identity is doing her gender a disservice. But by removing gender from the equation, Samus was the first character that showed gamers that women could do blowing stuff up in space just as good as men, something she would continue to do in 11 more Metroid games (as well as turning up in a handful of others). And, after all this time she still keeps the armour on.

  SPECIAL MENTION: Chell
  Portal and Portal 2

  While Samus was someone I couldn't not mention, Chell is a bit more of a question mark for this list. After all, the star of Portal and its sequel is silent and largely off-screen, due to the first-person nature of the game. Plus she was only female because it was thought this best suited the scenario of Portal, rather than any desire to make a female character.

  But it's that "what works best" thinking that makes her an important figure in the history of female characters - she's not there to make a point. And that is a point worth making.

  So what does the future hold?

  In 2012 we'll be seeing the Buffy-esque cheerleader vs zombie fun of Lollipop Chainsaw, point-and-click piracy with Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle, and the largely-female cast of Akai Kitana Shin making their way to UK consoles. The Dead or Alive franchise returns with Dead or Alive 5 which looks to have toned down the exaggerated sexuality of the female fighters. There continue to be rumours of sequels to Bayonetta and Heavy Rain. And some day - maybe this year, maybe next - Beyond Good and Evil 2 will finally come out and Jade will get another chance to show the world what she can do.

  Female protagonists are increasingly giving their male counterparts a run for their money. But who's your favourite? Who do you play as, and who would you add to this list? Why not leave us your comments below.
  

  Published: 09/02/2012

• Skyrim scoops top award at Interactive Achievement Awards

  Bethesda's sprawling and brilliant role-playing monster, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, fus-roh-dahhed it's way to an impressive five wins last night at the Interactive Achievement Awards.

  Skyrim took home the top honours as Game of the Year, as well as awards for best RPG, gameplay engineering, game direction and story.

  Other winners included Modern Warfare 3, which was voted best action game, FIFA 12, named best sports game, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, honoured for its multiplayer achievements. Uncharted 3 took home gongs for its animation and art direction, while the toys-come-to-life family hit Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was singled out for its contribution to outstanding innovation. Britain's own Stephen Merchant took home the award for outstanding character performance thanks to his superb turn as Wheatley in Portal 2.

  The ceremony was held during the DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Not to be confused with the Swedish Battlefield developer, DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) is an annual gathering for the great and good of the games industry, and the Interactive Achievement Awards handed out at the event are the gaming equivalent of the Oscars. Only without the long emotional speeches, dance routines and dewy-eyed montages of dead celebrities, obviously.

• Batman and LA Noire lead 2012 Video Game BAFTA nominations

  The finalists for the 2012 British Academy Video Game Awards have been announced, and this year everyone will be watching the detectives, as Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire top the lists with eight nominations apiece.

  Sony will be happy that Uncharted 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 both get six nominations, while Skyrim and Portal 2 each have five.

  Categories include Action, Artistic Achievement, Design, Story, Innovation and, of course, Best Game. Batman and LA Noire rub shoulders with FIFA 12, Portal 2, Skyrim and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in that category. The omission of best-seller Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may raise eyebrows, but that gets a nod in both the Action and Multiplayer categories.

  Promising indie projects get a look in thanks to the Dare to be Digital One's To Watch award, and there's also a public vote, with ten blockbuster games to choose between. You can head to http://www.baftagameaward.com to pick your favourite.

  The winners will be announced at a sure-to-be-lavish ceremony on March 16th.

• Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire lead GAME Bafta nominations

  The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has named the nominees for this year's GAME British Academy Video Games Award, with Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire leading the pack.

  Rocksteady Studios' superhero sequel and Rockstar's hard-boiled detective drama both scooped eight nominations each, including best game, music, design, artistic achievement and story.

  Following hot on their heels were Naughty Dog's globetrotting adventure Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Media Molecule's sandbox platform game LittleBigPlanet 2 with six nominations, while Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim scored five each.

  Meanwhile, a shortlist of ten titles was also revealed for the publicly-voted GAME Award of 2011, the winner of which can be chosen by visitors to the GAME Award website.

  Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, FIFA 2012, LA Noire, Minecraft, Portal 2, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword are all in contention to claim the prize.

  Those who take part in the vote will also be in with a chance of winning a limited edition Star Wars Xbox 360 console, complete with a Kinect sensor and copy of Kinect Star Wars.

  Published: 20/02/2012

• Skyrim takes top honours at Game Developers Choice Awards

  The people who actually make the games we play got to have their say last night in San Francisco, as the Game Developers Conference celebrated with its annual awards show.

  Bethesda's Skyrim, the fifth entry in the popular Elder Scrolls series, took home the top prize for Best Game, adding yet another trophy the Bethesda's groaning awards shelf. "We never imagined the reception the game would get or the success that it has had," game director Todd Howard said,
  "Thank you to everyone who supported us. Thank you to everyone who's making games that inspire us."

  Elsewhere, Portal 2 warped its way to three wins, the biggest haul of the night, as developers from around the world picked it for Best Narrative, Best Design and Best Audio. Naughty Dog won Best Visual Arts for the thrilling cinematic sweep of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, while Battlefield 3 was rewarded for Best Technology.

  Legendary designer Warren Spector, creator of the original Deus Ex and, more recently, Epic Mickey, was given a lifetime achievement award. "Changing players' lives is - I promise you - much more satisfying than generating massive revenue," he told his industry peers.
  

• Portal 2 and Battlefield 3 win big at GAME Baftas

  Puzzle adventure game Portal 2 and gritty shooter Battlefield 3 have emerged as the big winners at the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.

  Valve's darkly comedic brainteaser won the evening's top prize of best game, while also claiming gongs for design and story, meaning it matched its three-award haul from the recent Game Developers Choice Awards.

  Meanwhile, EA and DICE's cutting-edge action epic claimed the online multiplayer and audio achievement awards and also snagged the GAME Award of 2011, the evening's only publicly-voted category.

  Other winners during the night included LittleBigPlanet 2, which won the family and game innovation categories, while LA Noire walked off with the prize for best original music.

  Batman: Arkham City took the action gong and the prize for best performer, which went to Star Wars star Mark Hamill for his cackling voice role as the Joker.

  Also claiming prizes were Kinect Sports Season Two in the sports/fitness category and Total War: Shogun 2 for best strategy game.

  Published: 20/03/2012

• Portal 2 - Review

  
  

  

  The Impossible Sequel

  Portal 2 is no ordinary big game sequel. For starters, it doesn't exactly follow a big game. The first Portal was a short puzzle adventure that creator Valve released as part of The Orange Box, with Half-Life 2 and its episodes and Team Fortress 2, back in 2007. It was also released as a standalone download game.

  But Portal's wicked sense of humour and brain-melting puzzles quickly earned it a passionate fan following. In the game, you have to escape a series of test chambers (devised by a mad computer called GLaDOS) using a kind of gun that can open two connected portals on certain surfaces, allowing you to teleport yourself or objects around the room. You can even use it to bend the laws of physics for example, placing a portal at the bottom of a long drop and another in a wall above you, so you fall vertically through the first and shoot horizontally out of the second.

  Portal was small but perfectly formed, and it's hard to imagine how Valve could expand on the idea for a big-budget, full-price sequel. But they have done and they've done it brilliantly.

  Fun with computers

  Portal 2 is a full-scale single-player game with a great story, and a separate co-op campaign for two players. It feels very much like Half-Life 2, as in it's a well-rounded, gripping science-fiction epic. Only in Portal 2 you're exploring, platforming and solving riddles rather than shooting at enemies.

  Oh, and laughing. Portal 2 is hilarious. GLaDOS is back with her cruel, sarcastic quips delivered in a mechanical monotone. You're also accompanied for much of the game by a metal eyeball called Wheatley, who sounds and acts like a dim, accident-prone middle-manager from Bristol thanks to voice actor Stephen Merchant.

  

  Although the player character never says a word, the jokes and banter of these two computers and some other recorded voices you'll hear later on, when the plot takes an unexpected twist will have you roaring with laughter. The story sets up some spectacular action set-pieces, too.

  Science is the answer

  But the meat of Portal 2 is the test chambers themselves. You'll be scratching your head figuring out how to escape them using not just the portal gun, but a series of new devices and toys introduced in this sequel.

  There's the Aerial Faith Plate, a sprung platform that shoots you into the air; the Hard Light Bridge, a beam of light that works as a platform; the Excursion Funnel, a sort of tractor beam; and Repulsion, Propulsion and Conversion Gels, which are coloured paints you can splatter around the rooms to increase your jump height and running speed or make portals in hitherto inaccessible places. That's on top of several different kinds of switches and objects (including laser switches), and the stationary gun turrets you need to pick your way past.

  For chamber after chamber, Valve finds hugely fun and ingenious ways to combine these elements with the portals themselves. Wisely, the designers avoid mixing all these mechanics together early on it's only towards the end of the game that things get really convoluted. You will get stumped sometimes, but it's always worth it for the massive satisfaction of the eureka moment when the solution pops into your head.

  Two heads are better than one

  All that goes double for Portal 2's co-op mode, where you and a friend play as two comical robots (the animation in this game is exceptional), meaning that you can have four portals on the go at once. Valve uses this to put together even more devious tests of your ingenuity and skill.

  

  If that sounds brain-scrambling... Well, it is, but because you can talk through the puzzles with a friend and combine your brain-power, you will get through and you'll have a blast doing it. It's a fantastic experience, unlike any other co-op game. You really need to work together, and you're rewarded with huge laughs and opportunities for slapstick fun not to mention hours more fun and new puzzles to solve after you've completed the single-player game.

  Thanks to a hook-up with Valve's online service Steam, PS3 owners will be able to play this mode with PC and Mac players. The console versions have a split-screen option, too. The game looks and plays sensationally on PC but Portal 2 is a classic, whichever machine you choose to play it on.

  It may only be April, but Portal 2 is an easy contender for game of the year. It's great value and totally original, with a satisfying story, a laugh-out-loud script, a wickedly clever design and a completely new kind of multiplayer experience. An essential purchase.

  GAME's Verdict:

  The Good

  • A big, exciting, mind-expanding single-player adventure that's unlike anything else.
  • One of the funniest games you'll ever play.
  • Co-op campaign is an unforgettable experience

  The Bad

  • Some Half-Life fans might think it's too silly to be set in the same world.
  • Not as simple and pure as the first Portal.
  • Might make you feel stupid.

  Published: 20/04/2011

• Portal, The Sims and Minecraft showcased by Museum of Modern Art

  New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art has ended decades of debate by embracing video games as an artform worthy of permanent inclusion. Fourteen titles will be installed in the Philip Johnson Galleries from March next year, with the goal of expanding the collection to forty titles over time.

  Among the first games to be honoured are such classics as Pac-Man, Tetris and SimCity. More modern titles include SONY's bonkers roll-em-up Katamari Damacy, Valve's brilliant Portal and the wonderfully simple endless runner Canabalt. Nintendo's Animal Crossing and indie sensation Minecraft are among the games that will join the collection later.

  "Are video games art? They sure are," reads the museum press release. "The games are selected as outstanding examples of interaction design," the statement said. "Our criteria, therefore, emphasize not only the visual quality and aesthetic experience of each game, but also the many other aspects - from the elegance of the code to the design of the player's behaviour - that pertain to interaction design."
  

  Published: 30/11/2012

• Del Toro in talks with a 'very big company' for horror game, InSANE

  Acclaimed movie director Guillermo Del Toro, the man behind such cult hits as Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and this summer's monster mash Pacific Rim, may be moving closer to getting his long-gestating horror game, InSANE, into our grimy clutches.

  Originally in development at Saints Row studio Volition for THQ, the publisher recently announced it was unable to fund it and handed it back to Del Toro to shop around. According to an interview in the Toronto Sun newspaper, a new home for the game may be revealed sooner rather than later.

  "We are in talks with a very, very big company," Del Toro reveals. "I can't say who, but it's one of the big ones. They really responded to the game, they responded to what we were trying". The delay does mean that some of the work already done on the game will need to be redone, as some of Del Toro's original ideas have now been realised in other games, but he's still intent on delivering "a really immersive narrative experience".

  The exact nature of the game remains suitably shrouded in mystery, but from what Del Toro has said in the past it's an ambitious sandbox game heavily inspired by the cosmic horror of HP Lovecraft. ""We're being really, really nasty in the game," the director said last November. "We're really trying a lot of stuff that I don't think would even fly in the movies."

  Del Toro is being more hands on with the game than most Hollywood types who dabble in gaming. A big gamer, he even asked Valve's permission to cast Ellen McLain, best known as Portal's GLaDOS, as the voice of the computer AI in Pacific Rim.
  

  Published: 07/01/2013

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