The most anticipated Japanese 3DS release of 2013 and the latest in the series, Monster Hunter 4 is now out and stalking it's prey and taking a break from the usual avoidance of the number 4 in Japanese (being a homonym for "death"). The essential Monster Hunter formula had changed little since the original game debuted on the PlayStation 2 back in 2004.


The player assumes the role of the quintessential hunter-gatherer and must use what they carve from their fallen foes...

It is said that there is a fine line between genius and madness. It should also be said that there is a fine line between classic game design and the flawed genius of a broken idea. The defining characteristic of a good puzzle game is control. The player needs to be able to effectively manage and manipulate the tools given to them to succeed. The point at which the level of control slips from manageable into randomness is the point at which the puzzle game fails. Usually that point happens at the...

Puzzle Stones by Akies Games is an innovative take on the colour block matching genre. By throwing away several of the clichéd staples that you normally find in this sort of game, they have made it fresh and exciting.
So, read carefully. Random coloured blocks (or “Stones”) appear on a grid and it is your job to meet certain requirements to complete the level by matching and thus deleting three or more coloured Stones at a time. However, these Stones do not have to be next to each ...

If you are interested in videogames, you may have heard of importing. Bordersdown is a premier website for gamers who are interested in playing games from abroad (Imported consoles are also called NTSC consoles, hence the site's original name "NTSC-UK"). Importing grew from a tiny collective to a thriving scene, even if the need has dropped off with the advent of HD and global releases. But why? Why do people import videogames to the UK in the first place? What are the benefits? And is it for y...

Gears of War: Judgment is the latest in the third person action series and the first to be developed jointly by developers Epic and People Can Fly. It tells a well-integrated side story that enriches the Gears background and brings some inventive multiplayer offerings to the table, alongside a heavily reworked campaign model.
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To be rendered speechless is to find oneself at a confounding intersection of thoughts and feelings. One stimulus for this may be a work of profound genius – something so otherworldly in its excellence that the only response is silent awe. Another one, more common and arguably more enjoyable, is that of supreme, insane stupidity. Fugitive Hunter: War On Terror is a game about lunatics, by lunatics and most definitely for lunatics. Its idiocy, in fact, is of such overwhelming strength that, having...

Pop quiz: Take a guess which is the odd one out. 1) Video Games, 2) Films, 3) Music. Answer: Video Games. For the simple reason that bad songs and bad films can often become incredibly funny. If you've ever experienced films such as Dolemite, or songs from the Villain Thievz, then you'll agree. Bad video games cannot ever be funny.
The reason? Firstly, the cost. Imagine spending £40 on a prostitute and realising that she's blind, and that ’she’ is a he. That wouldn't be funny. S...

So many games try their hand at comedy, and so many games fail. Comic Jumper’s stats screen is proof that it’s done it right, but from its plot to its script to its characters to its set pieces it’s the funniest game of the year, without question. The absurd fourth-wall breaking plot sees star of his own comic book series, Captain Smiley lose his readership base. His comic book is cancelled and he has to find a way to win back his fans to earn a relaunch, and so he guest stars in other pu...

Staring grimly out into the abyss, you sit in the Captain’s chair. Your knuckles turn a deathly shade of white as you grip the soft calf-leather, Ferrari-red and hand-stitched, of course, in your multi-billion pound star-ship. The creeping realisation that the end is near blurs your mind like a dim fog on a Sunday morning in Glasgow. Red lights flash meaninglessly in the background, the klaxon has been turned off now; it won’t do any more good. Total engine failure has crippled your ship. You...

Castlevania is revered, not just by the protagonists of its many games, but by the gaming public at large. Dating back to the Belmont’s first outing in 1986 the series has gained critical success and a cult following. Mercury Steam, a Spanish game developer won the opportunity to update the Castlevania franchise for the current generation. Lords of Shadow is their first crack of the whip.
The story is set in 1047. The titular Lords of Shadow have risen to power and are preventing the s...