Irrational Games talks Bioshock

• 

  Spore

  Spore merges multiple run-of-the-mill building blocks into a big, entertaining game.

• 

  Guitar Hero World Tour dated down under

  Four-piece Guitar Hero game to ship on 12 November in Australia; four new tracks announced, including one from Aussies The Living End.

• 

  Wright appraises 'Sporn'

  Even before the game's release, cheeky gamers have been misusing Spore's Creature Creator to design lewd monsters and upload them to the official Sporepedia website, forcing distributor EA to censor creatures it deems inappropriate.

• 

  Paid to Play? The state of pro-gaming in Australia

  Just how active is the pro-gaming scene in Australia? Are we a nation that can stand toe-to-toe against the best gamers in the world? And if we're not competitive, then who's to blame? Check out the answers to all these and more as we put Australia's pro-gaming culture under the spotlight in this in-depth GameSpot AU feature.

• 

  Inside Australia's game ratings body — The Classification Board

  Ever wanted to know how the games you play get classified? Ever wondered just who exactly is behind important decisions like the banning of games, and their re-classification for the Australian market?

• 

  Quantum of Solace filled with celebs

  Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and Olga Kurylenko from upcoming James Bond film lend voices, likenesses to Activision Blizzard's movie tie-in shooter.

• 

  Fallout 3 unbanned in Australia

  Postapocalyptic shooter reclassified in Australia to MA 15+ as a resubmitted version significantly removes the "incentive and reward" for drug use.

• 

  GTAIV hijacking PCs in November

  Rockstar North's crime epic will be available for Windows machines on 18 Nov in the US and 21 Nov in the UK; conversion will feature "expanded" multiplayer modes.

• 

  Can Spore meet its lofty expectations?

  Electronic Arts' much-anticipated game Spore comes out 7 September. Can it live up to expectations?

More articles »

• 

  Q&A: World in Conflict's Nicklas Cederstrom

  World in Conflict designer talks about the game's single-player campaign, character interactions, and '80s movies.

• 

  No end in sight to hacking of 'WoW' accounts

  "Tens of thousands" of players' accounts have been compromised with keylogging exploit, security experts say.

• 

  'Warcraft': A world in transition

  It might seem odd that World of Warcraft's publisher decided to tinker with the game's core experience in releasing the new expansion World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

• 

  'World of Warcraft' bans raise players' ire

  Some players of the popular online game think the publisher is banning first and asking questions second when it comes to alleged terms of service violations.

• 

  Q&A: World of Warcraft composer Jason Hayes

  We talk to World of Warcraft composer Jason Hayes about music, technology, jingles, and more.

• 

  Q&A: Auran CEO talks Fury and breaking the MMOG mould

  Fury creator Tony Hilliam speaks out on Australian developers and the MMOG space, the challenges facing local studios, and what Auran is doing to reshape how people will play online games.

• 

  Microsoft launches Xbox-Vista gaming union

  Windows Vista and Xbox 360 gamers will soon be able to challenge each other online for the first time as Microsoft's Xbox LIVE gaming network opens its doors to PC titles.

• 

  World in Conflict gets Aussie pre-order package

  Bonus DVD, July beta access for Aussie pre-orders for World in Conflict.

• 

  Apple still quiet on game strategy

  Windows PCs still own the game world, as Apple seems content to focus on digital media and portable music.

• 

  Spore

  Spore merges multiple run-of-the-mill building blocks into a big, entertaining game.

• 

  Street Fighter IV

  We got our hands on Street Fighter IV — which is already available in Japanese arcades — at E3 2008.

• 

  Diner Dash/Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue/Diner Dash: Flo On The Go

  Those hankering for a cross between working the Maccas fry line and an 80's handheld hit will get a certain amount of enjoyment out of Diner Dash, although we can't imagine buying all of them.

• 

  James Bond: Quantum of Solace First Look

  We track down Activision and Treyarch's first game based on the James Bond movie franchise.

• 

  Diablo 3

  We've got the first look at the gameplay of Blizzard's latest dungeon crawler.

More reviews »

• 

  Spore

  Spore merges multiple run-of-the-mill building blocks into a big, entertaining game.

• 

  Diablo 3

  We've got the first look at the gameplay of Blizzard's latest dungeon crawler.

• 

  Jade Empire: Special Edition

  The long-awaited PC version of Jade Empire retains the great story and setting of the Xbox original, but the streamlined combat and core design haven't aged quite as gracefully.

• 

  Tabula Rasa

  Richard Garriott's newest online creation has its problems, but it's still a good amount of fun.

• 

  SimCity Societies

  The addictive gameplay of the SimCity series is completely missing in this lackluster spinoff.

More popular reviews »

• 

  The Orange Box

  The Orange Box is the one of the greatest gaming packages we have ever come across, and there is incredible value inside for an exceptional price.

• 

  World in Conflict

  World in Conflict is definitely one of the top games this year, with outstanding visual effects and an innovative gameplay system.

• 

  World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

  The Burning Crusade is a superb example of exactly what an expansion pack for any game should be.

• 

  Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

  The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is simply one of the best role-playing games ever made.

• 

  Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach

  The experience and feel of the original D&D experience is transferred successfully to the online realm. While it may not have the completeness demanded by hardcore D&D fans, there is more than enough for casual and beginner players -- who are really the target of this release.

More editors' choice »