Features

The PCPP crew gets together to lose a day of productivity to an inexplicably free game. Below are Games Editor Daniel Hindes, Tech Editor Matt Wilson, Staff Writer Patrick Lum and Hyper intern Liam Sharrad cutting a swathe through the alien infestation.Click here to watch in 480p!

We're trying out a bit of a new initiative here and catching up with them streaming video thingies to present you with uncut, no-holds-barred gameplay footage of the latest PC titles once they arrive at PCPP HQ.The idea is to help you get a better idea of how the game actually plays - free from commentary and criticism. This is the raw stuff, people! So without further ado, we begin with Games Editor Daniel Hindes tearing up Cybertron as Soundwave.Look for the full review in PCPP#182!Click here to watch in 720p!

The stuff up surrounding the latest Splinter Cell game is pretty bad, sure, but we can't help of all the other stupid, dangerous, or just plain unethical stunts people have pulled, just to market their game.Here's twelve of the best:
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12: Ruining Beach Days with Helicopters - 2002
TV ads make people angry when they interrupt something fun. Advertisers have learnt not to screw up live sports broadcasts with long ad breaks for this very reason. Unfortunately, Microsoft had not, and so started advertising the original Xbox by parading banner-laden choppers up and down the beaches of Sydney, in addition to spraypainting logos and the like around the streets. It's like people need to be made to want an Xbox! Who knew?

11: Free Fuel for Mercenaries - 2008It was a day like any other day. A day characterised by the back and forth of the work commute. There was one difference. There was GBP20,000 worth of free petrol going from one petrol station in North London, England. The reason? Mercenaries 2.About 500 people got a free tank of fuel, but it wreaked havoc with the morning commute, with a nearby residential street strangled by traffic queuing up for a shot at the black gold. The local MP called it "irreponsible and downright dangerous." We'd call it shortsighted, at the very least.
10. You can call me Turok... for $10,000 - 2002We have to say, $10,000 is good money. But when a gaming company demands you name your newborn Turok, surely you need to think twice? But if you need convincing, read this slug from the original competition:"That's right, grab hold of your expectant lady and get ready to push, because if your kid is the first baby out of the hatch on Sunday, 9-1-02, you can win ten grand in US savings bonds just by naming him Turok! What could be better than being the father of the dinosaur hunter? "Not having a child called Turok, for a start?
9. Oops, I've misplaced my Res Evil arm - 2009 What do you do when you want to sell the latest Resident Evil game to the general public? Why, hide body parts all around London, of course!Only problem is that it's very easy to lose realistic (and chicken-liver smeared) body parts in a place like London. It's also very easy to cause panic amongst an oblivious public.Fortunately, Capcom went to work quickly by issuing a statement that included the following:"If you have [the body parts], please either return them, or dispose of them in a responsible and careful manner." Read: don't just chuck 'em in the trash can!!
8. I want to be.... your Sledgehammer!What happens when you leave a car with a hundred copies of Red Faction: Guerrilla next to a sledgehammer? Smash, and indeed, grab!Passersby in London's Covent Garden were encouraged to have a swing at the car, and take a copy of the game, which is a little dubious to start with. We'd be more interested to see what would happen if they did the same thing with 100 cars in Sydney's Inner West.

PC PowerPlay recently covered the preview launch of the new ASUS G51Jx 3D Laptop at Sydney Aquarium in conjunction with NVIDIA and 2K Games. Food was eaten, beverages were casually gulped down and games were played in the hopes of winning some sweet ASUS and NVIDIA 3D graphics gear. Want to know how it all went down? Watch the video and find out!

This weekend saw a shuffling horde of undead descend upon Sydney's Hyde Park in a display of rotting flesh and strange odours.The march was organised via Facebook in protest of the lack of R18 rating for videogames. While they were at it, the zombies also nibbled away at the proposed internet filter, too.A few hundred zombies were attracted to the protest, which began in Hyde Park and made its way around Darling Harbour before returning to the source of infection.Passers-by stared on in bewilderment while the zombies chanted for brains, brains and more brains. Though the police were called multiple times, they were not equipped to deal with a zombie horde, so the march continued uninterrupted.No mention was made of the more likely prospect of seeing an R18 rating in the near future since Michael Atkinson's stepping down, as everyone seemed to put quite a few hours into their costumes.Mainstream media loves weird-looking people, so this should hopefully raise a bit of awareness amongst the Today Tonight folk. As long as it doesn't get spun.For a full gallery of our shots from the march, check out the PC PowerPlay flickr page.

When it comes to the PC, we have some of the most versatile games and game engines around. However, we also have a huge amount of ways in which a game can be broken.This is no bad thing, of course, especially seeing as many of these 'bugs' have inadvertendly provided some of the richest entertainment available in their respective games.Take Deus Ex, for example. Sure, it was a great game in its own right, but you could do some wicked stuff with just ghost mode, peppery spray, and a hologram called Walton...

We're pretty excited about this upcoming MMO from Lucasarts, so we nabbed ourselves some exclusive face-time and pulled this massive feature together in PCPP#173.Here's a PDF of the feature in case you missed it - we originally ran it back in December 2009. Want your features sooner? Want more info on the latest PC games? Hit up that pic of the mag to the right, and subscribe today!Not convinced? Here are a couple of the spreads from the feature. Follow the PDF link below for a screen-readable, full length version!Download article PDF (you may need to right-click and Save As, depending on your browser)

There's so much more to interacting with your PC than mouse and keyboard... at least, that's what we thought until Louise Meers and Stephanie Kok discovered 15 good reasons not to mess with PC input...There's a fine line between weird and wonderful... but the following peripherals are just plain weird. Ranging from vibrating cushions to pistol mouses, there have been plenty of... interesting creations over the years. Here are the top 15 weirdest peripheral devices that attempted to make gaming more immersive but instead just ended up on our hit list....#15 Sidewinder GameVoice - as reviewed in PCPP#054 With the Sidewinder GameVoice you can really be your own Darth Vader. This ‘1337’ voice commander allows you to control you characters from your own ‘base station’. You can also shut out your enemies and strategise with your friends with the channel-select feature. It was intended to aid online and LAN gaming and was the first of its kind to integrate voice chat and other voice-activated commands. According to PCPP#054 voice recognition is this device’s best feature as it “…offers a revolutionary method of in-game control. If you’ve ever forgotten the key for a critical game command, this can prove invaluable.” Anthony says: The first time a generation of gamers could violently slag each other off online in real time and victimize Texans. Added a creepy stalker element to Ultima Online's virtual relationships....#14 Microsoft Strategic Commander - as reviewed in PCPP#055 Getting all the Microsoft gear out of the way first up, the Strategic Commander sure likes its buttons. Featuring six customisable buttons designed specifically to "enhance strategic gameplay", this mouse allows gamers to group units as well as build and assemble forces. The Strategic Commander would have been great for gamers who like programming buttons as it has a shift-combined total of 72 possible button combination presets, according to PCPP#055 Zag says: All the comfort of a mouse without any of that tedious usability nonsense. ...#13 Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike - unreviewedIf you're sick of the old keyboard-mouse combo when playing 3D shooter games, this could have been a suitable secondary control unit. The Sidewinder Dual Strike features six customisable buttons, an ergonomic design and perspective control but could serve as a Year 10 science project with its ball-and-socket joint. It was the first to combine the gamepad and mouse, and though it is unique, with all its twists and turns, it takes time to actually figure it out. Anthony says: Like one of those weird stainless steel brain puzzles you used to get in your Christmas stocking except it costs $200 and it isn't as much fun. ...#12 Xitel Force Feedback Headphones - as reviewed in PCPP#048 These Force Feedback headphones are comfortable, they have vibration control, separate bass level controls and a built in power amplifier. The sound effects add to the gaming, as you can clearly hear the revving of engines, explosions, gun shots and opening doors. Er, obviously. In theory, these headphones are a great idea and sound uber-cool but in the real world the results don't quite match up. PCPP#048 says that the in-game music appears to make the headphones confused in their feedback leading to a slight buzzing. So, as long as you disable the force feedback, you've got a good set of headphones. Nick says: Nothing says hyper-realistic like vibrating ears and motion sickness....#11 Saitek GM2 Gaming Mouse - as reviewed in PCPP#049 Another attempt to replace the trusty old keyboard, the GM2 Gaming Mouse just creates another one...but with fewer buttons. It has two parts, one being the mouse and the other the action pad, both of which are programmable. PCPP#049 says quite simply, nothing else quite matches the responsiveness and speed of this setup... we have a highly refined version of the original mouse/keyboard concept. We choose to believe they were being ironic.Zag says: WASD will never die. But please, by all means, keep trying.

Relive the heady days of EGA and four-way scrolling. Fractured Reality: proving that with a little imagination, 1990s technology can build worlds...