Far away from the charts and the mega-commercial releases and the grinning Bobby Koticks, there is an exciting world of games loaded with passionate expression, dazzling ideas and a staggering wealth of creativity. They are independent games and they are being celebrated at next month's International Festival of Independent Games, aka IndieCade. The 32 finalists of this year's IndieCade awards are full of innovation, originality and win. Give them your time... ...

We were on location in Los Angeles earlier this week when Activision and Treyarch revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops’ expansive new multiplayer offerings. There was certainly plenty to be enthused about (read the juicy details here) but a few attendees were so thoroughly psyched - or wasted - that they spontaneously went all Electric Boogaloo on it. Luckily our all-seeing camera captured the magic – click through to watch it for yourself... ...

While flight sims and dogfight combat games are something of a niche market, free browser based shoot em ups are beloved by every gamer. Good news then, as Ubisoft has released an awesome 8-bit SHMUP reminiscent of the classic 1942. ...

Bloody Good Time is Ubisoft's recently revealed downloadable FPS. It's coming out 'soon'. It's a cartoony shooter with comedic brutality and a pseudo-cel-shaded look, and it's coming out on PC via Steam, but that does not mean that it's a Team Fortress 2 knock-off. It's coming out on the 360 too, and has a clown and Goths and stuff. Not only that, but it has a unique and intriguing spin on competetive shooting, with roots in the indie design world.

I'll give you more fuller details and some screenshots over on the next page, but right now, I'll cut straight to the jump. Because I know you just want to see that clown get tasered. ...

When Duke Nukem Forever was cancelled early this year, we in the games journalism biz thought, “finally we can stop writing about this game we all knew would never be finished.” Sure, some recent rumors popped up about Gearbox, developers of Borderlands, was now working on the game after 3D Realms' closure, but we all knew it was bullshit, right? ...

High in self-esteem, are we? Maybe a little too high? Worried that you're beginning to get a bit cocky, and are in danger of alienating those around you? You need to dig out a Gamecube, fast. No, not to revile the years of fanboy ridicule that came with being a Nintendo fan when everyone else had a PS2 or Xbox (it still hurts, damnit!). Nintendo's little purple fun box has a completely different way to resize your ego. And it comes as part of a recently discovered unlockable mode in first-party jet ski racer Wave Race: Blue Storm.

Long story short: With the correct cheat mode inputs (Remember them? They were great), it's possible to make the game's commentator hurl vile and slanderous word venom at you, crushing your spirit with insults and brutal sarcasm at every turn.

We knew Nintendo were unhealthily nice. That kind of repression was always going to spill out somewhere. Full details and video are through the click. ...