Assassin's Creed III has such a soul-drainingly boring tutorial it actively lessens the quality of the entire game - because close to half of it is effectively one big, long tutorial. It's a tutorial ...

Portal 2 sets a great standard for tutorials - it's funny and quick, and the patronizing nature of telling the player how to progress is explained in the narrative. Games have a lot of standard ...

The topic for this Friday’s weekend thread comes from a reader suggestion. Over on the Yeezus/Hotline Miami Alternate Soundtrack article (which is worth checking out if you haven’t already), ...

To many, creating their own video game feels something like a far-off dream: It’s something only the artistically inclined with plenty of time on their hands could accomplish. But the truth of the ...

Few video games are entirely self-explanatory. In the early glory days of arcades, instructions were printed on the cabinet around the edges of the screen. When video games came home, many titles were ...

Cameron has been holding a controller for about as long as he can remember, developing a special love for The Elder Scrolls and Halo at a young age. When he isn't playing virtual games, he can most ...

Hand-holding in games can detract from the fun and challenge. Some popular games have overly abundant tutorials and guidance. Finding a balance between guidance and freedom is crucial for player ...

Older games have a tendency not to explain things. It's a rarity to see a tutorial in classic releases, and even then you're not guaranteed to receive any lessons, as evidenced by Driver's infamous ...

Callum is a seasoned gaming managing editor for a number of publications and a gamer who will always try to shine a spotlight on indie games before giving AAA titles the time of day. He loves nothing ...

In my time on this earth I’ve pledged allegiance to many masters. Learned men and women: Buddhists, dissidents, Jedi. Their words—always measured—tend to echo at critical junctures. Whenever I face ...