Fans of Retro Gamer’s hardware bookazines will be pleased to hear that they are now available to buy for Kindle. The Classic Videogames Hardware Genius Guide is available now for just £5.81 and features in-depth guides to some of the best computers and consoles of all time. The Amiga, Super Nintendo, PC Engine, Atari 2600 and ZX Spectrum are just a few of the machines featured, and all come with the fantastic in-depth information that only Retro Gamer offers.

Editor in Chief Aaron Asadi said: “This eBook is a fantastic resource for all retro videogame fans. Offering in-depth information on some of the iconic consoles from the last 50 years, there are also run-downs of the best games from each piece of hardware, allowing readers to relive the classic videogame moments from days gone by. The is the perfect trip down memory lane, and represents excellent value for money.”

The Classic Videogames Hardware Genius Guide eBook is available now from Amazon (http://amzn.to/iZODFT).

iCloud For Beginners is the brand new digital-only, Multi-Touch ebook from X360 publisher Imagine Publishing, and is the first UK launch for Apple’s new iBooks 2 app. And if you’ve got an iPad, you seriously need to check it the flip out.

Using one revolutionary new Apple technology to show you how to use another, iCloud For Beginners teaches everything users need to know about iCloud, the free new back-up and sync service. From how to set-up your free iCloud account to sharing your information across your Apple devices, the ebook uses cutting-edge technology to deliver enhanced, easy-to-use tutorials.

And much does this fusion of ass-kicking cutting-edge tech cost?

99p (or $1.49)

Really, that’s all. So check it out and start making the most of iCloud now.

iCloud For Beginners is available now on iTunes and iBookstore worldwide.

If you love games, this is the book for you. Packed with all the best games for iOS, iPad & iPhone Games Directory shows you how you can turn your smartphone or tablet into a device to rival home consoles. Covering every gaming category on the App Store, over 300 games are reviewed, highlighting the best apps on offer. From Cut The Rope and Angry Birds to FIFA 12 and Scrabble, you’ll find all the games you’ll ever need in this ultimate guide.

Aaron Asadi, Editor In Chief, stated; “The iPad and iPhone are the ideal devices for gaming. Accessible, portable and reliable, they are certainly giving traditional consoles a run for their money. With the book, you’ll discover the must-own games from every category on the App Store, from quick time-wasters to games that will have you hooked for months. If you own an iDevice and you want to find the best games for it, this is the place to be.”

The iPad & iPhone Games Directory is on sale now (24/11) from www.imaginebookshop.co.uk priced £9.99.

The above is a physics-based demonstration created by Thiago Costa using Softimage’s ICE platform. Softimage is a high-end 3D computer graphics application used for producing 3D modelling and animation in films, advertising, and videogames. Its use has been limited so far in videogames, but you may have seen it employed in films such as Thor and District 9.

It’s exciting to think about the possibilities that could come from incorporating such advanced technology such as this into the next-generation of videogames. Imagine a Gears Of War in which bullets sent fragments of soil flying into the air, or a Halo in which your alien enemies were realistically shredded and torn apart by your bullets. In the videogame industry’s continual quest to present worlds indistinguishable from reality, giving the gameworld a physicality such as that witnessed above is surely the next step.

The iPad App Directory Volume 3 is your complete guide to the best apps available for your tablet. Covering every category on the App Store, there are a wealth of top apps that will help extend the functionality of your iPad, and ones that will keep you entertained for hours. With over 700 reviews, you’re bound to find plenty of applications that will catch your eye, and discover which are the top 200 iPad apps of all time.

Editor-in-chief Aaron Asadi commented: “The iPad App Directory is a comprehensive guide to all the best apps available for Apple’s device. Bringing you all the latest releases for the second-generation iPad, we feel the book offers great value for money and an easy way for people to navigate their way around the App Store.”

The iPad App Directory Volume 3 is available now priced £9.99 (on sale on 29 December) from www.imaginebookshop.co.uk and all good newsagents.

We’ve just come back from seeing Prototype 2, the sequel to Activision’s violent superhero open world game Prototype. It was a game that while quite fun when it was released back in 2009, wasn’t quite as polished as it needed to be. We didn’t think it would get a follow up, but it turns out it did well enough that Activision trusted Radical Entertainment to make a better sequel – which appears to be shaping up nicely. It got us thinking about games that we liked despite their flaws and would gladly play a follow up to, but never sold enough to ever get one. While we were mostly thinking of deserving failures, we threw in a couple of games that really did well but for various reasons sadly look unlikely to ever return to 360.

5. Dark Sector  (Digital Extremes)

Many 360 gamers have fond memories of Digital Extremes anime inspired third person shooter Dark Sector. We recall once calling it ‘ a very violent, bloody and grown up Mega Man.’  That’s because it’s hero, Hayden Tenno, used a special bladed thrown weapon called The Glaive (any Krull fans in the house?) As well is bloodily cutting dudes in half as you controlled it with after touch, it could take on special properties like Ice or Fire. It was great fun freezing enemies and then shattering them with your guns or just setting the ablaze to die screaming. It was a really good game, despite the crazy story, and we’d love to play a more developed sequel.

4. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (MercurySteam)

This Western re-boot of the classic Konami vampire hunting franchise by MercurySteam may have felt very disconnected to the old Castlevania games, but that didn’t stop it from being excellent. A gorgeous looking game, which showcased a fantastic mix of action, platforming and truly epic set pieces, Lords of Shadow might have borrowed piece meal from a lot of places, like God of War and Shadow of the Colossus just to name two, but it did it really, really well.  It was a totally polished experience with a diverse player progression system that always seemed to be rewarding you with a new power or toy to enjoy, making it a great game we’d love to return to in expanded form.

3. Vanquish (Platinum Games)

Another game that was a critical but sadly not a commercial success, Vanquish really showed off developer Platinum Games ability to create impressive, engrossing and action packed games that elevate whichever genre it’s working in. Vanquish very much did that for the third person shooter as you played an Iron Man of the Future, DARPA Agent Sam Gideon, in his amazing and powerful Augmented Reaction Suit. Vanquish’s ridiculously fast paced shooter battles against hordes of robotic enemies with your arsenal of weapons was broken up by some of the most epic set piece battles against towering robotic enemies we’ve ever seen. It was an almost criminally short game, and thoroughly deserving of a sequel ,so we’d love to see one.

2. Alpha Protocol (Obsidian Entertainment)

Sure, Sega and Obsidian Entertainments spy based action RPG was a little rough around the edges- ok well very rough around the edges– but it had some excellent ideas and once you got past the jank, was really enjoyable and had a great story. It’s best innovation was the twist it brought to it’s Mass Effect style conversation trees- they were timed, forcing you to respond realistically in real time and make decisions that affected narrative and gameplay. We’d love to play a more polished Alpha Protocol, with better gameplay and a second take on that great conversation system.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II ( BioWare)

Yeah, we’ve all heard the talk by BioWare about how its big upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is effectively Stae Wars: Knights of The Old Republic  3,4,5, 6 and 7 all rolled into one, and that it’s created a single player style campaign for each character class but frankly we don’t believe it. It’s rapidly becoming clear that The Old Republic is very much an MMO, rather than the kind of well honed single player RPG’s that we loved on the Xbox. There’s also the fact that it’s a PC game, which means that for most 360 fans it might as well not exist. What we’d love to see is BioWare take everything it’s learnt over the last decade in both Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and create the ultimate single player Star Wars RPG. It would be the perfect way to wrap up the KOTOR trilogy and a fantasic love letter to both Star Wars and BioWare fans. It’s really, really, unlikely to happen but we can wish can’t we?

NowGamer has just posted an epic list of the 50 greatest gaming moments of all time. There are detailed descriptions and video footage of every single moment, and as a whole it’s a really cool piece.

But being an Xbox magazine we couldn’t help noticing that there are just two moments from Xbox exclusive games, the highest of which ranks way down at #37.

How can this be? Does the Xbox just not have that many top-notch exclusive titles? Have some great Xbox moments gone unnoticed on this list? Is there really nothing better on the Xbox than Zeus’ betrayal of Kratos in PlayStation-exclusive God Of War II?

NowGamer thinks so. If you’re an Xbox fan, we’re sure you’ll have something to say about this, so head over to NowGamer, check out the whole list – we’re sure you’ll see many of your own favourite moments in there – and let the NowGamer team know what you think.

By now there are many of us who have poured hundreds of hours into Skyrim, and even some who have 100% completed the game. The question on everyone’s lips is when is Bethesda going to release Skyrim DLC that will expand the experience beyond the borders of Skyrim’s Northern province?

Todd Howard, Skyrim game director, recently spoke to Joystick at the Spike VGAs on the subject of Skyrim DLC, saying that it will be focused on, “ways to make the game better, not just have more, because the game is so big. We’re going through ideas right now, and processing everything people are doing in the game, and trying to think of ways that we can improve it.” Howard went on to confirm that there will be multiple DLC releases for Skyrim, but that they, ” don’t have a timetable. They won’t be quick, and they’ll have a lot of meat on them.”

It’s not the first time that Howard had discussed the possibility of Skyrim DLC. Earlier in the year he confirmed that Skyrim will have fewer DLC add-ons than Fallout 3, but that they will be “more substantial” and that Bethesda wants them “to be closer to an expansion pack feel.” The only other information we know for certain is that the first two bits of Skyrim DLC will be timed exclusives for Xbox 360, and won’t appear on another machine for 30 days.

What can we reasonably expect from Skyrim DLC? Early speculation suggests that the first DLC packs released could take us back to the realms of Morrowind or Cyrodiil, the locations of the Elder Scrolls III and IV respectively. There is some evidence supporting this possibility. One Skyrim player who was wandering around Stendarr’s Beacon – a location in Skyrim that lies on the border of Morrowind – stumbled across an invisible wall which, in using some technical wizardry, he managed to penetrate. On the other side he found low resolution models of Morrowind’s Vvardenfell and Solstheim and Cyrodiil’s Imperial City, which incited rumours that the first expansions/DLC to Skyrim will take you back to these locations. It’s a great concept – we’d love to revisit Cyrodiil and see just how much it has changed since we cast Mehrunes Dagon back into Oblivion.

Todd Howard has certainly mused over the possibility of returning to past locations. “I’d like to see the city of Daggerfall redone, or Sentinel,” he said in an interview, referring to locations in The Elder Scrolls II. “Daggerfall should be a on a giant bluff, overlooking the Iliac Bay, and we just couldn’t pull it off well then.”

Other potential locations could come in the form of the Daedric world, which doesn’t feature in Skyrim – or at least, we personally haven’t encountered it in our travels. The excursions to the Daedric planes through Oblivion Gates in The Elder Scrolls IV were regarded by some of the worst parts of that game, but in returning to them through Skyrim DLC Bethesda could find ways to make the Daedric plane feel more diverse and interesting to explore.

More outlandish missions such as that encountered in Oblivion DLC Shivering Isles or in quests like A Brush With Death would also be welcome. Skyrim, for the most part, stays grounded in reality, but it would be fun to take on more quests that play on the fact Skyrim does indeed take place in a magical world of different dimensions and planes of existence. Bethesda could deliver some truly stunning and imaginative DLC in toying with that aspect of the game world.

As for smaller features, there’s every chance that in any upcoming Skyrim DLC Bethesda will add tweaks and refinements to the formula, such as horse mounted combat, enhanced enchanting and smithing, and better, more accessible menus. Don’t expect any multiplayer though. “You can never say never to anything like that, but it’s not what our focus is,” says Howard. “This type of game is where our hearts are, what we get excited about and what we want to focus on. We don’t want to lose that focus and we never want to sarifice anything in the single-player just have it be multiplayer.”

Whatever we’re going to get from the upcoming Skyrim DLC, be assured of one thing at least. It’s not going to be horse armour. Probably.

NowGamer, Imagine Publishing’s flagship games website, has passed 1 million unique visitors for the first time in its history.

NowGamer reached 1,151,450 unique visitors for the month of November. The figures include 402,309 visitors in the UK and over 2 million page impressions.

More readers than ever before are coming to NowGamer to get their buying advice, gaming news and guides to playing the latest games.

Launched in 2009, NowGamer has attracted a strong, dedicated following of core gamers with high quality, exclusive content.

Nick Jones, NowGamer’s Editor in Chief, commented, “To reach this milestone in such a short period of time is a fantastic achievement for the team and I want to congratulate everyone involved. But this is just the beginning for NowGamer, and I see this as very much just the completion of stage one. We’ve got our sights set higher now, which is ultimately to make NowGamer the best gaming site in the UK.”

See why NowGamer is read by over a million people every month.

www.nowgamer.com

[Source: Google Analytics]

Everyone is playing, and loving, Skyrim at the moment, and who can blame them? Skyrim’s beautiful icy world and awe-inspiring Dragons are tough to drag yourself away from. It’d be fair to say we’ve never played in such a living breathing game world before, and it’s a thrill each time we return to it. But an inspirational world like that doesn’t just come from nowhere and it took years of work by Bethesda to bring it to life, a process that started with some of the most visionary concept art in gaming.

If you’re anything like us you’ll be fascinated to see how the world of Skyrim was first conceived by those artists, and now, thanks to a lovingly collected gallery at The Unofficial Elder Scroll Pages, you can.These beautiful pictures not only explain why the game world of Skyrim is as beautiful and magic filled as it is, but stand as a tribute to the skill of the Skyrim art team  who managed to translate them so wonderfully into a living game world. Have a peek at some of our favourite pieces below, and then wander over to The Unofficial Elder Scroll Pages to see a ton more.