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Our intern Sal thinks that the controls for "Resistance: Retribution" is the only way shooters on the PSP should play. Read more...

When word broke that Capcom was incorporating a "Gears of War"-style control scheme into "Resident Evil 5," gamers rejoiced, but this week's "RE5" demo proves implementing only part of that system isn't enough; you need to go all the way, something "Dead Space" did and "RE5" doesn't. Read more...

Every day this week, I'm counting down my five favorite gaming accomplishments over the last 12 months.

In 2008, my greatest elation with a video game had nothing to do with me.

Slowly but surely, I have tried to convince my girlfriend she would enjoy video games.

She loves "Tetris," "Super Smash Bros." and "Mario Kart," but this year, she made great strides to enjoy the medium on another level.

She played "Braid" a few months ago, but what most impressed me was when she asked to play "Left 4 Dead" -- a ridiculously fast-paced shooter -- alongside me online.

Coming to grips with "Left 4 Dead" was not an easy task for her (or for me, her teammate). The concept of independent movement and aim was both foreign and frustrating, but something she took to with great gusto.

Outside of "Left 4 Dead," she hasn't shown much interest in playing more complex games on her own. She likes how "Prince of Persia" looks, but doesn't want to play it. She thought the stories of post-apocalyptia in "Fallout 3" were interesting, but hasn't picked up the controller.

But she played "Left 4 Dead" and wants to play more. For me, that's enough.

As I quickly learned while watching my girlfriend play "Left 4 Dead," modern games are tough for newcomers to sit down and play.

Controllers as complicated as the Xbox 360's and PlayStation 3's are here to stay, but games need to do a better job of educating new gamers.

"Bionic Commando" isn't the game I expected to do that. But while checking out the game's addictive multiplayer at a San Francisco event last week, I noticed the game's flashy-but-effective introduction.

The screen above shows up while the game is loading. Press a button on the controller and the game gives a text explanation of what it does. A welcome addition would be a video or some kind of graphic showing that action in real-time, but this is a step in the right direction and one I'm hopeful will be included in the final version of "Bionic Commando" next year.

Tap a button. Get an explanation. So simple.

Do you guys know of any other games that introduce their controls as effectively?

My girlfriend is the definition of a casual gamer. She loves the "LEGO" series, carries a Nintendo DS everywhere and balks at the idea of touching an Xbox 360 controller. But she also thinks many Wii games are too simple.

She has never shown an interest in the more complicated games I enjoy. Then, "Left 4 Dead" showed up. She loves horror movies. The idea of starring in a personalized "Night of the Living Dead" adventure was too much to pass up.

There was a minor setback, though: she has never played a shooter before.

Yes, people like that still exist. And it was fascinating to watch her come to grips with it. When she asked "how do I aim?" and I pointed out the second stick, she gasped. "I can look around? I thought I could only look forward!"

She just blew my mind.

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There is much we don't know about LucasArts and BioWare's newly announced, currently PC-only MMO "Star Wars: The Old Republic."

This week's announcement didn't explain many important aspects to the game, including how combat works. It is slow? Fast? Turn-based? Action-centric?

I spent time on Tuesday with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk, who attempted to explain -- as much as he could -- what "The Old Republic"'s combat is like, using extreme points of comparison: "World of WarCraft" and "EverQuest" against "Age of Conan" and "The Force Unleashed."

Here's what Zeschuck said.

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It's known around the Internet that I've played a few hours of "Grand Theft Auto IV." Around this Internet people ask me questions about the game.

Common inquiries involve:

1) the size of the city -- no, it doesn't feel bigger than "San Andreas," but it feels more dense

2) the game's new animation technology -- yes, it looks good

I think the most common question I'm asked is: Are the controls any better this time?

I'm certain I've addressed this before. I know I'm on record about it. But I also know why it's hard to believe. "Grand Theft Auto" controls have been less then ideal since 2001, at least.

So let me tell you about a moment in the game that I experienced on Monday, a moment that convinced me that "GTA IV" is the "GTA" that finally has good controls.

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