video games – News Stories About video games - Page 19

Beowulf Blurs Line Between Video Games and Movies

Nov 20, 2007 5:54 PM CST

Beowulf Blurs Line Between Video Games and Movies

All-CGI films are the future, writes Wired

(Newser) - Most of the reviews of Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf have noted the video-game feel of the CGI flick, and they're right: there is no technological difference between the film and animations used in high-end video games. Wired gaming blogger Chris Kohler argues this is a watershed for film; when scenes of...

Video Game Troopers Talk Abu Ghraib

NEW RELEASE

Nov 19, 2007 7:33 PM CST

Video Game Troopers Talk Abu Ghraib

Anti-Bush Blacksite game 'genuinely subversive,' says Wired

(Newser) - Blacksite boasts the usual nasties, but this first-person shooter has them US-trained and -armed—making it “one of the few genuinely subversive games,” says Wired’s Clive Thompson. Most shoot-'em-ups make you "a warrior for the American dream," but Blacksite’s “corrupt authority” is clearly...

Be Your Own 'Rock Band'

NEW RELEASE

Nov 19, 2007 4:20 PM CST

Be Your Own 'Rock Band'

Harmonix's new game allows Guitar Hero-style play for every rock instrument

(Newser) - The immensely popular Guitar Hero "rhythm game" franchise has a new competitor: MTV Games/Harmonix's Rock Band. The game ups the ante on the Guitar Hero concept by moving beyond guitars: a microphone and drumset controllers, along with guitar, are included in the game's $170 pricetag so that in multiplayer,...

Sony Halves Developer Fees for Struggling PlayStation 3

Nov 19, 2007 2:27 PM CST

Sony Halves Developer Fees for Struggling PlayStation 3

Console lags against rival Nintendo Wii

(Newser) - In its latest effort to revive lagging sales, Sony has halved the price of a software development kit for its PlayStation 3 video game console. Last month, the company slashed the price of the console itself to consumers, in response to fierce competition from the better-selling Nintendo Wii, reports the...

PC Gaming World Contracts

Nov 18, 2007 3:41 PM CST

PC Gaming World Contracts

As Xbox, Wii, PS3 draw casual gamers away, PCs left with die-hard fans of killing games

(Newser) - The PC gaming industry is on the defensive, with sales of PC games down substantially over the past five years, as less expensive gaming consoles have become more powerful. The Wii, Xbox, and PS3 have lured away casual gamers, leaving the PCs to hardcore gamers playing, first-person shooters and complex...

Singapore Lifts Ban on Game With Lesbian Love

UPDATED

Nov 16, 2007 2:54 PM CST

Singapore Lifts Ban on Game With Lesbian Love

Mass Effect can be sold with M18 rating

(Newser) - Gamers in Singapore may now buy Microsoft's Mass Effect despite a female-female love scene. The country has decided to allow the sale of the video game under an M18 rating, reports Singapore's Straits Times, after previously banning it due to a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman...

Price Cut Lifts PlayStation Sales

Nov 15, 2007 9:02 PM CST

Price Cut Lifts PlayStation Sales

Lower prices and a new low-cost model may help Sony to escape third place

(Newser) - Long lagging behind the Nintendo Wii and without a 'Halo 3' to rescue it, Sony's PlayStation 3 is finally seeing sales pick up in the weeks after a $100 price cut and introduction of a lower-end model. Sony said it sold 100,000 consoles last week, compared to sales of...

Game Banned for Lesbian Scene

Nov 15, 2007 8:53 AM CST

Game Banned for Lesbian Scene

Microsoft's anticipated "Mass Effect" not showing up in Singapore

(Newser) - Singaporeans anticipating Microsoft’s much-ballyhooed Mass Effect video game should stop anticipating. Thanks to a scene in which a human woman kisses and caresses an alien woman, Singapore has banned the action-RPG, Reuters reports. Microsoft said it would respect the ban, but outraged gamers decried the decision as too strict....

Xbox 'Gamerscore' Reels 'Em In

Nov 11, 2007 12:18 PM CST

Xbox 'Gamerscore' Reels 'Em In

Popular feature boosts sales, inspires cheaters

(Newser) - “Gamerscore” could be Microsoft’s secret weapon in its bitter rivalry with Apple’s iPod, the Washington Post observes. The popular feature from the tech giant’s Xbox allows players to rack up points in the console’s social-networking world and flaunt their “achievements” for friends. The gamerscore...

Atari 2600 Enters Hall of Fame

Nov 11, 2007 10:45 AM CST

Atari 2600 Enters Hall of Fame

Console changed the face of video games says Salon

(Newser) - One of Gen X's most notable toys received 21st-century kudos on Thursday, when the Atari 2600 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of fame. The Atari console's initial library of 9 titles changed the face of video games, says Salon's Machinist columnist Farhad Manjoo. "There'd be no 'Halo...

New 'Call of Duty' Offers Players Modern Combat

Nov 9, 2007 5:19 PM CST

New 'Call of Duty' Offers Players Modern Combat

Video game set to conquer the competition

(Newser) - "Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat," released this week, takes players on the missions of elite modern fighters like the US Marines or British SAS, a departure for a video game series that previously focused exclusively on WWII. The game is set to be this holiday season's biggest...

Want More Game Action? Have a Seat

Nov 8, 2007 9:01 AM CST

Want More Game Action? Have a Seat

New Renegade chair hits players with jolts, lights, sounds

(Newser) - For those video game fans who don't find their flight simulators or alien invasions sufficiently immersive, CNET suggests a solution: shell out for a new Renegade chair. The $300 captain's seat weighs 50 pounds and includes 12 vibrating motors that sync with any game on any platform, buffeting you with...

Gaming Giant to Close Chicago Office

Nov 6, 2007 11:43 PM CST

Gaming Giant to Close Chicago Office

EA shutters 'Fight Night'-producing studio as part of restructuring plan

(Newser) - The video game maker Electronic Arts is closing its Chicago office, laying off or relocating nearly 150 employees, the San Jose Mercury News reports. A spokesman for EA says the Chicago studio, which had tripled in size since 2004, wasn't profitable, and likely wouldn’t have been for at least...

Activision Profits Powered by Guitar Hero

Nov 5, 2007 10:14 PM CST

Activision Profits Powered by Guitar Hero

2Q results foreshadow billions in future revenue from game

(Newser) - Activision turned a $24.3 million loss into a slender quarterly profit of $698,000 in just one year—thanks to its blockbuster musical simulation Guitar Hero. The video game is expected to produce revenue in the billions, the Wall Street Journal reports. Guitar Hero III was launched October 28—...

Gaming Pioneer Returns

Nov 2, 2007 11:42 AM CDT

Gaming Pioneer Returns

Ultima creator launches Tabula Rasa today

(Newser) - The New York Times profiles Richard Garriott, the grand old man (at 46) of massively multiplayer online games. After several early successes, Garriott built a game world in which thousands of individuals could operate via a newfangled machine called a modem. The result, 1997's Ultima Online, changed the video game...

Battle Axe Gods in Latest Guitar Hero

Oct 31, 2007 11:21 AM CDT

Battle Axe Gods in Latest Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero 3 includes a fighting mode with whammy bar-slamming action

(Newser) - The latest game in the Guitar Hero franchise is out and reviewers are shredding to it already. Ars Technica says Guitar Hero III hasn’t suffered from Neversoft’s loss of Harmonix, the original developers. In this release, wireless guitars are standard, more rock songs are included, and the career...

MySpace Jumps Into Games Fray

Oct 23, 2007 2:42 PM CDT

MySpace Jumps Into Games Fray

(Newser) - There are tens of thousands of people in your extended network, and they might be playing Gem Quest come January. MySpace plans to host hundreds of easy-to-learn online games to, as one company VP put it, “enhance the fun factor”—and grab a slice of the game industry’...

Video Game Maker Calls for End to Rival Gaming Systems

Oct 20, 2007 8:27 AM CDT

Video Game Maker Calls for End to Rival Gaming Systems

Electronic Arts wants 'open gaming platform'

(Newser) - Electronic Arts, a leading video game manufacturer, has called on the gaming industry to set aside the incompatible gaming platforms now competing for consumer loyalty. Instead of choosing among rivals like Wii, Playstation, and Xbox, players should be able to use an "open gaming platform" for all games, EA...

Game Over! Halo 3 Zaps Wii

Oct 19, 2007 12:36 AM CDT

Game Over! Halo 3 Zaps Wii

Game launch boosts XBox 360 sales beyond Nintendo console

(Newser) - The launch of Halo 3 helped XBox 360 sales to zoom beyond Nintendo Wii, making the Microsoft system the hottest selling console in September. MarketWatch reports the extraordinary popularity of Halo 3 also helped push video game software sales up 64% over the same period last year. Game consoles were...

Sims Designer Named BAFTA Fellow

Oct 16, 2007 12:04 PM CDT

Sims Designer Named BAFTA Fellow

Award signals acceptance of gaming into art community

(Newser) - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has awarded a fellowship to video game designer Will Wright, creator of The Sims, the best-selling computer game franchise in history. The award has been interpreted as a nod to the growing creativity of computer and video games. Previous recipients include...