3DS

03.04.12

People could argue for hours on end about which Metal Gear Solid game was the best.  Some would say that the original PS One release can’t be beat; others feel that Peace Walker was a significant move forward for the series; and some will even swear up and down about Sons of Liberty rocking hard, even with the odd inclusion of a nude Raiden.  However, most of the consensus believes that Snake Eater, the third chapter in the series, is truly significant, if only because it takes place in a different time, telling the story from a new point of view.  And if you somehow missed this story, you have another chance to catch it, this time on the Nintendo 3DS with Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater.

02.23.12

It’s inevitable.  Ever since the success of their first outing a few years ago, Sega’s Sonic and Nintendo’s Mario have managed to shake off their whole 16-bit rivalry in favor of collaborative sporting efforts, usually revolving around the Olympic games.  Like clockwork, just in time to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sega has released yet another compilation featuring the duo, as well as their respective casts, in 50 various mini-game sporting events.  It sounds like a fun time.  Unfortunately, for the most part, it isn’t.

02.16.12

Wii owners with broadband Internet access now have a new way to watch their favorite TV shows and movies. Starting today, Wii owners can subscribe to Hulu Plus for $7.99 a month and instantly stream current-season hit TV shows such as Family Guy, Glee, New Girl, Glee, The Office and Modern Family, as well as full back seasons of hit shows like Community and Grey’s Anatomy. Kids can enjoy a growing library of favorites, including Arthur, Wild Kratts and Dinosaur Train, and families can browse through hundreds of popular movies from Miramax and more.

02.16.12

Penny Arcade continues to expand. With PAX East coming up in April in Boston and PAX Prime set for later this year in Seattle, the comics are now helping educate consumers about game ratings. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has unveiled a new PSA campaign featuring artwork designed by the creators of the hugely popular video game webcomic Penny Arcade. The three-part national print and online campaign features caricatures based upon real parents and gamers, each of whom conveys a unique perspective about the ESRB ratings and tools like rating summaries and the ESRB mobile app. These ads will start appearing this spring in parent-focused and game enthusiast media outlets nationwide and can be viewed here.

02.13.12

When I played Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for Nintendo 3DS last year, I saw some great potential out of the game, save problems and all.  But it still felt a little short-handed to me, as if Capcom was holding back for something better – in this case, Resident Evil Revelations.  And this problem has happened more than once, and is likely to happen again when next month’s Operation Raccoon City is dwarfed by Resident Evil 6 later this year.  But that’s later on.  For now, I humbly suggest you enjoy Revelations, because it’s the Resident Evil experience that the 3DS needs.

01.30.12

In its early days, THQ was best known as a kids game maker working with brands from Nickelodeon and Disney based on Hollywood TV shows and movies. But the Hollywood licensing business has dried up with the higher costs of development and the advances of smartphones and tablets (where those licenses still thrive). THQ isn’t exiting the games business, as had been rumored a few weeks ago. Instead, the game company is exiting the kids games business in favor of successful franchises like Saints Row.

01.19.12

Nintendo has revealed new details about the storyline and single-player game play in Kid Icarus: uprising, which will launch exclusively for Nintendo 3DS on March 23. More than 25 years after the launch of the original Kid Icarus game for NES, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this beloved series to new heights. Check out the game in action in the exclusive video below.

01.18.12

Here's a bit of a rhetorical question. What's scarier, EA's Origin service existing passed 2012 or SOPA and PIPA? Trick question, they are both pretty equally terrifying. Jokes aside, even though we're nearing the end of Internet Blackout Wednesday where sites such as Wikipedia, BoingBoing and Reddit closed up shop so to speak, more news trickled out as it relates to two of gaming's biggest juggernauts--Electronic Arts and E3 powerhouse Entertainment Software Associate both of who refuse to change their Pro-SOPA and PIPA stances despite a hefty petition on Change.org.

01.11.12

LAS VEGAS – The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012) opened its doors to press, analysts and buyers featuring a record number of exhibitors, more than 3,100 companies on a show floor that will exceed 1.85 million net square feet of exhibit space. Pre-show media events with innovative product launches kicked off the 2012 CES, with cutting-edge products including ultrabooks, voice and gesture-based technologies, smartphones and OLED TVs. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association, the 2012 International CES, the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, opens today and runs through Friday, January 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

01.07.12

Rayman Origins was, in our eyes, one of the best games of 2011.  Michel Ancel and his team made a platformer that all players could easily get into, while including a local multiplayer factor that turned it into the ultimate party experience.  Now, in 2012, the game will be thriving on the portable front, with a release slated for the PlayStation Vita around launch.  There's a version in the works for 3DS as well, though there's a catch at this point regarding it...

01.05.12

Hollywood stars, sports legends, musical icons and entertainers will attend the 2012 International CES to showcase and promote the innovative products and technologies shaping consumer technology. The 2012 International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, is scheduled January 10-13, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

01.03.12

Driven by fast-selling software Nintendo 3DS sells more in its first nine months than Wii did, capping a very good 2011 for the game maker. Whether they were on the go or at home, whether they played in 2D on the TV or in glasses-free 3D in their hands, gamers of all ages celebrated the holidays with Mario and Zelda. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS not only became the fastest-selling titles in the history of their respective franchises when they launched, but they are now also the first Nintendo 3DS titles to sell 1 million units each in the United States. On the console side, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which also broke launch records, became the 45 Wii title to sell more than 1 million units in the U.S.

01.02.12

Director and writer Paul Anderson has wrapped principal photography for his second 3D videogame adaptation, Resident Evil: Retribution, according to his wife and star of the Sony Screen Gems film franchise, Milla Jovovich. With the movie set hit theaters September 14, 2014, Jovovich provided an exclusive look at the set of the new movie in the cool video below.

01.02.12

In a sign that CES continues to grow despite the struggling global economic situation, 94 companies will exhibit in the new Eureka Park TechZone at the 2012 International CES. The dedicated area was created partnership with the National Science Foundation, Startup America Partnership, CNet and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), showcasing innovative start-ups and entrepreneurs. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the 2012 International CES, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, is scheduled January 10-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.