video games – News Stories About video games - Page 14

Mar 17, 2009 1:23 PM CDT

Hip-Hop Fans Get Own Guitar Hero

Scratch 'could reinvigorate DJ culture'

(Newser) - Could DJs be the next Guitar Heroes? The publisher of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ hopes so. "I know that Scratch can reinvigorate DJ culture," turntable icon Mix Master Mike tells Ars Technica of the videogame, due out this summer. It'll push kids "into getting real turntables to...

Tyson to Star in New EA Game

Mar 11, 2009 1:21 PM CDT

Tyson to Star in New EA Game

(Newser) - EA has a new poster boy: Mike Tyson. The infamous boxer will adorn the cover of Fight Night Round 4 alongside Muhammad Ali and will be a playable character within, Silicon Alley Insider reports. As the star of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! for the original Nintendo, Tyson was once the...

World of Warcraft:
the 'Cocaine of Gaming'

Feb 27, 2009 4:45 PM CST

World of Warcraft: the 'Cocaine of Gaming'

Fantasy game involved in nearly every case of game addiction, foundation says

(Newser) - World of Warcraft is the most addictive video game on the market, the Local of Sweden reports. WoW is the most popular of the online multiplayer fantasy games—by far the most addicting game genre, according to a study by the Swedish Youth Care Foundation. The Blizzard title is "...

Gamers, Beware
This Skin Disorder

Feb 24, 2009 5:48 PM CST

Gamers, Beware This Skin Disorder

Console controller linked to painful hand sores

(Newser) - Dedicated gamers beware—researchers have identified a skin disorder just for you, the BBC reports. “PlayStation palmar hidradenitis” is characterized by painful lumpy sores on the palms. British researchers think it's caused by gripping the controller tightly with sweaty hands for extended periods. Good news, though: Symptoms appear to...

Calif. Court Blasts
Violent Game Ban

Feb 20, 2009 8:49 PM CST

Calif. Court Blasts Violent Game Ban

(Newser) - A federal appeals court ruled today that violent video games can be sold to minors in California, GameSpot reports. Upholding a lower court's decision, the judges struck down a state law that sought to ban the sale of violent games to those under 18. The law violated free speech rights,...

Obama's Nightly Fix:
BlackBerry Games

Feb 20, 2009 1:33 PM CST

Obama's Nightly Fix: BlackBerry Games

President plays BlackBerry game 'to unwind'

(Newser) - The president uses his super-secure BlackBerry to keep in touch with pals back in Chicago. But he's also a closet gamer, Star reports. It seems Obama is a big fan of the game BrickBreaker. "He plays to unwind," an insider says. "Every night before bed, he gives...

GTA IV Rides Again in
Lost and the Damned

NEW RELEASE

Feb 18, 2009 10:22 AM CST

GTA IV Rides Again in Lost and the Damned

Download-only add-on episode revs new life into franchise's fourth outing

(Newser) - Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned brings gamers back to a Liberty City as gritty and darkly funny as ever, Seth Schiesel writes in the New York Times. The add-on episode, only available as a download through the Xbox Live service, swiftly ditches GTA IV's protagonist...

Amazon Yanks
Video Rape Game

Feb 15, 2009 11:32 AM CST

Amazon Yanks Video Rape Game

Finally decides it's not appropriate after consumer complaints

(Newser) - Amazon will no longer offer a video rape game, following consumer complaints, reports the Daily Telegraph. The Japanese game Rapelay instructs virtual players to stalk and rape women, then force them to abort any resulting pregnancies. "We determined that we did not want to be selling this particular item,...

Single App Nets $600K in Month

Feb 13, 2009 10:42 AM CST

Single App Nets $600K in Month

The gold rush continues in Apple's App Store

(Newser) - With more than 20,000 iPhone apps available, it seems inevitable that most would make peanuts. But Ethan Nicholas’ tank artillery game, iShoot, raked in $600,000 in one month——$37,000 on its best day—proving the gold rush is on in the App Store, Wired reports. The...

Japan's
Square Enix to Buy 'Tomb Raider' Maker

Feb 12, 2009 2:28 PM CST

Japan's Square Enix to Buy 'Tomb Raider' Maker

'Final Fantasy' firm pays dearly for Lara Croft

(Newser) - Looks like Lara Croft has a new sugar daddy: Japan’s Square Enix will buy Eidos, maker of the “Tomb Raider” videogame franchise, for $119.9 million, Forbes reports. That's more than double the per-share price at yesterday's market close. With Square willing to pay such a premium, it...

Phantom of the Xbox:
Lloyd Webber Tries Gaming

Jan 14, 2009 5:22 PM CST

Phantom of the Xbox: Lloyd Webber Tries Gaming

You'll soon be able to play along with your faves from Evita , Jesus Christ Superstar

(Newser) - Andrew Lloyd Webber, the man behind musical hits such as Phantom of the Opera and Cats, is getting into the video-game business, paidContent reports. The burgeoning female gaming audience and the popularity of music-themed hits encouraged Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group to begin developing games based on Phantom, Evita...

Are Video Games Art?

OPINION

Dec 28, 2008 8:14 AM CST

Are Video Games Art?

Outselling theater, music, and movies, but still not taken seriously

(Newser) - Video games are going gangbusters financially, but they're still generally relegated to "lowbrow" entertainment by the culturati. Some critics, however, are finally giving video games their due and deeming them art. "The best games are already beautiful, and I can see no reason why the look of video...

Wii Music Offers Cute Fun
and Some Lessons

REVIEW

Dec 24, 2008 11:17 AM CST

Wii Music Offers Cute Fun and Some Lessons

Don't expect your teen to embrace (outwardly) Nintendo's new offering

(Newser) - You might not rock out with Nintendo’s new Wii Music the way your teen would with Guitar Hero, but that won’t stop the family from having a ball with the game, Katherine Boehret writes in the Wall Street Journal. The game stays true to the Wii tradition of...

Phelps Splashes Into World
of Video Games

Dec 18, 2008 4:07 PM CST

Phelps Splashes Into World of Video Games

iPhone-ready product, due in spring 2010, will include, if not feature, swimming

(Newser) - It was probably inevitable: Michael Phelps, video game star. The Olympic swimmer is teaming with 505 Games to launch a Phelps-themed game in the spring of 2010, the Baltimore Sun reports. Swimming will play a role, but it won't be the main event. Beyond that, the game-maker is not revealing...

Analysts Fear Recession
Will Kill the Video Star

Dec 13, 2008 7:00 PM CST

Analysts Fear Recession Will Kill the Video Star

November sales dip aside, titles remain popular with gamers

(Newser) - With many Americans singing the recession blues this holiday season, they may not be willing to shell out $200 to groove to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Some analysts say the dueling, popular video game franchises are beginning to peak, MarketWatch reports. “The music game genre is getting a...

Wii Are the Champions as Holiday Sales Rocket

Dec 12, 2008 4:01 AM CST

Wii Are the Champions as Holiday Sales Rocket

Game sales stay strong despite recession

(Newser) - Video game sales remain strong despite the flagging economy, reports USA Today. Nintendo Wii had its biggest month ever in November, selling more than 2 million systems, twice what the company sold last November. Microsoft Xbox 360 also had a strong month with best-selling games Gears of War 2, and...

Composers Score
With Video-Game Gigs

Dec 8, 2008 10:34 AM CST

Composers Score With Video-Game Gigs

Film-like scores have taken strides with technology—and pay as much as $2K/minute

(Newser) - The musical scores for video games have kept pace with the evolution of the games themselves, the Los Angeles Times reports, with composers bringing in as much as $2,000 per minute to create sweeping, film-like compositions. With sales projected to hit $50 billion this year, game developers can budget...

EA Offers
Its Answer
to 'Wii Fit'

Nov 14, 2008 8:10 AM CST

EA Offers Its Answer to 'Wii Fit'

Game maker plans line of products to get couch potatoes into shape

(Newser) - Electronic Arts has become the latest game maker to target the Wii-as-personal-trainer market, USA Today reports. EA Sports Active, developed with experts including Oprah Winfrey's trainer, hits the shelves in March and aims to help users lose weight through more than 20 exercises that work the upper and lower body...

Top Games for Holiday Play

GLOSSIES

Oct 25, 2008 6:39 PM CDT

Top Games for Holiday Play

The titles you want stuffed in your stocking this year

(Newser) - Are you ready to wear out your thumbs this holiday season? Looking at games slated for holiday release, Forbes thinks gamers "crave a lot of morally questionable mayhem." Here are their top choices:

Gears of War 2 (Microsoft): This game promises hordes of aliens to shoot

...

Online Divorcee Jailed After Killing Virtual Hubby

Oct 23, 2008 12:23 PM CDT

Online Divorcee Jailed After Killing Virtual Hubby

Japanese woman charged with hacking

(Newser) - A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said today. The woman allegedly used her digital husband's identification and password to log onto popular interactive game...