Gaming

This past Christmas, most gamers wanted a Nintendo Wii. The little white console was in serious demand, and that meant it rarely made its way to that cozy little place nestled under the Christmas tree. The next best thing was surely Electronic Arts' ... Rock Band, the game simulating the life of a grungy, coke-sniffing rock star. Like the Wii, Rock Band was also tough to get your hands on. Launched first for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it offered a nice runner-up prize for those gamers unable to find Nintendo's console. It was also a great little gift for the hardcore gamer -- and there are ... (view more)

Environmental campaigners have said the three leading video games consoles all contain dangerous chemicals. According to Greenpeace, the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 each contain substances which could affect human memory ... and reproductive development. The tests found the presence of phthalates, beryllium and bromine, all of which have been linked to health concerns. The phthalates are used in games consoles to soften cable coatings and wiring. Because of safety worries, the substance is banned in toys in Europe, with California planning a similar ban next year. ... (view more)

About a year and a half ago, Microsoft marked the one-year anniversary of its Xbox 360 launch with the release of one of its most anticipated games ever: Gears of War. The violent, action-packed story of barbaric foot soldiers fighting a futuristic ... war won gamers around the world over, and at a recent Microsoft Game Studios event many got the chance to see the next in the already beloved series. Also on showcase: Fable 2, the Role Playing Game (RPG) that gives gamers the chance to choose to be good or (very) bad in a fantasy world; a new Ninja Gaiden, the visually-astounding slasher; and Too ... (view more)

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video game industry's trade body, suffered a significant blow recently when two leading companies quit the group. They also pulled out of a major gaming showcase. Activision, producers of Guitar Hero ... and Call of Duty, and Vivendi, which owns the World of Warcraft series, both decided not to renew their membership with the ESA. They'll also be no-showing July's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which the ESA organises each year. The two firms (which are merging later this year) are the first major players to quit the group. It appears the ... (view more)

Grand Theft Auto IV ("GTA IV") is a retail phenomenon. By all accounts, it has raked in more sales than any game in history, making GTA IV a retailer's dream come true. However, the buck may not end there -- in fact, GTA IV is now acting as a prime ... marketing tool for music artists. When it shipped last week, Grand Theft Auto IV hit retailers like a sports car through a shop window (uh, you can do that in the game). Long midnight line ups and millions of pre-orders soon gave way to top-ranking reviews, with many experts calling the game the best ever released. With that kind of attention, it ... (view more)

Though it boasts the most impressive game library and some of the most successful franchises the industry has to offer, Microsoft has struggled to win the hearts of Asian gamers with its Xbox 360. Though North Americans swoon over Halo, Mass Effect, ... and the cars of Project Gotham Racing, few overseas players are all that interested in breaking ties with Sony or Nintendo. That's surely the reason Microsoft recently announced it would be slashing prices on its console across the Pacific. First reported by the Wall Street Journal and later confirmed by the Redmond-based powerhouse, Microsoft ... (view more)

Recently I reported on the intense buzz surrounding Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV. Netting some of the most impressive reviews ever seen in modern video gaming, GTA IV is not only being heralded as "the best Grand Theft Auto game yet," but ... perhaps the best title, well, ever. Too bad a few glitches might spoil the party. According to reports from Gamespot, both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers are filling forums with complaints that the game crashes frequently. In pinpointing the source of such complaints, Gamespot cited Xbox.com, official Sony boards, NeoGAF forums, and even its own ... (view more)

Long heralded as the most open-ended franchise in history (well, aside from those 100-plus hour Elder Scrolls games), Grand Theft Auto has received both acclaim and criticism for its violent nature. However, the most recent installment, Grand Theft ... Auto IV, is receiving reviews previously unheard-of in gaming. All in all, these kinds of scores make Halo 3 look like Superman N64 (uh, the worst-reviewed game in history). When it first launched shortly after the introduction of the PlayStation 2, there was little doubt Grand Theft Auto III had changed the way games were made. Granted, it wasn't ... (view more)

Nintendo's Wii recently hit the 25 million units sold mark, and there's no indication the little white console is about to slow down any day soon. At least, that's the reason Nintendo has announced it will not be reducing the price of its popular ... system. To some, the announcement is a surprise, given that most consoles knock at least a small percentage of their price tag off sometime around one year after launch. By comparison, Sony's PlayStation 3 reduced its price almost immediately, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 has seen its price slashed numerous times since its November 2005 release. ... (view more)

We've all said it before, and this time I'll say it again -- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's the phrase of the day for Microsoft, which appears to be developing its own 'Wiimote' for the Xbox 360. Thought it will undoubtedly raise the ire of ... Nintendo's ever-growing fanboy community, Microsoft's decision to launch a motion-sensitive controller with the likeness of the Wii's tiny remote makes perfect sense. Nintendo has long overtaken Microsoft in the console race, though the Xbox 360 still boasts an unmatched games library. Add some Wii to the equation -- ripped off or not -- and all ... (view more)