Microsoft has announced they hired TV and radio host Jonathan Ross to work as an executive producer with developers in the UK, including Lionhead and Rare. “We wanted to bring in new talent that would challenge the way we build games and the way we think about what an audience is and what is entertainment.”…

Madoka Magica Online Is a Cute (if Derivative) Social Game

In preparation for the release of Madoka Magica: Rebellion in Japanese theaters this past weekend, I decided to look at one of the series’ forays into the gaming world, namely the social game Madoka Magic Online Like most Japanese social games, Madoka Magic Online is card based. Everything is cards. The other characters in your…

The Rise, And Fall, Of One Of Gaming’s Finest Ever Studios

There’s a special place in my heart for Sensible Software. The British studio behind two of the greatest computer games of all time – Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder – has been gone since 1999, but its legacy lives on in a fantastic new book by Gary Penn. Sensible Software 1986-1999, written by Gary Penn,…

An Indiana Jones Action Figure For The 21st Century

Figma figures are about the best figures on Earth if you like putting characters in rad poses. There will soon be an Indiana Jones Figma. Yes The likeness is…not bad, but it’s the range of movement and accessories that make it. The idol, the weight, the Holy Grail, a whip, the gun, the hat….aaawww yes…

Remember, People Outside Japan May One Day Make A Final Fantasy Game

One of the saddest game cancellations of the last few years has got to be Grin’s Fortress, an ambitious Final Fantasy title that would have been the first major game in the franchise to be developed outside Japan. Those interested to see what a Western take on the series might look like, though, still have…

Kinect Accessory Will Stop The Camera Spying On You

Not that the Xbox One will be spying on you, that’s always sounded a little overly-dramatic to me, but if you’re the type to assume the worst – but still, um, buy the console regardless – then this is the peripheral for you. PDP will be releasing a $20 TV mount that in addition to…

Obamacare, Facebook or Unreal Engine: Guess Which Uses More Code

Computer code. It powers damn near everything in our lives at this point. But we really only ever think about it when it breaks. So, let’s think about how many lines of code make CryEngine 2, World of Warcraft and the Curiosity Mars Rover. There’s a swank infographic over at Information Is Beautiful that shows…

Kid Hacks Government Websites In Exchange For Video Games

A 12-year-old boy from Canada has appeared in court having been busted hacking several local and international government websites, handing over information to Anonymous in exchange for…video games. What? He’s 12. According to the Toronto Sun, some of the sites he hacked include the Quebec Institute of Public Health, the website of the Chilean government…

EA Wins “Award” For Charging People To Complain About SimCity

For the past eight years Choice, Australia’s biggest independent consumer organisation, has been running the Shonkys — an awards ceremony that names and shames Australia’s ‘shonkiest’ products and services. The Shonkys are taking place right now and EA Australia has just won an ‘award’ for its handling of the debacle that was the Sim City…

One Fun and Easy Way To Sic The Cops On Unsuspecting NPCs In GTA V

Poor Grand Theft Auto city dwellers. They mostly exist so that we can carry out elaborate and ridiculous schemes—for example, schemes that orchestrate fights between the police and NPCs. Because chaos, that’s why. You can add one more method to the list of ways to accomplish said fights, according to this mythbusting video by DefendTheHouse—turns…

Arise, $800 Ultimetal Optimus Prime

I know you all had your heart set on an Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but stop and think a moment. Is that new console purchase going to keep you from spending nearly $800 on a 17-inch, non-transforming metal Optimus Prime with remote control lights and sounds? This is Ultimetal Optimus Prime, a majestic collaboration…

Tilt to Live is one of my favorite games on the iPhone. This is Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous. It cannot arrive fast enough. Go to the website and stare at Alex and Adam until it’s released.

The Most Terrifying Week In Gaming Apps Of The Year

They are coming. You can hear them shambling by your window. Their ragged nails scraping across your door. Their spiriting knocking and shouting of “trick or treat!” The children are almost here. Here are some spooky mobile games to keep you company while you turn off all the lights in your house and hide. What?…

Rumored Xbox One Launch Issues Lead To Lots Of Questions

As we inch closer and closer to the release of next-gen consoles, we’re starting to learn more and more about their features—and some of what we’re hearing might not be great news for anyone who expected a totally stable experience at launch. Over the past few days, the Internet has exploded with drama surrounding the…

Tiger Woods and EA Sports Part Ways, Ending 16-Year Run Together

The Tiger Woods PGA Tour series will end its 16-year run in 2013 as EA Sports announced it has parted ways with the star golfer. EA Sports will continue a golf simulation under PGA Tour branding on next generation consoles, the publisher said today. Daryl Holt, the vice president and general manager for golf for…

Pikachu Gets a Speaking Role in Upcoming Pokémon ‘Detective’ Game

Last week, Japan broadcaster NHKteased an upcoming program featuring a new Pokémon game starring Pikachu. That show has now aired and it shared more on the game, which appears to be a detective-type puzzle game with Pikachu as your partner. And he’ll talk. Siliconera reports that Tsunekazu Ishihara, the president of the Pokémon Company, told…