The Year in Controversy

Studios may close, servers may crash, projects may be canceled and bankruptcies filed, but these are the given in the video games industry. No matter how regrettable, they still won’t be the No. 1 heated controversies in any given year for video games. Here’s a look back at the scandals, outrages, foofaraws and kerfuffles that…

Don’t Turn Your Back on Santa Claus in Dark Souls

The good news is that Kris Kringle still gives out presents in Lordran. The bad news is that he hands out beatdowns instead of coal. But a man with as much loot as Santa has enemies. Watch your back, fat man. (via Twitter)

Super-Chess Wins Just For Megachessatron Alone

The rules of this super-Chess game aren’t too clear, or at least their limitations are nowhere to be seen. But it’s hilariously amazing, and I would play this BBC-invented version in a heartbeat. Extreme Amazing Super-Chess! (Chess.) [YouTube via Buzzfeed]

Starbound Is Like 2D Minecraft Meets Borderlands…In Space

“Like 2D Minecraft,” you say, “But that kind of sounds like Terraria!” About that. At least one of the devs on Chucklefish, the studio behind Starbound, hails from Terraria. This would explain some of the overt gameplay/aesthetic similarities between the two games. The premise here is that you’re fleeing your destroyed homeworld in a shuttle,…

This Manages To Make Hitman: Absolution’s Stealth Seem Hilariously Broken

I adore YouTube user Criken. I don’t understand how he manages to break games the way he does. Here he is playing Hitman: Absolution, making me feel like I put too much effort into trying to be sneaky when apparently Hitman is more hilarious when you’re sloppy about it. I’ll have to test this out…

This is Not an App, But You Should Play With It Anyway

Keri Smith’s This is Not an App is, as the title suggests, not an app. It’s an interactive exploration of everything an Android or iOS app can be when guided by your hands. Is it a recording device? A secret? A dream journal? A dare? Yes, but it’s more than that. Just as Smith’s popular…

The Status Of Microsoft and Sony’s Next Consoles. Plus: A Whole Bunch Of This Year’s Gaming Secrets.

No topic appeared in the rumor mill this year as much as the coming next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. At the beginning of January, British trade magazine MCV reported that the next Xbox and PlayStation would both debut at E3 2012. This did not actually end up happening, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it…

I Hope This Reaper-Meets-Dubstep Track Doesn’t Indoctrinate Me

Everything needs a little dubstep in it. Okay, not actually. But this track by Soundcloud user Rig manages to mash a whole bunch of different reaper sound clips and put them together to make an awesome dubstep track. Check it out: It’s particularly impressive when you listen to what some of those sound clips sound…

That Rare Nintendo Power Comics Strip With a Naughty Word Can Be Yours Now

Old-school fans know that Howard Phillips used to be Nintendo’s Games Master, immortalized in the back-page “Howard & Nester” comic strip of the recently cancelled Nintendo Power magazine. Phillips is a guy who helped the company on its rise to power in the United States. He probably has all kinds of cool stuff locked away…

Dungeon Rampage‘s Red Ranger Has Anger Issues

One of those hardcore social games, Dungeon Rampage shows off just how hard it can get with this trailer for the new Red Ranger skin and its festive bonus outfit. To tell the truth, I like this video mainly because it reminds me of what Christmas is like at my mother’s house, only instead of…

Six new rides arrive Jan. 1 in Forza Horizon‘s Recaro Car Pack. The lot is 400 MSP/free if you have the season pass.

Welcome To The Best Of Craigslist Crazies. You’ll Need Your D&D Books And Adult Diapers.

Some Craigslist ads sound too awesome or crazy to be true. That’s where the ‘Best Of’ page comes in: a Craigslist reader-nominated compilation of the best ads on Craigslist. Craigslist is already infamous for its ads, so you can imagine what sort of thing surfaces in a best-of list. I went through ’em and found…

FarmVille 2 ‘Third Week of Winter’ Quests: Everything You Need to Know

If you’re still busy working on the Holiday Tree in FarmVille 2, you’ll be pleased to know that the “Third Week of Winter” quests are finally available for completion, giving you a real final goal to work towards (that being finishing the entire tree once and for all). There are four new quests to complete…

Finger Tied Is Like a Game of Naked Twister You Play With Your Hands

People who bitch about touchscreen games like to complain that “they’re so simple.” Those people need to shut up and play Finger Tied The lack of sticks or buttons may make it seem like players don’t need much dexterity when playing games on a smartphone or tablet. Finger Tied from Streaming Colour Studios proves that…

Cloud Computing is Why the New SimCity Needs an Always-On Connection, Studio Says

A couple weeks ago, the SimCity gang at Maxis held an AMA at Reddit. That may not have been such a smart idea. They don’t like DRM over there, for any reason, and SimCity‘s gonna require an always-on Internet connection to play it, in any mode. It’s no surprise that this comment, a compendium of…

Dead Space 3‘s Demo Arrives Jan. 22; This Trailer Recaps the Story So Far …

Dead Space 3‘s demo version will be available via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on Jan. 22, though a news release from Electronic Arts this morning says that a limited number of Xbox Live gamers can get access to the demo a week early. Early access will be awarded through the site demo.deadspace.com. The news…

You Might Have Missed the Five Coolest Indie Mobile Games of 2012

Earlier this year the folks that brought us IndieDB and ModDB launched SlideDB, a site dedicated to giving indie mobile game developers a means to reach players beyond showing up on the iTunes or Google Play top charts. It’s given attention to games that otherwise might have been lost in the crowd—games like Dream of…

The 12 Best Games on Facebook

You joined Facebook, which just proves Zuckerberg’s plan is working. Whatever it is. First, it was people tagging you. Then poking you. (Or maybe it was vice versa. Whatevs.) Soon after, your feed got the ‘Villes virus with people needing stuff. Rather than run away, you’re following your curiosity into the gaming wilds of Facebook.…

Sword Art Online‘s Second Half Isn’t Quite as Brilliant as Its First

Earlier this year when Sword Art Online hit its halfway point, I called it the smartest anime I had seen in years because of its in-depth look at the long-term effects of being trapped in a virtual reality world. This last week Sword Art Online finished its run on Japanese TV. And while the second…

Villagers Accidentally Beat Up Mobile Gamer

Lots of people play mobile games in China. The mobile game market has exploded in the last two years into a multimillion dollar industry. According to iResearch, in 2012, mobile games raked in a profit of $197 million in China, so it’s almost baffling to hear something like a young man playing on a mobile…