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Shovelware Maker Going to Jail for Not Paying Workers
The owner of a Utah game studio is going to jail for not paying his employees. Criminal prosecution for nonpayment of wages is rare. Incarceration is even more rare, but it is deserved for a guy like Dave Rushton, considering the lives he upended four years ago at Sensory Sweep Studios in suburban Salt Lake…
By Owen Good -
The Song That Blew Me Away In Borderlands 2‘s Newest DLC
All of Borderlands 2‘s environmental music is pretty great. It’s fitting, subtle enough to set the mood but powerful enough for your ears to perk up and notice. The first campaign add-on to Gearbox’s sequel is Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty. There are a lot of things that are great about this new DLC:…
By Tina Amini -
After One Day, 85 Percent of Facebook Gamers Don’t Care About Their Own Stupid Farm, Either
Research by a “social game analysis firm,”—the existence of that title tells you a lot about the state of the business—indicates that 85 percent of social gamers, who began a new title sometime between July and September, quit playing it after just one day. Nine out of ten of them didn’t play it after September.…
By Owen Good -
Hell Hath No Fury Like a PC Sports Gamer Scorned
In forums and comments, PC gamers come off as implacably angry about a number of topics. The most vehement responses are in issues that treat PC gamers like second class citizens; for example, DRM, console ports, DRM, piracy, DRM, delayed releases and DRM. Let me tell you, there is no citizen more second class than…
By Owen Good -
Six Reviewers Are Shaken, Not Stirred, By 007 Legends
This week’s 007 Legends puts players into the iconic (stylish, expensive) shoes of Britain’s most famous secret agent, Bond. James Bond. A famous secret agent may be a puzzling concept, but more puzzling still is this pastiche of his most classic adventures, reviewers seem to find. Does 007 Legends leave players feeling like they have…
By Kate Cox -
Forza: Horizon Is Best Played as a Ryan Gosling Simulator
I have a confession: I hated Forza Horizon when I first played it. Something about the tone, from Axe Body Spray sponsored races to the presence of terrible dubstep on the radio, just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. But then something happened as I was driving around. I saw a sunset. As Owen mentioned…
By Chris Person -
This Ballin’ New Free iPhone Game is Not for Squares
There is no greater scourge to our universe than blatant shapism. The people of the Square Planet have subjugated the Ball People, crushing their spirit beneath their sharply-angled boots, but they didn’t count on the heroic Round Ball and his unique ability to roll with the punches. I could do this all day. Unleashed on…
By Mike Fahey -
Star Citizen Pledge Drive Adds Kickstarter Support
Game designer Chris Roberts, known for the Wing Commander games of yore, made a big splash last week when he announced Star Citizen, a return to the spaceflight genre. The announcement was so well-received, in fact, that Roberts Space Industrties, the website set up for the in-house crowdfunding initiative, crashed. Hard. Although the website is…
By Kate Cox -
Mystery Manor Blitzes Its Way to the iPad
Every day more and more social games are dipping their toes into the mobile market, perhaps hunting for firm footing in the face of Facebook’s big mobile push. Now one of the social networks most beloved hidden object tiles takes the iPad plunge with Mystery Manor Blitz Mystery Manor is one of those relaxing object…
By Mike Fahey
