Gaming

Just like anyone else who saw the original "Star Wars" when it was released back in the late '70s, I've always wanted to enter the galactic fray and emerge triumphant in a lightsaber duel, to cross swords with a Dark Side opponent and hear the vwhoom-vwhoom as my saber slices through the air and spa...

All together now: The Beatles are getting their own video game. If you're of a certain age, then the idea of playing a "Rock Band"-esque game featuring the Fab Four's music will almost certainly make you twist and shout. The big question for Harmonix and MTV Networks -- the makers of "Rock Band" whi...

Netflix subscribers who also happen to own an Xbox 360 -- and have an Xbox Live membership -- learned last summer they'd be able to access streaming video via the gaming console, but what they didn't know until recently is that some of those titles will be available in high definition. Users of the ...

When Nintendo announced its upcoming releases in July at the E3 Conference, one of the most intriguing games for me was "Wii Music." The game's description as something that "makes it easy for people to jam to tunes, even if they don't know anything about music" appealed to the frustrated musician ...

Ask anyone to describe a hardcore gamer and the image that comes to mind is probably that of a geeky, teenaged, socially awkward male who spends countless hours locked in his bedroom. The notion, however, that men alone rule the gaming realm is as outdated as the Atari 2600. Men, women and children ...

Game developers LucasArts and BioWare announced Tuesday they have joined forces to create a new, massively multiplayer online PC game. "Star Wars: The Old Republic" is a story-driven game based on the popular sci-fi world created by George Lucas. The two companies divulged a handful of details at a ...

Both Microsoft and Sony made news at the Tokyo Game Show Wednesday. Microsoft announced its New Xbox Experience offering, which includes game, TV and movie downloads, as well as a new virtual world for Xbox 360 owners. Sony, meanwhile, announced that Home, its much-delayed virtual world for the Play...

Nintendo unveiled its new DSi portable game system Wednesday in Japan. The revamped portable game console reportedly sports a larger screen; not one, but two 3-megapixel cameras, and an audio player. The DSi replaces Nintendo's very popular DS and joins the DS Lite, the company's other handheld gami...

Wii gamers who felt let down by the absence of download functionality for the original "Rock Band" video game will have more than just a playlist of new songs to look forward to with the upcoming release of "Rock Band 2," expected to hit stores in November. MTV Games confirmed Tuesday that "RB2" wil...

As MMORPGs such as "World of Warcraft" and virtual worlds such as Linden Labs' Second Life continue to attract millions of users, they have also begun to attract cybercriminals, according to a recent report from ESET, a software security vendor. "Criminals follow the money trail, regardless if it's ...

GAME REVIEW

‘Spore’ Spawns Ingenious New PC-Gaming Style

The final countdown to Sunday's North American release of Electronic Arts' long-delayed and highly anticipated "Spore" has begun. Fans in Europe will get their first crack at it on Friday. The baby of Will Wright, creator of "The Sims" -- the best-selling video game in history -- "Spore" will have g...

Just days before the release of the much delayed and long-anticipated "Spore" -- the latest endeavor of "The Sims" creator Will Wright -- gaming publisher Electronic Arts has enlisted the help of some Hollywood and technology heavyweights. In addition to adding the celebrity critters to the Sporeped...

Sony will launch a new version of its PlayStation Portable this fall in Japan, the company announced Tuesday. The PSP-3000, which Sony debuted in August, features a new high contrast LCD screen and built-in microphone. The revamped handheld gaming device also offers twice the memory of previous mod...

Two of my favorite attractions at Disneyland when I was growing up and working at the park, and which are no longer there, were the Carousel of Progress and the House of the Future. Both showcased a future based on the thinking that was going on when I was born. They did this by creating models, min...

Studies announced this week by What They Play, a parents' guide to the video games their kids play, suggest that many parents are more concerned about kids being exposed to adult-themed video games than they are about kids viewing pornography or experimenting with alcohol. Anxiety about video games ...

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