Forget Xbox vs. PlayStation. In the videogame
industry, the biggest brewing battle these days is the one between traditional developers and the new breed — those who specialize in Facebook and iPhone titles.
While social networking games and mobile gaming apps are still dwarfed financially by franchises like “Halo” and “Call of Duty,” they’re stealing eyeballs — and talent — from the console world. And, according to some high-ranking execs, they’re putting the future of the industry at risk.
No one would ever accuse Duke Nukem of being 
a closet feminist, but the cigar-chomping, buzz-cut sporting, alien butt-kicker is stirring the pot once again.
The multiplayer modes for the imminent Duke Nukem Forever have been announced (via the April issue of Official Xbox Magazine) — and one, dubbed “Capture the Babe,” has raised some eyebrows.
New Angry Birds levels are never a bad thing — and 
Angry Birds provides plenty. With 60 initial levels and commitments from developer Rovio for additional updates in May, July, October and November, this will keep fans of the runaway hit franchise happy for a while. Veterans of the game, though, might be disappointed with how easy half of the levels are this time around, although there are other elements, such as hidden fruits and new achievements to keep them busy. The marketing parts of the game are relatively tame, which is refreshing as well. While the visceral thrill of the game is still there, the gameplay is starting to show very early signs of aging. Angry Birds has been around for a while now and there are lots of clones on the market. It’s still a lot of fun, but Angry Birds Rio is noticeably less addicting than Angry Birds.
With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War 
fast approaching, it probably won’t come as a surprise that PBS has plans to rerun Ken Burns’ acclaimed series on the War Between the States.
What might be a bit more unexpected, though, is that the network plans to offer a free stream of the series’ first episode to showcase its PBS App for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The stream will become available March 24 for a 10-day window.
For NFL players, being named the cover athlete 
for EA’s Madden franchise beats the pants off getting their face plastered on a Wheaties box.
Historically, the company has decided who gets the honor, but this year, it’s letting fans make the decision.
The PSP Go, which shunned physical media 
for a download only model, might not be a roaring success, but Sony’s doubling down on digital distribution as it prepares its next generation handheld gaming system.
The head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe says that every game on the so-called NGP (Next Generation Portable) will be available to buy as a download the same day the physical game appears on store shelves.
There’s no doubt that Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad
is a hit with consumers. Day one sales are estimated at 500,000 or above and people are still lining up outside their nearest Apple store to get their hands on one.
But the iPad 2 is entering a much different world than its predecessor. And while Apple still holds a commanding market share position, it may be in for a much tougher fight this time around.
With bullying a common problem in schools, Horton Hears
a Who! teaches an important lesson to children about sticking up for people who are unable to defend themselves. The creatures that share the jungle with Horton (and who do not hear the Whos) taunt and mock him for his actions and ultimately try to punish him, but he maintains his watch over the Whos, underlining how critical it is to stick by your virtues, even when there is peer pressure to abandon them. The message alone makes this a five-star app, but the added bonuses of charming narration and wonderful educational elements, such as highlighted words and picture identification, put it over the top.
Your high school drama teacher might 
have suggested that the best place for you when it comes to acting is in the audience, but does a PhD give him the ability to spot raw talent? No way!
Fortunately, with the help of an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, you can finally show the world your star potential by acting it out in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.
Sandra Boynton is one of the most-loved modern authors 
of children’s books and it is fun to see her beloved board book become an app. This app has a soothing reader (Billy J. Kramer), great highlighting of words read, the ability to tap any word to hear it spoken aloud, and lots of interactive hotspots. Plus the interactive elements vary greatly from tilting the iPad to make the animals slide to turning on the hot water in the sink, which causes the screen of the iPad to steam up (you wipe it clean with your finger). However, The Going to Bed Book has a few navigational issues. The onscreen animations are generally well-done, but some are positioned on the screen near where the user is likely to try to swipe to the next page, making it sometimes hard to advance the book. Even with this shortcoming, the book’s message and characters are as charming on iDevices as they are in the original board book form.
Chris Morris: Journalist 