NBA JAM by EA Sports is, quite simply, a heck of a lot of fun to 
play. Easy to pick up and anything but complicated in its rules, the game focuses solely on the most outlandish parts of the sport — monster slam dunks and huge blocks of opponents’ shots. It’s a bit more aggressive than other basketball games, but the violence is arcade-like and not too concerning. The game further offers impressive visuals and keeps the adrenaline pumping with announcer Tim Kitzrow’s “boomshakalaka”-infused running commentary. The biggest disappointment is the lack of any multiplayer mode, as this is one of those titles that’s more fun with friends.
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Video game industry posts a February surprise
The video game industry pulled a rabbit out of its 
hat in February – and that rabbit looked a lot like an Xbox 360.
A surprise 10 percent jump in hardware sales and a 22 percent increase in peripheral sales not only led the industry to an increase over the February 2010 numbers, but put it in positive year-over-year country as well, according to data from the NPD Group.
Homefront turns political fears into potential hit
It’s already been a busy year for shooters, but publisher 
THQ thinks they found the formula for first-person success in the upcoming — and somewhat controversial — Homefront.
Due out March 15 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, the game imagines a fallen America in 2027. Players, as you might expect, will join the resistance and fight their way across the country to win back America’s freedom.
Xbox scammers bilk Microsoft for $1.2 million
That long string of numbers and letters you 
have to type in when redeeming a Microsoft Points card might seem random, but a group of hackers recently discovered it wasn’t.
Today, Microsoft is licking its wounds after taking a $1.2 million loss once that information was made public.
Porn Pros Turn To Liquor—For Second Career
Cindy Taylor knows her days in her 
current job are limited.
While her alter ego of Jesse Jane is one of the most popular porn stars in the industry, the hard truth is that the adult entertainment industry’s audience has tastes that change regularly. And there’s always someone looking to knock the leaders off of their perch.
Video Game Investors Brace for Another Bad Month
With a weak slate of titles, February is shaping 
up to be another negative month for the video game industry.
Analysts expect game sales, which will be announced by the NPD Group after the market closes Thursday, to be significantly lower than the 2010 figures, as publishers once again had a lack of new blockbusters in the pipeline.
Sony brings cloud storage to the PS3
Since introducing the PlayStation Plus
subscription service at E3 last June, Sony has struggled to give PS3 owners a compelling reason to sign up. But the latest addition to the feature just might do it.
Starting Thursday, the company will allow Plus subscribers to save their games on an online storage system.
App review: Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook
Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook is 
a blueprint for interactive children’s books. Each of the app’s 32 pages has entertainment elements, with dozens of hidden surprises. For instance, touch Jack enough on one page and he’ll break into song. On another, touching the right onscreen picture opens a memory game. Phrases, rather than words, are highlighted as the story is narrated; users have the option to turn highlighting on and off, giving the app a wider range of potential users. The app is dense with kid-friendly features, and will make a nice virtual library addition.
Is this the next generation of video game graphics?
While the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii still have 
several years in front of them, the chatter has finally begun about the next generation of consoles.
Front and center in that conversation is Epic Games, whose Unreal Engine 3 has been a big part of the current crop of games, powering all of the “Gears of War” titles as well as “BioShock,” the “Mass Effect ” games and “DC Universe Online”.
Are Apps Killing the Video Game Industry?
Over the past year or so, Nintendo has taken a fairly 
predictable approach in its reaction to the rise of app-based gaming. The bite-sized titles, company officials would say nonchalantly whenever asked, could be a fun diversion, but didn’t compare to the deeper experience of the more feature-rich games on its mobile devices.
These days, the company sounds a lot more concerned.
Chris Morris: Journalist 