Plenty of people 
are celebrating Netflix’ decision to scrub plans to separate its DVD-by-mail and streaming services, but nowhere are the cheers louder than at the corporate HQ of leading video game rental company, GameFly.
In his note announcing the reversal of the controversial decision, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made no mention of earlier plans to add video games to the company’s rental collection — and many think the plan might have been abandoned.
The match-three 
genre is a tired one, but you have to give the developers of Panda Picnic credit for finding a way to make it fun once again. By blending the random elements of a slot machine with the “match three of the same fruits” objective, and making it into a multiplayer experience, they’ve created something unique enough to turn heads.
The demand to log into Facebook, though, is very intrusive and for an app that simulates gambling, the app is very curiously (and obviously) tailored to children. From the music, to the graphics, to the name of the panda who sits at the top of the screen (Petey the Panda), it’s a page out of the “how to appeal to children” handbook. Adults will have fun with it, but there are a lot of lurking bad lessons and habits for kids.
Just days after 
announcing a slew of alliances with cable channels and services, Microsoft is adding Ultimate Fighting Championship events to its growing roster of non-gaming programming.
Starting Dec. 1, Xbox 360 users will be able to order pay-per-view events as well as access a library of live and on-demand content. The first pay-per-view will be the company’s UFC 140 event on Dec. 10.
Electronic Arts, which 
has struggled with its basketball titles for the past couple of years, now has another hardwood woe: One of the game’s all-time greats.
Former Boston Celtic center Bill Russell has sued the company over the use of his likeness in its “Tournament of Legends” feature in the NCAA basketball franchise.
Long before home 
consoles were a staple in every living room, game geeks looking for a fix would head down to the local mall to feed quarters into coin-op acade machines, happily wiling away the hours. Unfortunately, the glory days of the arcades — the 70s and 80s — are a distant memory.
You can thank the evolution of the video game industry for that. The rise of the home console fundamentally changed the way we played, just as mobile and social games are now clawing into time spent staring at the TV on the couch. But in the past few years, an unlikely resurgence has started taking shape. Arcades are once again becoming en vogue.
The Super Smash Bros. 
series is a cornerstone of Nintendo’s gaming lineup, so cloning it with the popular stars of several Caroon Network shows seems like a can’t miss idea. Unfortunately, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion not only misses, it misses by a wide margin. The levels come across as generic. The controls aren’t as responsive as they should be. And the multiplayer is underwhelming, to put it kindly. The use of 3D is similarly bland. Avid fans of the Cartoon Network may enjoy the chance to interact with their favorite characters, but others should steer clear.
There’s a hard 
and fast rule in the gaming world: Never bet against Nintendo. That’s still true, despite the Wii’s ugly tumble from the top and the underwhelming rollout of the 3DS – but if you’re a gambler, this might be the time to hedge those bets.
The Wii U, Nintendo’s own next big wager, is likely still more than a year away from hitting stores, but the number of hurdles it’s going to have to clear in order for it to be a success are growing at an alarming rate.
When the deluge 
of tributes to beloved tech giant Steve Jobs are over and the world has moved on as it always does, the founder of Apple and Pixar will be remembered as a man who radically altered the computer, music and animation industries.
But those impressive achievements will overshadow the enormous impact he had on the video game industry.
With so many 
achievements to his credit, Steve Jobs impact on the advertising industry is often forgotten.
The fact is that with Jobs influence, the modern Super Bowl commercial might never have happened. The “1984” spot that is so well known was conceived by Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott, but it was the Macintosh that was the inspiration.
Race illegal isn’t 
a bad racing game, per se, but there’s nothing notable enough about it that it will excite fans of the genre. It is, in many ways, a paint-by-numbers title, with a forgettable story, lots of lens flare, winding tracks, “edgy” collision models, and slow motion head-on impacts. The graphics aren’t overly impressive, though, and the game often feels slow compared to other entries in the category. Whether you’re a core racing fan or someone who just dabbles in the games, you can probably find something better.
Chris Morris: Journalist 