Scratch the PlayStation
Vita off your note to Santa.
Sony confirmed Thursday that its new handheld system won’t launch in the U.S. or Europe until 2012. While not officially a delay, the announcement still surprised a lot of people, who expected the company to push hard for a widespread launch before the holiday season, since that’s such a crucial sales period for the industry.
Om Nom hasn’t lost any of his charm. 
And Cut the Rope: Experiments proves that developer ZeptoLabs hasn’t lost any of its magic. Is this more of the same gameplay as the original Cut the Rope? Sure. However, there are some new mechanics, like a suction cup, but if you played the original, you won’t have any trouble getting into the groove here. That’s not a bad thing, though, if you’ve completed the original (and all of its add-ons). There’s a thin plot about Om Nom being examined by a genial scientist, who encourages and congratulates the player as you progress. But at its heart, this is a game that uses physics and puzzles wonderfully together and proudly carries on the legacy of its predecessor.
When you think about it, 
it’s actually pretty astonishing that there hasn’t been a Rambo video game out in the past 22 years. Oh there have been games on Sylvester Stallone’s “First Blood” hero before, sure… but since 1989’s “Rambo III” on the Amiga and Sega Genesis, he’s been silent.
UK publisher Reef Entertainment is bringing him back, though – securing the rights to develop several titles based on the popular character from StudioCanal.
[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at Sony’s recent decision not to release its Vita portable in the U.S. and Europe this year, seeing potential benefits to the company’s cautious approach.]
Given the early adopter mentality of the core gaming world, the disappointment over news that Sony’s PlayStation Vita wouldn’t hit U.S. or European stores until 2012 was hardly a surprise. As a group, we generally like to be the first to get our grubby mitts on the latest and greatest tech toys.
I won’t pretend to know the reasons for Sony’s decision to wait until next year – but whether the “delay” (which, of course, it wasn’t – since the company hadn’t actually confirmed a release date prior to Thursday) was intentional or due to circumstance, it’s hardly the disaster Wall Street is making it out to be. (The company’s stock was down 5 percent in midday trading.)
You’re on the 
iPhone, Charlie Brown.
Capcom has acquired the rights to create social games based on Charles Schultz’ s Peanuts comic empire, which will put Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang on Apple’s iDevices this fall.
Time Warner’s ready 
to give HBO Go a bigger push.
CEO Jeff Bewkes, in an earnings call with analysts this morning, said the pay network’s TV Everywhere service would be expanding its footprint beyond smartphones and tablets – soon adding Internet connected televisions and video game consoles to its roster.
Physics-based games — even platformers 
like Stickman BMX — are incredibly dependent on the controls. If they’re done well, the games can be tons of fun. If they’re not, frustration often sets in. Unfortunately, they’re not spectacular with this app. The game takes a page from Sega’s Sonic series, in that it constantly moves you forward in a difficult series of courses, but to conquer them, you’re required to constantly press a pedal button, which is a quick way to get a sore wrist. It’s also directly responsible for many lost games if you’re not pressing fast enough. The game isn’t terrible, though. There are plenty of levels to explore and loads of replayability to gather all the medals. But ultimately, the control issues are likely to convince you to stop playing long before you get to that point.
Trenches: Generals — a 
remake and upgrade of the iPhone Trenches game — certainly makes good use of the iPad’s screen size, but it comes with control issues that detract from the fun. And the complicated nature of the game further hurts it. Moving troops around is fairly easy at the beginning of a battle, but once they’re assembled in a trench, they huddle together, making it hard to select an individual soldier. And when you’re trying to upgrade that trench to a bunker, that can be critical. Also, the game has a decent tutorial, but ramps up the difficulty quickly, which will alienate newcomers to the strategy genre.
Got $500? If so, 
you could be a very popular person on Twitter.
While the social network can be a powerful platform to build brands and reputations, building up a network of followers takes time – even for the famous and powerful. But for some impatient users, it’s easier to simply take a shortcut and buy followers.
Fans of EA Sports games 
tend to be a dedicated lot, but now the publisher is launching a program that will help it find the most dedicated.
The company’s just-unveiled Season Ticket program will give die-hard fans the chance to get a three-day head start on new versions of Madden, FIFA, Tiger Woods, NHL and NCAA Football games as well as discounts on any downloadable content.
But that access comes with a price – and a catch.
Chris Morris: Journalist 