Bob Hoskins sports a resume that 
most actors would envy. Best known, perhaps, for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” he also played key roles in “Brazil,” “Mona Lisa” and “The Cotton Club.”
He has appeared in nearly 100 films and television shows — but there’s one he’d like to erase from that list: 1993’s Super Mario Bros.
We certainly have no problem getting caught up in the fun
of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
At this point, we’ve all heard a lot of talk about who and what “won the show” at E3 Expo 2011 earlier this month. It is, in fact, one of the most common questions attendees ask each other. But in the big picture, it’s a question that’s a little shortsighted.
The video game industry is undergoing such a seismic shift these days (in terms of its fundamental business model), that focusing on a single company or title doesn’t give anyone an adequate look into the future. A hit game is nice, but long-term, publishers need to have a broader plan — and they need to have that on display.
Hackers continue to 
run amok in the entertainment world.
Sega is the latest game company to be hit, following in the steps of Nintendo, Bethesda, Sony and more. Meanwhile, another group claims to have breached Sony Pictures – this time in France.
Jumping platform games are becoming a 
crowded field in the App Store, so to stand out new ones need to do something different. Let’s Jump! is hardly revolutionary, but it gets enough right that it’s worth a second look. The universal app support — letting the same game be played on both iPhone and iPad — is very welcome and the multiplayer mode adds a few tweaks (like not killing you instantly when you miss a platform) that make the game more fun. That said, there’s a definite sense of deja vu to this app — and if you’ve grown tired of Doodle Jump at this point, you won’t find anything here to reinvigorate your love for the genre.
Polar Puzzles HD is the latest in a 
growing string of strategy/puzzle games that are hitting Apple’s iDevices in the wake of Angry Birds’ success. It’s not great, but it’s also not bad by any means. The game gives new users a chance to learn the mechanics and offers a wide variety of levels to enjoy (over 75 in the full version — along with unlockable bonus levels). There are also a few fun twists, like using ice holes to navigate and a seal that helps flip your penguin. But even with those there’s a sense of sameness to the game — and the $2.99 price tag feels a bit high.
The retail availability of video 
games just grew dramatically.
Redbox, whose movie rental vending machines are scattered in all sorts of unlikely locations — from convenience stores to pharmacies to fast-food restaurants — has added video games to its selection.
While it’s already illegal to upload 
and download copyrighted content, there’s a loophole that lets streaming sites get away with it. The U.S. Senate is moving to close that fast.
The Commercial Felony Streaming Act – a bill that would make illegal streaming a felony – has passed the Judiciary Committee and now moves into the full Senate. If it’s passed, it would carry penalties of up to five years in prison for offenders.
[In this analysis piece, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris 
looks at why the Supreme Court hasn’t come to a decision yet on California’s violent video game bill seven months after its hearing.]
There’s a gong in the offices of the Entertainment Software Association that hasn’t been rung for a long time.
It’s called the Supreme gong – and the rule of the office is that it shall remain silent until the Supreme Court announces its ruling on Brown v. EMA (formerly known as Schwarzenegger v. EMA). Justices heard oral arguments for that case last November, but seven months later, they have yet to hand down a decision. What’s going on?
The curse that has plagued Duke 
Nukem Forever over its infamous 14-year development cycle is adding new victims.
Less than a week after its release, the game has torpedoed a PR firm and dinged the stock of a publisher whose investment was minimal. And, in a sad, ironic twist, it’s still likely to qualify as a hit.
Brad Pitt is an A-list celebrity. Actors 
clamor to share screen time with him, since it’s an almost certain chance to get screen time in front of a huge audience.
So what the heck is the CEO of Activision doing in Pitt’s latest film?
Chris Morris: Journalist 