As digital distribution continues to grow in the 
entertainment field, insiders and investors alike are trying to find new methods to get some clarity about the dollars behind it.
At Valve Software, which owns Steam, the leader in PC digital distributor, however, there are no plans to help those parties out. The company says it has no plans to open up its digital sales data vault, noting “it’s not important” information for the industry or public.
Department stores are littered with 
perfumes and colognes that can make you smell like everything from a field of wildflowers to Beyoncé. But what’s the best scent for the gaming geek?
Calvin Klein’s ‘Obsession’ might be perfect for the die-hard fanboys, but if you’re all about role-playing games, a better choice might be the RPG line of perfumes from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that lets you smell like an orc, elf, dwarf or other fantasy game standard.
The key to success in the app store, it seems, is to include birds in 
your game. Air Penguin features another flightless fowl bouncing from point to point. That’s much like Tiny Wings, but this game uses the iDevice’s tilt function rather than gravity to move the bird around. And that requires the controls to be perfect. Unfortunately, they’re not in this app. As you advance through the 100 levels, the obstacles increase, which makes the control problems more noticeable. And while it’s a decision that was obviously made for gameplay, it’s odd that the game ends when your penguin hero falls in the water. Last we checked, penguins could swim….
The push to earn fish, the in-game currency, by downloading and playing other apps (some of which cost money) is a bit annoying. Parents might want to talk to their kids about this kind of marketing. Since you can earn fish by simply playing the game, it isn’t necessary to downloading other apps. On the whole, this app is entertaining, and is the very definition of bite-sized gaming.
The PSP Go is PSP 
Gone.
After a flurry of rumors Tuesday, Sony has confirmed that the PSP Go’s life is coming to an end. The company plans to stop production of the handheld device that relies solely on downloadable content, opting instead to focus on the upcoming NGP – Next Generation Portable.
While “Law & Order: Los Angeles” faces an 
uncertain future on the air, it’s ramping things up in the gaming world.
Universal Pictures has partnered with Telltale Games to create an episodic gaming series based around the Dick Wolf production. Due this fall, the title will see wide distribution, appearing on the PC, Mac, consoles, tablets and mobile devices.
On paper, the PSP Go seemed like a great idea: A slick portable gaming device that let players download titles digitally without having to visit a retail store.
In reality, though, it hit just about every imaginable stumbling block. As a result, the system failed to catch on with consumers — and now it appears it’s going away for good.
One of the highlights of the You Don’t Know J
ack series has always been its topical nature. And the series couldn’t be more topical in its iDevice debut, with questions and comments about Elizabeth Taylor’s death, Charlie Sheen’s bizarre behavior, and the royal wedding. As with the recent console version, this is a wonderful blend of sarcasm and trivia and melds old school gameplay with modern times. The jokes might go too far for some parents, though, so this is definitely not a game for younger players. Older players will love the humor, however. And, as an added bonus, the questions are truly challenging, which could help you learn a thing or two as you play.
HBO is teasing – if not outright announcing – its imminent 
arrival on the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices.
The cabler has posted a YouTube video that shows its HBO Go streaming service running on a variety of tablets and phones, including Apple’s iconic brands. At the end, the HBO Go logo is shown with the date 5.2.11 shown underneath, presumably the mobile launch date for the service.
Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to 
Telltale’s CEO Dan Connors about the addition of the Law & Order series to the company’s game catalog, and how licensed content is helping Telltale grow rapidly.
While other video game CEOs are running away from licensed content these days, Dan Connors is rushing towards it.
Instead of pursuing original content to grow Telltale Games, the company is relying on the universes created by some of Hollywood’s biggest companies. But instead of eking by with a portfolio of shovelware, Telltale is growing – and gaining critical praise.
Collision Effect is downright mesmerizing. 
Armed with both a puzzle mode for strategic thinkers and an arcade mode for people who like their action a little faster paced, the game takes a basic mechanic — don’t let two comet-like orbs of different colors collide, but match up the ones of the same color — and with a little polish turns it into a game that’s hard to put down without taking just one … more … turn. Bonus points for not going with the obvious explosion sound when two incompatible orbs collide and for the colorful “tails” the orbs leave behind them as they move. They’re particularly helpful when you’re trying to figure out what you did wrong — and they add to the difficulty in later levels as you’ll need to brush them away with your finger to get a better view of what’s happening on screen. This is a rare game that can both calm and excite you — sometimes simultaneously.
Chris Morris: Journalist 