If you’re planning to pick up a Nintendo 3DS 
when it goes on sale March 27, you’ll have a solid 18 games to choose from for your starter collection — but they’re going to cost a bit more than regular DS titles.
Nintendo has unveiled its launch day line-up for the handheld gaming system as well as a $40 price tag for games — $5 more than titles for the existing DS platform.
3D hasn’t exactly taken the gaming world by storm 
so far, but that’s not stopping Sony from giving the technology another big push.
Killzone 3, due out this week, is the latest installment in the company’s eye-popping shooter series. And Sony’s pulling out all the stops this time. Arguably the best graphics to appear in a PlayStation 3 game to date? Check. Integration of the PlayStation Move controller? You bet! 3D? Oh yeah — it’s in there, too.
Ok, I recognize this is just clever marketing from THQ, meant to 
appeal to my ego. I know they’re using me here to promote “Homefront,” as it nears its March 8 ship date. I even realize other game-focused media sites are likely posting similar clips around the Web.
That said, this is a clever piece of propaganda recreation. And I would like to be the first to apologize for “cruelly attack[ing] the facilities that provide oil for you to stay warm in winter.” I assure you that the Variety propaganda production mentioned in this audio file is of the highest caliber.
Amazon is escalating the battle among 
video streaming services.
The online retailer has flipped the switch on Amazon Instant Video, a ‘free’ streaming service for paying members of its Amazon Prime program. The service is squarely targeted at the growing service Netflix has been building over the past few years, with over 5,000 titles – and a lower monthly cost.
You have to give Panasonic credit for pushing 
the envelope. After launching a TV last year that let owners record programs to an SD card, the company has now taken the wraps off of a new set that does away with the remote control.
Customers in Japan can now buy the VIERA DMP-HV200, a gesture-controlled set that allows users to adjust the volume and change channels with a wave of their hands. The 10.1-inch sets will go on sale March 18 for a converted price of $640.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Charlaine 
Harris the new queen of multimedia. The author of the best-selling Southern Vampire Mysteries series has watched it smoothly transition to television in HBO’s “True Bood.” Based on characters from those stories, it’s been a big hit for the potent cable network.
Next up for Harris? Video games, naturally. Dying for Daylight, an adventure game for the PC, opens a new avenue for the 59-year old author.
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.
Disneyland might be the happiest place on Earth, but at the game development studios of the theme park’s parent company… well, that’s a different story. Sweeping changes are underway at the studio behind Split/Second and Epic Mickey, as new management takes over and the company’s focus shifts. It’s a harsh reality of business — but it’s a frustrating one for gamers, since after years of struggling as an also-ran in the gaming world, Disney was finally showing some promise.
The situation at the so-called “Mouse House” is pretty grim for traditional game-makers. In late January 2011, hundreds were laid off in an ugly bloodletting at Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) and Disney’s Interactive Media Group (DIMG). And the terse statement that was released by the company hinted that another round could be on the way.
Dance games are quickly becoming the best titles 
of the Kinect crop, but Dance Paradise seems to forget that a lot of the players might have two left feet. It’s a fun game that gets a lot right, but many of the dance moves are complicated and confusing, especially for newcomers. The tutorial sets up the initial premise of the game, but doesn’t help you learn any of the advanced moves. If you’ve got rhythm, though, this might be a good game for you. It comes with a variety of game play modes and local multiplayer lets you play with a friend in the same room. (Multiplayer matches through Xbox Live are not supported.) The visuals, meanwhile, are good and the song collection is robust, ranging from Lady Gaga and Rihanna to Gloria Gaynor and Kool & the Gang. Onlookers will appreciate the music videos that play in the background, but players probably will be too focused on their next dance move to pay much attention.
After conquering comic books and 
televisions, “The Walking Dead” are ambling over to the gaming world. And they’re bringing some dinosaur buddies along with them.
Telltale Games, best known for its light-hearted adventure fare such as Sam and Max and Tales of Monkey Island, is taking a turn for the serious with plans to make episodic games out of the successfull comic/AMC series as well as big-screen juggernaut “Jurassic Park.”
As it does with so many of its titles, Shadow 
Guardian HD is Gameloft’s attempt to clone Uncharted, a hit PlayStation 3 fanchise, for iDevices. And while on some technical levels, this app succeeds — the graphics are gorgeous for the iPad platform and it has the requisite blend of jumping, action, and puzzles — it ultimately falls short. What holds the Uncharted series together is a nuanced story with characters you care about. That’s not present here and the game’s flaws are enhanced because of it. The pacing is fine and the combat’s not bad, but without anything tying them together, Shadow Guardian HD ultimately is a mere shadow of a much better title.
Chris Morris: Journalist 