At Activision-Blizzard, Feb. 9 will
be known as the day the music died.
The videogame publisher announced plans Wednesday to discontinue development of future “Guitar Hero” games, essentially putting what was once one of its top-earning franchises on ice.
There’s a tendency in role playing games to 
overcomplicate things. Battleheart takes the opposite path. By lowering the barrier to entry, Mika Mobile has created an imminently accessible title that’s incredibly charming. The cartoon-like appearance of the characters might lead some to believe this is a game only for kids, but there’s actually a fair bit of strategy required — as entering the later stages with the wrong combination of characters will result in certain defeat. Controlling the battle is done with a series of finger swipes, which is easy to pick up and keeps players involved in the game without overwhelming them. The lack of any sort of story is a bit disappointing and at some point among the 30 levels, things do get a bit repetitive, but this is still a must buy for anyone with a remote interest in the genre.
The mid-1990s was a golden era for video games, 
giving birth to classics like Tomb Raider, Pokemon and Half-Life. But as developers began to steer titles in a more serious direction, there was one game that not only embraced its irreverent roots; it flaunted them proudly.
You Don’t Know Jack was a refreshing slap in the face to boring trivia games — and overly solemn games, in general. Now, after an 8-year hiatus, it’s back this week on just about every major game platform.
The fat lady has sung in Activision’s 
“Guitar Hero” franchise.
The publisher today announced that it was discontinuing development on future games in the series – as well as related titles such as “DJ Hero” and “Band Hero”. Also cancelled was “True Crime: Hong Kong”.
When action video games hit their first 
golden age in the early 1990s, concepts like “stealth” and “consequences” weren’t even a glimmer in developer’s eyes. The focus was on over-the-top carnage. The premise: if it moved, shoot it – though you could also kick, punch or stab it, depending on the title.
As the industry matured, though, in-game violence evolved. Narratives were added to the action, and heroes became more than one-dimensional instruments of destruction. It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it seemed like a move away from what hardcore action titles were all about.
It’s hardly a secret that iTunes is under competitive fire 
in the digital music marketplace. There are plenty of challengers, including such heavyweights as Amazon, Microsoft and Walmart, but none has made a sizable dent to date.
Now Sony is stepping up to the table with its recently announced music streaming service, dubbed Sony Qriocity Music Unlimited, which will roll out by the end of the first quarter. And rather than taking a page from the other players (launching a store to support a new product or in the hopes that music fans will find it), the company is relying on its existing (and widespread) product line to drive sales and adoption.
YouTube might be the king of the hill when it comes to video content on the Internet, but when it comes to premium programming, no one can beat Hulu.
A new report from ComScore finds online audiences watched 19.4 billion minutes on the site last year. That’s nearly twice as much time as was spent watching online video on the sites of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW, with a combined 9.7 billion minutes in 2010.
Trenches is a wonderfully designed game 
that can be a heck of a lot of fun to play. There’s a lot happening on screen, but the developers do a fairly good job of making it accessible to players. The game doesn’t take long to finish on its easy and moderate modes, but does have some replayability — and rewards a player’s victory by unlocking a zombie horde mode, which pits players against a never-ending wave of comedically undead German soldiers. The inclusion of multiplayer is a great addition for adults, giving them a chance to pit their skills against others and give the game a longer lifespan, but it opens up a lot of concerns for children. And some people may find the gameplay a bit too repetitive for their tastes. Still, for its 99-cent asking price, it’s a great option for older teens and adults.
Battlestar Galactica was one of the more popular 
television programs to ever hit the airwaves with the video game culture. The show’s intelligent balance of sci-fi action with a deep storyline struck a chord with players, who discussed it endlessly in message boards and chat rooms.
So it might make sense that a massively multiplayer game based on the show would be a natural hit. But as Bigpoint’s new game goes live today, there’s a distinct lack of chatter amongst the inhabitants of the gaming boards.
While the year’s barely underway, Dead Space 2 
is already standing out as one of the must-have titles for 2011. But some players, like Gareth Garratt, have found themselves left out of the action.
Garratt, who has cerebral palsy, tried the game on his PC but was unable to customize the controls enough to play. The frustration led him to post about his experience on a U.K. gaming board.
Chris Morris: Journalist 