Author Archives: Chris Morris

Xbox One-80: Behind Microsoft’s multiple about-faces

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Strategies xbox onefor video game console are typically planned years in advance, but the course has been anything but clear for the Xbox One. In the months since Microsoft introduced the next-generation system, the company has made four major policy reversals—and there’s no telling if it’s done yet.

At stake is Microsoft’s leadership position in the $70 billion video game industry. For the past 30 months, the Xbox 360 has topped console hardware sales, but Sony’s PlayStation 4 is resonating with gamers as the next generation looms. And investors are trying to determine whether the Xbox team is scrambling to catch up or is simply showing a willingness to preemptively respond to market feedback.

Read more at CNBC.com

How gamers are killing the game industry

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There dragon-age-2-harassmenthas been a rash of ugliness in the gaming world lately — and it’s potentially more damaging than court battles or political posturing about game violence could ever be.

A small minority of players are threatening to drive some of the most talented people making games out of the industry with their bullying, harassment, and threats. Polygon’s Brian Crecente has worked up the definitive piece on this subject, and it’s absolutely a must-read for anyone who cares about video games.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Five incredibly valuable video game collectibles

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Recently, video-game-treasure-8-13Irrational Games made waves by putting a limited number of BioShock Infinite replicas up for sale. Capcom did them one better by sending out a very limited number of working, gold-plated copies of the original Ducktales game to promote Ducktales: Remastered.

Suffice to say, video game collectors have taken notice.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

July game sales fall, but Nintendo’s 3DS continues to rise

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As ncaa-football-14-npd-july-13the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 inches closer, gamers are being even more careful with their money.

For the sixth month in a row, sales of video game software, the most closely-watched figure from The NPD Group, were down once again in July. The good news is that was slightly better than some analysts were predicting.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Disney takes on toymakers with massive ‘Infinity’ game hybrid

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Captain disney-infinity-preview-toyboxJack Sparrow attending Monsters University? Lightning McQueen racing The Lone Ranger? What the heck is going on at Disney these days?

Previously confined to the imagination of children, these sorts of mashups will become reality on August 18, when Disney’s long-awaited Disney Infinity hits shelves.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Plants vs. Zombies 2 shambles to iOS devices

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The pvz2_ss1battle between the undead and garden vegetation just escalated.

After a delay of several months, the aptly-named Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time has finally hit the App Store. It’s a much-anticipated return for one of the most popular franchises for PopCap Games, though it’s not without some controversy.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Former Steam boss Jason Holtman lands at Microsoft

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Jason holtmanHoltman, who spearheaded Valve’s Steam business for eight years before leaving the company in February, has a new job.

The former lawyer has taken a job with Microsoft, with a focus on PC gaming and entertainment strategy. Because he has just started at the position, Holtman declined an interview request, but confirmed the move.

Read more at GamesIndustry.biz

Critics: Saints Row IV is big, goofy fun

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Saints saints-row-4-topRow IV may not be a game people point to when making the “games are art” argument, but that’s not stopping critics from lavishing praise on the latest installment of this open-world action romp — even if they feel a little guilty doing so.

In a year filled with games that take themselves quite seriously, Saints Row IV revels in its utter ridiculousness. In the game’s first 30 minutes, you’ll travel from the Middle East to the White House to an alien space ship. And that’s just the set up for a story that borrows liberally from “The Matrix,” “Independence Day,” Mass Effect, and Grand Theft Auto.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

The Best – and Worst – Mario Games

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Nintendo’s mario-best-worst-topmain mascot has been stomping turtles, torching Goombas, and saving princesses for three decades, and chances are, you’ve been with him for most of the ride. His latest, Mario & Luigi Dream Team for the 3DS, is yet another winner, scoring a solid 82 on Metacritic.

But where does it stand compared to other Mario games? Better than some, worse than others, but (un)luckily, nowhere near as good (or bad) as these five amazing — and five terrible — Mario video games.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Call of Duty: The staggering numbers

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If cod-infographic-topyou want to get technical about it, the human race has played Call of Duty longer than it has existed.

New data from Activision shows that since the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, fans of the game have spent 25 billion hours playing Call of Duty games. That works out to 2.85 million years. In contrast, the human race has only been around for 2.3 million.

Read more at Yahoo! Games