This 
year’s Madden is showing some serious MVP potential.
The latest installment of the venerable sports franchise is breaking records left and right — a victory for EA, which gambled with major gameplay changes this year.
The 10 hardest Xbox Achievements
They 
have no value in the real world (yet), but good luck telling that to the millions of gamers hopeless addicted to Microsoft’s Xbox Achievements. Earning some of these digital tips of the cap can takes hours, if not days or weeks. Yet, for many, many gamers, they’re an integral part of what makes the Xbox 360 such a great console.
Admittedly, the thrill of seeing “Achievement Unlocked” and hearing that pleasing little chime after long hours of hunting down in-game items is often its own reward. Some Achievements, though, can test the mettle of even the most dedicated gamers, remaining just a pipe dream no matter how hard they try. Stretch your thumbs and grab some extra batteries before trying to take down the 10 hardest Xbox Achievements.
Video game sales fall for ninth consecutive month
Video 
game makers just can’t catch a break.
For the ninth month in a row, brick and mortar retail sales of video game hardware and software was down — and down sharply. The NPD Group, which tracks the sales, says overall numbers for the month were down 20 percent compared to a year ago.
The worst game franchises they keep making games for
Despite 
good intentions, bad games happen. What’s really astonishing, though, is when a bad game gets a sequel, followed by another one.
And another. And another.
How do game franchises continue to exist despite critical drubbings and, often, sales that don’t begin to compare to the haul of other titles that never see a second chapter?
Spike founder teams on vidgames
Albie 
Hecht, founder of Spike TV and former president of Nickelodeon, is dipping his toes in the videogame waters.
Hecht, through his Worldwide Biggies entertainment studio, has partnered with Miniclip.com to help bring the gaming portal’s properties to TV and webisodic formats. And the duo expects to have deals in place within the next six months.
Report: U.S. gaming population is on the decline
Gaming, 
in some ways, seems bigger than ever. An explosion in mobile titles, the sheer size of blockbusters like Call of Duty and Halo, and a seamlessly endless barrage of requests from Facebook friends to join them in games points to a growing, healthy industry.
But new data from the NPD Group, the market research company behind the industry’s monthly sales charts, finds that the number of players is on the decline in the U.S. — and it’s falling faster than you can imagine.
When pigs fly: Angry Birds enemies get their own game
The 
archenemies of the Angry Birds are about to steal more than eggs.
They’re stealing the spotlight.
Rovio, creator of the massive bird-flinging franchise, has announced that its next game will be Bad Piggies, featuring the porcine antagonists in a new style of gameplay — one that will be entirely slingshot-free.
What’s up with NBA Live 13?
More 
than six months ago, Electronic Arts announced that after a two-year absence, NBA Live would be returning to store shelves this fall in a reboot that would “[capture] the future of basketball.”
But with a mere two months to go before the tip off of this year’s NBA season, we don’t know much more about the game. It was at E3, but no one was allowed to touch it, and it didn’t look great. Since then? Virtually nothing. What’s going on here?
Metal Gear Solid headed to theaters
Another 
big video game franchise may be headed to your local multiplex.
Columbia Pictures and Konami have announced plans to create a cinematic adaptation of Metal Gear Solid — which, ironically, is one of the most movie-like games in the industry.
Samsung Unveils New ‘Phablet’: Threat to Expected iPad Mini?
Apple 
might have scored a key courtroom victory against Samsung late last week, but the fight is hardly over between the two tech giants.
Samsung unveiled Wednesday the second generation of its Galaxy Note, a phone/tablet hybrid that saw its first incarnation sell more than 10 million units in just nine months.
Chris Morris: Journalist 