Halo gets cinematic in live-action series

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Chris Morris

While Microsoft’s dream of a big screen Halo flick (originally planned to be produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson) is pretty much dead, the upcoming release of Halo 4 is letting the company make a different sort of Halo film.

“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” will be a series of five live-action shorts leading up to the release of Halo 4 this November. Once the game is out, the company plans to collect those episodes, add in another 15 minutes of content and release the product as a feature film, which will be sold direct-to-video.

America’s Radio News Network – July 12

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Chris Morris

Every Thursday, I join Chris Salcedo and Lori Lundin on the mid-day edition of America’s Radio News Network to discuss trends and news in the technology and video game space. This week’s topics were New York City’s installation of free WiFi in pay phone kiosks, Aereo’s recent court win, which green lights streaming of live television to your iPhone and an update on some of the most anticipated television sets of the year.

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Activision on the block: Assessing the potential buyers

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Chris Morris

Vivendi might be getting more serious about offloading Activision-Blizzard.

Reuters reports the French conglomerate has been in talks with a number of video game (and mass media) companies about a potential sale of the industry’s top seller.

That makes for a good headline – and I have no doubt about Reuters’ report, but as the industry works itself into a frenzy trying to guess whether Microsoft, Time Warner, or Tencent will be the new home of Call of Duty and Diablo, too many people are failing to scratch the surface.

Apptastic: LastPass

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Chris Morris

In order to be truly secure, you need different passwords for all of your online accounts. The problem is remembering them all.

Temple Run getting comic book adaptation

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Chris Morris

Rick Santorum’s favorite video game is entering another medium.

Temple Run, the iOS hit that has players endlessly fleeing a band of screaming, angry simians after defiling their temple, is being made into a comic book.

Warren Spector’s lessons learned from Epic Mickey

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Chris Morris

Warren Spector has never been afraid to polarize gamers. He is, in many ways, the epitome of the “go big or go home” style of game making – and he’ll be the first to tell you that he’d rather fail in spectacular fashion than do something that bores him.

But there has never been a split like Epic Mickey. It was a game that was beloved by some and ripped to shreds by others. It was the best selling single-platform game in Disney’s history — but critics thumped Disney for leaving money on the table, citing the game’s decision to release exclusively on the Nintendo Wii and its post-Thanksgiving release date.

What’s the best day of the week to buy video games?

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Chris Morris

Thinking about picking up a new video game? Don’t do it on a Friday!

While it’s no secret that retail prices fluctuate (sometimes on an hourly basis), the day of the week that you buy games, computers or other electronics can make a big difference. And, speaking broadly, the best times to shop are the days when you’re probably least in the mood.

Apptastic: Bills – On Your Table

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Chris Morris

It would be easy if all of your bills were due on the same day – but in today’s world, that doesn’t happen very often. The Bills – On Your Table app is a reminder program that lets you know which bills are due when and lets you track when you paid them.

Crowd-Funded Game System Hopes to Take on Microsoft, Sony

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Chris Morris

As Nintendo prepares to launch its latest videogame console this holiday season – and Microsoft and Sony continue to prep theirs for an expected 2013 launch – a new competitor for the living room is threatening to steal their thunder.

Ouya – an upstart technology firm with some big industry names behind it – is bypassing traditional financing methods and relying on crowd funding to raise capital. And gamers can’t seem to hand over their money fast enough.

The Most Anticipated Videogames of 2013

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Chris Morris

With retail brick-and-mortar sales of new video games down 30 percent year to date, few analysts — and even fewer investors — have much faith that things will rebound into positive territory this year.

Even with heavyweights like “Halo 4” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” hitting stores this holiday season — and the launch of a new Nintendo console system — the hole seems too big to escape. But when it comes to 2013, things are a bit more optimistic.