App review: Spirits for iPad

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Chris Morris

There’s something downright charming about Spirits for iPad that’s hard to describe. Maybe it’s the unique and gorgeous hand-painted levels. Maybe it’s the cute, whimsical spirits floating in the air. Or, maybe, it’s the soundtrack — that sticks with you long after you play. Whatever it is, this is an app that takes the Lemmings formula (guide a series of creatures who follow in each other’s footprints) and alters it just enough that it seems unique. The game won the Best Aesthetics award at IndieCade — an international juried festival of independent video games — and it’s sure to win your heart too.

New game bridges the 28-year gap between Tron films

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Chris Morris

When Hollywood takes a few extra years before it gets around to making a sequel to a film, it often provides some sort of bridge for the audience. Some movies rely on books. Others opt for viral videos on YouTube or Facebook.

But when the time between releases is more than 28 years, you need to pull out the big guns. And when it comes to nerd cinematic icon “Tron,” it’s only fitting that the bridge is a video game.

Analysts: Retail Game Sales Unlikely To Recover In 2011

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Chris Morris

[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to game industry analysts on what 2011 might bring for the struggling Western retail game biz — with predictions of another slump in retail sales that might only be forestalled by the launch of Nintendo’s 3DS, a “primary driver” of any possible retail rebound.]

There’s good news aplenty from gaming companies these days – but as financial analysts begin crunching the numbers for next year, many fear that the holiday cheer could be short-lived.

The shifting business models of the Western video game industry will continue to impact retail sales figures, even with the relatively easy comparables 2010 has established, say many analysts. The good news is that digitally downloaded content should continue to grow – and help make up some of the difference.

Video Game Sales Surge: Is the Turnaround Here?

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Chris Morris

After a year of disappointing sales figures and investor malaise, the video game industry is feeling some seasonal cheer.

The kick off to the holidays has been a boom time for game makers this year – with stellar sales for both hardware and software.

The question for investors, though, is whether this seasonal bump is the start of a turnaround for gaming companies – or just a short-term surge that will fade away by the end of December.

Beyond the screen: Non-game gifts for gamers

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Chris Morris

Holiday shopping for gamers should, in theory, be an easy affair. After all, with so many titles on the market, it’s just a matter of choosing the best one, right?

But there’s a good chance your gamer already has a copy of what you’re buying. Or, perhaps, he or she isn’t a fan of the blockbuster that GameStop or Best Buy employee assured you was a surefire winner. And gift cards? They’re just so impersonal.

Video game culture, thankfully, extends beyond games themselves. Here are a few alternative suggestions you might want to consider:

Game Review: DanceMasters

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Chris Morris

DanceMasters is an incredibly fun game that puts no pressure on players to learn complicated moves. The point is less about nailing routines as it is about scoring points and moving. There’s plenty of flailing about, but that’s half the fun. The song selection likely won’t be familiar to people who don’t go to dance clubs, though, so you won’t be able to dance to songs you’re familiar with — and only 20 of the game’s 31 songs are initially available. (You have to unlock the others and DanceMasters isn’t real clear about how to go about doing that.) Downloadable digital content will seemingly broaden the catalog, but we would have liked to have seen one or two familiar songs.

Analysis: What Lies Ahead For Call of Duty?

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Chris Morris

[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks forward from the tumultuous midnight launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops to ask where Activision’s franchise goes from here, examining what Infinity Ward’s shifts mean for 2011’s CoD installment and beyond.]

As bleary eyed GameStop employees recover from last night’s midnight launches and fans begin tearing through Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Activision’s phenomenally successful franchise stands at something of a crossroads.

The fate of Black Ops is hardly in doubt, of course. Pre-orders are already telling us that it will dominate software industry sales this year. And while Activision is publicly saying it doesn’t expect the game to meet Modern Warfare 2’s numbers, several analysts feel that’s just the company taking a conservative stand to protect itself against investor backlash if the numbers really do fall short.

Opinion: Despite Flaws, Kinect May Be Just The Thing For Microsoft

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Chris Morris

[Gamasutra’s Chris Morris looks at the factors that will dictate Kinect’s market prospects at launch and down the line, opining that Microsoft’s holiday season looks secured — but that it “might have screwed some of its partners in the process.”]

Two months ago, when Sony’s PlayStation Move hit shelves, I wondered whether Sony had lost its mind. The device, I mentioned, wasn’t intuitive and had some alarming aesthetic issues – a combination that could hurt its chances with the mainstream audience.

Now Kinect has arrived – and while it has just as many problems as Move, it seems poised to thoroughly trounce its competitor this holiday season.

Supreme Court hears challenge to vidgame ban

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Chris Morris

Supreme Court justices grilled both sides of the vidgame violence issue Tuesday as the high court heard oral arguments on the challenge to California’s ban on sales of such games to minors. Justices ultimately seemed skeptical of the constitutionality of the law enacted in 2005.

The members of the court seemed concerned about the First Amendment impact of siding with California in the case, Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Assn.

Video Game Industry Looks for a Holiday Miracle