Scarygirl has style to spare, but vexing combat and loose controls get in the way of a great time.
Score: 6.0 / fair
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/scarygirl/reviews/scarygirl-review-6349057/
Activision publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg says games today are "ongoing and long lasting," likens consumer interaction with titles to that of dedication to a favorite sport or hobby.
Games today are many things. They are interactive stories, competitive arenas, and sprawling adventures. But to Activision, these elements come together to become "relationships" with consumers.
"Games are different because they're not disposable; they're not one time. They really are relationships," Hirshberg told Venturebeat.
Hirshberg also noted that he believes consumer interaction with games today is similar to the way in which a person might enjoy a particular hobby or sport.
"The way you interact with a game has much more in common with the way you interact with a sport that you love or a hobby that you love...that's ongoing and long lasting...than with how you watch a movie, which you do for two hours and then you move on."
Activision had a strong 2011. It published the biggest game of the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and also launched Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, selling over 20 million toys for it along the way. These efforts helped Activision post over $1 billion in profit during the year, its highest mark ever.
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/games-are-relationships-activision-6350255
Rovio says this year is "way too early" for an initial public offering; no decision yet made as to where or when it will list.
Angry Birds creator Rovio hatched a winner with its bird-flinging, pig-destroying mobile game, but the Finnish game company is going to incubate more before going public.
Speaking with international news house Reuters recently, Rovio marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka explained that the company will not file an initial public offering (IPO) in 2012.
"We are not in a rush," Vesterbacka explained. "This year is way too early for an IPO; there are too many open things, and we are in a very early stage of the Angry Birds life cycle."
As for which market Rovio is considering to file in, Reuters reports that the company had previously considered Hong Kong or New York, but Vesterbacka said no decision has been made.
"Hong Kong is very interesting, absolutely, but again it is totally dependent on how markets develop. Asia is where all the people are, and future growth," he said.
If Rovio does go public, it will join a series of recent tech companies in doing so, including casual game maker Zynga. The firm behind CityVille, FarmVille, CastleVille, and Texas HoldEm Poker went public in December and stumbled with a present valuation of $9.02 (at press time), well below the $10 it originally was listed for.
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/angry-birds-developer-says-no-ipo-in-2012-6348950
This week we see Twisted Metal, UFC Undisputed 3, Grand Slam Tennis 2, Tekken 3D Prime Edition, Alan Wake on PC, and VITA launch titles including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048, and more.
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/twisted-metal-2012/videos/new-releases-feb-12-18-6350210/
No More Heroes developer teams up with operators of Mobage to establish Grasshopper Social Network Service smartphone studio.
Grasshopper Manufacture, the developer of titles like No More Heroes, Killer 7, and the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw, has teamed up with Japan's Mobage gaming network operator DeNA to form a new social gaming company. According to a DeNA, the studio is tentatively named Grasshopper Social Network Service Inc. and will focus on developing social games exclusively for the Mobage platform catering to the smartphone market.
The office will be located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and will officially open in November. Company CEO Goichi "Suda 51" Suda will be the CEO of the firm. He said in the press release that his aim is to bring Grasshopper Manufacture franchises to a new world of gamers thanks to the service's network and the popularity of social mobile games.
Suda and his team are no strangers to the social and mobile gaming business, with their most recent venture being the upcoming mobile version of No More Heroes.
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/grasshopper-forms-social-game-group-with-dena-6343122
Rovio CEO Mikael Hed suggests games could learn from "the rather terrible ways" the music industry tried to fight piracy.
While most publishers are pondering ways to stamp out piracy, the creators of Angry Birds are considering whether the theft of their games and intellectual property is all that bad to begin with. According to The Guardian, Rovio CEO Mikael Hed told an audience at the Midem conference in Cannes yesterday that despite the proliferation of bogus Angry Birds merchandise and pirated apps, the developer believes it might ultimately benefit from the illicit activities.
"Piracy may not be a bad thing," Hed said. "It can get us more business at the end of the day."
Hed noted that the pirated materials may help attract more fans to the franchise, who could then spend money on legitimate Angry Birds offerings. He also said that the company didn't want to repeat the mistakes of other industries.
"We could learn a lot from the music industry, and the rather terrible ways the music industry has tried to combat piracy," Hed said, adding, "We took something from the music industry, which was to stop treating the customers as users, and start treating them as fans."
Piracy has been a hot-button topic in the gaming industry recently with the fight over legislation like SOPA and PIPA. Those bills stalled after popular outcry, but the issue is one US lawmakers have pledged to return to sooner rather than later.
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Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/angry-birds-dev-says-piracy-may-not-be-a-bad-thing-6349485
Tim Schafer, legendary game designer and founder of Double Fine Productions, can't help but start off our phone conversation with a loud whoop. And why shouldn't he -- his company's Kickstarter, which at the time of this article isn't even 24 hours old, has already garnered over a million dollars. A...
Source: http://feeds.ign.com/~r/ignfeeds/pc/~3/-TVPGLmnkZM/1218396p1.html
Setting a new benchmark for adventure games on the iPhone, Beneath a Steel Sky retains all of its original charm while subtly updating itself for its new format.
Score: 9.0 / superb
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