http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games RSS Feed for P-com Ent. Video Games en-us Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:06:39 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080718_Bare_Knuckles___A_little_PS3_and_software_news__Thoughts_on_a_quieter_E3.html By the time you read this, the Electronic Entertainment Expo will be over and who knows how this year's event will be remembered. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080718_Picks_of_Coming_Video_Games.html Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS) Square Enix $39.99 Only a hall-of-fame series like the Final Fantasy saga could reach back into its catalog, grab a hit from over 15 years ago, put it through a This Old House type of rehab, and deliver one of the best releases of the summer, if not this year. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080711_Power_Up__Grab_the_roadies__Guitar_Hero_and_you_are_on_a_rockin__tour.html If there's a hotter video-game genre than rock-and-roll, I didn't get the memo. By now, almost everyone has heard of Guitar Hero. This best-selling series lets players rock out using a guitar-shaped controller to strum along with alternative and classic rock hits. In 2007, MTV Games came along and one-upped Guitar Hero with Rock Band. The game outfitted virtual garage bands with a four-piece ensemble, including bass and rhythm guitars, drums and vocals. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080704_Bare_Knuckles___Mainstream_media_are_getting_hipper_to_gaming_world.html I don't know whether many of you noticed, although you probably should have, that video games have been getting some interesting mainstream ink lately with perspectives by folks we wouldn't expect to hear on this subject. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080704_Picks_of_Coming_Video_Games.html Beijing Olympics 2008 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360) Sega of America (developer and publisher) $49.99 Both the Winter and Summer Olympics usually offer some of the best events on TV. Video games based on these meetings of the world's best athletes haven't been so great. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080627_Power_Up__Making_it_to_the_White_House.html Can Sen. Barack Obama beat out Sen. John McCain for the White House? Would Hillary Clinton have fared better against McCain in November? You might find the answers by firing up The Political Machine 2008, a new strategy game for PC from Stardock (Galactic Civilizations II, Sins of a Solar Empire). http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080620_Bare_Knuckles___In_a_real-life_legal_game__players_are_suing_EA.html Now that video games are a multibillion-dollar behemoth, there are lobbying groups (for and against the industry), well-known superstar developers, mainstream news organizations reporting mergers and acquisitions, and magazines and Web sites about everything from video-game action figures to game-related news about politics and the law. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080620_Picks_of_Coming_Video_Games.html Battlefield: Bad Company (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) Dice, Electronic Arts $59.99-$69.99 A popular multiplayer, first-person shooter on the PC for years, EA's Battlefield series finally is refined to be an enjoyable and completely destructible romp on consoles. Even if you want to go it alone. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080613_Power_Up__A_2065_shoot-_em-up__a_great_new_peripheral.html Since making its debut in 1996, the QUAKE series has had a long and successful run for its publisher, Texas-based id Software. The latest entry, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, continues that tradition, bringing first-person, multiplayer shoot-'em-up action to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The next-gen console versions follow earlier releases of the game for PC and Mac. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20080606_Bare_Knuckles___Energy_problems_could_short_out_gaming_world.html The other day, I was reading this Newsweek online article called "The Coming Energy Wars" by Rana Foroohar. It was a very stark picture of what the world would look like if oil hit $200 a barrel - pretty scary. Nations would be forced to pull away from the global economy, many legendary companies, carmakers in particular, would go belly-up, and of course, the violence that would arise from such an economic hit would be hard to contain.