Games

LOS ANGELES--Well, from this reporter's perspective, Sony wins the production value award for its E3 press conference set-up.

That's not worth very much, of course, not when you're trying to win over the world's video game press. But at least it shows that Sony is taking this seriously.

We're all gathered here at the Shrine Auditorium for the last of the major E3 press conferences. Microsoft started things off Monday morning, followed by Electronic Arts. And then Nintendo had us all over to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood just about 90 minutes ago for its … Read more

LOS ANGELES--And so we wait. Some more.

Here at E3, the video game industry's official Big Time Conference, there's a lot of sitting around, filling seats while executives get ready to come out on stage and tell us what lies ahead for their companies.

And this morning, it's Nintendo's turn to keep us in anticipation. And in a couple of hours it will be Sony.

For now, there are hundreds, if not a thousand or more, sitting in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood for the Nintendo press conference. No one really knows what the Wii maker … Read more

LOS ANGELES--It wouldn't be E3 without Electronic Arts, the world's-largest video game publisher, weighing in with the best of its forthcoming lineup.

And that's just what happened Monday afternoon at the Orpheum theater downtown here: a boisterously loud, demo-heavy presentation of the cream of EA's 2008 and some of its 2009 lineup.

Topping the list--from this reporter's perspective, at least--is Spore, which is planned for a September 7 release.

On June 17, EA released the Spore creature creator as a free download. Now, after just three weeks, Will Wright, the designer of The Sims and … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Microsoft on Monday issued an open letter to members of its Xbox Live community that attempted to explain some of the initiatives it unveiled in its morning press conference here at E3 and better lay out the larger Xbox Live roadmap.

"When we launched Xbox 360 in November 2005, Xbox Live was integrated directly into the console," wrote Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten. "Back then, Xbox 360 was the first system to deliver access to experiences beyond just the disc in the tray. With the Xbox guide and dashboard, you had access to everything on … Read more

Updated at 12:35 p.m. PDT to correct the news about "Final Fantasy XIII." It is coming to the Xbox 360 but not exclusively. Also, the item about R.E.M. earlier gave the incorrect status of the band's new album. It has been released.

LOS ANGELES--Once again it's that time: big hype for giant press conferences by the video game industry's biggest names.

In this case, we're talking Microsoft, and its annual Xbox 360 bacchanalia.

Here at E3, which kicks off unofficially Monday morning, it's craziness, excitement and anticipation rolled into … Read more

The video game industry's best-known event, E3, kicks off this week in Los Angeles, but most observers are expecting a lack of the kind of knock-your-socks-off news the show has been famous for in years past.

Perhaps the biggest E3-related news of all, that Microsoft announced it's cutting the price of its Xbox 360 to $300, came Sunday, ahead of the company's big press conference Monday.

In its heyday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, E3 was the world's largest video game convention, famous not just for its major product surprises, but also for its eardrum-splitting … Read more

These will sell out crazy-fast, so I'm going to keep it brief: Buy.com has reconditioned Xbox 360 Premium consoles on sale for $199.99--and shipping is free!

This is the non-HDMI version, but it does include the standard 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, and headset. Alas, you get only a 60-day warranty--though arguably a reconditioned Xbox will outlast a new one.

This deal is $20 sweeter than the last time I posted about a refurb Xbox 360, so if you've been waiting to pull the trigger on this killer console (and media-center extender), wait no longer.… Read more

I was joking with an editor of mine this afternoon that CNET News.com should put a little permanent widget on our front page that says something along the lines of, "Has Electronic Arts announced a timeline extension of its offer to buy Take-Two Interactive today? Yes or no." And then it would have a little check-box for each choice.

Now, in all fairness, most days, the "No" box would be checked. But let's be honest here: On an awful lot of days, we'd have to toggle it to "Yes."

Today would … Read more

If ever there was a rock star video game developer, it has to be Tomonobu Itagaki, leader of the Tecmo Team Ninja studio that just released Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360.

Easily recognized by his rail-thin frame, dark sunglasses, long hair, and devil-may-care leather jacket, Itagaki is the very image of someone who goes his own way and who keeps his own, very non-corporate counsel.

But it seems to have caught everyone by surprise that, as reported by Gamasutra, Itagaki has resigned from Tecmo and is now suing the publisher for $1.42 million in a financial dispute … Read more