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Will 'Spore' be the greatest game of all time?

With the upcoming release of Spore making just about every gamer's mouth water, I couldn't help but wonder if the game will be the greatest of all time.

I understand that it's premature to even suggest that a game we haven't ever played will somehow be the best game ever, but with the hype surrounding it and those that are "in the know" saying it's really that great, it's easy for all of us to get caught up in that kind of hype.

Daniel Terdiman, who writes the over at the Gaming and Culture blog here on CNET, recently interviewed Will Wright to discuss Spore and delve deep into the inner-workings of his mind and his creation.

After reading through that interview, a number of things stuck out in my mind. Does Will Wright truly believe that Spore will best the Sims franchise? Is Will Wright the industry's premier innovator and the one man that will be able to propel it forward into a new era? And most importantly, will Spore, after the dust settles, be considered the greatest game of all time by the majority of people?… Read more

Xbox and Rock the Vote partner to get gamers to the polls

Microsoft wants Xbox 360 owners to get up off their couches, put down the controllers, shut off Halo 3, and vote in this November's election.

Redmond's video game console division has partnered with activist organization Rock the Vote as a way to get more young people to register to vote. Promotions will start hitting its Xbox Live online service starting on August 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Xbox Live owners will be able to register to vote as well as participate in presidential polls and opinion surveys.

Microsoft will be promoting the Rock the … Read more

Will Wright on the origins of 'Spore'

On September 7, Electronic Arts will release its long-awaited and much-anticipated Spore. For many, this will be the biggest video game event of the year, and possibly even the last several years.

Spore, which was first announced in 2005, takes players through the process of evolution, from simple cell-like creatures, step by step, on out into space, is the latest from The Sims and SimCity designer Will Wright.

There is little question that Wright is one of the industry's most important figures, as evidenced by the packed houses he always speaks to and the reverence everyone from gamers to … Read more

Xbox 360 price cuts imminent?

According to gaming blog Joystiq, all three Xbox 360 models will be getting a price cut in the next three weeks. According to the AOL gaming blog:

A few of our retail contacts, some of whom have given us good intel in the past--and who all work for separate corporations--have sent us identical information regarding a price drop.

Adding significant gravitas to the claim is the inclusion of an authentic-looking Radio Shack newspaper circular dated September 7. The ad shows price cuts across the board for all three Xbox 360 models: the 120GB Elite for $399 (down from $449); the … Read more

FTC would have OK'd EA-Take Two merger

The federal government would not have stood in the way of an Electronic Arts-Take Two merger, according to documents published to the Federal Trade Commission Web site.

The FTC said it had conducted an investigation of a merger of the companies, but said no further action was required, and closed the investigation, Reuters reported Wednesday.

But the FTC's efforts appear to be moot at this point. After months of pursuing Take Two, EA allowed its hostile bid to expire Monday at midnight.

The video game publishing powerhouse's original $2 billion takeover offer was made in February, and Take … Read more

PSP 3000: Another minor PSP upgrade

Additional coverage: Sony tries to dispel PSP 3000's battery issues

Sony officially unveiled the PSP 3000 Wednesday at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, confirming rumors that had popped up online in recent weeks. But before you get excited (or--if you just bought a PSP--exasperated), note that this appears to be an even more subtle upgrade than the slimmed-down PSP 2000 that debuted in September 2007. The main changes, according to Sony: … Read more

'Sims 3' coming on February 20

Electronic Arts has announced that the third installation of The Sims, that game that rivals World of Warcraft in the "I got so addicted my boss almost fired me" department, will be debuting on February 20, 2009.

That's a worldwide release date for both in-store purchases and digital downloads. EA has famously devoted an entire division (or "label") to the blockbuster Sims franchise, in which players create their own families of virtual characters (or "sims") and let their lives unfold. The game was designed by Will Wright, whose new game Spore is hitting … Read more

Free-to-play, ad-supported games the winners?

Nvidia Vice President and PC Gaming Alliance Chief Technology Officer Roy Taylor thinks that video game companies are missing out on future revenue growth.

"The West needs to recognize that the free-to-play model is the future, before it's too late," Taylor said, citing the massive growth of gaming across Asia.

I wrote recently about a report stating that the PC gaming market generated $10.7 billion worldwide during 2007. Half of that came from Asia, where, according to Taylor, "the free-to-play microtransaction and ad-supported model has found huge success." But it seems that outside of … Read more

PC gaming worth $10.7 billion in 2007

The market for video games continues to grow at an unbelievable pace. Asia is dominating the consumption of online video games, responsible for nearly half of the worldwide revenues.

According to a new report from the PC Gaming Alliance, 2007 was a banner year for gaming revenues.

Online PC gaming revenue led the way in 2007 with $4.8 billion, nearly double the worldwide retail sales numbers for PC games.

Digital distribution sales approached $2 billion, while advertising revenues from websites, portals, and in-game ads accounted for $800 million. Both are expected to grow substantially as major developers and publishers … Read more