games

Jane McGonigal is a Burning Man widow.

That is, her husband has just left for the annual countercultural arts festival for 10 days, leaving her alone at home in the Bay Area.

But McGonigal, one of the most innovative designers of alternate-reality games, is hoping that even though she won't be in the desert herself, her influence might be felt at the 45,000-person bacchanalia.

To wit, she is hoping that she can seed the idea that if anyone sees her husband, Kiyosh, wandering around Burning Man, "usually wearing an orange jumpsuit, sometimes wearing goggles and/or a … Read more

As my girlfriend was shopping her way through the local mall yesterday, I decided to go out on my own and see what the vast open space of shopping goodness had to offer. While the building has been under construction, some of my favorite mainstays (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) have been patiently waiting for more patrons who are hesitant to venture through the sounds of saws and hammers. I can't blame them, but I braved the elements anyway.

My first and (ironically) last stop on my venture through the mall was GameStop. As I've written here (here, … Read more

Originally branded with an AO (adults only) rating--the film equivalent of NC-17--Rockstar Games' creepy sequel to 2003's original Manhunt has just been graced with the more socially acceptable M-for-mature rating. In addition, Rockstar has announced that Manhunt 2 will be released on the appropriate date of October 31 for the PS2, PSP, and the Wii.

The AO rating was widely publicized in June after reports out of the UK claimed the game would never make it to store shelves. Following the ruling, Rockstar immediately announced that the title's release would be suspended until further notice. Censorship in videogames … Read more

The last reference to a Microsoft Sidewinder product on CNET was back on an old must-have games roundup from 2002, where we pointed to a Sidewinder steering wheel. Microsoft seemed to have let its gaming hardware brand die since then; that is, until today's announcement of the Sidewinder Mouse. Available in October for $80, the new Sidewinder comes with the usual laundry list of features we demand in our high-end gaming mice these days, including a few we haven't seen before.

Naturally, the Sidewinder is a laser mouse, with a customizable sensor that tops out at 2,000dpi. … Read more

You've got to applaud mobile carriers for knowing how to make a buck. Additional text-messaging and data-transfer services are one way to pad the bill for basic calling, and capitalizing on your boredom and curiosity is another. It's common for cell phone carriers such as Sprint and Verizon to lease games in addition to or instead of selling them. But fees add up, and you still won't own them.

1) Instead, go for game packs such as Hot Games Pack for Palm and Mastersoft Games Pack for Windows Mobile, which generally cut you a bulk deal. Rather than paying $5 to $15 for one game, a pack might net you 10 games for $40.… Read more

Apple's online store is now taking orders for the four games from Electronic Arts that were promised for July, and they'll soon be available in retail as well.

The four titles--Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed Carbon, Battlefield 2142 and Command and Conquer 3--are the first EA games that the company has published for Mac OS X, EA said in a press release. In the past, EA has only released Windows versions of its popular games that other companies had to port over to the Mac.

But Bing Gordon, chief creative officer for … Read more

Owners of PCs with Intel's 965 chipsets can finally download drivers that will immediately improve the performance of games running on those systems.

The 965 chipsets were supposed to be a dramatic step forward for integrated graphics performance. Most PCs come with graphics technology built right onto the chipset that connects the processor to memory and the rest of a PC. Serious gamers opt for discrete graphics made by Nvidia or AMD's ATI division, but most people save a little money and get the basic graphics.

Intel wanted to make an integrated graphics chipset with more powerful graphics … Read more

With the sleeker and slimmer PSP set for a U.K. release on September 10, Sony hopes to prove there's plenty of life left in its speedy little handheld. It might not have lived up to its initial promise--there's no arguing the PSP has been eclipsed by Nintendo's DS in the software stakes--but there's still plenty going on.

Here we pick out the PlayStation Portable's current top games, in no particular order, and offer some tips on what to look out for in the future. Click on the titles for more info from our sister … Read more

Finally, a legitimate reason to use coasters in a bachelor pad.

The Offside Football Coffee Table is the ultimate beverage-resting solution for foosball aficionados.

The tables, designed and handmade by English designer Howard Bushell, are a scaled-down version of the popular pub game. Covered in glass, the solid oak tables feature a mirrored playing surface, magnetic scoring pegs, and stainless steel "players."

These look like beautiful pieces of work. Alas, at $7,600 for the table, hardcore foosball addicts may want to invest in a full-on foosball table for a fraction of the asking price.

[Via Uncrate.]

Poll … Read more