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Nintendo's Game Boy has been honored once again. This time, the handheld that changed the gaming industry is being inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, the Strong National Toy Museum announced on Thursday.

Congratulations, Game Boy!

(Credit: Nintendo)

The Game Boy beat out several finalists, including Cabbage Patch Kids, playing cards, Rubik's Cube, and sidewalk chalk. It must have been a tough battle to beat sidewalk chalk. But beat it, the Game Boy did.

The Strong National Toy Museum, located in Rochester, N.Y., said it felt compelled to induct the Game Boy into the Hall of Fame because "of its role as a major industry innovator." But it didn't stop there. The organization said the platform "did more to put gamers on the go than this invention.

"Over the past two decades, Game Boy has become synonymous with handheld gaming fun," the organization said in a statement. "Its portability and efficient design, ability to allow simultaneous multiplayer gaming, and scores of intriguing games make it a true innovator."

But Game Boy wasn't alone in receiving the honor. Motorized toy Big Wheel also joined the list. But it was the third honoree the organization threw in that some might get a kick out of: the ball (see what I did there?). Yes, the ball also made the list because, as the organization pointed out, "roll it, throw it, kick it, catch it, bounce it, or bat at it, the ball is as old as civilization itself."

The Game Boy joins the Atari 2600 as the only other gaming platform to enter the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, Game Boy. You deserve it. You too, ball.

Doom Classic brings the ancient, pixelated first-person shooter to the iPhone.

Welcome to today's episode of Recycling Old PC Games for Fun and Profit. Our first contestant: Doom Classic, the first-person shooter that spawned a thousand imitators, several hundred ports, and one horrendous movie.

Next up: Command & Conquer Red Alert, the real-time strategy classic responsible for a massive drop in global productivity.

In my youth I was a tremendous fan of both games, so it stands to reason that I'd welcome them to my iPhone. However, neither is getting a permanent home.

Let's start with Doom. While id Software's official port offers a pixel-perfect recreation, the game is 16 years old--and it shows.

Indeed, juxtaposed with Doom Resurrection, a made-for-iPhone game with 21st century graphics, Doom Classic looks positively ancient. It plays that way, too: You can't even jump.

Part of this is personal bias: I don't think FPS games work well on small screens, especially when touch controls are involved. For me, Doom Classic feels cramped, confined, and seriously out of date.

The final expansion pack (or episode) for Grand Theft Auto IV has been released in the form of The Ballad of Gay Tony. You assume the role of Luis; nightclub owner Gay Tony's right-hand man who must handle his dirty work across Liberty City.

The Ballad of Gay Tony can be downloaded via Xbox Live (for $20) or in a $40 disc form (called Episodes from Liberty City) which also includes The Lost and Damned, GTA IV's first additional episode.

We've had sometime with the final version of the game and here are our thoughts:

(Credit: Gamespot)

Jeff:
First thing's first. If you haven't downloaded The Lost and Damned, go out and buy Episodes From Liberty City. It's tough to recall such a great value in gaming prior to this double pack, and Xbox 360 owners don't need a copy of the original GTA IV to jump right in. There is an incredible amount of gameplay value here; it's like getting two full $60 games for less than the price of one.... Read more

(Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

Do you feel like you need one more music game for the holidays? It's getting pretty strained, isn't it, between The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero, and now this very family-friendly-oriented spin on Harmonix' franchise, Lego Rock Band. Taking two gaming hits--games based on Lego, and Rock Band--and combining them sounds like a slam dunk, but how does this all work out? We played it and have our thoughts.

Good news: you won't need new instruments. Lego Rock Band uses the same drum/mic/guitar compatibility system that's finally starting to become an industry norm. The other fun thing about Lego Rock Band is its weird, whimsical settings and sense of humor. All the Lego games, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars, have shared a Charlie Chaplin-ish winking humor with frequently cute/bizarre overtones, and the rock "battles" aboard pirate ships and other settings makes for music videos worth watching in the background. Other than that, it's standard Rock Band stuff. The game is developed by TT Games, the group responsible for all the other Lego titles, so it feels consistently similar to what you might be expecting, except with a Rock Band engine attached.

Lego Rock Band gallery

Bad news: 45 included tracks span pop and mainstream, and the game will also access the online catalog of Rock Band DLC tracks--but only ones that are considered family-friendly. That means some songs won't make the import cut. The censorship is annoying, but the Lego versions of rock stars almost make it worth it. ... Read more

(Credit: 505 Games)

Talk about shades of Cabbage Patch Kids. The rather unsettling Baby and Me Wii game brings baby to life in a child-rearing sim that not only ships with a Wiimote-ready doll, it's in a detestable color that a certain mouthless cat has made commonplace. But more disturbing is the prospect of this ending up as a replacement baby for some people.

Game-wise, this one utilizes motion control to prompt the doll to laugh, cry, or gurgle, though coming out of the Wiimote's teensy speakers, this can only project in an eerily disembodied way. There are eight game modes with Wii Balance Board support(!!), which further enables this little hellspawn mannequin to be burped, rocked, fed, and taught to walk.

Honestly, what will they think up next, breast pumps? This special edition has a November 10 release destined for the Australian market only.

(Source: Crave Asia via Aussie-Nintendo)

This month in games: November 2009--photos

View the full gallery

Sure, October impressed us with some top-notch video game releases, but historically November has always delivered some of the most anticipated titles of the year. This November is no different, and as 2009 goes out with a bang, we highlight 11 of our top picks for the month.

RPG fans are set for the rest of the year as Dragon Age: Origins has already dazzled us with its thrilling story and addictive gameplay. God of War fans will be pleased to know that both original PS2 games will get the HD treatment on November 17 in God of War Collection.

Speaking of November 17, most of our slideshow features games releasing that day. Left 4 Dead 2, Tony Hawk RIDE, and Assassin's Creed II all ship that day.

There's plenty more to look forward to in November including what's arguably the most anticipated game of the year, Modern Warfare 2. Make sure you check out our slideshow for our complete list. What are you going to be playing this month?

NBA 2K10 is still on top--but only by a hair.

With the NBA season in full swing, we thought we'd take a moment to check out this year's offering of digital hoops games, which really boils down to 2K Sports' NBA 2K10 vs. EA Sports' NBA Live 10.

Last year, the contest wasn't even close, with 2K9 trouncing Live in a blowout that made it easy to choose which game to buy. However, this year EA Sports' Canada-based development team delivered a much more compelling game. At the same time, while 2K10's developer Visual Concepts has definitely made some improvements, including a new My Player mode and the usual upgrades to player models and animations, this year's installment hasn't introduced anything truly eye-opening. The net-net is you have two solid games that are hard to choose between.

Here's the skinny:

Is Style Savvy Nintendo's secret weapon this holiday?

(Credit: Nintendo)

Different games are made for different people. I can understand that. Nevertheless, it's disappointing that Nintendo addressed its new game, Style Savvy, exclusively to girls. An adaptation of a Japanese game that Nintendo has already found great success with, Style Savvy is entirely devoted to fashion. You buy clothes, you sell clothes, you dress up your avatar, and you open your own boutique to sell your fashion solutions to the world. When Nintendo sent its alerts and asked us here at CNET to check out the game, we were slightly less than excited about it. That doesn't seem like great news for a game that's front-and-center in Nintendo's holiday lineup, but then again, we're not the target audience.

This box doesn't exactly scream "buy me."

(Credit: Nintendo)

I am far from interested in fashion, and the box design looked a lot like other DS shovelware released by many, many companies already. To be honest, my colleagues thought I was crazy to even be covering this game in the first place. Still, I was curious. I said I'd give it a try. And so a copy found its way into my DS. And, to my great surprise, it's still in there days later.

First off, this game is a retail/shopping simulator. The main focus is on greeting new customers, listening to their shopping requests, and then recommending a piece of clothing to fit their budgets. It might sound boring, but the reward is guessing right and getting a very satisfied customer who might buy even more, adding valuable income to your supply. With that money you buy more items from the design center (10,000 items cycled by season and randomness adds up to an Animal Crossing level of diversity). An in-game fashion magazine even shows off new fashion trends for the season, which parallels actual time.

The game starts you off as a store employee and then puts you in charge of your own store, where you try to succeed as well as you can. Everything you wear and how you behave also affects your performance, creating a surprisingly casual, yet deep, experience...and as you can see, I pretty much became hooked. I'm not embarrassed to admit that. The game is also controlled via stylus and with the DS turned on its side in "book" format. Its pace is slow enough for a subway ride, and the many small interactions create a persistent microgame that can be played in intervals as small as a minute.

My main issue, however, is that this game is officially targeted at girls. ... Read more