Tiny Tower dev posts passive aggressive response to Dream Heights

Tiny Tower, a hit from tiny three-man developer Nimblebit, was Apple’s iPhone game of the year in 2011. Large mobile and social games developer Zynga apparently took notice of this and according to Nimblebit’s Ian Marsh tried to aquire the small developer. Failing at that, Zynga has created Dream Heights, a game that is totally nothing like Tiny Tower. Naturally outraged, Marsh posted an infographic wishing Zynga the best of luck with their stolen idea.

Guilty Gear creator determined to continue Japan's fighting game dominance

How many American fighting game franchises can you name? Like me, you could probably count them on your hand. Japan’s fighting game dominance has always been quite apparent and Guilty Gear creator/talented composer Daisuke Ishiwatari plans to continue that trend.

Time and Eternity features hand drawn animations [UPDATE]

RPGs with anime-inspired visuals are to Japan what brown shooters are to Americans, so on its surface Namco Bandai’s Time and Eternity doesn’t look like anything new. Games like Ni no Kuni and the recent Naruto fighting games seem to have already reached the pinnacle of what anime would look like in a 3D space, but what sets Time and Eternity apart is developer Imageepoch’s choice to actually use hand drawn character animations in 3D environments. This includes walking around outside of battle.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo Impressions

Although I ultimately could not finish Final Fantasy XIII, I saw a lot of potential in its world and characters who I was actually starting to like right when the game became too frustrating for me. That’s why I was actually excited to try out the sequel for myself to see if the improvements were enough for me to revisit Cocoon and its surrounding territories.

The saga of Sega's stance on SOPA

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Stop Online Piracy Act is kind of a big deal. It threatens the very existence of some of the largest sites on the Internet and its vague wording would grant unreasonable power to those ready to abuse it. Naturally everyone is taking sides, but a lot of larger publishers like SEGA have remained silent on the issue. Until now.

UK game retailers desire peace in online pass vs. used game conflict

Video game retailers in the UK have been suggesting ways to broker peace between them and publishers like EA and Warner Bros over the issue of online passes and used games. Among these retailers is Gordon Crawford of indie Gamespod:

“As a retail store we would happily share part of the sale from a used game if we get something in return. Perhaps new games at better prices and no more online codes.”

That’s…a pretty good idea! This constant battle between publishers and retailers seems so unnecessary. If publishers (and developers for that matter) were given a cut of used game sales, it seems perfectly possible that we could live in a world where every single game isn’t $60. It would be a world where you could just pop a game in and play it without having to register for some profile you’ll never use and enter a 25-digit code for content you already paid for. Other retailers offered their agreements as well.

HMV said: “We all know how the business model in the industry is changing. So if there is any merit in this idea then it may be worth looking into.”

ME3 and Amalur demos grant gamers free goodies [Update]

Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is about to get some well-deserved exposure when its demo is released January 17th. Completing the demo will reward you with a free weapon and suit of armor for Mass Effect 3 along with a few goodies for Amalur. Likewise, completing the ME3 demo when it releases will grant you some free gear for Amalur. Total breakdown of the items after the jump!

Kinect for Windows coming February 1st

It was inevitable. Microsoft will be releasing a new version of the Kinect made especially for Windows. Considering the blistering amount of video demos we’ve seen including Kinect controls for Skyrim and turning invisible, it’s surprising that this announcement didn’t

Link's next adventure is already in development

Surprising no one, Skyward Sword was a huge success and the next big Zelda game is already underway. The hazy confirmation comes from the Hyrule Historia book via a quote from series producer Eiji Aonuma. “The voices of those who’ve

Gobbowl Review: An expertly mixed cocktail of sports and strategy

Mixing video game genres is a lot like mixing drinks. You can work with a successfully established mixture like orange juice with vodka or RPG with shooter and likely come out with a hit, but you won’t surprise anyone. You’re