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Skype for PlayStation Vita essentially works just like any other smartphone version of the software, providing a comprehensive set of features, free Skype-to-Skype voice, and high-quality video calls. Also, gabbers can choose between the rear and front-facing Vita cameras during video communication. The aesthetics of the Skype client seem tailored to blend in with the overall tone of the Vita user interface, which I consider a nice touch. … Read more

In a post on Sony's PlayStation.Blog, game director Todd Papy has announced that the fourth God of War console game will be called God of War: Ascension and will come to the PlayStation 3.

Judging from the teaser-trailer, Ascension looks to be a prequel of sorts, telling the story of Kratos before he became known as the Ghost of Sparta, "a time when something other than rage consumed him."

Sony will have more information about God of War: Ascension on the PlayStation.Blog April 30, but don't expect to be playing the next Kratos epic until spring 2013. … Read more

The new Sony Nasne tuner and media device, due in Japan on July 19 for 16,980 yen ($209), sort of looks like a miniature PlayStation 3. However, don't let the aesthetics fool you: Nasne contains many features the game console lacks, such as a built-in 500GB hard drive for recording content from digital terrestrial or satellite TV broadcasts. … Read more

Crysis 3 will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in spring next year, EA has announced.

The Crysis 2 follow-up, set in 2047, sees returning character Prophet discover New York sealed inside a dome by the nefarious Cell Corporation. Under New York's Liberty Dome, the city has become an "urban rainforest teeming with overgrown trees, dense swamplands and raging rivers," according to EA, and is split into seven distinct and treacherous environments known as the Seven Wonders.

Read more of "Crysis 3 announced for spring 2013" at GameSpot. … Read more

The Xbox 360 scored its 15th month in a row as the top-selling gaming console, NPD reported yesterday.

With a 42 percent chunk of all console sales, Microsoft sold 371,000 Xbox 360 units last month. Total spending on Xbox hardware, software, and accessories hit $430 million, more than was spent on Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii combined.

Among the top 10 games last month, five of them were Xbox titles: Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, NBA 2K12, SSX, and Major League Baseball 2K12.

As usual, the rest of the video game industry was down … Read more

Spring is in the air so you know what that means: the start of the 2012 baseball season. It's also the time of year where two game developers are competing for your hard-earned cash. So what's the best baseball game to pick up this year?

That will all depend on which console you own. Those with a PlayStation 3 have a choice, either MLB 12: The Show or Major League Baseball 2K12. On the other hand, Xbox 360 owners are locked in to only one title to satisfy their baseball itch. Unfortunately for the latter, this year's best baseball game is exclusive to the PlayStation 3.… Read more

When the PlayStation Vita launched, I didn't buy one -- or even preorder one, which seemed odd to a few people who know my affinity for Sony.

I've written about the device numerous times on CNET and enjoyed many extended gameplay sessions with major launch titles at press events. I kept up with Vita chatter on jumbo-size gaming forums like NeoGAF, reading about the trials and tribulations of the new system from faithful early adopters.

And let's face it. The Vita, with its array of sensors comparable to the Death Star, would capture the attention of any geek. Like some of you out there, I've grown tired of playing touch-screen games on my iPhone 4 and wanted buttons like the old days. Who could resist the doubleheader quad-core processor and quad-core graphics driving a mega, 5-inch OLED screen?

Well, so far, I have resisted, and I largely credit a visit to my mother's house several weeks before the PlayStation Vita launch on February 22.… Read more

BioWare announced today Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut, a downloadable content pack due this summer that adds cinematic sequences and epilogue to the arguably lackluster ending of the popular space-bound role-playing game.

To further sweeten the deal, BioWare will give away the enhanced Mass Effect 3 ending free to gamers on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 consoles until April 2014.

"The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard's story," a BioWare representative said in a blog post. … Read more

The game I Am Alive got a lot of attention during its development for its take on the post-apocalyptic action-survival genre. It's a game with a lot of innovative ideas and interesting twists on modern game mechanics, but none get the attention and growth they deserve.

The result is that many seem unable to decide what to make of the game. Receiving review scores like 4.5 from IGN and 8.0 from GameSpot, (a CBS Interactive property like CNET), I Am Alive seems to be a game that's very much what you make of it.… Read more