playstation

With my best and worst games of 2011 behind us, it's time to look to the future at what 2012 will hold.

In an effort to avoid inaccuracies, I've compiled the chronological list based on the best release date information possible. Any game scheduled for a 2013 release (see Rainbow 6: Patriots) has been deliberately left off the list.

To see the games, click here or on one of the images below to go straight to the slideshow.… Read more

Sony's launch of its PlayStation Vita portable gaming device in Japan has apparently gone off without a hitch.

The Associated Press reports that the gadget landed in stores today, with thousands of anxious gamers queuing up hours ahead of time to get their hands on it.

"I'm so happy to see so many people lining up for PS Vita so early in the morning," the AP quoted Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kono as saying on his official blog. "I can tell they had anxiously waited for today's launch."

That may be, but Sony's decision to release the Vita so late in the year--and, indeed, delay its U.S. launch until February--could certainly undermine the overall splash the device makes and curtail Sony's efforts at a post-PlayStation Portable comeback.… Read more

CES isn't exactly gaming's biggest stage, but it seems each year its presence increases. At CES 2012, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will all be at the big show. While it doesn't appear that Microsoft will have any new hardware on display, both Sony and Nintendo have lots to show off.

Sony is sure to be pushing the Vita, and I'm hoping to get a better idea of how the device will interact with its big cousin, the PlayStation 3. Sony has also told CNET there will be some new Vita games on the show floor for … Read more

Oh, dear. As much as I love presenting my picks for the 10 best games of the year, there's also a certain morbid joy in divulging the year's worst games and trends.

Just like the film industry, a lot of titles get released in a single calendar year. There's a few winners, a whole lot of stuff that falls somewhere in the middle, and a select few that stand out as the worst of the worst.

So sit back, relax, and be proud you didn't buy any of these truly awful games. And if you did, well, I'm sorry. … Read more

People are increasingly using their game consoles for more than just playing games.

Thanks to the greater availability of Netflix, Hulu, and similar services, streaming videos via a game console has grown in popularity over last year, according to a study from Nielsen released yesterday.

Surveying more than 3,000 people in the U.S. in October, Nielsen found that video streaming now accounts for 14 percent of all time spent on Microsoft's Xbox 360, 15 percent of time spent on the Sony PlayStation 3, and 33 percent spent on the Nintendo Wii.

As a whole, time spent on … Read more

It's that time of the year again: a time to look back at 2011 for its gaming prowess, to pay tribute to those elite pieces of electronic interactive entertainment that reside in a league all by themselves.

Just like last year, 2011 treated us to a few new franchises, but ultimately the sequels once again hogged the spotlight. While 2010 stumbled toward the end of the year, 2011 went out with an absolute bang, seeing nearly a dozen blockbuster titles hit store shelves within just a few weeks.

To see my list, check out the slideshow, or click through.… Read more

Joseph Kaminski fills in for Wilson again on today's 404 podcast to mediate a most divisive argument: "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" vs. "Dumb and Dumber": who did it better?

We'll also wag a finger at Sony for pushing the U.S. release date back to February 2012, show off a YouTube educational feature guaranteed to upset a ton of schoolkids, and discuss a couple scientists claiming they're getting very close to Matrix-style instant learning.… Read more

Battlefield 3's first downloadable content, Back to Karkand, debuted exclusively yesterday for the PlayStation 3.

Soldiers using PCs and Xbox 360 devices will have to wait until December 13 to access the pack, which costs $14.99 (or 1,200 Xbox points). Many gamers who preordered Battlefield 3 Limited Edition automatically received Back to Karkand free, so this will be a nice change of scenery for those already tired of playing. … Read more

Sony's new PlayStation 3 firmware--version 4.00--ushers in new functionality for the console by making it a hub for the upcoming PS Vita handheld.

After spending several years in version 3, Sony has elevated to version 4 in the latest PlayStation firmware that went live around the world yesterday. The console is now a media, backup, and update hub for the Vita handheld.

Specifically, now gamers have the ability to copy music, videos, images, games, and other apps between the PS3 and Vita. This is mostly unimportant now, but will be a nice touch later when the … Read more