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Even though Showtime is owned by CNET parent company CBS, I know little about the network and have no influence over it. Which is unfortunate because I have something to say about news that Showtime may launch its own online streaming site. 

If my CBS colleagues at Showtime are reading this, here is a tip: Don't limit a streaming site to current subscribers only. You are locking yourself out of people like myself who would gladly pay a la carte for shows like Dexter, which I shouldn't watch because it gives me nightmares but I do anyway. … Read more

This week on preGAME, we ollie into a front-side 50-50 grind to bring you a live game demo of Skate 3. There are plenty of new tricks and elements to the most realistic skateboarding franchise on the market and we'll show you a few of them on today's show.

But first, come take a peek at the trailer for the first next-gen Medal of Honor game from EA. The company just announced October 12 as the release date so we'll chat about what we can expect this time around from a franchise we haven't heard from … Read more

Every four years the sports world is graced with the largest soccer tournament on Earth. This year the World Cup will be played on African soil and to celebrate the games we're taking a look at EA's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

Jeff: There's something special about EA's FIFA World Cup games. For the most part the action is relatively similar to FIFA 10, but perhaps it's the overall presentation and sense of realism that allow the game to assume its own identity.

Sure, there are a few new features in 2010 FIFA World Cup; you can now play the entire tournament online and there are some new penalties that get called during the action. A few trite coach cutaways aside, FIFA World Cup really does nail the feeling of excitement associated with the world's greatest sports tournament and is ultimately where the game shines the most.

Those looking for something completely unique from a gameplay standpoint may be disappointed as there aren't too many improvements found here. You may spot a few new replay angles here and there, but the game doesn't up the ante as much as we saw in 2006's Germany World Cup game.

We definitely feel 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is among the most accessible of games simply because of its international appeal and the amount of coverage the actual tournament gets here in the US. Casual soccer fans who may not be in line to buy FIFA each year definitely should give 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa a look as it simplifies the soccer experience unlike the traditional yearly FIFA effort.

David: EA Sports has learned through its market research that its World Cup-branded FIFA titles tend to appeal to less hard-core video soccer players who are simply inspired by the World Cup to buy the game. Thus, EA tries to make it more accessible to novice players while not offending advanced types. An example of this option is the new two-button control scheme that simplifies the whole passing and shooting situation for those who aren't ready to deal with a layered control scheme.

… Read more

Is Madden about being an armchair coach or an armchair quarterback? I admit, when I play Madden as the Jets, I increasingly avoid calling plays. I default to the "Madden picks" because I'm lazy, and I want to dive right into the plays. I'm more interested in how a team matches up against another than how my virtual coaching skills are.

A funny thing happened when I sat down to play a little of EA's upcoming release of Madden 11 at a pre-NFL draft event. While this year's iteration doesn't seem to have … Read more

Today is just baffling, frankly, for all of us. Twitter has a business plan, Opera Mini has been approved by the Apple App Store, the mobile Internet will soon overtake the fixed Internet, and despite a raging professional video game culture, Korea is trying to keep kids from gaming 24-7. But they NEED them! We're so confused! --Molly

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Happy FourSquare Day 4/4^2 http://blog.4sqday.com/faq/ http://www.delomni.com/2010/04/06/foursquare-day/

Twitter Unveils … Read more

The ongoing drama between ousted Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella and ex-employer Activision has taken another twist. Monday morning, Electronic Arts announced a deal with the pair to be the sole distributor for their newly formed studio, Respawn Entertainment. According to Zampella, the new studio will be based in the same part of Los Angeles as Infinity Ward, which created the $3 billion Call of Duty series, including last year's $1 billion hit, Modern Warfare 2.

While some studios search for years for a publishing partner, Respawn already has one lined up. Electronic Arts will be … Read more

While everybody these days seems to have some sort of diverging opinion on Tiger Woods, the man, it's pretty hard not to really like Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, the video game. In case you haven't heard already, the best thing about it is that it's free--or at least a good portion of it is--as EA Sports has brought the freemium model to its popular golf franchise.

To get started playing all you need to do is go to the Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online Web site, sign up for an account, and you'll be good … Read more

Of course this is not suitable for work. It's not suitable for many other places either. It's "South Park." When has "South Park" ever been suited to corporate life?

Still, if you can keep the volume on your work computer down, you might raise a private titter at the show's take on the Tiger Woods Escalade escalation.

The wry observers over at Chateau Parker-Stone decided there was only one thing to do with Tiger Woods' return to public view: turn the whole thing into an EA Sports game, one that you can enjoy … Read more

Film critics have decried the disease of sequel-itis since the Hollywood blockbuster era began more than 30 years ago. They bemoan the lack of originality, the reliance on popular themes and characters, and the sheeplike masses who flock to repeated installments of their favorite franchises. Video games have been onboard with the idea of sequels almost from the very start (remember Ms. Pac-Man?), but the idea of creating cash-generating franchises has taken on new importance in an increasingly hit-driven environment.

So, it's only natural for some industry watchers to bemoan the likes of Mass Effect 2, Halo 3, BioShock 2, Assassin's Creed 2, and others. But, judging from recent experience, the real problem is not that these games share too much with movie sequels, it's that they're not enough alike.

Having played nearly every notable recent and upcoming video game sequel, it's clear that the hubris of game developers and publishers is having a potentially audience-sapping effect--their unquestioned assumption is that you not only played the original game a new sequel is based on, but also finished it, and can clearly remember every plot twist up to two years later. This blindness to anything but the uber-fan audience is a disservice to the very mainstream game buyers who keep the entire industry afloat. … Read more