Game Room

SNEAK PEEK

Battlefield 2142, The Future of War

EA's new war game imagines an Ice Age leading to post-apocalyptic visions and futuristic weapons

REVIEWS

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Rating:

Platform: Wii

Release Date: 11/01/2006

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer:

Genre: Action

Gears of War

Rating:

Platform: Xbox 360

Release Date: 11/12/2006

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer:

Genre: Action

Phantasy Star Universe

Rating:

Platform: Xbox 360

Release Date: 10/01/2006

Publisher: Sega

Developer:

Genre: Role-Playing

PRODUCT REVIEWS > >

Better Net Phoning with the GE DECT 6.0

This wireless, versatile handset makes calls with a landline or via Skype—but when is Skype going to get it together?

BW Editor's Review

More Product Reviews >>

See our take on cell phones, PCs, digital cameras, music services, games, TVs, and Web services

Top Downloads

FEATURED SPECIAL REPORT >>

My Virtual Life

Slide Show: Inside the World of Second Life

Slide Shows

The Evolution of Virtual Worlds

Scenes from a Virtual Hospital

Graphic

Some common terms in the virtual world of Second Life

Second Life: Common Terms

It's Not All Fun And Games

Virtual worlds abound in useful business applications

The Online Universe: An Old Fogey's Guide

Here's a primer on these strange new worlds of online gaming

Virtual Land, Real Money

Second Life is an online world where a savvy avatar can make a bundle. Its best known "land" developer explains how

Virtual Worlds, Virtual Economies

An economist talks about how online games can blur the line between fantasy and reality

Inside a Virtual Global Treasure Hunt

Mind Candy Chief Executive Michael Smith talks about Perplex City, his company's new alternate-reality game

Blog: Tech Beat

Inside the business of innovation and design

READER COMMENTS >

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Johnson Health Tech North America, Madison, Wisconsin

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The Dark Side of Second Life

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New Leader for Sony's PlayStation Unit

Ken Kutaragi built the games division from scratch, but in these troubled times for the PS3, he's handed the reins to his deputy, Kaz Hirai

The New God Game

In the Christian video games developed by Left Behind Games, players aren't omnipotent—they're just one of the faithful

Sponsor Fixation

British company Bunnyfoot offers sophisticated eyeball tracking and physiological analysis of gameplay to improve the placement and design of in-game advertising

Activision's View of the Future

Head of publishing Robin Kaminsky talks about the company's ambitions to overtake

When Namco Met Bandai

The merger of the console veteran with the toy and TV giant has produced some interesting results. SVP Makoto Iwai tells us more

PlayStation 3: It's Got Game

Sony took a gamble in designing the PlayStation 3 around the untested Cell processor and Blu-ray disc storage. But the bet paid off

There's More to Lucas Than Star Wars, You Know

There's Thrillville. There's Indiana Jones. There's, O.K., there's a load more Star Wars stuff on its way

Game Definitely Not Over

On the eve of the launch of PS3 and Wii, stakes in the console tussle amid Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have never been higher

Wii: The Review

Our partners over at Next Generation shut themselves away to play with the Wii. Here's their take on the much-talked-about console

Game Analysts' Holiday Predictions

Video game industry's top analysts talk about the next gen battle, new DVD prices and formats, retail muscle, the portable market, and more

Next-Gen Gaming Cheat Sheet

Can't keep your PS3s and Wiis straight? We cut through the game-battle babble to give you all you need to know before buying

The PlayStation 3 Experience

Our hardcore partners at NextGeneration spent a week playing the new Sony console -- and here's what they say about it

New Currency Is Gems

EA Pogo introduces a new virtual currency

Play B3yond

Problems? What problems? Sony's PS3 marketing machine is moving full steam ahead

PS3: The Sound and Fury

The critical launch of Sony's new video game console has resulted in shortages in Japan and the U.S.

FEATURES

A Real-World Mortal Kombat

To reach the world's biggest online gaming market, Chinese players Shanda and Netease are battling it out over fee-based and free systems
Slide Show: China's Hottest Online Games

eBay Could Be Gaming Hit of the Holidays

One analyst has indicated that eBay could be the top new videogame console retailer for the holidays, thanks to tight demand of the PlayStation 3 and Wii

Best Buy: This Year's Grinch

The retailer cancels Web preorders for the PlayStation 3 because the offer was a mistake, it says. But what about the children?

Showtime for the Xbox 360

Microsoft hopes a new video downloading service will elevate the already popular game console to an entertainment center

Can The Sims Make Programming Cool Again?

A new initiative aims to combine EA's popular cyber-folk with basic computer-programming instruction, to snag the attention of U.S. youth

Second Life Lessons

Real-world businesses face the costs and learn the benefits of setting up shop in the online universe
Slide Show: Breathing Second Life into Business
Tip Sheet: How to Get a Second Life

E3's Successor

Can GamePro Expo, an event backed by the Entertainment Software Association and slated to be held in Los Angeles, fill the shoes left by E3?

Why Sony'll Win the Next Gen Console War

Despite setbacks—a powerhouse brand, solid titles, and free online, among other things, will keep the gaming super-company on top

Japan: The Psychology of a Hardware Launch

The gaming news from Japan: reaction to the launch of PS3, sales predictions, and the job picture at Square-Enix

Casual Gaming: Serious Business

With annual revenues at $50 million, Seattle-based PopCap is a gaming force to be reckoned with

Kinder, Gentler Video Games

Skunk Studios' Margaret Wallace spurns shoot-'em-ups. Turns out there's an enormous market for her softer touch
Slide Show: Skunk Studios Wants to Play

Gaming Through the Ages

Take a look at evolutions in gaming over the past few decades

Rated F for Failure

The game industry's ratings system distinguishes between five kinds of blood and seven kinds of violence — but it utterly fails in its mission to educate the public about different grades of product

Nintendo Gives Design Power to the Player

The console and game-making giant is taking on a Web 2.0 glow by allowing gamers to create characters and mess around with content
Slide Show: What Spore May Spawn

INTERVIEWS

Balancing Bold with Big: The EA Way

Nick Earl on originality, invention and company evolution

Sony Fires Back

SCEA executive VP, Jack Tretton, shares the party line on PS3 supplies, Blu-Ray, retailers, publishers and rivals

The Imminent Limited Arrival of PS3

Sony Computer head Kaz Hirai talks about the launch of the new system, how many are coming, and what titles will be available

"Splinter Cell Double Agent" Marketing Far From Covert Op

Q&A with Ubisoft group brand manager, Sam Saliba

Star Wars and Indiana Jones Take Center Stage

LucasArts' project lead Chris Williams discusses the company's relationship with ILM — and explains the new focus on simulated gameplay

The PS3 Future

In his keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Conference, Sony's Ken Kutaragi focused on the console's impact on the industry

Online Market Research Is Good For You

Game publishers need to better understand how to exploit market research, argues Owen Davis of Evolution Research

The X Factor

Aaron Greenberg, Group Marketing Manager for Xbox, chats about Microsoft's continued struggles in Japan, the pressure of holiday expectations, the future of Xbox Live, and more

Where Worlds Collide

Henry Jenkins, keynote speaker at SeriousGame Summit, thinks the convergence of old and new media is a cultural, not technological process

A Short History of Rare

Eric-Jon Rössel Waugh recounts Rare's journey from a ZX Spectrum developer to an icon of innovation — and to a company searching for its next big hit

Seven Predictions for the Future of Gaming

Electronic Arts COO David Gardner outlines seven key objectives

INDUSTRY TRENDS

Predatory Packaging

Are expensive bundles of next-gen consoles, games and assorted add-ons just one big con?

Nintendo Brings the Games to the People

The Wii has a user-friendly controller and games, costs less, saves energy, and fans say it will outsell higher-tech Sony PS3 consoles
Slide Show: A Brief History of Game Console Warfare

Gaming for the Broadband Era

Applying principles taken from primetime TV development, Trion World Network is looking to revolutionize online gaming

Marketing Marvel

How best to market comic franchises when they become games

Nielsen's GamePlay Metrics

A new division from Nielsen will establish metrics for buying and selling of advertising within videogames

How Much is Too Much?

Microsoft says it will stick with Xbox. But with years of heavy losses behind it, the pressure’s on for the gaming division to make good

Game On

With the three major console manufacturers pushing new platforms, how can PS2 keep a place at the gaming table?

Advergaming: You Got It

Burger King teams up with X-Box to release three games featuring its own advertising icons

What's On GameTap?

Forget the Hollywood blockbuster approach to video games. Turner Broadcasting's on-demand gaming service finds innovation in a different model: cable TV
Slide Show: Cable TV Becomes the New Model for Games

Gaming Stokes a Mass-Market Revolution

Video games will dominate entertainment as they migrate to the Web and companies develop new business models to service more casual gamers

Camus of the Console; Proust of the PC

You may think you're in control when you're playing a video game, but, in fact, the game writer is. Recently, there has been an upswing in interest in the field

Could Apple Become Games Console King?

For all the hype about iTV, here's another potential application: iGames. Could Steve Jobs and co really have their eye on the console market?

It's Addictive! Or Is It?

Video games have perennially faced fire for their graphic violence and undue influence on tender minds. It's time for a sober revaluation

A Concrete Step Toward Cleaner Air

Visitors to the Venice Biennale can check out the smog-eating cement that Italian inventors claim will help cities clean themselves

How to Turn Money Into Innovation

The Global Innovation 1,000 survey shows which companies are just throwing money into R&D and which ones can boast about innovation

Acumen's New Model for Third-World Aid

By joining designers' innovative solutions with finance from capital markets, the Acumen Fund aims to effect permanent change
Slide Show: Acumen Fund's Net Gain

A Curious Mind Wins Design Prize

Britain's prestigious Prince Philip Prize is awarded to upstart Thomas Heatherwick, whose unique international projects always amaze
Slide Show: Designs Fit for a Prince

World-Changing Products

Here are some eco-friendly ideas that promise to make the planet a better place

Game Room

EA's new war game imagines an Ice Age leading to post-apocalyptic visions and futuristic weapons

Rating:

Platform: Wii

Release Date: 11/01/2006

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer:

Genre: Action

Rating:

Platform: Xbox 360

Release Date: 11/12/2006

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer:

Genre: Action

Rating:

Platform: Xbox 360

Release Date: 10/01/2006

Publisher: Sega

Developer:

Genre: Role-Playing

This wireless, versatile handset makes calls with a landline or via Skype—but when is Skype going to get it together?

BW Editor's Review

See our take on cell phones, PCs, digital cameras, music services, games, TVs, and Web services

Slide Shows

The Evolution of Virtual Worlds

Scenes from a Virtual Hospital

Graphic

Second Life: Common Terms

Virtual worlds abound in useful business applications

Here's a primer on these strange new worlds of online gaming

Second Life is an online world where a savvy avatar can make a bundle. Its best known "land" developer explains how

An economist talks about how online games can blur the line between fantasy and reality

Mind Candy Chief Executive Michael Smith talks about Perplex City, his company's new alternate-reality game

Inside the business of innovation and design

Innovation Careers

Ken Kutaragi built the games division from scratch, but in these troubled times for the PS3, he's handed the reins to his deputy, Kaz Hirai

In the Christian video games developed by Left Behind Games, players aren't omnipotent—they're just one of the faithful

British company Bunnyfoot offers sophisticated eyeball tracking and physiological analysis of gameplay to improve the placement and design of in-game advertising

Head of publishing Robin Kaminsky talks about the company's ambitions to overtake

The merger of the console veteran with the toy and TV giant has produced some interesting results. SVP Makoto Iwai tells us more

Sony took a gamble in designing the PlayStation 3 around the untested Cell processor and Blu-ray disc storage. But the bet paid off

There's Thrillville. There's Indiana Jones. There's, O.K., there's a load more Star Wars stuff on its way

On the eve of the launch of PS3 and Wii, stakes in the console tussle amid Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have never been higher

Our partners over at Next Generation shut themselves away to play with the Wii. Here's their take on the much-talked-about console

Video game industry's top analysts talk about the next gen battle, new DVD prices and formats, retail muscle, the portable market, and more

Can't keep your PS3s and Wiis straight? We cut through the game-battle babble to give you all you need to know before buying

Our hardcore partners at NextGeneration spent a week playing the new Sony console -- and here's what they say about it

EA Pogo introduces a new virtual currency

Problems? What problems? Sony's PS3 marketing machine is moving full steam ahead

The critical launch of Sony's new video game console has resulted in shortages in Japan and the U.S.

To reach the world's biggest online gaming market, Chinese players Shanda and Netease are battling it out over fee-based and free systems Slide Show: China's Hottest Online Games

One analyst has indicated that eBay could be the top new videogame console retailer for the holidays, thanks to tight demand of the PlayStation 3 and Wii

The retailer cancels Web preorders for the PlayStation 3 because the offer was a mistake, it says. But what about the children?

Microsoft hopes a new video downloading service will elevate the already popular game console to an entertainment center

A new initiative aims to combine EA's popular cyber-folk with basic computer-programming instruction, to snag the attention of U.S. youth

Real-world businesses face the costs and learn the benefits of setting up shop in the online universe Slide Show: Breathing Second Life into Business Tip Sheet: How to Get a Second Life

Can GamePro Expo, an event backed by the Entertainment Software Association and slated to be held in Los Angeles, fill the shoes left by E3?

Despite setbacks—a powerhouse brand, solid titles, and free online, among other things, will keep the gaming super-company on top

The gaming news from Japan: reaction to the launch of PS3, sales predictions, and the job picture at Square-Enix

With annual revenues at $50 million, Seattle-based PopCap is a gaming force to be reckoned with

Skunk Studios' Margaret Wallace spurns shoot-'em-ups. Turns out there's an enormous market for her softer touch Slide Show: Skunk Studios Wants to Play

Take a look at evolutions in gaming over the past few decades

The game industry's ratings system distinguishes between five kinds of blood and seven kinds of violence — but it utterly fails in its mission to educate the public about different grades of product

The console and game-making giant is taking on a Web 2.0 glow by allowing gamers to create characters and mess around with content Slide Show: What Spore May Spawn

Nick Earl on originality, invention and company evolution

SCEA executive VP, Jack Tretton, shares the party line on PS3 supplies, Blu-Ray, retailers, publishers and rivals

Sony Computer head Kaz Hirai talks about the launch of the new system, how many are coming, and what titles will be available

Q&A with Ubisoft group brand manager, Sam Saliba

LucasArts' project lead Chris Williams discusses the company's relationship with ILM — and explains the new focus on simulated gameplay

In his keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Conference, Sony's Ken Kutaragi focused on the console's impact on the industry

Game publishers need to better understand how to exploit market research, argues Owen Davis of Evolution Research

Aaron Greenberg, Group Marketing Manager for Xbox, chats about Microsoft's continued struggles in Japan, the pressure of holiday expectations, the future of Xbox Live, and more

Henry Jenkins, keynote speaker at SeriousGame Summit, thinks the convergence of old and new media is a cultural, not technological process

Eric-Jon Rössel Waugh recounts Rare's journey from a ZX Spectrum developer to an icon of innovation — and to a company searching for its next big hit

Electronic Arts COO David Gardner outlines seven key objectives

Are expensive bundles of next-gen consoles, games and assorted add-ons just one big con?

The Wii has a user-friendly controller and games, costs less, saves energy, and fans say it will outsell higher-tech Sony PS3 consoles Slide Show: A Brief History of Game Console Warfare

To reach the world's biggest online gaming market, Chinese players Shanda and Netease are battling it out over fee-based and free systems
Slide Show: China's Hottest Online Games

Real-world businesses face the costs and learn the benefits of setting up shop in the online universe
Slide Show: Breathing Second Life into Business
Tip Sheet: How to Get a Second Life

Skunk Studios' Margaret Wallace spurns shoot-'em-ups. Turns out there's an enormous market for her softer touch
Slide Show: Skunk Studios Wants to Play

The console and game-making giant is taking on a Web 2.0 glow by allowing gamers to create characters and mess around with content
Slide Show: What Spore May Spawn

The Wii has a user-friendly controller and games, costs less, saves energy, and fans say it will outsell higher-tech Sony PS3 consoles
Slide Show: A Brief History of Game Console Warfare