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If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.
This week, THQ reported less than stellar numbers and hired a firm to “evaluate strategic alternatives,” Rockstar revealed details about Grand Theft Auto V, and the Wreck It Ralph film crew discusses movie development.
You’ll also find reviews for Halo 4, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and LittleBigPlanet Karting.
News:
- October NPD: Dishonored charts high while XCOM fails to chart at all
- The good and, yes, the bad from today’s Grand Theft Auto V reveal
- Nexon to publish Dota 2 in Japan and Korea
- Mechs never looked so pretty as AirMech launches open beta on Steam
- Get BioShock for free on GameFly’s just released PC client
- This week in the Nintendo Download: Paper Mario, Epic Mickey, and a Pokédex
- You can live stream Call of Duty: Black Ops II directly to YouTube from your console
- Activision: ‘Spectacular innovation’ will prevent Skylanders from fizzling like Guitar Hero
- What’s in the box? Nintendo Wii U Deluxe Edition and Pro Controller
- The Wii U’s online service is an ‘empathy network’ — what the heck is that?
- PlayStation 3 passes Chinese bureaucratic inspection but ban on consoles remains
- Give Epic Mickey 2 a whirl in Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 demo
- The Last Guardian developer still has ‘nothing concrete’EA celebrates Battlefield 1942′s 10th anniversary by giving it away for free
MMO news:
- Star Wars: The Old Republic set for free-to-play debut
- First gameplay footage of The Elder Scrolls Online
- World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria sees 1 million concurrent players in China
- Jordan Mechner launches Karateka remake on digital gaming platforms
- DeNA invests in its golden goose, taking 20 percent stake in Cygames for $92M
- Obama is the overwhelming favorite in Nexon’s MapleStory online game (exclusive)
Mobile news:
- Yahoo and Japan’s DeNA expand PC social gaming alliance to mobile devices
- Nvidia CEO: Consumers realize a great tablet is better than a cheap PC
- Sword & Sworcery EP finally comes to Android in the latest Humble Bundle
- Angry Birds Star Wars is out now, and it’s kinda cool
- Once focused on 2D mobile games, Machine Zone hires a 3D graphics expert
- Best day to launch your mobile game? Chartboost says it’s Monday through Wednesday
- Kabam launches The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth mobile game
- Execution Labs raises $1.4M to incubate indie mobile game studios in Canada
- Budge makes a mobile game out of charitable giving
- New mobile game hopes to trick players into learning an anti-drug lesson
- Mobile games winning the war for your attention
- Apple still hasn’t made Game Center interesting
- Fourth-generation iPad smashes PlayStation Vita in raw graphics power
- Microsoft rolls out new Xbox SmartGlass iOS app
- The hidden truth of enigmatic experimental game Curiosity
- Xbox Surface: Microsoft’s 7-inch gaming tablet is still happening
Earnings:
- Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard beats earnings estimates and raises guidance
- Ubisoft posts a six-month loss — but Assassin’s Creed is riding to the rescue
- THQ’s stock crashes 47 percent as it faces cash crunch
- Mobile gaming has its giant: DeNA posts $627M in quarterly revenue
- Desperate for cash, THQ hires firm to ‘evaluate strategic alternatives’ (It’s up for sale)
- THQ reports smaller loss than expected but pushes back South Park, Metro, and Company of Heroes 2
Interviews:
- Is Gree really spending money on user acquisition like there’s no tomorrow? (interview)
- Wreck-It Ralph’s film crew discusses bad guys, cameos, and portals inside toilets (interview)
- Why Ubisoft has eight games coming for the Wii U (interview)
- Silent Hill: Revelations 3D director on respecting the source material, immersion, and secret UFO endings (exclusive)
- Guitar Hero co-creator unveils startup with a plan to mobilize the living room (exclusive interview)
- Tapjoy’s ad network now reaches a billion mobile devices (interview)
Reviews:
- What’s in the box?! Ragnarok Odyssey Mercenary Edition (review)
- What’s in the box?! Halo 4 Limited Edition (review)
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star fails to justify its gimmick (review)
- LittleBigPlanet Karting shows off Sackboy’s serious driving skills (review)
Pieces of flair: