Week in review: The top 10 video games of the year
Here’s our roundup of the week’s tech business news. First, the most popular stories VentureBeat published in the last seven days: VentureBeat’s top ten...
Do in-game achievements abuse story and characterisation?
Virtually every game you can purchase on Steam has a bunch of Achievements you can unlock, and a large part of the Xbox Live infrastructure is built upon their completion. Gamers compare scores and focus on completely finishing a game up to the 1,000 point mark.
What defines a games journalist?
Last week I profiled Gerard Williams, aka The HipHopGamer, a member of the amateur video-game media who has garnered an appreciable amount of press...
Extreme difficulty: Donkey Kong Country Returns…with a vengeance
When you name a game something like Donkey Kong Country Returns, you build up some very specific expectations in the minds of your future...
Monday Night Combat: Friday Night Fever!
Steam has a great deal to not only get into the beta of Monday Night Combat, but also gain access to the early beta. For...
Community prompt: Share your nerdiest holiday memories
When I was a child, the best Christmas gifts I ever received were a copy of the Star Wars Trilogy boxed set and a...
Are cut-scenes ruining video-game stories?
Characters suddenly become unplayable as the player becomes aware of new pieces of information. Armed with that knowledge, she embarks on the next quest...
Dimming the Radiant AI in Oblivion
Open-world games operate on laws that are an amalgam of game tropes and simulated agents. The massive single-player RPG The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is a...
News Blips: Square Enix slashes profit forecast, PS3 Mass Effect 2 uses Mass Effect 3 engine, Activision on its reputation, and more
It looks like Christmas won't come early for poor Square Enix. Perhaps a cheerfully decorated "we told you so" holiday card is in order?...
Video Blips: Portal 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and more
Here's a valuable lesson to remember while walking through the dilapidated halls of Portal 2's co-op mode: Your buddy is a handy and reusable...