Atari

06.11.12

The idea behind E3 was to showcase the latest and brightest games of 2012, but there are always a few games that disappoint us. Some games on our list made serious changes to their formula, and not for the better. Other games took center stage at E3 when they shouldn’t have. There were many games at E3, but here is our top five list of disappointments.

06.10.12

The free-to-play market had a huge showing at E3 and was showcased at Sony’s Online Entertainment booth. Recently SOE converted all of its most popular MMOs into the model, giving new life to D.C Universe while reintroducing fans to the PlanetSide series.

05.19.12

Atari has been digging into its classic catalog as of late for a new generation of games.  A few months back, it brought out the entertaining Asteroids Gunner, a twist on its rock-shooting classic from the 80’s.  And just recently, it broke out the old ball-and-paddle for Breakout Boost, complete with new modes and features.  Now another classic gets a remake, and this time it’s Circus Atari.  A game that originally started out on the Atari 2600 as a humorous collaborative effort, where you had to balance two people on a bouncing see-saw as they collected balloons, it has since been turned into a variation of Doodle Jump for the iPad.  While that’s bound to entertain a few folks, I can’t help but think what might’ve been had Atari taken the development in a different direction.

04.27.12

Throughout the history of video games, the oldest stereotype surrounding the industry has always been do violent video games affect player behavior and personality. It is a known fact that people who play games are exposed to more violence than the average consumer. From nuking entire civilization to obliterating players online, it’s has become more and more common now that games are more focus on squarely providing violent action. For this reason alone, parents have long held an underlining negative attitude towards the industry and those who stand by it, but is this criticism injustice or have developers gone to far? Should government step in?

04.13.12

The organizers of Classic Gaming Expo announced today that the 2012 Classic Gaming Expo will be held August 11 and 12 at the recently renovated Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The show’s historic ties with Las Vegas, and specifically the Plaza Hotel, made it the obvious choice to play host to this year’s convention.

04.10.12

“The Art of Video Games” is one of the first major exhibitions to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking graphics, creative storytelling and player interactivity. The exhibition features some of the most influential artists and designers across five eras of game development, from early pioneers to contemporary designers. Video games use player participation to tell stories and engage audiences. In the same way as film, animation and performance, video games are a compelling and influential form of narrative art.

02.01.12

Consoles and PC's have had a slow month interms of new AAA quality games arriving for your respected platform. While January got off to a slow start, it quickly recovered to bring us high quality tittles through digital distribution. Plenty of great downloadable arcade tittles were made available through XBLA, PSN and Steam, giving us many hidden gems on the digital marketplace. Let's look back at the games we reviewed over the past month.  

12.15.11

Last month, Atari came roaring back to the iOS scene with the superb revitalization of an 80's favorite, Asteroids Gunner.  Blending the fly-and-shoot tactics of the original with plenty of innovative new elements, it became one of our favorite apps for the fall season.  Now the company is at it again, bringing the classic ball and paddle game Breakout Boost to the App Store.  Can lightning strike twice?

07.08.11

Despite a recent string of down months in U.S. video game sales at retail this year, a new report from research firm Gartner paints a very rosy picture for the global video game industry. When adding in revenues from burgeoning online, mobile and digital gaming sectors, Gartner estimates that worldwide spending on the gaming ecosystem will exceed $74 billion in 2011, up 10.4 percent from the $67 billion spent last year. By 2015, spending is expected to reach $112 billion.

06.27.11

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that underscored constitutional protections for video games, developers, and video game industry artists. At issue was a 2005 California statute restricting the sale and rental of computer and video games. The ESA, the lead party in the case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/Entertainment Software Association, argued that the statute presented unconstitutional limitations on expression, and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed, holding the California law unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

06.03.11

LOS ANGELES– For the first time ever, GamerLive.TV will broadcast 3D video coverage of the E3 Expo, the premier game trade show in the U.S., to gamers and tech enthusiasts around the world.  The high-quality, stereoscopic 3D video will be viewable via the YouTube video player for users with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ PCs.

05.23.11
Atari, the company best known for ushering in the video game industry with family-friendly titles like Pong, Battlezone, Centipede and Moon Patrol has a very Mature-rated game on its hands. European developer CD Projekt Red’s new fantasy action sequel serves up a hefty quotient of action on the battlefield, as well as between the bed sheets. Or in some cases, in the water, as the M-rated video below shows.
05.07.11

Atari's The Witcher 2 hits stores on May 17 exclusively on the PC, and some areas of the world are taking the promotion to the next level. Sure, here in the United States, players who purchase the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Collector's Edition will get a bust, some playing cards, DLC and various other trinkets lucky gamers over in Russia are getting someting more, well, a little more risque.

03.18.11
With Harold Ramis, Dan Akroyd and the gang waiting for Bill Murray to read the script for Ghostbusters 3, fans of the paranormal comedy have a new number to call. Atari is once again answering the call for gamers everywhere by delivering Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. In conjunction with Sony Pictures Consumer Products, the new game will be available on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and PC on March 23.