by John Constantine

You’ve got to hand it to Microsoft. In the weeks leading up to E3, the discussion surrounding the house of X was focused on precisely what they didn’t have. Where was their fall line-up? Where were the exclusives that have defined the console? Microsoft had them and then some.

Opening your show with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr instead of closing with them is the probably the most impressive show of corporate confidence in history. With the reveal of Project Natal, Microsoft’s new hands-free controller-camera, the house of green showed that this was no mere act of baseless hubris. They came to play.
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We take a look at "Star Trek: D.A.C.," a brand new downloadable game coming to the Xbox Live Arcade on May 13. Also, a brief look at another Hollywood-flavored title, "Top Gun." Read more...

"I feel it's a time where a lot of people who study games start to graduate and come into this field. It's a really good time for all these people to really push the boundaries of what games can be. With digital distribution -- PSN, Xbox Live, WiiWare, Steam -- all those [avenues]…Before, everything sold through retail. You can't even make a game that's below a million dollar budget. I think right now -- in the future, when people look back, I think it's the renaissance of video games."

-- thatgamecompany co-founder and "Flower" mastermind Jenova Chen in response to a question about the affect of digital distribution on games

At New York Comic Con, Multiplayer intern Sal Basile got a chance to check out "Battlefield 1943: Pacific." As a fan of the series, here are his impressions and notes on some of the changes made in the game. Read more...

Underrated Xbox Live Arcade puzzler, "Roogoo," gets the Wii treatment with "Roogoo: Twisted Towers," but its brilliant simplicity is diluted with distracting Wiimote mini-games in the background and boring, unnecessary flight sections, but the core gameplay remains solid. Keep reading for screen shots.

"Roogoo: Twisted Towers" / Puzzle Action / Wii / March / SouthPeak Interactive

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The classic gang movie "The Warriors" turns 30 this year and to celebrate, Paramount Digital Entertainment is creating a new video game. We've got the world-exclusive screenshots here and a handful of details. Read more...

Last weekend I was visiting with my in-laws and saw my 16-year-old brother-in-law. He has an Xbox 360 and a high-school student's limited income, so, I tried to make his gaming life richer by introducing him to Xbox Live Arcade and having him download six demos. I hope I picked the right ones. Read more...

The excitement around Community Games on Xbox Live, an avenue for indie developers to make money off their games, has softened in recent weeks, causing indie studios working on XBL Arcade to question the program's viability.

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I played 11 Xbox Live Arcade games for fun in 2008 and finished one of them.

As I did last year, I've compiled a list of the games that I played for fun in 2008. One list per major gaming platform.

(Check out the rest of my 2008 Gaming Playlists for other platforms, updated daily until New Year's.)

Today's entry is all about Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft's long-running service for downloadable Xbox 360 games.

What did I play? And which one game did I finish?

Take a look below: Read more...

At the Community Games launch party in San Francisco a few weeks ago, the most common question developers would ask me: what should my game cost?

There are several arguments to be made about price, especially given that Community Games is a new, untested service that runs parallel to Xbox Live Arcade.

I waited until ex-Insomniac Games employee Nathan Fouts decided on a price to ask him his thought process. Fouts now heads Mommy's Best Games and launched the "Contra"-like "Weapon of Choice" as a Community Game this week.

The price he chose; 400 points. But he wanted to charge more. Friends, family and Microsoft blocked him from doing so. Why? Read more...