♦ Chrono Trigger coming to DS

While classic games in the Final Fantasy series have seen remake after remake, the Chrono series has not been so lucky. The classic Super Nintendo RPG Chrono Trigger has only been ported once to the PlayStation, and that version was plagued by some unbearable load times. But it looks like Square-Enix has heard the cries of the Internet, and will be bringing the game to the Nintendo DS.	1 vote

♦ Zune XNA Tech Preview This Month

According to Engadget, Microsoft already has four games up and running on the handheld – Zauri, Hexic, Potato Chase and Alien Takeover. It is currently unclear when Microsoft intends to launch commercial games for the platform or whether these titles will see public release, but the first community technology preview for Zune XNA games is scheduled for early to mid May.	1 vote

♦ Midway Shows Revenues, Losses for Q1 2008

Midway’s net revenues for the quarter were $29.9 million, compared to the company’s previous guidance of $28 million. Revenues for the same quarter in 2007 totaled $11.1 million. The first quarter net loss for the company however was $34 million, compared to a Q1 2007 loss of $19.8 million. The publisher also provided outlook for the second quarter of the year...	1 vote

♦ Monday Gamewatch

You don't need me to tell you what you'll probably be playing this week if you own an Xbox 360 or PS3, but in case you're having none of that, this week's PC lineup should pique the interest of armchair baseball buffs and ancient warfare strategy enthusiasts. As usual, note that days listed are ship-to-store dates, and these games are more likely to be available the day following.	1 vote

♦ Sony delays launch of PlayStation 'Home' service

Sony Computer Entertainment announced Tuesday that it is again delaying the launch of its 3D social-networking gaming service, "Home," for the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation Home Open Beta service is expected to begin in the fall, nearly a year after its expected launch date.	1 vote

♦ Now we can prove that Bones was full of it

This replica of the Star Trek "Medical Tricorder" makes it clear why they rarely showed a close-up of Bones' device on the original series: It looks like something cobbled together in the garage of that neighbor who's still trying to get his old CB radio to work. It's interesting to note how a supposed 23rd century device created in 1966 could look like something made in 1967.	1 vote

♦ 'Spore Creature Creator' to see light of day in June

When designing characters for Spore , players will have a wide selection of body parts to choose from. Attention gamers: If you're looking forward to the taking a hands-on role with the forthcoming Spore , you've got work to do starting June 17. That's when Electronic Arts and Maxis plan to release the Spore Creature Creator , in both a free...	1 vote

♦ What's next for the Nintendo DS?

When designing characters for Spore, players will have a wide selection of body parts to choose from.(Credit: Electronic Arts/Maxis) Attention gamers: If you're looking forward to the taking a hands-on role with the forthcoming Spore...	1 vote

♦ Wii virtual console releases for this week

This week's Virtual Console releases feature a classic beat-'em-up along with a sci-fi RPG--what do they have in common? Both games have you chasing the bad guys so you can get your girl back. River City Ransom (1989, NES, 500 Wii points) : River City Ransom is a classic beat-'em-up action game that takes you into the fictional town of River City.	1 vote

♦ Tetris + arm wrestling = Tresling

(Credit: Tresling. First the movie, now the arena? This one is more real than reel because there's even an official Web site with video to promote the idea of Tresling, a sport combining arm wrestling with a board game setup and Tetris. To play, each hook, top roll, and press equates a turn of a block. Clearly, wimps need not apply...	1 vote

♦ Variety: GTA IV to Break Record, Snatch $400 Million First Week

You can't swing a Liberty City cat without hitting a story about Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV these days. The game comes out end of this month, but it's already pretty much been reviewed -all praise, no surprise there -unofficially and in online interviews by everyone Rockstar flew in to play and finish the game a few weeks back. As usual Future Publishing has the print mag exclusive(s), so if that exclusive early-access relationship works for you...	1 vote

♦ Jeanne D'Arc for PSP: Henry the Possessed, I Am, I Am!

Know what's great about traveling anywhere? Two words, or three if you're French -Jeanne D'Arc. I know it came out last fall for the PSP, but I've only now (finally) had time to play through this pseudo-historical tactical RPG everyone was flipping about last August. If you've already played it, excuse me as I retroactively rave about this loose retelling of the Joan of Arc legend that, to be totally honest, has been tearing my attention away from castles, labyrinths of caves...	1 vote

♦ Nintendo to Smash Competition in March U.S. Sales

Last year's March totaled $579 million, making this year's upswing tremendously impressive, all led by a single company (Nintendo) whose combined hardware sales (Wii, DS) alone would, by Pachter guesstimate, account for more than half of all competitor hardware sales combined. Interestingly, Pachter also released a second set of estimates from video game prediction site The simExchange, which still favor Nintendo, but by a much smaller margin.	1 vote

♦ If You Pirate Grand Theft Auto IV, God Kills a Kitten

So don't, okay? Because the news is that Rockstar's imminent blockbuster leaked early to the newsgroups and torrent sites, and that Microsoft's sales in particular are going to take a hit because DVDs are a snap to dupe while Blu-ray discs aren't (yet). That's too bad, even granting the cynical reaction that it was bound to happen anyway. Why? Technology lets us to do things that confound convention. The speed of silicon isn't stepwise, it's logarithmic...	1 vote

♦ The (Critically Disregarded) Evolution of Video Game Music

The other day I was driving back from the mall listening to the radio and I tuned into NPR at the part in "All Things Considered" where they run clips of readers responding to prior segments. I came in late, but what I caught was a letter written by someone claiming to be a musician, reacting negatively to a segment on the evolution of video game music that aired on April 12, and basically blasting away at the medium as junk that gets too much attention...	1 vote

♦ Grand Theft Auto IV: The Variety Interview

A lot of our competitors in the game sphere – all they want to talk about is business. Because they have creative guys making the games but they run it like, “how can we compete?” We want to kill that stuff in some ways. We want to have very successful launches. We’ve had successful launches before but our angle is always creativity. The full interview's available here. Fearless or feckless? Have your say below or pelt me with emails here. and thats why we all like rockstar...	1 vote

♦ More Random Gaming Relays for a Tepid Tuesday

Bad news for PS3 fans looking for a smarter way to interact online. Sony's PS3 Home has been delayed again, moving the open beta back from this spring to fall 2008. How delayed is too delayed? Any more than this fall -already a full year behind -and Sony could be asking for serious trouble. GamePolitics.com has this oddly enough story about GTA IV ads being pulled from Chicago buses due to pressure from more clueless politicians. Hey Chicago readers...	1 vote

♦ Monday Gamewatch

I know, that you know, that everyone else knows no one cares much what's coming out this week with Grand Theft Auto IV sold out at a store near you just eight days away, but here's the week's PC games lineup just in case. Turok. Stop me if you've heard this one: Bunch of military hoo-hahs land on a planet that just happens to be swarming with dinosaurs...	1 vote

♦ U.S. Economy Slows, Games Industry Revenue Grows

No surprises to report in NPD's official March 2008 numbers, and as predicted, Super Smash Bros. Brawl kicked Nintendo into hyperdrive, catapulting Wii sales to 31 percent of total industry dollars. It looks like Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's numbers were spot on for both the Wii and DS, which together accounted for more than half of all competitor sales combined. In fact things are looking pretty darned rosy across the board for all the doom and gloom about the flagging U.S. dollar.	1 vote

♦ Nintendo Doubles Profits, Nets $2.5 Billion in Single Year

Think Nintendo can't break anymore records? Think again. According to this Forbes report, Japan's Nintendo operating profit more than doubled on strong game and hardware sales, resulting in record operating and net profits for their fiscal year ending in March. What's that translate to in dollars? Try from $2.2 to $4.7 billion in operating profit, with $2.5 billion of that net. And this is a company famous for having uncommitted billions in the bank already. That's astonishing...	1 vote