"Hello and welcome to another installment of “Tops and Flops of Licensed Games!” This week I’ll be reaching back into our childhoods and looking at some of the best and worst cartoon video games. Like in the last article, these are games based off of animated television series, not animated movies, so some gem, like Aladdin, won’t show up on this list. Technicalities over with, let’s go back to a simpler time and look at how our favorite cartoons transitioned to cartridge."

gamepodunk via www.gamepodunk.com »

This topic has already been covered fairly well (see: The Problems with Game Criticism, and The Problem with Game Reviews Part 1 & 2), but until we're in a better state, it's always a positive thing, yeah?

Anyhow, Variety's Ben Fritz offers his take on the situation (as a response to Variety critic Leigh Alexander's recent blog), saying we nitpick too much and actively look for things to criticize in games instead of really valuing what needs to be valued and not letting the little stuff (...

chautemoc via weblogs.variety.com »

Another week has passed, which means it's time for some Australian game sales!

Mario Kart Wii has snatched the lead from the Wii Fit game, the Wii Play bundle is still selling steadily in third, followed by the oh-so-popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl and SingStar Amped.

Most of the games in the overall sales list are either the from the Wii or the DS. With all the success Nintendo has been having lately, I'm not surprised. To check out some console-specific sales, hit the source.

All...

tyranitar24 via www.gamespot.com »

"Across the pond, consumers prefer racing and soccer games to blockbuster action, adventure and first-person shooter games that are the staple of the U.S. diet. Indeed, Europeans view such games as "evil," says Cevat Yerli, chief executive of Crytek, a German game developer that specializes in first-person shooters."

Deathsythe via www.forbes.com »

Remember this? Oops, they've done it again! After being at the top for some time, Sonic and Mario have once again reclaimed the spot.
Here's the rest of the top chart :

2. TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2


3. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008


4. CONDEMNED 2


5. GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK


6. VIKING: BATTLE FOR ASGARD


7. DARK SECTOR


8. CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE


9. SEGA SUPERSTARS TENNIS


10. FIFA 08


11. COOKING MAMA 2


12. THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN


13. ARMY OF TWO


14. FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008


15. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS...

StarJet via www.thatvideogameblog.com »

"The Simpsons Game doesn’t really offer anything new in terms of gameplay and can be beaten in a day or two. It is your pretty generic mix of beat-em-up and platforming elements with the exception of a few additions. There could have been more variety, and while they did a superb job recreating Springfield, there are no activities to partake in besides building up your trophy collection. Co-op was heavily underutilized, and would’ve helped stifle the feeling of repetitiveness. But regardless o..."

Warsun via www.vitosverdict.com »

"Nominees:

• 'Crash of the Titans,' written by Christopher Mitchell for Sierra Entertainment
• 'Dead Head Fred,' written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan for D3 Publisher
• 'The Simpsons Game,' with lead writer Matt Selman, written by Tim Long and Matt Warburton, dialogue by Jeff Poliquin for Electronic Arts
• 'The Witcher,' with lead story designer Artur Ganszyniec, dialogue by Sebastian Stepien, additional dialogue by Marcin Blacha and writers Sande Chen and Anne Toole for Atari
• 'World in Conflict,' s...

JelalTrueshot via gamingshogun.com »

"Take a liberal dollop of shameless sexism and pop it in a blender with half a pound of evil media marketing genius and one whole tasteless videogame award show. Place in the YouTube oven for maximum heat and, when attention has risen, sprinkle in 6 naked models, a few gallons of body paint, some high-profile videogames looking for cheap exposure… and what appears to be a male Madden fan in drag."

mistermostyn via gaming.monstersandcritics.com »

As we continue on towards the holiday season, I'm inclined to believe that this notable games list will continue to grow into gigantic proportions.

Joystiq has Call of Duty 4 as the highlight, but honestly, you can't pin the total spotlight this week on a single game. Besides, one of the greatest games ever came out for the Virtual Console.

Notable games this week:
Alien Soldier (VC)
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (360, PS3)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360, PS3, DS, PC)
Dra...

Akira_EX via www.joystiq.com »

Apparently Rockstar doesn't like it when people make fun of GTA. They come up with lame parodies all the time in the Grand Theft Auto series, but other people can't do the same with GTA? Way to be smart, Rockstar. It's a joke. It's not like they're making a direct reference to the game without paying you for it. Grow up and get a life, seriously.

...In other news, if Grand Theft Scratchy is a parody of Grand Theft Auto, is Marge Simpson a parody of Jack Thompson by being against video...

Chaos Swordsman via gamepolitics.com »

As we continue on towards the holiday season, we see more and more games coming out trying to get a piece of the incredibly huge holiday pie.

Obviously, the highlight this week is Guitar Hero III, for Wii, PS3, PS2, 360.

Notables games this week:
Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)
Gears of War OSG (PC)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
Guitar Hero & Guitar Hero II Pack (PS2)
King of Fighters XI (PS2)
Hellgate: London (PC)
Manhunt 2 (Wii, PS2, PSP)
Naruto: Rise of a Ninj...

Akira_EX via www.joystiq.com »

"Looks like someone at the EA marketing department thought they'd have a laugh and swipe the hard work of Gawker Media's crack design team. Sorry, EA, but we have a patent (pending) on viciously nauseating color schemes. You'll be hearing from our lawyers. We're obviously willing to settle for nine complimentary copies of The Simpsons Game, including one for the Kotaku archives, but might play hardball for a tenth."

ITANI via kotaku.com »

"EA has released another humorous short trailer for The Simpsons Game, much like the late Medal of Homer trailer we featured back in September. The trailer sees Homer finding himself a large half-price chocolate store, before having a confrontation with a white chocolate bunny rabbit."

CDorno via www.gamerwithin.com »

"Press START to Play
Finish The Land of Chocolate
Finish Bartman Begins
Finish Around the World in 80 Bites
Finish Lisa the Tree Hugger
Finish Mob Rules
Finish Enter the Cheatrix
Finish Invasion of the Yokel-Snatchers
Finish The Day of the Dolphin
Finish Shadow of the Colossal Donut
Finish Bargain Bin
Finish Medal of Homer
Finish NeverQuest
Finish Grand Theft Scratchy
Finish Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game
Finish Five Characters in Search of an Author
Finish Game Over
Find all of..."

ITANI via www.daking240.com »