In addition to Amazon's EA sale going on now through its PC digital distribution network, there are a couple noteworthy additions to the roster today and tomorrow. Today, Crysis 2is available for $10, a 75 percent discount off the regular price.

Starting 2012 with a flashbang, Amazon will have Battlefield 3 for $30 on the first of the year. Also relevant here is customers who have purchased anything from Amazon's "best-selling games of 2011" should have a $5 coupon that can be applied in the new year, bringing it down to $25. That's a great price for a game that's been beta-tested since launch to the point of playability.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...rd_i=979455011 ...

The Wii U's online store will have a more diverse selection of apps available,The Daily reports citing "a person familiar with the matter." The outlet suggests non-game programs like MLB.TV will run on the console and independently through the Wii U's tablet-like controller. The site speculates the tablet apps could allow for email, web and social network browsing, but doesn't know whether the Wii U's store will use real currency (like the 3DS eShop) or Wii Points.

As interesting as all this sounds, it still feels out of step with today's Nintendo, which hasn't been able to match the online marketplaces found on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and other digital distribution networks. And there's a bigger question: Will the Wii U tie apps to the system instead of a widespread Nintendo account?

A singular account through which purchased apps can be accessed, both through Wii U and Nintendo handhelds, would be an expected step toward parity, more so than TV apps.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/30/ru...non-game-apps/ ...

Glasses-free 3D is hardly anything new (how are you guys digging the 3DS?) but how about high-def 3D without the frames for your peepers? That's a bit more impressive, especially considering this isn't an expensive television set we're talking about. It's an expensive phone and tablet line from MasterImage 3D.

The company's 4.3 inch smartphone and 10.1 inch tablet will be on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a representative told Joystiq earlier today. Each device will showcase full 720p high definition in 3D and utilizes MasterImage 3D's Cell-Matrix Parallax Barrier Technology to produce "brighter images, reduced moiré effects (or rippled appearance) and the ability to work in any orientation -- portrait or landscape." We imagine it'll also play Angry Birds.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/31/ma...-and-smartpho/ ...

Now that pod2g has done the heavy lifting and released an untethered jailbreak for iOS5, the Seas0NPass tool has been updated for your untethered jailbreaking pleasure on Apple TVs running even the latest 4.4.4 update. Redmond Pie has a full walkthrough and how-to that should help you get things going, so that you no longer have to choose between extending your device's capabilities beyond Apple's restrictions (still no Plex support on 4.4.4 thoughUpdate: Plex Beta 4 has been released which is compatible with 4.4.4., thanks Christo & Tulio) and features like AirPlay mirroring. Even more interestingly however, a few hackers may be close to unlocking iOS apps for use on the Apple TV. There's nothing released yet but we'll be following @themudkip and @westbaer on Twitter for further updates as they're available. In the meantime, check out a couple shots of iOS apps running on the Apple TV after the break, courtesy of Steven Troughton-Smith.

Update: Still images not enough to get you going? Check after the break or hit the YouTube link for a quick video demo of iOS apps running on Apple's TV box. Our friend STS hopes this may push the folks in Cupertino to open their doors to apps officially similar to the way things happened back in '07 on the iPhone -- for now we can only wait.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/30/s...-4-4-detailed/ ...

If you're going to rock out, you might as well do so with a video game console from the '70s as the core of your guitar. In fact, this is precisely what modder cTrix has done with his gATARI2600. In his configuration, he's able to write and play new music through an Atari 2600 by using an EPROM programmer (a software application he wrote) and daughterboards to feed the new music back through the instrument. The gATARI also features equalizer and flange pedals, a track selector, and whammy bars that allow the player to switch tracks and make changes on the fly. No details have been posted as to how to make your own just yet, but click past the break to watch cTrix jam both thoroughly and effectively at Blip Fest 2011 in Japan.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/31/c...rizes-nerds-v/ ...

We love our little Rigol 1052E oscilloscope. It’s seen us through some perplexing problems and loved being upgraded from 50 MHz to 100 MHz. We’ve always been pleased with its role dictating waveforms for us, but we never thought we’d seehomebrew apps for our little ‘scope.
We’re not exactly sure who [Krater] is, but he’s been working on some homebrew development for the Rigol DS1052E oscilloscope. Right now the capabilities are somewhat limited; all programming is via PEEKs and POKEs. Still, this is a fairly impressive development.
This wonderful little ‘scope has already had some time in the limelight by being easy to upgrade to 100 MHz. Hopefully with the new capabilities (Tetris, somebody make Tetris), this scope will become a staple in workshops around the world.
A tip ‘o the hat goes to [Rainer Wetzel] for sending this one in. Check out the video after the break to see an almost-working game of Pong playing on the 1052E

http://hackaday.com/2011/12/31/homeb...ds1052e-scope/ ...

via MCV


There’s no end to the list of adversities the games industry had to fend off in the last 12 months to ensure a prosperous 2011.

The global economic meltdown has provided a horrific backdrop for the country, and none have been affected worse than retail. And as a response retail has at times been its worst enemy – the sort of savage price-dropping that has characterised games retail this year is good for the consumer, but is it good for the wider business?

On top of that we have a console cycle in flux, with ancient (in tech terms) consoles trying to fight for consumer spend, and a handheld sector that has been left in disarray thanks to the rise of the app model.

But, you know what? 2011 was a brilliant year for games. Why? Just look at some of the releases we’ve seen in the last 12 months.

I’ve been a gamer for effectively as long as I can remember. I’ve been employed in gaming since 2002. But, hand on heart, I can honestly say that I don’t think we’ve ever had a stronger year in terms of quality of games.

As we saw on MCV earlier this week, my top three games of the year were all of remarkable quality. Just look at the list – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Portal 2. Three of the best games ever made (though, notably, I love none of them as much as my pick of 2010 – Heavy Rain).
But picking just three titles for the upcoming feature was a nightmare. It felt like a crime leaving out FIFA 12, which in my opinion is not only the best football game ever released (yes, it’s better than Sensible World of Soccer 96-97 and Winning Eleven 7 International) but also the sports game. Ever. I’ll also quickly mention Fight Night Champion and Top Spin 4 here, if you’ll indulge me.

Then there’s Killzone 3. Oh, my beloved Killzone 3. If any of you reading this were the ones responsible for not loving this game more in the press then curses on you.
In fact, we’ve been spoilt for choice in the FPS genre. Forget the bickering and the sales numbers – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the best single player COD to date and Battlefield 3 is simply tremendous online. And the first single player level is good, too.

Crysis 2 was, despite having the nerve to stray from its PC predecessor, a simply awesome shooter that I cannot believe I’ve not finished yet. And the console re-release of Crysis was excellent too. I also enjoyed the shooting in Rage, once the textures had loaded in.

Let’s not forget Bulletstorm. Yes, a new IP! And with FEAR 3 Warner did exactly what I wanted – ditched most of the scary stuff that made me tense and focus on the already rock-solid gunplay. And, y’know, even Homefront was pretty good online. Though “PRESS X TO JUMP INTO MASS GRAVE” thing still makes me cringe.

I’ll be shot if I don’t mention Batman: Arkham City (even if I confess to not loving as mush as the rest of the world) but I’d rather highlight the majesty of Child of Eden. I booked a day off work to play that, incidentally. That was a good day.

I’ve even enjoyed some platform games this year. Rayman Origins caught me completely off guard, and Sonic Generations managed to become the first Sonic game I’ve enjoyed since Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Ah yes – there was the tiny matter of Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS, too.

It would be remiss not to give special mention to LA Noire. I grew tired of its formula around two thirds through but at times it felt like the best game ever made. And whilst certainly not the best game ever made, Dead Island managed to carve out an odd little niche for itself in a lot of gamers’ hearts. Uncharted 3 wasn't 'alf bad either.
Though I struggled to stop playing the mighty Gran Turismo 5, there were plenty of good new driving titles this year too. F1 2011 was fantastic, despite the annoying bugs, and who even considered the possibility that Ubisoft’s obscure body-shifting mechanic would actually translate into an awesome game in the shape of Driver: San Francisco?

While I stand relatively alone on the subject, I’ll once again put in a mention of Shift 2. When it comes to visceral driving simulators, EA has nailed it right there. I’ll also admit something here that I’ve not been keen to advertise until now – I actually forked out real money to buy some cars in Forza 4. Which makes me lame, but the game very, very awesome.

Even the age-old shooter has had a cracking year. Two classic Cave shooters were brought to market courtesy of the really quite wonderful Rising Star Games – Deathsmiles and DoDonPachi: Resurrection, and both were incredible. And we even had Radiant Silvergun released on XBLA!

And don’t forget PC shooter Jamestown, either. It was made in the West! A 2D shooter. Made in the US. And it was really, really good.

The list of fabulous iOS games is too long to contemplate, but off the top of my head I’ll happily put the Parfitt Badge of Approval on Where’s My Water, Tiny Wings, Flick Home Run, Flick Soccer, Hardlines, KungFu, Bike Baron, DrawRace 2 ...

A glut of Q4 blockbusters rescued the UK games market from the ten-year low it hit over the summer.

Smash hits like Modern Warfare 3, FIFA 12, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and more kept retailers busy, while consumer events GAMEfest and Eurogamer Expo drew in thousands of gaming fans and families.

Meanwhile, trailers teasing the future delights of Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us and Fortnite prepared the industry for what is shaping up to be a busy 2012.

SEPTEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
FIFA 12 – EA’s venerable footy franchise hit its 19th iteration, but showed no sign of age, introducing new tackling and animations which transformed the game.

IN THE NEWS

Intent Media launches MCV Pacific
Game-streaming service OnLive arrives in the UK
Asda relaunches its entertainment site with plans for game downloads
Nintendo releases Metallic Red 3DS
GAMEfest attracts 30,000 visitors, Eurogamer Expo draws in 35,000
GAME and HMV open new concept stores in Westfield Stratford City at the Olympic Village
Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally confirmed for a 2011 release, due in December
Big Brother moves to Channel 5. We still don’t watch it.
OCTOBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
Battlefield 3 – EA’s major bid to reclaim the FPS market may not have toppled Activision’s Call of Duty, but significantly grew its publisher’s market share.

IN THE NEWS

Colin Campbell is named Games Media Legend at 2012 GMAs; Edge, Eurogamer, IGN and VideoGamer also take home prizes
Warner Bros adopts Online Pass system by locking second-hand users out of Batman: Arkham City’s Catwoman content
iPhone 4S lands on shelves ten days after its unveiling
Research shows that half of the UK’s population plays video games
EA Sports smashes its own records, with FIFA 12 selling 1m copies in the UK in one week
MCV reveals publishers are spending £165m on Christmas marketing
Apple founder Steve Jobs passes away
NOVEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Activision once again rewrote entertainment retail records. The game generated $1bn worldwide in just 16 days.

IN THE NEWS

Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim contribute to the UK games market’s biggest week ever, with retailers taking £121m in seven days
The Government announces it will close the Channel Islands’ VAT loophole in April 2012
Microsoft’s Xbox brand turns ten years old
Angry Birds makes its retail debut as downloads reach half a billion
Best Buy pulls out of the UK market
Rockstar releases the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V
Kennedy Space Center launches Mars rover Curiosity, the most elaborate Martian exploration vehicle to date
DECEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – While the game actually debuted in November, its sales have soared this month – thanks in no small part to its recent (and arguably premature) price cut*.

IN THE NEWS

MCV’s Annual Retail Survey reveals that 80 per cent of retailers are confident about their business in 2012
First details emerge of MCV Industry Excellence Awards 2012
Minecraft creator Notch steps away from the hit indie game
Spike TV Video Game Awards reveal trailers for new IPs The Last of Us from Naughty Dog and Epic Games’ Fortnite
Shigeru Miyamoto suggests he is stepping back from his current role but Nintendo reassures the industry that he is not retiring
GAME prepares digital gifts this Christmas
Girl band Little Mix wins The X Factor 2011

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/2011-...ecember/089042 ...

'Hack' appeared in the headlines so often during the summer of 2011, the word almost lost all meaning.

Not only was there the much-publicised phone hacking scandal that saw the News of the World closed and someone smash a custard pie in Rupert Murdoch's face, there were also several attacks made against video games companies.

In lighter news, we gained a glimpse at the future through E3 and Gamescom, with Wii U and PlayStation Vita taking the industry by storm. Also, Duke Nukem Forever finally decided to make an appearance, and Zumba Fitness enjoyed a ten-week run at the top of the charts.

MAY

NOTABLE RELEASE
L.A. Noire – The year’s top new IP was a detective drama set in 1940s Los Angeles. Despite a developer calamity – creator Team Bondi was accused of horrible working conditions and months later went bust – Rockstar’s internal teams have since released it for PC and OnLive with touch controls.

IN THE NEWS

HMV sells off its Waterstone’s chain for £53m
Wii price lowered to £129
Activision announces Call of Duty social network COD Elite
THQ announces plans to take uDraw multiplatform
Daily Mail declares outrage over a MW3 trailer that shows scenes of violence in London
Sega announces UK studio Creative Assembly is working on a new Alien title
Development on Duke Nukem is finally finished
Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is killed during an American military operation in Pakistan
JUNE

NOTABLE RELEASE
Duke Nukem Forever – It made it to No.1, and was the result of a painfully long 13 years’ gestation, development and redevelopment. But it was hideous, and really only notable for the very fact it even managed to come out.

IN THE NEWS

Nintendo unveils Wii U
PSP successor named PlayStation Vita
Microsoft reveals core line-up for Kinect, including Mass Effect, Ghost Recon and new Fable
Hackers attack EA, Sega, Bethesda, Nintendo, Codemasters and Epic Games
Paramount announces new Star Trek game to tie-in with 2012 movie
Ocarina of Time 3D boosts 3DS sales
Online retailer Bee.com opens first High Street stores
Jai McDowall wins Britain’s Got Talent. Anyone heard from him since?
JULY

NOTABLE RELEASE
Zumba Fitness – Although over six months old by this point, Zumba started to really fly over the summer months, as casual gamers flocked in. It topped the charts 13 times this year.

IN THE NEWS

New MCV website launches
GameStop closes its two UK stores and launches a .co.uk e-store
Activision details first Call of Duty consumer event, COD XP
EMI Music signs up with new publisher Tubby Games for a Now That’s What I Call Music title
Valve-owned digital distributor Steam refuses to sell Battlefield 3 because only EA’s Origin will sell DLC
The Guardian exposes that News of the World journalists have hacked into the mobile phones of celebrities, politicians and high profile crime victims. As a result, News of the World is closed
AUGUST

NOTABLE RELEASE
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – The third game in the Eidos franchise arrived at the tail end of the summer. It was critically acclaimed and ended Zumba’s run at the top of the charts.

IN THE NEWS

New streamlined Wii console and bundle unveiled for Christmas release
Sony cuts PS3’s price to £199.99, announces new PSP model
EA details new Season Ticket scheme that lets gamers play FIFA 12 before launch
Nintendo lowers trade price of 3DS by one third, retail drops price tag to as low as £115
Browser games are added to new social network Google+
UK games market reaches ten-year low in terms of weekly sales value
A peaceful protest march in London erupts into four days of rioting, looting and arso

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/2011-...-august/088982 ...