duties

A certain E3 Expo has swept in to steal the spotlight everywhere, so, of course, we spend the episode breaking down the aftermath of Microsoft's news conference, including an impressive surprise from ESPN. Is the Kinect worth it? Will Nintendo's 3DS be any good? And why are there so many damn shooters? Our guest, gaming/tech expert, E3 veteran, and former Playboy editor Scott Alexander, joins us for some grumpy and impassioned talk.

Next week, Dan will be back from his E3 adventures, hands full of strange pictures and stranger stories. Until then, enjoy the show!

Related links:… Read more

It's probably impossible to count the times someone has written that video games are a business as big as or bigger than Hollywood.

But long before the Halos and the Sims and the Call of Dutys and the Maddens began bringing in billions of dollars, the world was dominated by a simple yellow character munching his way through a maze of dots, trying to avoid getting eaten by ghosts.

On May 22, 1980, a Japanese company called Namco Bandai released a game in Japan called Puck-Man. The title was rejected in the United States because some worried that the &… Read more

One week after it shipped the first map pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the PC and PlayStation 3, Activision has announced a second batch of downloadable content (DLC).

Like the original Stimulus Package, the Resurgence Pack will first arrive on the Xbox 360 before coming to Windows systems or Sony's console. The five-map add-on will debut on Xbox Live on June 3, with the other platforms receiving it at a later date.

Read more of "2nd Modern Warfare 2 DLC hits XBL June 3" on GameSpot.

For more than a year, rumors have circulated that Treyarch's installment in the Call of Duty series would be set during the Cold War or the Vietnam War specifically. Thursday, Silicon Valley blog VentureBeat reported that the game's title will indeed be Call of Duty: Vietnam when it is revealed on SpikeTV late Friday night/Saturday morning.

Read more of "Call of Duty: Vietnam confirmed--report" at GameSpot.

Video game giant Activision scored a major coup Thursday with the signing of a deal to publish the next franchise from Halo developer Bungie.

The partnership is intended to last 10 years and means that Activision, which is owned by Activision Blizzard, will be in a position to publish several iterations of Bungie's next franchise. Given the tremendous success of the various Halo games--all told, they have generated more than $1.5 billion in sales--an exclusive deal to publish Bungie's next series of games is a very big win for Activision, and a blow to its rival, Electronic … Read more

If what you've really been missing is a 10-pound, 10-inch statue of the Noble Team, the team of fighters that are the heroes of the hotly-anticipated video game Halo: Reach, then don't fret. Your time is coming soon.

Mere mortals may scoff at the need for such a collectible, but true Halo fans know that those who end up with these icons are going to be the envy of the many who can't get their hands on them. Thankfully, everyone will have the same chances of ending up with one.

On Thursday, Microsoft and Bungie unveiled the details of the Halo: Reach "limited" and "Legendary" editions, both of which are now available for pre-order and will be released sometime this fall. As previously reported, the Halo: Reach beta will begin on May 3. The game will be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

The limited edition, which will cost Halo fans $80, includes the game disc and manual, as well as a game disc "housed in recovered ONI 'black box;'" an Elite armor set that players can use when they're in multiplayer mode; and an artifact bag with the personal journal of Dr. Halsey, as well as "other classified documents and effects that unravel long-held secrets from the Halo universe."… Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has set the world record for the best launch day, in terms of U.S. dollars, in the history of the entertainment industry, Guinness World Records announced Wednesday.

According to Guinness, Modern Warfare 2 grossed $401.6 million in a single day when it launched on November 10. The game easily shattered Grand Theft Auto IV's previous record of $310 million in revenue on its launch day back in 2008. Halo 3, which tallied $170 million on its first day of availability, is the third-highest-grossing entertainment product of all time.

Although the top … Read more

Today's video isn't new, but I thought since we were on the subject of electric cars this past week I'd present this Web clip about an all-electric heavy-duty truck--a project vehicle commissioned by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

This project was put together to make a prototype of the world's strongest, most heavy-duty truck that could run for short hauls exclusively on electricity. Reportedly it was the first heavy-duty electric cargo truck from any port in the world, and statistically it could haul over 50,000 lbs. … Read more

After the best month in its history, the video game industry in January returned to the pattern it followed throughout 2009: sharp year-over-year monthly declines.

According to a report Thursday from industry analyst, The NPD Group, video game sales across the board were $1.17 billion in January, down 13 percent from $1.34 billion a year earlier. Hardware sales were worst hit, down 21 percent year-over-year, while software was down 12 percent.

It's likely that the December numbers, when the industry turned in record sales of $5.53 billion, and January's poor performance are linked. Huge numbers … Read more