Games

The Grand Theft Auto V machine seems to be shifting gears as we slowly climb toward that mid-September launch date.

After the second official trailer hit the Web, fans eager for more information on the next GTA title found themselves twiddling their thumbs with just a slow trickle of screenshots to slake their thirst. … Read more

We've seen some pretty gosh-darn adorable fan art, but L.A.-based illustrator Joey Spiotto's take on Skyrim, Portal, and BioShock takes the biscuit.

Using the art of classic Little Golden Books, Spiotto (aka Joebot) has managed to visually explain the affection and nostalgia that gamers will have for these game titles in the years to come.

"As the sun sets on this current generation of video games, I've been thinking about some of the classic games that people will still (hopefully) point to years from now and hold them up as games that made a … Read more

Humanity lost a little more ground to machines last weekend, in case you're counting down the days to when Skynet takes charge of the planet.

A computer defeated a professional Japanese chess (shogi) player for the first time in a public match, Kyodo News tells us grimly.

A program called Ponanza, developed by Issei Yamamoto, took down 30-year-old Shinichi Sato on Saturday in the Shogi Master Versus Machine Match.

Sato was doing well until he made mistakes midway through the game. … Read more

April Fools' is a big day for conceptual technology products. Big tech companies get to let their hair down and come up with gadgets that would earn them ridicule and criticism if they were introduced on any day other than April 1.

We have some real doozies for 2013 when it comes to prank tech gear. ThinkGeek, as usual, has an entire lineup of weird and wonderful items. There's a Play-Doh 3D printer that forms figures out of the famous squishy clay-like material. If you enjoyed listening to Bane's garbled and growly speech during "The Dark Knight Rises," you'll want your very own pair of Bane Mask Walkie Talkies. Other fictional products from the geek retailer include an "Aliens" Chestburster-in-a-Can, a Creeper Body Pillow, and an Eye of Sauron desk lamp.… Read more

GameStop reported its earnings yesterday, but perhaps the biggest news came from its earnings call, in which it said that demand for the PlayStation 4 is already showing signs of strength.

According to GameStop President Tony Bartel, "nearly 900,000 members have already signed up for the PlayStation 4 First to Know List." That list provides all of the latest details on the PlayStation 4 to customers and is usually a strong indicator of the number of people who might preorder the device when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter.

Bartel went on to tell investors … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Who was the star character of video game mega hit Journey? Make that a what.

While you spend the entirety of the award-winning PS3 title playing as a nameless, mostly faceless humanoid with a very snazzy scarf, most of the oohs and ahhs come for what you're trekking across: sand.

It trickles down virtual dunes as it's stepped on. As the sun sets, it glows red and sets off a glassy sheen. And in the dark, blue light spills out over it, providing a (misplaced) sense of calm.

Like real sand, it's changing and flowing as … Read more

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has been announced at GDC, and it didn't hurt at all.

Speaking onstage at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima said Metal Gear Solid V is Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain combined. Snake has been in a coma for nine years, and awakens in the hospital at the start of the game alongside Ishmael, the figure from The Phantom Pain whose face is in covered in bandages.

During the gameplay demo, which is set in the game's tutorial level, Snake … Read more

This fall, many gamers will return to the battlefield -- Battlefield 4, that is. We've got all the details, including preorder information and console availability.

During an event yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, game maker DICE delivered a heart-pumping trailer featuring 17 minutes of Battlefield 4's single-player action. As Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" played in the background, the montage opened with the protagonist, Recker, waking up to find himself and his outfit trapped in a Jeep that was sinking to the bottom of the ocean.… Read more

If you're starving for information about Battlefield 4, three new screenshots found on EA's Web server might whet your appetite.

CNET confirmed the authenticity of the screenshots after downloading the files from an insecure EA Web directory associated with the official Battlefield blog. In comparison with its predecessor, BF4 appears to contain massive upgrades, especially when it comes to textures and draw distance, as well as considerable improvements in the way soldiers and weapons appear. … Read more