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Even before it refined family fun with the Wii, Nintendo was dedicated to creating satisfying multiplayer experiences. Games like "Mario Kart," "Super Smash Bros." and "GoldenEye 007" encouraged everyone to join in, and you missed the real action if you played them alone.
Musical video games are already family-friendly. There's no violence, and their developers have already weeded out most of the sex and drugs in rock 'n roll. And just about anyone can pick up a fake guitar, microphone or a pair or drumsticks and figure out what to do with it.
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," almost certain to be the year's best-selling video game, has also become its most notorious. That's because of a prerelease leak showing a terrorist raid on an airport — exactly the sort of thing that's guaranteed to rile up anti-violence watchdogs and generate free publicity.
The role-playing fantasy has been a staple of electronic gaming since the 1970s, when students cobbled together interactive quests on university mainframes. But the genre has fallen out of favor in recent years, overtaken by grittier dramas like the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty" franchises.
Like most drivers, I don't think much about how my car gets me from point A to point B. The idea of fiddling with my Nissan Sentra's engine, brakes or suspension is as appealing as being stuck in traffic. About the only thing I can do to my car is fill it with gas.
Ratchet and Clank, the lombax/robot duo now starring in their ninth video game, may not be as famous as some other lovable mascots, like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. They haven't gotten their own Saturday morning cartoon show, cereals or plush toys. And they haven't been spun off into sports games, kart racers or pinball games.
Like most video gamers, I've wielded enough virtual weapons to equip a small army. We all have favorites, from the classic BFG-9000 in "Doom" to the chainsaw-equipped assault rifle in "Gears of War" to the awesome RYNO ("Rip You a New One") in "Ratchet & Clank."
Sony's PlayStation Portable is the most high-powered handheld video-game machine on the market, but it's usually my third choice when it comes to on-the-road action.
The "Star Wars" movies should have taught all science-fiction writers a lesson: One trilogy is enough.
Apple has turned the iPhone into a popular device for video games. Sony is about to introduce the PSP go, a slick new version of its handheld PlayStation Portable. But both companies are still playing catch-up with Nintendo, which has dominated the portable game market for decades.
"The Beatles: Rock Band" has produced more buzz than any video game since the last "Grand Theft Auto." When Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took the stage at Microsoft's Xbox press conference at E3 this summer, they were greeted with a standing ovation.
When you're a real-life guitarist like Billy Squier, seeing fans trying to emulate your behavior in a video game can be weird.
A few suggestions for the folks who acquire the songs for "Guitar Hero":
The video-game industry has defeated more superheroes than Lex Luthor could ever dream of. Superman, Aquaman, Iron Man, X-Men: All rendered lifeless by forces more focused on making a buck than on delivering thrills.
It's been a busy week in professional football, with a couple of big, controversial stars — Brett Favre and Michael Vick — joining NFL rosters. No worries, though, for John Madden, because both men are already set to take the field in "Madden NFL 10," his namesake video game.
What's a gamer to do in the summer, when so few high-profile retail titles are released? I look for new challenges to download — and most of those are going onto my Xbox 360. It remains the essential machine for gamers who don't want to leave home.
AddictingGames — the Web site that published ripped-from-the-headlines games such as "Baseball Juiced," "Trillion Dollar Bailout," "Where's the Naughty Governor?" and "Hero on the Hudson" — is tackling its riskiest project yet: turning the slump in the housing market into something fun.
If you have a spouse, a sibling or some other relative or friend who loves football and video games, don't expect to see much of him (or her) this weekend. "Madden NFL 10," the latest installment of the series that took armchair quarterbacking to a new level, comes out Friday.
The "Shin Megami Tensei" series may be the epitome of cult video-game franchises, barely known by most players but beloved by a small but devoted core of fans.
Harold Ramis has directed some of the most popular comedies of the past 30 years, including "Caddyshack," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This." But his smartest career decision may have been rejecting one high-profile job.
Movie comedies rarely lead to funny sequels. Take "Ghostbusters," whose blockbuster success in 1984 led to "Ghostbusters II" five years later. Critics, fans and, reportedly, some of the cast felt let down by the result.
The "Wiimote" — the motion-sensing wand that controls the action on Nintendo's Wii — serves many purposes. It doubles as a sword, a gun, a racket, a steering wheel or whatever else a game designer might dream up.
Activision, publisher of the best-selling music game series "Guitar Hero," is looking to expand its audience with this fall's "Guitar Hero 5," with new features designed for casual players and die-hard fans alike.
The video-game store looks more like a multiplex during the summer months, with just about every blockbuster action movie getting an interactive tie-in. More than half of the films on last week's box-office top 10 list have related games. Next weekend, you'll be able to watch Pixar's "Up" on the big screen, then grab the game on your way home.
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