Console Articles

Each year we're treated to 12 months worth of games all competing for your hard earned cash. Some are must-buys, some are just average, but only a select few can be labeled the year's most truly disappointing.

This year I'll take a look at the games and trends that induced the most head-scratching and face-palming reactions from an entire calendar year. Brace yourselves. It gets ugly here on out.

Feeling nostalgic? Here's what stunk in 2011.

Updated with new Steam details.

PC gamers will find deals on lots of titles today. It's a great opportunity to pick up a game or two you've been meaning to play.

Two notes: Dishonored. Every retailer has it for a discounted $29.99. Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition. Amazon and Steam both have it for $7.49. I recommend both titles, especially at those prices (just beware of Batman's always-odious Games for Windows Live integration).

Amazon Amazon's site navigation is kind of a mess. You can find the discounted, downloadable PC games here.… Read more

Forget all the talk about the unique tablet-turned-game-pad controller in Nintendo's new Wii U game console. Forget, as well, the highly hyped possibilities of dual-view second-screen gaming. The real triumph of the Wii U is in its advocacy for a nearly lost concept: same-room multiplayer gaming.

Yes, a reasonable amount of same-room gaming still goes on in living rooms and dorms, usually in the form of Street-Fighter-style beat-'em-ups, or sports games such as the Madden NFL series. But the classic concept of sharing a physical space alongside a virtual one has been eclipsed for years by other forms of multiplayer gaming that are not reliant on the participants being in the same place or even playing at the same time.

Let's call the experience of playing NintendoLand or New Super Mario Bros. U "synchronous-local" gaming. It's how we would play classic games from Combat on the Atari 2600 to Super Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It's also how we've played games from chess to Monopoly long before video games existed (apologies in advance to the legions of correspondence chess players who will no doubt object to this description).

… Read more

If you're looking for a Black Friday break on the brand-new Nintendo Wii U or just-released games such as Halo 4 and Call of Duty Black Ops 2, you might be out of luck. But, just about everything else in the world of console gaming is, well, fair game.

It's hard to imagine that anyone who wants an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii doesn't have one already. But just in case you need one or more to fill out your hardware collection or are looking for a gift, there are some deals to be had. … Read more

After using the Wii U for about a week, I've had a decidedly mixed experience.

The positive future-forward idea of a tabletlike GamePad that works away from the TV, Nintendo's fun family-oriented ideas of same-room party play -- well, so far, those benefits have been outweighed by a lot of question marks.

You've probably heard about some of the issues in our still-unfolding Wii U review. The Wii U, as it currently stands, is a new game console that's in need of a confidence boost. It needs to compete against the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and even Apple's devices, and be good enough to succeed.

Here's what I think it needs most, and what's standing in the way of success.… Read more

Nintendo's Wii U is now on sale in the U.S., following a midnight launch event at the Nintendo World store in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center.

Fans started gathering more as early as Thursday for a chance to be the first to own the Wii U, a living room game console with a tablet-style controller. The Wii U is the first new living room game console from any of the big three console-makers (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) since the the 2005-2006 releases of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

For a closer look at the midnight launch … Read more

Just like the 3DS before it, Nintendo's Wii U console will ship with limited functionality, falling short of what the company promised would be available on launch day this Sunday, according to a Nintendo press release.

Most notable from the release is the absence of the Nintendo TVii service, the free program the company had said would be available from day one. TVii will be activated for the Wii U sometime in December. As you may recall, TVii is the live TV, TiVo DVR, and streaming service integration that aims to become the jumping-off point for your living-room entertainment. … Read more

The latest Grand Theft Auto V trailer has landed, and with it Rockstar Games has provided some more insight about what to expect from one of 2013's most anticipated titles.

GTA V will be five times the size of Red Dead Redemption and take place in the fictional city of Los Santos, which is loosely based on Los Angeles. Players will take on the role of three separate characters -- a first for the franchise -- and alternate among each. Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each possesses a different skill set and will need to work together to pull off … Read more

November 18 marks the release of the first new home console in six years. The Nintendo Wii U promises a brand new gaming experience with the use of an innovative tablet controller.

So what's in the box? Tune in to see what's packed inside the Wii U Deluxe Set that goes for $350. Keep it here for a full review of the console closer to launch.