So now, we have the data to critically examine the question: Is PC gaming in crisis? On the surface, recent NPD figures would indicate an affirmative, with retail sales dropping nearly US$60 million from US$970 million in 2006 to US$910.7 million in 2007. This number fails to take into account the revenue earned from MMO subscriptions and from digital distributors such as the booming Steam network. Factor those into your figures, and you’ll see that PC gaming is alive and kicking without a doubt.

But if raw retail figures and rankings give you a real buzz, hit the jump for the top 10 selling PC games of ‘07.

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The Brazilian government has banned the sale of Counter-Strike and EverQuest. Though originally banned in October as ordered by the Brazilian federal court, only now are the bans being enforced. Judge Carlos Alberto Simoes found the games to be “the subversion of public order” and “an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security.” … Yeah, not really sure how he came to that conclusion either.

Currently we aren’t sure if the bans pertain to only the original titles or if CS: Source and EverQuest 2 are also affected. Being that the ban is only on the sale and not on possession of the games, there is still plenty of opportunity for sweaty nerds to pwn n00bs and create female elf characters.

via Joystiq

Activision has announced their Guitar Hero franchise has sold over 14 million units in North America alone, resulting in US$1 billion in revenue. Activision acquired Red Octane six months after release of the first Guitar Hero for a paltry $100 million. It’s little wonder they were the most successful game company of last year.

via Wii Fanboy

News is in the NASA are considering making their own MMO. Unfortunately the title will allow players to “simulate real NASA engineering and science missions” and not fake lunar landings or keep the world safe from alien warlords.

Maybe I’m wrong on this one but does this seem like it could be the most boring game ever conceived. I’ve got visions of endless “you forgot to uncouple the fuel line, respawn in 30 seconds” screens. Okay, in reality the game will be used as an educational resource, but I still think NASA needs to learn that launching a rocket virtually is inversely boring as it is fun in real life. Your tax dollars at work people.

via The BBC

Acclaimed industry analyst Michael Pachter has speculated that 2008 will be the year of the PS3, which will soon begin to undercut Wii sales. Pachterdamus points at retail cost in being a decisive factor here - he believes that once the PS3 drops below US$300, it’s all over for the Wii. He also alludes to big titles such as GTAIV and GT5 Prologue playing some part in the trend.

These predictions arrive at a time where latest NPD figures reveal Nintendo’s trouncing of the competition in December 07.

While it’s not usually a good idea to take whatever Pachter says as gospel, its still pretty hard to see Nintendo keeping the overwhelming success of the Wii going for much longer than they already have.

via WiiFanBoy

There’s no doubt that the now infamous practices which gave notoriety to Guerrilla Games is widely frowned upon. A few bad apples like these really threaten the integrity of the industry as a whole.

While “bullshots” (as they are commonly known) are sometimes created for not-as-dubious purposes, once they are intentionally passed off as the real thing they become lies, plain and simple. Their existence is largely due to unscrupulous marketing people whose only interest is in the short term gains of duping customers, while leaving the franchise and even the developers to deal with a soiled reputation.

However the scope of visual marketing is large, and there is a surprisingly large gray area between what is truth and what is lie. This week GamePro look closer at why these practices continue exist, despite their all-round negative consequences.

Read the story here

Last year, UK citizens spent a massive £1.52 billion on video games, a 25% increase on last year’s sales and still climbing. With these figures, perhaps development companies will start developing games specifically for British needs? Prepare yourselves for “Fox Hunt: Tip Tip Tally Ho Edition”.

via The BBC

Nintendo have taken home an Emmy for excellence in engineering creativity - for the second year in a row. The award recognized their innovative interfaces - the motion controls of the Wii and the touch-screen, dual-screen Nintendo DS.

“The pioneering interfaces for Wii and Nintendo DS reflect our long tradition of seeking new ways to enhance the gaming experience for users at every level,” said Don James, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of operations. “We’re grateful for this award and thank the academy for honoring us a second time.”

Rare have either been hitting the eggnog a bit early or they are giving us a sneaky clue on their Viva Piñata and Banjo Kazooie themed Christmas card. The clue is on the innocuous stocking marked KI3. Could this mean that a new Killer Instinct game is on the way? Unfortunately when quizzed about it Rare says not:

“Purely out of contractual obligation, no, we’re not working on KI3.”

Oh well, looks like it’s back to getting our asses handed to us in Mortal Kombat DS.

via CVG

NPD figures have shown that Activision are the clear winners in both console and handheld game sales for 2007. The company held a record market share of 16.8%, up 7.9% from last year. In November five of the best selling games in dollar value were Activision games, with the top two consisting of Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4. Between Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and now World of Warcraft there really is no stopping the company.

via 1Up