Blog Posts by Ben Silverman

10 Weirdest Video Game Records

While old-school records like "Tallest Man" and "Longest Fingernails" will always hold a place in our hearts, Guinness World Records has come a long way. The official keeper of mankind's

greatest feats has spent the past few years opening its doors to gamers -- and gamers are certainly making up for lost time. The 2011 edition just hit shelves, and to celebrate, we've sifted through the compendium of craziness to present some of the kookiest game records yet.

Halo: Combat Evolved Looks like Master Chief is re-enlisting.

Game blog Joystiq reports that a remake of the very first Halo game, 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, is in the works and will release later this year for the Xbox 360.

The remake will reportedly include a full visual upgrade -- including new art assets and support for hi-def and 3D sets -- as well as new control configurations.

The most recent outing in the famous first-person franchise, Halo: Reach (Buy | Search), was the final game from longtime Halo developer Bungie. Joystiq's sources claim that the update is being developed by Saber Interactive, a New York studio best known
for 2007 shooter TimeShift. However, the project is still being overseen

Hear that buzzing? It's not a horsefly, pardner -- it's the upcoming animated flick, Rango.

Reuniting "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinksi with leading man Johnny Depp, Rango stars the swashbuckler as a chameleon tasked with defending an Old West town from ne'er-do-wells. Paramount hopes the film can parlay the duo's past success into the first animated hit of 2011.

That hope extends to the video game, and while the quality of movie tie-ins can often be a bit dubious, Rango: The Videogame is getting some 'surprising' love from game critics. Games Radar calls it "fresh and consistently surprising," while game blog Destructoid thinks it's "a solid title with surprising variety."

Zombies have invaded our televisions (The Walking Dead), game consoles
(Dead Rising 2, Left 4 Dead) and smartphones (Plants vs. Zombies, Zombie
Escape) -- and according to a new video that has the gaming world
abuzz, the rotting beauties are poised to infiltrate our vacations, too.

The official announcement trailer for Dead Island has, appropriately enough, brought the once-dead game back to life. Developed by Techland (best known as the minds behind Old-West shooter Call of Juarez), the ambitious, open-world action romp stars a delightful family who find their sunny island vacay rudely interrupted by hordes of shambling corpses.

That might sound typical, but the trailer is anything but.

Old-school Link Adventurous video game hero Link might stay forever young, but he's a
lot older than you think. On the heels of Mario's 25th birthday last year,
Nintendo's beloved Legend of Zelda franchise turns 25 this week.

First introduced to gamers in Japan on February 21, 1986, the smash series has spawned some of the best-selling games ever released, from the revolutionary, gold-cartridge NES classic to the seminal Nintendo
64 hit The Ocarina of Time -- still among the highest-rated
games ever (and soon to get the 3DS treatment). Toting a sword, shield and a variety of useful items, series staple Link has been a cash cow for Nintendo, helping the company sell a good 60 million Zelda games worldwide.

Mathercize! There's no shortage of games out there purporting to liven
up your brain, and you can barely swing a Wiimote without hitting an exergame
designed to keep you physically fit. But what about a combination of the two?

That's the premise behind Namco's Body
and Brain Connection. Releasing February 8, it's the first brain training
game for Microsoft's controller-free Kinect camera.

Check out the best-selling brain games

Starring Dr. Ryuta Kawashima -- the very same digitized doc who took you through the paces in Nintendo's genre-defining Brain Age games -- Body and Brain Connection  attempts to bulk up both your gray matter and your muscles at the same time. The game initially tests you to

Five New Board Games you Should Play

Franchises You Won't See in 2011

No doubt about it -- 2011 is shaping up to an absolute barnburner
of a year for gamers. But not all great franchises are getting in on the act.
While anticipated sequels to the likes of Uncharted, Gears of War and Mass Effect
are headed to consoles, some of the industry's biggest names will be taking the
year off.