Blog Posts by Chris Morris

NBA 2K13 (Credit: 2K Sports)Earlier this year, number watchers in the video game industry were hopeful things would return to positive territory in October, which is traditionally when the trickle of big games turns into a flood.

That optimism proved to be misplaced.

Brick and mortar retail sales of video game software were down 25 percent year over year to $432.6 million, according to The NPD Group. Overall sales, which factor in hardware and accessories, were also down 25 percent.

Angry Birds Star Wars (Credit: Rovio)Hang on a sec, Disney -- Rovio's got some Star Wars business to attend to first.

You could be forgiven for thinking the combination of Angry Birds and Star Wars is little more than an unholy marketing union. The mash-up, on the surface, at least, has potential disaster written all over it.

But like peanut butter and chocolate, it turns out this pop-culture odd couple works great together, and is certain to delight fans of both franchises. Available today for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows and Mac computers, it could actually turn out to be the Angry Birds game you were looking for.

(Credit: Steve Downes)There's a lot we still don't know about Halo's Master Chief, but it's safe to say very few of us thought he'd be a classic rock DJ.

Steve Downes has given the Halo hero his voice since the very beginning. When he's not busy battling the Covenant, blasting the Promethians, or chatting with Cortana, you can find him on WDRV ("The Drive") in Chicago.

The 62-year-old DJ grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and while the 6'10" Master Chief's face is permanently obscured behind his helmet's shield, it's a safe bet he looks little like Downes, who's relatively short, sandy haired and wears glasses.

South Park: The Stick of Truth (Credit: THQ)Struggling publisher THQ is looking even more vulnerable after the company announced plans Tuesday to push back the release of its three biggest upcoming releases and suspend all earnings guidance for the foreseeable future.

The company also announced it had hired an adviser to help it review its options and find new ways to raise money. Investors were quick to punish the company's stock, with THQ shares plunging 42 percent Wednesday morning.

In the end, things worked out pretty good for Harv Bennett, the Pomona, CA man who recently unearthed a copy of the incredibly rare Atari 2600 game Air Raid.

You might recall his story: After reading up about the scarcity of the game, Harv and his daughter Alana went treasure hunting in the family storage shed, excitedly finding Harv's pristine copy amidst stacks of other Atari 2600 games. After verifying its authenticity, they put it up for bidding at video game auction site Gamegavel.com, hoping collectors would go nuts.

They did.

Return to Castle WolfensteinAnother classic video game from id Software is on the way to movie theaters. Let's just hope it turns out better than "Doom."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Castle Wolfenstein is ready for its close-up. Roger Avary, who co-created the story for "Pulp Fiction," will handle the writing and directing duties. At present, there's no estimated release date for the film.

The movie will be primarily based on 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, though the franchise dates back to 1981's Castle Wolfenstein on the Apple II. That would go on to inspire a number of other Wolfenstein games over the years, including Wolfenstein 3D, considered by most to be the granddaddy of the first-person shooter game genre.

Curt Schilling (Credit: Getty Images)Former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling's bad luck in the video game industry didn't end with the closure of his development studio. In fact, it could be about to get a lot worse.

The state of Rhode Island is suing the founder of 38 Studios -- and several others -- over the $75 million loan it made to the company, saying they "knew or should have known … that 38 Studios was destined to fail."

(Credit: 2K Sports)The Los Angeles Lakers have an 0-2 record and went winless in the pre-season. Kobe Bryant is playing on a bad foot, Dwight Howard's still getting in game shape and star point guard Steve Nash had to be helped off the court near the end of the first half on Wednesday after suffering a shin injury.

But according to 2K Sports's NBA 2K13, they're still going to win it all this season.