Blog Posts by Chris Morris

Activision-Blizzard has come a long way in the past few years.

It wasn't that long ago that the company was an also-ran in
video game industry, making some strong franchises, but never really dominating
the sales charts. These days, though, the company is responsible for five of
the 10 highest grossing games of all time.

Activision's archrival Electronic Arts isn't on the list at
all. Nintendo holds four of the other spots, while Viacom holds the final one.

The powerhouse "Call of Duty" franchise fills up three slots on the best selling list - with the most recent installment "Black Ops" showing every sign that it will soon become the best selling game of all time, as judged by gross sales.

Gaming's got some big dates. Odds are you've got certain days circled on your kitchen
calendar. A birthday, an anniversary, perhaps the annual family trip to Disneyland
-- whatever it is, it's something that happens the same time every year and
it's a day worth remembering.

Turns out the gaming world works in a very similar fashion.
While the precise dates are a little more flexible, the industry has an uncanny
knack for releasing new versions of hit games right around the exact same time
each year. Here are a few that you can count on.

Sony's Winter Blockbuster Day (on or about Feb 22)

Most of the big titles in gaming come out during the holiday
season, but Sony typically reserves one heavy hitter for the early part

Duke Nukem The most delayed video game of all time is adding to its
record.

Duke Nukem Forever, which has been in development for over a
dozen years and very nearly died in 2009, won't make its targeted May 3 release
date. Instead, developer Gearbox Software has announced (via a clever, but not
entirely work safe YouTube
video) that it will ship to U.S.
players on June 14.

In practical terms, that's nothing, but it sure has given
fans and detractors of the franchise something to laugh about.

"It merely says 'June 14' on the poster. They didn't
give a year..," wryly noted commenter 'xeropulse' on Shacknews.

Gearbox and publisher 2K Games are assuring customers that
this isn't history repeating itself,

Zynga's helping give back As recovery efforts continue in Japan after a devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and accompanying tsunami, the video game industry is rallying to aid in the relief.

Some publishers are reaching into their own pockets to donate, while others -- along with select members of the development community
-- are leveraging their customer base to raise money.

Here's a rundown of some of the more notable contributions and fundraising initiatives that have taken place - plus ways you can help out.

Publisher Donations:

NCSoft - Through its Japanese joint venture NCJapan, the company is donating 500 million yen ($6.2 million), which is roughly one month's revenue for NCSoft and marks the industry's

Wii Fit - Nintendo It's not hard to find stories that blame video games for all of society's problems. From ill-attentive children to violent, anti-social behavior, they're often the first place politicians and self-appointed morality guides point as they search for something to blame.

What makes the evening news much less frequently, though, are scientific studies that show the benefits of electronic entertainment. As gaming becomes a larger force in the pop-culture world, more and more academics are taking the time to study the effects of gameplay on the people holding the controllers.

The findings are sometimes surprising. Here are five positive effects today's video games can have on players:

They can

Duke Nukem Forever No one would ever accuse Duke Nukem of being a closet feminist, but the cigar-chomping, buzz-cut sporting, alien butt-kicker is stirring the pot once again.

The multiplayer modes for the imminent Duke Nukem Forever have been announced (via the April issue of Official Xbox Magazine) -- and one, dubbed "Capture the Babe," has raised some eyebrows.

The game itself is developer Gearbox Software's take on the classic "Capture the Flag" style of play, where competing teams try to steal a totem and return it to their base.

Only in this case, it's a woman.

If that were all there was to it, few would bat an eye. But when the magazine asserted that the 'babe' would sometimes freak out and have to be

Who will score the next cover? - EA Sports For NFL players, being named the cover athlete for EA's Madden franchise beats the pants off getting their face plastered on a Wheaties box.

Historically, the company has decided who gets the honor, but this year, it's letting fans make the decision.

EA and ESPN are partnering for a five-week, bracket-style voting campaign to determine who will appear on the front of Madden 12. The first round starts Monday and runs through Sunday, with weekly updates culminating in a full reveal on April 27.

32 contenders are in the running, one from each NFL team. Exactly how they were chosen as semi-finalists isn't clear, but some of the choices (and omissions) are likely to spark conversations among

Yoostar 2 Your high school drama teacher might have suggested that the
best place for you when it comes to acting is in the audience, but does a PhD
give him the ability to spot raw talent? No way!

Fortunately, with the help of an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, you can finally show the world your star potential by acting it out in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters.

Yoostar 2, which hits store shelves this week, lets you digitally insert yourself into clips from some of the biggest movies and TV shows out there. So long, Arnie. Now you're The Terminator. Beat it, Aykroyd: Belushi's got a new Blues Brother.

All totaled, there are 80 scenes available in the game, with hundreds more available for