Blog Posts by Gordon Cameron

Nintendo Entertainment System, Deluxe SetIn 1985, you could buy a brand new Nintendo Entertainment System Deluxe Set, complete with the console itself, two controllers, the awesome R.O.B. robot, a Nintendo Zapper light gun, and cartridges for two games (Gyromite and Duck Hunt) for a mere $199.

Today?  It'll cost you a little more.

Click for a photo tour of The Old Republic!It's been a whirlwind holiday season.  We've seen Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3, Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword storming onto store shelves, making this one of the most memorable gaming years in a long time.

So that's gotta be it, right? Surely 2011 has nothing left in its bag of tricks?

No.  There is another.

BeyonceBeyonce may be expecting, but it looks like she's still going to have to go to court.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, this Tuesday a New York Superior Court judge denied the 30-year-old pop diva's motion to dismiss a $100 million lawsuit being brought by game developer Gate Five. The suit, which was filed in April, alleges that Beyonce pulled out of a motion-control dance game project called Starpower: Beyonce, in which Gate Five had already invested almost $7 million.

According to Gate Five's attorneys, Beyonce's move has cost them hundreds of millions in potential profits, and led to the laying-off of 70 employees last Christmas season, a "bad faith breach of contract so callous

Alec Baldwin (Getty Images)You know when the flight attendants tell you to turn off all electronic devices prior to takeoff? They're not kidding -- even if you happen to be a star.

Actor Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines flight leaving Los Angeles for New York on Tuesday when he was apparently too engrossed in a game of Zynga's "Words With Friends" to power down his iPad.

"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," the actor tweeted.

Don't blame Canada, blame THQ.

South Park: The Game (THQ)Having long since persuaded the TV and film industries to respect their authoritah, the boys of South Park are about to take another crack at the world of video games.

As revealed by Game Informer, South Park: The Game is to be written by South Park impresarios (and devoted gamers) Trey Parker and Matt Stone  in collaboration with publisher THQ and veteran role-playing game developer Obsidian (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas).  The title will be released sometime in 2012 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Three weeks ago, Nintendo's plucky plumber leapt into the third dimension with Super Mario 3D Land.  This time, he's driving there.

Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo)Releasing December 4^th on the 3DS, Mario Kart 7 is the latest entry in a venerable series that dates back almost 20 years to the Super NES.  As always, players will get the chance to place famous characters from the Mario franchise in the driver's seat of a frenzied, no-holds-barred go-kart race.

Nintendo's hoping Mario Kart 7's release will consolidate the holiday-season sales momentum generated by the twin launches of 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, thereby redeeming a generally disappointing year for the video game giant.

There's life in the old mascots yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)Nintendo's top two franchises propelled the embattled publisher's sales to dizzying heights during the holiday shopping frenzy, with Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) racking up over 1 million units since their respective U.S. launches.

According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, Skyward Sword has sold 535,000 copies since its Nov. 20 launch, making it the fastest-selling Zelda game in franchise history. And Super Mario 3D Land isn't far behind, selling over 500,000 units itself since launching on Nov. 11. That makes it the fastest selling portable Mario game of all time.

There's a reason she's legendary.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)Famed Princess Zelda, who's been getting herself into trouble for a quarter of a century, is back at it along with her would-be savior Link in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, releasing Sunday for the Wii.

An epic action-adventure drawing upon one of Nintendo's most-beloved franchises, Skyward Sword is perhaps the last great hurrah for the waning Wii console.  As with past iterations of the series -- among them 1998's The Ocarina of Time, viewed by some critics as the greatest video game ever made -- this Zelda is cleaning up in the reviews. Mostly.