Cliff Bleszinski (Credit: Getty Images)There aren't a lot of celebrity game developers. The profession, by and large, isn't one that lends itself to the limelight. But Cliff Bleszinski has been a rare exception to that rule.

Camera-friendly, highly energetic and never at a loss for words, the design director for such titles as Gears of War and the Unreal franchise was a natural on talk shows like Jimmy Fallon. Yesterday, though, he shocked the industry by announcing plans to leave Epic Games, his video game home for the past 20 years.

Bleszinski hasn't announced his future plans, though they almost certainly will involve game development. For now, he says, he's ready for a rest.

The newly released NBA 2K13 is, by all accounts, a terrific video game and among the most realistic sports simulations you'll ever play.

Also, it's got Justin Bieber. A 6'4" Justin Bieber who can drive past Kevin Durant and dunk on Kobe Bryant:

(Credit: 2K Sports)Thanks to EA's decision to bench NBA Live for the third consecutive year, 2K Sports has the NBA all to itself once again.

A lack of competition, though, tends to make players nervous. While the NBA 2K franchise has been a shining jewel amongst sports games in recent years, does developer Visual Concepts have what it takes to once again take the title?

It certainly seems so. NBA 2K13, which boasts Jay-Z as an executive producer and the first video game get-together of the 1992 Dream Team, is earning rave reviews.

(Credit: Blizzard)Blizzard Entertainment was hoping Mists of Pandaria, the latest World of Warcraft expansion pack, would help shore up the game's rapidly declining subscription numbers.

But so far, it's far from clear if the game is finding an audience.

Lazard Capital Markets says week one sales of the expansion came in at well under 1 million copies sold at retail. Previous WoW expansions have historically outsold their predecessors, so that would be a serious stumble if the company's retail checks are accurate.

(Credit: Capcom)

It might have morphed into a lucrative film franchise, but the game that put survival horror on the map is returning to its roots.

Releasing Tuesday, Resident Evil 6 lets gamers fight off undead beasts as multiple characters from the franchise's 15-year history. It's the largest Resident Evil game yet -- and it's gotten a significant push from both publisher Capcom and partners like Microsoft, who put it center stage during its E3 press conference earlier this year. In a holiday season filled with huge names like Halo and Call of Duty, it still manages to stand out.

But something is rotten in the state of Resident Evil, and it's not the corpses. Critics are ripping into the new game like a hungry zombie, calling it poorly paced and poorly executed.

Despite several promises that its flagship basketball franchise would return after a three-year absence, EA has decided to once again bench NBA Live.

The decision is likely to disappoint fans who were hoping to see some competition in the NBA field once again, but is terrific news for 2K Sports, whose NBA2K 13 will once again have the court to itself.

1987 was a landmark year for pop culture entertainment. It was the first time we heard Capt. Jean-Luc Picard tell the crew of the Enterprise to "engage." A dysfunctional yellow family called The Simpsons debuted in a series of shorts on "The Tracey Ullman Show." And "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" took its final bow.

The video game universe saw some pretty dramatic events as well, as several of the industry's biggest franchises got their start in 1987 -- and some 25 years later, they'll still kicking.

Here's a look at some of the huge games that were born in 1987 and what they're up to now.

Bad Piggies, Rovio's first truly original game since Angry Birds, hits app stores everywhere today, putting the focus on the light-fingered, egg-loving pigs that have long tortured the feathered protagonists.

It's a blend of familiar territory and new mechanics for the developer, blending well-known characters from its hit series with the building elements of Amazing Alex (the company's rehashed version of Casey's Contraptions that came out earlier this year). Players must build a craft out of the inventory they're given at the start of each level to let the pigs complete their goal.

Will the pigs prove as popular as the birds? Are players ready for a game without catapults?