Microsoft debuts the Arcade NEXT initiative

And apparently, Arcade NEXT is a fancy way of saying that there will be new XBLA titles hitting beginning April 18th. Two of those games are Fable and Minecraft.

Digitally Downloaded: The Awards Issue magazine now live!

Last year was a great year for games. While 2012 looks to be even better, Digitally Downloaded has taken a look back with a special awards issue magazine.

It's a thriller of a Nintendo Download

And we mean 'thriller' in the zombie-music-video kinda way. And also Uggie, he's pretty thrilling too.

Gothic 4 developer, Spellbound Entertainment, files for insolvency

There's some serious financial challenges facing a real industry veteran. German developer, Spellbound Entertainment, has been around since 1994 and it's just filed for insolvency.

Review: WorldCup Cricket Fever (iPhone)

WorldCup Cricket Fever is UTV Indiagames’ newest attempt to create a definitive cricket game for the iPhone. While it uses the same engine as previous games that the developer has released (Cricket T20 Fever, IPL Indiagames T20 Fever, a couple of refinements in this game bring it a step closer to being essential.

Zynga now owns Draw Something

Following our report on the rumours that Draw Something developer, OMGPOP, was up for acquisition, we can now confirm that Zynga has acquired the developer.

Sine Mora bending time on XBLA

Just in case you missed it in our weekly Xbox update report, Grasshopper Manufacture's shmup Sine Mora is now available for download on Xbox Live Arcade.

The Xbox Live update is a lil' crazy this week

Not only does this edition of the Xbox Live update feature a game made from the nuttiness of Grasshopper Manufacture, but it's also got a heaping helping of Rayman kooky.

UPDATED: Another body blow for GAME

UPDATE: GAME has been placed into administration. 

The slow and agonising death of GAME has continued, with the company suspended from the stock exchange, and apparently with no equity value left.

Review: Battle Academy (iPad)

If there’s one genre that is really lacking on the iPad right now it’s the serious wargame. A few small indie projects aside there’s not really anything that stands up as a beacon of the genre to attract the grognard fireflies to its warm glow.

Non-Elites- your Content Collection is ready

The Call of Duty Content Collection #1 drop of new maps and Spec Op missions has been made available for the masses.

Meet Dead Kel today in Amalur

The first expansion pack for the massive role-player, Kingdoms of Amalur launches today (and adds a ton more to do) on the PSN, Xbox Live, Origin, and Steam.

Wheels of Destruction nukes the PSN this month

Gelid Games' upcoming take on the classic car combat genre, Wheels of Destruction is looking sharp. Now the vehicular shooter finally has a release date too.

GameStop begins selling eShop codes

It's nothing new to see online stores such as Amazon distributing codes for downloadable games, but GameStop appears to be one of the first to offer games on the eShop. 

As you'd expect, pricing and purchase restrictions are exactly the same as on the eShop itself. What will make this worth it for some consumers is the ability to use gift cards and in-store credit from trading games towards the purchase of digital titles.

The library isn't terribly extensive at the moment, touting only Pushmo and Virtual Console title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, but it will no doubt expand at some point. 

If you`re a resident of America, you can find the listing here, which will presumably be updated as GameStop adds support for more titles. 

Draw Something to be acquired by Zynga?

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you’ve probably heard of the next big mega-app; Draw Something by OMGPOP.

Preview: Confrontation (PC)

Traditional turned-based gaming seems to be dying out and being replaced with games of Confrontation’s ilk – a squad based strategy game. Squad based combat that seems to be a heady blend of RTS (without a base) and RPG.

Review: Dracula: The Last Sanctuary (iPhone)

Dracula needs no introduction to most people. Created in 1897 by Bram Stoker, the character became famous worldwide, successfully redefining the Vampire genre and became the inspiration for countless additional works of fiction. So it's no surprise then to see that one such work was Microid's game adaptation of Dracula is amongst them. Originally released back in 2000, Microids have decided to re-release this point and click adventure game once more onto iDevices everywhere and while it's not a particularly memorable title, it is still a fairly decent adventure.

Review: Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Vita)

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus isn’t really a new game. It’s a very old game that has been updated slightly to hit the PlayStation Vita launch window. That’s not actually a bad thing, though, because this is a classic game for a reason.

Review: Flight Control Rockets (iPad)

Flight Control is back, with what could probably be called the first genuine sequel for Firemint’s iOS rock star. Flight Control Rockets tries to do a couple of new things, and while there’s something about it that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, it’s still an enormously addictive little game.

Book Review: Gamers at Work

I’m a pretty busy person, so to find myself pushing everything on my “to do” list to read a book from cover to cover in a night is something quite rare.

Five reasons an Elder Scrolls MMO is a terrible idea

So, the rumours out in the Internet are claiming that there will be an Elder Scrolls MMO announced in May.

Discussion: Is Kickstarter the future?

If you’ve been following recent gaming news, you likely have run into Double Fine’s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, which has raised more than $3 million for a game that was refused by many major publishers.

Due to its success, you can bet that publishers and developers alike have been watching this trend very closely, and now the original Wasteland creators have jumped into the fray with attempting to get a sequel funded via Kickstarter. So, will this success continue? Will this be looked back on as a turning point for the game business, or is this a fluke?