Sports simulations, ostensibly, are about recreating the on-field experience in videogame form as well as possible. But as time went on, gamers wanted more out of their sports games; they wanted to try running a team as opposed to just playing for one, which is why most sports sims have some sort of franchise mode. However, aside from 2K Sports’MLB Front Office Manager, we haven’t really seen any games (or game modes) that focus solely on the general manager, whose job it is to maintain a team’s roster....

So it all comes down to this. After a few weeks of various reports of slippery handed slug creatures tossing their Wii remotes into everything from their televisions to their hamsters, Nintendo will be replacing the “faulty” straps. Free of charge of course for consumers. Nintendo on the other hand will spend several million dollars on the recall. Ouch. Getting a replacement is easy enough — Nintendo has set up anonline request formthat requires your shipping info and Wii serial numbers....

Last weekwe posted a storywhere Nintendo refuted claims that its third party games weren’t selling by producing acolorful little chartthat was apparent proof of its dominance in software sales. Microsoft, however, has somefancy figures of its ownwhich fly in the face of Nintendo’s claims. Here are the sparkling NPD figures, as taken from Microsoft: MS’ David Dennis went as far as to say: “No matter how you slice it, the Wii third party game story is not a pretty one....

I met with Nyko at E3 to see what they had lined up for this year. Kinect and 3DS are hot gaming products, so it makes sense that Nyko had accessories lined up for both of them. The Zoom attachment for Kinect is simple, but it’s a great idea. This is a clip-on lens (no power required) for the Kinect sensor that saves those that have smaller living rooms and apartments from the long minimum required operating distance of the device....

When talking about MMOs in the US, free has become a dirty word. Despite the fact that microtransaction driven business models have achieved a large degree of success in Korea and other Asian markets, the “F” word here continues to denote a failed game in the eyes of many. This is not a fickle perception — for most western MMOs in recent years, the conversion to free-to-play has been a signpost clearly indicating that the end is near....

Since I love you all so much I have decided to grace you lovely lot with two videointerviewswith Alex fromMad Catz; I assure you his energy is contagious. This time we take a look atMad catzlimited edition Chun-Li fight stick. This thing is bloody beautiful, and I’m not lying — I’ve seen some pretty amazing designs in my time but this one took my breath away. To save my embarrassment, Daniel Carneiro did edit out me getting my ass kicked atStreet Fighter,but the fight stick was great to use, even for a button basher like myself....

I had forgotten aboutAfterFall: InSanity, a post-apocalyptic third-person shooter with mutants. No wait, come back — it actually looks intriguing. Previously, this was teased as having a more ambiguous Q4 2011 release; it’s gunning for a November launch on PC and will see ports to additional platforms “soon after.” “‘Afterfall’ means that the game takes place in theAfterfalluniverse, an alternate version of history since the Second World War. ‘InSanity’ refers to the shocking events that occur in the year 2032....

2007 was a banner years for gaming, but that doesn’t mean that tripe isn’t being turned out at an equal pace. Some crappy games are hilarious though, and I think my world would be a different place without them. PC World has done their round-up for most offensive game of 2007, and here are the winners: 1.So you think you can drive, Mel? 6.Resistance: Fall of Man 7.Scrabble DS...

After titles such asSuper Chick Sisters, PETA figured there was no reason to stop there: why not inject the universe with a further dose of their own brand of creativity? This time the result isCooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, a flash game that more or less follows Mama’s dark path as I outlinedway back when. Play the game and you’ll find yourself playing a demonized version of Majesco’s lovable character, who prepares Thanksgiving dinner by plucking the feathers and innards out of a dead turkey....

Phosphor Games, the studio behindAwakened, is creating a UDK-powered iOS game with an eye to creating another “AAA” mobile experience. It’s calledThe Dark Meadow, it’s played in first-person, and it looks creepy as Hell. “From the start, our vision forThe Dark Meadowwas to create a top-tier console gaming experience that works on iOS devices from 3GS to iPad 2,” said studio director Chip Sineni. “From the real-time cinematics and in-depth storyline, to the gesture-based ranged and melee combat systems, our goal is to integrate the best of hardcore console gaming with the intuitive ease of the casual mobile world....

Mere hours after our very own Tara Longlamented the sorry state of the Android App Store, PopCap has revealed that they are heeding the call. PopCap’s Jeff Green uploaded to Twitter the above images ofPlants vs. ZombiesandPegglerunning on an Android device. Greenlater revealedthat the games will not be ad-supported. Great news for me. Having just made the jump from a Blackberry to an Android phone, I’m ready for more quality games to be released on the platform....

Yes, this is my fourthGuitar Hero 5-related post of the day. You know you love it. This morning, Activision released a new trailer forGuitar Hero 5featuring the one and only Johnny Cash. He’s a playable character in the game, just likeCarlos Santanaand Garbage’sShirley Manson; this will actually be Cash’s videogame debut. Obviously, Neversoft didn’t do motion capture with the late country singer, but regardless, his in-game model looks spectacular. The lip-synching in particular is impressive....

And by “very soon,” I of course mean “tomorrow” for Xbox 360 players, “this Thursday” for those with a PlayStation 3, and “February 26” for PC owners. The demo forH.A.W.X.will include a couple of missions, a few playable licensed aircraft, and 4-player co-op. I didn’t know the first thing about this game until readingHamza’s impressions, but it sounds like something I’d like to try out. The last type of combat flight game I played wasStar Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, so it will be neat to see how we’ve progressed....