In his latest column onIndustryGamers, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich suggests that the growth of peripheral-based music games may have already hit the ceiling. With sales in the genre down 30% from last year, he comparesRock BandandGuitar Heroto the granddaddy of rhythm-matching titles,Dance Dance Revolution.Divinich makes a compelling argument that sales of the games may already be in a state of irreversible decline. There are a number of reasons for the games to be taking a sales hit, but they all come down to the amount of innovation being seen in each iteration being staggeringly small....

I’m at GDC and currently tired beyond description, but I thought you might wanna know that the newest episode of Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’ is up. It’s onHeavy Rain, and you can watch ithere.

For owners ofHDcapable sets,God of War 2just got a slight graphical bump. Not that it needed it …A hidden code has been discovered that enables whatGameTrailersis calling a “HiddenHD” mode. But in reality, what it seems to do is sharpen the graphics up significantly, and not really change the game’s actual resolution. I tested the code this morning and there’s a definite visual difference once activated.Press and hold L1, L2, L3, Square and Circle as you boot up the game....

If you don’t like seeing creatures get shot in the face with arrows, or creeps exploding into bits of bloody goo when hit with a shield, look away now. I’m assuming most of you are still with me. Hi! In this latest trailer forHunted, we get a better look at the title’s cooperative gameplay. Also, lots of brutal combat. Seriously, blood everywhere. Huntedis out May 31 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC....

I have only punched someone one time in my entire life. I was standing at a bus stop when I was in elementary school and a bully (whose name I will not mention in fear he will come back and retaliate) started making fun of a fellow classmate who was different than everyone else. He was being unfunny, ugly, and just plain cruel. I couldn’t take it anymore! I just ran up to him, pulled back my fist (naively made with my thumbinsidemy fingers — ouch!...

Sucker Punch has revealed a brand new trailer forinFAMOUS 2, and it’s about as subtle as a neon rapist. It explores the game’s “duality” system, in which Cole is encouraged to perform good or bad actions by a pair of cartoon-like women. Yep, looks about as profound and sophisticated as the morality system fromthe first game. Do you save an orphanage, or do you stamp on a puppy’s balls? It’s up to you!...

Insomniac Games has launched a browser-based game calledGlobal Resistance. The title will tie-in to the upcomingResistance 3, giving players the opportunity to garner a number of in-game rewards. Global Resistancehas players choosing a side — human or Chimera — and building up bases and deploying troops in a “global struggle for control of the world.” It seems like a neat little game, and I’ve already unlocked a handful ofResistance 3concept art having put only a few minutes into it....

If you have yet to experience the magical brilliance ofSuper Mario Galaxy’ssoundtrack, then we’ll tell you that you’re in for a musical experience that is just as exciting and amazing as the game is. Music4Games interviewed the two musical masterminds behind this score:Mahito Yokota, and the famedMarioandZeldaseries composer Koji Kondo. In the interview, the team talks about the over 100 minutes of musical score in depth, covering gameplay interaction, compositional techniques, and improvements in console sound capabilities....

I had reported in anearlier postthat Rockstar was going to appeal the BBFC’s decision to ban its PS2/PSP/Wii titleManhunt 2in the United Kingdom. However, as one might imagine, this is not going to be an easy task.Next-Gentoday reports that the fight to get the ban lifted may take months of expensive work and even then, the battle may be for a neutered version of the original. If Rockstar ever succeeds, it could be for nothing but pride now, and the small chance to rub it in the BBFC’s face....

Let’s clear the air on last night’sChrono Triggerrumortoid: it’s coming to the DS, and it’s coming our way this holiday season. The lovely folks at Square Enix sent out a press release today confirmingWeekly Famitsu‘s report of theChrono TriggerDS remake. The game will feature a new dungeon (yes!), a “wireless play mode”, dual-screen presentation, and touch-screen functionality. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the use of the two screens will probably be pretty perfunctory,à la Final Fantasy III DS....

To celebrate the launch of Napalm & Cordite, Guerrilla Games has revealed that this weekend shall rewardKillzone 2players with Double XP. That should definitely help me get to that ridiculous final rank. “This weekend from Friday at 17:30 GMT till Monday morning at 09:00, any games created will give extra XP points to let you guys rank up quicker and unlock those Badges and climb up the Leaderboard,” confirms Seb Downie on thePlayStation Blog....

If you don’t remember this game, allow me to refresh your memory, because it’s my jam. It’s a combat-heavy roleplaying game designed by theElder Scrolls‘ Ken Rolston, with art design by Todd McFarlane and writing by R.A. Salvatore. Suck it down! The above is but five minutes of gameplay ripped for an hour-long demo. If you like what you see, you may watch the whole thing at thegame’s official site....

I can’t believe I’m writing this: you can now downloadNightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger forMortal Kombat. The downloadable dream killer is available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for 400 MS Points or $4.99. If you’ve previously purchased the “Season Pass” for Xbox 360, he’s the final character in that fighter bunch. PS3 gets its own package, as well, with the $14.99 warrior Bundle that features three other characters: Kenshi, Rain, and Skarlet....