This past September at Eurogamer Expo, I was lucky enough to be one of many who acquired a free OnLive console after merely waiting on line for a bit. But after obtaining the piece of equipment for free, I tucked it into my drawer, never to even think about it again.

That all changed when the Internet today exploded with rumors of OnLive’s demise. This is despite the fact that OnLive recently announced a partnership with Android console maker OUYA, as well as a deal with Google to run a copy of OnLive in their Google TV Stream players.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the service, OnLive is akin to the Netflix of video games, with both a purchase and rental option, as well as a sleek custom controller. Theoretically, the service can replace the need for an Xbox 360 or PS3, although it seems that its dent in the market has been less then sufficient.

Senior IDG Correspondent Martyn Williams has already reported boxes being taken outside the OnLive building on his Twitter feed:

Packing boxes in #OnLive building. (c) IDG photo. RTs OK, posting on media/news sites prohibited pic.twitter.com/xFGkSzLS

If you’re interested in the outcome of the company, you can follow Williams for the latest updates.

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It’s been a while since SEGA has been on top. The last time they rivalled the likes of Sony, Nintendo and newcomer Microsoft, was before the SEGA Dreamcast, and at this point we all have an idea about how that one went.

SEGA has recently had a long list of layoffs and title cancellations, leaving the gaming company in dire straights.

Now, in the latest bit of news, it has been announced that CEO Mike Hayes is leaving effective this summer. He will go on to serve as an advisor at SEGA as well as other major game publishers and developers. It is unknown at this time whether Hayes left on his own accord or was oujsted.

Current SEGA COO Jurgen Post is slated to take over for Hayes as CEO in both Europe and America.

In his work at SEGA, Hayes was known for bringing aboard Total War developer Creative Assembly, and creating the company’s digital distribution platform.

Hopefully, Hayes’ departure will help the company move forward in a bold new direction, lest they have to file for bankruptcy.

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In a shocking move that makes absolutely no financial, bushiness, or PR sense, major video game publisher and developer Ubisoft is attempting to sell off Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, a launch title for Sony’s Playstation Vita, for $40

Now $40 is not an unreasonable price for a PlayStation Vita except for the fact that not only is this game available for $12.99 on the Playstation Network on PS3, but its also available for $.99 on the Mac OS X.

In other words, Ubisoft is literally trying to up the price of a ported launch title by forty times for the PS Vita version of the game. That is beyond pathetic, and it would do good for any consumers who plan to buy a PS Vita to stay far clear of this title, as it seeks to obliterate any remaining respect you had for the company.

This is one time that you can probably speak with your wallet with no actual personal consequences, and let Ubisoft know that raising the price of Dungeon Hunter: Alliance by forty times is not only appalling, its disrespectful to the consumer.

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Not many, including myself, knew who Bethesda concept artist Adam Adamonwicz was, who unexpectedly passed away recently. Although he was largely unknown outside of the industry, and seemed to prefer it that way, we were, and still are, familiar with his creations. From the super mutant, the Vault jumpsuit, to many other designs in both Fallout 3 and Skyrim, Adamonwicz was lauded within the industry for both his output and the quality of his work.

A heartfelt post at Awesome Robo details his work within the gaming industry, and for anyone that enjoys any of the momumental Bethesda adventures, this is a sad day indeed. Hopefully his artistic and creative legacy will be used to create great and innovative games in the future, and I think that is exactly what Adamonwicz would have ask for.

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Bastion is one of those titles that I’d heard for a while, but just never got around to playing. That is, until the other day, when it was available on the cheap during the Holiday Steam sale. I took the minor bruising to my wallet and bought in, because hey, it could be good right?

Turns out it was beyond good, it was great, excellent even, excellent enough that I felt a profound connection to a protagonist that never spoke, to a world that was only known through the eyes of an old mustached man. While playing Bastion, I felt moral dilemmas deeper than the nuances of real life, and that is why I’m not surprised in the least bit that developer Supergiant Games reported that they broke the half a million milestone in sales through both Steam and Xbox Live.

Published by WB Games, Bastion had the luxury of having an enterprising indie developer team with a publisher with pockets deeper than the Grand Canyon, creating an experience that is both rich in quality and storytelling. So rich in fact, that after playing through the entire game in two long sittings, I decided to buy four additional copies for good friends of mine for the Holidays. If that isn’t a testament to how deserving Bastion is of all the sales and attention it has been receiving, then I don’t know what is.

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It’s no surprise that Star Wars: The Old Republic had, and is continuing to have, a hugely successful launch period. Developer BioWare made a point to make a pretty immersive storytelling experience, and while the gameplay has been described by some as “World of Warcraft in space,” and not exactly incorrectly so, the overall narrative structure goes far beyond that, to a level that is unheard of in most single player RPG’s, let alone MMORPGS, which are not exactly known for the subtlety of their storytelling.

In accordance with this huge success, publisher EA capitalized on the statistics by releasing a ton more somewhat irrelevant ones, detailing the number of characters created, the capacity with which we have to fight each other in PvP battles, and just how many NPC’s Old Republic players have slaughtered. Here’s a look at some of the more noteworthy statistics:

Over 60 million in-game hours — roughly equivalent to watching all six Star Wars movies over 4 million times Over 850,000 Sith Warriors and over 810,000 Jedi Knights created Over 260 million quests completed Over 44 million PvP battles Over 9 million space combat missions completed Over 3 billion NPCs killed

While these statistics are certainty impressive, it’ll be interesting indeed to see if BioWare and EA can keep the momentum up and satiate their rabid fans with enough new content to keep the Old Republic strong. Regardless, it’s been a great ride so far in this galaxy, and hopefully we’ll see this MMO go topside and overcome the likes of World of Warcraft.

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Legal battles in the video game industry, or any entertainment industry really, never turn out well, and that’s exactly the seeming results of the legal struggle between Rock Band developer Harmonix and their parent company Viacom, over exactly who owns what. Harmonix had previously sued Viacom over the claim that Viacom and EA set up a backdoor agreement regarding the Rock Band intellectual property that benefits its own interests rather than those of Harmonix. However, proof of this is still not determinate.

However, the latest finding reportedly show that Viacom owes Harmonix $383 million in damages, countermanding the suit that Viacom filed against Harmonix that claims that Harmonix owes them $131 million due to some appallingly bad math.

The whole legal battle between Harmonix and Viacom began when Viacom acquiried Harmonix in 2006 and owed substantial bonus payments to the former owners of Harmonix. Viacom paid a good deal of money up front, then paid a little more of a bonus in 2007 following the commercially successful Rock Band, but then gave nothing the following year and asked for a refund of all money previously paid. I guess Viacom had no idea just how successful Rock Band would be.

Like I said, lawsuits in the entertainment industry never really turn out well, and as a rooter for the underdog, I hope that legally Viacom is forced to do right by Harmonix.

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While this news likely doesn’t come as a surprise, Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode 2 has been officially green-lighted by SEGA and production is now underway. Making the announcement is Ken Balough, the Digital Brand Manager for SEGA, all the while wearing a pretty furry-tastic beard that looks Tails, Sonic’s favorite boy wonder. This announcement is how off the release of Sonic Generations, and will receive a larger budget than Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode 1 due to the recent commercial success of the franchise.

Sonic has been playing on nostalgia now for about as long as he has been playing on original content, and while it’s unlikely that this latest Sonic title will break this cycle, Balough has confirmed that Ken Balough has confirmed that the hated physics engine from Episode 1 have been fixed, and that Sonic will more resemble his SEGA Genesis incarnation.

Although there is no official announcement for a Wii version of the title, its possible that its being held back in order to be released along with Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U console. To check out the full interview with Gamespot’s Maxwell McGee, take a click on the link right here.

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Fire Emblem, for all intents and purposes, is while not virtually unknown, a bit obscure in America. Its biggest claim to fame is probably Ike in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, who was played joyously by twleve year olds in the heydey of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Other than that, Prince Marth, the protaganist of the original Fire Emblem that was introduced to Westerns in Super Smash Brothers Meele, is the next most identifiable character that was introduced via the crossover franchise.

But sill, Nintendo deems Fire Emblem, a richly deep turned based strategy/RPG hybrid, a worthy enough franchise to bestow upon it the first paid DLC courtesy of Nintendo. Nintendo has long been against the concept of DLC (downloadable content), as Reggie Fils-Aime has previously had the following to say about why Nintendo doesn’t include DLC for its titles:

“When we sell a game, we want the consumer to feel that they’ve had a complete experience. We’re unwilling to sell a piece of a game upfront and, if you will, force a consumer to buy more later. That’s what [Nintendo representatives] don’t want to do, and I completely agree. I think the consumer wants to get, for their money, a complete experience, and then we have opportunities to provide more on top of that.”

However, with the announcement of paid DLC that will reportedly cost a “few hundred yen” for Fire Emblem 3DS, it seems that Nintendo has reneged on their previous philosophy. Ultimately, DLC = $$, and Nintendo has clearly seen the potential in this.

Fire Emblem 3DS will release in Japan sometime in March, but there is currently no word on when the title will receive an American or European release.

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Going Loud Studios has done a wonderful thing with DLC Quest. Released for 80 Microsoft Points ($1) on Xbox Live Arcade, DLC Quest is a commentary on the industry’s increasing reliance on the nickle and dime DLC to make a quick buck. The objective of DLC Quest is to collect coins, in order to buy more DLC, so luckily you aren’t spending any real money to unlock these DLC. Some of the ridiculous things you can unlock, which is a hilarious commentary on the industry, is sexy outfits, map packs, zombies, hats, the ability to move left, and yes, even horse armor. There really doesn’t seem to be much more to the game than the concept, but it’s a pretty funny one that is actually quite cheaper than buying some actual DLC.

For a dollar, it’s always worth it to support something clever, so take a look at the trailer for some grade A satire.

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