Ultra know-it-all head-hancho, Kathy Vrabek, of EA Games said that she is definitely not concerned with the poor ratings that EA games get from online game review sites such as Gamespot, IGN and Joystiq because she firmly believes gamers don’t actually read any of the reviews.

“I get less concerned about game reviews because the casual gamers don’t read any of those things,” EA Casual president Kathy Vrabek said.

Sales figures and game review scores obviously don’t seem to share a connection when it comes to the purchasing power of the average gamer. Advertising and word-of-mouth chatter have been keeping some of EA’s terrible titles very successful, regardless of the pounding they take from the major review sites.

“[casual gamers are] not swayed by a low score on IGN or a low score out of one of these gaming sites,” she went on to say. “It’s a little bit amusing, in that it’s people reviewing games against measures that are important to core gamers yet are not important to casual gamers.”

Are game review sites such as IGN and Joystiq even worth having around for anything other than screenshots? Probably not. Lose those high-paid game reviews and focus on more screenshots and video previews please! Let the hype machine roll on!

Some dudes from J.R. Antrim’s site put together a pretty interesting videogame look-a-like video. Some of the look-a-likes are shameless ripoffs and others just make me scratch my head. I think my favorite one was the Solid Snake / Kyle Reese comparison (even the same friggin’ hip gear) ;)

Yesterday’s rumors have been confirmed: a long-term game reviewer for Gamespot has been fired after posting a negative Kane and Lynch review. Suspected to be related, another Gamespot editor has also also announced he will be leaving the organization. We all know that every gaming review organization is paid big bucks by publishing companies to give their games positive reviews, so it only makes sense that this editor’s ass was canned.

The nature-bullying capitalists at Dubai International Capital have have purchased an undisclosed number of Sony Corp. shares, estimated to be worth approximately $500 million. Dubai’s acquiring a substantial stake in Sony’s pie drove up Sony shares by 4.6 percent ($50.6 USD).

Analysts question the move by the oil-fed barons. “If Dubai Int. knows something about Sony’s plans for 2008, then they know a heck of a lot more than Sony’s own employees,” said Doug Pillates. “With the PS3 diving and Sony’s other products losing out to a substantially competitive market, we can only guess that something big is about to be announced.”

After the news was released, rumors swirled around the Internet about possible products coming in 2008, some individuals stating that a BlackBerry-style device from Sony was on it’s way in and others saying Sony has unannounced plans for their version of a multi-media iPhone/PSP hybrid.

Microsoft announced that as part of their 5 year anniversary of XBox Live they start offering full, original Xbox games for 1200 MS Points, which translates to roughly $15 USD.

Starting on Dec. 4, all Xbox LIVE members will receive a free system update with a host of new features and enhancements. Included in this update will be the launch of Xbox Originals, which, for the first time, will enable consumers to download and own full Xbox games, such as “Halo,” “Psychonauts,” “Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge” and “Fable,” among others, directly to their Xbox 360. This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games.With no disc necessary, and at just 1,200 Microsoft Points per game, Xbox LIVE members can easily rediscover these hit titles, or check out a game they missed the first time around. This launch lineup is only the beginning, as Xbox 360 owners can expect to see a growing catalog of Xbox games to download and own over the coming year.

I see more 120 gig HDD sales in Microsoft’s Future.

Video Game Nerd and Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter is predicting the video game market to show incredible sales numbers this year — more specifically a 50 percent increase over last year. The boffin’s forecasted sales for 2007 are $555 million USD compared to $369 million USD last year.

Gamers this year have sucked on the teets of titles such as Guitar Hero III, Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4. The milk money that flowed out of Guitar Hero III’s swollen breast accounted for over $100 million USD in sales.

Pachter also predicts that the Wii will continue to lead the market in hardware sales, stating Wii will stand at 450,000, PS3 at 125,000 and the 360 at 325,000.

Basically, Guitar Hero III + Halo 3 = huge e-boner.

eMarketer has put together a sales chart, detailing the total system sales from the start of 2007 until September. A little while back, we heard reports that the Wii was gaining inches on the 360 and then all of a sudden, there were reports that the Wii had taken the lead in the console market. This time, it looks like the 360 is still in the lead but awaiting a swift pummeling from the Wii as it gains numbers dramatically (typically over 100,000 units more than the 360 per month).

Now, if we can only get a Castlevania game for the Wii, we’d be all set.

PC gamers have waited months for the release of Gears of War on the PC platform and now they’ll be getting that and a whole bunch more. And thankfully, the day is almost upon us — November 6, 2007 is the game’s scheduled release date. Just to recap, the PC version features the following special unique features:

• Three new multiplayer maps
• A new multiplayer game-type
• Game Editor
• Five new campaign chapters
• DirectX 10 Support

“Gears of War” [PC] will feature locations that are unique to the franchise and the genre. Players will encounter all their favorite foes from the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters will take place in some new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and technology found only in the Games for Windows title. “Gears of War” will tap into the power of Games for Windows — LIVE to deliver online matchmaking for its Gold account members. The service will enable gamers around the world to connect via their PCs, allowing players to experience individualized matchmaking, view player statistics, earn player Achievements, customize games and create personalized profiles.

 

The game will also feature the all-new Game Editor, guaranteeing new user-generated content in the future. The “Gears of War” community will be able to tap its endless creative potential to develop an unlimited number of user-created levels through complete access to the Unreal Editor. Using the new engine, players can now import custom artwork into the engine, create particle systems, scripted encounters, cinematics and more.

 

“Gears of War” ushers in the next generation with incredible visuals, pushing DirectX 10 visual designs and bringing out the smallest details in the largest battle. Gamers experience a rich, dynamic world with a supreme level of detail. Characters come to life with unbelievable model quality and a physics-integrated animation system that has them truly reacting intelligently to events unfolding around them.

 

The Windows System Requirements are as follows:

OS: Windows Vista or Windows XP
Processor: 2.4+ GHz Intel; 2.0+ Ghz AMD
RAM: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 12 GB free hard drive space
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6600+, ATI X700+
Online Multi-player: Broadband Internet Connection, Games for Windows — LIVE

I’m definitely looking forward to sinking my teeth deep into this title. Thankfully, GOW seems to have been fairly optimized so gamers won’t require a super-computer to run it, which means more people will be online for multiplayer insanity.

Today marks the first day in the history of the Xbox console where Microsoft has produced a yearly profit that was positive. Earlier today, the big M’s Xbox Entertainment and Devices Devision posted an unaudited operating income for the quarter ending September 30 of $165 million. Compared to last year, we saw a loss of $142 million. Obviously, all fingers are pointing to the successful Halo 3 release.

In the first day of the game’s US release, Halo 3 generated a whopping $170 million, making it the most popular selling game in video game history. Over the course of the week, Halo 3 sales grew to $300 globally.

Microsoft predicts its total revenues in 2008 will exceed the $58 billion mark, with an operating income of approximately $23 billion.

Now that the Halo 3 honeymoon is over, most 360 gamers are already rallying up for Halo 4, and I can only imagine the crazy profits that game will turn out. The big question on the plate is how Bungie will twist their way out of the awful Halo 3 ending.