GamePro's most significant news

GamePro published what they think are their most significant new of 2007. Here is the link: http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/international/games/features/154488.shtml

Otherwise, you can read it here:

GamePro lists the biggest stories of the year - some shocking, others far-reaching, everything you need to know.

PlayStation 3 strugglesAfter a dismal launch in 2006, PlayStation 3 continued to stumble in 2007. While running the public relations gambit, Sony denied soft-demand for the console in January, derided the competition in July, before conceding a first-year defeat in November saying they'll need "to play catch-up." The future shows promise, however, given a recent price cut and some solid year end games. But Sony has its work cut out if they wish to keep the PS3 from becoming the GameCube of this generation (read: a worthy system unable to realize its full potential).

Bungie leaves MicrosoftLess than two weeks after the release of Halo 3, Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios jointly announced the disolution of their partnership. It wasn't a bitter break-up, however, as Microsoft retained long-term Halo rights and a minority stake in the newly-formed independent developer. While the Halo-maker is only working on 360 titles for now, the possibility of Bungie-made games on non-Xbox consoles still exits.

The Father of the PlayStation retiresKen Kutaragi, the mastermind behind every PlayStation system ever made, relinquished the driver's seat to Kaz Hirai in June, leaving behind a brilliant yet tarnished legacy. His most noticeable contribution was in taking video games to the mainstream with both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, each which sold an unprecedented 100+ million units worldwide. But despite his heavy influence, Kutaragi may unjustly be remembered as the man responsible for the PS3's controversial design and high launch price.

Grand Theft Auto 4 delayedThe Grand Theft Auto series is on the verge of surpassing total Tetris sales of 70 million. Tetris people -- the game that everyone and their dog played in the Eighties! But all-time sales don't do the franchise justice. Over the last six years, combined GTA sales have made it the most popular series in recent history, by far. So when the latest sequel gets delayed for development issues, gamers panic, and panic they did. You can only wait so long for sand box tyranny.

Review integrity called into questionLong-time GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann was abruptly fired in November for what his employer called "internal reasons." That didn't stop numerous reports, however, from speculating that the seasoned game critic lost his job due to his negative review of Kane & Lynch. A recent Kohnke Communications' court filing saying the PR firm was successful "in convincing reviewers to write positive reviews" didn't help to simmer the incident. The real story, however, was in the examination and subsequent scrutiny of video game coverage. While allegations of payola and advertiser pressure are nothing new to the industry, Gerstmann-gate helped redraw the lines for both the gaming press and publishers seeking favorable review scores.

Xbox 360 failures go criticalMicrosoft says, "the best games are on Xbox 360." But what difference does it make if you can't play said games due to unreliable hardware, aka the Red Ring of Death? This fatal error, said to be affecting some 33 percent of all Xbox 360s in existence, just won't go away, despite Microsoft's promises and the hopes of patience gamers everywhere. While on track to outsell its predecessor (extended warranties be damned), think of what the 360 could accomplish with dependable hardware. Microsoft needs to nip this one in the bud, or else.

PS2 stays relevantSince first launching in 2000, Sony has sold more than 120 million PS2s worldwide, making it the best-selling system of all time. The six-generation console celebrated its seventh birthday in October, and shows no signs of slowing. Amazingly, this last-gen platform outsold the Xbox 360 in seven of the last 12 months according to NPD figures (20/25 when considering life-to-date 360 sales); the PS3 has never outsold the PS2. So even though it no longer has that new car smell, the PS2 still gets the job done.

DS finishes as top-selling system overallPortable or not, the DS is the most popular video game system in the world. It may not be the most glamorous news item of the year, but never before has a handheld dominated video games (including consoles) like the DS. It's home to a ton of great games (traditional, quirky, and innovative), and it appeals to both gamers and non-gamers alike. Given its current sales rate, Market researcher DFC Intelligence even predicts that the DS will end up being the most widely purchased platform ever.

Wii catapults Nintendo into the spotlightAs of this year, Sony no longer leads the video game industry -- that honor currently belongs to Nintendo for a second time. Here's why: the Wii outsold both the Xbox 360 and PS3 every month this year save only the Halo 3 release in September, it uses a radically new controller, it's still hard to find more than a year after its launch, it has the most exclusive games in development, it has the largest selection of downloadable titles, it overtook total Xbox 360 sales in less than a year, it helped Nintendo displace Sony as the largest software maker, it sorta helps fat people lose weight, it's inexpensive, and even your mom likes it. Never mind who's buying the thing, Wii is exciting people. Welcome back, Nintendo.

Video games go pop culture (and the rise of casual games)Casual games became something of a movement, not to mention a dull buzzword this year. EA formally joined the party at E3, as did Ubisoft, Midway, Activision, THQ, and a slew of others when endorsing the initiative. Even Microsoft showed Wii-envy before releasing a casual-friendly controller and a trio of games this fall. But not only did casual awareness help make games more mainstream this year, Halo 3 created a pop culture riot by selling millions, and the industry recorded its biggest year ever since Atari first started selling games (read: more people play games today than ever before). And don't be fooled; the courtship of non-gamers doesn't come at the expense of fewer conventional games, so long as you and I keep buying them.
MOST OVERRATED NEWS

Activision merges with BlizzardNothing to see here (for now) as each brand will independently run as usual -- the move was merely a stock name change that hardly affects gamers, only people who wear suits to work. The bigger news (though still of little relevance to gamers) is that Activision overtook EA as the largest game publisher in 2007 before the merger, fueled largely by the success of Guitar Hero 3 and Call of Duty 4 across multiple platforms.

Source: Game Pro.