Sega apparently knew about the fan-based Streets of Rage remake for eight years, but waited until the free game was out for a week before quashing it legally. Question is: were they forced?

Ring-a-ding, baby! With the first few months of 2011 in the can, we find a year that’s off to a great start. So we pour some vodka into the computers (really, for cooling) and kick off a celebratory lounge.

With the Games of the Year announced, we go over the categories and look at the winners with a critical, but mostly praising, eye. After all, 50,000 voting gamers can’t be wrong, can they?

With the Smithsonian Institution setting up an exhibit about video games, we question which games deserve such recognition, and, gasp, if ANY games actually qualify as art.

Do you like downloaded game content on your mobile platform? Would you still like it if your child ran up a $10,000 bill for Smurfberries? That possibility is causing a stir in the industry.

Playing video games means running into a lot of unique characters. Some are good and some are evil, but only a few claw their way into our hearts. Which ones made the list of most memorable?

Casual gamers are rapidly outnumbering hardcore players, with some new titles getting 100 million players within weeks of their launch. Is this a brave new world being built, colorful brick by colorful brick?

With the temperatures below freezing, we take a look at how playing habits are affected by the dark heart of winter. Do you hibernate and play MORE, or are you too depressed for gaming?

You nominated your favorite games and now we can announce the official nominees for the 2010 Games of the Year. There are some real surprises, but anyone can win. Get the lowdown on them all in the lounge and then cast your vote.

Certain genres like puzzle adventure titles are experiencing a huge boon in popularity, driven by things like the hot mobile games market. But other genres seem in danger of outright extinction.