[GameSetLinks is GameSetWatch’s daily link round-up post, culling from hundreds of weblogs and outlets to compile the most interesting longform writing, links, and criticism on the art and culture of video games.]
A sad day for EGM, then, and our commiserations to everyone at Ziff Davis affected. So we shall have to continue with a few GameSetLinks, headed up with Noel Llopis discussing the state of the independent developer in 2009, which does seem pleasant, if still a work in progress.
Also in here - some randomness about those Furry Animals, the MST-related Darkstar craziness, a little whining about Examiner.com, and some leftover Games Of The Year fun and hilarity.
Yah yah nah:
Games From Within: 2009: The Year of The Indie Developer?
Noel Llopis on indie hopes - to which I say that I think the indie is winning, but at much lower personal income levels than most regular game industry folks are used […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

According to Kotaku, there were some mass firings today for the staff of 1up.com. The network was sold to Hearst by Ziff Davis and instead of keeping the staff many, many of them were let go. Good luck to any of you who might be reading this.

In addition to the shaft that the employees got, this also means that Electronic Gaming Monthly is going to end it’s nearly twenty year run and on e of the only games magazines that I’ve regularly enjoyed. What a total rip off. I realize that the web and perhaps sites like this have helped contribute to the downfall of the magazine, but seriously I love magazines. I suppose that I’m a relic and will be telling my kids about getting your gaming info from pieces of paper and they’ll look at me like I’m mental. Sigh, change sucks.

Original post by Paul and software by Elliott Back

[’Game Mag Weaseling’ is a weekly column by Kevin Gifford which documents the history of video game magazines, from their birth in the early ’80s to the current day.]

The report’s been a-going around for a little while, originally being rumored way back in December — Ziff Davis selling the 1UP digital network to the Hearst Corporation, owners of UGO.
The deal was reported on earlier today by paidContent.org (in an article that since got taken down but has been mirrored elsewhere).
But the thrust of it has since been confirmed by sources in and around the company itself. In addition to GSW sources broadly agreeing, ex-Ziff editorial supremo John Davison has noted that “details will be forthcoming as to the validity of the story by tomorrow morning.” So we’ll find out officially then.
[UPDATE: The EGM closure announcement is now official, and Gamasutra has it, plus the CEO email to staff, […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Kevin Gifford) and software by Elliott Back

[’Game Mag Weaseling’ is a weekly column by Kevin Gifford which documents the history of video game magazines, from their birth in the early ’80s to the current day.]

The report’s been a-going around for a little while, originally being rumored way back in December — Ziff Davis selling the 1UP digital network to the Hearst Corporation, owners of UGO.
The deal was reported on earlier today by paidContent.org (in an article that since got taken down but has been mirrored elsewhere).
But the thrust of it has since been confirmed by sources in and around the company itself. In addition to GSW sources broadly agreeing, ex-Ziff editorial supremo John Davison has noted that “details will be forthcoming as to the validity of the story by tomorrow morning.” So we’ll find out officially then.
According to this report, Electronic Gaming Monthly, the last print publication Ziff produces after PC Magazine closed last […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Kevin Gifford) and software by Elliott Back

[GameSetWatch sister publication Game Developer magazine has revealed the winners of the eleventh annual Front Line Awards for game tools, and we reveal ‘em here. Neat stuff - watch for the full article on the awards to be posted onto Gamasutra soon.]
The editors of Think Services’ Game Developer magazine have named the winners for the 2008 Front Line Awards, honoring the best tools used to make video games.
This is the magazine’s much-revered eleventh annual evaluation of the year’s best game-making tools in the categories of programming, art, audio, game engine, middleware, and books.
As well as the regular award-winners, revealed below, the magazine has chosen the Unreal Engine series, Epic Games’ popular multi-platform game engine, as this year’s inductee to the Front Line Awards Hall of Fame.
Each year, the honor, which makes that product ineligible for regular categories in that year, is bestowed upon a product that has […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

[’Diamond In The Rough’ is a regularly scheduled GameSetWatch-exclusive column by Tom Cross focusing on aspects of games that stand out, for reasons good and bad. This week, Tom explores the new Prince of Persia game, and why it sets a new standard for creating characters you care for.]
It’s not exactly a secret that I’m a fan of games with strong narratives, and am often willing to sacrifice a certain amount of gameplay and interface quality in the pursuit of interesting characters, stories and dialogues.
When I started playing the newest Prince of Persia, I suspected that I’d found one of those rare games that was completely willing to subject itself to the rigors of actual storytelling and narrative substance. I was correct, and had one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had playing a game.
Imagine my surprise, then, when it became apparent that most of the gaming press […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Thomas Cross) and software by Elliott Back

[Every week, we sum up sister iPhone site FingerGaming’s top news and reviews for Apple’s nascent — and increasingly exciting — portable games platform, as written by editor Matt Burris and guest editor Danny Cowan.]
This week’s notable items in the iPhone gaming space, as covered by FingerGaming, include the debut of Hudson’s Crayon Physics Deluxe, the announcement of the IGF entrant Edge’s impending release, and a word from indie developer Luc Bernard on future iPhone possibilities.
Here are the top stories:
New App Store Release: Crayon Physics Deluxe
“Hudson has released the iPhone version of Crayon Physics Deluxe. Winner of the Grand Prize Award at 2008’s Independent Games Festival, Crayon Physics challenges players to create freehand drawings in order to solve physics-based puzzles.”
Top Free App Downloads for January 2nd
“The winter-themed Crazy Penguin Catapult Lite has remained a consistently popular download throughout the holiday season, but it remains to be seen whether […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

[Continuing this series of Todd Ciolek interviews for GameSetWatch, a personal pick of mine - an engaging chat with pinball veteran and game design genius Pat Lawlor, the creator of classic pinball machines from Fun House to The Addams Family and beyond.]
Few people have defined the modern era of pinball like Pat Lawlor has. In the late 1980s, he emerged as a leading designer in the industry with innovative Williams titles like Earthshaker and Whirlwind.
In 1990, Lawlor and Larry DeMar hit it big with FunHouse, a pinball game in which an animatronic head named Rudy taunted players and dominated the playfield. Lawlor and DeMar went on to create The Addams Family for Bally and watched as it became the best-selling pinball machine in history.
Lawlor’s design work continued throughout the 1990s, as he unveiled such pinball titles as No Good Gofers, Red and Ted’s Road Show, Safecracker, and […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Todd Ciolek) and software by Elliott Back

I did something about a week ago that I deeply regret, I purchased a copy of Fallout 3. Now I haven’t seen my wife for weeks and I’m struggling at work, because all I can do or think about is playing the damned game.

I should have known better. The original Fallout became an obsession of mine to the point where I decided to break out of playing Fallout 2 early in the game, because I knew that progressing any further would only end up with me sitting next to Gary Busey in rehab. Both Fallout: Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel were enough to quench the deadly Fallout thirst, while at the same time being crappy enough that I didn’t lose my mind.
Fallout 3, on the other hand, is deep enough and close enough to the original that it retains all it’s awesomely addictive properties. It’s got a […]

Original post by Paul and software by Elliott Back

[From now until early January, our sister site IndieGames.com: The Weblog will be counting down the best indie titles of 2008, and we’ll be reprinting the best here on GameSetWatch for your viewing and playing pleasure.]
The seventh of the 2008 Best Of Features here on the IndieGames.com blog, we’re proud to present twenty of the best freeware shoot ‘em ups released in 2008.
Fans of Galaga, Space Invaders, Warning Forever, and Everyday Shooter, step right up. Only a courageous pilot would stand any chance of saving Earth from being enslaved by an invading alien race, once again. Leave your Zero Wing quotes behind, because you will need every ounce of your arcade skills to make it through our picks for the best twenty freeware shoot ‘em ups of 2008 alive.
Here’s the top freeware shoot ‘em ups of the year:
Best Freeware Shoot ‘em ups 2008
  1. Alien Assault
  2. Nobody Shooter
  3. Debrysis
  4. Harpooned
  5. Pasta […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back