Crispy Gamer News

(contributors: Hal Halpin, President, ECA; James Fudge, David Chapman)

We count down the top twenty-one news stories of 2008, though picking which were the very best proved to be a painful, gut-wrenching exercise. There were so many interesting stories this year; we watched the interactive entertainment industry grow - and then later - retract as the global economy wreaked havoc on every kind of business you can imagine; players got their first taste of WiiWare, Home and the New Xbox Experience; we watched as the big three slugged it out for North American supremacy in the latest round of console wars and we saw Blizzard dust off its classic franchises and move million of copies of its Lich King expansion.

Yeah, 2008 was a good year, but not without its share of triumphs, disappointments, joys and sorrow. Here are the stories that moved us, made us angry, scared us and made us think about the industry we cover.

We begin with #21 - #15, starting now.
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And you thought those argyle socks from grandma were a bad Christmas present. Last week, CBS Interactive gave employees something even worse: an axe, wrapped in a not-so-pretty pink slip.

Layoffs at the media giant affected nearly every division of CBS Interactive, including the company’s video game news outlet, GameSpot. Word of the cuts started rolling in last week, with a number of employees unexpectedly finding themselves out holiday shopping one minute and job hunting the next. While layoffs have been confirmed throughout CBS Interactive and the former CNET Networks divisions, CBS is refusing to release specifics on the number of firings.

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Ubisoft has shipped CSI: NY – The Game for the PC this week. The game based on the hit TV crime drama carries an ESRB rating of “T” for Teen and retails for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $29.99. CSI: NY – The Game is an adventure game that allows you to play as characters from the show using a brand-new graphic novel art style, interactive mini-games and interrogations, and original cases crafted by writers from the “CSI: NY” television series.

The game also features the voices and likenesses of Golden Globe winner Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes and the rest of the show’s primary cast. In concurrence with the video game’s release, the show will air its milestone 100th episode on Wednesday, November 19th. “CSI: NY” averages 11.8 million total viewers each week on CBS. Ubisoft’s CSI video game franchise has sold more than 3.5 million units worldwide since the first CSI title was released in 2003.

Ubisoft is doing its best to make sure that its newest CSI game, CSI New York is as authentic as it possibly can be. The company has spent the extra dough to bring the actors from the show in to reprise their roles in the game. among them, Golden Globe winner Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Carmine Giovinazzo, Eddie Cahill, Hill Harper, Anna Belknap, Robert Joy and A.J. Buckley.

CSI: NY – The Game promises to allow you to play as actual characters from the TV show, a graphic novel art style, interactive mini-games and interrogations, as well as original cases crafted by writers from the “CSI: NY” television series. The game will launch for the PC on November 18th, in time for the 2008 holiday season.