Xbox

CHICAGO – “The Land of Eb,” released through Video On Demand last week, is a perfect example of stories that emerge from the expansion of digital filmmaking. The highly personal and location-specific story involves the other side of paradise, the Kona district on the big island of Hawaii, and the background of the residents.

CHICAGO – The biggest game of 2011 is getting even bigger in 2012. “Modern Warfare 3,” the smash-hit game that sold record numbers of games upon its release only a few short months ago, now has a schedule set for nine months of new content that will be released to Call of Duty Elite’s Premium Members on Xbox LIVE. The content will be released to other platforms later on.

CHICAGO – The video game publisher Activision has never shied away from charging a little extra for the add-ons of their video games. The publishers of the “Guitar Hero” and “DJ Hero” series, Activision always seems to find a way to create fun and entertaining games that cost more than just the price of a disc.

CHICAGO – Like a lot of video game critics my age, the original Sega Genesis “Sonic the Hedgehog” games hold a special place in my heart and my gaming history. Nearly as much as the adventures of Mario and Link, the time I spent with that speedy blue hedgehog impacted the way I would judge games like it forever. I was woefully addicted to “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”

CHICAGO – Rockstar Games has given fans of the Max Payne series everywhere a chance to be a part of the game more than ever. A Twitter contest created by the video game company will pick out eight lucky fans to have their likeness rendered as eight gangsters in the multiplayer version of “Max Payne 3.”

CHICAGO – Ten years after “Marvel vs. Capcom 2” hit arcades, PS2s, and Dreamcasts, Capcom released “Marvel vs. Capcom 3” to Xbox 360 and PS3. The result was an exciting fighting game that crossed over two historic franchises into vivid and action packed battles with amazing special attacks and abilities. For the most part, “Marvel vs. Capcom 3” was respected and praised in the video game world.

CHICAGO – “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” is everything the video game universe predicted: a monster hit. “MW3” is now the highest selling movie, book, or video game of all time in a five day span. No, these numbers are not fake: the game grossed over $775 million in less than a week.

CHICAGO – Rocksteady’s “Batman: Arkham City” is everything you’ve hoped it could be and everything you’ve read that it is and more. It is the best game to hit the market since “Red Dead Redemption” and a likely choice for 2011’s Game of the Year unless something miraculously tops it in the next two months.

CHICAGO – I must admit to not being a huge RPG fan. Sure, I’ve played the big ones of the last few years and know my “Dragon Age” from my “Fable” from my “Final Fantasy,” but I often run into the same problems — a depth of customizable play that I just don’t care about. Some RPGs feature so many options and so many details that I get lost choosing which shield/sword combo to carry into battle or which spell loadout to take on the next quest.

CHICAGO – We’re riding the critically acclaimed wave of the just-released “Star Trek” film from J.J. Abrams starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Leonard Nimoy, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Cross and Winona Ryder with an extremely exciting edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film!