Shoe is the editor-in-chief (EIC) of GamesBeat, the gaming division of VentureBeat. You may also know him as the former EIC of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), former editorial director of the 1UP Network, former EIC of Gamers.com, and the co-founder of Bitmob.com.

stories by Dan "Shoe" Hsu

Halo, Mass Effect 3, Team Fortress 2…a killer all-star gaming mash-up (video)

If gamers could dream up their fantasy all-star multiplayer game, a live-action version would probably end up looking like this, with a mash-up of Halo, Team Fortress 2, Mass Effect 3, and a surprise guest at the end.

A sick April Fools message from Batman: Arkham City’s Calendar Man

If you had any conversations with the imprisoned villain Calendar Man in last year's action-adventure hit Batman: Arkham City, you know that he hints at a few special dates...one of them being today, April 1. If you visit him today in the basement of the Solomon Wayne Courthouse (in the northwest corner of the city), he'll have this special message for you:

Spy vs. Spy to return in a new game?

It looks like WB Games will be bringing out a remake of First Star Software's Spy vs. Spy, which debuted in 1984 on a variety of computer systems (including the Commodore 64) and was later ported to several other platforms (like the Nintendo Entertainment System).

Halo 4 quotes: The hype, the excitement, and the…huh?

If you think you got a tough job, try deciphering some game-industry speak. Developers can say a whole lot of nothing and still sound great while doing it. Case in point: Check out the various quotes below from Halo 4 developer 343 Industries. These guys can talk. These guys can tease. And if you're a hardcore Halo fan, these guys can even get you excited. But what are they really saying??

Who won? First-week sales of PS Vita vs. PSP vs. 3DS vs. DS (infographic)

In two of the three major video game markets (Japan and the U.S.), Nintendo has come out on top in first-week sales of handheld gaming systems with its DS and 3DS consoles. But Sony has performed better in Europe, where the last-generation PlayStation Portable and the recently released PlayStation Vita have outperformed both DS devices.

Check the infographic below to see how these four portables fared in first-week sales across the three territories, and for comparison's sake, see how eight major handheld platforms have sold in their lifetimes.