The best games of 2012 (GamesBeat staff picks)

The Walking Dead may be GamesBeat's Game of the Year for 2012, but here's the other titles our staff picked as contenders for the crown.

Report: The most-played games of 2012

Raptr released its annual Raptr Report detailing the most played games of 2012, and it carries a few surprises about how gamers spent their time this year.

Dishonored’s first downloadable add-on pack is all about challenging your skills

Forget plot, Dunwall City Trials focuses on special challenge modes.

New Skyrim: Dragonborn screens reveal expansion’s inner Morrowind (gallery)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's new downloadable content, Dragonborn, will hit Xbox 360 in December.

First gameplay footage of The Elder Scrolls Online

Zenimax Online Studios released a developer diary this morning that shows off the game in action, and it looks a lot like an Elder Scrolls game mixed with World of Warcraft.

Skyrim developer teases new downloadable content

A new trailer is coming November 5. It could be related to the rumored Dragonborn downloadable content.

Threeview: Dishonored reviewed by a critic, an analyst, and an academic

Our three different reviewers take on separate aspects of Dishonored, the stealth-action game from publisher Bethesda.

The 10 most-anticipated games for Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii are all sequels

Consumer-information-tracking firm Nielsen researched customer anticipation for games this holiday and found that we just want more of the same.

Dishonored isn’t a Choose Your Own Adventure game, but this trailer is

Publisher Bethesda and developer Arkane Studios released an interactive video for their upcoming stealth-action game Dishonored.

Bethesda hires former Star Wars: The Old Republic executive producer to run new Austin studio

Battlecry Studios is hiring now to build a team for an unannounced project.

Bethesda turns to 2D animation to explain Dishonored’s backstory (updated)

Bethesda bucks the live-action trend for game ads and instead produces a dark and painterly look at its Dishonored world.

Slaughter a few thousand rats in a free Fruit Ninja-inspired Dishonored spinoff

Dishonored: Rat Assassin is an unusual but addicting take on Arkane Studio's first-person action game.

Hearthfire blends The Sims with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim's latest expansion, Hearthfire, lets you build a house, raise a family, and do general homeowner things like keep giants from stealing your cows. Basically, it's Skyrim meets the Sims.

Skyrim’s Dawnguard expansion finally available for PC

The expansion sees a powerful vampire lord attempting to use the titular Elder Scrolls to vanquish the sun forever.

MAGFest: A long weekend of games, music, and heavy drinking (interview)

Nick "the newibe" Marinelli talks MAGFest: a long weekend of playing the Atari 2600 all the way through the PlayStation 3, listening to bands like Minibosses and Earthbound Papas, cosplaying, attempting game challenges, watching discussion panels featuring Sid Meier and Chris Hazard, and drinking with abandon.

New Dishonored video shows 3 ways to escape in style

This new video for Dishonored, an upcoming first-person shooter with superpower- and stealth-based gameplay, shows us three unique methods of escape.

Skyrim’s Dawnguard expansion drops for Xbox 360 tomorrow, June 26

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim expansion Dawnguard will be available on Xbox 360 beginning June 26, but the PC and PlayStation 3 versions are still unaccounted for.

The 5 different games you’ll be playing in Dishonored (preview)

I’m certainly not the first to say that Dishonored is a blatant amalgamation of other games. Though publisher Bethesda Softworks (Rogue Warrior, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) and developer Arkane Studios (Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, BioShock 2) have …

You’ll have to buy 5 copies of Dishonored to get all this exclusive pre-order game content (gallery)

We're not especially keen on substantial in-game content and bonuses like this being impossible to obtain without buying five different copies of the same game.

Intel Video Superstars competition calls for gaming filmmakers

Intel's annual Video Superstars competition wants machinima and game film directors to submit their best work for a chance at a $5,000 dream studio.