If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, World of Warplanes developer Wargaming bought Gas Powered Games, Nintendo announced a bunch of new content focused on Luigi as the company celebrates his 30th birthday, and both House of Representatives Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Barack Obama defended video games.

You’ll also find a review of Aliens: Colonial Marines and previews for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Darkstalkers Resurrection.

News:

• The DeanBeat: The state of free-to-play mobile gaming, by the numbers
• After last year’s boom, social casino games remain strong
• Zynga and EA settle lawsuit
• Four payment trends that will shape the future of game development
• $79 GameStick console now available for preorder
• January NPD: Xbox 360 outsells Wii U again
• The Ouya open Android console has nearly 500 confirmed games
• This is what a prototype PlayStation 4 controller reportedly looks like
• Valve officially releases Steam for Linux — and celebrates with a sale
• This week in the Nintendo Download: Wii Street U, Naruto, and Rabbids
• Game Closure launches free tools for anyone to build fast mobile-web games
• Wargaming buys Gas Powered Games following failed Kickstarter and layoffs
• Here’s some 3DS DLC and eShop love from today’s Nintendo Direct
• Nintendo announces Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, coming this summer
• Betable’s experiment with real-money gambling pays off in the U.K.
• PlayJam licenses its GameStick technology to Asian hardware manufacturer
• Kickstarter suspends online casino game’s campaign after four days
• Naughty Dog delays The Last of Us to June
• Valve reportedly cuts hardware jobs despite ‘Steam Box’ console rumors
• ‘Orbis’ vs. ‘Durango’: The altercation over rumored specifications for the next PlayStation and Xbox
• Hideo Kojima will talk Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes at GDC in March
• Next Batman Arkham game coming this year
• Mojang releases Minecraft: Pi Edition for the Raspberry Pi Linux computer
• Gas Powered Games’ chief Chris Taylor struggles to stay positive after crowdfunding failure
• Rayman Legends developers protest Wii U game’s delay
• GameStop’s Digital Ventures chief resigns
• Gas Powered Games kills Wildman Kickstarter project (updated)
• Crytek CEO: ‘Single-player modes will have to transform’ into co-op experiences in free-to-play future
• Nintendo announces Valentine’s Day 3DS for sweeties everywhere
• Skylanders crosses the $1B revenue mark with over 100M toys sold
• Warren Spector wants game developers to think about their legacies
• Nancy Pelosi defends video games on Fox News Sunday
• Path of Exile: Crowdfunding that isn’t following the Kickstarter crowd

Mobile News:

• Maybe social games are the cure for the Valentine’s Day singles
• From tabletop to digital: Why people are paying $500 for a game that’s not out yet
• New smartphone shooter The Drowning hopes to improve first-person controls on touch devices
• Everyplay lets you brag in mobile-game replay videos with FaceCam
• Playnomics launches PlayRM monetization and analytics for mobile
• Call of Duty alum Robert Bowling announces new iOS and Android tactical strategy game
• Leanplum creates A/B testing for small mobile game developers
• Activision dates Black Ops II Revolution map pack for PlayStation 3 and PC
• Fingerprint is a safe multiplayer gaming platform for kids using mobile devices
• Microsoft opens a Los Angeles Xbox entertainment studio for next generation
• Nomad Games seals deal with Thumbstar to publish Talisman on mobile
• Uzbekistani startup Spair plans to bring OnLive-like streaming technology to smartphone games

Reviews:

• Aliens: Colonial Marines isn’t the Aliens sequel you wanted (review)

Previews:

• Darkstalkers Resurrection is a detailed re-creation of the arcade experience (preview)
• Anatomy of a monster: Dissecting the beasts of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (preview)

Interviews:

• Aliens: Colonial Marines dev discusses the highs and lows of triple-A development (exclusive)
• With $7.7M raised via crowdfunding, Chris Roberts makes his sci-fi game in the public eye (interview)
• How much choice did the player really have in The Walking Dead? (interview)
• Gaming academic Jesse Schell expounds on chocofication and motivating players to play and pay (interview)
• Origin Stories: How Gearbox got to make Aliens: Colonial Marines

Pieces of Flair: 

• Obama says we need more gamers. Who are we to argue?
• Celebrate Valentine’s Day the gaming way
• University professor schools us on writing good video game poetry
• Show some love with GamesBeat’s gaming valentines
• 18 ridiculous(ly expensive) video game special editions

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Making games is difficult, but I have an idea: Game developers should, like, get together and confer. They could give talks and demonstrations about how they make their games to help others do the same. It could be a lot like the Game Developers Conference (GDC) happening in San Francisco from March 25–29.

Speaking of GDC, the overseers of that event announced today that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima will give a talk at this year’s conference. The developer will speak about using his studio’s Fox Engine graphics suite to create detailed visuals in a talk titled “Photorealism through the eyes of a ‘Fox’ — The core of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.”

During this presentation, Kojima will give the first-ever live demonstration of the Fox Engine. I also think it’s safe to assume that the famed developer will trot out the new Metal Gear game a few times.

This is Kojima’s first talk at GDC since he gave the keynote address in 2009. That’s the same year that the Game Developer Choice Awards, held in conjunction with GDC, presented him the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is the latest entry in the long-running espionage-action series. Ground Zeroes will feature open-world gameplay, and it takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PlayStation Portable.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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