On the Conan show, MLB 2K12 cover athlete Justin Verlander announced a change in the annual $1 million Perfect Game Challenge. 2K Sports will rate the Top 8 perfect games and those players will face off in a tourney for the $1 million.

Video games get blamed for everything from school violence to childhood obesity. This may be the first time they’ve taken the blame for a sports team’s colossal failure. Call it a sign of the times.

The Boston Red Sox blew a nine-game wild card lead, missing the postseason in a baseball collapse for the ages. Getting a significant portion of the blame is the training regimen (or lack thereof) from three of the team’s veteran pitchers. According to the Boston Globe Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey eschewed their workouts for a regimen of beer, fast food chicken and video games. This happened in spite of pleas from manager Terry Francona and strength coach Dave Page.

It’s Thursday, which means everyone with a 3DS, DSi or Wii is wondering what new games there are to download today. The answer is eight. Seven games were released, as well as a 3DS Netflix app.

Of course, the Netflix app is probably what most people will be interested in. With good reason. It shows that while the 3DS eShop is still laughably horrible when it comes to user-friendly browsing and content, there’s still a glimmer of hope that it will be more successful than the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop. Maybe by Christmas the eShop actually start getting some original, 3DS exclusive games…

Much of the fun of being a baseball fan is collecting memorabilia. Fans track down baseball cards of their players’ best seasons, soda cans that commemorate their accomplishments and of course, bobblehead dolls. Bobblehead dolls are a longtime staple for collectors, and the focal point of a cute new baseball game from Konami. Upcoming Xbox Live Arcade gameMLB Bobblehead Pros features all 30 teams represented in large headed form. This baseball experience includes the likeness of all 30 Major League stadiums, a full 162 game season and online play. This game is slated for a June 2011 release, with a DLC pack, MLB Bobblehead Stars, coming in July to celebrate the All-Star Game.

A perfect game is one of baseball’s most difficult feats to accomplish. MLB 2K players are making it look super easy in 2K Sports’ $1 Million Perfect Game Contest. Brian Kingrey won the prize only two hours after the contest launched April 1, 2011. This was the second year of the contest and the second time someone won it on the first day. Kingrey even obliged 2K Sports by using the game’s cover boy, Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay. He performed the feat against the hapless Houston Astros. If nothing else, 2K11 appears to have captured that team’s essence.

So rook, you think you have what it takes to make it to The Show? You’ll find out soon enough if you pick up Sony’s latest baseballer, keeping up its fine tradition. Rival 2K Sports is rumored to be considering pulling the plug on its baseball franchise, so this could be prime laurel resting time for Sony if it chose to do so. Thankfully, Sony is not playing this conservatively. With the competition on the ropes, MLB 11:The Show is bringing a host of new features including 3D, PlayStation Move compatibility and analog control.

Minnesota Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer is a very likable athlete and videogame pitchman. It’s understandable Sony would pick him as the cover athlete for its MLB:The Show baseball game two years in a row.

The decision is having an unintended side effect, though. There are multiple reports coming in of retail employees confusing MLB 11 with MLB 10. This has led to some retailers not only breaking street date but selling the brand new game at a discounted price.

Aside from entries in the Madden series, most video games tend to be released without a lot of fanfare. Namco Bandai’s Pro Baseball Famista 2011 isn’t going to be one of those games. For the most part, this 3DS baseball game is pretty standard. You pick a team and play through multiple games to prove you’re the best, either in standard match-ups or a board game Dream Pennant mode. What makes Pro Baseball Famista 2011 special is the Namco Stars Team…

Back in May 2010, 2K Sports awarded $1 million to Wade McGilberry from Alabama for being the first player to pitch a perfect game in MLB 2K10.

Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick has been telling anyone who will listen that 2K Sports is losing money with the Major League Baseball license. Keeping Zelnick’s words in mind, I was wondering if 2K Sports would bring the $1 million contest back.

2K Sports has announced the contest will return in 2011.

Physically interactive gaming has certainly become more important with all the major consoles now utilizing motion controls of sorts.

One company is still hoping you’ll want to get a bot more physical and really act like the sport you are playing. Visual Sports System’s rep was literally throwing balls at a HDTV at CES 2011 today (January 6, 2011) to play an interactive Baseball game.