Video Game News from Around the Web: GDC Edition

The vaunted Game Developers Conference wraps up tomorrow, and though we weren’t in attendance rounding up some hot news from the event right here seems the next best thing. So, in case you’ve been too busy actually playing video games this week to read about them, here are a few big stories to come out of the annual event.

WHAT’S A GAME CONFERENCE WITHOUT AWARDS? ‘Red Dead Redemption’ and ‘Minecraft’ top GDC video game awards [USA Today] Cowboys and zombies are an odd mix, but two of 2010s most beloved games managed to steal the hearts of the judges.

PROMOTION GONE WRONG San Franciscans angry over video game balloon stunt [CNET] Oh, THQ – couldn’t you just take a page out of EA’s book and run a silly ad campaign instead?

A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME ‘Piracy is not theft’ – Minecraft creator [CVG] Markus “Notch” Persson shares some interesting views on piracy. Easy for you to say, Notch – you’re giving away your game for free!

MORE MARIO New Super Mario 3DS Game Announced [NowGamer] File this one under ‘Inevitable.’ Details are sparse, but the logo – which features a tail – lends itself to healthy speculation. Tanooki Suit Mario, perhaps?

SONY AUGMENTS REALITY GDC: Sony shows NGP augmented reality [Shack News] The 3DS won’t be the only upcoming handheld to boast the novel feature.

TIM SCHAFER GETS “MANLY” GDC 11: Trenched! Double Fine’s New WWI Mech Game [GameFront] A weird, download-only game from Double Fine? Color, well, no one surprised. This time, the erratic developer injects giant combat robots into ‘the war to end all wars.’