Diablo III collectors edition giveaway review contest free

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

This week, Diablo III launched and promptly caused a stir with persistent server issues, Activision and Electronic Arts settled over the Infinity Ward lawsuit, and former N-Control sales specialist Paul Christoforo revealed details in his lawsuit over the Avenger controller debacle.

You’ll also find reviews for Max Payne 3 and Game of Thrones, as well as a preview for Zombie Swipeout. GamesBeat’s guide to Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is also available.

Other GamesBeat stories included:

The DeanBeat: Can Microsoft’s Kinect gain cred from hardcore gamers?

With Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Sony hopes to bring a classic character to the PS3

Slicing zombies and chasing coins in Zombie Swipeout (preview)

Epic unveils Unreal Engine 4 for eye-popping next-generation game graphics

Aeria Games’ Ignite service connects free-to-play gamers in over 30 countries

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 stages coming to HD remake

Activision and EA settle Infinity Ward lawsuit

Ratings board wants parents to think twice before buying that video game

God of War Ascension multiplayer features over-the-top show-off killings

New DC Universe Online expansion on the way, Mark Hamill returning as the Joker

Max Payne 3 suffers multiplayer issues, Rockstar responds

Minecraft digs upwards and becomes most-played Xbox Live Arcade title

The Last of Us demo shows brutal, dramatic survivalist combat

Call of Duty co-founder reveals his new, free-to-play shooter

Gamers rip Diablo III a new hellhole on Metacritic

Max Payne 3 is a glimpse into the future of video games (review)

World exclusive Diablo III review!!!!

Game of Thrones brings the pain…and not in a good way (review)

How a lucky fan became an Uncharted character

Former N-control sales specialist Christoforo claims company threw him under the bus

Witcher dev CD Projekt Red hiring for “new and different” role-playing game

New Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 info

Minecraft (Xbox 360 Edition): Tips, tricks, and achievement guide

(Updated with new pictures) Student reveals the origins of his real-life Portal turret

VentureBeat:

Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda on broadening Kinect games to hardcore fans (interview)

The EA-Activision legal feud takes unexpected twists

6 reasons E3 might suck this year

Mobile startup Fun Machine believes games can do social good

CrowdStar expands into China and South Korea with mobile game partners

Conversion rates up, spending habits down among social gamers

Starting with a graphic novel, The Inventor will chronicle the life of Nikola Tesla (exclusive)

AMD contends its split-personality PC brains are better than Intel’s

Zynga acquires Wild Needle casual game maker for an estimated $3.8M

Nvidia teams with Intellectual Ventures to acquire patents

Walmart.com strikes again: more mind-boggling game descriptions

Former Xbox 360 exec’s $1B pain and advice to entrepreneurs

If Walmart.com’s horrible copy writers were to describe 2012′s biggest games…