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Wordsmithery: Proof Games Can Expand Your Vocabulary
Lots of talk about the bad things videogames teach kids. A lot less talk on the benefits. A great thread has popped up over at Something Awful, where everyone's chatting about words they learned solely through playing videogames. As in, if they hadn't played games, they wouldn't know those words. Stuff like reticulating (Simcity 2000), trireme (Civ), trebuchet (Age of Kings) and taciturn (FFVI). Two stand out for me: apothecary, which I picked up from Quest for Glory II, and ziggurat, which I learned from Alex Kidd. Both of which are utterly fantastic words, especially when you can bust them out at age 11.Vocabulary you learned from video games [v5planet @ Something Awful, thanks JC!]

Know Your Enemy: Tom Morello Is A Guitar VILLAIN
Back in the day (and, well, still, I guess) I was a huge Rage Against the Machine fan. And I always thought Tom Morello was a nice guy. Sweet, even. Apparently not! Seems the dude is in fact a bad guy. A villain. And will be represented as such in Guitar Hero III, starring as a boss character (and confirming earlier rumours in the process). Whenever I play Guitar Hero, my opponent always kicks my ass on my own riffs...Now that I'm actually in the game, I hope the digital me will win once in a while! Doesn't sound particularly villainous. Sounds downright sporting!Tom Morello Looks Forward to Whupping Your Butt in "Guitar Hero" [Rolling Stone, via Gamespot]

Xbox Unplugged: Xbox Live Down On September 10
OK Xbox fans. Dust off those shoes and outside clothes. You're going to need them on September 10, because Xbox Live is shutting down for a full four hours. It'll go down at 02:01 PDT/09:01 GMT, and will presumably whir back into action at 06:01/13:01. No word on why as of yet, so let's just say it's for regular ol' maintenance.

Not Much: PS3 Firmware Update Changes Detailed
OK, mystery solved. The PS3 firmware update yesterday seemed minor because, well, it was minor. Sony's senior PR manager Patrick Seybold: ...we've released a minor firmware update (version 1.92) for the PS3. This update focuses on some PS3 compatibility and playability issues for select titles. A search site for looking up compatible titles is also in the works. Since they haven't come out and named them, let's just assume the "select titles" are "Warhawk" and "Lair". Good news on the search site, I guess, since it's been a pain not only finding games on the list but keeping track of any changes. But then that feature should have been there from the start, so we're really just breaking even.Firmware Update (v1.92) [PlayStation Blog]

Half-Cocked: Time Writer Talks Halo, But Does He Really Not Like Halo?
With Halo 3 coming, a lot of mainstream press are starting to cover it. Regardless of its ultimate worth, it's going to be the biggest release in years. Time have just run a piece on it, which looks a lot like it's taking repeated snipes at not just Halo, but gaming as a whole. Example: There's an opportunity, in other words, to decloak the Halo subculture, to turn it from invisible to visible...Not that the Bungies care. They don't need to legitimize Halo by associating it with other, more respectable media. They sell enough units and make enough money. They're happy in their invisible geek ghetto. But that's the logic of the marketplace: it can't leave subcultures alone; it has to turn them into cultures. It may be time for the Master Chief to come in from the cold and join the party, with the popular kids. Just don't expect him to take off his helmet. Not very nice, is it?Another example: This devotion is fuelled by a belief, not shared by the world at large, that video games...

Only In Japan: G.rev Shmup Factory Keeps Dreamcast Arcade Hardware, Gender Confusion Alive
Japanese shooter developer G.rev is firing up the Naomi development kits one more time for its latest vertical shmup Mamonoro. The creators of Senko no Ronde, Border Down and Under Defeat, all for the Dreamcast's arcade-only big sister hardware, are co-developing the game with a group called Gulti. According to Arcade Renaissance, some of the boys from Gulti hail from Seibu Kaihatsu, the developer responsible for the vertical shmup staple Raiden series.While we know a little bit about how the game will play—the screen will scroll up and you'll shoot stuff—what we don't know are the specific genders of each of its main characters. In what's becoming a disturbing trend, we're unaware of the penis count in the above piece of artwork or whether its illegal for us to even think about the sex of any of these glossy eyed 'toons.I just hope the game plays better than Senko no Ronde. Oh, and don't hold your breath for another "final" Dreamcast release.Mamoru-kun wa...

Part 5: Heavenly Sword Anime Doohickey
Part five of the Heavenly Sword animation is up. So, yeah, you can watch it and everything. Looks neat, doesn't?Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Rumor: New PAL PS3 Bundle To Include Heavenly Sword, F1?
Poster by the name of Robinspain over at GAF has thrown up an image of what looks like the next PAL PS3 starter pack. If you remember, the current pack, which includes Motorstorm, Resistance and a second controller, was a "limited offer", due to expire in Europe "soon" and in Australia after August 31. So the timing's right. This pic shows Heavenly Sword and F1 to be the bundled games, the former to drive sales, the latter to, I don't know, clear the warehouse's stock. When asked about the bundle, SCE Australia would only say "we have no announcements regarding any new retail offerings in Australia", while SCEE are sleeping, so we'll update when we hear back from them.SCEE announces NEW ps3 STARTER PACK [Robinspain @ NeoGAF]

Day Note: Austin
To: AshcraftFrom: CrecenteRe: Yes, I Actually Bought a PS3 Game. To Play.I was going to fly out to Austin today to attend both the Austin Game Developers Conference and the launch party for Tabula Rasa, but something Halo-flavored came up and I wasn't able to make it. Michael Fahey was kind enough to step in to take my place. He is on the ground there now, I think, or should be soon. Fun town, I'm a bit jealous.What you missed:Xbox 360 Chatpad in the houseHalo Invades Madame TussaudsWar is not a gameLair, the LighterMicrosoft Investigator Confirms Halo 3 ManualXbox 360 Fall Update to Bring Parental TimerMercenaries 2 Not Blowing Shit Up This YearReviews Over LunchI took a bit of time off today to take my wife and son to see Transformers at the local restaurant movie theater, besides the place smelling like cat piss it was a fun time. Being a child of the 70s, I've never been much of a Transformers fan, I sorta missed that boat. But seeing robots tear off each other's metallic...

Bone Machine: The Pixies, Hole Confirmed For Rock Band
In a series of recently added videos that highlight Rock Band's "drum off" feature—ensuring I'll be buying two drum sets—two previously unannounced tracks are revealed. The Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" and Hole's "Celebrity Skin" are semi-officially confirmed to join the Harmonix-developed music game making the Billy Corgan-penned song count a solid two.Here's where I'd normally gush about how brutally awesome Rock Band will be when it finally overtakes my living room. I'll spare you the gory details and rhythm game fanboy slobbering. The inclusion of Hole makes that a lot easier.Rock Band Drum-Off [IGN]

Llama Drama: Minter Calls Xbox Live Approval Process "Soul Crushing"
Jeff Minter and Llamasoft's Space Giraffe is currently bugging out the brains of some ten thousand-plus Xbox Live Arcade gamers, beggaring comparisons that range from Joyce's Ulysses to Minter's own Tempest 2000. But in a LiveJournal appropriate lamentation on the need to get away from it all, Minter says his experience dealing with the XBLA re-approval process—Space Giraffe's got some bugs, you see—is akin to a "massive, spirit-crushing inertia."Poor Jeff. Lay off him already, Giraffe haters! If you love Space Giraffe, though, show Minter some love. Maybe a nice fruit basket or hand knit yak hair sweater would cheer him up.stage one [Jeff Minter's LiveJournal via 1UP]

T For All: At Least Threadless Love E For All
Community t-shirt vendor Threadless is no stranger to video game collaborations/sponsorships. They've held design contests centered around themes like PaRappa the Rapper, LocoRoco and Bioshock—and they ain't stoppin' now. Partnering with E For All for their latest competition, budding Illustrator users can win fabulous prizes, including a Wii, cold hard cashola, and tickets to the E For All expo.So make with the puns and emo imagery, kids, and let's do this.E For All Loves Threadless [Threadless]

Journalism: Reviews Over Lunch
Kyle Orland has a pretty neat little site up that's dedicated to the short review. The premise of Games for Lunch is that Kyle spends an hour with a different game every weekday and writes a timestamped review about his experience with the game. He ends the "review" with a short summary that answers the question: "Would I play this game for more than an hour."Interesting idea.In his latest reviews he said Yes to:The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate DestructionSingStar: 80sSingStar AmpedBurnout 3: TakedownNo to:LairTwo WorldsTMNTand Probably to:TalismaniaDynasty Warriors: GUNDAMBlue DragonExcept for his overuse of "probably" as an answer, I think this is a great idea. Come on Kyle, yes or no... no maybes.Games for Lunch

Long Fuse: Mercenaries 2 Not Blowing Shit Up This Year
Pandemic Studios free-roaming shooter Mercenaries 2: World In Flames looks like it won't make its previously planned ship date of holiday 2007. According to CVG, the game has been pushed into 2008, with retailer Gamestop backing up that claim, informing customers today that it has been delayed to April of next year.Mercenaries 2 publisher EA did not provide an official reason for the delay to the European outlet, but I suspect dev kit eating goblins were involved. While most delays are a good thing ultimately for gamers because it afford opportunity for polish, this one is doubly beneficial, giving us more cash to spend on the other bazillion must-haves this season.Mercenaries 2 Delayed [CVG]

Culture: Dallas Bar Gets its Wii On
Kotakuite and Dallas local Isaiah writes to point out that a local bar in Addison (a north Dallas suburb) is now hosting weekly Wii nights on Tuesdays. Not only does the Blackfinn bar like to get their Wii on, they advertise the night with a bit of cheek: Real Men Wii Standing Up.Wii Night [Blackfinn]

Digital Spider-man: WSJ: Sony Readying Download Service To Challenge Apple
The Wall Street Journal writes today that Sony is planning to go head-to-head with Apple's movie and television download iTunes service, readying its own internet enabled video store. The report indicates that Sony will capitalize on the technology built into the PLAYSTATION 3, PSP and Bravia televisions to carve out a slice of the video download market. Sony won't, however, put its focus on music sales, nothing short of admitting defeat to iTunes prowess with digital music downloads.You may recall that the Financial Times issued a similar report on Sony's intention to shoulder its way into the digital video download space last December. Looks like Stringer and company are taking their sweet time with whatever digital distribution platform they have planned. Given that the company made a Big Deal at Games Convention over its Sky and PlayTV features for the PSP and PS3, a worldwide video download service seems closer to reality than ever.Say, maybe some of that nearly $3 billion...

Rumor: SCEE Employee Nabbed Editing Halo 3 Wiki Entry?
Back in April, an edit to the Halo 3 entry on Wikipedia—which has to date seen over 8,500 edits—added the nasty little caveat "it wont look any better than Halo 2" in response to the claim that it will "set a new high water mark for next-generation games." That edit just happens to IP-traceable to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Liverpool Studio. That edit was up for less than 30 minutes, but still, the fanboy damage has been done.While it's unclear at just what level the user editing the Wikipedia entry was employed, it's clear that the editor has a bone to pick with the Xbox 360 and someone named Mike. In an entry for Tomb Raider Anniversary, the same IP wrote "Not on the Xbox 360, IN YOUR FACE MIKE!" There are multiple edits to the God of War II entry, the entries for Mike and Michael and the entry for the term Jockey. References to jockeying (instead of controlling) are made throughout a period of edits.The editor using SCEE Liverpool's IP also weighed...

Juggle Combo: Dead Or Alive Flick To Pollute DVD Players Any Day Now
Checking my Netflix new releases RSS feed last night revealed a shockingly horrific fact: the Weinstein Company is planning to make good on its threat to release the fighting game movie adaptation DOA: Dead or Alive on DVD this month. If you were sick the weekend DOA: Dead or Alive was in North American theaters and are a masochist, you'll be able to get your hands on it (possibly) next week, from September 11th. Ouch. Too soon, Weinstein Company, too soon.Netflix lists the DVD as already released, but the majority of online retailers are showing a 9/11 ship date. Please let us know if you find it "in the wild."

Charger: PowerPod Rocks PSP, DS, GBA
At arrived in Vegas to meet with Bill Gates at CES earlier this year only to discover that I had forgotten to pack my cell phone charger and that it was nearly dead. In a panic I hit up one of the stores in the airport and picked up a really nifty charget called the PowerPod. The thing comes with interchangeable tips so you can charge a bunch of different cell phones and small electronics, but more importantly it can draw power from a wall socket, a car cigarette lighter socket, a USB or a 9V battery.Recently the tip for my Treo snapped in half so I called the company about getting a replacement. While on the phone with them I discovered that they now sell tips for the PSP, the DS and the GBA and next month they should be getting a DS Lite tip in. Better still, once they have the DS Lite tip they're going to start selling a Gaming PowerPod for $25 that will come with the three tips. Sounds like the perfect solution for multiplatform gamers like myself.PowerPod [Ear Hugger]

You Played Yourself: Master P, Seth Green Join Forces For Hip-Hop RPG
RPG development dream teams may contain names like Aonuma, Sakaguchi, Uematsu, Toriyama, Matsuno. Most, but not all, of these collaborations are mere pipe dreams; the stuff of fanboy fantasy. But according to the Hollywood Reporter, a new, unexpected development dream team may be brewing, bringing home the ultimate hip-hop role playing game. Seth Green, of Robot Chicken and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, and Master P, rap recording mogul, are reportedly working on Play The Industry, a Sims-like RPG that lets gamers simulate the rise to fame. I'll give you a few minutes to let that sink in.Green's Stoopid Monkey Productions and ShadowMachine Films are in the planning and scripting stages for the game, due to hit some unspecified lucky platforms in late 2009. The game does not yet have a developer locked down, nor, I assume, a publisher.But I'm fairly certain of one thing. If we're lacking in anything these days, it's hip-hop lifestyle simulations. Seriously. I think we really...

Clips: Tabula Rasa Closed Beta Walkthroughs
Mike Fahey will be heading out to Austin tomorrow to both cover the Austin Game Developers Conference and hit up the Tabula Rasa party first hand. Until then, let's sit and watch Lord B talk us through the nuance of his latest MMO. Two more after the jump.

Cashola: Sony To Sell Insurance IPO To Fund PS3 Price Cut?
Analysts Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnitch aren't the only industry folk predicting another PLAYSTATION 3 price cut. Mitsuhiro Osawa, analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. says Sony may be considering a price cut as one of its options, a move to be funded by a $2.9 billion dollar initial public offering. According to Bloomberg, Osawa says Sony Corp. could (for emphasis—could) turn this insurance unit IPO into an infusion of cold hard yen into its electronics and games businesses.Bloomberg theorizes that these funds could help increase production of Sony's successful Bravia television series as well as help turn around the unprofitable PlayStation business. With the Wii outselling the PS3 three-to-one in August in Japan and the console trailing Nintendo and Microsoft's hardware sales in North America, it certainly wouldn't hurt a few units shifting.Let's just hope that if Sony does issue a price cut in the States, that it's a little less foggy in its execution...

A Bit Patchy: MotorStorm Goes 2.0, New Content Coming Soon
Evolution Studios' muddy PLAYSTATION 3 racer Motorstorm will be the proud owner of a new patch any day now, as the game's Community Team Coordinator has revealed on the Euro PlayStation forums. While one of my biggest gripes about Motorstorm is addressed in only the loosest definition of the word—the painfully long and unnecessary load times during vehicle selection—some exploits, bugs and annoyances have been magically fixed through the power of computer programmin' wizardry. Details follow.The 2.0 updates will bring about the following changes.Vehicle Select enhancement - your last-used vehicle in each class will now be presented as the default choice during vehicle selection.Assigned player colours are now displayed in the lobby to make keeping track of your friends and rivals easier during online races and Eliminator matches.Further Player-Stat Improvements.Purchasers of 'Coyote Revenge' can now race this track in Online and Time Attack.Purchasers of...

Rumor: Xbox 360 Fall Update to Bring Parental Timer
Rumor has it that the bi-annual Xbox 360 firmware update set to hit this fall will bring with it a number of interesting updates, chief among them a new Parental Timer.Sources tell me that the update will allow people to set a password protected usage timer on their Xbox 360s. In other words, parents or loved ones will be able to limit the amount of time someone can game on the system during a given time period.Personally, I think this is a brilliant idea and I can't figure why no console has done this before (that I know of). I'm fairly on top of things when it comes to my 6-year-old and his gaming habits. In fact I set up his 360 on the television in my loft office, so typically I'm right next to him when he plays. But, it's easy for me to lose track of time and even easier for him to. We use a system that requires him to do math, reading or writing homework to earn television time and video game time. Now I can just add this little timer to the formula and allow it to track...

Legal: Msoft Investigator Confirms Halo 3 Manual
galleryPost('halo3manual', 4, 'Halo 3 Manual');Remember that leaked Halo 3 manual we posted about late last month? The one we weren't sure was real or not? Turns out it is real after all. Well according to Microsoft's freelance attorneys it is.We recently received an email from an "Internet Investigator" on behalf of Microsoft asking us to take down the images from the manual because they were, he claimed, an infringement on the trademark rights of Microsoft Corporation. Of course that's not even close to true, since they are, in fact, part of a legitimate newsworthy story... one we can now confirm is legit. Too legit, in fact, to quit. Hit the jump for the scary letter from Microsoft's Internet Investigator.Leaked Halo 3 Manual?04 September 2007Dear Sir or Madam,It has come to Microsoft's attention that your website includes material which is in violation of Microsoft's intellectual property rights. Content currently residing within your computer system infringes on the trademark...

Wii: Wii Subpoenas Harvey Birdman
Previously announced for the PS2 and PSP, Capcom is bring Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law to the Nintendo Wii this November. I would accuse the game of being a ripoff of Phoenix Wright, but Capcom makes Phoenix Wright as well, so I am just going to shut up now. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is a fully animated interactive adventure game that merges the fun and mayhem of the popular Adult Swim TV show with Capcom's unique style of gameplay. Players will step into the shiny wingtips of Harvey Birdman, a third-rate superhero turned third-rate defense attorney charged with exonerating parodied classic cartoon characters.I'm actually planning on picking this one up. Between my deep love for the PW style of gameplay and the humor of Harvey Birdman lovingly reproduced in video game for as evidenced by the gameplay footage we posted awhile back, this one could be a winner. If anything you get to set Guile's hair on fire, and let's face it - Guile is kind of a dick. WII TAKES THE CASE...

Swag: The Lair Lighter
The folks at SCEA sent me this spiffy Lair-themed lighter along with my copy of the Playstation 3 game. Expect to see it hit a contest on the site in the near future.

Pachter Watch: Analysts Predict PS3 Price Cut Again
As the holiday season approaches, video game analysts' thoughts go to their holiday bonuses, and there's no better way to get a bonus than to be an internet famous analyst like Michael Pachter, which is exactly what Michael Pachter has done. This is why we listen to him when he predicts a price cut for the 80GB PS3 in time for the holidays. Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in his latest report, "We note that Sony recently acknowledged that it will no longer produce its 60Gb PS3, and we expect the price of the 80Gb PS3 to be reduced to $499 before the holidays, maintaining a premium SKU at that price point."Seems like a no-brainer to me, really. Pachter's prediction is backed up by the simExchange's analyst Jesse Divnich, which I liken to Gary Coleman trying to back up John Shaft. Analysts: 80GB PS3 to Drop to $499 This Year [GameDaily BIZ]

The Name Game: New Nintendo Trademarks - Wii Handle?
Nintendo has been busy at the Japanese trademark board recently, registering several new names that could hold a titillating look into future Wii products. Trademarked items include the Wii Body Controller, Mii Contest Channel, Nintendo Magic, Wii Handle, and something called Soma Bringer. Now the Wii Body Controller is probably the Wii balance board with a better name, and the contest channel speaks for itself. Nintendo Magic? The ability to make something called the Wii a commercial success? Powerful juju there. Soma was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, Vedic and Persian cultures with hallucinogenic properties, so I am going to assume the Soma Bringer is a drug delivery device. Could be wrong. Finally we have Wii Handle, which intrigues me somewhat. Perhaps a unique user name for your Wii to do away with the cumbersome friend code system? I won't get my hopes up. It's probably just a carrying handle for your Wii. Guy can dream though. Nintendo trademarks...

Industry: SCi: Eidos Up For Sale
The Guardian Unlimited is reporting that SCi Entertainment is in talks with an unnamed company to sell off Lara Croft publisher Eidos.Shares in SCi jumped more than 13 percent with the news and this statement to the stock market: "Following the recent speculation in the press, the board of SCi Entertainment confirms that is has received an approach and as a result has entered into extremely preliminary discussions regarding a possible offer for the company."SCi declined to name the company though one of the strong rumors is that Electronic arts could be behind the offer.SCi Entertainment shares soar on takeover approach [Telegraph, thanks Yip]

Warhammer Online: Bring On The Elves
As promised, EA Mythic revealed the final two armies for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning at the Games Convention last month, and here are some hot concept arts and renders of the dark elves and high elves to prove it. The high elves in particular bring to mind Michael Moorcock's famous antihero Elric, which of course means you'll find yourself fighting against or alongside a whole horde of Elriks and Lrics come the games launch, along with the requisite dark elf rangers named Drizzzzt. Hit the jump for the back story on these two new factions. galleryPost('warelves', 4, 'Hot Elf Action');Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Armies of WAR - High Elves and Dark ElvesThe High Elves"We the Asur are a noble people, our long and proud history stretching back to a time when Men were still fur clad savages. Living in our fair isle of Ulthuan, set in the centre of the Great Ocean, we are far removed from the petty squabbles of the lesser races. Here we are able to practice magic and...

Gc07: GC Anchored to Leipzig
I've kinda grown fond of Leipzig. Sure there's not a whole bunch to do there and having the opportunity to check out Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt every night after spending the day covering the Games Convention would be Zuuupear Koole, but there's something to be said for a town dwarfed by the show it hosts.Games Industry reports that the only way the Games Convention could leave Leipzig is if they convention hall hosting it said it was OK. That's because the Leipziger Messe actually owns the Games Convention name and brand. And I can't imagine they'll every let that bad boy get away.Next year? I think we'll be staying in Leipzig proper instead of "quaint" Halle.GC likely to remain in Leipzig [Games Industry]

America's Army: War Is Not A Game
I've often wondered how members of the military who've actually seen active duty felt about America's Army, the recruiting tool disguised as a free video game created by the US Government. Judging by the reactions of one group of war veterans not everyone is overly pleased. Around 90 members of Iraq Veterans Against the War showed their displeasure at the Missouri Black Expo back in mid-August, donning black t-shirts and gathering in front of Army recruiters in formation to shout, "War is not a game!" three times before dispersing. The well-organized protest was in response to the America's Army simulation set up at the Expo and marked the beginning of IVAW's Truth In Recruiting campaign. Anti-war veterans protest at Black Expo [STLtoday via Game Politics]

Art: Halo Invades Madame Tussauds
Godfry sends word that the Madame Tussauds in London is working on a, perhaps, larger-than-life-sized wax replica of the Master Chief in their studios. A reader of Gamer Tag Radio sent him a blurry shot of the still-in-progress MC.Master Chief Statue In London [GTR]

Movie Games: Speed Racer The Movie The Game
I honestly had no clue this was happening. A Speed Racer film with John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, and Richard "Shaft" Roundtree, directed by the Wachowski brothers? How did I not know about this? One of my minions shall be beaten within an inch of its life tonight for certain, but in the meantime I must learn about this glorious film through a Warner Bros. press release for the game of the movie of the animated series. "We are very excited about this natural extension from the Speed Racer film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire Speed Racer experience," said film producer Joel Silver.Coming in 2008 for the Wii, DS, and later for the PS2, the game will involve racing, surprisingly enough. Combat racing to be exact, incorporating the 'car-fu' action the Wacho's have developed for the film. Look for the Wii and DS versions to launch with the film's release, with the...

Hands-On: Xbox 360 Chatpad in the House
I haven't had a chance to really playtest it yet, but the new Chatpad for the Xbox 360 feels like it won't really get in the way while you're gaming. And texting with the thing will be a breeze for anyone who is used to thumbtyping. I'm a big fan of this device so far, I'll let you know how I feel after a few hours of intense gaming.galleryPost('360chatpad', 4, 'Xbox 360 Chatpad');

Night Note: Yes, I Actually Bought a PS3 Game. To Play.
To: CrecenteFrom: AshcraftRE: TGS Kotaku Party?Yup, I did it. Yesterday, I actually bought a game for my PS3. I had previously been using my console to watch movies and look at pictures. That's it! The selection of PS3 games out in Japan is lacking at best. And with my Xbox 360 still in the shop, I didn't really have much of a choice! Wonder if Microsoft's reliability issues will come back to bite them in the arse when the PS3 has more stuff to play. I picked up Rainbow Six Vegas, which is good fun. Thing that I'm curious about: There's all that extra space on Blu-ray, why not throw extra audio language tracks on the game? Rainbow Six Vegas was originally recorded in English and probably sounds better in English — the same's true of Japanese games. Seems like it should be a normal feature for PS3 games!What you missed last nightSony's TGS PS3 listTGS booth planWii still winningNew firmware

Going Going: SCi Up For Sale, Somebody Interested
British publisher SCi (ie Eidos) have let the London Stock Exchange know that someone's made an offer to purchase them they (most likely) can't refuse. They've even released a statement, which reads: Following the recent speculation in the press, the Board of SCi Entertainment Group confirms that it has received an approach and as a result has entered into extremely preliminary discussions regarding a possible offer for the Company.No proposal has been received at this time, however, and there can be no certainty that any offer for the Company will be made or as to the terms of any such offer were one to be made. So...Lara Croft's up for grabs. Think EA are the interested party? Seems likely. Think of the crossover possibilities! Tomb Raider 2009. Or Army of Three. Or, best case scenario, she can be the flag-dropping bint at the start of every Need for Speed race. What a fitting end to a dignified career that would be.SCi confirms approach has been made [GI.biz]

Contest: One Woman. Two Globes. In Conflict.
This next World in Conflict entry I can't quite show you. It's from reader Sarah and too saucy for the front page, so the rest of it is safely after the jump. Remember! Anyone who becomes little Mr. Critic regarding entries will feel the brunt end of the ban stick. Before that, let's bring everyone up to speed: Make a globe out of anything you like, but it must be an actual tangible World globe with countries and oceans and stuff like that. The key here is be creative! Accuracy isn't so important! The best globes will be selected by the big mean Kotaku editors, while Kotakuland will vote for the best finalist. The deadline for entries is this Thursday at midnight EST. Finalists will be announced that Friday, and the winner can decide if he/she/it wants the PC or the Xbox 360 version. Send all entries to kotakucontest@gmail with the subject line "Globe." Remember, you're not only winning a copy of World in Conflict, but also INTERNET FAME.Sarah writes:These are my globes in...

Zombies And Chainsaws: Microsoft's Adults Only Game Bundle for Japan
While the Western world shirks from Adults Only console games, Xbox Japan embraces them. What the hell, it has nothing to lose! As part of its low cost "Platinum Collection," Microsoft will be realizing a two pack of Gears of War and Dead Rising. Both games were slapped with the dreaded CERO Z rating, which is equal to ESRB's games-as-porn AO rating. The Gears of War and Dead Rising double pack will be out November 1st. Two great games for a good price — sounds like a good deal. Watch it fall on deaf ears.CERO Z Bundle [Xbox Japan via Siliconera]

Market Trends: British, German, Spanish Charts
Three European countries, three top spots for Bioshoc-wait. No. Two spots. Britain and Germany lapped it up (the Germans, as expected, preferring the PC version). But Spain, as usual, refuses to cooperate, preferring to stick with their usual diet of Pro Evo, DS games and WWE than get with the program and buy Bioshock like everyone else. BRITAIN1. Bioshock 2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 083. Brain Training4. Transformers5. Brain Training 26. Big Brain Academy7. GRAW 28. Harry Potter And The Children Just Will Not Stop Buying This Game9. Stuntman : Ignition 10. Pokmon DiamondGERMANY1. BioShock (PC) 2. Pokemon Diamond (DS)3. Brain Training 24. Brain Training5. Pokemon Pearl 6. BioShock (Xbox 360)7. Pony Friends (DS)8. WoW: The Burning Crusade 9. Wii Play 10. Big Brain Academy (Wii)SPAIN1. Pokemon Diamond2. Ratatouille (DS)3. Brain Training 24. Pokemon Pearl 5. Pro Evo 6 (PS2)6. Wii Play7. Brain Training8. WWE Smackdown! Vs RAW 2007 (PS2)9. Big Brain Academy (Wii)10. Ratatouille (PS2)...

Rule 34: Lucky Star, The Adult Movie
This November, anime Lucky Star won't only get a PlayStation 2 game, it will also get a porno. Talk about getting lucky! Adult video maker TMA will be making a "parody" called Kira Star. Just like Lucky Star, Kira Star, which means "twinkle star" in Japanese, will be written in hiragana, creating a clever Japanese visual pun: "Raki Suta" () and "Kira Suta" (). Geddit? So clever! For now, the hungry lady in the picture is dressed as bookworm character Kagami Hiiragi. Not surprised that this is being made, but we're surprised it's taken so damn long!Scroll Down to Find It [NSFW TMA Site via Canned Dogs]

Another Ship: The Ship Gets Sequel
If you've not played The Ship, you really should. There aren't enough nautical, first-person murder mystery games around. In fact, there's really only one. The Ship. About to be two, though, with CVG reporting that developers Outerlight are at work on a sequel. That's about all we've got on it, but I'd imagine it would involve a ship, some passengers and a fair amount of murder. Guess they can't call it "The Ship", either, since there's now two of them. Maybe "A Ship". Or "Another Ship".The Ship sequel underway [CVG]

Touching Is Good: Sony's PS3 Playable List for TGS
Sony released its TGS list of playable PS3 games. It's sizeable — over forty titles. What sticks out? Q Entertainment will be showing an unannounced PS3 title. Could Q's Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Space Channel 5) be showing off Rez 2 for the PSN? Besides that title, there are also 8 titles which have not been disclosed yet. Here's a list of what we know:Agarest Senki (Idea Factory)Spiderman 3 (Activision)Transformers (Activision)Pirates of the Carribbean (Disney)Fifa 2008 (EA)NBA Live 08 (EA)Need for Speed Pro Street (EA)Harry Potter (EA)Railfan [Taiwan Railway]Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom)Pixeljunk RACERS (Q-gamesUnannounced Title (Q Entertainment)Jiwan Jockey 4 2007 (Koei)Dynasty Warriors 5 (Koei)Oblivion (Spike)Tony Hawk Project 8 (Spike)SEGA RALLY (tentative title) (Sega)Imabikisou (Sega)BuuBuu Cocoreccho! (SCE)Eye of Judgement (SCE)echocrome (SCE)Go! Sports Ski (SCE)Heavenly Sword (SCE)Little Big Planet (SCE)Lair (SCE)Warhawk (SCE)Uncharted (SCE)GT 5 Prologue (SCE)Mainichi...

Console Farm: 60GB PS3 Back in Stock for Humans to Buy
Man, we were so worried! Over nothing!! 60GB PS3s are back in stock. Earlier, we brought news that SonyStyle.com has run plum out of 60GBs. Sony mouthpiece David Karraker previously confirmed that there was no more 60GB stock left and that all had been sent off to retailers. Maybe they sent them back? Who cares! 60GB PS3s are available at a hundred bucks off the original price. Make hay while you can. Pro tip: If you are in the market for a PS3, don't buy now. Wait until they eventually knock a hundred bucks off the 80GB PS3 — or better yet the inevitable 100 or 120GB one. I've heard of screwing early adaptors, but this could get silly!PS3 Back In Stock [GamePro]

Trough Fishing: New Spore Screens
Just in case you forgot all about it. Or what it looked like. These are actually quite useful, in that they're all gameplay shots, all show some kind of menu/control system and show off the game's four core elements: romancin', flying bug combat, trough-fishing and monkey dancing.galleryPost('sporesep07', 13, 'New Spore Screens');

Babes Not Pictured: TGS Booth Floor Plan Revealed
The lay of the land. There are 217 companies appearing at this year's Tokyo Game show. Here are the floor plans for the biggest ones. Above is 1Hall-3Hall. From top left going across, it includes: Square Enix, Microsoft, SoftBank Mobile and CoFesta Movie Square/TGS Cafe. Below that and moving across are Koei, Cykan Entertainment Co., Ltd., Level 5 and Capcom. Below Capcom and moving right is the Foreign Games Pavilion (go Western Australia!), Marvelous Entertainment, some small companies and SNK by the entrance. Hit the jump for a thrilling look at 4Hall-6Hall: From top left moving right are Sony, Tecmo and Bandai Namco Games/Banpresto. Below BNG and moving left, there are NTT DoCoMo, Konami and SEGA. Under SEGA, there are KDDI, Takara Tomy, Hudson, Jaleco Games, D3 Publisher and Taito.

Boffins: Study Finds Brits Don't Mind In-Game Advertising
A joint study conducted by GameSpot and the Internet Advertising Bureau has found that, on the whole, Britons don't mind a bit of in-game advertising. So long as it's "contextual and realistic". Of the 3575 gamers polled, 40% said that advertising added a dash of realism to the game, 14% said it ruined the experience and the rest said they couldn't give a fig. Most worrying statistic? Only 63.7% of respondents thought that a character drinking a Red Bull to recharge was advertising. For the remaining 36.3%, I'll give you a hint. Yes. That is advertising.Report: Gamers don't mind advertising [GameSpot UK]

Clip: What's Akihabara Like in Second Life?
So Second Life has launched in Japan. And there's even a in-world branch of Japanese used book seller Book-Off to prove it! The Book-Off isn't so bad, but the Akihabara nerd shop is depressing. Like more depressing that real Akiba. To be fair, the above clip isn't brand-spankin' new, so who knows, maybe this Moeya store looks "better." The 2channel mascot stuff looks kooky, though. Hit the jump for that! SL Japanese Style [Japan Probe]

Ass Whooping: PS3 Going From Slaughter to Beaten Up in Japan
Number time: In Japan, the PS3 is catching up with the Nintendo Wii! Well, sorta. In August, the Wii outsold the PS3 3-to-1, moving 245,653 units compared with 81,541. The July ratio was 4-to-1, and the June ration was 6-to-1. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before the Wii is only outselling the PS3 2-to-1. Compare this to Microsoft, who sold 11,288 Xbox 360s in Japan in August. Yup, that means the Wii is outselling it almost 22-to-1. Yikes! Wii Still Cleaning Up [Reuters]

Missionary: New ESA Boss Is A Total Nintendo Fanboy
Former ESA head Doug Lowenstein did a good enough job, but you never got the impression the guy was a gamer. Not that that's a bad thing, just an...observation. New ESA boss Michael Gallagher, though, he loves his games. Not only does he take on Washington Post games writer Mike Musgrove in a Halo 2, GHII, Fight Night and Wii Tennis and come away with a draw, the guy carries a DS Lite around his pocket. All day. Every day. Why? He likes to get one in the hands of politicians, show them a bit of Brain Training, remind them that only 8% of games released each year earn an M rating, convince them to get off our collective backs. I also like to think it's because he plays Advance Wars while on his executive can.As Comfortable on Guitar Hero as on the Hill [Washington Post]

Ass Whopping: PS3 Going From Slaughter to Beaten Up in Japan
Number time: In Japan, the PS3 is catching up with the Nintendo Wii! Well, sorta. In August, the Wii outsold the PS3 3-to-1, moving 245,653 units compared with 81,541. The July ratio was 4-to-1, and the June ration was 6-to-1. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before the Wii is only outselling the PS3 2-to-1. Compare this to Microsoft, who sold 11,288 Xbox 360s in Japan in August. Yup, that means the Wii is outselling it almost 22-to-1. Yikes! Wii Still Cleaning Up [Reuters]