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Unholy Union: Mario And Haruhi Together At Last
Mario AND Haruhi? Together? Brace for exploding nerd loins.[thanks talisein!]

Look Ma No Cord: Thrustmaster Wireless Wii Controller
I'm a little disappointed with the Classic Controller. Mainly because it's not properly wireless, which in 2007 I don't find annoying, I find inexcusable! Enter Thrustmaster's T-Wireless NW, which has an awful name but a promising premise. It works like a Wavebird: plug an adapter into the Cube's wireless ports, play wirelessly. While it looks tacky, it'll be $20 on release (same as the Classic), so you can choose between Nintendo's style or Thrustmaster's...wirelessness.Thrustmaster Announces Wii Wireless Classic Controller [IGN]

Youtube It: XNA Wants To Be A "Youtube For Games"
Chris Satchell is heading up Microsoft's XNA plans, and he has big ideas for the service. He's not content with people just being able to design and build games using XNA. No, he and everyone else at Microsoft also want a top-shelf online service which can host, display and share people's creations. We use a music analogy - you know, it's like we've given the instruments so they can go and play music now, but what's the radio station where they can reach everyone? It's cool that they can invite people around and play in front of them, which is sort of the Creators Club, but hey, they want to play to the world. To this end they're working on a Youtube-esque service, which they're unwilling to show off just now but are claiming is the "next really big step" towards making games development more accessible for regular Joe Schmos. Still sounds awfully complicated to me, though.XNAbling everyone: Part 1 [Develop]

Official: Harrison Has Left The Nintendo Building
After months of chatter, Nintendo of America's marketing chief George Harrison has confirmed that he will be leaving the company. Nintendo has decided to relocate its sales and marketing sales from Redmond to San Francisco and New York. Many top employees are apparently unhappy with this decision and have decided to resign rather than relocate. According to Harrison:I have confirmed to all employees that I will be leaving at the end of December and not making the move to California.Harrison has been with Nintendo since 1992. No word on what his future plans entail. So, wonder who's next... Harrison is gone [Reuters via eXophase Games Network, Thanks shadow!]

No Dice: Nintendo Have "No Plans" To Release Silver DS Lite In Australia
When it comes to Nintendo, as with most gaming matters, European and Australian release dates are often in-step. Sometimes they're the same day, other times within a few days. So if Europe's getting the silver DS, it's safe to assume Australia's not too far behind, right? Haha. NO. Nintendo Australia have told us that: We have no plans to release the Silver DS Lite in Australia at this stage. Bummer. Doesn't mean it's not coming, just means we shouldn't expect it in October.

Bad For Business: Gamestop Manager Won't Sell Games To Stupid Kids
A Gamestop store in South Dallas is breaking corporate policy by refusing to sell games to schoolkids who can't prove their doing well at school. Managed by Brandon Scott, he's got a store rule that unless an adult can verify that a child is getting good grades at school he won't sell a game to them. Any game. Even Pony Friends. Scott: I'm probably going to get in trouble for this, but to me it's worth it, because the kids understand that somebody cares. Brandon, your heart's in the right place, but the kids won't think somebody cares. They'll think you're being a total ass. Especially if they're not bright kids , and all they want to do is buy a videogame from your videogame store.Store only sells video games to kids with good grades [WFAA.com, thanks everyone]

Final Sale: Simple 2000: The Japanese Hardware Chart
It's already been an intense day for followers of video game hardware and software sales, but we've got one last set of figures to drop on you. This week's Japanese hardware sales charts, courtesy of Media Create, help to illustrate the difference in sales trends. As is the new norm, Nintendo reigns supreme in Japan, but the stark contrast between Xbox 360 sales in the U.S. and Japan is harshly illustrated when one compares Media Create sales to NPD.In general, hardware sales were down across the board, with Wii hardware selling at an all-time summer low. Hardware sales for the week of September 3rd to the 9th are below.Nintendo DS Lite - 77,488Wii - 29,088PSP - 15,564PlayStation 2 - 13,360PLAYSTATION 3 - 13,248Xbox 360 - 1,286Game Boy micro - 428Game Boy Advance SP - 122

Giant Jack Tretton Face Says: PS3 Movie, TV Download Service Coming, But Not Anytime Soon
The Xbox Live Video Marketplace is doin' alright for Microsoft. People like the convenience, they like the easy access to stuff in HD. You'd think Sony would be right on top of a similar setup for the PS3, and would have been there since launch, but they're not. They are working on it, though, and Jack Tretton has been out speculating on what the service might look like: Everybody in the world has rightly pointed out that Sony is uniquely positioned with having a great heritage in hardware, and a great heritage in software -- they own a music business, they own a successful movie studio and a successful gaming division. So just based on our internal resources alone we should be able to take advantage of synergies. We're working closely together to come up with a service that we think will be of benefit to the consumer as well as not just the PlayStation brand but potentially across all Sony properties.It's a grand vision, one with not just Microsoft but also iTunes firmly in...

Numbers In Motion: Sony Applies Spin To August NPD Sales
With the Wii, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 sitting pretty atop the NPD hardware sales charts and Madden NFL 08 taking the numero uno spot in the software sales charts, you'd think that Sony would have nothing to sing about. Guess again. Sony's official statement on the subject called August 2007 "a strong month for the PlayStation brand" citing $340 million in sales.With the PLAYSTATION 3 in last place for the month, admittedly without Game Boy Advance figures, Sony says of the next-gen contender that it " finished off the summer by maintaining a steady increase in units sold over pre-July numbers, with 130,623 units sold at retail for the month" boasting of a "61% lift at retail over the past two months."The company points to "some out of stock situations" at retail for the month-to-month decrease in PSP sales. While some potential PSP buyers may have been simply holding onto their cash waiting for the PSP 2000 revision, Sony says that decreased supplies of the current PSP were...

Too Good To Be True: Nintendo Begins "Hanabi Festival" For PAL Virtual Consoles
The earlier reports were right on the money. Nintendo have officially announced (and I've been officially playing) the first "Hanabi Festival" for the European and Australian Virtual Consoles, which will over the next three weeks see games "never before released" in these markets thrown up on the VC. You ready? This isn't a dream. Week 1 is Mario week, and has seen the original Super Mario Bros 2 (Japan-only version) and Mario's Super Picross (WARNING: tons of Japanese text) made available. Next week (21 September) is Ninja week, with the NES's Ninja Gaiden and Ninja JaJaMaru-Kun showing up. Third and final week (28 September) is Sci-Fi week, which sees the release of Sin & Punishment and Gradius III. Somebody hold me.galleryPost('marioweek', 8, 'Mario Week On PAL VC');

Clips: Death Smiles, Cave's New Shmup
September's Shooterfest continues as side-scrolling arcade shmup lovers will be pleased to see Cave's new gothic horror effort Death Smiles. Like Tekken 6, it's on display at the JAMMA expo in Tokyo. A much longer, but less clear video of the game on display at JAMMA is available at YouTube. It's a good time to be a shmup fan, no?

Bumpy Road Ahead: Bumpy Trot 2 Trots 2 PS3 At TGS
NeoGAF member "Massive Attack" used his falcon-like web site watching skills to dig up a tidbit of PLAYSTATION 3 news for next week's Tokyo Game Show. It appears that R-Type developer Irem will be showing a sequel to the original Bumpy Trot for Sony's next-gen console at the Makuhari Messe. While the original Western mech game, which came to the U.S. of A as Steambot Chronicles, didn't exactly light up the sales charts, it was fairly well received.Don't count on a European or North American release just yet, but we'll hopefully get our hands on it in Tokyo next week.Bumpy Trot 2 [Irem via NeoGAF]

Rumor: PAL Virtual Console Gets Japan Only Games
GoNintendo is reporting that a pair of former Japan exclusive Nintendo games Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels for the NES and Mario's Super Picross for the Super Nintendo are now available for download via the Wii Virtual Console service. The two tiles would represent two of the first Nintendo published games that were Japan-only releases to make the transition to the service. In fact, GoNintendo also writes that Mario's Super Picross contains unlocalized Japanese language text.The news comes with another unusual move on Nintendo's part. It would appear that Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels is available only for a limited time, with the title scheduled to disappear at the end of September. Could this be more evidence that Treasure's Sin And Punishment will also leave its native Japan?Our resident PAL-region Oceanic editor Luke Plunkett tells me that he doesn't yet see the two games on the Australian VC, meaning this could be for Europe only.Euro/Aussie VC update - Special...

Excellent: NPD: Monthly Xbox 360 Hardware Sales Bypass PS2 On Price Drop
It would appear that Microsoft's strategy to issue a price drop in time for the release of Madden NFL 08 has unsurprisingly worked to their advantage. One can only assume that the boys in Redmond are observing August's Excel spreadsheet from the NPD Group from their thrones amid bouts of maniacal, power hungry laughter. With no hope of beating the Wii's untouchable 400,000-plus units sold last month, the Xbox 360's trouncing of all things PlayStation was no fluke. It's smart marketing.Hardware sales in the U.S. for the month of August are below, with lifetime-to-date sales after the jump.Wii - 403,600Nintendo DS - 383,300Xbox 360 - 276,700PlayStation 2 - 202,000PSP - 151,200PLAYSTATION 3 - 130,600Total video game hardware sales for August were at $384 million, up 94.1% over the previous year.The following list shows current U.S. console and portable gaming device sales from launch date to September 1, 2007.PlayStation 2 - 39,100,000Nintendo DS - 12,700,000PSP - 8,300,000Xbox...

Boom: NPD: Madden 08 Dominates U.S. August Software Sales
August software sales figures have just been released by the NPD Group, showing that EA's venerable football franchise shows no signs of slowing down. The Xbox 360 version crushed the competition, beating out the PlayStation 2 version by an additional 250,000 units sold. Some 2 million units of Madden NFL 08 across all platforms were soldSales of the Xbox 360 critical darling BioShock outsold its first person competition Metroid Prime 3: Corruption by more than two-to-one during the month of August. Keep in mind the latter was on the market for one less week than 2K's insta-hit, but it still bodes well for a BioShock sequel.The top ten selling games in the U.S. for August are listed below. More after the break.01. Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360) - 896,60002. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 643,60003. BioShock (Xbox 360) - 490,90004. Madden NFL 08 (PS3) - 336,20005. Wii Play (Wii) - 256,80006. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 218,10007. Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) - 147,40008. Guitar Hero...

Game 3.0: Sony Planning Slow Home Roll Out
The GamesIndustry.biz team sat down with Sony's Jamie Macdonald, VP of Worldwide Studios, to chat more about the status of Home for the PLAYSTATION 3 recently. And while MacDonald may think Home "might be one of a number of reasons why a consumers might buy a PlayStation 3 in the first place" he says that gamers (and non-gamers) shouldn't expect a traditional, full featured "big bang launch." He tells GI.biz that we should expect more production "beta" behavior, a la Web 2.0 apps like Gmail.With Home still in closed beta testing, and newly rumored updates creeping out this week, it would appear that the social networking platform still needs some time to incubate. Looks like that other rumor of a mid-October release date is looking less likely. Surely we'll know more after TGS.I'm checking my account for an invite, just in case.No Place Like Home [GamesIndustry.biz]

The Horror: Halo 3 'Museum'...Reimagined
newVideoPlayer("Halo3MuseumNew_gawker.flv", 475, 276);Without giving anything away, let us simply say that this clip is very much worth a watch. Just make sure you've seen part 1 first. Halo 3 Advert - Consolevania [youtube]

Fifth Of A Billion: Analyst: Initial Halo 3 Sales Should Hit $200 Million
No one expects Halo 3 to walk away with anything but gargantuan success. Microsoft is aiming for day one sales of the Xbox 360 shooter to the tune of $155 million, a considerable jump from Halo 2's $125 million single day take. With the $10 next-gen tax imposed for the third, that doesn't seem that unreasonable. Adding to that a $129 Legendary Edition version makes it sound like a lock.Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian says that's a conservative estimate, putting "initial" sales at $200 million. Unsurprisingly, Sebastian predicts that the release of Master Chief's next gun-fest will push lots of Xbox 360s. What no one seems to be discussing is what I predict will be a massive rush for Spartan flavored Mountain Dew beverages.Analyst: Initial Halo 3 Sales to Push $200 mln [Next-Gen]

Steam Poke: Steam Community Goes Public
Valve announced today that the Steam Community program has graduated from voluntary beta to public release, just in time for Monday's beta release of Team Fortress 2 for The Orange Box pre-purchasers. The online social networking additions to the Steam client let PC gamers create in-depth user profiles, track their friends gaming habits online and chat with other Steam users via any game in the Steam platform. Facebook who again?In light of this news, I'll be spending the rest of the day posing in front of the bathroom mirror, looking for that perfect Steam ID photo. A press release will keep you occupied in my absence.STEAM COMMUNITY OPEN FOR TF2 BETASeptember 13, 2007 - After a successful trial period, Valve is proud to announce the public launch of the Steam community features, an expansive set of social networking and online multiplayer features available for free on Steam, as it prepares for the launch of the Team Fortress 2 beta, which is scheduled to begin on Monday,...

Clips: Tekken 6 In Motion From JAMMA
The Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association (JAMMA) expo is throwing down in Japan right now in the Makuhari Messe, the same location that will house next week's Tokyo Game Show. The GameVideos gang is on the show floor securing silent clips of games like Tekken 6 in eye-popping obscure-o-vision. How's it look? Like Tekken with a new coat of paint. Surely, the intricacies of controlling a boxing kangaroo or rotund lumberjack will present themselves when we finally get our hands on it. For now, enjoy the graphical prowess of Namco Bandai.

Psn Thursday: PlayStation Store Update: Demolicious
This week's PlayStation Store update will be one of its biggest, with the already announced duo of PixelJunk Racers ($6.99) and High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition ($9.99) leading the assault. Fortunately for fence sitters, a demo for PixelJunk Racers will be available to try for free.Four other playable demos, including ones for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, NHL 08, FIFA 08 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will also be available for download tonight.In addition to those playable options, a healthy portion of video content, wallpapers and even a track from the Lair score will be available. Here's the full list:Everyday Shooter trailerWarhawk trailerLair Behind the Scenes videoFeel the Noise trailerJuiced 2 trailerHigh Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition trailerSoul Calibur IV trailerHigh Stakes: Poker wallpaperPixelJunk Racer wallpaperFolklore wallpaper

Oddities: The Heavenly Sword Letter Opener
I love letter openers, especially game-themed ones... and now I have three. A King Arthur sword, a Link sword in stone and this very nifty Heavenly Sword sword on a nice stand. Now off to flail the paper from my bills and slit the lids of unsuspecting packages.galleryPost('hss', 4, 'The Heavenly Sword Sword');

Gallery: The Bungie Studios
We weren't allowed inside the warehouse-looking space meant for developers, but we were able to check out the Bungie studios, home of a wall-length display case filled with some pretty choice awards. I particularly like the golden monkey given to winners of the Spike TV Video Game awards... wait a second, we wont of those. Where's our monkey!!! galleryPost('bungiestudios', 4, 'How much is a gold monkey worth on eBay?');

Breaking: Halo 3 The Ride, The Car
We've shown you the ride—now drive the car. Planned for the Dover NASCAR race, it's encouraging to see the Halo 3 The Ride finally making its way car form. We hope to get a hands-on sometime in the future, but given the media blitz that this news will become, we hope that Bungie's latest creation is not endangered in the process. For this we can only hope...and pray. Halo 3 + NASCAR + Target + Hype = Dover 400 Nextel Cup Race? [olgn]

War: World In Conflict Q&A
In World In Conflict's latest Q&A, the developers hint at things to come.Q: Will there be an 'Army Creator' feature where you can create your own faction with your own units in-game, define bonuses etc?So will there? Short answer, no. Long answer...no. Seriously, that may be the most deflating question ever to ask an RTS developer: "So, does your game do all this awesome stuff that you've never, ever hinted at or alluded to?" But there's some good stuff here if you are interested in Word in Conflict. Q&A with David Polfeldt [massgate]

It's A Start: Microsoft Acknowledges Phishing on LIVE
Microsoft has gone on the record and admitted that phishing scams are occurring on Xbox LIVE. Well, technically they are admitting that phishers are trying to get LIVE account information while ignoring that there's more on the line, like personal credit card numbers. Offering reimbursement to customers, they also wanted to make clear:This was not a failure of software technology. We want to reassure our customers that there has been no security breach of the Xbox LIVE network or of Bungie.net.Isn't a phishing scam occurring on a closed and thereby safe network precisely framed as a failure of their technology? There's only so much any company can do to protect customers who are willing to re-enter personal info at the drop of a hat, but for all the sacrifices we make on the closed LIVE platform, it's supposed to be an experience free from the everyday burdens of a PC. Their full statement after the jump.Microsoft has confirmed reports of certain individuals taking over subscribers'...

So Sad: OJ Simpson Got $50,000 Cut From 2K, Loses It
2K Sports paid OJ Simpson a sweet $50,000 to lend his likeness to All-Pro Football 2K8 along with the promise of another $50,000 if he renewed his contract for an additional two years. It seemed like a pretty good deal for Simpson until the Los Angeles court ordered him to hand over any affiliated licensing fees to murder victim Ron Goldman's estate. It just goes to show how much videogame money is on the table for famous pro sports players, you know, if they aren't liable for wrongful death. (Or maybe only if they are.) O.J. Simpson Got $50,000 for Take-Two Game [maxconsole]

Tourney: The World in Conflict Game Off
The Massive folks have challenged Team Kotaku to a little game-off in World in Conflict this week. They will be pitting two of the guys who helped create the game against myself and Fahey, in other words we are going to have not just our asses, but just about all of our body parts handed to us.In exchange for this online pummeling we've agreed to undertake, Massive is going to send us videos of our digital disgrace for posting on the site and whether we win or not we take home some prizes. Not prizes for us, no, all we get is the public humiliation, the prizes will be for you, dear readers.The Massive folks are going to hand over several copies of World in Conflict, some sort of autographed World in Conflict swag and some uber prize, perhaps a World in Conflict Skateboard or track jacket. I'm hoping to get you guys the board, because I've seen it and it kicks ass. No promises yet on what exactly we'll be getting for you, but it's going to be super cool.Check back Friday evening...

News: PGR4 Goes Gold, RACING To Store Shelves
Despite E3 rumors that Project Gotham Racing 4 would see delays, the game has gone gold and will hit store shelves on October 2nd. And hopefully beyond the potential bonus of Bizarre Creations freeing up more resources for The Club, they'll find it in their hearts to make another Fur Fighters. Because let's admit it, even though cars are kind of a big deal, there's more money made in cute kitten posters alone than all of Ford and GM profits combined last year. The truth is a cold, kittenless void, isn't it?

Free Speech: Jaffe On Halo, Not 'Getting It'
In response to our Halo 3 'Museum' post yesterday, David Jaffe published a refreshingly frank discussion about Halo (an AIM conversation between him and Sony designer Adam Orth) in which he...oh, we'll let Jaffe tell the story! We're getting the popcorn. It's a decent ad I think. I just don't get HALO. I don't think the story is all that special, don't think the world or characters matter much. I don't know if I am simply not 'getting it' and it really is all that...or Microsoft has simply purchased rabid fan reactions for what is a great game but nothing more.Oh, but there's more!I don't dislike Halo at all and really liked parts of Halo 2 alot...I am in minority who felt single player halo 2 was better than halo 1 single player. I mean, I hear people talk about the flood and shit and I'm like: what? Who gives a shit.I couldn't have said it better. Well, maybe I could have. But it would have taken some work and you wouldn't have read it anyway and if you did you'd probably...

Roundup: Frankenreview, Heavenly Sword (PS3)
Lair took a really bad beating last week, breaking the hearts of PS3 fanboys around the world. But it would be OK because there was another Chosen One that Sony had been flaunting for months: Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword. We nicknamed it Goddess of War during E306, but even with the its chainsword-driven action, the game seems to have blossomed into its own entity at this point—for the good or the bad.So hit the jump for our Frankenreview: the one review that will dictate whether or not the PS3 is good for something other than big screen porn. That is, if you don't consider a beautiful redhead kicking royal ass in skimpy clothing to be some logical extension of pornography.GameRevolutionI can not remember the last time I cared so much about the characters in an action game, and not just the heroes, the villains as well. Like Gollum, even the bad guys have complex motivations. The facial expressions, body language, and the lip synch are so spot-on it's uncanny. I found...

Free Speech: Jaffe On Halo: "Who Gives a Shit?"
In response to our Halo 3 'Museum' post yesterday, David Jaffe published a refreshingly frank discussion about Halo (an AIM conversation between him and Sony designer Adam Orth) in which he...oh, we'll let Jaffe tell the story! We're getting the popcorn. It's a decent ad I think. I just don't get HALO. I don't think the story is all that special, don't think the world or characters matter much. I don't know if I am simply not 'getting it' and it really is all that...or Microsoft has simply purchased rabid fan reactions for what is a great game but nothing more.Oh, but there's more!I don't dislike Halo at all and really liked parts of Halo 2 alot...I am in minority who felt single player halo 2 was better than halo 1 single player. I mean, I hear people talk about the flood and shit and I'm like: what? Who gives a shit.I couldn't have said it better. Well, maybe I could have. But it would have taken some work and you wouldn't have read it anyway and if you did you'd probably...

Swag: The Halo 3 Hoodie
Bungie folks handed me one of these hoodies, made exclusively, I'm told, for the writers who attended the Halo 3 review event, as I left their office for the airport yesterday. On the front is an emblem with the letters UNSC and on the back is a giant image showing the outlines of a bunch of Halo 3 weapons. Pretty cool. I love the obscure stuff.

Two Years Later: My Xbox Live Diamond Card Arrives
Back before I was a regular poster at Kotaku I was a regular reader of Kotaku, and back in December of 2005 when Crecente posted a story about the Xbox Live Diamond card, I was right there when the program launched to sign up. Stories of happy gamers receiving their shiny plastic cards started surfacing around the middle of last year, but sadly I was not among those shiny happy people (holding hands). Soon my dream of owning a relatively useless piece of plastic faded. Then yesterday, while rifling through bills, I noticed an envelope trimmed in green and gold, with the words 'Diamond Program' beneath a large, friendly Xbox Live logo. Yes friends, today I am a man. I'm not sure why it took the better part of two years, but finally the Platinum Card and accompanying burrito coupon are mine. People really do win!galleryPost('faheydiamond2', 4, 'Today I Am A Man');

Thinking Caps Required: Archetype vs. Stereotype, The Dealio
In Activision employee James Portnow's weekly column, he justifiably calls out the gaming industry for creating stereotypes where they mean to create archetypes.we tend to end up with stereotypes when what we're looking for is archetypes. If you look at almost all of the most memorable videogame characters...they are all archetypical. The problem is that the line between an archetype and a stereotype is very subtle and, as established above, conveying that subtlety in the limited context of a videogame is often too much to ask.But Portnow might be giving the industry a bit too much credit, as many games are clearly the result of developers with Hollywood hard-ons who are packing too much in...generally in the form of clich (Gears of War, though a ton of fun, is totally guilty of this). I also think subtlety is another word for restraint, and it's often the silent types who transcend to archetypes: think Mario or the Clint Eastwood cowboy. Videogame characters often play silently...

Clips: Meet Delgado Of The Jericho Squad
newVideoPlayer("delgado_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Now here is a much better Jericho trailer than that generic piece of ass they tried to pass off last month. These aren't just random soldiers now...they are The Jericho Squad from the Department of Occult Warfare, and they are here to take some ass and kick some names or something. Funny, I wouldn't have pegged Delgado as the flamer of the group. Sure it's no Team Fortress 2 character introduction, but it adds a little bit of personality to what up til now I've imagined was a rather bland FPS. Much improved.

Gallery: Halo Diorama May Tour Country
As I mentioned earlier this week, I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Bungie Studios hanging out with Frank O'Connor and crew and playing through Halo 3 (in Heroic). I can't talk about that yet, but I can talk a bit about the advertising campaign that Microsoft kicked off yesterday. They showed us most of the ads that they plan on running for the campaign and I had a chance to sit down and talk to Frankie about them. While I suppose some could view the ads as tasteless, I didn't really find them offensive. If you haven't seen them, the concept is drawn from the same sort of evocative documentaries that have been made about real wars. There is, in the teaser ad, a lone man, a veteran, standing in an empty and mostly darkened museum talking about his experiences in the war. The difference, of course, is that the battle he speaks of is totally fictional. War is a serious thing, and real veterans should be honored for their sacrifice, but using that subject matter in a fictional...

Hijinx: EA Tiburon Employees Are So Crazy
So what do the employees of the development studio responsible for yearly Madden goodness do to let off steam? The same thing most office workers do, only slightly bigger. The Orlando Sentinel has a story on the proud pranking tradition at EA Tiburon, detailing such capers as disassembling and reassembling a golf cart inside of a manager's office, filling a conference room with thousands of dollars worth of plastic balls, suitable for diving, and my personal favorite, brining in a contractor to plaster over a boss's door with drywall so it looks like it never existed. My favorite part of the article is when artist John Taylor explains how the insurance company that shares their office park feels about the pranksters."They hate us because we have fun and they don't and their bosses would never put up with the kind of crap we do," Taylor said. "They are all grownups. They are weak. We are cool. They're not."Ooo, burn!No time off from EA's cool capers [The Orlando Sentinel via...

Impressions: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Xbox Live Demo
When Spider-Man: Friend or Foe was first announced, I had hopes that the new offering might be a means of redemption for the shoddy piece of work that was Spider-Man 3. If the demo released on Xbox Live this morning is any indication, what we are getting instead is a game that tries to be a cartoony, trimmed down Ultimate Alliance but ends up feeling more akin to the Spider-Man beat-em ups of the SNES era. The plot of the game revolves around Mysterio creating an army of Phantoms using a piece of the Venom symbiote and then kidnapping Spider-Man's greatest foes, using mind-control to get them to battle the webcrawler despite the fact that in the opening cinematic of the demo they are all attacking him anyway. Apparently forcing villains to do what they were going to do anyway is abhorrent to the bad guys, and as Spidey frees them they join his side as playable characters. The demo takes place on the rooftops of Tokyo, as Spider-Man teams up with either Venom or the original...

Clips: Nintendo DS Tablet Hack
Some enterprising gamer managed to hack two tablet PCs to allow him to hook up his DS and play games on them using a pen. He calls it the Jumbotron DS. The entire thing ran him $600.Jumbotron DS {Olimar]

Whoops: FIFA Demo Hits Live, Misses Europe
Two new demos popped up on Xbox Live early this morning, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, which I will talk about a little later, and FIFA 08, the latest installment of EA's annual soccer title. The 702MB demo is now available in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. Good thing there aren't any soccer fans in Europe, huh? They can wait a bit then, right Larry?EA has told me this demo is coming to Europe 'very soon'. The moment it is released in Europe I will make a post. I don't know the exact date.See? Very soon! In the meantime, I'm sure my American brothers will be glad to fill you in on how the game plays. How do you score a touchdown in soccer again? Demo:FIFA 08 Demo [Major Nelson's Blog]

Color Blind: Shiny Silver DS For Europe
With over 14 million units sold, the Nintendo DS is the best-selling games console in European history. With sales of More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain verging on the one million mark and The Phantom Hourglass just around the corner, Nintendo is looking to boost those handheld sales by introducing a brand-new color to the DS stable. Come October 12th, European gamers will be able to choose between black, white, pink, or silver when they head down the shops to pick up a new handheld. Mind you I see no mention of a metallic finish, so I'm not sure why they just don't call it gray other than the fact that silver sounds much more attractive. While I'm not sure how long the color will stay a Euro exclusive, the DS isn't region specific, so importing is always a possibility if you're a big fan of gray. NINTENDO DS LITE GOES PLATINUM!-Nintendo DS Lite hardware & software sales reach all-new highs as Nintendo DS Silver makes its debut-13th September 2007...

Ubisoft: Assassin's Creed's New Box Art
Not sure if I really like the Limited Edition art, but the standard box art is pretty nice.galleryPost('acba', 4, 'Assassins Creed');

Night Note: One Small Change For People with Funny Names
To: CrecenteFrom: AshcraftRemember a while back when clothing retailer UNIQLO didn't have enough spaces for people with line names to enter in the computer? If not, read here! Anyway, today I got an email from UNIQLO. They have changed their online store's data entry system. It's now possible to enter 24 characters instead of the previous w/e. So, good for people with long names like "Ashcraft." Somewhat of a nice feeling, seeing this changed and all. It's small and perhaps meaningless, but it's progress.What you missed last nightMy Xbox died. Again Spidey, Simpsons PSPsCrisis Core Crushes BallsMGS4/MGO playable

Clip: Geometry Wars Waves Trailer
Next best thing about a new PGR game after the driving? The Geometry Wars. Here's a clip for Geometry Wars Waves, PGR4's accompanying diversion, and it's looking...well, everything appears to be in order. As you can see, the enemies approach in waves.

Contest: Last Day to Make Red for Heavenly Sword
Last day! This is it!! Those hoping to enter our Heavenly Sword contest have until midnight EST tonight to enter. The entries we've been getting so far are knock-outs and choosing finalists is going to be damn hard. Check out what Kotakuite Bururian sent in, writing: Can't remember how buzzed I was actually doing it though. I did drink most of that beer though.We've got one copy of Heavenly Sword with fiery sword-swinger Nariko to give away. But, we're not just going to give it away. You've got to win it! Here's the contest: Red. Lots and lots of red. Take a picture with as many red things as you can squeeze in. Remember, be creative. Don't be afraid to leave your house to take the pics! It doesn't have to be just a bunch of products. Just think red! Because the most interesting/creative ones will be selected by the mean Kotaku staff as finalists. The best one will then be selected by Kotakuland. Deadlines for entries is next Thursday at midnight EST. Send entries to kotakucontest...

No Surprises: Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Goes on Sale
How's this for a shocker? Today, the limited edition Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core bundle went on sale in Japan. There are 77,777 of these packs which include a FFVII CC PSP, the game and some other stuff. Anyway! It went on sale, loads of people lined up (like over 300), and it "sold out." Boy, Japan sure likes its FF, just like those Americans like their Madden. Blah, blah, blah. Though, foreign people like FF, too! See that guy in the above Famitsu pic? I've met him! He seems like an alright dude, and there he is on the Famitsu front page. Almost as exciting as the time Fahey was in Famitsu. See, that's somewhat interesting even if some Final Fantasy PSP game selling out in Japan isn't. FFCC on sale [Famitsu]

Tgs07: Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Online Playable
As Kojima Productions' Ryan Payton revealed in today's podcast, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Online will both be playable at TGS. The MGS4 demo bit shows close to the start of the game, and there will be a special "briefing area" to explain the controllers. There will be a new trailer as well which Payton says might be revealing "too much." So, if you don't want things spoiled, don't watch. Excited? The line starts here!Listen Here [KP Productions Report]

Viva El Matrimonio: Nothing Quite Like Proposing With Viva Pinata
Joining the ranks of World of Warcraft, Viva Piñata can now also claim its first wedding. PinataIsland.info Forum member PINATAcast posts:To a few of my friends on here, you know i just bought a 360 and VP for the soul reason of getting my Girl addicted to VP and on her own system.Well, i decided to propose to her this evening, so i sent the only diamond my digger has ever found, with a note attached asking her to marry me. When she got it (Across the room on the other TV) she giggled and said i was silly. Then i pulled out the real deal, got on a knee and started getting cried upon. She said yes, so next spring we are getting married!Congrats! Don't be fooled. Viva Piñata isn't only a game, but a conduit for nerds to marry. Let's hope these love birds can put aside Viva Piñata on their wedding night. No gaming and consummating, k?VP Marriage [Pinata Island]

Cross-promotion: What Do You Get When You Cross Peggle And Half-Life 2?
Why, this, of course. Best menu screen of all-time? Certainly comes close. Shame the inclusion of the HL2/TF2-themed Peggle Extreme has been overshadowed by the Orange Box's "other" inclusions, because it's great to see Valve completely taking the piss with two of their strongest intellectual properties.Peggle Extreme Intro Screen [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Money For Something: European Union Throwing Cash At Developers
That's right. The EU isn't just lending money to developers. It's giving it to them. Giving them millions. It's been announced that the European Commission have created a kitty of around 1,500,000 which is to be handed out to European developers to help spur the industry on. Individual developers can claim up to 100,000 to start a new project, while games already under development can claim between 10,000 and 60,000. Only catch? 60% of the fund is being reserved for games that "focus on the cultural heritage and diversity of Europe". I read that to mean "obscure medieval German trading simulators". That or Singstar: Eurovision.European Commission creates 1.5m game fund [Develop]

Proof: Giant Haruhi Face Is Freaky!
Ack!! That's popular anime character Haruhi Suzumiya. Bandai is bringing popular series to the PSP as an adventure title, and the game's official website shows off a 3D polygon model that actually responds to movement of your computer mouse. For example, move it right, and her eyes dart right. Move it up, and she looks up. For real fun fun, move it in circle and quickly. Proof that giant faces are way creepier when they move. Play WIth Giant Haruhi Face Here [Bandai]

Stop Hammer Time: Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Pronounced Dead
Project H.A.M.M.E.R. isn't on hold. It's been cancelled. Finished. So say Famitsu in their latest issue, which feels like the Coast Guard announcing they've given up the search for a man (with a giant hammer) lost at sea. I for one liked the basic premise, mainly because it reminded me of old Capcom side-scrollers, but I guess some things just can't be saved. Rest in Peace, big fella.Project H.A.M.M.E.R. erscheint nicht mehr in Japan [Gamefront.de]

Kotaku Stalku: Castlevania Producer Whips It Out At Signing
Don't let the silly head gear and the goofy whip fool you. Koji "IGA" Igarashi is a serious man. He's dedicated his life to Castlevania. Just take a look at his business card! Kotakuite Torokun was in attendance and brings word that folks started lining up at around 2:00PM for a signing last night. The cover for upcoming PSP title Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles was passed at as well for IGA to sign. That after the jump.Torokun's Page [Deviant Art]

Sales Charts: Australian Sales Charts
Unlike our colonial forebears, Australian gamers have resisted the urge to drop BioShock from the #1 spot and have instead...kept it there. That's the 360 version, the PC one's long gone. Also busting into the top 10 is, surprisingly, Two Worlds, making this the first time two 360 games have been in the top 10 since, oh, a very long time ago. 1. BioShock (360)2. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage3. SingStar '90s4. Mario Party 85. Pokmon Diamond6. New Super Mario Bros7. Two Worlds8. Pokmon Pearl9. Ratatouille (PS2)10. Boogie[charts courtesy of GfK]

Not 4D: Ridge Racer 7 In Crazy 3D
Testing of a 3D version of Ridge Racer 7 at Namco's Wonderpark HeroesBase in Kawasaki City. The 3D used in the PS3 racing title was developed by NHK and supposedly does not make one's eyes tired. Called "Xpol," two images are processed for each eye by blending the scanning lines on LCD TVs. Since images are made from polygons, they are relatively easy to convert to 3D, since the only changes need to be so that base image displays for each eye. According to Game Watch Impress, frame rates have slipped slightly. Free location test runs until the 14th of this month. Hey, that's tomorrow!3D Ridge Racer [Game Watch, Thanks ******* ***!]

Rocks My World: Infogrames Had A Theme Song. An Awesome Theme Song.
Videogame companies have plenty of mascots. Plenty of nice logos, too, but there's one thing they're short on. Theme songs. And no, "Say...gah.." so does not count. In fact only one company was smart enough, no, brave enough to pay for their own corporate ditty. Infogrames. And it is fantastic. Hit the link below to hear a woman make a release schedule sound a million times more entertaining than it has any right to be. Infogrames Company Anthem [GayGamer]

Doppelganger: Akiharabara Idol Gets Porn Homage
Former Akihabara idol Shoko Nakagawa has fully transformed into a mainstream celeb. While just a year ago, Shoko-tan was doing Akihabara Ninety-Nine Nights cosplay events for Microsoft, now she's selling shampoo and appearing in fashion mags. Sure, she still has nerd cred with the otaku horde. Hence, this: an adult video with a costume-playing Shoko Nakagawa look-alike. There's a screenshot of the film after the jump, which involves a PSP, canned ramen and a MacBook. So kinky!Not Shoko-tan, But Kinda Close [NSFW]

New In Stores: Australia, You May Now Purchase A PSP Slim
Look at that calendar there on your (awfully untidy) desk. Know what today is? It's September 13. Yes, Australia, that means the PSP Slim is now in the retail channel, ready for you to purchase for the recommended retail price of AUD$279.95. Or not. It's up to you, really. It's slim, it's lite, it still runs out of charge too quickly and it's still a devil to keep clean. On the bright side it plays all the old PSP games, is thinner, lighter and...newer.

Clip: Wacko Jacko Game Surprises Japanese Celebs
Yes, yes. Michael Jackson made his own SEGA game Moonwalker. Yes, yes, we all know. Though Japanese celebs like variety host Tamori and former Morning Musume idol Mari Yaguchi sure seem surprised. Here's an episode from Hey! Spring of Trivia detailing the Jackson SEGA Genesis game. For those who haven't seen the show, here's what's going on: Five celebs have a buzzer that they hit when an amazing piece of trivia is revealed. The buzzer makes a "hey" noise, which is the sound in Japanese people make when they are surprised to hear something. The max number of buzzer hits (or heys) per person is 20. These are then combined for a total score that can max out at 100. This bit of info got 78 "heys."The interesting part isn't that Japanese celebs didn't know this (even if the game was released in Japan!), but when the host (Norito Yashima) says the show connected The Gloved One's people about using the clip to which they asked how much would be paid for TV usage. Hey! Spring of...

Clip: Wacko Jacko Game Surprised Japanese Celebs
Yes, yes. Michael Jackson made his own SEGA game Moonwalker. Yes, yes, we all know. Though Japanese celebs like variety host Tamori and former Morning Musume idol Mari Yaguchi sure seem surprised. Here's an episode from Hey! Spring of Trivia detailing the Jackson SEGA Genesis game. For those who haven't seen the show, here's what's going on: Five celebs have a buzzer that they hit when an amazing piece of trivia is revealed. The buzzer makes a "hey" noise, which is the sound in Japanese people make when they are surprised to hear something. The max number of buzzer hits (or heys) per person is 20. These are then combined for a total score that can max out at 100. This bit of info got 78 "heys."The interesting part isn't that Japanese celebs didn't know this (even if the game was released in Japan!), but when the host (Norito Yashima) says the show connected The Gloved One's people about using the clip to which they asked how much would be paid for TV usage. Hey! Spring of...

Gallery: First Pics Of Simpsons, Spider-Man PSPs
Back at Leipzig, SCEE announced that to coincide with the PSP Slim's launch in Europe they'd be releasing two limited edition variants of the handheld. One, a Simpsons PSP, would be yellow and come bundled with the new Simpsons PSP game. The other, a Spider-Man bundle, would include both Spider-Man 2 (the PSP game) and Spider-Man 3 (on Blu-Ray). Anyways, at launch there were no pictures of either model. Here, then, are the first pictures of both.galleryPost('pspredyellow', 4, 'Simpsons & Spider-Man PSPs');

In Five Minutes Flat: Bashcraft's "Fixed" Xbox 360 Dies. Again.
See that? It says "Welcome to the world of Xbox 360" and asks me to select my language. About thirty minutes ago, I plugged in my "fixed" Xbox 360. Back in August, my Japan launch 360 Red Ringed. Twenty-two days passed, and I received my "fixed" Xbox 360 via airmail. That was on September 11th. Since I had to go to Tokyo yesterday, I took it out the box and put it under my TV. Today was the first time I could plug in the machine, and when I did, my new black wireless controller didn't sync with the console. Neither did my old controller. Then the screen went totally black. And three red lights appeared on the Xbox 360. My revived 360 had died. Again. After being plugged in for less than five minutes. Fine repair work there! What, I'm supposed to send my console off for another twenty-two days so it can crap out during BioShock or Halo 3? Why not just do a recall so all 360 owners can be on the same page? Know: If my Xbox 360 wanted me to select my language now, I'm afraid...