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Tgs07: Rez HD Impressions
galleryPost('rezhd', 4, 'Rez HD');The small room in the front of the Q Entertainment offices was packed with people, but the only sound came from the television.A steady beat filled the room, vector graphics filled the screen, Tetsuya Mizuguchi sat slumped in his chair, playing his game.A person, made up of crisp lines, swam through the screen, drifting above and then into a canyon of red and orange lights, the beat steadily climbing. Miz shifted the thumbstick of the controller resting in his hands around, highlighting targets, steadily tapping a button with a finger, effortlessly slipping though the code he wrote.By the second level Sawako Yamamoto, who sits quietly across the table from Mizuguchi, is bopping her head to the beat as she sits entranced, watching him play the game.A city scape of linear buildings drift by, the music continues to pulse. Five minutes into the game and half the people in the room are silently rocking out to the music, there feet tapping, heads...

First!: First Ever Hands On Impressions of Rez HD
It was a quick trip from our hotel to Q Entertainment where we had an early morning appointment with Mr. Rez himself, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. We discussed quite a few subjects that my esteemed colleagues will be filling you in on later, but I'm going to concentrate on Rez as, much to my delight, I was given the honor of being the first person outside of the Q offices to actually play it.When Rez first came out for the Dreamcast, I played it extensively and still even plug the old girl in every once in a while for the sole purpose of playing Rez. I've beaten the game quite a number of times so when Mr. Mizuguchi fired up the game for us to watch I got a great rush of nostalgia as I heard the familiar music start to play. He played through the first level of the game with predictable ease and as he got to the boss he turned to me and gestured towards the controller. I was instantly filled with a mixture of elation and terror. Here I was in a room with one of my idols playing his own...

Day Note: He Stands A Lonely Vigil
To: Whom It May Concern, Possibly MyselfFrom: FaheyIt's now 10:30 PM my local time, and I've been writing pretty much nonstop since around 7AM my time, and I think I've somehow managed to keep it together. Now I know exactly how Luke felt when we all went to E3 and left him in Australia. With the entire Kotaku posse either on their way or in Tokyo right now for the Tokyo Game Show, it has been a long and lonely day. I've had to make a few tough decisions, mainly about the leaked Halo 3 ending that sprung up on the internet this morning, but in the end I think I made the right choices. I am going to do a quick scan of my various sources, and then I am going to sleep the sleep of the sleepy. When I get up in the morning to start the whole thing over again, the rest of Kotaku will be busy getting drunk in a foreign land. Bring me back some gashapon, would you guys?What you missed: Halo 3 As A Cheap Excuse To Post A Pic Of My CatSCEA Lifts Steinberg Up Where He BelongsHalo 3 Ending...

Tgs07: Major Nelson Misses TGS
Man do I feel bad for Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb right now. Seems he was all set for his flight to Tokyo to attend TGS when he discovered his passport was missing. No passport equals no Tokyo, and as anyone who has ever tried can attest, getting a replacement passport on short notice is no easy task. Thankfully both TriXie and VideoMonkey will be there to cover the event for Xbox.com, but Larry will be heading back to Seattle tomorrow to spend the week catching up on work. As a public service, I offer this advice: Be very careful with your Passport. And go make a photocopy of it right now and keep it in a safe place so you can have all the details handy if you need to get a replacement.Having never been outside of the continental U.S. myself, I've heard nothing but horror stories involving passports. When I finally get my own, I am having it surgically grafted to my chest. And that's one to grow on. Major Nelson grounded [Major Nelson's Blog - Thanks Ben]

Clips: Ninja Gaiden II Versus Sigma
Because working with video is what they do, GameVideos has gone ahead and cut together footage of Ninja Gaiden II for the 360 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3 together to give us an idea of the differences between the two. Right off the bat I notice that the camera is a bit more dynamic in II, working more to enhance the action than simply portray it. The environments look far more detailed as well, and the animations seem a tad bit more fluid. Now that I've seen them side by side, Ninja Gaiden II is looking like a definite improvement over Sigma. Nicely done, Team Ninja.

Contest: Nintendo's Easy Zelda Contest
Want a chance to win a trip for two to New York City, complete with a $1000 shopping spree at Nintendo World, $500 spending money, a special edition gold Nintendo DS and a copy of Phantom Hourglass? No? Well okay then. I'll just sit here texting 'Zelda' to '20769' on my cell. Then I will receive a series of three trivia questions, which if replied to with the correct answers automatically enter me to win!. As a matter of fact, I just followed those directions, and the questions were ridiculously easy. Granted I won't be able to actually win the grand prize or any of the nine gold DS Lites reserved for finalists as a member of the press, so the more of you that enter the less likely it is I have to sadly decline or dress up like a woman and try to fake my way through it. No one needs to see that. Slightly more coherent details after the jump!Nintendo News TXT 'Zelda' 2 '20769' 4 Chance 2 Win Trp 2 NYC, Shpng Spree @ N-10-do Wrld Imagine flying to New York and having the entire...

Toys: Assassin's Creed: The Action Figure
Being a bit of a toy collector myself, I used to subscribe to ToyFare because it was an excellent bathroom reading material. Then one day they realized I had never actually paid for my subscription, which is why the folks over at bits, bytes, pixels and sprites caught this highly detailed NECA figure of Altair from Assassin's Creed. It's due out in November to coincide with the game's release, and will most likely end up a one shot. Assassin's just don't lend themselves well to plucky, action-figure friendly sidekicks. Assassin's Creed.... in action figure form! [bits bytes pixels & sprites]

Wet One: Dewy's Adventure Promotes Healthy Marketing
It seems sort of odd to me to have a video game cross-promotion that encourages you to injest the friends and loved ones of the game's protagonist, but that's exactly what Konami and Nestle Waters North America are doing with the "Green With Envy" campaign, which pairs up young Dewy the water droplet with Aquapod Natural Spring Water for kids. A nationwide contest and sweepstakes is being launched that could net health-conscious families an 'eco-adventure' to Costa Rica and copies of the game itself. Behind the sweepstakes is a multi-million dollar print, internet, radio, television, and in-store advertising campaign to help deliver a health message to children and of course, sell video games. Dewy art is appearing as we speak on bottles of Poland Spring, Deer Park, Zephyrhills, Ozarka and Ice Mountain tap spring water. If I were in charge that would involve the titular character proudly proclaiming, "I Keep Your Innards Moist!", which is why I was never allowed to play in...

Tgs07: Come Drink with Kotaku
We've almost all landed here in Tokyo in preparations for covering the big show that kicks off on in a couple of days. Last night a group of us swung by Mother to make arrangements for tonight's party. The place is funky, like home-made salsa and records of The Velvet Underground funky. We hung out for a bit arguing about Game of the Year and what we would do to Mark if he shaved his weak-sister mustache (remove one of his eyebrows) and then strolled the block or two to the other Mother bar, Mother's Ruin. The owner said that we could make use of both bars if the first one filled up. So that's a goal now.I tried to get Ash to ask the owner why it was her ruin and who mother was, but he wouldn't. Hmmm, maybe I should shave his eyebrows.Remember, tonight's our party. It gets started at 8 p.m. Tuesday and we'll have an open tab for a bit. Swing by to say hi and have a few drinks on us. Everyone's welcome, but remember we're in a town where the roll up the sidewalks at midnight,...

Pax: PA's Khoo On E For All
In all honestly, calling E For All's announced 2008 show dates a conflict with PAX 08 is like calling getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick a conflict with free candy. Obviously people are going to pick one over the other, and in E For All's situation it truly is a case of move it or lose it. It's like they are trying to perfect some kind of twisted game expo that no one wants to go to. They're afraid a few people might show up this year, and they've decided to fix all of that by scheduling the event opposite PAX next year. The point I am trying to make is Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo is a lot more diplomatic than I am. FiringSquad recently interviewed Khoo about the whole messy situation. But I'll be honest with you- since PAX started I've seen my fair share of consumer shows come and go (take IGNLive for instance). It's super hard to run one of these things, and I'd be surprised if E For All lasts longer than this year.See that? He didn't once use the phrase 'complete...

Gallery: See The Darkness Within
Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder is a PC adventure horror game coming out next month from Lighthouse Interactive. It's inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, which means it will either be amazingly chilling and disturbing or they'll go overboard and it will come across as just plain goofy. You tread a thin line when you draw inspiration from Cthulu's daddy. The story involves you investigating the death of a rich man who was involved with the occult, which leads you on a harrowing journey into the depths of horror that lurk within the human psyche. Head on over to Lighthouse's web page for more info, after you've taken a look at the darkness without below. galleryPost('dw917', 4, 'Darkness Inside');

Clips: How To Pronounce Ubisoft
Stephen Totilo over at the new and improved MTV Multiplayer Blog has just launched the first in a series of MTV Multiplayer's Pronunciation Guides. To launch the new extremely helpful and indeed educational series, we learn how to pronounce Ubisoft once and for all, with the help of Art Director Alexandre Amancio, Creative Director Clint Hocking, and Producer Louis-Pierre Pharand. My only suggestion is that they splice the "The More You Know" sequence at the end of each guide, and maybe settle the bet Crecente and I have going on how to pronounce his last name once and for all in a future episode. How To Pronounce... "Ubisoft" (The Official Explanation) [MTV Multiplayer]

Body Mods: Colossus Tattoo - Very Bad Idea
Kotakuite Jason sends in this picture of his friend, who is just begging to have a tiny guy shimmy his way up his body to plunge a sword into his abdomen. The gods of irony are watching your friend's weak point tattoo very closely Jason.

Gallery: Bladestorm's Spears, Arrows, And Elephants
Koei knows war, so it comes as no surprise that they're going all out to bring you the very best that one of the longest wars in history has to offer in the upcoming Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War. Sure, they could have just included your standard calvary units amongst the archer and spearmen units showcased in the screenshot gallery below, but that would be too plain. Instead, Koei has unleashed war elephants! How do you stop a war elephant? You don't sir, unless you're an elf who can't spell elephant, and unless I am mistaken the elves died out way before the 100 Years' War. Pay attention in history class kids and you too can have stunningly accurate discussions of historical warfare just like mine. galleryPost('bladestorm9172', 4, '100 Years Of War');

Mario And Sonic: Super Olympic Mascot Battle
newVideoPlayer("mariosonicfull__gawker.flv", 475, 376);Now here's a trailer almost exciting enough to draw attention away from the fact that the most anticipated team up in gaming history is ultimately just a bunch of mini-games. It's got that great, old-timey fight music going in the background, an excellent eye-of-the-tiger moment between Tails and Yoshi, and then in the middle of all of this glorious sports goodness they slow things down to give us a really good look at Amy Rose and Peach's bodies as they pass by in slow motion. The camera stayed focused on the Princess's chest a bit too long for comfort, so I really couldn't tell you how this ends, other than with me still standing on a line somewhere between must-buy and avoid at all costs.

Pirates: PotBS Celebrates Talk Like A Pirate Day In Seattle
Pirates of the Burning Sea has become the official video game of International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th), and to celebrate they are raiding the coastline of Seattle, causing a right ruckus in the streets, and hanging about the Seattle Aquarium looking swarthy and unkempt. Local Seattle pirate group SeaFair Pirates will be on hand, offering tours of the waterfront on their pirate ship, and you'll get a chance to meet the devs and get some hands-on time with Pirates of the Burning Sea. There'll even be an appearance by Talk Like A Pirate originators John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers, commemorating the game's official pirate status. You can hit the jump for more details, though I would suggest hitting the official RSVP page first, as spots are limited. The event runs from 7-10PM, leaving you plenty of time to get home and lock your doors before September 20th - Unofficial Kill Pirates Like A Ninja Day. Only kidding. Locking your doors won't...

Goodbyes: Nintendo NSider Forums Close
Several members of the Nintendo NSider forums have mailed us today to inform us that the popular community forums have been closed. Members seeking to continue discussions today are being greeted by the following message:Nintendo is working on a major overhaul to Nintendo.com to support the continued success of Nintendo DS and Wii. As we prepare for this huge site update, Nintendo must unfortunately close the Nintendo NSider Forums message boards indefinitely beginning Sept. 17, 2007.The forums are now set to read only for the next week, to be removed from public view on the 24th. Fear not, brave Nintendo forum posters, for hope is on the horizon. With the Tokyo Game Show kicking off I can only imagine that they are closing down the NSider forums in order to make way for something better, as the parting message on the page seems to suggest. "Thanks for your understanding and continued support. We'll see you soon elsewhere on the Web."Nintendo NSider Forums Update [NSider Forums...

Overgaming: Another Chinese Man Dies From Gaming
Someone really needs to tell the people in Southern Asia countries to stop gaming before they die. Perhaps a series of helpful public service announcements featuring a cuddly mascot could have prevented this Chinese man, this South Korean man, and now another Chinese man from keeling over dead after marathon gaming sessions. Maybe a free latte policy for the 100 or so patrons who fled the cybercaf in Guangzhou this weekend after witnessing the death of the 30 year-old man who had been gaming for three days straight. Watching a person die from lack of common sense always makes me thirsty. Paramedics quickly arrived on the scene but could not resuscitate the man. I know the loss of a human life is never a laughing matter, but I just cannot fathom gaming to death. Back in 2001, there where weeks when I would spend every waking hour playing EQ, but I at least took chair naps and tried my very best not to die. Worked for me. *sigh*Chinese Man Dies From 3-Day Gaming Binge [Fox News...

Collectibles: Halo 3 Cat Helmets Set To Sell Out
On the left you will see Rufus. Rufus didn't want a replica Spartan helmet, so you might have him to thank if you run out to the store real quick and still find a preorder available for the Halo 3 Legendary Edition here in the states. A Microsoft spokesman told GamesIndustry.biz that while there are still quantities left for preorder, they are on course to be completely sold out by launch day next week. They've already sold out in the UK, so don't wait until they start showing up on eBay complete with pictures of very relieved felines. And don't worry about Rufus there. I'm dressing him up like Pinhead from Hellraiser as soon as I find my tiny hammer. Halo 3 Legendary Edition should sell out in US [GamesIndustry.biz]

World Cyber Games: WCG Presents Team USA
The World Cyber Games National Final is over, and as the smoke clears and paramedics carry the battered bodies of the fallen from the fetid field of war, twenty-two figures stand silhouetted in the bright Universal Orlando Resort spotlights, ready to represent our country in the coming battle. Men like Need for Speed: Carbon Champion Kamram Siddiqui from Orlando Florida, and Dead or Alive 4 Champ Carl White from Toledo Ohio. Those two and twenty more bravely listed in the press release below will take to the battlefield on last time at the World Cyber Games 2007 Grand Final in Seattle Washington October 4th through the 7th, testing their mettle against 700 gamers from 75 countries for a chance at gold medals, cash, and prizes...but that matters not. Nay, these fine men and possibly women fight for America, ladies and gentlemen. For our freedom and glory. Okay, my hyperbole gland just burst. Hit up the press release while I hunt for a band-aid. WORLD CYBER GAMES ANNOUNCES TEAM...

Clips: Future Weapons Flogs Halo 3 Tonight
One of the main draws of the Halo franchise is futuristic weaponry, so it sorta makes sense that the Discovery Channel's Future Weapons show tie in with the third installment's impending launch. How exactly it will tie in remains to be seen. I'm hoping it isn't just old episodes with Halo 3 advertainment sprinkled liberally throughout. I suppose we'll find out tonight at 8PM Eastern. Halo 3 Future Weapons Commercial [YouTube via The Xbox Domain]

Fps: Dusk2Dawn Triggers Lockdown
When the Earth's most powerful spaceship is invaded by pirates and a weapon system powerful enough to annihilate an entire planet is compromised, only one man can shut down the weapon arming terminals before it's too late. That man is Cale 'Trigger' Mollens. His haircut cries emo but the goat and snarl ooze badass. In Dusk2Dawn Interactive's new FPS Lockdown, you'll play Cale as he works his way through 21 levels of fast-paced action while receiving help and advice from your fellow crew members. The game's twist? One of the crew members might be a traitor, so as the storyline unfolds you'll have to figure out who you can and cannot trust. An interesting concept if done well. Let's hope the writers for Lockdown are better than the character designers. The PC game should be hitting the UK either late this year or early the next, with other territories following after. LOCKDOWN17th September 2007 - WHEN pirates attempt to take over the Earth's most powerful spaceship - which has...

Listorama: Warren Spector's 12 Favorite Top 10 Games
First, thanks to Simon of GameSetWatch for turning us on to Warren Spector's personal blog. Second, while we generally read top ten or top one hundred lists from gaming publications and scoff at their exclusion of our favorite games, it's hard to argue with Spector's top ten. The developer, credited with game series you might have heard of like Wing Commander, Ultima, Thief and Deus Ex, went on a list rampage, revealing his ten favorite games of all time. Unfortunately, it appears Warren's as bad as I am at picking favorites, so there are actually twelve. 1. Diablo 2. Guitar Hero 3. Half Life 4. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past 5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 6. Suikoden 7. Super Mario 64 8. Tetris 9. Ultima IV 10. Warcraft II 11. (Ico) 12. (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess -- okay, so I cheated and went for 12 on the videogame list. So sue me.)Too safe? Too perfect? While I've played every game on that list to death, save for Suikoden, I might tend...

Just Fabula: Square-Enix And The Closed Mega Theater Of Doom
Final Fantasy XIII is a long way off. We're placing bets on a 2009 release in Japan.Those of us attending Tokyo Game Show this year won't see much of it, that is, unless we wait in painfully long lines to watch the game's trailers. Square-Enix announced today via its official TGS 2007 web site that it would be showing trailers for Dragon Quest IX, Last Remnant, Final Fantasy XI, Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII in two theaters. For fans of the Squenix brand of software, seeing the last two will require marathon style queues. They're only being shown in the company's Closed Mega Theater. So bring your copies of Crisis Core, kids. You're going to need something to keep you quietly occupied in line for a couple hours.Square-Enix Tokyo Game Show Theaters [Square-Enix]

Peekaboo: EA Trying Survivial Horror With Dead Space
EA are on a bit of a streak at the moment. An emphasis on new, "quality over quantity" IP has seen stuff I think will be good (Army of Two) and stuff I already know is good (Skate) emerge from their gaping maw. Now they're taking a crack at survival horror. Sci-fi survival horror. The cover of the next issue of Game Informer mag has the scoop on Dead Space, the only details we've got at the moment being that it's a survival horror game set in space and that "fans of the cult-classic film Event Horizon and straight-up horror aficionados aren't going to want to miss this one!" Wait. Event Horizon had fans?October Cover Revealed! [Game Informer]

Rumor: Sony Signs New PS3 Manufacturer For "Low-Price Models"
A rather mundane report on the addition of Hon Hai Precision to the PLAYSTATION 3 supply chain contains some interesting rumors buried within. According to the oddly worded report, along with electronics manufacturer ASUSTeK, Hon Hai Precision (sometimes known as FoxConn) is reportedly working on planned "low-price models" of the Sony console in addition to the already price reduced PS3s on the market.Could these be the rumored stripped-down versions of the PS3, speculated to drop as low as $399 by April of next year by Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter? You may remember Microsoft's Andre "Ozymandias" Vrignaud also betting on a "low-end $399 PS3 SKU coming this holiday."If the rumors are true, it could certainly help Sony shift more than 130,000 PS3s a month. Wonder if we'll hear more at Tokyo Game Show next week.Hon Hai precision to deliver PS3 consoles to Sony [EMSNow via NeoGAF]

Sponsors: Sponsors Thanks
Craziness! Too busy. Our schedule is jammed pack, and our heads are spinning. Good thing our Sponsors have new schedule organizers. Good thing we have Sponsors! This week, Kotaku was kept organized by Comedy Central, Good Luck Chuck, GWEN, Heavenly Sword, TiVo, Verizon and World in Conflict. For that, we thank them!Interested in advertising with Kotaku? Click here to find out more.

Vroom: Bizarre Already Thinking About PGR5
PGR4 isn't even out yet, and already, Bizarre are thinking about PGR5. Where they've gone "wrong" with the current version, what they want to add to the next one, that kind of thing. Lead designer Ged Talbert: Obviously Gotham 4's about to come out and we're really happy with it, but behind the scenes we've already started ripping our game to pieces. We know where we failed in certain areas; for instance we wanted more trackside damage, more particles and smoke effects, a bigger damage system - and all of these things are being stripped out in a post-mortem. Other things they want to add next time are add off-road tracks and vehicles like quad-bikes. I'm down with quad-bikes.Bizarre: Deserts, ATVs for PGR 5 [CVG]

Giant Riccitiello Face: EA Boss Says Game Violence Not So Bad
EA CEO John Riccitiello recently spoke at the Royal Television Society's Cambridge Convention. What'd he talk about? Guy took the time to...I guess defend violence in games. Showing clips from 33, Kill Bill, 24 and CSI compared to clips from games like GTA, he told British TV types that games were being "unfairly demonised" in the press, and that the industry actually does a lot to keep kids away from unsuitable content, citing things like parental lock systems on consoles. Not sure why exactly he was telling them, and not the press, but it's nice he's banging the drum somewhere.

Disclosure: PixelJunk In T-Shirt Form
Free clothes! Here's a PixelJunk t-shirt I was given at my visit to Q-Games. The back of the shirt says, well, Q. That logo excitement after the jump. Onwards!

Prepare Yourself: Pro Evo 2008 Dated For Europe
Mario, Orange Box, Halo 3, none of this matters to millions of gamers across the planet. They don't give two shits about a bee suit or finishing any fight, they just want to see if Lionel Messi's face looks OK, or if the free kick mechanic has been improved by 6%. That's right. They need their Pro Evo, and that's all they need. If that's you (and it's a small part of me), October 26 is the day Pro Evo 2008 is due to be released in Europe. That's the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and mobile versions. PSP and DS are due in November, Wii is due sometime early next year. Warmly enthusiastic press release follows.October 26th kick off for PES 2008Konami confirms release date for its latest Pro Evolution Soccer titleKonami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced an October 26th release date for its eagerly awaited PES 2008 title. The 26th will see the launch of the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, PlayStation 2, and mobile versions of the game, with the PSP and Nintendo DS versions to follow...

Fake Shit: This Wee Plays DVDs
What better way to capitalize on a hit product? Rip it off! Ladies and gents, may I introduce the "Wee." It's not a game machine, but a DVD player that was discovered in at a Tokyo retailer. Hey, it may not play games, but the Wii won't play DVDs, so all is good!Thanks Landon!

Clip: Dragon Tamer DS Uses Toilet To Train Dragons
There was always going to be a day when the DS's "novel interactivity" went one step too far. I'm trying to work out whether this is it, or just a stroke of pure genius.

Diorama My Darling: Virtually Visit The Halo 3 Museum
Don't want to wait for the Halo 3 museum diorama to possibly make its way to your town? You can do a virtual fly through of the impressive miniature display on the official Halo 3 site, right now. Even better than the online look at the diorama are handily informative pop-ups that are rich with information on Halo 3's bit players in the form of first person accounts, plus details on vehicles, weapons and enemy combatants.Believe [Halo 3 - thanks everyone!]

Original: Kotaku Originals: From Halo 3 Tidbits to An Austin Adventure
It's Saturday morning and time to tune in to another fine episode of Kotaku Originals. Crecente heads to Seattle for some early Halo goings on, Fahey's Austin experience gets rounded up and poor Ash gets stuck with another 360 lemon.Halo Beverage MADNESS ContinuesNintendo Have "No Plans" To Release Silver DS Lite In AustraliaNintendo Begins "Hanabi Festival" For PAL Virtual ConsolesThe Heavenly Sword Letter OpenerThe Halo 3 HoodieHalo Diorama May Tour CountrySpider-Man: Friend or Foe Xbox Live DemoBashcraft's "Fixed" Xbox 360 Dies. Again.First Pics Of Simpsons, Spider-Man PSPsMicrosoft Tokyo Briefing RecapDrinking Free Joe In Ritzy Ginza With PSP2KJapanese Ladies and Matching ShirtsMicrosoft's Pre-TGS PresserMcFarlane Halo 3 FiguresIkaruga Announced For Xbox Live ArcadeRez HD Coming To Xbox Live ArcadeOn The GroundFree Gold Membership Is Japanese-lessTake-Two Loves BioShock Sales, Discuss Sequel PlansSony To Get Dressy?L.A. Noire Delayed To 2009Fahey's Big Austin AdventureMake...

Clip: Jericho: Lt. Abigail Black
Codemasters is slowly releasing this series of trailers for their upcoming squad based occult FPS, Clive Barker's Jericho, that introduces each of the characters from your team. We've already met flame throwing Sgt. Frank Delgado, and now it's time to meet the lady of telekinetic destruction, Lt. Abigail Black. Not only can she blast debris out of her way with a wave of her hand, but she can take out multiple enemies with a single mind controlled bullet. Carrie White could take a few lessons from this gal.

Props: Kratos' Armor Makes Guest Appearance in Heavenly Sword
Comparisons between Heavenly Sword and God of War are inevitable considering the similar control scheme, but apparently the creators of HS haven't shied away from giving props (literally) to their obvious inspiration. PlayStation Underground forum poster KiNGoFClubs discovered this little homage to Kratos buried with in the game. During one of Kai's missions, Kratos' GOW2 armor and Blades of Chaos can be spotted hanging on a gate in a castle courtyard. You got to hand it to the designers, if you're going to take inspiration from another game, at least be cool enough to own up to it. You can check out more screen caps here on the PlayStation forums.[Thanks, Ray]

Trick Or Treat: Special Treats For Hellgate: London Pre-Orders
EA and Namco Bandai are offering some special Halloween treats for those intrepid gamers who pre-order a copy of the long awaited Hellgate: London, set to hit stores at the end of October. Everyone who orders early will receive this set of lovely parting gifts. A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007. One of four exclusive dye-kits that will give your hero's gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween. Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription to Hellgate's premium service for $149.99.This offer is extended to purchasers of both the regular and collector's versions of the game. It should be noted that the "dye kit" will become available to players once the game goes live and will not work within the beta. The color themes will vary depending on which retailer you get your pre-order from. Full press...

China: Chinese Police Like Counter-Strike
The Chinese government may not want kids playing it for hours, but Counter-Strike is good enough for police to play - as anti-terrorism training games. Over 300 members of the Tianjin police force took over an internet cafe on Wednesday for a three-day competition (including a team of judges to ensure no one was 'cheating'), and took to heart the mantra of "Enhancing police forces through technology":After the competition was announced in March, Zhang [Bin, one of the competition organizers] said, police officers were enthusiastic. Now almost half the total Tianjin force are regular players."Of course, they play, or should I say train, after work," he added.Officers reported noticeable improvement in self-protection on field missions after the play, Han said, stressing the game was only "a supplement to their traditional means of training."Now all they need is an outpost in Second Life to recruit officers, and they'll be in business.Counter-Strike, China police's latest tool...

Try Before You Buy: Guitar Hero 3 "Playable Soundtrack"
Website Guitar Hero Soundtracks has put together a nice little compendium of sound files and videos that encompass the announced set list for Guitar Hero 3. This is a great tool for those of you who, like me, don't always recognize the title of a song or are (also like me) woefully ignorant of a lot of the newer rock songs. With a game like GH, the chosen song list can make or break sales and it's always good to know what you're getting before you buy. Personally, it wouldn't make a bit of difference to me what else is on the list, the inclusion of Heart's Barracuda is enough to get my precious gaming dollars.Playable Guitar Hero 3 Soundtrack [Guitar Hero Soundtracks][Thanks, the_sideburns]

Virtual Worlds: 'Life After Warcraft' - the Academics Speak
Some academics get all the fun: five members of the Ivory Tower were interviewed by Gamasutra, and their topic was migration in virtual worlds. What's the MMO landscape going to look like in a few years? What about single player games? And why do people give up their level 80 Night Elf to go grind in another playground? Neils Clark digs in with some PhDs and PhD candidates to examine the shift:I started each interview out with a simple premise: that gamers were moving in tribes. World of Warcraft, in my mind, wasn't the 'king of the mountain' because it was the best world out there, whatever our criteria might be. It was prominent because the right people played it, giving it a kind of social gravitational mass. The social bonds, whether forged in or outside of a game, influenced when gamers would move, and for how long they would stay. Some of these interviews dug deeply into this idea, while others carved out their own intriguing territory.It's an interesting set of...

Wakka Wakka: The Pac-Man iPod Case
If you're not satisfied with just having Ms. Pac-Man on your iPod, you can now have Mr. Pac-Man on the outside of your iPod. Club Namco is offering this classy leather case for your iPod featuring the the little yellow disc that started a craze. It features a plastic screen guard, a leather strap, a obuns belt clip and Pac-Man himself protecting your controller (don't worry, he can be unsnapped for easy access). Unfortunately, the listing for the item doesn't say which type of iPod this fits, but it is available for $29.99 plus shipping. Let those olde school gaming flags fly high!PAC-MAN Leather MP3 Player Case [Club Namco][via the bbps]

Museums: GameWorld Exhibition Gets An Expansion
The GameWorld exhibition, and on-going installation at Laboral in Gijon, Spain, has gotten an 'expansion pack' called Playware, which will add more "more experimental commercial games, individual-produced games and installations." I love the fact that games are moving into the hallowed halls of art museums, and it's cool to see not just the high-flown, deliberately arty games getting recognition:Multiplayer Digital Art Installations:Bump (Assocreation), Freqtric Project (Tetsuaki Baba), Iamascop (Sidney Fels), Jam-o-Drum CircleMaze (Clifton Forlines & Tina Blaine), Metafi eld Maze (Bill Keays), Perfect Time (h.o), PingPongPlus (HiroshiIshii & Members of the Tangible Media Group), Reactable (Sergi Jord & Grupo de Tecnologa Musical de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Small Fish (Masaki Fujihata, Wolfgang Mnch, Kiyoshi Furukawa), Tug of War (Ars Electronica FutureLab)Art Games:Armadillo Run (Peter Stock), Electroplankton (Toshio Iwai), flOw (thatgamecompany), Golf?...

Halo 3: When Hype Gets Out of Hand
Halo 3 is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games of this year for many people. It is also true that the Halo 3 hype machine has been working overtime, injecting a bit of Halo into everything from beverages to cars. While this kind of marketing works on a lot levels, I can't help but think that in some ways it might be a detriment to the title. Not only does it make it difficult for the game to live up to everyone's expectations, it also leaves other people (some of whom might be fans) wishing they just didn't have to hear about it anymore. After reading Gamertag Radio forum poster Anjo Banjo's thoughts on the subject, I realized that other people felt the same way. Knowing full well that she would probably be lynched for her feelings on the subject, she posted an article about her experiences with the Halo 3 marketing campaign and how "next time an (retail) employee asks me about preordering halo 3, I might just end up in jail. Cause I am honestly sick of this."...

Only In China: Get Your Ninetudo DS Accessories
Two summers ago, a friend of mine went to mainland China for a vacation - unluckily for her, she forgot her DS charger in Taipei. Fearing she'd have to go a day without checking in on her Animal Crossing village, she didn't realize that the wonderful world of Chinese bootlegs would be coming to her rescue: the Ninetudo DS power adapter! Those jokes about the Sonya PS3 didn't seem so far-fetched. Wonderland posted this photograph of the actual article (from a Flickr photostream by Crys) - so if anyone's stranded in China with no DS charger, fear not: it's Ninetudo to the rescue.

Blood Orgy: Hot Flashes: Viva Caligula!
The twisted folks at Adult Swim who have brought us such Flash game awesomeness as Orphan Feast and Five Minutes to Kill Yourself, comes a twisted romp through ancient Rome in the form of Viva Caligula! Take on the persona of the infamous Emperor Caligula and slaughter your way through Roman citizens, guards, skeletons and prostitutes with up to twenty six collectible weapons. As an added bonus, scream into your microphone to increase your "rage factor." Collect all the weapons for special entrance into the orgy! Not to be confused with Viva Pinata.Viva Caligula! [Adult Swim]

Gadgets: Get Your Tenori-on On
There's been some buzz about the Tenori-on, the musical instrument-toy-game-Lite-Brite thing designed by Toshio Iwai (the guy behind Electroplankton) - it's been released in the UK and can be yours for a mere 599 (about $1200). It's obviously reminiscent of Electroplankton, and I'm also reminded of Lumines. Alas, I'm but a poor grad student, and even an exceedingly cool, shiny, and musical Lite-Brite isn't in the budget. Here's Iwai demoing his creation at the UK launch on 4 September. [via Music Thing]

Bet'cha Didn't Know: Twenty Five Things About Fallout 3
Bethesda Software's Fallout 3 community forums is currently hosting a list of twenty five questions culled from the community's members and then answered by executive producer Todd Howard. Questions are broken up into groups according to subject matter and cover a range of topics including combat, NPCs, AI. mature content , quests and dialog. It's a nice, hefty sized Q&A and sure to make great weekend reading for all of you out there anxious to get more info on Fallout 3. And don't worry, Howard is still pretty cagey on some subjects so you can still remain blissfully spoiler free (with the possible exception of the semi BioShock spoiler which is clearly marked towards the end of the bonus questions).Community FAQ - 20 questions [Bethesda][Thanks, Patrick]

Resistance: Fall Of Man: Bogost On the 'Reverence' of Resistance: Fall of Man
The flap over the portrayal of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man has long since settled, but Ian Bogost has an interesting take on the significance of including such a structure within a video game in his Gamasutra column. The depiction of the cathedral shows off the PS3's capabilities, but the inclusion of such an important landmark is not simply a standard of the apocalypse genre or something that serves to cement the time and place of the setting, but an homage - not a desecration - of a site:Manchester Cathedral was ransacked during the English Civil War in 1649, half-destroyed by German bombs in 1940, and bombed by the Irish Republican Army in 1996. It survived all these attacks. Its patrons rebuilt it.And it stands still today. Resistance adds a fictional homage to the church's resolve, this time in an alternate history fraught by an enemy that neither understands nor cares for human practices like religion. And it survives this as well. The Church of...

Skin Art: The Mega Man Tattoo
Kotakuite Aronn sent in this picture of his brand spankin' new Mega Man tattoo that his sister got him for his birthday. I have to say I am really impressed with the precision with which this was rendered. It is pixel perfect and looks quite sharp. You don't see a lot of really well done 8-bit tattoos and this one definitely makes the grade. Congratulations Aronn, you've got a keeper! Not that you'd have much choice...

Rip: Colin McRae Dies In Helicopter Crash
A bit of sad news today. Colin McRae, the British rally car driver who lent his name to a series of racing games by Codemasters, died yesterday in a helicopter crash near his home in Lanark, Scotland yesterday afternoon. McRae was Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995 and has been confirmed by his manager to have been piloting the Squirrel helicopter that was carrying him and three other passengers. It is believed that one of the passengers was McRae's five year old son, Johnny who is also feared dead although this has not been confirmed as of yet. The identity of the other passengers is still unknown due to extensive fire damage.Our hearts go out to Colin's wife, daughter and the rest of his family and friends.Rally champion Colin McRae dies with son in helicopter crash [Times Online][Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

AFAS: Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
Sega produced Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom for arcades in 1982. This was a perfect example of using a well known character to try and sell an otherwise boring game. The only thing branded "Buck Rogers" was the cabinet itself while the game had next to nothing to do with the hero's story besides the fact that it was set in outer space. It was controlled with an eight way joystick and two buttons with the cabinet coming in a stand up version as well as an enclosed sit down style. The gameplay was pretty generic and rather dull with the player piloting a space ship from a "behind the ship" perspective, avoiding obstacles and shooting down enemy ships. The ship's speed could be controlled by using the two buttons and the steering of the ship and shooting done via the joystick. Levels had you speeding through tunnels and cityscapes to reach your goal, and according to the inside of the flyer, the game even had some sort of cobbled together "plot."In the 25th Century, buck Rogers is...

Oldie But A Goodie: Konami Code Unlocks Hidden Jam Sessions Songs
Some things just never go out of style. Hidden tracks on Ubisoft's Jam Sessions, previously only available through purchase of the game at Best Buy, are actually unlockable on any version using a truncated version of the good old Konami code. Pushing in Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, and Right during Free mode will net you three new songs: Brad Paisley - "I'm Gonna Miss Her" Jimi Hendrix - "Wild Thing" Tom Petty - "Needles and Pins"For those of you set up with left handed controls you can use X, X, B, B, Y, A, Y, and A on the letter pads instead. I have tested this out myself and it work just fine so go and enjoy yourself two great new songs and one rather questionable one. (I'll let you decide which one that is for yourself.)Konami codes and secret messages in Jam Sessions [DS Fanboy]

Dance Dance Revolution: British Schoolkids Stave Off Obesity With DDR
There have been a number of new stories about US schools using Dance Dance Revolution as a way to get kids who aren't into competitive sports or their required PE classes moving - now the Brits are getting in on the act. Despite the fact that the BBC couldn't be bothered to fact-check the name of the game title, they have a short piece on the use of DDR in Bedfordshire schools - they've just done trials, targeting it's use towards girls who aren't interested in traditional sports:Mellone Cutts is the head of PE at Lea Manor High School which took part in the trials."There is a number of students who we don't reach with competitive sports," she said."With more and more children becoming obese, one way we can help is by increasing participation in sport and this does that."And who says video games have no redeeming value? Computer dance gets pupils active [BBC News, thanks Daniel!]

Clip: Ninja Gaiden DS TGS 07 Trailer
The TGS trailers are already rolling in and the event has barely even started. This clip for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS looks great and actually has me interested in cheking the game. It shows off a lot of the fighting moves that you will be controlling with the stylus. I'm really pleased to see that publishers are finding more ways to take advantage of the stylus control other than just point and tap. It also looks like you'll be holding your DS sideways for this one which is always fun for a little change.

New And Shiny: VastPark Is Coming
In case you've tired of your virtual self in Second Life, VastPark is coming (for some people, at least - the first new users will be given access soon): it promises "a virtual content platform featuring free tools, revolutionary distributed content syndication and enables you to deploy your own virtual world or online game within seconds royalty free." Metaversed explains: It's free to use and purchasing a "Pro Creator account" allowing 1Gb of storage and bandwidth will be US$19 for 2 years. One can still publish using a free "Basic Creator account" allowing you to try it out, and they were giving away three year Pro accounts if you were among the first 250 people to publish content.Once you've created your world, you can open portals to worlds other users have created. Content creation tools include basic 3D building functions and texture mappers, as well as scripting tools. There's also a built-in syndication system where content developpers can allow some things to be...

Timewasters: Timewaster(s) of the Day: Grow Games
Not that I don't have enough to do setting up in a new city, but I've been cheerfully clicking away at the various Grow Games over at Eyemaze all morning - the games are ridiculously cute, but not in an irritating way, and wonderfully simple and frustratingly complex at the same time. You are given a handful of panels, and you have to select which order to click them in - they will grow or change in relation to/with each other, and the point is to grow each panel to its max. The games are reminiscent of a lot of the game design theory of Danc over at Lost Garden, though they lack the feedback he so frequently discusses. Still, a great waste of half an hour ... or an hour ... or a few hours .... [via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Now That's A Fan: The Weird World of FFVII Roleplayers
Leigh Alexander has a interesting/terrifying history of Final Fantasy VII roleplayers up over at The Escapist. She describes it as "the story of a tragic love affair a group of enormously devoted fans had with a game they couldn't let go of (sob) .... It's a story of open-source gaming in practice, and how the kind of fanatics who love a story enough to make it their own are also the kind who will probably completely ruin it for everyone else." In a gaming landscape that pushes user-driven and -created content more and more, Alexander points out that this sort of stuff is nothing new: there's a whole legion of people who "didn't need Advent Children to tell them what happened after the end of the game; they were light years ahead already." And maybe a little behind on normal life skills:When the son of Sephiroth broke up with his redheaded barmaid girlfriend, the real-life girl tracked down the other player's telephone number and phoned him at night, weeping. They ended...

Clips: Ninja Gaiden II Gameplay
Wow, it seems like only a few days ago we had no idea that Ninja Gaiden II was going to be announced, and now GameVideos has not one, but two clips of actual gameplay up for your viewing pleasure. Maybe it's just the small size of the vids, but I'm not exactly feeling a lot of excitement for the title. I guess after playing the first game three times across two different systems jaded me a little. Hit the jump for the second clip. Okay, so clip 2 is a little more exciting. The ninja magic is impressive as hell, and the soldier that leaps over Ryu's head, then steps on it and shoots him in the head is my new hero. What do I know anyway? I'm not even supposed to be here today.

Academics: 'Metanomics' - A New Series on the Metaverse and ... Stuff
If you're interested in the issues surrounding the metaverse (especially in terms of economics and policy), Metaversed is pairing up with the Cornell Johnson School of Management to offer a series of speakers and a website to discuss issues within the metaverse: economics, law, policy, technology .... Robert Bloomfield explains the goal and scope of the series over at Terra Nova:Thie series is open to anyone who wants to hear from--and engage with--academics, industry leaders, regulators and influential virtual-world residents ....... Events are only the grain of sand in the oyster. We hope to get pearls from constructing a way for people interested in metanomics to engage with the speaker and with each other in serious discusion before and after the session, and create an archive that future can serve as essential reading for future metanomicists (ok, that word doesn't work so well. Metanomists?). We plan to accomplish this by having suggested readings before each session,...

: Keiichi Yano on the Elite Beat, XBLA, and the East-West Divide
We mentioned Keiichi Yano earlier this week with the announcement that iNiS is working on a 360 title, but Gamasutra has an interesting interview up with him touching on topics ranging from the success of Elite Beat Agents, to the advantages of the Live Arcade format, to the East-West divide (or lack thereof). A sampling on his thoughts on the flow between East and West in terms of game design:There needs to be more insight from a technical vantage, and just more of a game design sampling, I think. I know that Western developers are interested in Japanese thinking in terms of game design, so that's why I think a lot of game designers are called to GDC this year, including myself. I think it's really several things, but those two are probably the major reasons, I think. Hopefully, that'll continue to grow and Japanese developers come to the States or Europe more to gain information that we wouldn't be able to gain just being in Japan.It's an interesting interview with some...

Piracy: China's Gaming Companies Trying To Combat Piracy
In a move that seems like it will be about as effective as trying to herd cats, China's CDC Games has announced the formation of Online Games Alliance Against Piracy (OGAAP) to attempt to stem the tide of Chinese piracy. Considering we're talking about China, where it's frequently harder to find legitimate merchandise than it is to find bootlegs and big companies have been involved in large-scale IP suits, they have their work cut out for them. Other founding members of the alliance include "CCP, the Iceland-based developer of EVE Online; Ons On Soft Co. Ltd., the Korea-based developer of Shine; Sonokong Co. Ltd., the Korea-based developer of Shaiya, and Come on Baby; T3 entertainment, the Korea-based developer of Audition online game; and Wemade Entertainment, the Korea-based developer of Legend of Mir II and MIR III online games." Full release after the jump, and we'll see how well this winds up working.CDC Games and Leading Game Developers Form Alliance to Protect Online...

Week In Games: Week in Games: Eternal Sonata Edition
There's a little something for everyone this week from the gorgeous Eternal Sonata and the uber cute MySims to the gritty World In Conflict and action packed Stranglehold. As I will be spending the next two weeks abroad I won't be playing much of anything until I return but Eternal Sonata is definitely my pick for this week. Anything you'll be picking up?Eternal Sonata (X360)Life inside the colorful dreams of a dying composerWorld in Conflict (PC)Soviet Russia lives in this RTSSonic Rush Adventure (DS)Sonic and Tails vs PiratesMySims (WII, DS)The Sims get a cutesy-poo faceliftCoded Arms: Contagion (PSP)The next chapter in the PSPs first FPSStranglehold (PS3, PC)John Woo brings his action magic to the PS3 and PCWarriors Orochi (X360, PS2)Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors fight to the deathJuiced 2: Hot Import Nights (X360, PS2, DS)This new racing game even tracks your DNA... creepy.Digimon World Data Squad (PS2)Use your Digimon to fight the Seven Demon KingsGrowlanser: Heritage...

Changes: Sega's Steinberg Moves to SCEA
Scott A. Steinberg has been marketing the hell out of the electronic entertainment sector for over 20 years, having worked with Sega, Roxio, Liquid Audio, Eidos, and Crystal Dynamics. Now he's leaving his current VP of marketing position at Sega to jump onboard the Sony Computer Entertainment America train as the Vice President of Product Marketing, a newly created position responsible for all PlayStation marketing in North America. Steinberg will report directly to Marketing and PSN senior VP Peter Dille, who had lovely things to say about him. "We are thrilled to have Scott join our team as he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the PlayStation marketing staff and the management group here at SCEA," said Dille. "Scott has an ideal blend of experience in digital entertainment and content delivery as well as a proven track record for strategic innovation and implementation within this industry.Some would say Steinberg has been marketing the PS3 since June, when...

Wii Modding: Talismoon's Shiny Wii Cases
What's a warranty when your Wii could be this freaking pretty? Talismoon has released their Evolve series of replacement cases for the Wii, and my great love of shiny things throbbing as I flip through the gallery below. Judging from the look the cases they fall into the "easy unless you're stupid" category of system mods, even including a fully-assembled front panel so you don't have to fiddle with buttons falling out all over the place. The $39.99 Evolve cases come in 8 delicious flavors: Abyss Blade, Black Katana, Blue Bushido, Green Tanto, Pink Geisha, Red Ronin (of course), Silver Shuriken, and Stealth Assassin. I'm trying to figure out what their theme is, but for the life of me it keeps escaping me. All I know is my Wii warranty is up in two months, and I'm a sucker for a chrome finish. Hit up the Talismoon webpage for more details.galleryPost('wiicase917', 4, '');

Xbox Live: Sega Rally Demo Rolls Onto Xbox Live
You got to hand it to Larry Hryb. Even while he is sitting in the Orlando airport waiting for a plane to the Tokyo Game Show, he still has time to let us know that Sega has slapped 691 megs of pure racing fury up on Xbox Live for your demoing enjoyment. Sega Rally takes the Sega Rally series into the next-generation (or current gen, if you're counting), with deformable terrain, and smashable scenery to careen wildly into in one of over 30 vehicles. The single player demo is available everywhere Xbox 360's are sold except for Asia, though that might be redundant. Demo: SEGA Rally [Major Nelson's Blog]

Industry News: Ubisoft Opens Second Studio In China
After eleven successful years in China with their Shanghai studios, Ubisoft today announces the creation of Ubisoft Chengdu. Having long been an established center for the electronics and IT industry, the city boasts upwards of 35,000 programming graduates a year, more than enough to bolster the new studio's ranks from the beginning 10 team members to its goal of 200 over the next year. "The success of our studio in Shanghai, which has been further confirmed with the launch of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, has encouraged us to extend our growth in China," said Christine Burgess-Qumard, executive director, Worldwide Studios at Ubisoft. "We are convinced that Chengdu offers the perfect environment for our expansion..."The studio will be managed by Richard Tsao, a senior producer from Ubisoft Shanghai, and will initially perform internal outsourcing before moving on to creating online PC, console, and handheld titles. UBISOFT EXPANDS...

Vc Update: Yoshi's Story Y'all
The man you see to the left there is a man serious as a heart-attack about his Yoshi's Story. Sure, some may swear by Yoshi's Island, or the puzzle-tastic Yoshi's Cookie, but Story is where it's at. I won't be buying it, as I obviously have it, but snagging the N64 game for 1000 points is highly recommended. Joining Yoshi this week are Genesis launch title Super Thunder Blade (800 points), and World Class Baseball for the TurboGrafx16 (600 points), neither of which hold a candle to a chorus of singing, multi-colored Yoshi's on a quest through a stitched-together land to save the Super Happy Tree. WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNELSept. 17, 2007Everyone's favorite long-tongued, egg-tossing dinosaurs make a colorful splash on the Wii Shop Channel this week. Yoshi's action takes place in storybook "pages" made up of bookmaking materials and other familiar textures, including cut-paper forests, denim clouds, inflatable plastic islands and stacks of...

Clips: Halo 3 Ending Spills Onto Internets
Oh no! The ending to Halo 3 has been posted on the internet a full week before the game is due to be released! I've seen the video now, and to whoever posted it on the net, f*** y*** buddy. Even Crecente, who takes great pleasure in telling me things I am not supposed to know just to make himself feel better didn't spoil the ending of the game for me, and now Dr. McRandom Ass goes and tosses up a crappy phone-vid and ruins everything. Curiosity kicks my ass, so I had to look, but I am giving you folks a choice. I am not posting the video here. Screw that. Everybody else is either in or heading to Japan right now, so it's my call. If they show up later and decide to post it, it's their prerogative, but I won't be that guy. If you really want to see it, I'm sure you'll find it. In its place, I give you Charlie the Unicorn, a classic tale of epic adventure. Oh, and don't post a URL on where to find the video in comments. Make them work for it.

Rest In Peace: Codemasters Remembers Colin McRae
The company behind the Colin McRae series of rally car video games remembers the racing legend. Colin McRae, 1968 - 2007Everyone at Codemasters, especially those who worked directly with Colin McRae, is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of this weekend.The loss of Colin McRae is deeply distressing. That it involved his son and another so young makes it even more tragic. Our thoughts are with his family and those closest to him and we share in their pain.For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemasters family and it was a privilege to have a man recognised as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport.His contribution was inspirational and brought his technical expertise and passion for rally driving to each and every McRae game. Through the popularity of those games, he brought a whole new audience to the sport itself.Codemasters' relationship with...

Acquisitions: Intel Buys Havok, Lets Slip Dogs Of War
Over the weekend Intel, the company that spawned countless witty stickers with "(Insert Noun) Inside", announced the purchase of Irish company Havok, creators of the Havok middleware physics engine, which has been used in over 150 games across just about every popular platform today, from BioShock to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. According to a release on Intel's site, the purchase "will enable developers in the digital animation and game communities to take advantage of Intel's innovation and technology leadership in the creation of digital media", where previously they were doing the same thing, only with Havok instead of Intel. Same difference. From what I can determine from the release, Havok will continue business as usual, though I bet they'll have much snazzier stickers. Intel To Acquire HavokSANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2007 Intel Corporation today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok Inc., the leading provider of interactive...

Contest: Heavenly Sword Winner(s)
Our Heavenly Sword contest brought out the some impressive finalists. So impressive that we can't pick teh winner. It's either Finalist #1 or Finalist #8. Too close to call! So, here's what we're going to give. We're going to give away copies to BOTH of these finalists. Don't expect this in our next contest, 'kay? So, winners, shoot us an email at kotakucontest@gmail.com to claim your loot. The Finalists [Kotaku]

Weekend Note: Weekend Note: Arrivals
To: AshFrom: FlynnSubject: Big in JapanKonichiwa! It's been a strange weekend having left for Tokyo and just arrived a few hours ago. I'm still in culture shock mode although it's not nearly as difficult adjusting as I thought it was going to be. I arrived in my room to find a nice plate of fruit containing the tiniest bananas i have ever seen with a note telling me if I wanted it cut up I could call housekeeping. Noe that's what I call service!Some things you might have missed this weekend: R.I.P. Colin McCrea FFVII Roleplayers are a strange lot. I question the over hyping of games; people freak outWell that's about it. The rest of the guys should be arriving soon so I guess I will be seeing you shortly. In fact I will probably see you before you read this as I am heading up to your room right now. See you then!

Rumor: Dual Shock 3 'Confirmed' For TGS
Oh my god! Stop the presses! Do we even have presses? Anyway, according to the latest 1UP Yours podcast, Sony plans on unveiling the return of rumble at the Tokyo Game Show this week, with the Dual Shock 3 making an appearance on the show floor. If this is true it will no doubt spawn countless photographs of what will undoubtedly look just like the controller we are all used to anyway, but hey, it will rumble. Maybe we can create an animated GIF that shakes to help convey the full impact of the controller's appearance on the scene. Finally, after nearly a year on the market, we'll get a glimpse of the controller we should have had in the first place and will soon have the opportunity to pay an undisclosed amount of money for. Hit the link to listen to the nearly two hour podcast for more information, or just if you are very lonely and crave the sound of guys talking. Oh, and ignore the boomerang pic, it just makes me giggle. 1UP Yours Podcast 9/14 - [1UP - Thanks Everyone!]