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You get this spuriously legal product called the iGame [via DealExtreme]:

For around $90, you could have a device that supports a host of files you don't use and handles them 10 times worse than a computer/phone/modded-handheld. What truly sets the iGame apart from most bootleg contraptions is the impressive 4GB of storage and A/V out ports.

The camera is a confusing addition as the unit claims it is 2.0 megapixels, but the spec descriptions on the order page say it should actually read 3.0. I think both these estimates are far too generous.

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This week on Hit or Miss: Nintendo announces some release dates or something (is that a big deal?); Doritos tries to convince us that lending their brand to a "Pro-Gamer Combine" can make the idea of a "Pro-Gamer Combine" not-absurd; Tecmo tries to convince us any pornographic undertones in Dead or Alive: Paradise were totally "unintentional" (large, obvious wink); and Electronic Arts suggests the new Medal of Honor may -- gasp! -- actually be a thoughtful and empathetic examination of real-life combat in a big-budget shooter.

Where the hell do they get off, right?

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Look alive, private! The week's over and we're buggin' out. You know what that means? That's right -- the Bitmob Reviews Spotlight!

Kevin Zhang-Xing steps front and center like a good soldier with his review of Aliens vs. Predator 2. What's the game like? FUBAR! The online servers are offline, the graphics are old, and the game's no longer scary. But how's the nostalgia factor? Scroll down to find out, son.

Thomas Johnson chimes in with another celebrated rivalry. But instead of predatory aliens battling it out, it's Plants vs. Zombies!

Have you ever been bullied in the past? I bet you have, you nerd! Well, now's your chance to get back at the high school jocks who tortured you, because in Bully, you play as one. Richard Moss fills us in.

According to Alex Martin, Kana: Little Sister will blow you mind. Short of being trippy, the Japanese visual novel follows a young girl who is hospitalized for renal failure. Sounds weird, doesn't it?

Lastly, Ben Maltz-Jones shares his opinions on Comet Crash, a downloadable game available on the PlayStation Network.

So square yourselves, gear up, and get to the choppa -- you're now entering the Spotlight!

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Aliens vs. Predator 2 - 9 Years Later
By Kevin Zhang-Xing
Almost a decade has passed since most of us last occupied the blood-soaked boots of Corporal Harrison. Without a functional multiplayer component or the same graphical awe, how does Aliens vs. Predator 2 fare after so many years?

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It's pretty obvious that the cameras on the Nintendo DSi are going to be used for any number of kids games. Take pictures of you and your friends, put those pics on drawings you've made or in an already-released game -- the easy uses for the new camera on our favorite Nintendo portable game system are probably nothing to get too excited about. That is, until you see what Japan is getting in the form of downloadable content next week [via Boing Boing]:

Hidden 3D Image: There It Is! is simple-looking kids game but the head-tracking it uses is truly a sight to behold. Even arcades and current-gen home systems have yet to really utilize this quasi-3D effect (not counting what this guy has done). The implications for pornography alone is staggering. Just saying...

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Let's hope this General Knoxx thing turns out better than Mad Moxxi....

Video Blips:

• Those Geabox guys sure know how to make a trailer. I have no idea what that narrator lady was even talking about in this Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC teaser, but I am in. [GameVideos]

Continue after the break for an iPhone-ified Street Fighter 4, a Metal Gear: Arcade trailer, a peak at some of the more cunning moves in Red Steel 2, and a preview of the new Army of Two: The 40th Day DLC.

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Editor's note: Some developers secretly or not-so-secretly think you better know your B-splines from your framebuffers before you pass judgment on their games. But the history of criticism across multiple artistic mediums says otherwise. Michael weighs in.... -Demian

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A few weeks ago, I sat in on the Grubb on Games live stream, hosted by Bitmob's own Jeffrey Michael Grubb. I left for a bit to take a break, and when I came back, Jeff was playing an odd Flash game that I had never seen before. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. The art style consisted mostly of dull greys and blacks, and from what I could tell, the character's movement lacked precision. “What is this?� I asked. “Rocketbirds Revolution,� several people in the chat channel replied.

“This game looks underwhelming,� I declared. Jeff and a few others asked if I was trolling, which confused me at the time. As it turns out, one of the people viewing the stream was an artist for Rocketbirds Revolution, and I had just insulted his game based on a three-minute visual demo.

I felt really raw about it. I know what it's like to have people trash your work, and to have it done to your face is one of the worst feelings a creative type will ever experience. My guilt worked its way past the foot in my mouth, stirring up some deeper issues about the role of critics in the game industry. What gives me -- or anyone else in the enthusiast press, for that matter -- the right to critique the work of others, especially when most of us lack the skill to make our own games? Would I still have said what I said if I knew a member of the development team was in the room? And really, how fair was it for me to form an opinion in such a short time, without having touched the game personally?

I thought about it over the past few days. Eventually, I came to some conclusions.

Flash game, or pathway to catharsis? You decide.

 

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Maybe saying that Final Fantasy 7 remake is "unrealistic" is Square Enix's way of challenging fans to write them even more letters demanding that they do it. At least, that's how it'll probably be interpreted.

News Blips:

Speaking to TechDigest, Final Fantasy 13 Producer Yoshinori Kitase recently commented that a Final Fantasy 7 remake looks "pretty unrealistic." If conditions were such that Square Enix could make the game within a year -- with graphics akin to the latest release in the series -- then "we'd very much like a go at it!" says Kitase. He estimates, however, that it would take "three or four times longer than the three and a half years it has taken to put this Final Fantasy [13] together." OK, so probably no fancy FF7 remake -- but how about a portable version? Please?

If you didn't get into the Starcraft 2 beta, Kotaku reports that there's still hope! Several hustlers who attended Blizzcon 2008 are currently auctioning off their Starcraft 2 beta key cards (plus a code for a polar bear mount in World of Warcraft) that they obtained from the event for an average of $300 on eBay. Yikes! If you still just have to play, might I suggest collecting donations from around the office/dorm, and then everyone can take turns playing?

The Game Developers Choice Awards at this year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is set to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to John Carmack of id Software. The game programmer is most famous his role in popularizing the first-person-shooter genre in the 1990s with titles such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. Previous winners of the award include Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Will Wright. I would like to personally thank Mr. Carmack and id for playing a hand in desensitizing me to virtual violence early on in my youth. [Destructoid]

Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC drops this Tuesday for Xbox Live Arcade (Thursday for PlayStation Network/PC). Fans can expect to find a huge new area (almost two times the size of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned); new, ultra-rare weapons; and a level cap that now sits at 61. Damn, I remember when back in the day, if you wanted to max out a character to level 99 in your game, it didn't cost you anything extra. Crazy huh? 

GameStop is having their "biggest trade event ever," offering customers an extra whopping 50% on "every trade." Normally I'm not one to encourage trading in video games to GameStop for chump change, but if you must, now would be the best time to do so. At least with this promotion, the return you get on the games you relinquish won't be super depressing but actually almost fair. [Joystiq] 

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Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.

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Editor's note: Single-screen multiplayer games were a mainstay in my home, too -- my siblings and I together played countless hours of Contra 3: The Alien Wars, Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road, Gauntlet, and Rampage. But this style of multiplayer hasn't completely left the gaming world; although, it appears to be trending more toward downloadable titles like Mushroom Wars, Worms, and Trash Panic. -Rob

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Multiplayer games were once a rule in our house. Perhaps, this was the only way my parents could appease their three boys; it was difficult enough for the three of us to share a two-player game, let alone one that was single-player.

Still, the rule seemed to stick well beyond the era when sharing was so hard. I didn't discover role-playing games until late in high school, and even then I was still biased towards games with a multiplayer mode.

These days, most of my great game experiences are with single-player titles like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Batman: Arkham Asylum, but the occasional simultaneous multiplayer game is still a blast.

What's unfortunate is that most multiplayer games are split-screen shooters, so I thought I'd bring up a few of my favorite -- perhaps forgotten -- variations of simultaneous play. Although, I'll confess that we might be better off without a few....

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3D Dot Game Heroes -- The Hero's Tomb

3D Dot Game Heroes -- Water Temple

The 7th Guest -- The Game

The 7th Guest -- Skeletons in My Closet

 

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A

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Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth -- Shi-Long Lang: Speak Up Pup!

Achievement Unlocked -- Main Theme*

Actraiser -- Bloodpool Theme

Actraiser -- Offering 

Actraiser -- Peaceful World

The Addams Family -- The Portrait Gallery

Advance Wars -- Grit's Theme

Advance Wars: Dual Strike -- Lash's Theme

Afterlife -- Track 2

Air Zonk -- Cyber City

Aladdin -- Arab Rock

Alan Wake -- Up Jumped the Devil by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Alien Hominid -- Main Theme

Amped 3 -- Menage a Brahs Rap

Animal Crossing -- K.K. Ballad

Animal Crossing -- K. K. Soul

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney -- Troupe Gramarye 

Aquaria -- The Light

Aquaria -- The Traveler

Aquaria -- Undiscovered Waters

Art Style: Light Trax -- Spectra 1*

Assassin's Creed 2 -- Ezio's Family 

Assassin's Creed 2 -- Venice Rooftops

Astyanax -- Stage 1 

 

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B

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Bad Dudes -- Stage 2

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean -- Violet Storm

Banjo-Kazooie -- Gobi's Valley

Banjo Tooie -- Jiggywiggy's Temple*

Batman -- Stage 2*

Batman -- Streets of Desolation

Battlefield Heroes -- Main Theme

Beyond Good and Evil -- Home Sweet Home

Bionic Commando -- Bionic Commando (Rusko Remix)

Bionic Commando -- Stage 1

Bionic Commando Rearmed -- Main Theme Remix

BioShock -- Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin

BioShock -- Cohen's Masterpiece

BioShock -- Welcome to Rapture

BioShock 2 -- Waking Up in 1959

Bit.Trip Beat -- Transition

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled -- Parting Ways

Blaster Master -- Area 1 Music

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger -- Rebellion (Ragna's Theme)

Blue Dragon -- Waterside

Blueberry Garden -- Valse by Daduk

Body Harvest -- Indoor Music*

Boom Blox -- Main Theme

Boom Blox -- Tiki Sacred Honor

Borderlands -- Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant

Borderlands -- No Heaven by DJ Champion

Braid -- Downstream

Brave Fencer Musashi -- Allucaneat Palace Theme

Breath of Fire 2 -- Fly Pudding

Breath of Fire 2 -- Windia

Brütal Legend -- Die For Metal by Manowar

Brütal Legend -- Girlfriend 

Bubble Bobble -- Main Theme (NES Version)

Bully -- Main Theme

Burning Rangers -- We Are Burning Rangers

Burnout Paradise -- Paradise City by Guns N' Roses

Bust a Groove -- 2 Bad

Bust a Groove -- Natural Playboy

Bust-a-Move -- Theme (Arcade Version)

 

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C

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Call of Duty -- Call of Duty

Call of Duty -- Red Square

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- The Coup

Canabalt -- Main Theme

Capcom vs. SNK -- Sign

Castle Crashers -- Forest Entrance

Castle Crashers -- Race Around the World

Castlevania -- Vampire Killer

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- I Am the Wind

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- Lost Painting

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- Wood Carving Partita

Cave Story  -- Mischievous Robot (REMIX)

Cave Story -- Eyes of Flame

Cave Story -- Moonsong

Chime -- Brazil by Philip Glass Ensemble

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers -- Stage J

Chrono Cross -- Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World

Chrono Cross -- Dream of the Shore Near Another World

Chrono Cross -- Magical Dreamers

Chrono Cross -- Magical Dreamers: Wind, Stars, and Waves

Chrono Cross -- The Scars of Time

Chrono Cross -- Star-Stealing Girl

Chrono Trigger -- At the Bottom of Night

Chrono Trigger -- The Brink of Time Track 1 (REMIX)

Chrono Trigger -- Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger -- Corridors of Time

Chrono Trigger -- Guardia Millenial Fair

Chrono Trigger -- Schala's Theme

Chrono Trigger -- To Far Away Times 

Chrono Trigger -- To Far Away Times (REMIX)

Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross -- Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross Themes by Play! Symphony

Chu Chu Rocket -- Theme

Civilization 4 -- Baba Yetu

Clay Fighter -- Title Screen

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 -- Hell March 3

The Company of Myself -- Theme*

Conker's Bad Fur Day -- Great Mighty Poo

Conker's Bad Fur Day -- Windy

Contra -- Stage 1*

Contra 3: The Alien Wars -- The Final Gauntlet (Part 1, 2, & 3)

Courier Crisis -- Keep Your Hands on the Boogie by Hot Chicken Stew

Courier Crisis -- What You Believe by Big Drill Car

Crazy Taxi 2 -- No Brakes by The Offspring

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos -- And So the Adventure Begins

Cruis'n Exotica -- Menu 1

 

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D

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Dark Cloud -- Main Theme

Dark Cloud 2 -- Rainbow Butterfly Woods

Dark Void -- Main Theme

Darksiders -- Darksiders Theme

Darkstalkers 3 -- Fetus of God

Darkwing Duck -- Title

Daytona USA -- Let's Go Away

Deadly Premonition -- FBI Special Agent

Deadly Premonition -- Life is Beautiful

Deadly Premonition -- The Woods and the Goddess

Déjà Vu -- Theme of Ace Harding*

Deus Ex -- Main Theme

Deus Ex: Human Revolution -- Theme*

Devil May Cry -- Flock Off!

Devil May Cry 3 -- Devils Never Cry

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness -- Beautiful Rondo

Donkey Kong Country -- Aquatic Ambiance

Donkey Kong 64 -- DK Rap

DonPachi -- Stage 1*

Doom -- Main Theme

Dr. Mario Online Rx -- Fever

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine -- Password Screen*

Dragon Quest VIII -- Overture 

Dragon Warrior -- Battle Theme

Duck Tales -- The Moon

 

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E

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Earthbound -- Giygas' Theme (Pokey Means Business)

Earthbound -- Kraken of the Sea

Ecco the Dolphin -- Opening Theme

Echocrome -- Prime 5

Einhänder -- Street

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind -- Theme

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion -- Harvest Dawn

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion -- King and Country

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion -- Main Theme

Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil -- Beloved Tomboyish Girl

Enemy Zero -- Agony

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem -- Gateway to Destiny

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem -- The Gift of Forever and Ram Dao 

Eternal Sonata -- Pyroxene of the Heart

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I thought about posting my Top 100 Games of the '00s list here, but considering the dedicated group of gamers at Bitmob, what's the point of recommending the same stuff that everyone has already played? The thing I love about lists isn't cross-referencing them with my own taste, but hopefully finding new gems that slipped under my radar. The games I present here have all sold poorly, received minimal coverage, and failed to accumulate a fan base over the years. These are games you not only haven't heard praised, but maybe haven't heard of at all.

It can be a pain to seek some of these out, especially the PC titles, but it's well worth the effort, especially if you consider yourself a gaming connoisseur. Enjoy, and please share some of your favorite, little-known games in the comments!

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Soul Blazer (SNES, 1992)

Caught between the superior Actraiser and Illusions of Gaia both chronologically and gameplay wise, Soul Blazer was another overlooked classic of the '90s from developer Quintet. It was another Zelda-esque adventure, but told with a more dynamic narrative and responsive world. While Zelda's dungeons mostly stayed the same, each area of Soul Blazer was incredibly different and inventive. From fighting on an island to fighting on a giant game board, Soul Blazer made the same old grind feel new. Each enemy nest you defeated revived a villager, which kept the combat rewarding and worked into a strangely esoteric narrative.

Plays like: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Actraiser, Alundra.

Seekability: Absolutely. The mood and atmosphere of the game was haunting, and the controls spot-on. It's a very unique game that aged wonderfully, just like the rest of Quintet's catalog.

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My buddy Cesar Quintero over at Area 5 once told me a story about how he waited patiently for a wedding to start in Fallout 3 -- just so he could nuke everyone in attendance. He also told me about several other acts of horror that he'd committed in the open-world, do-anything-you-want-including-stuff-you-probably-shouldn't RPG, so that got me thinking:

People sure know how to act like a-holes when given the means.

(Hey, I'm not judging -- I did get the Achievement for planting a live grenade in someone's back pocket in the same game.)

So, for fun and curiosity's sake, we asked some of our game-industry friends what sort of sick, depraved, evil video-game deeds that they try to get away with when no one's looking (and sometimes, even when someone is), starting with the guys who made the wedding-slaughter simulator. And don't forget to share your own terrible tales in the comments below.

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Editor's note: The state of Japanese game development is an interesting subject. It's weird that, right now, I'm enjoying two very different RPG experiences -- one from Japan (Demon's Souls), and one from American (Dragon Age). And I'm really digging the Japanese game. Are you troubled by the state of Japanese development? -Jason

 

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The 2009 Tokyo Game Show's over and done with, and very little big news came out of the event. Sadly, instead of returning to the U.S. excited about what's on the horizon from the country that used to be the de-facto leader of the gaming world, the press slunk back, seemingly dismayed at the state of development in Japan.

Even with huge titles like Final Fantasy 13 and The Last Guardian on the way, a pall hovers above the Japanese horizon because their leadership in the games realm seems to be coming to an end.

In a September 28 post, Brian Crecente of Kotaku.com said that this year's TGS revealed "an industry scrambling to stay relevant in an increasingly Westernized gaming world."

Crecente's story went on to say that "Capcom's famed developer Keiji Inafune, the man behind such hits as Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dead Rising, warned that Japanese game development has one foot in the grave."

 

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