Editor's Note: I'll admit, I used to be somewhat weary of casual games, but not anymore. Hell, I mostly play them nowadays: Plants vs. Zombies is my new favorite brain-teaser. And I've been playing Crossword DS for a good month or two. And don't get me started about how much I adore Cooking Mama and Order Up. To be honest, I think this petty "hardcore vs. casual" battle will eventually die via a Peggle ball to the head. Because, in the end, who the hell cares? More people playing games means more games for us. So why fight when we can all play along? -Michael

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With the advent of the Wii and the "new" casual gaming market (most people, for whatever reason, don't seem to realize that casual gaming has existed since the ancient, black-and-white days of Spacewar!), there's been an ever-growing rift between the self-described "hardcore" gaming community and the outsiders: the old folks, "moms," non-gamers, and other dangerous folk who threaten our wonderful and exclusive hobby. If the History Channel has taught us anything, it's that you can't appease these people. If you do, bad things happen involving tiny mustaches.

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We never thought gamers would care so much about the weight of consoles. But apparently this is a big deal. Well, we think it's insulting -- consoles are people, too. Wait. Err, nevermind...

News Blips:

• PS3 weight rumors continue; many say bulimia is believable. Even though some Sony skeptics are finding the slimmed-down PS3 rumors a little hard to swallow, a kernel of truth may have just popped up. It seems tech site Engadget has been sent a cease and desist letter for hosting the leaked shots of the seemingly smaller PS3. The weird part? The letter wasn't sent by Sony, but by a Chinese company. Hmm. So is it true or not? Our gut says yes, but then again, he's just hungry after all these food puns. [Engadget]

• Robot Chicken lay mechanical egg; tastes like Spore DLC. The funny men behind Adult Swim's Robot Chicken series have helped create downloadable content for the Spore: Galactic Adventures expansion. If this news makes you say, "WTF," then you'll probably want to go visit the appropriately-named official website. Then OMG at the LOLs or something. [Kotaku]

• Randomly littered medkit gives 3D Realms small amount of health. So everyone thought Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms died a pitiful death. We did, too. But we were all wrong, apparently. The studio confirmed it is still alive, albeit without the DNF team. Not sure how the studio will survive indefinitely, considering Duke Nukem doesn't own fancy dancy rechargeable armor like Master Chief. And, well, medkits aren't exactly easy to come by nowadays. [1UP]

• Japanese Capcom staff may miss E3 due to piggy pukers. Well, this is ironic: The company responsible for the Resident Evil series may be quarantined in their own country due to swine flu. We're sure they'll probably end up attending the State's biggest videogame trade show, but the news is still kinda funny. Except for the part about pigs giving us flu. Barf. [Kotaku]

• New Dynasty Warriors game is coming...hey, where are you going? Let me finish, thank you! Ahem -- like I was saying, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires is coming to both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next month. For those of you who care. Which is, sadly, no one. Sigh... [Joystiq]

Hit the jump for some video blips, including a bunch of Japanese Wii MotionPlus commercials, a Star Wars: The Old Republic story trailer, Half-Life 2 in block form, and...more.

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We just discovered that Gears of War 2 and Unreal Designer Cliff Bleszinski is twice the geek we are, which is pretty incredible because we're pretty damn geeky.

How did we find out? He told us, in the latest round of 21 Random Qs. We're not referring to his love for Iron Man (see No. 1) or George Jetson's car (see No. 3). We're referring to...well, see for yourself (see No. 15).

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1. Who's your favorite comic-book superhero?

Cliff Bleszinski: Iron Man. Because I love flawed heroes, and he's such a lush and a womanizer.

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Editor's note: GameSetWatch first uncovered the strange story (and alternate reality game) behind not-actually-real blogger Rachael Webster, AKA PixelVixen707, but this update is well worth checking out. Read Webster's interview with Robert Ashley here (her initial contact email to Robert included a link to the GameSetWatch article, but he didn't click it and was none the wiser). -Demian

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Genuinely thoughtful commentary on videogames doesn’t come by all the time, and how much the rarer is the emergence of a truly worthy and unique voice. So when Rachael Webster, an aspiring writer stagnating at a menial job at a small and mostly unknown city newspaper, first took up the pen for her blog in the fall of last year, she quickly found herself amongst enthusiastic supporters and a welcoming community. PixelVixen707, as she called herself, brought a sharp-tongued but winsome pluck to the conversation about games, along with unusual, sometimes genuinely surprising, insights. Rounding out the program was an occasional note about her personal life— and that is where things fell off the rails a little bit.

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We all love videogames, sure. But some folks out there love them a wee bit more than us. Don't be jealous, though -- these superfans show their adoration by creating tons of cool, cultural things for our own amusement. That's why we've starting the Cultural Corner -- each week we'll showcase a fan whose talents extend far beyond pushing a bunch of buttons.

First up: Grub-time doodler Derek and his personalized lunch bag art. Every day he makes some cool art for his kiddos and posts them on his website. It's here you can check out his near-perfect renditions of videogame characters, Pixar-inspired Batman rides, and even KHAAAAANNNNN! We recently chatted with the talented food-cover scribbler to find out more about his hungry hobby.

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Here it is. Monday. Podcasting day. Mobcasting day. And while we taped a delightful episode, with G4's Patrick Klepek joining the gang of Shoe, Demian, Ford, Donahoe, and Robert "voice of God" Ashley, something happened. Maybe it was a bum fetzer valve, maybe an inadvertently ejected dilithium core, but by the time Robert made it back to his HQ, the file was gone, and no file-recovery utility could bring it back again. We all knew that one day there'd be an unexpected disaster and a "lost Mobcast," but we didn't know it'd be so soon. Mobcast #2, you never deserved this.

But next Monday is a new Monday -- tune in then when we bring on three more special guests to discuss five topics of our choosing, plus one of yours. To submit a topic you'd like us to yap about, shoot an e-mail to [email protected] with "Mobcast" in the subject line.

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Editor's Note: I really have nothing to add except: read it! -Demian

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Almost ten years ago to the day I was crammed in the back of a Jeep with three friends, slowly climbing the impossibly steep roads that snake their way up the Himalayas. Our destination was Darjeeling, India, the “Queen of the Hill Stations.”

We had initially planned Darjeeling to be a stop-off on the way to Tibet, but when 1600 Maoists laid siege to a Tibeten police post, we were advised against unnecessary travel. We didn’t argue.

Darjeeling had its own attractions, though. Our lodgings looked out on the vast expanse of lush tea bushes stretching down along the hillslopes. You could just about make out the figures of tea-pickers in the fields, old ladies with baskets draped over one arm, quickly making their way along the steep, leafy rows. The town itself is so high that when we opened the balcony doors, clouds poured into our room. Everest loomed in the distance. It was stunning.

Despite this, it isn’t the views that are my enduring memory of Darjeeling, but something a little more unique. For among the little shops and restaurants sat high in the Indian sky is a small room, little more than a shack really; the highest arcade in the world.

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Editor's Note: Rob makes a strong case for the little-known but very importable Demon's Souls, a game that features zero historically accurate giant enemy crabs. -Demian

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The question on most readers' minds will not be the one posed in the title, but rather, "what is Demon's Souls?" While I won't have anything to write that likely hasn't already been written elsewhere by now (since the game has been out for several months), I haven't read anyone discussing the title here and I believe this is a game that deserves as much print as it can muster.

Demon's Souls is a dark fantasy action-RPG from developer From Software which aims to be a spiritual successor to their previous series, King's Field. Played from a 3rd-person perspective in real-time, Demon's Souls charges the player with ridding the land of (what else?) soul-stealing demons. The game is largely influenced by western RPGs -- you'll select a character class with a set number of attributes, level up, and equip your character with various weapons, armors, magic, and miracles. Those are the basics; the other gameplay concepts are what really make Demon's Souls worth your time.

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Capcom does a really good at pleasing its hardcore fans. People asked for bizarro Wii fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom to come to the States and Capcom promptly set up a green card. Now if we only had a new Bionic Commando game. Oh, wait... Uh, Resident Evil 6?

New Blips:

• Tatsunoko vs. Capcom boards small white plane for USA. Gaming mag Nintendo Power officially announced Wii fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will soon be coming stateside. Don't know who Capcom is fighting? It's cool. We won't tell 'em. [Kotaku]

• Kojima Productions teaser page continues teasing for your displeasure. Yep, it's that damn site again. The one we talked about on two occasions already. So what's new? Just a countdown clock. Oh, and a storm. Get this: We hear at 48:15:16 it will start raining. But we could be teasing. Come back here tomorrow morning to find out. [1UP]

• Bethesda's spastic arm motions indicate Wii game announcement soon. The folks behind Fallout 3 and Oblivion will be revealing a "big" title made specifically for the Wii later this year (E3?). No word on what kind of game it will be, but if it doesn't involve prettying up ponies with armor, we're so not interested. [GamesIndustry via Kotaku]

• Team Ninja turndown Pirate offer; stick with Ninja Gaiden franchise. Even though former series director and lover of physics-defying boobies, Tomonobu Itagaki, is no longer working at developer Team Ninja, the members left confirmed they will continue making Ninja Gaiden games. Or at least until Robots give them an offer they can't compute. [Kikizo via Joystiq]

Hit the jump for a pre-teaser teaser for Mass Effect 2, Microsoft press conference scuttlebutt, hot Mirror's Edge cosplay, and...more.

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Editor's Note: Despite Reed poking fun at the fact that he's doing a list, he's covering a pretty interesting topic that demands more feedback. Also: probably the only time you'll see Pocahontas' Colors of the Wind referenced on this site. -Greg

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Hey, you guys love lists, right? I love lists, too! This is a list of games that aren't simply revolutionary like Wolfenstein 3D or Super Mario Bros., but games that really showed that they can be considered art while using the medium they're on to its highest potential.

1. Shadow of the Colossus

This game has improved the medium for two main reasons: 1) its minimalistic storytelling that was not spoon-fed to you, and 2) its beautiful graphics for the time. SOTC's storytelling has been mirrored in games like Braid, where you actually have to think, and I like that. The graphics, on the other hand, blew my mind. The fact that when you climb a colossi you actually feel like you're holding onto its hair/moss is remarkable. This game is an obvious contender for "Games as Art" because of its stunning visuals.

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This week, we talk writing tips, games journalism, EGM back issues, and GTA sales on DS. As always, send your letters to [email protected] -- because the spam filter never lets our stuff get through. And away we go:

My boss and I were having a discussion about Flash-like minigames (Bejeweled, and other PopCap and Pogo games) becoming a huge hit within the last few years for various reasons. He alleges that these games are actually pulling graduating talent away from the higher-end gaming market. I argued that minigame developers are probably mostly self-taught designers without a ton of traditional education, and that people graduating from various schools are still going to larger companies like EA or Activision Blizzard. Who's more right?

-SjSchoo

 

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Howdy, folks! Here's the second episode of The Hoe Down. This week, I attend the Burn Zombie Burn party and yap it up with zombies. Oh, and I eat brains, too. And y'know what? They actually tasted pretty good. Mmmm...purple.

Just like last week, I wanna thank Area 5's Jason Bertrand for his help slicing this up. And I also wanna thank fellow Bitmobber Aaron Thomas for his help filming me acting like a jackass.

Aight -- hope y'all enjoy it.

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We've had tons of great stuff in the Mobfeed lately. These are just a few of our recent don't-miss posts:

Chessmaster Live Review
When Derrick Hopkins isn't helping us build Bitmob (he's one of our developers) or hosting Dead Pixel Live, he's writing game reviews that aren't like your normal game reviews. His first was Street Fighter 4, his second is Chessmaster Live. Whether or not you consider it a review in the traditional sense is secondary -- it's a really good read.

Thou art check, mated, and eyebrow'd, sirrah!

What's Wrong with House of the Dead: Overkill
Luke McKinney would like to tell you exactly what is wrong with House of the Dead: Overkill, and he brought some helpful visual aids. Also: He still loves it.

House of the Dead: Overkill Wii zapper control set-up.

Pixellation: The People of the Game Industry
This documentary proof of concept by Tim Thomas, TJ Babcock, and Jason Lataillade has a very personal, 1UP Show-esque feel, and features interviews with ex-1UPers Philip Kollar and Anthony Gallegos. We'd love to see a longer version with more developer interviews mixed in!

 

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Most everyone will agree that Super Mario Bros. is a good -- if not great -- game. Absolutely worthy of preservation. (See my previous post for more canonical games.) But what about the not-so-good games? And what about the absolute dreck like Superman 64, one of the most critically reviled games of all time? Wouldn't it be better to dump those games in a New Mexico landfill and pretend they never happened? Why save Superman?

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Peripherals have always been popular, mostly because they offer that arcade experience we all miss. But, uh, a skateboard controller? We hope it at least comes with a helmet -- we break easily. Just ask Shoe.

News Blips:

• New Tony Hawk forgets it's a game; adds skateboard peripheral. Guess the rumors were right -- Activision Blizzard officially unveiled a new skateboard doohickey for the upcoming Tony Hawk Ride. Looks cool, but it seems to be missing wheels. Um, getting around on that thing is going be a total drag. [Kotaku]

• Nintendo DS duals with other consoles; wins because it has two screens. Oh, and a new version came out last month, too. That probably has something to do with it. Regardless, the DS totally dominated last month's game sales, selling over a whopping million units. Pretty good for a cheater. [1UP]

• Nazi-killer simulation coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The predecessor to Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, is making its way to Xbox Live Arcade sometime in the near and distant future. While it probably won't hold up, it's still fun to shoot Nazis. Because they're bad. And shooting bad guys is OK. Yay for morality! [Kotaku]

• Take-Two cooks defeat; dumps a silo of salt on 3D Realms wounds. The would-be publisher of Duke Nukem Forever is suing developer 3D Realms for not releasing the game. How much does failure cost, you ask? Oh, y'know, only about 12 million dollars. Hell, at this point, they may as well ask to screw all the developer's wives, too. [Shacknews]

Video Blips:

• A trailer tailor-made for manly men. Just watch. Preferably with your shirt off. In a thong. Flexing in front of a mirror. This is Muscle March, a WiiWare gaming coming to Japan later this month, from your ripped friends at Namco Bandai. [Namco-Bandai via Kotaku]

Hit the jump for some video clips, including a "trailer" for Tony Hawk Ride, a glowing Rock Band mod, and...more.

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Editor's Note: James isn't the only one who misses arcades. In fact, I have many fond memories of visitng arcades as a wee youth. Get this: I had my big sis's friend's brother take me to a local arcade to teach me how to play Street Fighter II (no joke!). How silly does that sound now? Actually, I can't believe I just admitted that. Ahem, anyway -- arcades are awesome. -Michael

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I do. After spending the last week in Japan (and a good deal of that time in arcades in Shibuya, Shinjuku and Akihabara), I know two things, one: those crane games totally cheat, and two: I miss good, old-fashioned arcades where people played amazing games that were miles better than anything you could play at home.

All the Sega arcades and Taito game stations were a nice reminder of my youth when I could go to pizza parlors and play Street Fighter II, or go to the 7-11 to sip on a Slurpee while dismembering limbs in Mortal Kombat 3. Or even the local Wonderland, where I could pay the admission, get the tokens, and spend an hour playing 5 cent games on a kid's birthday.

Today, no one wants to do that. No one wants to go to an arcade when they have 50-inch TVs and Xbox 360s in their living rooms. Maybe it's a sign that I'm old, but I miss the almost ironic social atmosphere of nerd-filled arcades, where you quartered-up and lost in one go to a guy who mastered Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting instead of calculus.

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Guessing which games are going to be at E3 is hard. Unless you ask a PR person to tell you what's going to be there. Then it's easy. Really easy, apparently.

News Blips:

• Beyond Good & Evil 2 may be beyond attending E3. According to UGO, a PR rep at publisher Ubisoft told them the sequel to the cult hit from last generation won't be shown at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean they were telling the truth. We lie all the time. Just kidding. See? That's a lie! [UGO via 1UP]

• Kojima Productions teaser teases with another teaser. Remember the other day when we thought the Metal Gear Solid makers were going to announce a new game via a mysterious website? Well, they didn't. But they did put up a picture of a field. Which is pretty mind-blowing if you're a farmer. If you're not, you should really consider it -- fresh food is mighty tasty. [Kotaku]

• EA's new hockey game is the first to add first-person fisticuffs. EA Sports head honcho Peter Moore revealed on his personal blog that NHL 10 will allow you to punch players in the first-person. What? No first-person puck mode? Lame. [PeterMooreBlog]

• Rock Band 2 reminds you Alice Cooper still exists. Harmonix announced both Alice Cooper and Taking Back Sunday track packs will be available next week for you to download and pretend to play for real. Before you download the tunes, ask yourself this: Are you worthy? [Kotaku]

Hit the jump for some video blips, including some snazzy Uncharted 2: Among Thieves footage, POW-worthy Batman brawling, a Lego Nintendo, and...more.

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We've got to hand it to GameSpy for their recent article, Casting Revealed! Videogame Industry: The Movie. Frank Langella as Peter Molyneux, James Lipton as Peter Moore, Christopher Lloyd is Jack Thompson...this thing's got legs! Although we're going to have to agree with commenter 'Nanotriad,' Jake Busey would be a better FATAL1TY than the older brother from Home Improvement. Actually, just cut FATAL1TY altogether and put him in charge of merchandising.

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