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Yawn -- another big fall delay? What else is new?

News Blips:

• Korea is not going to like this one: StarCraft 2 officially delayed. Blizzard's highly anticipated real-time strategy game got pushed back to 2010. Because apparently getting delayed is the cool thing to do nowadays. [Joystiq]

• Oh, yay? Call of Duty 4 coming to Wii. Well, it's only two years too late, but Call of Duty 4 is officially coming to the Wii this fall. Because Wii owners obviously aren't smart enough to know a new Call of Duty is also coming out later this year. [1UP]

• DJ Hero Renegade Edition possibly costs more than a little. If you wanna buy the special edition of DJ Hero, it might set you back $200. But that is chump change for people who have lots of money. Which means we'll be buying it used in six months. [GameSpot]

• This is unexpected: New Tony Hawk and Spider-Man games in the works. Yeah, yeah -- we know. You're not going to believe this one, but you have to trust us: Activision confirmed it will be releasing new Tony Hawk, Spider-Man, and James Bond games next year. Yep, it's true. Really. [Shacknews]

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Editor's note: Alex has written an interesting story about how he fell in love with an old, mostly-forgotten arcade game. I've never played Hyperball, but it sounds pretty cool. - Aaron

When I heard Demian's topic on Mobcast 13 I couldn't help but think of my favorite unknown arcade game; which might not technically be an arcade game at all.

From the very first time I played it, I knew I had to have it. A friend and I had driven a good two hours north to pick up a Space Invaders machine I had bought off eBay. I had recently gotten it into my head that my dream job would be to open an arcade, and this was my first purchase. The man who owned it had an entire basement full of arcade and pinball machines, but it was clear that he liked to rotate them out frequently as he immediately tried selling me on some others. One of these was Hyperball.

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What is this? A new World of WarCraft trailer? We get it, WoW. You don't want us to have lives. Thanks a lot, asshole.

Video Blips:

• World of WarCraft Call of the Crusade trailer looks like WarCraft. Which means WoW fans are having nerdgasms right now. [GameTrailers]

Continue after the break for Army of Two: The 40th Day office shenanigans, DJ Hero gameplay, and Scribblenauts monster fighting.

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Space sims were some of the most popular games during the 1990s. Series like Star Wars: X-Wing and TIE Fighter and Wing Commander ruled PCs, while Colony Wars gave console gamers a chance to get into galactic furballs and blast massive capital ships.

But something shot down space sims. While some still exist, like Evochron Legends and Darkstar One, they're now niche games, flying below the radars of most gamers.

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Boobs make everything better. Seriously, without the idiots who market Evony, we'd never have the awesomeness below.

Cultural Blips:

• New Plants vs. Zombies ads still keeping abreast of saucy Internet trends. We already showed you some hilarious Plants vs. Zombies ads making fun of the ridiculous boob-filled Evony banner ads, but we can't ignore more zombie melons. Mmm, so deliciously rotten. [Offworld]

• Mega Man crochet helmet offers perfect protection from dust, q-tips. Keep your ears warm with this crocheted Mega Man helmet from craft-maker Ginrei. One size fits all nerds. [TinyCartridge]

• Crochet Mario characters cute enough to drool on. Isn't this Tanooki Mario adorable? Any answer other than "yes" is wrong, by the way. [TinyCartridge]

• NESynth turns your iPhone into a portable bleep blooper. Developer NewForestar is set to release an iPhone application entitled NESynth that turns your iPhone into an 8-bit synth. Y'know, in case you want to annoy your friends with a 8-bit rendition of "The Final Countdown."

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So we all know that Mario and Princess Peach are a couple. But what we didn't want to know is what goes on once the game is over. Well, thanks to this slightly NSFW College Humor video, now we know. And if knowing is half the battle, we totally lost.

FYI: Stay until the end for a little surprise.

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Trying to keep up with all of the downloadable games and content that's out there these days is enough to make a person cry. But cry no more, because Download Lowdown is here to help. Each week I'll sift through the good, the bad, and the weird to help you get the most from your game system of choice without leaving your house. Plus, if you read now I'll also toss in some choice (usually less-than-helpful) quotes from folks around the Internet at absolutely no extra charge!

This week I hit the Oregon Trail to search for a Fat Princess, but end up fighting lots of pesky Space Invaders instead. Sweet!

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Editor's note: Experiences and expectations shape people, and those experiences and expectations play a role in how they evaluate things, be it making career plans or reviewing games. Thomas uses Bionic Commando to show how bias -- not malicious bias, but honest human bias -- played a role in coverage from two outlets. -Jason

Bias is one of the most misunderstood and maligned words ever used. It’s sad, really, when we remind ourselves having a biased view is natural.

We want our game critics to be professionals, ethical, and lack a biased viewpoint. To demand the last trait is unfair. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of bias in this sense is “an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment."

And according to this generation’s default source of information, Wikipedia: “Bias is a term used to describe a tendency or preference toward a particular perspective, ideology, or result, especially when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective.... The term 'biased' is often used as a pejorative, because bias is inherently unjust, lacking merit.”

Ouch. No one wants their source of information to be “unjust, lacking merit”; it makes people feel they're being treated like an idiot. A biased view should not be automatically paired with a malicious agenda.

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Oh, boy -- not the Apple making a gaming console rumor again. This is getting about as cliche as any rumor involving a price cut with the following companies: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

News Blips:

• Apple making game console? World domination imminent. We all knew it was coming: Apple appears to be making a new computer tablet that will play games. Sure, it probably won't be used exclusively for gaming, but considering the iPhone is practically a gaming system nowadays, we're sure if this is real, developers will flock to this like a princess on cake. [Develop]

• EA happy Wii owners are fat and out-of-shape. This is somewhat surprising: The best-selling EA Wii game is currently EA Sports Active with over 1.8 million units sold. Hmm, guess Wii owners haven't heard of this thing called a gym. [Joystiq]

• Left 4 Dead not quite dead yet. Thanks to a new DLC scenario entitled Crash Course. PC users can download it for free, while 360 owners have to shell out $7 in Microsoft space bucks. Cue 360 outcry...now! [GameSpot]

• New game by Braid creator entitled The Witness; does not star Harrison Ford, sadly. Braid creator Jonathan Blow officially announced his new game will be entitled The Witness and will, get this, be a puzzle game. Though this time it will take place on an island. Uh-oh! Hope he doesn't get...lost.... [Kotaku]

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Editor's note: Psychonauts is in my pile of shame, too -- the games that I should have played but haven't (yet). I hope I like it as much as Davneet did once I finally right that wrong! -Demian

With the upcoming release of Double Fine Productions' Brutal Legend garnering much critical attention, I decided to prepare myself for such a unique title by examining the past work of Tim Schafer. Renowned for its quality writing and humor, Schafer's work in the adventure game genre has remained elusive to me, perhaps because I've always found adventure games to be slightly tedious, or perhaps because the genre was already in decline when video games became a staple in my life.

With the re-release of The Secret of Monkey Island and the episodic release of Tales of Monkey Island, I thought there could be no better time to delve into the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood. However, I remained hesitant due to my admitted and possibly unjust bias against adventure games.

Adamant about finding a threshold into the inner workings of Tim Schafer and discovering why his games are so critically well-received, I settled upon a more contemporary game, Psychonauts. Double Fine's inaugural game, released in April of 2005, was immediately recognized for its innovation and creativity, winning Best Original Game at the 2006 E3 Game Critics Awards, Best Screenplay at the 2006 British Academy Video Games Awards, and Best Writing at the 6^th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

Despite the critical acclaim, I didn't have the opportunity or inclination to experience Pscyhonauts until recently. Upon playing, I found a game that is so diverse in scope, so creative in presentation, and so passionate in execution, that it is simply awe-inspiring.

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We always wondered why the Ninja Turtles like pizza so much. Because we fed it to our pet turtle once and it didn't like it. In fact, it killed it.

Video Blips:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled trailer requires obligatory "Cowabunga!" Here's the trailer for the HD remake of the classic 4-player arcade game TMNT: Turtles in Time. FYI: The enjoyment of watching this video is enhanced by eating at least 1-17 slices of pizza. [Kotaku]

Continue after the break for a Shadow Complex developer doc, a dirty, dirty MX vs ATV Reflex trailer, and a Dragonica story video.

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Ask, and ye shall receive. While we have not the power to grant boons and favors of the supernatural, we can, indeed, cover the games you wish us to cover. Ghostbusters has been a request directed at us ever since its release, and we've finally found the power-house guests necessary to give it its proper due: Phil Theobald from PlayerOne Podcast along with GameSpy's Will Tuttle and Arthur Gies of Eat. Sleep. Game. fame.

Every show seems to have a theme, whether or not we consciously intend one, and with the recent glut of reborn classics this week's show is perhaps better themed than most. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is double-featured with Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal in a blast-from-the-past especiál. Insidiously long names aside, we're always grateful to Tiff Chow for dropping by and we're especiál-ly glad for 1UP's Justin Haywald making his CO-OP debut!

The final, classic-resurfaced game in this week's show is a testament to one of the most venerable genres of software-gaming: the shooter. Yes, Space Invaders is back, on the iPhone, with an intensely aural and action-ridden experience best seen (and heard) to be believed. Space Invaders Infinity Gene may be a classic reborn, but it's thoroughly modern in its execution and should not be overlooked! Watch the show after the break.

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