Kotaku

Tired of putting your hands in the air and waving them like you care only about getting to the finishing line? Too lazy to craft your own stable Wii racing wheel out of everyday household items for us in Mario Kart Wii? Well then head over to Success-HK, where they have recently released the Blazepro Realistic Racing Wheel for the Wii. Using the magical power of suction cups, the Realistic Racing Wheel attaches to any smooth surface for that not-nearly-flailing-as-much feel, with the added benefit of giving your tired arms something to rest on. As a special added bonus, the wheel detaches from the base for air-driving action.

Of course it might not be the best quality product on the market, but you can't beat the price. The Realistic Racing Wheel can be yours now for only $5.87, plus shipping. Quick! Someone buy one and let us know how it is so we don't all make the same mistake!

Nintendo Wii Realistic Racing Wheel [Success-HK via Wii News - Thanks Wraggy!]

I spent the first half of this week hanging out with the likes of Michael Pachter, Peter Moore, Mike Gallagher and Nintendo of America's recently appointed vice president of marketing, Cammie Dunaway at Ziff Davis' Electronic Gaming Summit.

It was the first time I met Dunaway and we ended up chatting quite a bit during a dinner on the last night, hosted at a nearby vineyard, held in a castle of all places.

Dunaway, it turns out, had just flown in from New York where she helped kick off the launch of the Wii Fit in Central Park.

"I'm sure Wii Fit is going to sell very well," I told her, "but I suspect it's going to be like every other piece of exercise equipment people buy for themselves: In a few weeks or a month it's going to have laundry piled on it or be back in its box."

Not so, Dunaway insisted.

Did ArchLord get better while I wasn't looking, or is crap really better when it's free? Either way, Codemasters Online is pleased as punch to announce that their world-domination MMORPG ArchLord has surpassed half a million player across the Western hemisphere. ArchLord went free to play in August of last year, having launched in February as a subscription-based game.

Ed Relf, Director of Marketing, Codemasters Online commented, “This is a key milestone in the growth of ArchLord. ArchLord is a premier free-to-play MMORPG offering significantly more depth and quality than most other free-to-play games and this recent achievement solidifies our commitment to the ongoing development and success of ArchLord.”

Codemasters will be opening a new game world in response to the overwhelming influx of players, to be ready in time for their Episode 3 content update later this year.

So, who among us plays ArchLord?

The Guitar Hero World Tour official press release has hit, bringing with it some lovely news screenshots and tons of information on the next evolution in rhythm gaming to accompany yesterday's debut trailer.

Rather than head the article off with one of the shots of people on stage, I decided to showcase the most innovative new feature in the game, the Music Studio, which will allow you and your friends to create your own music and share it with the world. It's pretty much a giant middle finger at the people who love to tell fans of the genre to learn to play a real instrument, isn't it? "I'm making real music, aren't I? Have you composed anything lately?" It remains to be seen how robust the creation tools actually wind up, but with people able to create amazing music using only a Gameboy I have high hopes for this.

The game will be out this fall for the Xbox 360 and PS3 from Neversoft, with Vicarious Visions and Budcat doing the Wii and PS2 versions respectively. Hit the jump for the full, info-rich press release.

Think about what you did in the last two hours. Maybe you got something to eat, did some work, studied, I dunno, something. Now look at this guitar. Flickr user Monkey River Town writes:

When I get bored, I start projects. Here I completely took apart my Guitar Hero controller, sanded it, primed it, painted it in 'hammered bronze' with a chrome pick guard. The neck is now oak veneered with the frets being strips of metal tape. Still works and rocks harder than ever! Only took me about two hours to do, not counting drying time.

Just imagine if this human had three or, shucks, four hours.

Customized Guitar Hero Controller [flickr Thanks, Alice!]

The Cliffster has it rough, real rough. He makes big games like Gears of War 2. With big games comes big pressure and a big spotlight. What does The Cliffster think about that?

If I had a nickel for every time I was called a fag on the internet, I could retire. It's just the way the fans are sometimes; you do a good job and they'll hold you up in a chair and carry you through the streets. You screw up once and they'll be the first to tart and feather you, and that's the risk I take when I stick my neck out there.

That's The Cliffster, takin' risks, stickin' his neck out there, livin' on the edge. Dude.

The Cliffster Interview [CVG] [Pic]

Okay! Make-believe time. Let's say that Microsoft had a lot of money to burn. No wait, start over. Let's say that Microsoft was able to convince Square Enix to give it Final Fantasy as an exclusive. Like, Final Fantasy XIII is only on the Xbox 360 and wouldn't be on the PS3. Would large numbers of Japanese consumers break down and buy an Xbox 360? According to Microsoft's Shane Kim:

I know we're talking about Final Fantasy here, but you really have to question, is it really enough to overcome people's reservations about Xbox 360 in Japan? I don't know. But I know that it would have to be a heck of a lot of money and it would be very risky to do that.

In short, no. Kim does make a good point, saying that success in the Western market is forcing companies to be more open about developing for the Xbox 360. Nice to have that in your back pocket when you're so fucked on their home turf.

Shane Kim Interview [Kikizo] [Pic]

In case you missed it, Penny Arcade's first foray into the game-making world, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is out now. I've been playing it all day. It's great. Notsomuch for the gameplay, which is standard stuff, but definitely for the charm. If you're not the type to trust my recommendation, however, (though really, you should, I'm a nice guy) anyone with a PC (Linux included) or Mac can grab a demo of the first episode, take it for a spin, see how it feels. Even if you hate smashing item boxes and turn-based combat, it should at least put a smile on your face.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Demo [Windows, Linux, Mac]