Those old school arcade and Atari 2600 games played mostly as one would remember them, 8-bit visuals and audio in tact and well emulated by the developers at Krome, responsible for Game Room. Some played better than others at this point—Scramble and Crystal Castles played near flawlessly, Finalizer a little slower than it should—but Microsoft reps say the team is striving for accurate emulation on all titles, with plenty of work still left to be done before launch later this year.

In between bouts of playing old school games, we browsed the Game Room arcade virtual space, distributed across multiple floors and arcade rooms. Each room can be customized with an overall theme—one looked very Tron-like, another like a spooky graveyard, another featuring an Old West aesthetic—and decked out with arcade cabinets and decor.

That decor consists of items as straightforward as coin changers and Atari or Intellivision logo-style tables, but it also means items like chainsaws, wig stands and paintings of vampires that can be hung on the walls. Customizing rooms was simple, choose a theme and place cabinets on empty slots.

The service doesn't follow a PlayStation Home-like interface in the sense that you don't see your Avatar walking around the virtual space, heading from room to room or machine to machine.

And while Game Room does offer a handful of two-player games, those games will feature real-time multiplayer in a local sense only. Two-player games like Football, Sea Battle and Armor Battle will be playable in versus modes locally only at launch, according to Microsoft, something that could change in the future.

On Xbox Live, two-player score challenges will require each participant to play through the game in full, then compare scores. The option to play one life, then let a friend take his or her turn, won't be available for Xbox Live matches at launch. Microsoft reps stressed that should the community demand real time multiplayer for Game Room via Xbox Live it would look into adding such features.

Getting in and out of individuals games was quick to load and easy to navigate, something Microsoft says it will continue to focus on as the Game Room library expands from 30 at launch to over 1,000 in the next three years. It expects to dole out 5-7 games per week via Xbox Live Marketplace.

One aspect that may make the purchasing of (somewhat pricey) Game Room games go down easier will be the addition of Achievements to each title. In the demo we saw, this included three medals, based on time spent playing a title and high scores. It sounds like Microsoft and Krome don't plan on adding more specific Achievements to Game Room titles, as it may compromise emulation. But if you're into Gamerscore boosting, you'll find more options here.

Additional competition will come from the option to play regular or ranked versions of each game, letting you compare your scores to friends within the Game Room. Each title in your personal arcade will display a virtual banner above it, with the high score in your circle of friends. Those banners are color-coded and display green if you're the current champ on a particular cabinet.

We saw a few games not mentioned in the list of announced titles, including games like Super Breakout for the Atari 2600. That particular title—and Crystal Castles—didn't play quite as they did originally, as each required a custom control scheme. Microsoft reps say they didn't intend to offer paddle or trackball controllers to support titles like these, but that controls will be tweaked to make games like Super Breakout more playable on an Xbox 360 controller.

Super Breakout was one of the titles that was recommended by Game Room after playing through another title. You'll see game recommendations like this in the menu screen after a gaming session and on virtual monitors scattered about the arcade.

If you'd like to see more of Game Room in action, check out our quick video from earlier today.

Game Room is planned to be released to all Live members later this year on Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.

Yes, in addition to officially licensing Nintendo products—you know, like wireless Wii sensor bars—Mad Catz is also signing up Sonic the Hedgehog for a line of DS accessories that will keep your portable safe from harm. Socks, shells, a wallet like thing, all proudly bearing Sonic's visage, will be coming to a store shelf near you later this year.

Mad Catz calls them Sonic the Hedgehog Character Sockz, Sonic the Hedgehog Character ArmorCase and Sonic the Hedgehog Character Microfiber Soft Case and has priced them all at $12.99 USD.

Initially, the service will launch this spring with 30 original arcade and old school console games, with Centipede and Asteroids Deluxe name-checked as leading the charge. The line up is comprised entirely of games for the Atari 2600, Intellivision and arcade offerings from the likes of Atari and Konami.

As the line-up is announced to reach 1000 games, it will at some point have to go beyond that small list of companies.

The following 30 games were showcased in the Game Room debut trailer, with a few more making cameos, but not yet officially announced.

1. Centipede (arcade)
2. Asteroids Deluxe (arcade)
3. Tempest (arcade)
4. Crystal Castles (arcade)
5. Lunar Lander (arcade)
6. Jungler (arcade)
7. Road Fighter (arcade)
8. Scramble (arcade)
9. Finalizer (arcade)
10. Tutankham (arcade)
11. Shao-Lin's Road (arcade)
12. Super Cobra (arcade)
13. Red Baron (arcade)
14. Gravitar (arcade)
15. Battlantlis
16. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
17. Mountain Madness Super Pro Skiing (Intellivision)
18. Armor Battle (Intellivision)
19. Space Hawk (Intellivision)
20. Sub Hunt (Intellivision)
21. Sea Battle (Intellivision)
22. Space Armada (Intellivision)
23. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
24. Star Raiders (Atari 2600)
25. Outlaw (Atari 2600)
26. Yar's Revenge (Atari 2600)
27. Millipede (Atari 2600)
28. Football (Atari 2600)
29. RealSports Tennis (Atari 2600)
30. Combat (Atari 2600)

Sky Diver for the Atari 2600 makes a brief appearance in the first Game Room trailer, so expect it—and many other 2600 titles—eventually. The initial Game Room leak showed off games like Shark! Shark! and Star Strike for the Intellvision and Atari's RealSports Baseball and Realsports Basketball, so expect those too.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer announced at the company's pre-CES keynote that, later this year, AT&T "will also enable subscribers to Uverse to enjoy that service on their Xbox 360 consoles." AT&T's Uverse cable/internet television service uses Microsoft's own Mediaroom software, meaning that Mediaroom is coming to the Xbox 360 in North America later this year.

Uverse was touted by Ballmer as "the best-rated, highest-rated residential TV satisfaction in the United States Southern and Western Regions for the second year in a row," according to J.D. Power and Associates.

What does that mean for Xbox 360 owners with Uverse subscriptions? Well, we're not 100% sure yet, as Microsoft hasn't revealed much about the partnership. Hopefully, it means more than just having on demand television programming, the Uverse multiview channel guide, and one less box hooked up to your television.

We'll be talking with Microsoft later today to learn more about the Uverse deal, so stay tuned. To the internet.

The PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live got some attention at their respective showcases, but not as much as the rest of the stuff. Windows, slate PCs, Sony's 3D Bravias and the unusual Dash personal internet device dominated, much to the drowsiness of this editor. Anyone see non-gaming related things at CES this week that are now instant purchases?

And what's up with Polaroid and Lady Gaga? Feel free to discuss all these off topic things in the open thread below. And enjoy some off topic news from today!

• Lady Gaga Named Creative Director for Specialty Line of Polaroid Imaging Products - This makes sense.
• How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market - If you have a credit/debit card, this may be illuminating.
• Warner Bros. new releases to stay off Netflix for 28 days - Like I'm going to, what, buy a Warner Bros. DVD now?
• The bizarre ex-Blink-182 frontman turned social networking pitchman, starring Vampire Weekend - Icky and weird.
• Supernova Star Blast 'Could Wipe Out Earth' - Panic. Immediately.
• HP's Windows 7 Slate Device Revealed by Steve Ballmer - One more Twilight reading option for the pile.

In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see some more firm dates applied to both Project Natal—maybe even getting a peek at some non-game related demonstrations—and Game Room, confirmation of which leaked earlier today. Read on for our up to the minute liveblog of Microsoft's CES keynote if you want to know what Steve Ballmer and crew will be doing for the next hour.

The TV maker says that its new LE9500 and PK950 sets "incorporate a unique 'Magic Wand' remote system that provides an immersive interaction with the set." The interface "brings together menus, component controls and even embedded games, which can be accessed using a simple remote that combines minimal buttons and gestures to control the on-screen activity, mirroring a 'Wii-like' experience."

That would mean the circle is now complete, is it not? The Wii Remote, inspired by the television remote, has become the inspiration for a new way to control our high-def displays.

We've seen more than our share of motion control attempts at CES, few of them something we'd prefer to use outside of a convention center. But we'll be hitting up LG's booth to see if we can experience the "magic" of controlling a television this way later this week.

The "key points of contact between the gamer's hand and the mouse are fully adjustable" touts Mad Catz, which will be showing the Cyborg R.A.T. Gaming Mouse series at CES this week, launching the premium priced mice this spring.

The range runs from $49.99 to $129.99 USD, depending on how many dpis Mad Catz stuffs into the thing and whether or not the mouse comes with rechargeable batteries. Price points, feature sets and one more pretty picture of the mice after this.

• Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse
• Features: Fully Adjustable; 5600dpi laser; Programmable; Weight System; USB powered
• MSRP: $99.99 / £79.99 / €99.99

• Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Gaming Mouse
• Features: Wireless, Fully Adjustable, 5600dpi laser; Programmable,; Weight System; Powered by Rechargeable Batteries
• MSRP: $129.99/ £99.99 / €129.99

• Cyborg R.A.T. 5 Gaming Mouse
• Features: Adjustable Length; 4000dpi laser, Programmable; Weight System; USB powered
• MSRP: $69.99/ £49.99 / €59.99

• Cyborg R.A.T. 3 Gaming Mouse
• Features: 3200dpi laser; USB powered
• MSRP: $49.99 / £34.99 / €49.99

More specifically, that's from the quickly pulled video, originally posted on Microsoft's On10.net and Channel 9 video blogs. In that video, Bach is said to have discussed a "one stop shop for retro games," according to a tipster who saw the video before it was pulled.

If true, that sure sounds a lot like the Atari and Intellivision game-filled arcade populated with Xbox Live Avatars that leaked in a survey late last year. At the time, the names RetroCade, RetroGame, Game Preserve, Game Gallery, Tower of ROM, Tower of Game(s), Classics and Classics LIVE were all competing against what sounds like the final winner, Game Room.

Microsoft's CES keynote is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 PM PST. We'll be liveblogging the event from the show, so check back to see just how much of a rumor this really is.

Thanks to Ian for the heads up!

Update: Looks like the video interview wasn't fully removed. Bach does confirm the Game Room addition to Xbox 360.

"It's sort of a retro approach. It's interesting, there's a generation... who grew up with a set of games like Centipede," Bach says of Xbox Game Room. "They look almost like casual, fun games today, at the time, they were high-end, edgy games. So Game Room is the idea of bringing that back to the market."

He also describes the Xbox Game Room as "like my daughter going to watch Journey." Hopefully that actually means Journey the video game will be playable.

Sony says the Mercedes SLS AMG was "chosen from a total of nearly 1000 cars recreated down to the finest detail" to be Gran Turismo 5's cover star. It not only welcomes the box art viewer with its open gull-wing doors, it also says "Hey, we modeled the interior of this car, too. Check it out."

Until such time as Gran Turismo 5 sees fit to make it to store shelves, enjoy some new shots of the Mercedes SLS AMG in action via the gallery below.

Wait. What is Off Topic again? Well, it's not really about video games, but it's open to video game discussion. It's an end of day link dump, a nightly open thread for us to share the best and worst of the web, hopefully just a step or two away from the expected area of coverage. We give you links and potentially interesting topics of discussion from technology, science, science-fiction, general geekdom, politics, or whatever and you, hopefully, do the same. Cool? Cool.

While we settle in here at the lovely Flamingo hotel and casino (Old Man Crecente's already in his PJs!) we're hoping you will enjoy an evening discussion about the fine arts. To start it off, I enjoy the works of Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. Quite a lot, thank you very much. But it was maybe the work of Pierre Huyghe that made the biggest impression on me this decade. Hey, I don't get out much!

Here's what I have been reading/watching/enjoying over the past few days.

• 'Spider-Man 4' delayed over script clashes - Raimi wants the Vulture, studio wants the Black Cat. I just want to forget Spider-Man 3.
• Google Nexus One - So. Google has a phone. Giz knows what's up.
• The Top 10 Worst Jobs of 2010 - So glad I dropped out of roustabout technical college!
• Hubble telescope shows earliest photo of universe - Barely legal galactic action.
• Jay-Z "On To The Next One" - This is a video that I enjoy.
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - This is the book that I'm currently enjoying while flying from place to place.

What about you?

The action game directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya offers a new alternative, but a familiar gameplay style for the fan of Capcom's shoot and slice 'em up series, something new for the Ninja Gaidens and God of Wars of the world to aim for. And it's not just Bayonetta's weapon arsenal, though she can wear a gun—or claw or ice skate or bazooka—on each hand and each foot, leading to a dizzying array of combos. She can also exact vengeance on her angelic foes with the magic of her hair, the black locks that act as both costume and, when needed, a giant, enemy shredding beast.

Is this action heroine a welcome addition to the Dantes, Ryus and Kratoses of the genre?

Loved
Witch Time & Quad Damage: The best aspect of Bayonetta? The deep, fluid, play-to-your-preference combat, made all the more interesting by a wealth of weapons, combinations and the delightfully fun Witch Time. That's the dodge at the last second mechanic that lets Bayonetta hack and slash and shoot in her own take on now-classic bullet time. Witch Time is meant to be used liberally, via a well-timed flick of the right trigger, and makes experimentation with Bayonetta's move set and weapon suite—whips, swords, shotguns, et al. applied to both hands and feet—tons of fun.

A Dull Moment? Why I'd Never! Action game fans will not hunger for over-over-the-top frenzied gameplay in Bayonetta. The game administers a constant drip of high octane fisticuffs, swordplay and gunplay that manages to regularly one-up itself over the course of the game's substantial length, throwing at the player more and more spectacular bosses and ridiculous circumstances for Bayonetta to effortlessly overcome. Not that these the player will find the gameplay effortless, necessarily—more on that later—but whether Bayonetta is battling Angels twenty times her size, riding on the back of a rocket, or surfing the lip of a mile-deep whirlpool, she does it with cat-like grace that juxtaposes beautifully with the chaos flooding the screen. Thanks to the game's ornately and cleverly designed part-angelic, part-demonic bosses, Bayonetta is (almost) never dull.

Visual Style: Bayonetta's gilded and glitzy aesthetic will likely have as many detractors as fans. But I'm a fan of the game's Vegas Strip visual intensity and costumes as subtle as Liberace's stage wear. It's gaudy, silly and full of impractical designs, but it's rarely if ever brown and boring. Bayonetta's personal appeal, as illustrated through her hip-thrusting and long-legged kicks, may wear thinner by the end of the game—as does the black witch hair offering titillating glances at her nether parts—but it is at least refreshing not to see a protagonist brooding and bulky.

Normal Is Normal, Hard Is Hard: At its default level Bayonetta offers a challenge. Certainly not an insurmountable one, but enough pushback from enemies and numerous bosses to make the game as hard as games like this should be. Platinum Games is generous with checkpoints and saving opportunities, offering two levels of difficulty above "normal." Having failed often in the next difficulty level up, I'm fairly confident that even gamers better than me will find an appropriate challenge in "hard."

Vs. Jeanne: Though they may be the least visually impressive of Bayonetta's many encounters, the battles with her white haired foil Jeanne are often the most interesting from a pure gameplay perspective. These hand-to-hand fights against Bayonetta's equal require some of the most demanding reflexes, offering the most intense battles. It was against Jeanne that I learned to appreciate Bayonetta's battle system and weapon switching. It's also against Jeanne where you'll use the wall-climbing Witch Walk mechanic most.

Heaven or Hell: Bayonetta is fortunate enough to have access to multiple realities, letting her access portals to Alfheim and to the Gates of Hell. The former lets players take part in mid-chapter battles of a puzzle-like nature, restricting them to a certain number of punches and kicks or to Bayonetta's Wicked Weave hair-based magical attacks. If you want to really play Bayonetta, unlocking everything, you'll find an impressive challenge in the hidden Alfheim portals. The Gates of Hell ensures that players will want to return to a "new game+" playthrough, purchasing and unlocking everything. In the Gates of Hell, all new weapons, techniques and accessories await the player. And given their price, it may be a long time before the Bayonetta fan has seen everything on display.

Devil May Cry Too: Look, if you like Devil May Cry, you're most likely going to love Bayonetta, the spiritual successor to the Capcom franchise that has varied in fan reception over the years. Hideki Kamiya, director of Bayonetta and the original Devil May Cry, also takes time to include nods to some of his other games, like Viewtiful Joe and Okami. But if you simply enjoy the Devil May Cry upgrade and combat systems, you're going to find much of Bayonetta fondly familiar.

Sega Throwback: And if you happen to be a Sega superfan, the publisher of Bayonetta's past is also well referenced. The gags aren't worth spoiling here, but a handful of Bayonetta's weaker, gameplay-switching chapters are made infinitely better by goofy nostalgia.

Hated
The Ugly Sister: As followers of the game are likely aware, the PlayStation 3 version falls well behind its Xbox 360 sister in a handful of technical aspects. There are frame rate and loading issues with the PS3 version, both of which detract from the fluidity of the experience, particularly if one spends time with the 360 version. The loading frustrations are not just limited to between-chapter breaks, either, as the game will pause to load when picking up items. The Xbox 360 version, while mostly consistent in its frame rate, suffers from some noticeable screen tearing. It's more obvious during the quieter periods, not as much when engaged in battle.

Lock Off, Featherface: Bayonetta's camera is a chore to deal with at times, sometimes pulling the view away from enemies at crucial moments. It's slow to catch up or control at others. The default setting for camera manipulation is painfully slow, something the user can tweak, but it's the reliance on locking-on to an enemy for reliable camera angles that can be frustrating.

It may be difficult to convey how much fun it is to play Bayonetta without touching on the thousand things that make the game memorable. Over the course of my first 16-hour play through of the game, Bayonetta showed me one ridiculous cinematic battle after another. The game's memorable, puzzling bosses may be the biggest draw for their visual spectacle, but it will be the deep, fluid combat that will keep action game fans hooked after the visual splendor wears off.

Now, Bayonetta does have a hitch or two. The story driving moments that interrupt all that action wears out its welcome quickly. A handful of verses that involve driving sequences and controlling mounted turret guns detract from the overall experience. Especially the turret gun nonsense. Fortunately, those cut scenes can be skipped. Turret gun sequences should be given the same courtesy.

For the gamer not put-off by the Devil May Cry school of design, there's much to like in Bayonetta. It's a ludicrous, oversexed romp that one shouldn't take too seriously, just as its creators seemed to have done. But Bayonetta should be enjoyed immensely.

Bayonetta was developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 5. Retails for $59.99 USD. Two copies of the game were purchased for reviewing purposes. Played Xbox 360 version to completion on Normal difficulty, further testing Hard difficulty. Played first three chapters on PlayStation 3 version.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

This first gameplay video of Trauma Team clearly lays out the "major enhancements" made to the series that will ensure, in Atlus' own words, that the Wii game will be "the definitive medical drama experience." Even if it doesn't, the draw of playing a nameless convicted felon serving a 250 year-long sentence—and committed to performing surgical community service, apparently—will have us reconsidering just what the definition of "definitive" really is.

Trauma Team is supposed to hit North America on April 20, 2010. But this is Atlus, so we'll take that as a strong suggestion, not a rock hard release date.

Pricing for me, in these here United States, is $19.99 USD and the downloadable version of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts necessitates 6 GB worth of bear and bird storage. Me? I already have a copy (or two) and don't feel the need for another, despite liking the game enough to not outright dislike it.

You? Are you on board with these Games on Demand releases? Or would you rather have a disc, a toxic green case and a manual to never read?

Games on Demand: Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts [Xbox Live Marketplace]

Previously planned to release on the Xbox 360 and PC on Tuesday, January 5th, BioWare will instead not release it on Tuesday, January 5th. Sorry, we know about as much as BioWare community fella Chris Priestly is saying on the game's official forums.

"We're sorry but the planned Return to Ostagar downloadable content scheduled to launch on January 5th has been delayed for all platforms," Priestly writes. "We will update you as new information becomes available."

Yeah, well, so will we!

Return to Ostagar Delayed [Bioware via PlanetXbox360 - thanks, Eric!]

What is Off Topic? Well, it's not really about video games, but it's also open to video game discussion. It's an end of day link dump, a nightly open thread for us to share the best and worst of the web, hopefully just a step or two away from the expected area of coverage. We give you links and potentially interesting topics of discussion from technology, science, science-fiction, general geekdom, politics, or whatever and you, hopefully, do the same. Cool?

Here's what I have been reading/watching/enjoying over the past few days.

• 'Heroes' is most-pirated TV show of 2009 - Some part of this story is a terrible shame.
• Soundgarden to reunite - Gosh, I hope this doesn't mean an end to Chris Cornell solo albums!
• The Danish cartoonist who survived an axe attack - Editorial cartoons are still serious business.
• 2009 US Movie Box Office - A lovely, informative graph that contains Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
• The G-spot 'doesn't appear to exist', say researchers - We have no counter-evidence.
• VH1 Reality Show Bus Crashes In California Causing Major Slut Spill - Gave my commute gonorrhea.
• New "24" Season 8 Promo - Damn it! Now I'm interested!

And maybe it's just the exposed flesh to "super-tight Speedos" ratio, but Muscle March seems somehow a little more deserving of something beyond an E10+ rating and that "comic mischief" doesn't quite describe... this. But here's how the Entertainment Software Ratings Board would describe Muscle March.

Bodybuilders dressed in super-tight Speedos chase down a "protein thief" through cities, villages, and space in this whimsical puzzle-action game. Pedestrians, straphangers, school teachers, farmers, police officers, and librarians are fully clothed as they go about their business; the bodybuilders-not so much. Players must perform correct poses to fit through dozens of holes-in-walls created by the fleeing thief. If players do not pose correctly while running, their muscle men (and one woman) will crash through the walls and lose their stamina. Losing stamina means collapsing to the ground face-first, buttocks-last (flexed gluteus facing the screen). It may also mean that between stages, the happy bodybuilders can dance together in space, throw rocks by the riverside, or flex their pectorales major on menu screens (the lone female bodybuilder flexes her chest muscles, too). But the running gag in the game is the odd juxtaposition of traipsing bodybuilders, scantily clad, with the fully clothed working city dwellers-librarians' eyes agape at seeing their reference sections destroyed by the Posing Ones.

Muscle March [ESRB]

Early last year, Sony filed a mark for PS Cloud. Specifically, Sony Computer Entertainment did, the folks responsible for the PlayStation part of the business.

The recent Cloudsurf, however, applies to more than just video games, also applying for the mark against cell phones, digital cameras, televisions and more. Perhaps this is just a more marketable name for that broader PlayStation Network that Sony has been hinting at for some time. It's likely not portending the availability of echochrome levels anywhere and everywhere.

Sony also registered trademarks for video game related things under the name voyAgent, but we'll leave the speculation on that one up to you.

Cloudsurf [USPTO]