Sure, maybe the concept of an evil counterpart to Luigi actually had potential at some point, like maybe if they didn't just take the Luigi model, turn it purple, then stretch him out and give him a mustache like a silent film-era villain. It also doesn't help that you're debuting him in a damned tennis game. Seriously, if this is the first time we've seen him, how do we know he's evil? Because of his backhand?

The 15 Most Annoying Video Game Characters [Cracked.com - Thanks DeadEyeReborn!]

Maybe four months ago we would've thought this cool—and THAT'S pushing it! But someone decided to provide tutorial on how to take it apart a DS Lite. Not sure which is more annoying: That they filmed this (and stupid me posted it), that the Lite is grimy or that I'm forced to stare at the bloody site's URL during the entire thing. For that offense alone, I did not visit it. The guy's voice too is unnerving as well. But, here it is, in case you like to take shit apart you can't put back together. Brian Ashcraft

Remember how excited we were about "next gen" last year? We were blithering about this and that counting down the days until the next generation was inaugurated. Now, now we are jaded bastards. Not as jaded as game blog Unfettered Blather, who lists its Top Ten annoying things about next gen. Here's one that caught our eye:

3. - Cost between consoles and computers vanishing $60 games? Expensive peripherals? Consoles being released at a $600 price point? Anyone notice that desktop computers just continue to go down in price despite becoming ever more powerful? Consoles still have a lot of advantages over PC's, but the most powerful incentive of console games is weakening.

The thing that annoys me most about next gen? All companies decided to hardware in (give or take a year) the same time frame. How about letting us upgrade instead of choose? Bitch all you want in the comments section about what's bugging you about next gen. We're here to listen. Sort of. Brian Ashcraft

Top Ten Here [Unfettered Blather via Aeropause]

I attended the Hollywood Bowl performance of the latest Video Games Live tour, and since game composer Tommy Tallarico is VGL's daddy, we heard a LOT of music from Advent Rising, one of his scores. The music was alright, but the constant praise devoted to a game that I had barely heard of, never played, and whose screenshots were nothing short of drab was extremely irritating.

The game itself elicited no particular ire, but Tallarico himself should never be allowed onstage, much less handed a microphone and permitted to emcee an entire symphony. He is everything about the Los Angeles persona that is hateful: gelled up, suited up, and wearing bright red sneakers in a very blatant attempt to be casual, that only looks forced.

Protip: it takes a special kind of comedian to pull off jokes about child sexual predation, and Tommy Tallarico is not that comedian. Tommy is not even a comedian.

I hate his braying and posturing, and a little of that hate spilled over into the near-continuous referencing of his boring darling, Advent Rising. So I was intrigued by Destructoid's latest edition of Games that Time Forgot, which features the ill-handled title and explains what the thing was about, what went wrong, and why most of us have never played it.

Expect a more comprehensive account of Video Games Live next week. And to be fair, Advent Rising had a very nice soundtrack. Sheesh. Eliza Gauger

Games that Time Forgot: Advent Rising [Destructoid]

In an extremely irritating live recording of a call from what sounds like a radio show to the EB GameStop customer support phone center, some galoot harangues a hapless phonemonkey about Hawaii's $50 trade-in policy. Which, while kinda outrageous, does not warrant the ill treatment of some $8-per-hour shmuck.

I once worked at a mail-order birthday party supply company in the phone center. They didn't let us read, draw, or surf. We were to sit, stare at our screens, and wait for calls. Nothing else was allowed.

Since then, I have realized the pointlessness of interrogating these poor, caged beasts. Eliza Gauger

Hear, and be Annoyed [AllGames, via Digg]