Judging usually means playing around with early builds of an eclectic mix of games from unheard of developers, some of whom go on to have a very profound impact on the industry.

Each year, as one of many, many judges, I play a dozen or so good, bad and ugly games. And each year I come across at least one that I fall deeply in love with.

This year that game is The Swapper. It's not without its bugs, but the heart of the game is deeply intriguing to me.

From the developer's site:

"The Swapper is about treating human beings as objects. It's also a puzzle and a platformer. And a piece of weirdness."

The game plays with the idea of cloning, lights and shadows and the ability to transfer control between copies of yourself. More interesting is the notion that an old copy of you, the original, the one that you used to control, is seemingly disposable. It's a little chilling on some level and makes me want to keep a close eye on The Swapper in the future.

The Swapper

Aptly named Return of Alice, American McGee's next twisted Alice game is shooting to outdo the original. EA Partners said they went to McGee because he had a passion for the IP and gave him a blank canvas to work with.

And just look how he's started to fill that canvas.

[Thanks VenDeath]

The game is heavy on fancy helmets and scary music. In the game, the South Pole is covered by mysterious matter, and players are part of a crackerjack team sent to investigate - in that groovy outfit.

Strange Journey is bound for the Nintendo DS, slated for release on October 8 and priced at ¥6,279 (US$67).

Nostalgia basically takes the same sort of airship travel as we've seen in earlier entries in the Final Fantasy series and countless other roleplaying games and pimps it out, letting the player customize weapons and take to the sky for airship battles. The look is similar, as is the music, but the combat is something that hasn't been explored much outside of cut scenes, with the possible exception of Skies of Arcadia.

Developed by Guilty Gear creator Arc System Works, the console game features not only polished animations, but an exclusive story mode and the ability to toggle between Japanese and English voices as well. Game's out today in North America.

The Fox talk show gathered together Atomic Games president Peter Tamte, game advisor Capt. Read Omohundro (retired), and Tracy Miller, a woman whose son was killed during the battle Six Days in Fallujah is based on. All three are very well-composed, reacting to questions with measured, logical answers. Tamte is on point, explaining that the game was meant as a way to educate as much as a way to entertain, and Captain Read neatly deflects co-host Gretchen Carlson's attempt at a confrontational question, "Are you actually gonna say that this is a way to honor the men who died that day?"

Perhaps the most impressive performance, however, comes from Tracy Miller, who maintains a smile throughout the whole proceeding, despite Carlson's seeming attempts to illicit sadness. "Tracy...my condolences to you...you lost your son in this battle. I could never put myself in your position." Miller rolls right through it. In fact, despite being on the show as someone opposed to the game, she suggests that if this is a realistic game, she and other parents who lost their children might want the memory of their children remembered.

So yes, not much of a debate really. More like a reasoned discussion between three people, which while nice to see, makes for uninteresting morning television. Poor Gretchen.

Kudo Tsunoda minted the top LOL-moment of E3 when he answered the question at Microsoft's Project Natal demo, and jarosh of NeoGAF turned it into meme-worthy gold with a remix. We couldn't help but come up with a E3 remix remix of our own.

Special thanks to Gizmodo's Chris Mascari, Cliff Blezinski, Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, Bobbi Starr, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bayonetta and the many others who put up with us.

The video includes explanation of how to create and use one shot switch mechanisms, counting mechanisms, delay mechanisms, multi-task switches and simple logic test mechanisms in LittleBigPlanet.

It sounds all very complicated, but that's why there's a video.

Flower [Game People]

This same song was used in the Japanese trailer for LBP, and the band is signed to DefSTAR Records, a division of Sony Music Japan. Hello cross promotion!

Thanks Hatsumi for the tip!

This follow-up to the first Resident Evil live-action viral ad, Ceremony, sees the ever-scruffy Chris Redfield on a date with a lovely lady. Everything is going great, and then the eye close-ups kick in. You know you aren't going to get laid once the eye close-ups start, so you might as well just flashback to some in-game footage while your date runs away. Smart man, that Redfield.

Can't say the visuals in the trailer do much for me, and I've never really been a big fan of the House of the Dead series outside of the arcade versions, but I'm really digging the drive-in horror film vibe they've got going in the marketing. Not enough where I'd consider picking up the game, mind you, but I probably wouldn't mind watching you play it.

So. When can I come over?

The main benefit of using a Wii remote to control military robots is the ease of use, especially compared to today's control panels, which feature more than 40 buttons that a soldier must keep on top of during sensitive procedures. On the other hand, developers have to overcome sensitivity concerns to make sure a twitching soldier doesn't accidentally set off a bomb or alert enemies to the robot's presence, while also making sure the signal cannot be hacked. The last thing we need is for the enemy to pull out their own Wii remotes, as hilarious as the mental picture that brings to mind may be.

How long until we start getting photos of remotes stuck in jeep windshields?

Here is the album art and track listing for your viewing pleasure. I also uploaded 8 Bit Weapon's remix of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen to put you in the festive spirit.

Track Listing
8 Bit Weapon - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
ComputeHer - Deck the Halls
Leeni - Silent Night
8 Bit Weapon - Hanukkah
Bud Melvin - Toyland
Doctor Octoroc - We Three Kings
DJ Mike Haggar - The 8 Bits of Christmas
CCIVORY - Joy to the World
Melbot - O Christmas Tree
Unicorn Dream Attack - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Dauragon - Auld Lang Syne

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman - 8 Bit Weapon Mix (MP3) [To Avoid Lag Try Saving The File]

Tuesday, December 23rd sees the release of Lumines Supernova in North America, finally bringing the game that launched Sony's PSP to the PlayStation 3. It features a couple of new modes and some new skins to keep things fresh, including the LittleBigPlanet skin, which you can see in motion below.

Launching alongside Supernova will be a Free Holiday Pack, containing 20 seasonal skins so you can convince your loved ones that you're still in the spirit of things despite being glued to the television for hours on end, making little colored squares.

Watch The Band on your iPod or Zune!
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Watch The NetDevil Tour on your iPod or Zune!
Right click save link as and download the video here.
Subscribe to our Kotaku Video podcast on iTunes and the Zune Marketplace

Fun with text and song! Here's a really nice video the Portal song that's perfect for singalongs. As game blog Aeropause points out, a your/you're type needs-a-fixin'. Make that happen person-who-made-this-awesome-clip!

Excellent work: Portal’s “Still Alive” done with typography [Aeropause]