This year's Tokyo Game Show will be brought to you by myself, Brian Ashcraft, Luke Plunkett and Michael McWhertor, with back-breaking post counts and Tower support coming from Fahey and crew.

As with past coverage we'll keep this single post updated throughout the show by category so you can bookmark it now if you want a single stop shop for all Tokyo Game Show news. See you on Monday, can't wait.

News
Namco Bandai's Teenage Boy Friendly Line Up Dated
Tetsuya Mizuguchi Is Making New IP
Microsoft Has Over 140 Demo Kiosks, Buddies With Square Enix
Sorry, But Ninja Blade Is *Not* Otogi 3
Tecmo Announces New Third Person Shooter
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Sells 2.5 Million In Japan
This is Your Tokyo Game Show 2008
Tekken 6 Coming To Xbox 360
New Xbox Dash Gets Release Date
Halo 3 Expansion Hits Fall 2009
Vague Date for Final Fantasy XIII, Nothing For Versus XIII
These Fighters Are In The King of Fighters XII
"PSP Plus" Brings DualShock Control To PSP
Old Snake, Sephiroth Get Sackboyed For LittleBigPlanet
Classic Controller For Wii Monster Hunter 3
Ensemble Studios May (Soon) Be Dead, But They're Not Out
360 Sales Have Doubled in US, More Than Doubled In Europe, Quintupled In Japan
Bionic Commando Delayed, Coming "Early 2009"
Uncharted Waters Online Getting PS3 Version
So Just How Close ARE The Microsoft & Square Enix Booths?
Microsoft: Japanese Sell Out Is "Totally Legit"
Resistance: Retribution, Resistance 2 Connect To Add "Infected" Gameplay
Xbox 360: Official Console of 2008 Recession
Konami Whips Up Castlevania For Xbox 360, PS3
Goichi Suda Has Not Given Up On You Nintendo Wii
Bionic Commando Movie Is A Definite Possibility
First Look At Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li Movie Poster
Tokyo Game Show Attendance Plummets Again
Revenge Of Public Day: TGS Attendance Rebounds!

Interviews
Justify Your Game: Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
LocoRoco 2's Number One Fan
Last Remnant Team So Cannot Wait For Unreal Engine 4
Justify Your Game Loco Roco 2
But I'm Talking Bout Halo Wars
Justify Your Patapon 2
Fable II Coop Patch Getting Once Over By Msoft, Molyneux "Super, Super Hopeful"
A Fable II Primer for Dog Training
Molynuex More About Emotions, Less About Trees
Molyneux Walks Us Through Fable II's Deep, Casual Combat
What Is Halo 3: Recon? Here's What It's *Not*
Yes You Can Ditch Your Dog in Fable II, But Only if You're Cruel
Why Goichi Suda Brought Beer To The Interview...
Molyneux Frets Over Dangers of Casual Gaming
How Erotic Games Influenced Platinum Games
Microsoft Coy On Future Spring & Fall Upates
Resident Evil 5 Producer Likes New Controls Better
On The Possibility Of 2D, HD, XBLA & PSN Sonic Games

Hands On/Impressions
LocoRoco 2: Afros, Home, Luft Balloons and Water
Talking the New Xbox Live Experience for a Short Ride
Hands On With Sega's Let's Tap!
Dead Rising Wii Is A Terrible, Terrible Idea
White Knight Chronicles, A Powerpoint Presentation
An Intimate Evening With The PS3 Chatpad, Headset
First Hands-on With Street Fighter IV's Sakura
Resident Evil 5 Co-Op Changes The Game
Klonoa Wii-make Hands On: Awesomely Waggle-Free
Xbox 360, Cave Shoot 'Em Up, Up, Up
Why Home Should Not Be Shown At Game Shows
Getting My Arse Kicked At Pro Evo 2009
Lumines Supernova At TGS Is Like Lumines Everywhere Else

Liveblogs
Faux Liveblogging Namco Bandai's Pre-TGS Presser
TGS Opening Keynote Liveblog (Square Enix!)
Liveblogging Microsoft's TGS Keynote

Trailers/Movies
National Geographic : Panda: Total Panda-Monium
Wii Ski and Snowboard: EXCITING
Patapon 2 Helps You Keep Your Groove
Let's Patapon 2 Multiplayer
No More Heroes 2 - Desperate Struggle
Halo 3: Recon, The Trailer
Noby Noby Boy "Gameplay" Shown At TGS
Awesome New Prince of Persia Trailer and Screens
New Resident Evil 5 TGS Trailer
New Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires Trailer and Screens
A New Street Fighter IV Trailer Has A Little Bit of Everything
Bayonetta TGS Trailer Surprisingly High On Crotch Shots
First Look At Castlevania Now-Gen Is Shorter Than This Headline

Screenshots/Images
Afro Samurai's Cutting Screens
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Screens Appear Out Of *Nowhere*
Loads Of LocoRoco 2 Screenshots
First Tekken 6 Multi-Platform Screens
Yakuza 3's Sexy Rubdown Lady
First Arkanoid Live! Screens Deserve Compulsory Exclamation Point
Here Are Your New Street Fighter IV Screens
Halo 3: Recon: Box Art
New Monster Hunter 3 Screens
Still Even More Ninja Blade Screens
Dynasty Warrors: Strike Force Striking PSPs

TGS Booths/Babes
Xbox Japan Booth Babes Adore New Booth Babe Outfit
The Booth Companions of Tokyo Game Show 2008
Microsoft's New Booth Companion Outfits: Impressions
Lets TGS! Yakuza 3 Booth Breaks New Ground With Champagne Fountains
Lets TGS: The Scariest Booth Companion
Ace Attorney Booth Is Guilty of Being, Well, Amazing
Microsoft's Booth Companions Bid Adieu to You
Yakuza 3 Lady Girls Spotted With Brown Man
Lets TGS! Oh, Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai
Booth Companion Showcase: Tecmo Stays Classy, Trashy
High Noon: Microsoft Booth vs. Sony Booth BRAWL!
Square Enix, Capcom Booths Are A Teeming Mass Of Humanity
Street Fighter IV Booth Punches The Competition In The Face
The Simple Booth Companions
Video: Sony's Booth Companions Wish You A Good Morning
Booth Companion Showcase: Konami Keep Things Understated
TGS Booth Babe March, Brought to you By Microsoft

Culture/TGS Floor
What's The Most Expensive Game We Saw In Akihabara?
Rambo The Arcade Game: Hands On
Let's Namco Bandai Headquarters Visit!
Suck it Down: Street Fighter IV Makes Kotaku its Bitch
Suck it Down: Namco's Crane Game Makes Kotaku its Bitch
Mappy The Robot Runs a Maze
Arcades Outside Japan "Practically Dead"
Submarine Played Nowhere Near North Korea
Afro Samurai Dinner Theater, Minus Dinner... and Theater
Namco Bandai's Tokyo Game Show Schwag
Super Mario World Golf Shoes Exist For Some Reason
A Video Walkthrough of Tokyo Game Show 2008
Watch Real World Sackboy Waddle Into your Nightmares
Weresonic Stalks the TGS Floor
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Designer Checks Out The Wii Competition At TGS
Square Enix Expensive Merchandise Get
How Are The King of Fighters XII Cabinets Linked?
First Public Day of TGS: Shakey Cam Run Through
The Official Street Fighter IV Pins of TGS
A Dressed-Up Stroll Down TGS Cosplay Alley
Cosplay Alley: The Other Side Of The Lens
What The Hell Are These Guys Watching?
Brown Man Bedtime Story
MotorStorm With Mini-Motorbike Motion Controller
When Tecmo's Logo Met Koei's Logo
Microsoft Remind Japan What 360 Games Look Like, Part II
This Is What Those Guys Were Watching
Tokyo Game Show: The Teardown

Pre-Show Updates
Indies Bringing A Sense Of Wonder To TGS
Alan Wake At TGS? "Not An Announcement"
What Companies Will Be At TGS? These Ones.
Team Ico's PS3 Game Ready 'Soon', but not by Tokyo Game Show
Kingdom Hearts A PS3 Exclusive, Will Be Seen At TGS
Will There Be More PS3 or Xbox 360 Games At Tokyo Game Show?
Microsoft To Give Tokyo Game Show Keynote
Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy XIII Not Playable At Tokyo Game Show
This Is What Marvelous Is Bringing To TGS
Puzzle Quest For PS3 To Bedazzle At Tokyo Game Show
Infinite Space Getting Animated Short Films
What's Taito Bringing To TGS?
Sony Booth Will Have 14 Unannounced Titles Playable At TGS
Guess What Konami's Bringing To TGS...
Katamari Damacy Creator's Next Game Rolling To TGS 08
What's Sega Bringing To TGS?
Animated Resident Evil Movie First Screening At TGS
Hudson Brings Fish, Marbles, Bombs to Tokyo Game Show
What Koei Is Bringing To TGS
What's Q Bringing To TGS?
Here's Microsoft's TGS Booth Game List
Namco Bandai Pre-TGS Press Conference: The Choicest Quotes

The company says that they will have Marble Saga: Kororinpa for the Wii, Fishing Master World Tour for the Wii and Bomberman Ultra for the Playstation Network for Japan's annual game show.

I can't wait to get my hands on those virtual marbles. Def a first stop for me at TGS. Yes, that was sarcasm.

FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR (Wii)
Coming to North America in Q1 2009, FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR offers over 200 different types of fish to catch, enabling players to catch fish in their native waters around the world in the first ever global fishing game on Wii. FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR offers over forty different locations to fish from in seven different regions. Players can fish on Easter Island, under the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Amazon River and many more exotic global locations. Staying true to the first version's realistic controls, anglers use the Wii RemoteT and NunchukT to battle fish just like in real life. Pull the Wii Remote left and right as the fish fights from the end of the line and adjust the drag to avoid breaking the line. Once players have their skills down, they can compete with friends with four-person multiplayer modes, catch rare fish with exclusive boss battle controls or jump online in Wi-Fi leaderboards tracking the best players in the U.S.

Marble Saga: Kororinpa (Wii)
Marble Saga: Kororinpa, an exciting puzzle adventure centered around an ant and the quest that he sets out on, is coming exclusively to Wii next spring. The sequel to Kororinpa: Marble Mania, Marble Saga:
Kororinpa is full of new levels for gamers to explore, 4-person multiplayer gameplay, tons of customization, use of a player's Mii, the ability to connect and compete online and the use of the Wii Balance BoardT as features.

The story of Marble Saga: Kororinpa takes place with players heading out on a journey with Anthony the Ant as he searches for the Golden Sunflower. By guiding Anthony's marble around the Ant World and searching for items which are valuable to help reach the Golden Sunflower, gamers will help Anthony save his colony. Along the way players will face dangerous mazes and use cool and amazing widgets and gadgets to guide Anthony to his objective. Marble Saga: Kororinpa offers endless customization as well as the Wii Connect 24T feature which allows gamers to share the unique stages they can create in Edit Mode. In addition gamers can compete through online Leaderboards via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for the best scores in the world.

Bomberman Ultra (PSN)
Bomberman Ultra is an all-new Bomberman for digital download on the PLAYSTATION®Network coming this winter. Fans of the popular series will be able to compete with the best Bomberman players worldwide, as Bomberman Ultra delivers frantic 8-player multiplayer battles online in 14 exotic arenas, as well as 4-player local multiplayer. Players can customize their own Bomberman characters with more than 50 character costumes, resulting in more than 150,000 possible combinations!

Hello, I just left the Kirby event in Kirby Park in PA. They had a small crew sending small kirbies into the sky made of pink soap bubbles and helium. There weren't many people there yet. They were only promoting Kirby Superstar Ultra, but we (my girlfriend and i) got bookcovers/posters out of it.

So no Kirby Wii announcement. Sadness. Along with the words come pictures of the event poster, along with the promise of more once he can interface his camera with a computer. He also notes that a rep told him the main event was in Alabama, which makes it the most interesting thing to happen in Alabama in over 50 years (*holds up Georgia resident make fun of Alabama permit*). UPDATE - Hit the jump for more galleries and reports, including one from the main event in Alabama!

Reader LuppyLuptonium also attended the PA event, and gives us some background along with a ton of shots. Thanks Luppy!

Attached are pictures taken today at Kirby Park, which played host to a Kirby marketing event where giant Kirby masses (about a foot and a half tall each) invaded our skies, invoking terror among the masses of the quiet community.

I spoke with the Nintendo Rep (no one we know, no Phils or Miyamoto this close to Scranton) and he said that the Kirbys were actually made from soap bubbles. And the company that made them all was the same company that does fake snow for Disney.

Jeremy "Surly" Yerby attended the so-called main event in Alabama, where he was a bit unimpressed by the foam creations, most of which were being carried away by winds from a nearby airport. He did however manage to stumble over a Nintendo rep.

...I saw a random guy typing away at his iPhone, and I assumed him to be a local game enthusiast. I said something to the affect of "So, am I the only one who expected more?" and he replied "What do you mean?". I said "You know, I expected people from Nintendo to be here or something" to which he said "I am from Nintendo" and he stuck out his hand. I would have shaken his hand, but I had to pull my foot from my mouth.

The Nintendo party consisted of a male and female rep (who approached later) and a photographer. As far as I could tell, I was the only person there who wasn't being paid to be there. He said he had hoped the school would let the children come, but the administration wouldn't allow it and almost didn't allow Nintendo to be there at all.

Once again, thanks everyone for contributing to the coverage of the event! In return, we promise to cover TGS this year. We weren't going to, but what the hell?

The annual GameStop eXpo has quickly become a great way for folks to leak tons of video game details to us each year.

This year around the retailer-only show will give folks their hands on time with Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2, Wii Music, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Spore, Call of Duty: World at War, Animal Crossing and, I'm told, a first ever chance to check out Halo Wars.

All of the big publishers will be on hand as well as a gaggle of GameStop execs and an impressive line-up of celebrities including Todd McFarlane, Ozzy Osbourne, Mark McGrath, Travis Barker, Shaun White and "other surprise guests."

If you're attending you know our email address, that's all I'm saying.

The expo gave the company the chance to win over even more people who will buy the Wii and never actually plug it in. I kid, though my parents have been the proud owner of a Wii for several months now and it remains safely ensconced in it's still sealed box.

Maybe if I drove down there and set it up for them they'd be high-fivein' over Brain Age 2 and Wii Sports too.

The group of voice actors for the upcoming game will be joining some of the title's development team at the Best Buy in San Francisco (1717 Harrison Street) on Monday, Sept. 15 to celebrate the game's release.

The event will run from 7 p.m. to midnight and will also give gamers a change to play the game and have their photos taken with "some of their favorite Star Wars characters." That better be a confirmation of Wookie.

LucasArts, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Best Buy Invite San Francisco to Celebrate the Launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Party on Sept. 15 Kicks off New Chapter in the Star Wars Saga

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Sept. 5, 2008 – LucasArts, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Best Buy will commemorate the release of the upcoming videogame Star Wars: The Force Unleashed with an exclusive launch party, offering eager gamers a chance to celebrate the Saga and get their hands on the first copies of the game. The party, which will be held at the Best Buy store at 1717 Harrison St. in San Francisco on Monday, Sept. 15, will run from 7pm until midnight and will feature appearances by several very special guests, including:

- Sam Witwer, who plays Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice in the game and who also joined the cast of The CW’s “Smallville” this season; Adrienne Wilkinson, who plays Maris Brood, a dark and mysterious Jedi; and Cully Fredrickson, who plays Jedi Master Rahm Kota, a militant General who is the target of one of the Secret Apprentice’s early missions
- Executive Producer Haden Blackman, Art Director Matt Omernick, Lead Engineer Cedrick Collomb, Lead Content Designer John Stafford, Lead Systems Designer Rich Davis, and dozens of other members of The Force Unleashed development team at LucasArts

In addition, attendees will get a chance to play the full version of the game in advance and be able to get their photo taken with some of their favorite Star Wars characters.

An entirely new chapter in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed casts players as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice” and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. The game’s expansive story is set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In it, players will assist Vader in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi – and face decisions that could change the course of their destiny.

The event was held at the as-yet unopened Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Attendees got the double treat of being able to see the brand new planetarium and the top part of the spiffy aquarium, where all the sharks and stingrays hang out.

There were also tasty mini-burgers and surprisingly few stations where we could play Spore during our downtime.

The main bulk of the event was the presentation given by Will Wright as a lead-in for scientist Frank Drake.

Drake is the astrophysicist who came up with an equation to figure out how many different kinds of intelligent life in the galaxy there could be. This was Wright’s go-to for Spore inspiration when the basic premise of “sim-everything” wasn’t enough to get the design team going.

The only reason I found myself caring about any of this (aside from the fact where I love Spore, and it was a swanky party), was that Drake struck me as a guy who doesn’t play games – and yet he was so passionate about Spore. Spore, he said, is a game that matters. It matters because as a tool, it helps people conceptualize what intelligent life in the galaxy could look like. And it matters as a game because it inspires a whole new generation of kids to dream about science fiction-y stuff, about what could be out there in the galaxy.

Above: Check out Drake's sweet Spore tie.

I never really thought about it, but since the end of the space race in the 60s people just stopped caring about science the way they did when hover cars still seemed like a good idea. If Drake’s right in thinking that this game is significant as more than just a way to keep myself entertained for 25 hours or so, then maybe – just maybe – review scores won’t matter for Spore. (In which case, Germany can suck it.)

Spore ships September 7. Sorry if some of these party pics are too dark.

The latest word we've heard is that the idea has been officially brought forward and is in discussion by the board of the Entertainment Software Association. That means the possibility of an open E3 is one step closer to reality, if the rumor is true.

The question now is, is the move, if it happens, too little, too late? Can anything save E3 at this point or was this year's event and the across-the-board negative reactions to it the final nail in the show's coffin?

The show may have ended but our coverage lives on, check out all of the interviews, videos, and news from the show on the jump. Also, don't forget to hit up AJ's massive impressions round-up.

News
PAX Report – News From The Front
Ghostbusters The Video Game The Lanyard
PAC-MAN Fever Mobile Tournament at PAX
Halo 3's Purple Reign Makes PAX, WWW Appearance
Fable 2 Pub Games Patch Coming, Maybe Repercussions Too
Microsoft Hasn't Forgotten About Live Anywhere, iPhone Either
Halo Wars Playable, But Not Here
Problems at PAX – Hundreds Turned Away From FalloutFable 2 Hours From Gold, Molyneux Awaits Gamer Reactions
PAX Pack Brings Nerdcore to Rock Band, Donations to Child's Play
Earn Gold Unlock Fable 2 Items with Web Games
Gamer Glasses Coming
Left 4 Dead to be Cut Scene Free
Bethesda Donating Amazing Fallout 3 Airstream to Child's Play
Win Our PAX Schwag Bag
Pax To Address Overcrowding For 2009
The Problem with PAX

Impressions
Kicking Zombie Ass In 360 Left 4 Dead, Why No PS3 Version
The Maw Impressions
PAX Hands-on: The Conduit
PAX Impressions: Video Game Hands-On Blitz
Gauntlet DS Wicked Retro Fun
Breaking Faces with FaceBreaker

Video
A Fireside Chat With Gabe and Tycho
The One-Ups Jam to Chrono Trigger at PAX 08
Justify Your Fruit Fucker Cosplay
Tristan Rocks PAX 08
Tristan and the Frag Dolls Play Raving Rabbids TV Party
Hell's Highway Barbershop
Halo 3 Feeding Frenzy Sweeps PAX
A Sea of Pip Boys Rock Out to April Wine
Wario Land Shake It Impressions

Live Blogs/Panels
Liveblogging the Penny Arcade Expo Keynotes
PAX Panel: Girls and Games
PAX Panel: How To Get Your Girlfriend Into Gaming

Culture
PAX 2008 Concerts - The One-Ups, Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton (I hope) Inside the Fallout 3 Airstream
A Taste of PAX Bit Boxing
The Official Vault Dweller's Survival Guide In Pictures
The Cosplay of PAX 2008
More Cosplay of PAX 2008
Even More Cosplay of PAX 2008
Schwag Off: Who had the Best Schwag of PAX?

Pre-Show Updates
Examining the Penny Arcade Expo Show Floor
Penny Arcade Announces “Fatal1ty” WON'T Be at PAX
Behold...The Omegathon!
Penny Arcade Expo Sched Hits
Play Xbox 360 Left 4 Dead at PAX, PC Version in France, Germany, UK
Seattle Times' Pre-PAX Profile of Penny Arcade
D3 Invades PAX 2008
Microsoft Unveils PAX Schedule
PAX Road Trip: T-Minus 2 Days
On the Road to PAX: The Idaho Edition
Sony, Whatcha Showin At PAX?
Gauntlet DS, Monster Lab at PAX
The Schwag of PAX08
PAX Road Trip: The Washington Edition
Defense Grid: The Awakening To Demo At PAX
Nerdcore Rising Documentary Gets PAX Screening
Early Look at PAX Showroom Floor

But that's a problem easily solved, and the PA folks are all over it.

The bigger problem, as I see it, is in the expo's name and its association with Penny Arcade.

Penny Arcade Expo has the potential, the very likely potential, to become the one preeminent video game show in the country. It has the exuberant backing of developers and publishers, it has more than enough willing participants to go around and it has the blessing of the many folks who cover the gaming industry for a living.

But what it doesn't have is a neutral jumping off point. PAX has the words Penny Arcade in the title and while for me, and tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people like me, that's a bonus, there are still lots of people out there who hate the strip, the people associated with it and anything whatsoever that has to do with Penny Arcade, Gabe, Tycho and, yes, even Fruit Fucker.

What this means is that they have a fractured potential audience. While most PAX attendees are unified by their love of gaming, they're more unified by their love of Penny Arcade. Sadly I think that means the show's potential audience will remain fractured as long as Penny Arcade is the central theme, preventing PAX from becoming the Games Convention or Tokyo Game Show of the United States.

There are some solutions. I think that it would be easy enough, especially with a second, east coast, PAX looming a few years away, to just change the name of the show and let it grow into its own entity. Another option, presented to me by one of many industry types I talked to about this during the show, is to just officially rename the show PAX. In other words remove the meaning behind the acronym and have it take on a meaning of its own. In a few decades, maybe just a few years, people would wonder what PAX stood for and why the show is called that.

While most of the people I spoke to at the show eventually came around to my way of thinking, acknowledging, no matter how grudgingly, that yes there are PA haters out there and nothing will ever get them to the show, I do wonder how true that really is.

How many among you didn't attend PAX strictly because it's the PENNY ARCADE expo as opposed to a video game expo? How many of you would have gone if it was called something else?

What I think everyone can agree on is that the U.S. needs a single video game show for the public, and not the many that now litter the gaming landscape. We need a TGS, a Leipzig. The real question is will E3 get it's act together and fill that shrinking void or will a show like PAX become the show to rule them all.

The central booth features kiosks of playable Fallout 3, singed mannequins, and an honest to god Airstream motor home on a patch of faux grass surrounded by white picket fences.

The Bethesda folks tell me that the Airstream is an authentic, not a replica, that the company purchased and then paid someone to clean-up and retro fit. Inside the refrigerated air of the mobile home is a wealth of retro goodies touched-up with a Fallout ambiance.

There are, for instance, old Life magazines, a refrigerator packed with ice cold Nuka Colas, a wood panel framed flat screen television and a waffle iron of the future. You can tell it's from the future by the mini radar dish protruding from the top griddle.

Bethesda apparently wanted to give the whole thing away at PAX but weren't able to because of tax issues. Man, that sucks because it would have made one sweet ride for a lucky gamer. Maybe they can donate it to Child's Play.

Monster Lab is a story-driven role-playing game based in Uncanny Valley. Players take on the role of an apprentice scientist who conducts experiments to create monsters from the games more than 150 monster parts.

Gauntlet DS is a Backbone Entertainment developed remake of the original arcade coin-op. The game will include overhauled graphics, new attacks and powers and a new experience-based combat system. The game also supports local and Wi-Fi multiplay for up to four players. You can play cooperatively in through the game or against one another in three competitive modes.

Chimps Ahoy! is a puzzle iPhone title currently out on the App Store.

I'm not sure about Monster Lab, but the remake of Gauntlet sounds like it has quite a lot of potential, especially since it has Wi-Fi coop play.

Foundation 9 Showcases Monster Lab, Gauntlet(TM) and Chimps Ahoy! at Penny Arcade Expo

Games developed by Backbone Entertainment and Griptonite Games

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Foundation 9 Entertainment today announced that it will showcase Monster Lab for the Wii(TM), Gauntlet(TM) for Nintendo DS(TM) and Chimps Ahoy! for the iPhone(R) at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), taking place Aug. 29-31 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Wash. The games are in development by two of the company's studios, Backbone Entertainment and Griptonite Games, and will be playable by attendees at the Foundation 9 booth, #854.

Backbone Entertainment's forthcoming original title, Monster Lab, is a story-based RPG/action hybrid set in the eerie, supernatural world of Uncanny Valley, where the evil Baron Mharti rules the region with a cruel hand. Players take on the role of an apprentice scientist who must perform a vast array of intricate experiments to create their very own monster from over 150 available monster parts. Bringing these creations to life, gamers can explore the land as they search for ingredients to make more monster parts, hunt down other monsters to defeat in combat and uncover fun quests and challenges as they attempt to vanquish the evil baron and liberate the villagers of Uncanny Valley.

Also developed by Backbone Entertainment, Gauntlet(TM) for the Nintendo DS is a feature rich game that stays true to the retro gameplay of the original arcade coin-op while boasting an updated look, additional attacks and powers, and a new experience-based combat system. The game also supports local and Wi-Fi support for four-player cooperative play, as well as three competitive multiplayer modes.

Both Monster Lab and Gauntlet are co-published by Eidos, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in North America. For more information on Monster Lab, please visit http://www.monsterlabthegame.com.

Griptonite Games' original iPhone title, Chimps Ahoy! will also be on display and playable at the show. Chimps Ahoy! is a fast-paced, brick-breaking game where coconuts are bounced back and forth between two player-controlled Chimps on either side of the screen, using the Multi-Touch display. The game is currently available on the Apple App Store.

In addition to the games on display, Foundation 9 will hold raffles and have a recruiting presence at the company's booth. Numerous company representatives are also slated to participate in panels at the show.

Turns out that PAX will be the first chance the public will have to play Fallout 3. Now keep in mind that there is expected to be more than 50,000 at the show, so if you want some hands on time with what many consider to be the game of the year you better get there early and be prepared to wait.

Bethesda says they will have six kiosks setup in their booth for people to play on and a number of developers will be on hand to talk to folks. The booth will also include what we're told is a pretty sweet Fallout 3-themed Airstreme and the folks will be handing out Vault Dweller Survival Guides.

On Saturday Bethesda will be showing off a conducting a rather lengthy Fallout 3 demo in the Main Theater at 2:30 p.m. Finally, on Saturday night Bethesda is sponsoring a Post-Apocalyptic Movie Night at 9 p.m. in the Raven Theater. The movies shown there will be the ones voted on by the Penny Arcade fans. Currently it's looking like 12 Monkeys and The Road Warrior are in the lead.

“The ESA Foundation is committed to helping improve the lives of young people,” said Jenny Lai, Vice President of the ESA Foundation. “The proceeds of this event will allow us to give back even more and enable students from across the country to pursue studies in computer and video game development and design.”

The competition will pit gamers in a collection of single-elimination events featuring Rock Band 2, Madden 08, I-Play Bowling and Super Smash Bros. The event's $20 entry fee will go toward the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program.

The program assists women and minority students continuing their education in video game development, including those studying graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment or software engineering. The Foundation’s scholarships are awarded annually to full-time students at accredited four-year colleges and universities.

The competition will run from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Austin.

Prizes for the event include cash, video games, t-shirts, caps, gaming accessories, video game collectibles and 3D art which will be awarded to the first and second place winners for each game title, plus two grand prize winners for overall score, excellence and sportsmanship.

LEVEL UP CHARITY GAMES COMPETITION TO BENEFIT THE ESA Foundation

Austin Event Will Support Foundation’s Scholarship Program for Future Video Game Developers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The ESA Foundation will be the beneficiary of the upcoming Level Up Charity Games competition in Austin, Texas, the charitable organization announced today. Proceeds from the September 17 event will support the ESA Foundation’s Scholarship Program, which provides tuition assistance to women and minority students studying video game subjects.

“The ESA Foundation is committed to helping improve the lives of young people,” said Jenny Lai, Vice President of the ESA Foundation. “The proceeds of this event will allow us to give back even more and enable students from across the country to pursue studies in computer and video game development and design.”

Hosted by game industry partner GameRecruiter, the Level Up Charity Games competition will take place during the Austin Game Developers Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. The event is open to gamers of all ages and types and the competition will feature four popular game titles: Rock Band 2, Madden 08, I-Play Bowling and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The event’s $20 per competitor entry fee will benefit the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program. The program assists women and minority students continuing their education in video game development, including those studying graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment or software engineering. The Foundation’s scholarships are awarded annually to full-time students at accredited four-year colleges and universities.

"We have a long-standing commitment to supporting the educational needs of minority and female students who are interested in being part of the video game industry,” said Marc Mencher, CEO of GameRecruiter. “By providing this support to the ESA Foundation’s Scholarship Program, we hope to allow deserving individuals to further their education and expand workplace diversity within our industry.”

The Level Up Charity Games are scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, with early registration beginning at 5 p.m. The event will be staged in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, which is located at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard, directly across the street from the Austin Convention Center, the site of the Austin Game Developers Conference.

Competitors are invited to come and play for prizes, including cash, video games, T-shirts, caps, gaming accessories, video game collectibles, 3D art software and more. Each player has opportunity to play in single elimination competitive play. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place winners for each game title, plus two grand prize winners for overall score, excellence and sportsmanship.

The event’s co-sponsors include MTV Games, IGN.com, Obsidian Entertainment, McDonald's, Southwest Airlines, Powered by Game Spy, Havok, TransGaming, I-play, 1-up Network, Belkin International, DAZ 3D, Bethesda Softworks and Petroglyph Games, with game competition elements sponsored by Midnight Gaming Championships.

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. One of the foundation’s key efforts is scholarship program that assists women and minority students studying for careers in the video game industry. For more information about the ESA Foundation and its programs, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

With a 2-decades-long history of recruitment specializing in unique and unadvertised opportunities focused exclusively in games, GameRecruiter has earned an international reputation for recruiting the technical, production, and executive staff who build game industry companies and make game history. For more information about GameRecruiter and the Level Up Charity Games Competition, please visit www.gamerecruiter.com or www.levelupcharitygames.org.

The good news is that Blizzard plans to unveil the opening cinematic movie for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King at the big show. They also will be hosting a Q&A session following the airing on Thursday. Blizzard also plans to have more hands on time with StarCraft II and Lich King as well as other Q&A sessions with members of the StarCraft II and Diablo III teams.

Make sure to check back here starting Wednesday for our in-depth and live coverage of the biggest and best public gaming show in Europe (personally, i think the world).

We plan to leave the Denver area the morning of August 27 and drive about halfway (which will put us somewhere in Idaho, likely near Heyburn). Then the next day we'll drive the rest of the way to Seattle. That's two 10 hour or so treks.

If anyone is interested in meeting up with us in their own vehicles drop me a line at editor at Kotaku dot com and we'll figure out which parking lots to meet in. I'd rather not detour from the drive, so if you're interested you'd probably have to meet up with us along the way.

I figure this year is a dry run. If things go well, and there's enough interest, next year I might try expanding it to a longer route and even see if we can throw together some sort of on-the-way pit stop with food and games. So I also need to know whether this sort of thing appeals to you at all or if it's just a really bad idea. Go crazy in comments.

Their booth at the Leipzig show will include new builds of King's Bounty: The Legend and Men of War, Cryostasis, NecroVisioN, 4x4 Hummer, Death Track: Resurrection, Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 and two new console titles - Captain Blood and IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey.

Hit up the jump for the full press release and a bit more detail on the games. And remember we'll be at this year's Games Convention with bells on*, so check back for our coverage later this month.

*Fahey will not actually be wearing any bells.

1C ANNOUNCES GAMES CONVENTION 2008 LINEUP

MOSCOW, Russia- August 13, 2008 - Leading Eastern and Central European publisher
1C Company unveiled today its top titles to be shown at Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig. The current lineup includes first-person shooters, RPG/ turn-based strategy, real-time strategy and racing titles.

1C will bring to Leipzig brand new builds of King's Bounty: The Legend and Men of War. King's Bounty: The Legend is set in a fantasy world of fearless knights, evil mages, wise kings and beautiful princesses. Men of War takes place in Europe and North Africa during the height of World War II, the story unfolds in three different campaigns played out through the eyes of Soviet, Allied and German soldiers.

1C will also showcase new builds of Cryostasis,NecroVisioN, 4x4 Hummer, Death Track: Resurrection and two new console titles - Captain Blood and IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. The first playable build of Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 will also make its debut at Games Convention 2008. It is a sequel to Theatre of War, one of the most historically accurate RTS games dedicated to World War II ever published.

Along with the playable builds listed above 1C will have their latest demos available on site. Assets for these and all other games from 1C 2008-09 lineup will be on the digital press kit at the booth.

1C Company will be located at booth L40 in the Business Center of the Leipziger Messe. Since space in the booth is limited we suggest making an appointment to see our titles. Please contact us at the above phone number or email address and we will be happy to hold a time slot for you.

Some of the highlights I noticed, from my quick perusal, includes:

Ken Levine's keynote
EndWar, Prince of Persia, Far Cry 2, Fallout 3, Dawn of War, This is Vegas, Dragon Age and Spore presentations
The Growing Role of Women in the Industry
Game Criticism and Old Game Journalism
The Art of the Dungeon Master
History of Harmonix
Family Feud PAX Edition
The Wil Wheaton Panel
GamerDad's Gaming With Children

Of course you've also got live music, movie screenings, the tourneys and a chance to see Tycho and Gabe create a strip live. Sounds like a fun time. Who's planning on going?

The PAX 2008 Schedule [PAX]

I'd urge everyone to keep trying, but that's not what I really want. I need everyone to stop trying for about 15 minutes so I can get a pair of tickets, and then continue your regularly scheduled Blizzard store onslaught.

Order Your BlizzCon 2008 Tickets Here [Blizzard Store]

As co-sponsor of the event, SCEA will have a number of Playstation gaming tents at the venue, each packed with playable games.

The PlayStation Central tent will feature SingStar and Rock Band in one section, BUZZ! Quiz TV in another and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Better still, the top scorers of each day will be granted access to a VIP area with shaded lounges and a special viewing platform of the main stage. Meanwhile, LittleBigPlant gets its own tent where people will get a chance to check out the upcoming creation game.

The show, which run through Sunday, features 45 artists on three stages and headliners Radiohead and Jack Johnson. Make sure to take pictures if you go and shoot them our way.

All Points West Festival

The free show will include free drinks and free posters as well as performances by Computer Jay & DJ R-Rated. Oh, you can also peruse some might damn fine art.

The whole thing kicks off on Aug 14 at 8 p.m. and runs until midnight at the World of Wonder Storefont Gallery, 6650 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Cherokee.

If the art, the music, the posters don't attract your to the opening night, know this: One of the sponsors is Colt 45.

It looks like nearly 80 companies will be showing at this year's show. The list ranges from such heavy weights as Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Sony, Nintendo, Activision, Ubisoft and Microsoft to developers like Rockstar, Bungie and Turbine.

Is it just me or does this look like a much more impressive show floor than E3? Of course, the big difference is that I can't imagine there will be any major publisher or developer announcements coming out of PAX. That doesn't mean we won't get a chance to go hands on with a lot of games and perhaps even needle some news out of the reps on hand.

Either way, looks like it's going to be a really good show this time around.

SOE tells me that they currently have a bit more than 1,100 people registered for the event and that compared to previous years that is a "very strong number." If you were thinking about going to Sony's celebration of all things SOE, Everquest and MMO-ey, hit up the site to register. You can also register on site, though only pre-registered folks are guaranteed the in-game rewards.

The event is being held at the Las Vegas Hilton from Aug. 14 through Aug. 17 and registration will set you back $89 for the weekend or $39 for a day.

This year's event will include a second annual community address by John Smedley, a Gamers in Real Life breakfast and a chance to pre-order the Everquest 10th Anniversary Commemorative Book.

The full schedule can be found here.

Fan Faire 08 Schedule [SOE]

There are two reasons I'm not joining the CCST: I'm going with my wife and son and neither are big fans of overnight drives. Also, while I could detour to meet up with one of the groups, none of them come through Colorado. I know, I suck.

I'm still working out the details for my own drive, but this is what I'm thinking:

My plan is for us to take two days to get to Seattle, mostly because we like to sleep in a hotel. I think I'll be leaving the morning of August 27 and driving about halfway (which will put us somewhere in Idaho, probably near Heyburn). Then the next day we'll drive the rest of the way to Seattle. That's two 10 hour or so drives.

If there is any interest in joining up with us in your own vehicles I can set up meeting locations or routes so we can stick together. I see this drive as sort of a test run. If enough Kotaku readers plan on driving and like the idea of traveling together, we may expand this next year and even have someone (coughfaheycough) drive from the East Coast and meet up with me in Colorado and then carry on to Seattle. In fact, I've even had some gaming companies offer to set up pit stops in parking lots with food and maybe even games.

But before we get to that point I want to do a dry run. So is there anyone interested in joining us on this short trip this year?

He'll be covering all things video game related over the next five days, bringing you details from the show floor, live blogs from Comic-Con panels and all the news that breaks from Capcom, EA, Activision, Konami and much, much more.

For even more Comic-Con coverage that goes beyond the game-o-sphere, check out io9 for your extended sci-fi nerd fix. For those attending, let us know in the comments what Sailor Moon character you'll be dressed as.

Among the guests will be weekend warriors Maggie Greene, plus yours truly (in the I Heart Hot Moms shirt from the GTA:DUI video). Also appearing are Brian Crecente, Brian Ashcraft and Mike McWhertor. You'll also be able to catch up with Leigh Alexander and Mike "Mountain Man" Fahey, plus Intern Adam Barenblat, who interrupted me amidst a phone call with a ladyfriend last night and now must buy me a beer. (What, that cost me $5.99 a minute. Damn right I'm making the intern pay.)

The thing kicks off at 8 p.m., when the place opens, and we will, for a time, have an open bar. The place isn't gigantic, and in Tokyo we managed to burst Mother at the seams, so you may want to try and get there on the nose.

If you plan on making it, make sure to obtain a wristband from one of us once you arrive for the free drinks. The party is 21 and older only, unfortunately. Sorry.

Golden Gopher

Among the guests will be Kotaku's own Maggie Greene and Owen Good as well as such surely editor types as Brian Ashcraft and Mike McWhertor. You'll also be able to catch up with Leigh Alexander and Mike "Mountain Man" Fahey. I'll be around as well, probably demanding things of Intern Adam, like having him fetch me sammiches.

The thing kicks off at 8 p.m., when the place opens, and we will, for a time, have an open bar. The place isn't gigantic, and in Tokyo we managed to burst Mother at the seams, so you may want to try and get there on the nose.

Give a shout out in comments if you plan on making it and make sure to obtain a wristband from one of us once you arrive for the free drinks. Oh, 21 and older only, unfortunately. Sorry.

Golden Gopher

Among the guests will be Kotaku's own Maggie Greene and Owen Good as well as such surely editor types as Brian Ashcraft and Mike McWhertor. You'll also be able to catch up with Leigh Alexander and Mike "Mountain Man" Fahey. I'll be around as well, probably demanding things of Intern Adam, like having him fetch me sammiches.

The thing kicks off at 8 p.m., when the place opens, and we will, for a time, have an open bar. They place isn't gigantic, and in Tokyo we managed to burst Mother at the seams, so you may want to try and get there on the nose.

Give a shout out in comments if you plan on making it and make sure to obtain a wristband from one of us once you arrive for the free drinks.

Golden Gopher

-18 years old (or older), with valid ID
-interested in action, puzzle, and strategy games.
-in the SF Bay Area and free July 10th, from 1-5pm.
-able to travel to the aforementioned fabulous Capcom HQ on your own.

A secret puzzle action strategy game plus prizes and maybe cookies? I could not think of a better way to spend an afternoon. Hit the link for how you can get a chance to do these secret things they wish you to do.

Bay-Area Gamers: Capcom Wants You! [Capcom Blog]

So, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith dropped this weekend in North America. What does that have to do with me getting completely smashed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square and totally hitting on Steve Tyler?

Hit the jump for the full adventure.

The picture you see at the top of this post is the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square here in New York City, where I headed Friday evening to attend Activision's launch event for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Media check-in was a couple hours prior to when the event was slated to start; Aerosmith themselves were to give a press conference, so security was tight. While I waited outside, I saw lots of tourists lining up hopefully around a large bus which they assumed belonged to the band.

Alas, it was merely a mortal tour bus; when its doors opened, the crowd began to scream and ready their cameras, but the only person to emerge was a uniformed driver vaguely bewildered by all of the attention.

At about 2:30 PM, I was allowed in alongside an unjustly panicked swarm of mainstream television reporters - the band's press conference wasn't scheduled until 4:00 - who hit me with their large camera equipment, stepped on my toes and yelled at the door staff. Me, I calmly meandered in to the huge fancy bar area around the stage.

Stations with the game were set up all around the inside of the cafe - all PS3s, if anyone's keeping score. I'm a pretty competent fake guitarist - no Expert, mind you, but pretty solid on Hard, so I confess I was excited to show off, amid bewildered media and VIP who needed Activision reps to explain to them what the colors were all for.

It was not to be. I've got an old wired controller at home, and these were all the Gibson-style wireless. The buttons were just different to me, and I'm not sure whether I didn't need to press so hard or wasn't pressing hard enough, but I was always about one second behind the note. I played poorly and petulantly blamed the controller - but come on, it makes a difference, right? Am I crazy?

After playing for about fifteen minutes, I still had about an hour left before Aerosmith was slated to take the stage. Time to kill plus open bar equals I drank a lot of margaritas, drowning the sorrow of my Guitar Hero failure. Oh, suddenly I was having a super fun time, socializing with just about everybody.

I happened to meet some Sony merchandising managers - ah, that was why it was all PS3s there - and we all hit it off. Turns out they had special "Meet and Greet" passes to visit with the band, and they let me come with them to a special area where several folks with similar passes would have the chance to meet Aerosmith. No autographs, warned high-strung staffers.

I'm not a particularly huge Aerosmith fan, but it was still super cool to see a band that huge walk right by me. By this point, the margaritas were catching up to me, so I was especially excited when it was my turn to come up and meet them.

I ended up drunkenly flirting at Joe Perry, hanging on Steven Tyler and putting my business card in his pocket. I have no regrets.

After the meet and greet, Aerosmith took the stage following some big screen trailers of themselves in-game, while the crowd packed into the restaurant just went wild. Thoroughly sauced, I shouted so loudly that the lady standing next to me warned me not to ruin the sound bites.

The band held an informal Q & A with the crowd, talking about the experience of building the game, both "amazing" (getting back some old memories) and "annoying" (wearing the mocap suits). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Joe Perry noted that he "pretty much sucks" at Guitar Hero.

Just about all the band's members said their kids were fans of video games in general, and that they'd bonded over the fact that Dad is now in Guitar Hero - as if it were a bigger deal to the band's kids to see their fathers in a video game than have their fathers be Aerosmith.

I swear this is an actual picture of the band on stage, but this is as close as the staff would let me get, seeing as I lacked proper huge equipment for injuring, jostling or photographing.

The success of music games, said Tyler, is "showing the way the music business is going." The band discussed how important Guitar Hero and its ilk have been to artists like themselves who are searching for ways to stay relevant to a new, younger audience.

Video games are to musicians now, said Perry, "as important as albums used to be."

I know they said a lot of other stuff - like the game's musical parts being based on real multi-track recording, that Tyler's favorite song of theirs in the game is "No Surprize," and that being mocapped for Guitar Hero reminded the band of being on The Simpsons - but honestly, my notes on the press conference degenerate into loopy sauce-scrawl from there, and so does my memory.

Lurching through Times Square in the back of a cab while the scenery swam in my frame of vision put me quite firmly in mind of GTA IV - in case you've never ridden through New York City completely wrecked in the back of a yellow cab, yes, it is exactly like that.

I had one of those three-day hangovers, but it was all worth it. I'm still waiting for Aerosmith to call me, by the way.

The bracket-style tournament had the teams of two fight it out until Dannis Tighe and his son Michael were the last two standing. The two won a Wii, a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a trophy and the right to rub their victories in the faces of all of those father/son teams who waste their training regiments on sack races and egg tosses.

The third annual Come Out & Play Festival once again attempts to turn New York City into a playground. In 2006, when the festival first hit NYC, gamers were given a chance to play life-sized Pong and real world Pac-Man, among a list of other interesting games. This year's list of games features two dozen ways to play outside including Humatar, which uses Xbox 360 controllers, headphones and Nerf guns to turn people into real-world avatars.

In Humatar one set of players controls a second set with the use of the Xbox 360 controllers. They don't get into specifics on the site, but since headphones are worn by the avatars I assume that moving the thumbstick sends out audio commands to the avatars. Sounds like it could be fun.

Hit up the site to check out the full list of games and Manhattan this weekend to play them.

Come Out & Play Festival 2008

“There is no better place to introduce Guitar Hero: On Tour than Toys“R”Us,” said Karen Dodge, Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer Toys“R”Us, U.S. “Millions of kids are looking forward to jamming with their friends while playing the first portable version of Guitar Hero, and we’re thrilled that Activision is partnering with Toys“R”Us to bring this special sneak peek experience to our customers.”

People checking out the game at the toy store will also have a chance to get a free Guitar Hero sticker, dog tag and temporary tattoo and anyone who reserves a copy of the game, due out on June 22, will receive a Guitar Hero pick-stylus.

Full details on the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOYS“R”US STORES NATIONWIDE HOST “FIRST TO PLAY” EVENT FOR ACTIVISION’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GUITAR HERO®: ON TOUR

Sneak Preview of First Portable Entry in the Guitar Hero Franchise to Take Place on June 14

New York, NY (June 5, 2008) – Fans eagerly waiting to play the first portable version of Guitar Hero® will finally get the chance to rock out with a sneak preview of Guitar Hero®: On Tour for Nintendo DS™ on June 14 at Toys“R”Us stores nationwide. During this exclusive “First to Play” event, gamers visiting Toys“R”Us stores from 12 noon – 4 pm will have a chance to try out the new game one full week before its official release in North America on June 22, 2008.

“There is no better place to introduce Guitar Hero: On Tour than Toys“R”Us,” said Karen Dodge, Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer Toys“R”Us, U.S. “Millions of kids are looking forward to jamming with their friends while playing the first portable version of Guitar Hero, and we’re thrilled that Activision is partnering with Toys“R”Us to bring this special sneak peek experience to our customers.”

For the first time, handheld gamers have the freedom to unleash their inner rock star anytime, anywhere with Guitar Hero: On Tour. Utilizing the revolutionary Guitar Hero™ Guitar Grip™ peripheral that fits snugly into the Nintendo DS and a unique Guitar Hero pick-stylus, Guitar Hero: On Tour brings a new dimension to handheld gaming and gives fans the ability to shred along with their favorite tunes with complete portability. The game delivers a unique experience by challenging handheld gamers to rock out and prove their shredding skills on the most diverse set list of master tracks ever offered in a Guitar Hero game, including classic rock, alternative and pop favorites.

Anyone visiting a Toys“R”Us store to sample Guitar Hero: On Tour during the “First to Play” event will receive a complimentary Guitar Hero sticker, dog tag, and temporary tattoo, while supplies last. Additionally, during the event, customers who reserve a copy of Guitar Hero: On Tour will receive a limited edition Guitar Hero pick-stylus.

Pokémon USA will be offering the spooky little nightmare-guy at Toys R Us stores nationwide from noon to 4 PM on May 31st and June 1st. That's this weekend, so grab your DS and your Diamond or Pearl game and get ready to line up.

...I sound dangerously excited about this, I know. Hey, I ain't ashamed. Full details after the jump.

Official Press Release | May 28, 2008

It's a Pokémon player's dream come true! Pokémon USA, Inc. is offering an opportunity to receive the Legendary Pokémon Darkrai, during a two-day event at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide from 12 noon - 4 pm. During this time, all Pokémon aficionados who bring their Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl Game Card, along with their Nintendo DS, to any Toys"R"Us store in the United States have a chance to add one of the most sought-after characters in the Pokémon Universe, Darkrai, to their game. Darkrai, best-known for lulling people to sleep and causing nightmares, is the star of the latest movie, Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, now available on DVD, and is featured in the new Pokémon Trading Card Game Diamond & Pearl-Majestic Dawn.

Who: All Pokémon fans

What: Darkrai distribution for your Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl Game Card

When: May 31 and June 1, 12 noon - 4 pm

Where: Toys"R"Us stores nationwide

When Electronic Arts takes over a bar, they don't just throw up a bunch of gaming kiosks and a couple of Communist slogan-themed logos, they also come up with their very own list of game-themed drinks.

Here's the breakdown:

Battlefield: Bad Company: Herradura silver tequila, cointreau and fresh squeezed lime served on the rocks.

Battlefield: Heroes: Hendrick's gin, fresh rasberry, cucumber, shaken and strained, served up with a splash of kumquat dry soda.

Left 4 Dead: Fresh muddled lime wedges, mango puree, cachaca, shaken and poured over rocks.

Warhammer Online: Oronoco rum, freshly squeezed lime, simple syrup and muddled cucumbers, shaken hard poured over ice.

Dead Space: Maker's Mark, carpano antica sweet vermouth, disaronno amaretto, served up with a cherry.

Rock Band: Drink like a rockstar, Skyy citrus, fresh lemon and lime, served sparkling in a tall glass.

Skate It: Jameson, fresh lemon, ginger beer, a touch of blood orange bitters and pomegranate.

Mass Effect: Fresh basil, Lotus vodka and fresh lime juice served straight up.

DICE's free-to-play upcoming shooter features Team Fortress 2-like graphics and a definite Battlefield Lite feel, but what really captured my interest was the game's use of customization.

To create your character you have to first choose between a soldier, gunner and commando. Once you've selected the basic type of character you are playing you can go in and customize his look by adding objects to the ten provided slots. Like in many role-playing games, each slot changes a specific part of a character's look.

For instance with my character, a long mustachioed gunner, I gave him skull make up on his face, a dragon tattoo on his back, a bandolero of ammo slung from a shoulder, black pants and a peg leg. Yes, a peg leg. Really, I could have stopped playing at this point because any World War II -themed shooter that features a cartoon like art-style and the ability to slap peg legs on anyone is going to have a hard time convincing me not to play it.

But there is more. Besides customizing the look of your characters, you can also customize the way they play. By playing the game you unlock abilities which you can then bind to hotkeys, like you would in a massively multiplayer or role-playing game. The first few are typically reserved for weapons, but then you can use the rest for rechargeable powers like the ability to heal yourself, run, toughen your skin for a short time.

I didn't have tons of time to actually play the game, what with the time I spent marveling over the peg leg