The pre-order exclusive Black Cloud hat is the cherry on top of the pre-order goodness to be had by simply reserving your copy of NCsoft's latest massively multiplayer online game Aion. There's also the experience-enhancing Lodas' Amulet, and one of five different Ancient Rings of Power, based on where you put your money down. Amazon gets the Ancient Ring of Earth, for instance, while GameStop snags Fire and Best Buy scores Magic.

Along with the in-game goodies, pre-order customers will also receive access to all remaining Aion beta events, a 48-hour head start on everybody else, and a chance to select their character and server in advance.

Aside from all of those benefits, you might want to pre-order the game just to get a copy of the Limited Collector's Edition, which will only see 35,000 copies hitting North American shores. There's no hat in the box, but you don't want to overwhelm the customer base with hats all at once.

Hell, for all we know crossing the streams might be just fine, but from the look of the effect that the particle cannon is having on the enemies in Wolfenstein, I very much doubt anyone has had the time to consider the implications. They're far too busy screaming and then disintegrating into nothingness. On the plus side, it does look like hats are immune, so all you have to do in order to survive is completely cover your body in hats.

Then take a picture and email it to Owen@Kotaku.com. There's no contest...it just seems like the sort of thing he'd get a kick out of.

I can't friggin wait to lay about in my house wearing nothing more than a pair of LittleBigPlanet whitey-tighties under my silk God of War smoking jacket while I sip cognac and pass judgment on the gaming world.

IV Gear already has their list of games up, but no product pics yet.

So excited. List of companies and silly quotes on the jump.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA LAUNCHES NEW LICENSED APPAREL PROGRAM
Companies Work Together to Showcase Top PlayStation® franchise titles

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announces four new industry leaders in apparel and accessory licenses for the PlayStation® brand and various game franchises, including God of War®, Ratchet & Clank®, Resistance Fall of Man®, Heavenly Sword™ and Little Big Planet™. IV Gear Inc. will develop an extensive line of t-shirts, headwear and other apparel for the specialty and mid-tier market. Fortune Fashions will also focus on the mid-tier market as well as mass retail channels for t-shirts and hoodies. Bioworld will produce headwear, bags and accessories. MJC will round out the program with boys and young men's boxers and loungewear.

"PlayStation is an extremely strong and well-known brand" said Shelly Gayner, Director of Licensing, SCEA. "We feel that this is a great opportunity for us to satiate our core fans and extend and capitalize on PlayStation name recognition by creating a new line of apparel in connection with the PlayStation brands and our top franchise titles."

John Leonhardt, President of Dimensional Branding Group, who is leading the DBG PlayStation licensing team, adds, "With the addition of this diverse roster of creative and passionate apparel partners this marks the initiation of PlayStation as one of the most innovative and cutting edge licensing programs."

Chain Chomp Hat [Knitting Ninja - thanks, Motha!]

Space Invader X New Era [Cap Collector via Strictly Fitteds]

New Era Non-Team [Fuctard via High Snobiety]

A while back we brought you news that NCSX was going to be selling these awesome Mario and Luigi hats so you could wear them around town and elicit odd stares from strangers. As a matter of fact, NCSX thought they were selling hats too. But, when the shipment arrived it turned out these hats weren't hats at all, but pillows! Still pretty cool, but if i had been one of those that pre-ordered one of these I'd be pissed. But at least now you can put these on your couch an elicit stares from your friends rather than the cruel nameless hordes. Flynn De Marco

Super Mario Bros Cap Cushion [NCSX]
[via The Tanooki]

Newsflash: We're all perverts! Yeah, I guess that isn't news to many of you, but now the pope thinks so as well. In a message marking the church's World Communications Day, Pope Palpatine Benedict XVI had choice words to say about our favorite pastime.

"Any trend to produce programs and products — including animated films and video games — which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion"

'Perverse' media upsets pope [CNN.com]