There's still time to catch up, however. The NPD also reports that Canadian video game sales are 54% to nearly $920 million over last year, only a fraction of which can be directly attributed to the ice spiders' strange fascination with Wii Sports Tennis.

Wii surpasses one million consoles sold in Canada [CTV via Edge]

So what the hell does it all mean? Ice with barely legible runes certainly sounds like Wrath of the Lich King, though outside of some hidden features or perhaps an official release date I can't imagine why they'd tease that. Many of you seem to think it's Diablo III: Diablo on Ice. Me? I'm going to go for those bearded bad boys who come from the land of the ice and snow, World of Lost Vikings. Hopefully we'll know by this weekend, when the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational does Paris. Until then, let the speculation fly!

At the event, apparently, everyone got to gawk at this giant gun made out of ice. Said Wilson, "A warning I gave during my introduction threatened to become our new tagline: 'Don't lick the gun.' (I personally think this is good advice in general, regardless of what the gun is actually made out of.)"

Wilson also recapped how the SOE Seattle studio got started, and how The Agency project came to be.

In 2005, a few of the core Mythica development team broke away from the Microsoft games group to form a startup company called "FireAnt Games." Our primary goal when we founded the company was to bring the MMO space to more of the mainstream gamer audience. Specifically, we wanted to target the shooter audience and the console gamer. Well, it happened that SOE was thinking the same thing, and they asked us to start up their Seattle studio. More than 3 years and 80 people later, we are well into building The Agency. Our goal is to deliver an online world where players can "live the life of an elite agent," full of the over-the-top action, exotic locales, and extravagant lifestyles the spy genre is known for.

Some footage from SOE Seattle's ice gun-festooned open house is set to air on G4's X-Play show tonight at 8:00pm EST, too.

Meet SOE, The Agency [US PlayStation Blog]

Japanese developer Spike released first screens of its Nintendo DS-bound figure skating game Spinning Princess: Figure Sparkling Ice Angel back in January to many hooray!s, but first video of the supposed "sport" playable with a stylus is now available. They've added some interesting touchscreen mechanics and managed to make even harsh figure skating critics like myself raise an eyebrow in interest. Training mini-games, dozens of glittering costume choices and thrilling ice competitions with stylus action? Sign me my girlfriend up! Michael McWhertor

Now, lending more weight to the rumor that a Lost Planet "Wars" spin-off is coming, publisher Capcom recently trademarked the name Lost Planet Colonies with the US Patent and Trademark Office, indicating something new is on the way. Is this the tactical/strategy game for the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 that the Rumor Reporter hinted at months ago?

Like many trademarks, Lost Planet Colonies may not see reality and exist only as rumor or concept. But, we'll have to wait until E3 to see what Capcom may have planned for their latest franchise. Michael McWhertor

I downloaded it this morning, installed it, and got ready for some mind-blowing Lost Planet PC action!

The demo is available in both Direct X 9 and 10 versions, so you PC gamers out there who have Vista installed for some reason can play a months old console game while you wait for the release of a years old console game. Michael Fahey

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Demo [FilePlanet]

He says the company believes a "significant pre-holiday ramp in PS3 unit sales is unlikely without a more robust title lineup and/or a hardware price cut." Wow. It's almost as if millions of gamers cried out "O RLY?" and were suddenly silenced by shoving Pringles in their mouths.

That's pretty good advice there, Colin. Maybe if Sony can turn those cheaper blue laser pick-up heads into a cheaper PS3 and get games like Lair, LittleBigPlanet, Heavenly Sword and Metal Gear Solid 4 out the door they'll have a chance.

I also suggest including ice cream sandwiches with all future console purchases. Why? People like ice cream sandwiches! Michael McWhertor

Lazard: 15% Software Sales Growth 2007 [Next-Gen]

This is simply spectacular. If Nintendo doesn't have this sculpture at their next big event, with chilled Tanqueray pouring from his sword, I'm going to be deeply disappointed. Brian Crecente

[Thanks Bryan]

Want Lost Planet? We've got ten, count 'em, ten copies of the Xbox 360 game to put in your greedy hands. Just handing them out ain't no contest though, but a giveaway. So here's our newest contest:

Using ice, snow or sand (for you warm weather folks) sculpt something game-related, snap a pic and send it our way to kotakucontest@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name and address as well as some info about your creation. We'll post the entries and from that select the winners. Contest ends January 5th, and the winners will be announced the following day. Like any contest, this one's got rules. Good luck and happy sculpting! Brian Ashcraft

Disco No.1:

Disco No. 1, also known as Sweet Heart, was put out in 1982 by Data East. The action took place on a roller rink where you played a 90 lb. weakling out to hook up with cute chicks. But watch out for the tough guys who are out on the rink as well, looking to knock you out and move in on your action. You could win the girl's love by skating around them and completely encircling them with your "skate line". Extra points could be earned by picking up bonus items that floated around the rink area and destroying the tough guys. It was eventually reworked into an Intellivision game called Thin Ice that featured playful penguins on an ice rink.

This flyer is interesting in that it's giving out such a bizarre group of mixed messages. It was made in 1982, in disco's dying days but, the flyer art is clearly evoking a sort of 50's sock hop thing. Only a few people seem to be wearing actual roller skates and the guy in the middle background looks like he's wearing an early version of rollerblades. Then there's the weird older guy in the lower right corner with the shades and what looks to be a rather large joint. I'm assuming he's one of the aforementioned tough guys. Looks to me more like somebody's pervy dad who hangs out by the rink's snack bar offering hot dogs to teenage girls. Flynn De Marco

Ice Hockey (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Ice Hockey is hard-hitting, fast-action competition that re-creates all the excitement of the sport from faceoffs to penalty shots. Players pass the puck and shoot to score while using defensive tactics, including fake shots and ice brawls to crush adversaries. It's up to the player to find the best strategy to win the game - finesse or power.

Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): The Gunstar 9 planet was peaceful for many years until the vicious dictator, Colonel Red, kidnapped the Gunstar twins' older brother and used mind control to make him
his slave. Players face many different enemies and bosses while battling to stop the dictator from unleashing "Golden Silver the Destructor" with apocalyptic consequences.

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points):Dr. Robotnik is stamping out music and fun in Mobius with his giant robotizing Mean Bean Steaming Machine. Before he turns all the citizens of Beanville into robots, players must save the day by gathering up beans in matching colors and defeating Robotnik's guards.

Alien Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Alien Crush is a fan-favorite pinball game that features a sinister sci-fi theme. Play through a two-level playing field that comes to life with pulsating alien creatures.
Rack up a high enough score, clear the board of these extraterrestrials and discover secret bonus stages. The game features realistic pinball action, complete with a tilt function and two selectable soundtracks. Do you have what it takes to fight back against this alien infestation?

I don't know if I'll be downloading any of these. Is there something I'm missing? Brian Crecente

We're treated to an an "in-depth" look at the creators of such classics as Ice Hockey, Kaboom! and Barnstorming as well as words of wisdom from Activision President, Jim Levy. As an added bonus we get four commercials, Freeway, Stampede, Kaboom! and Ice Hockey featuring none other than Saturday Night Live's Phil Hartman giving the performance of a lifetime. Is it just me or does he get just a little to close to that other guys face at the end?

Here's a little nugget from 1987! It's interesting to see what Nintendo thought would sell their system in this time period. "Your parents help you hook it up!" it exclaims at the end...yeah, that really makes me want it now.

The blond kid with nerd glasses, bolo tie and bad teeth is classic. Is this where our image of what gamers are like originated? But the real standout of course is the awesome white-boy Zelda rap. "Octoroks, Tectites and Zeebles too! Wiki wiki wee!" Totally rad! Someone call Vanilla Ice, maybe he can rip off that song too. Flynn De Marco

If I understand correctly the endless phonemical repetitions spraying with spittle from his rubber-lipped word hole, Stuttering Craig over at Screw Attack wants me to call your attention to their newest series, Awesome Video Games. And I will, fully admitting my own lack of tolerance for doofuses — no matter how ironically portrayed — screaming in close-up into the camera for five minutes straight about the amazing megahertzal might of the NES.

But there's a lot of good here... in particular, the Awesome Video Games animation of a Marioesque doppelganger being chased around by a toothy iguana. I love that, and the way the electronic voice burbles, "AWESOME. VIDEO. GAMES. VIDEO. GAMES. AWESOME." And I get a kick out of the reverse anachronism of the series. Why is there a poster of Robert Matthew Van Winkle on the back wall on a show that purports to "preview" such hot new games as Super Mario Brothers? Who knows. But if this was really filmed in 1984, they'd be better off having a poster of Vanilla Ice's alcohol-saturated embryo on the back wall.

I kid, I kid. It's grating, but Awesome Video Games is funny. Florian Eckhardt

Awesome Video Games [Screw Attack]

Over at 1Up, they've got a wonderful Friday afternoon time killer in 'Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming Forever'. They look at a couple dozen gameplay conventions and trace them from modern usage down to their 8-bit progenitors.

Some of the great ideas that have shaped gaming are better than others — power-ups versus ice or life bar vs. canine companions — but it's just the sort of nostalgic retrospective gamers have so much fun spacing out reading. Florian Eckhardt

Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming Forever [1UP] (Thanks, Jane!)

This Mr. Belvedere meets Super Mario Brothers on Ice video is like a live action version of a Family Guy postmodern cultural reference, or, as you humans call it, "joke."