The shirt is of course a direct response to the fans who cried out that Diablo III was too bright and colorful for a Diablo game. I'm a little sad that this isn't the real logo myself.

Jay said that if there was a huge outpouring of demand thaqt these shirts might one day be offered to people for sale, so you might wanna start outpouring now. I need one of these. I briefly considered taking Jay's, but he seems like a rather tough fellow and I'd rather not take any chances. Outpour!

The technology behind Love means that the game is editable like nothing we've seen before. Eskil points his mouse at a wall and clicks - then stretches the terrain back and forth, terraforming at will. Then he fires a gun at the side of a wall and it's blown away - digging a cave into the side of a cliff. He then trots through this tunnel, dropping into pastures on the far side.

Love is being designed as a completely user-driven world, where players have control of their environment and changes made are experienced by everyone, not just whoever completed the quest. It's an ambitious project, but the beautiful art style and ridiculously low system specs (512 meg ram, 1.5 GHz CPU, ATI Radeon 9800 or better) would make it one of the most accessible MMO titles on the market, and possibly the most fun. Hell, Eskil is even having fun creating it.

Then he pauses. "I sometimes get bored though. I want game development to be fun." He presses a button, and the pouch breaks apart into vector lines. Then a triangular space-ship steams in, under Eskil's control. The art package is gone. All that's left is a game of Asteroids.

PC Gamer Preview - Love [CVG]

I want a guy who looks like link. from the game. I thought to myself that I might as well be honest. I look like zelda, so why not ask for it? who knows.. I know theres a guy like that. So if you think you look like link, the blonde skater cut, and light eyes look email me. Im a simple chick who loves zelda. I know thats a corney one to ask but heck we might as well be honest as to what we like? am I right? I want a guy like that and a guy who is romantic and believes in chilvary, love, old school ways, and doesnt have a problem with european culture. Thanks a bunch!!! If I like you, and you have a pic, ill email you back. PS I WILL NOT RESPOND to guys without FACE SHOTS. period. Thankyou for understanding. Im not a body chick. more a face and Please only guys 30 and below. And please do not email me rude comments... this world has too many jerks and I delete them and report to the authorities. Its extreme I know But please have respect.

5. Billy Lee and Marian - Double Dragon (Arcade)

This one could really go either way. At the beginning of the first Double Dragon, Billy Lee's girlfriend Marian is kidnapped by the Black Warriors, who want the secrets of the Sōsetsuken martial art in exchange for the girl. Billy and his brother Jimmy fight their way through four stages of enemies in order to secure Billy's woman, only to get into a fight at the very end for Marian's affection. If Billy wins it's a beautiful love story. If Jimmy wins she's either a flighty hussy or so terrified Jimmy will beat her up to that she has no choice but to go with him. Either way, not the best love story. Bah, like it matters anyway - Marian gets shot dead at the beginning of the second game. Bastards.

4. Dante and Trish - Devil May Cry Series (PS2)

If the best girl a man can find is one that reminds him of his mother, then Dante has certainly hit the jackpot. Created by the demon lord Mundus during the first game to resemble the devil hunter's mother Eva, Trish wound up developing feelings for Dante, helping him to defeat Mundus and ending up as his partner. While the fact that her feelings stem from being made in his mother's image is kind of creepy if you stop and think about it, there's no denying Trish and Dante were made for each other - well, at least she was.

3. Jackie Estacado and Jenny - The Darkness (Xbox 360, PS3)

This pair grew up together as orphans, and mob thug Jackie spent most of his life shielding the innocent and sweet Jenny from the horrors of the seedy underworld he moved about in. If I had to pick the single most emotionally charged moment in gaming from last year, it would be the moment Jackie Estacado and his girlfriend Jenny cease to be a couple, so to speak. I won't ruin for anyone who still hasn't played the game, but I got so f***king angry I stayed up the whole night to finish the game.

2.Tidus and Yuna - Final Fantasy X (PS2)

A summoner of Yevon destined to die, Yuna finds the man of her dreams in mismatched pants leg blitzball star Tidus. Unfortunately, over the course of Final Fantasy X we learn the Tidus is the man of the fayth's dreams as well, with the end of the game finding him fading away as he desperately tries to hold onto her. Their love was so strong that Squaresoft created the first direct sequel to a Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy X-2, which features Yuna going all Charlie's Angels with Rikku and newcomer Paine in order to find her lost man. Do they reunite? Depends on how well you play the game.

1.Oswald and Gwendolyn - Odin Sphere (PS2)

A true example of the classical fantasy romance, the story of the Shadow Knight Oswald and the Valkyrie Gwendolyn, daughter of Demon Lord Odin, is one that could easily have been lifted directly from ancient mythology. Two confused souls who find love where they least expect it, culminating in Gwendolyn traveling to the netherworld to retrieve her love's soul from Queen Odette of Endelphia - pretty much the devil herself. The story in full is told through two separate chapters of the game, detailing first Gwendolyn's falling in love with Oswald and then turning the tables in the fourth chapter to show how Oswald likewise lost his heart. One of the most moving love stories I've encountered in a video game, and truly worth of the top spot.

And there you have it. Now I don't expect you to agree with my choices. Hearts are as varied as the stars in the sky and we all see love in a different light, so I'd expect you have your own personal favorite gaming love story. Feel free to post your own picks in the comments section. After all, caring is sharing! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Zero Punctuation [the escapist]

I positively adored the semi-juvenile, vaguely temperamental mermaid who'd been living in the bathtub of a nerdy scientist. After receiving a letter in a bottle from her mother under the sea, she returned there, but I visited her once a week at midnight on the shoreline. It was so romantic, I bucked up and gave her the Blue Feather that signified a proposal.

But she's a mermaid. She needs water. I found myself, after our wedding ceremony, with a very sweet little wife who lives, round the clock, in the duck pond outside my house ...

Even worse, after realizing the mermaid was exotic enough to capture my attention and yet too exotic to settle down with (I confess, I've heard real men describe some girls in similar terms), I turned my attention to the quiet, sweet and domestic little farm girl. Her health is frail, and she likes to stay home and cook delicious vegetables. I could picture her shuffling peacefully around my kitchen. I ought to be ashamed of myself.

It's an interesting piece on one of my most adored games. I'd certainly never really thought about the whole wooing-proposal-marriage process in a more reflective manner (it seems easy enough to say 'I'm not crazy about mermaids, pink hair, or consumptive farm girls. Who's left?'). Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chickens to fling.

Playing The Field [GameSetWatch]

"Everybody always tells us what a horrible monster EA is supposed to be and we keep waiting for the hair to sprout out and the fangs to grow," Valve MD Gabe Newell jokes

Valve to continue with EA [Eurogamer]

"Everything's just bigger. From a business point of view, we have more support from EA and superior distribution and marketing power behind us, more freedom," Yerli said.

Like any failed relationship, it all comes down to one thing. Trust.

"There were too many emotions involved back then, it was very passionate... It worked out, but it drained on the level of trust between us," Yerli revealed.

EA offers more support than Ubisoft, says Crytek boss [GamesIndustry.biz]

Sales usually slump right after Christmas and flat-line through spring and summer. Instead, Wii and DS sales in January 2007 were nearly 50 per cent of the Christmas rush. The DS actually sold out of stock.

"To witness such incredible demand during a traditionally slow sales period is solid proof that Canadians have embraced Nintendo's vision of what video gaming can be," noted (general manager of Nintendo of Canada Ron) Bertram. "Our goal of expanding the market to include players of all ages and levels of experience with fun, pick-up-and-play systems and games continues to be a resounding success.

I don't even want to know what kind of frenzy there will be in Canada when they come out with a Wii Ice Hockey game. We'll see a lot of battle scars after that happens. Kim Phu

Wii Becoming a Cultural Phenomenon [Canada.com via The Tanooki]

Brandon Sheffield over at Insert Credit points to a delightful post by Mathew Kumar (pictured happy dude) and his lady friend that lists 52 game similes to describe your relationship. Just dive right in and take a look at some stand outs:

Our relationship is like...

4. Tetris. Shit keeps piling up.

7. Red Steel. I'm just waving my hands in the air and nothing is happening.

31. Ico. You're completely helpless, and I'm sick of dragging you around everywhere.

27. Kirby's Dream Land. No matter how hard I suck, I can't get you all in my mouth.

42. Oregon Trail. It's dying of dysentery.

The whole list is clever and cute as hell. Swing by, take a peek. Brian Ashcraft

The Rest [Mathew Kumar via Insert Credit]

Check out the cards by hitting the link. You'll find the DS, the Wii, Zelda, Metroid, and even Phoenix Wright themed cards, ready to communicate your love for you in ways that you just aren't capable of. Michael Fahey

Valentine's Day Cards for the Geeks in Your Life! [4 color rebellion via Newlaunches.com]

A BGN Original - Ye Olde Pickup Lines of Oblivion [Busy Gamer News]

Nothing says I love you like a rectangular printed sheet of inkjet paper containing romantic message from a random Nintendo character. The folks at Play-Nintendo have realized this, and in honor of Valentine's Day they are creating new special printable cards every day until the 14th, each containing a different Nintendo game personality. So far they've featured Samus, Tingle, Tom Nook, Link, and my personal favorite so far, Navi, seen left.

The cards range from eh to pretty amusing, and are probably the best way to tell a gaming friend that they are worth 1/6 of a piece of paper and some ink. I really wouldn't recommend giving one of these to your significant other, as Play-Nintendo suggests, unless you are 8 years old or in a special ed program, which oddly enough covers a large portion of our readership. Not you, of course. Michael Fahey

Nintendo Valentines [Play-Nintendo]

I've totally caught launch weekend fever! Nothing like waiting in sitting on a cold sidewalk in below freezing temperatures for a good 6-8 hours to bring out the 101 temperature in a man. I've been shot at (with fruit punch!), pulled over by the police (broken tail light), witness to attempted theft, and threatened by a mountain woman who thought I might be a line crasher. And now I'm sick. Huzzah!

My head is throbbing, my body aches, and I would love nothing more than to have a nice little lie down right about now, but I've got places to be tonight, and Wiis to play with, so I soldier on for you folks, because I love you.

If I die, it's all your fault. Michael Fahey

When Peter Molyneus speaks, gamers listen... to a crazy man-child blithering in the corner. The man behind Black & White and numerous other middling-to-execrable games has recently given a speech as part of the EA lecture, 'The Industry Speaks: The Future of Entertainment."

What is that future? Well...

We have felt the emotion of killing and maiming and the emotions of power. But we need more complex and interesting emotions. That is where real innovation is going to come from... The innovation that you, me and friends are playing a game together and we're experiencing male-bonding as we all cry over the same thing. That is my ultimate plan. One of the emotions I hope, if I do my job right, is the emotion of being loved. Not of you loving something, but something loving you.

Got that, you pathetic waste of skin? Peter Molyneux's going to create a game that makes you feel loved because, god knows, everyone else sees you as a flabby, engorged spermatoza that should rightly have withered in your father's testes.

Not that Molyneux counts himself out of the same category, you understand.

Yes, there's World of Warcraft, and it's fantastic. I sat in my underpants until four in the morning playing that game for about six months and I realised I was one of the millions of people doing that.

Luckily, even crazyman Molyneux had enough sense to leave out details of his poop sock from the speech. Florian Eckhardt

Emotional games will push industry forward, says Molyneux [Games Industry]

In a wild bid for "Worst Name for a Videogame Ever", Love Hamster is due on the Japanese DS scene on November 2nd.

Players can design six rooms for your hamster to run around in. You can also play dress up and teach your hamster words by speaking in the microphone.

There is currently no North American released planned, but if you really feel like your DS experience is incomplete without talking hamsters that throb and twitch like the freshly-extracted organs of your vanquished foes, I'm sure Bashy will be taking orders. Eliza Gauger

Love Hamster [Siliconera]

Aw. This really does squeeze a single drop of the ichor of love out of my cold, black, dead heart. Okay, Zack's a dork, but his Guild Wars Valentine's Day message at least takes dork love to an unmatched extreme. Florian Eckhardt

Gamer love doesn't merely cuddle close to the homerotic. After we posted the tattoo of a Hot Topic employee's Luigi tattoo and explained that it was a testament to his passion for his best friend (their love ripped asunder by different college acceptance letters), Kotakuite David S. wrote us:

My wife, Erin, and I got married on April 23rd this year. I"m a huge gamer, and she actually reviews games for a living! (yeah, I know, it's really sweet). For our evening party, rather than a dance or something humiliating like that, we went to Dave & Buster's for our after-party to celebrate that night with our friends. So we could be seen, we made these really nifty t-shirts. I'm the one on the left, if you didn't figure that one out. :p

Too bad. The one on the right is rub-a-dub-dub. Anyway, nothing says 'hep couple' like a husband and wife dressed in matching t-shirts. And when those t-shirts are gaming themed? Le Mario Juste! Florian Eckhardt

This isn't just a video of some guy kicking ass on Taiko no Tatsujin. Sure, that's the surface, but underneath, it's deeper. This is the story of a young man and a girl. With his buddy supporting him, the drum master pounds out a tune on the taiko. He's trained countless hours for this moment, just hoping he could catch the attention of a female. Any female. And for a fleeting moment, he did, and the two connected on so many different levels. There is real human drama in Akihabara game centers. Brian Ashcraft

Drum Master [Wiki]

Slate has posted an argument, a very convincing one, that spending all that money and effort courting a potential wife, as well as paying for a wedding, will provide the same comparable happiness as ownership of a PlayStation 3. Citing the opinion that "a lasting marriage produces as much happiness as an extra $100,000 a year in salary", and that a PS3 will only set you back $500 to $600, which then turns into something like a billion dollars worth of happiness, it really does seem like a fair deal.

You'll also find lots of interesting math propaganda which will lead you to believe that earning at least half the median US income will net you a PS3 with only 41 hours worth of work.

I'm totally convinced, especially since I dropped about five grand on an engagement ring, not to mention thousands in meals, dates, clothes and general support, and got nothing but grief and credit card debt out of the deal. That's money that could've been spent on my first PS3 and the resulting replacement PS3.

As soon as some marginally interesting PS3 titles are announced, my first word will be "So long, flesh and blood ladies! Hello, digital ladies!".

Love Thy PlayStation, Love Thyself [Slate]

TriXie says Microsoft has a "hot" PR girl named Jen set up to play Perfect Dark Zero tonight from 6-8 EST. That gives you guys enough time to play PDZ searching for the mystery gamer and then you can still take your own V-Day sweetie out for dinner.

Your Valentine's Day Mystery Gamer [TriXie Tells All]

Ask Lynn: Advice on Love tackles the not so age-old problem of massively multiplayer games and relationships. Her advice boils down to this: Leave him.

While I can understand that knee-jerk reaction—and she does suggest a talk first—I don't understand why Lynn calls the guy's hobby "asocial" and "an addiction." Whoa, Lynn, let's get some more details and facts before we start throwing around words like that. So the guy likes to play games every day until 3 a.m . where was I going with this?

OK, so he may have a problem, but the fact is that video games are this generation's TV and crack all rolled into one. Ever since the first cavewoman moved in and asked for a bit of one-on-one time over the raw mastodon, guys have been looking for ways to get out. I'm not saying that's right, or that's fair, but don't paint it as some new affliction just because this guy is playing games instead of watching the game or going to the bar.

Tired of Playing Games [Ask Lynn]

P.S. She's assuming Everquest when we all KNOW it's World of Warcraft.