GameFly Wants to See Your Sucky Videos

Ever wanted to appear on television hawking something and not get paid to do it? Well, now's your chance.

GameFly is holding a "contest" to see who is the biggest GameFly super fan. The winner gets to show up on a GameFly television commercial. To enter, you just need to submit a 45 second video of yourself explaining why you love GameFly and why the character you are dressed as is your favorite. You can submit as many videos as you want from now till Sept. 30.

The video with the most votes between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31 will win a trip to Hollywood to appear in the commercial. Get on it, as of this morning there were only six videos submitted to GameFly for the contest... many of which sucked.

Hit the jump for visual proof of suckage.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Demo is Live

The Guitar Hero: Aerosmith demo has launched on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 we're told.

The demo includes Sweet Emotion and Dream On by Aerosmith, as well as Walk this Way by Run DMC and I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Say what you will about artist-themed Guitar Hero games, at least you're getting four free songs out of the deal.

Nintendo, always on the hunt for new gamers, hit up the American Association of Retired People's Life@50+ Expo in Washington, D.C. this week.

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.

WoW is a Dirty Word

We're having a slow weekend here at Kotaku: Owen is off, and I'm holed up in bed trying to stave off the flu; Aether made a nice respite from my headache and general feelings of 'blah.' It's a weird little game — a little abstract and fuzzy around the edges, you control a little guy and his pet who can fly through the air with the greatest of ease, using said pet's tongue as a grappling hook/trapeze .... I actually quite enjoyed zipping through space from planet to planet, trying to solve puzzles and bring the color back to unhappy people (the core of an unhappy planet seen above). It's not the most intuitive game ever — it did take me some time to figure out how to successfully get off the ground and into the atmosphere - and I broke out the mouse because the trackpad wasn't cutting it. Still, it's pretty and soothing (and short) — good for a bit of time on a Saturday afternoon.

Aether [Armor Games via IndieGames]

Breaking Through the Retail Glass Wall

BioShock: The Postmortem

'Debunking the Stereotypical Gamer Profile'

Licensing Blasts From the Past: Nintendo

Michigan firefighters are blaming an overheating Xbox and spiral notebook for a house fire in Clio last month.

Firefighters say the console was left on for as long as four days with a notebook possible blocking its air vents. The original Xbox also still had the power cord which was recalled by Microsoft in 2003.

The family's apartment, which was above the cafe they ran, apparently isn't covered by their insurance so the insurance company is only paying to fix the business and not replace personal possessions ruined by smoke.

Some New Halo 3 Achievements Unveiled

Luke Smith over at Bungie lays out some of the new achievements coming to Halo 3 when the next patch and Assembly map hits.

Smith points out that the included list of achievements aren't all of the new ones coming with Title Update 2.

As folks have seen, these aren’t the only achievements we’re adding. But without proper context, there’s not a whole lot else we’re going to say. Stay tuned.

The update may slip as well, Smith points out, to closer to the Halo 3 one year anniversary. Now for those achievements which can be earned via the Legendary Maps and Halo 3 Campaign:

This is Owlboy. It's a game from D-pad Studio. This is their description of the game:

Owl Boy is a 2D platforming adventure for the Xbox 360 and Windows PCs. Go with Otus on a free flying quest into the clouds and discover the secrets of the floating islands while preserving the Owls' integrity...

Pretty much sums it up. Good news is it looks pretty great! Better news is it's being entered into the IGF, so hopefully it can pick up a little more exposure while it's there.
Owlboy [D-pad Studio, via TIGS]

Who Thinks All These Game Mergers and Takeovers Are Good?

It's Friday! Time for, that's right, TELL US DAMMIT. here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know fucktons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Not sure!

This week, Tecmo turned down Square Enix's offer of a friendly takeover. Rather, the company is in talks to merge with Koei, making Tecmo-Koei a possibility — like Square Enix or Namco Bandai. Our question:

What do you think of game mergers and takeovers? Are they good for the industry or bad?

Pro Evo 2009 Kicks Off In Europe In October

Time to go trade in that copy of Pro Evo 2008, kids, because the 2009 edition's been dated for release. Continental Europe, you get it first, on October 15. Britain, you get it October 17, because traffic on the channel tunnel is just a nightmare these days. Japan, you get it sometime in November, and America...no idea. Sorry. Import it from Europe if you're that keen.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 gets release date [VG247]

Go tiny or go home. That's the Spore marketing philosophy apparently, as the folks from EA have installed what is probably the world's daintiest billboard in San Francisco's Union Square. At just 14" by 6", the Spore billboard requires a telescope to see.

Fortunately, EA has installed said telescope and aimed it directly at the wee Spore advertisement, giving passersby a chance to enjoy some smartly conceived marketing. If you happen to be in the Bay Area, specifically Union Square, you have a brief opportunity to check it out. Everyone else can live vicariously through pics after the jump.

Square Enix Still Hungry Like The Wolf

Square Enix wanted Tecmo. Still do, and may well make another pass at both Tecmo and Koei. But for now, they've got other fish to fry, with bossman Yoichi Wada reiterating the companies desire to go buy some more companies. Inside Japan, outside Japan, it doesn't matter. Best of luck, gents, but if a company with the size and track record of, say, Tecmo says no, maybe you should lower your standards (Midway, maybe?)

Square Enix Withdraws Tecmo Bid, Hints At Other Acquisitions [Gamasutra]

Tragedy As Kid Plays Halo, Re-Creates Action With Real Gun

There's been a tragic death in the town of Watertown, Wisconsin, as an 11-year old boy has accidentally shot and killed himself. Having taken the day off school for some Halo, Joshua Nimm was playing with a rifle, re-creating the action from the game. Problem was, although he ejected the rifle's magazine, it seems he didn't realise there was a round already in the chamber, and it went off. As a result, Nimm accidentally shot himself, and died as a result of his wounds.

Creek boy dies from gunshot[Watertown Daily Times, via GamePolitics]

A Week In Comments

Square Enix Takes "No" For An Answer, Withdraws Takeover Offer
Comment by: Xagest

Come on guys, this is a take over, not a merger. SquareEnix would stay SquareEnix, and TECMO would become BITCH.

Grand Theft Auto For Wii? Take-Two Says...
Comment by: TheHeartless

GTA Wii Edition

A remake of the classic PSone hit! Complete with the following features:

-No improved graphics!
-Waggle hookers to death!
-Smack the Nintendo Wii Remote and Nunchuk together to hotwire cars faster!
-Multiplayer! Play up to 40 minigames featuring popular Nintendo characters in the bar, including darts, pool, and all the other "sports" that have worked with wild success in the past on with the Wii's innovative technology!
-Blood has been replaced, with the help of Stephen Spielberg and the Boom Blox team, by confetti! We hope to score an ESRB E10+ rating to expand this game to a "wider audience."

Coming Holiday, 2010 along with other Christmas hits like The Legend of Zelda: Save the Forest Again, and Mario Nebula!