That's Valus the Minotaur and Dirge the Sandworm, just with a lot more flesh, the stuff of very bizarre sexual fantasies. But it's also the stuff of Comiket 77, now sadly closed and far out of reach for someone who might want a copy of this "tan" tribute to Shadow of the Colossus.

You can see more of fan artist Shigatake's work at the very, very not-safe-for-work Sankaku Complex, the artist's personal site or his Pixiv account. Any Comiket goers happen to grab a copy of this?

Shadow of the Colossus-tan [Sankaku Complex (NSFW) via Fort90]

Because Shadow of the Colossus has already hit Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's "The Best" line of budget re-releases, so a re-issue means... well, we're not sure. That they're simply out of copies and that someone in Japan is hungry for Colossus slaying on the cheap?

The bad news is that this is not a a God of War Collection-style release for the PlayStation 3, giving ICO and Shadow of the Colossus a high-def once-over to drum up interest in The Last Guardian. But it may be a good sign that Sony sees value in Team ICO lead Fumito Ueda's desire to give the first two games in the series a PlayStation 3 caliber presentation.

Shadow of the Colossus re-release next February? [Team ICO Gamers via One Last Continue]

"This decrease," states Sony, "was mainly due to lower VAIO PC and game sales." According to Sony, lower PS2 hardware and software sales as well as the appreciation of the yen negatively impacted business.

During the quarter, Sony sold 3 million PSP units, down from the 3.2 million units sold during the same period last year. PS2 sales dropped from 2.5 million units sold during this period in 2008 to 1.9 million units sold in the same period this year. PS3 sales, however, were up: 3.2 million units were sold during the period, compared with 2.4 million units some during the same time last year.

"An operating loss of ¥58.8 billion ($654 million) was recorded," states Sony, "a deterioration of ¥18.2 billion year-on-year, mainly due to a deterioration in profitability in VAIO PCs and the game business."

But can a video game capture the essence of a toy made popular by it's ability to physical transform from ball to creature?

Loved
Essence of Bakugan: The popularity of the collectible card game is driven by the nature of the little marble-like Bakugan. These balls, when rolled across a metal card, pop open to reveal a tiny monster inside. Each creature has points, which can be modified with cards. The Bakugan with the highest point count at the end wins.

The video game does an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of these tiny creatures and the way the spring to life. While the battles animate the Bakugan, everything leading up to that moment feels like the real-world game. The marbles roll around an arena responding the shape of the playing field and the tilt of your controller. And if a ball lands on a card it springs open, just like the Bakugan you may have in your home. Cards are still used to modify points. The only real difference is how the winner is determined, with mini-games modifying the final point count for each creature.

Throw and Control: To play the game, both on a console or in the real world, players take turns throwing their balled Bakugan across an arena, trying to land it on a card. In the Wii version of the game, you do this by first selecting a Bakugan with your remote, then determining if you want a standard or power throw. Finally you aim and throw the ball with your remote. Once in motion, you can guide the ball around the arena by tilting the controller. If you run out of energy before landing on a card the ball returns to your hand and it's the other player's turn. The object of each battle is to win three cards either in battle or by lading two of your Bakugan on a card. The responsive controls of the Wii remote, while the Bakugan is in motion, makes the game surprisingly fun and adds a level of skill to what could have been a game of pure numbers.

Arenas: Taking advantage of the video game medium, the developers created a number of themed arenas packed with power-ups and cards. Instead of just throwing your Bakugan at a card, players are tempted into exploring the arena on the hunt for powerful items that can be used in battle. But if you run out of energy before making it to a card you lose everything you collected.

In the Game: While there aren't a ton of ways to customize the look of your character, there are enough to make him or her look sort of like you. And once you've created your character he or she will show up in every animated cut-scene for the game, right there along side all of the characters from the cartoon. It's pretty neat.

Multiplayer: While the single-player campaign may test your skills as a Bakugan Brawler, the multiplayer, which allows up to four players to battle at a time, is where you'll likely have the most fun. It's here that the game will be most played.

Special Shots and Sphere Attacks: Another neat addition to the basic Bakugan play is the ability to rack up enough power over time to do special shots when you throw a Bakugan. You can also use shots to smack into an opponent's opened Bakugan to damage it before a battle starts. Both of these abilities add a bit more tactical action to the game.

Hated
Touchy Remote: While the controls work flawlessly when controlling the Bakugan in motion, the time spent leading up to your throw can be very frustrating. In particular, grabbing a Bakugan and then deciding what sort of shot you want can often be problematic, with the controller deciding for you because of the way the game is designed.

Plot: Unlike a game like Pokemon, where the battles with other characters are neatly woven into the framework of the story, Bakugan's story comes as an aside to gameplay. All of your gaming, with the exception of the forced training done in the park, comes during tournaments which are almost completely story free. It would have been nice to see the game presented in a bit more cohesive manner.

Limited Mini-Games: There are only three mini-games in Bakugan Battle Brawlers. Three games used to decide who wins in a match-up. Players will shoot symbols, tap buttons in a rhythm game or shake the controller. While each of these mini-games have a number of difficulty settings, they can become tedious over time because every single match up has to include one of them. It would have been nice if the developers had included a half-dozen or even dozen mini-games instead. Three is just too little.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers does a better job of laying out the basic rules of playing the game than the actual card and marble game you can buy in a store. It's an impressive feat to manage to outdo the source material and in many ways that's just what this video game does.

Will Bakugan Battle Brawlers usurp Pokemon's throne? No, not by a long shot, at least not yet. To do that the game will have to spend a lot more time on the story and building up both the characters and the creatures they collect, but I found the basic mechanic of battle much more engaging than I've ever found Pokemon to be.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers isn't without its flaws, but there's something very engaging about playing the game. The physical nature of controlling your throws, exploring the arenas and then watching your Bakugan spring to life all had me coming back for more.

Bakugan Battle Brawler was developed by NOW Production and published by Activision for the DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 on Oct. 20. Retails for $49.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played the campaign mode for six hours and multiple multiplayer matches on the Wii.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

According to game site Siliconera, this is Square Enix's last PS2 title.

As the PS3 picks up more steam, the PS2 era is slowing drawing to a close. The PlayStation 2 has had an incredible run — kinda sad to see it gradually end!

We are following up with Square Enix for confirmation.

Square Enix's Final PlayStation 2 Game // Siliconera [Siliconera]

The Oct. 17 event will give players a chance to check out the game, due out on on Oct. 20 for the DS, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. Attendees will also get a chance to try their hand at the "Maxus Challenge" where they can compete for a chance to receive ability cards and other prizes.

Gotta get them... oh, wrong one!

According to listings from GameFly and GameStop—typically the quickest retailers to react to delays—the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP game has been moved back about a month. There's some disagreement about exactly when the game's various incarnations are due.

GameStop says every version hits December 8, originally scheduling it for a November 3 release. GameFly says the Wii version arrives November 26, but puts a more ominous December 31 on the PS2 and PSP versions. Walmart.com's release dates for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories are closer to GameFly's, with the PlayStation versions arriving Christmas Day.

Maybe Konami feels the horror game could capitalize on a bit more Christmas cheer or it's finding new awards to paste onto the game's cover. Regardless of their reasons, we've asked about the slipping date, but have not yet heard back.

Thanks to Manuel for the tip off.

That document, uncovered by French gaming web site Objectif-Sega, notes that "SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN," which may indicate a strategy similar to the one Sony has taken with original PlayStation games, released as "PSone Classics." The document appears to be a list of notes from a meeting between Sega of America and Robert Dyer, senior vice president of publisher relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America, dated from early August.

The notes mention two titles, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and an unspecified Sonic the Hedgehog game—there are seven Sonic-starring games for the PS2—as examples of candidates for release.

If the document is legitimate and the notes are accurate, the plan to offer downloadable PlayStation 2 games makes a good deal of sense. Sony just recently announced the God of War collection, which bundles the first two games in the series on a Blu-ray disc for the PS3, with a handful of enhancements. The ability to offer individual games certainly makes a greater deal of business sense, considering the PlayStation 2's 1800 game strong library would offer ample opportunity for profit on digital downloads.

The same document also mentions what appears to be downloadable Dreamcast titles for the PlayStation Network. Those titles don't appear to be exclusive to the PlayStation 3, however, as the rumored meeting notes read "If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they're interested in having exclusively."

We've attempted to verify the validity of the document and are seeking comment with Sega of America and Sony Computer Entertainment, but did not hear back before publishing. And, for the record, the above image is merely a Kotaku-created mock up.

Also, the folks at Objectif-Sega appear to have retracted their story at the request of Sega France. For me at least, the document in question appears to still be live at Sega's press FTP.

[Exclu] Stratégie de SEGA : l'incroyable fuite ? [Objectif-Sega via NeoGAF]

You'd think I would have faced this fear enough times to master it, or at least learned to play every type of game out there (or perhaps grown a penis). But while I have lost my fear of driving and football sims, 2K Sports' NHL 2K10 presented me with a very difficult challenge. I grew up in a town where our hockey team was on permanent exhibition and I haven't touched a hockey game since the 90s. So I have only the barest of foundations on which to judge 2K10's authenticity and plenty of opportunities to embarrass myself in a room full of guy games journalists during a multiplayer event.

But while I can't vouch for whether or not the game is better than NHL 2K9, I can at least tell you what's changed. And, more importantly, I can tell if you if it's any fun for gamers who aren't into hockey sims.

What Is It?
NHL 2K10 is a hockey sim developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the Wii and the PlayStation 2.

What We Saw
I attended a pre-launch multiplayer event where pizza and beer were provided along with the 360 version of the game.

How Far Along Is It?
NHL 2K10 ships Tuesday.

What Needs Improvement?
Could Use Some More Commentary: Overall, the commentary – provided by Randy Hahn among others – was entertaining. However, there was a lot of repetition of lines to the point where the game-calling sounded unnatural. For example, if you were down about two points and had been playing terribly during a period (like me), the "I just talked to the coach and he tried to put a positive spin on things" speech is almost exactly the same.

What Should Stay The Same?
The Zamboni intermission mini-game: When a period ends and the game goes into intermission, you can press a button to trigger a two-player versus mini-game where you race to resurface the ice. The mini-game comes with its own commentary and is so completely absurd, it's refreshing. Also, the kind of thing with which you can engage your kid/girlfriend/person who doesn't care about hockey but is forced to watch you play anyway.

Stumble Shots: I'm told this is a new feature in 2K10 and after having pulled off a few, I cannot imagine a hockey game without them. Apparently, in the old game, if you were in a shot animation and another player checked you, it would just abort the shot (which is dumb, because even I know that some of the best shots in hockey are made mid-knockdown). Now, they've added a ton of animations and scenarios for when you get checked mid-shot that allow you to complete the shot even from flat on your butt.

It's Actually Not That Alienating: To me, the mark of a good sports game is one that doesn't shut out gamers who aren't into that sport. I'm not saying a game needs to breakdown every call of the game (if you keep getting called for off-sides, you'll figure it out, eventually). But I think a game with straightforward controls and relatively generous timing on slap shots like 2K10 goes a long way toward easing the anxieties of non-hockey fans.

Final Thoughts
I had fun playing NHL 2K10, both because the game itself is a quality experience and because the guys I was playing with turned out to be very tolerant of my ignorance (beer and pizza will do that). Obviously, the game is aimed at hockey fans, some of whom need to be won back after what sounds like a not-so-good showing in 2K9. That may limit the game's appeal overall, but from my perspective it's not a barrier to entry for new players. It's just icing on the ice.

Sparking it is part of the reason we exist: sometimes it's the only way to raise an issue up in the public dialogue to a point where a discussion is had, a decision gets made, and action taken.

And that's what our work on games consoles is all about: getting something done about the problem of electronic waste.

Our recent videos here on Kotaku stirred up a variety of passionate responses.

I'd like to clear up a few misunderstandings about the toxic substances in electronics and consoles in particular. Pressuring Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to remove toxic chemicals is just part of our campaign for greener electronics.

Greenpeace first started its Greener Electronics campaign in 2005 to address massive increases in the dumping of toxic electronic waste, or "e-waste", particularly in developing countries. We were seeing mountains of old electronics piling up. Ground water in parts of China was so polluted by toxic chemicals that it was undrinkable. Children in Ghana, Pakistan, and India were enveloped in acrid fumes every day from burning the PVC insulation off wires to recover copper. This is the ugly reality behind the huge growth in our use and disposal of more and more computers, phones, and gadgets.

In August 2006 we launched our Guide to Greener Electronics covering the policies and practice of leading mobile phone and PC makers on toxic chemicals and global recycling. Mobile phones and PC are the biggest contributors to the massive growth in e-waste but as the campaign progressed it was clear we needed to expand the focus of the Guide. In November 2007 we added TV makers and console makers to the Guide.

We added Nintendo and Microsoft (Sony were already featured) because of the explosive growth in console sales, making it one of the biggest growth areas in consumer electronics.

We focus on toxics elimination and global recycling as two vital areas to help tackle e-waste. Removing the most hazardous substances from electronics first makes them safer and cheaper to recycle responsibly. If old electronics are still dumped, less toxics equals less pollution.

Requiring global electronics firms to provide free take back and recycling for all their products has two major benefits. It makes it much easier and convenient for everyone to ensure their old electronics are recycled responsibly. Plus if companies who make products are also made responsible for them at the end of life they have a big incentive to make them more durable, reduce hazardous substances, and design for efficient recycling.

These principles apply to all electronics from mobiles to TVs, consoles to computers. Phasing out hazardous substances is not easy or quick to do. As a simple rule of thumb, the smaller and simpler the device the easier it is to remove toxic PVC plastic and Brominated Flame Retardants. Removing these substances from consoles is a challenge for companies but not an impossible task. The most progressive electronics companies committed to remove these toxics back in 2006 or 2007 with target dates of 2009 and 2010. Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Apple are definitely leading on toxics elimination. Progress from the biggest PC makers is mixed; Acer remains committed to completing a phase-out by end of this year, while Dell, Lenovo and HP have postponed their phase-outs.

If progress from other sectors has been mixed, console makers haven't even left the starting blocks. While Sony has a commitment to remove these chemicals from mobile devices by 2010, and has made progress with models like the Vaio laptop, Sony refuses to make any commitment for the PlayStation. Microsoft has a commitment but only by 2010. Nintendo has no set date to remove PVC.

Alternatives do exist

We are not asking for the impossible - alternatives to these substances do exist and are available. Apple has proved it's possible by removing BFRs and virtually completing PVC phase out while reducing the price of new models.

While many progressive companies in the electronics industry have taken up the challenge to make greener electronics that are free of the worst toxics, more recyclable and energy efficient, there's also been plenty of criticism thrown in our direction.

Here are my answers to several of the most common critiques related directly to consoles.

I often see criticism that we are not promoting solutions or alternatives, only problems. For me there are several parts to this. On eliminating toxics our expertise is on raising the issue, the solutions are best developed by the companies and the product designers, engineers and chemists backed by massive R&D budgets. Only companies can find the best solutions for their products. This is something companies need to invest in significantly. Pressure from their customers is vital to raise the issue of toxics elimination up on the ladder of corporate priorities. If enough gamers request consoles without the worst toxic chemicals, the manufacturers will move. Without that demand, nothing happens. In this sense every one of us reading this can be part of the solution.

Many comments highlight the fact that consoles are rarely thrown out and are in high demand on the second hand market. Undoubtedly this is true for many places, but with monthly combined sales of consoles in the millions and historical combined sales in the hundreds of millions there must be a significant number of consoles that have or will find their way on to the global e-waste pile eventually. It's very difficult to find any comprehensive global figures on amounts and exact consistency of e-waste, as the trade is illegal in many countries. However, old electronics containing toxic chemicals are often dumped in developing countries because that's the cheapest option.

Some claim we take money to attack other companies. Actually, no — we don't. Part of what makes Greenpeace different from many other environmental groups is that we simply don't accept corporate or government funding as a matter of principle. Our independence means we're free to bite any corporate hand we need to, without fear of upsetting a funder. We actually screen donations, and send back checks that don't come from individual donors.

Often stories like to portray our campaign as Greenpeace attacking a specific company. Yes, we do single out companies, either because they're a perfect example of a problem, or because they're the worst performer, or because they have the potential to lead the industry in a new direction if they change. The name of the game is to get an issue onto people's radar, and to build public pressure for change. You can call it Machiavellian, but that formula is what has given us a four decade track record of success. Nations no longer dump radioactive waste in the ocean, because we made it an issue. Antarctica is off limits to oil and gas exploration, because we made it an issue. Commercial whaling has been banned, because we made it an issue. We have no permanent allies, no permanent enemies. Our sole allegiance is to solving environmental problems.

Use your power

The people eeking out a living by scavenging smoldering mountains of our castaway technology can't comment here on Kotaku. But their voice matters greatly in this debate. There's no reason our gaming needs to be poisoning them. You — the gaming community — hold the power to change the way consoles are made. How can we hold that power, and not use it, when it's a matter of life and death?

Tom Dowdall coordinates Greenpeace's campaign for Greener Electronics.

Developer NOW Production's answer is to carefully capture the look and action of marble play, and spring-loaded toys in the game set for an October release.

The original Bakugan card game is essentially Pokemon with cards and toys. Players lay metal cards on a table and then shoot plastic balls, like marbles, at the cards. If they do it right the ball stops on the card and a little creature springs out. Then the game essentially become Pokemon, with players adding up the points for their creature, taking into account the modifier of the card, and seeing who won.

Moving the physical nature of the game from the real world to the digital was key to making the game work, but at least for the Wii version, it appears NOW has succeeded.

I spent perhaps a bit too much time, eventually getting kicked out of the room, with Bakugan on the Wii at Gamescom last week.

To play, gamers select three Bakugan creatures and then go into battle on a pre-selected playing field. Instead of just providing a flat space to play on, the developers created pinball-like tables with plenty of interaction and hidden modifiers and traps.

Gamers take turns using the Wii remote to toss the Bakugan marble onto the table, then they can maneuver the ball, Monkey-Ball style, around the playing field. This allows you to collect modifiers, but you also have to keep an eye on the gauge that shows how much time you have left before the ball stops moving. If you can get it back to the card before the time runs out, you're set, otherwise it's essentially a wasted throw.

If you and an enemy manage to land on the same card, then the game goes into the Pokemon-like battle phase, which, while nicely animated, is completely automated as well.

If you manage to land two of you critters on the card and the enemy lands none, you capture the card without a battle.
Capture three cards and you win that game.

While the game features 40 detailed, real-world, Bakugan that spring into shape when they land, and hundreds of cards to battle for, what really makes this game work is the modifier and trap-filled battle arenas. I think it also helped that the Wii's motion control made maneuvering those rolling Bakugan both challenging and fun. I'm sure the game will be fun to play on the Playstation 2, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360, but the Wii will likely be the console of choice for this title.

I did manage to grab a few minutes with the DS version of the game as well and while it was fun to play, the Wii's remote-supported version was more fun.

I spent most of my time on the Wii version facing off against Wii-controlled opponents plucked from the Bakugan storyline. But it's important to note that Bakugan the game will come with it's own unique story, penned by the writers of the anime series. It will also include the ability to create your own avatar, one that offers a surprising amount of customization.

Finally, the game offers custom multiplayer matches, though I wasn't able to test that out during my time with the title.

This PVC figure of her will be released this December in Japan for around US$100 and is manufactured by Yamato Toys.

Odin Sphere Velvet non-scale PVC figure by Yamato [Neko Magic]

The time-traveling adventure game will be scaled down to UMD format and ship to Japanese retailers on October 1, the same day the new PSPgo ships to North America and Europe... but not Japan. The Japanese get it a month later. Sorry, I guess there's no real connection there.

But for anyone who missed out on the original release, or its Windows and Xbox ports, you'll soon be able to relive the time-hopping murder mystery all over again. Perhaps Eike will be given a side mission in which he travels back in time to prevent himself from getting that terrible hair cut.

Shadow of Memories PSP [Konami via Siliconera]

Syd - a collector who runs...The Personal Computer Museum- is on a bit of a PS2 bender at the moment, and flushed with pride, sent us this snap of his library. Over 1200 games. And Syd would like you all to know that number's not being padded with Greatest Hits variations; he only picks those up when they include worthwhile, additional content (like his Devil May Cry special edition).

For reference, his first game was the original Jak & Daxter in 2002, while the 1000th game was...Chicken Little: Ace in Action. Hey, you collect, you collect the good and the bad.

Dr. Richard Marks, creator of the EyeToy, illustrated much of the same technology during the PlayStation 2 era, using a much more bulbous magic wand to showcase what the console's camera accessory was capable of. Hardly as impressive an implementation of what was on display during Sony's E3 showing, which teased first-person shooter and intricate drawing functions, but fascinating nonetheless.

I remember using similar tech when I first played Harmonix's EyeToy: AntiGrav at my first E3, when the game was intended to ship with bright green gloves, letting the camera track player movements. This looks familiar, but certainly not as refined as what appears to be possible with the PlayStation 3 iteration.

Thanks to Miguel for the heads up!

So says the UK's Serious Organized Crime Agency, which pegs generation non-specific "PlayStations" as the newest tool used by crime committing types to do their dirty deeds. How? By way of video game chat rooms. I was hoping for corpse teabagging in Morse code, but it doesn't appear to be quite that clever.

"People are using PlayStations to charge their mobile phones and are playing games interactively with others so are able to communicate with them," says Bill Hughes, director general of SOCA. "The Prison Service is concerned that prisoners are using interactive games to talk to people outside the prison."

That "concern" might be dispelled by the Prison Service itself. Reps tell the Times Online that this sort of communication isn't possible, at least under their rules.

"Prisoners have never been allowed access to wireless enabled technology such as that used in some games consoles," Prison Service reps say. "Nor would they ever be allowed access to such technology."

That means an outright ban on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nitnendo DS, three platforms named specifically by the prison system. Prison reps also note that no PlayStation 2 consoles with modems are available to inmates, limiting chances that drug smuggling operations are being run via Final Fantasy XI.

SOCA says it's a problem. Prison officials say it's not. Who to believe? The crime fighters or the criminals?!

Crime lords 'running empires from jail using PlayStations' [Times Online]

The first Mana Khemia took a bit of a hit in the ratings for being long-winded. But with screens this pretty, I may not mind sitting through long, tedious conversations half so much. At least as long as they're not about homework, that is.

Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy will also feature a different type of turn-based battle system where you can switch both attackers and supports in and out of combat. There are over 100 items to craft in the game and two separate story lines for the main characters.

The game is due to land on North American PlayStation 2s in the Fall of this year. Here are some screens:

Today NIS America announced that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love will be coming to North America this Fall, letting PlayStation 2 and Wii owners find love in between bouts of steam-powered mech battling. For those unfamiliar with the long-running series, the strategy role-playing game offers a chance to foster relationships with cute, doe-eyed anime ladies, as well as let off some steam in ground and air-based battles.

For followers of the Sakura Wars series, the North American localization appears to be based on Sakura Wars V, which landed on Japanese PlayStation 2s in 2004.

That would almost certainly indicate that PlayStation 2 games would be playable on the PlayStation 3, a backwards compatibility option that the most recent PS3 configurations don't offer. And that would be just about the greatest thing since in-game text chat to hit the console.

Not so fast, Sony Computer Entertainment reps say. The console maker is not announcing updated PS2 support just yet.

"It is simply a marketing survey. The goal of it is to do focus group testing," SCEA reps told Kotaku. "We're just trying to find out what would resonate with the God of War community."

SCEA reps indicated that, while PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility isn't out of the question, don't assume that dangling the prospect in your face is a promise.

"If that was the number one requested thing, that would be something they would need to see if that was most technically feasible," reps clarified.

"Obviously with Blu-ray, we're able to put more content on the disc," we were told. "But in terms of having seen God of War II on a Blu-ray disc on a debug and playing it that way, no, that's not something I've seen."

While the door has been left open to allow the possibility—which could be technically possible on a game-by-game basis—keep your expectations lowered. We'll all be happier that way.