Dead Space fans can choose from a variety of t-shirts, along with an Isaac outfit and a little model of the Ishimura, while sports types have a full range of official NBA and NCAA football jerseys.

Before you ask, yes, the sports gear is cheaper than the NFL stuff from a few months back.

[Avatar Marketplace]

This top-down, dual-stick shooter retains the arcadey appeal of the genre, while supporting its frenzied action with sharp visuals and impressive effects. Solo pilots are in for an alien-annihilating blast, but co-op world-savers may get lost in the chaos before finishing this fight.

Loved
Thumbs At the Ready:0 Day's action is fast, fun, and often frantic. There's always lots happening on-screen, and only razor-sharp reflexes will keep your craft from quickly becoming a plummeting ball of fire. Assisting your fight against Earth's invaders are multiple ships, power-ups, and abilities. An effective nitro boost will shoot you out of harm's way, while screen-stretching explosive blasts-that'd crane the necks of Mercenaries' pyro-loving protagonists-envelope bigger enemies in a tidal wave of flames. Additionally, expected genre power-ups such as three-way spray guns and flame throwers that deliver death from both ends of your ship, round out your alien-whuppin' arsenal. The swift action is also nicely managed by intuitive controls and a simple, clean HUD display.

Aliens Attack!: Evocative of over-the-top extraterrestrial invasion films like Independence Day and Minority Report, 0 Day pays as much attention to its presentation as its gameplay. Taking place over seven days and 20+ missions, the story sees you fighting enormous enemies in real-world cities. Where similar titles offer repetitive starry space backdrops and uninspired enemies, 0 Day pits players against massive metallic menaces erupting from the Hudson River and mechanical limb-flailing monsters that dwarf Manhattan's skyscrapers.

Hated
Chaotic Co-opWhile 0 Day seems tailor made for a kick-ass co-op experience, its up-to-4-player mode suffers from being way too busy. Between the enemies, explosions, allies, and power-ups, there's already a bit much crowding the screen during solo play. But add more trigger-happy players to the mix, and navigating the clutter becomes maddening. Competitive mutli-player modes, while similarly dizzying, do fare a bit better here. If you can manage to tune out some of the peripheral chaos, there's some fun to be had while battling with or against buddies, but more often than not I found myself flying solo.

0 Day doesn't stray too far from what makes the dual-stick shooter genre tick. But addictive action and some interesting abilities, complemented by a presentation ripped right from a Roland Emmerich flick, allow it to rise above the me-too competition. It gets a little crazy when the action ramps up during multi-and occasionally solo-play, but quick-reflexed gamers shouldn't have a problem saving the planet from its latest alien threat.

0 Day: Attack on Earth was developed by GULTI and published by Square Enix for Xbox Live Arcade on December 23th. Retails for 1200 Microsoft Points. A code to download the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's campaign on medium difficulty and participated in several online multi-player matches.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

It's that time of year again. Time to take a data dive into the heart of eBay U.S. to gauge how well the video game grey market fared during the holiday season. Rather than charting the sales numbers of a specific console, as I've done for the past three years with the Nintendo Wii, this year I'm presenting a broader overview of the eBay grey market, charting the sales for all major gaming platforms during the 30-day period beginning November 26th and ending on Christmas Day. I've compiled data on console sales, game listings, and some of the top-items passing through the popular auction website. If you want to know which platforms thrived, which handheld completely tanked, and the most successful video game-related item on eBay, then read on.

Console Sales

The table below presents a general overview of the sales performance of the major consoles and handheld systems during the month leading up to Christmas. I've listed the total sales in U.S. dollars, the number of items sold, the average selling price, and the sell-through percentage, which indicates the success of auctions posted for each specific product. Check out the table, and then we'll break things out by console.

PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 in all its varied incarnations sold the fewest number of consoles out of the big three this year, but that shouldn't be taken as a measure of the system's success. Indeed, if you look at the sell-through percentage, the PS3 comes out on top. That means there were less people selling, but plenty willing to buy. Since the launch of the PlayStation Slim earlier this year, Sony has maintained a steady supply of the consoles to retail outlets, and the abundance of available consoles equates less people looking for them on eBay.

From a seller's point of view, that high sell-through figure means the PlayStation 3 comes out on top in terms of sales potential.

The highest price PlayStation 3 auctions mainly consisted of limited edition consoles, including the Final Fantasy XIII bundle recently released in Japan.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 brought in the most money of any console this holiday season, mainly due to its average price being slightly higher than the Nintendo Wii, which pushed more units overall. The Microsoft console's sell-through numbers were only slightly lower than the PlayStation 3. Between that figure and the larger number of consoles put up for sales, it seems like putting a new 360 up for sales is seen as a relatively safe bet among sellers.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle made up a large portion of the Xbox 360 sales during the period, with 322 of the consoles representing $126,924 worth of sales. The Infinity Ward-flavored bundle went for as high as $900.

Wii

eBay sellers continue the love affair with the Wii that started with the console's 2006 holiday debut. The Wii was the top seller of the big three in terms of units sold, but the slightly lower sell-through rate indicates that there might have been a few too many up for sale.

Also note that the average price for the Wii was $190, which is below the suggested retail price. Either sellers were taking advantage of discounts and sales, or they weren't making very much in the way of profits.

DS

The Nintendo DS managed to outsell the newer, more advanced DSi this holiday season, pushing more than 2,000 units beyond what Nintendo's latest North American handheld sold. A failure for the DSi? Not exactly. Take a look at the sell-through percentage and you'll see that the DSi has the largest number of any game console. eBayers wanted to buy them, but the sellers just weren't selling.

PSP

The PSP sold strong on eBay this holiday, with the PSP-1000, 2000, and 3000 generating more money than any other handheld, though the DS trumped them with sheer numbers.

The top selling PSP was a used red God of War limited edition PSP, which went for $1,009.

Unfortunately, the PSPgo didn't fare nearly as well as its older brother. In fact, Sony's UMD-less alternative to the regular PSP performed abysmally, pushing only 250 units. It's not a factor of demand behind too high for supply either - the sell-through rate of 76.47% indicates that people simply weren't buying it.

To help paint a more complete picture, let's compare units sold versus monetary sales. If you look very closely, you'll notice that both graphs do indeed contain the PSPgo. You might need to zoom in.

Games With Legs

Now let's take a look at the games that traded this holiday season. This time around I took the top ten titles sorted by number of auctions, to see which ones were moving the most.

Certainly not a surprising list. Modern Warfare 2 seems to be showing up at the top of any list as far as sales are concerned these days, and Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are two of the titles meant to showcase what the Wii can do, so those both sold in droves. World at War traded heavily, perhaps due to people swapping out the old for the new, and the Pure / Lego Batman combo disc packed inside select Xbox 360 consoles over the holiday season scores a tidy profit for those who received it for free.

And Uncharted 2 making the list makes sense, but what about the extremely more expensive edition?

Forty-five of the ultra-rare Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition made it onto eBay during the 30 days leading up to Christmas, but it seems some sellers set their hopes too high. Of the 45, only 24 sold, giving the package a 53.33% sell-through rate. The average price for the package was $891.52, with one going for as high as $1,136. Didn't get one? Maybe you should have made it to Kotaku's Child's Play fundraiser this year.

What People Look For In An Online Video Game Auction

Selling on eBay isn't just a matter of having a strong product, but being aware of what your prospective buyers are searching for and using search terms accordingly. Let's see if this list of the top 10 search terms used in both the games and system category can help.

The console search terms are pretty much common sense. Let's face it - if you're selling an Xbox 360 and you forget to include Xbox 360 in the title, there's something wrong with you. As far as game search terms go, folks initially seem to be going for specific games, but then desperation sets in. You have to be pretty desperate in order to type "Wii games" into an eBay search page.

Wii Remotes Are The New Hotcakes

Finally we come to the hottest selling video game item of the holiday season. With 8,359 items sold between November 26th and December 25th, the Nintendo Wii remote is the hottest selling gaming item this holiday season, generating more than $202,000 for sellers over the course of one month. The remote, bundled with a nunchuck, a skin, and a wrist-strap is sold as a "Nintendo Wii Remote+Nunchuck Game Controller+Skin 4 SET," though counting the wrist strap as an actual item is a bit shaky. Still, with The New Super Mario Bros. Wii making four-player gaming fun on the Wii, its no wonder the controllers are flying off the shelves, onto resellers' shelves, and then back off of the shelves again.

Another Year Goes By

And there you have the 2009 holiday season, summed up in 30 days of eBay data. A look into what happens to games and consoles once they pass from retail into the hands of the wheelers and dealers that populate the world's largest online marketplace. Bids were sniped, Buy It Now items were pounced, and in the end, everybody got feedback. A++++! Would research again!

Methodology
Statistics in the 2009 Grey Market Report were gathered using eBay market research tool Terapeak. Data was drawn for a 30 day period starting on November 26th and ending on December 25th. Console statistics were pulled directly from the Video Games / Systems subcategory to allow for mis-filed system listings, while game data was puled directly from the Video Game / Games subcategory. Console searches were limited to items in New condition, with a range of $100 to $1,000 used to ferret out accessories. Certain terms were omitted from the search in order to allow for a more accurate reporting of console pricing, including "games," "extras", "accessories," "lot," and others on a case-by-case basis - for instance, "Wii Fit" was omitted from search terms for the Wii in order to make sure systems bundled with Wii Fit did not influence the pricing data.

Eurogamer's Czech Republic site has posted an article detailing a new expansion for Dragon Age titled Dragon Age: Awakening. Apparently culled from product listings from unnamed websites in New Zealand, the land of movie extras, the new expansion is said to take place after the events of the original game, with a new character, a new origin story, and upwards of 15 hours of gameplay.

We've been scouring New Zealand's finest gaming websites, but so far have only been able to find a listing for Dragon Age: Awakening at The Game Station, where the PC version is listed at $69.95 NZD and the Xbox 360 version listing for $10 NZD more. There is no PlayStation 3 version listed. Eurogamer.cz says the expansion will retail for two-thirds the price of the full title, so that sounds somewhere in the vicinity of right, all things considered.

It's certainly a plausible rumor. BioWare is committed to providing new content for Dragon Age, and a new expansion would sure taste great right about now. We've contacted BioWare for comment, but considering the holidays, we aren't holding our breath.

Odkrytí Dragon Age Procitnutí (Translation Here) [Eurogamer.cz - Thanks L.!]

IndieGames have compiled two lists profiling the highest rated games on the service in both the US and United Kindom. Remember: these aren't the most popular games, or those raking in the most cash. They're the ones that have the highest user ratings.

As you'll see, some of the games have had a little media coverage, but others haven't, so don't go blaming exposure for the results. Blame the quality.

U.S. Top 20

(1) I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
(2) Inside Lacrosse's CL2010
(3) Arkedo Series - 03 PIXEL!
(4) Miner Dig Deep
(5) Beat Hazard
(6) ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition
(7) ZP2K9
(8) Groov
(9) Kodu Game Lab
(10) Arkedo Series - 01 JUMP!
(11) CarneyVale Showtime
(12) Platypus
(13) The Impossible Game
(14) Solar
(15) Avatar Wave: Snowball Fight
(16) Square Off
(17) Gerbil Physics
(18) Johnny Platform Saves Xmas!
(19) Avatar Drop
(20) Twin Blades

UK Top 20

(1) I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
(2) Miner Dig Deep
(3) Arkedo Series - 03 PIXEL!
(4) Avatar Wave: Snowball Fight
(5) SFG Soccer
(6) ezmuse + Hamst3r edition
(7) Platypus
(8) Beat Hazard
(9) Johnny Platform Saves Christmas
(10) ZP2K9
(11) Arkedo Series - 01 JUMP!
(12) Kodu Game Lab
(13) Leave Home
(14) Avatar Drop
(15) The Impossible Game
(16) Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp
(17) CarneyVale Showtime
(18) Junkyard Battle
(19) Inside Lacrosse's CL2010
(20) Gerbil Physics

Top 20 Rated US, UK Xbox Live Indie Games: Dec. 29th [IndieGames]

You need to have "won" one in a Twitter promotion, and you can't of course actually play with the things, since they're purely decorative, but hey, for those hanging on every day for new of their arrival, quit hanging. Your codes will be in your inbox.

Reader JJkujo was kind enough to send us in a shot of his new, fluffy friend. Thanks!

Famitsu—and we're guessing parent company Enterbrain—have tracked some of 2009's bestselling games that bear the budget price, known on the Sony side as "PlayStation 3 the Best" titles and on the Microsoft side, "Platinum Hits." We realize you probably weren't asking yourself this morning, "What price reduced games from 2008 sold pretty darn well in Japan in 2009?" but Famitsu is here to answer that unasked question.

The two bestsellers are Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the PS3 side, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on the 360 side. And that's where the race is closest, as the PlayStation brand is clearly winning the budget priced war in numbers, according to Famitsu.

Here's the list.

PlayStation 3 the Best
01. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 88,753
02. Everybody's Golf 5 - 88,346
03. Valkyria Chronicles - 81,625
04. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - 59,092
05. Yakuza Kenzan! - 55,226
06. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - 39,679
07. Grand Theft Auto IV - 33,202
08. Devil May Cry 4 - 23,770
09. Mahjong Fight Club - 20,656
10. Way of the Samurai 3 Plus - 20,593

Xbox 360 Platinum Hits
01. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - 86,534
02. Beautiful Katamari - 74,166
03. Halo 3 - 25,508
04. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 24,567
05. Left 4 Dead - 12,988
06. Armored Core 4 Answer - 10,974
07. Idolmaster Twins - 6,621
08. Devil May Cry 4 - 6,360
09. Grand Theft Auto IV - 6,210
10. Fable 2 - 6,151

年末年始はPS3&Xbox 360廉価版で遊ぶのもあり！−−2009年廉価版ソフト販売本数TOP10 [Famitsu]

There were two ways to market this game in the states. Either Aksys could play up the fighting system and gloss over the more adult bits, or they could release a trailer that basically says that the game itself doesn't matter as much as the scenery within. That's not the sort of message that makes me want to rush out and spend my money.

Very nice use of 70's porno guitar though.

...can still be faked. Along with these four new screens for Two Worlds II, Reality Pump has released a series of "MoveShots" at its website. "MoveShots" are tiny little videos that show the game in motion, which according to a press release will take care of any worries fans might have about fake screenshots.

"These, so-called, MoveShots serve as a very vivid forecast into the Antaloor universe featured in "Two Worlds II" as well as dispelling any rumors about the possibility of doctored screen shots, which, unfortunately, are all too common throughout the modern day videogame industry."

Hit up the game's website to check out the MoveShots for yourself. They're just like tiny movies, only...exactly like tiny movies.

Want to know about Gamertag issues, top DLC or Arcade titles? Pester about the future of Xbox Live or possible CES news? Now's the time to call in with your good questions!

To listen, head over to our BlogTalkRadio page. Unfortunately, you can only listen live on the BlogTalkRadio website.

Want to be heard on Kotaku Talk Radio? Call us on the air LIVE at (347) 857-3782 or use Skype to dial in!

Listen to the show here.

At last, the hunter becomes the hunted...and the hunter...at the same time. There's definitely some hunting going on, that's for sure. Your character's transition from Dragon Slayer to Dragon Knight is one of the key focuses in the game, raising it above your standard action RPG fare.

Look for Divinity 2: Ego Draconis in stores next week for the PC and Xbox 360.

The Behemoth's Castle Crashers is still one of the best things going on Xbox Live Arcade, and an excellent introduction to the service for folks who found a shiny new Xbox 360 under their Xmas tree this year. It's a bargain at 1200 Microsoft points, but at 560, or $7, it's simply too good to pass up. If you've yet to partake in the frantic 2D fighting action, now would be a good time. You have until the clock strikes midnight.

Purchase Castle Crashers On The Internets [Xbox.com via Major Nelson's Twitter]

Call-in and listening details will be live on the site just before show time.

This teaser trailer goes along with yesterday's announcement that SouthPeak is bringing Blood Bowl to retail next year, though I highly doubt the action in the PSP, PC, and Xbox 360 versions will be quite as entertaining as the video clip. After spending the better part of a decade fighting alongside elves of various shapes and colors in assorted MMO titles, it's sort of cathartic to see one get punched in the gut and stomped flat. Go orcs!

A job posting on Microsoft's site for a Principal Program Manager specifically asks the successful applicant to "drive the platform and bring Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile". That's the part we knew.

Some new stuff, however, comes in how they'll be doing this, saying "This person will focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences "LIVE Enabled" through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multi-screen experiences".

So...your avatar can hang out on your 360 and your phone. That was a given. The "multi-screen" part is interesting, though. Remember how the GameCube and GBA could link up and share game info? Like, how in Wind Waker you could get little maps and bonus info on the Game Boy Advance's screen? This might be like that. Only, people might actually use it.

Principal Program Manager [Microsoft, via Gizmodo]

The damage is $19.99 USD, more or less in your currency, and takes an impressive 6 GB worth of hard drive space. That's the one potential snag in this digital distribution wonderland isn't it? I mean, I like to have an extra 20 GB worth of extra space, in case of emergency. But, hey, Gears of War is a fun bit of violence and it sure does look nice, so if you prefer your games distributed this way, have at it.

Gears of War [Xbox Live Marketplace]

Oh fine, go ahead and scoff. It's a squid with a mouth on its head. Certainly doesn't sound like a very efficient killing machine. I guess it has to grab the player and toss it into the air like popcorn, catching them in its mouth as he or she drops. I hope the3se akrid have a voice, so we can hear it saying "Wait...do over" every time you bounce off its face.

Lost Planet 2 Akrid Profile: Defolma [Capcom Unity]

What does one get for the 800 Microsoft Points investment? The all-new Riot Mode challenges, offering new things to loot and a bank in which to store all that loot. It may not sound like much for ten bucks, but the description "like Smash TV in coop FPS" seems to actually have some truth to it, making the DLC potentially priceless.

You can read our impressions of the new downloadable content if you're on the fence or, if exceptionally cautious, wait for our upcoming review.

Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot hits the PlayStation Network beginning January 7, 2010 for $9.99 USD and Windows PC in "early 2010." Anyone grab it yet?

These gameplay trailers give you a good look at just how glossy the plastic soldiers are on the battlefield. It definitely helps remind you that these are supposedly toys instead of real people you're blowing up. You know, in case you missed the giant toy box in the hazy background.

The thing I like is where you can sometimes see a child's bedroom in the background. I wonder why it's not like that all the time — like in levels where there's an actual sky instead. No chance in hell my parents would ever let me take a bunch of toy soldiers outsides; I'd lose 'em faster than you could blink.

Ostagar is the very first area you visit in Dragon Age: Origins once you make it through your character's original story, though shortly after you get there the location becomes less than welcoming to continued exploration, what with the rampaging hordes of vile creatures and the chance of getting dead king on your boot soles. Return to Ostagar allows players to reclaim the secrets lost on that battlefield. The downloadable content will be available for the PC and 360 on January 5th, with the PlayStation 3 version arriving later in January.

"We are thrilled at the way the fans have embraced Dragon Age: Origins and we're excited to welcome them back into the game," said Aaryn Flynn, General Manager and Vice President, BioWare Edmonton. "Return to Ostagar represents BioWare's commitment to providing a steady stream of compelling post release content as we continue to expand the Dragon Age universe."

As reported previously, Return to Ostagar will run 400 Microsoft points, 400 BioWare points, or $4.99 depending on your system.