Sony has been fined £250,000 by the UK’s ICO for 2011’s big PSN hacking fiasco. They plan to appeal. [via GI.biz]

The Beauty of a Microwaved CD

Do not try this at home. Or at work. Or wherever. Microwaving a CD is dangerous. It’s also beautiful. Via Twitter user @ao_0356 comes this series of photos showing what happens when you fry a CD in the microwave. If the stills are not enough to satisfy your curiosity, here’s a YouTube video showing how…

No, The DS Is Still Alive In Japan

Nintendo’s DS. With over 152 million units sold worldwide, the dual-screen portable console is without a doubt Nintendo’s biggest seller ever. But now, 8 years after its initial release, currently being outsold by its successor, the 3DS, it seems the DS is almost completely ready to quietly disappear into the night from the Japanese market.…

One thousand Foxconn workers are apparently on strike over salaries and bonuses.

How Did This Baby Stop Crying? Anime Music, Duh.

This adorable infant knows what he likes: anime. In the above video, originally uploaded to Nico Nico Douga, the darling baby only stops crying when he hears the opening theme song for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, of course, is an incredibly popular manga and anime that is getting a new fighting game Anime:…

The Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem collaboration is a “new” RPG title “jointly” developed by Atlus and Nintendo.

A Manga Starring a Guy Obsessed With Donating Blood

The competitive world of digital comics is about to get a lot bloodier. On January 23, at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan press conference, the usually somber Mamoru Oshii spoke about his latest creation, Chimamire Mai Love (My Soaked In Blood Love or Blood-Stained Mai Love), which is a black comedy about a high…

This Game Gets a Little More Sonic the Hedgehog Every Time I See It

A new trailer appears for PagodaWest Games’ Sonic-inspired iOS platformer, Major Magnet, making me wonder if maybe this new hero is the offspring of two older ones. Could Sonic and Robotnik have a baby? He’s got the speed. He’s got the body shape. He’s got a strong attraction to mechanical devices. Sure, they’re both guys,…

I’m A Little Weirded Out By This “Sexy” Blade Runner Video

Joanna Cassidy had a small role in Ridley Scott’s classic Blade Runner. She was the mostly-naked robot lady with the snake. Well, according to Cassidy, the role was meant to be a little bigger, with the original script calling for a scene in which she did an exotic “reptile dance.” This scene was never shot.…

Next Saints Row, Metro Games Will Be “Faithful To Their Franchises”, Say New Owners

Koch Media owns publisher Deep Silver (Dead Island). It now owns both the Saints Row and Metro franchises, along with the studios that made them. Fans have every right to be cautious about a management change, but while Koch said in a media release earlier today it “will roll out future plans for each franchise…

These Pictures Were Drawn Using A Human Eyeball. Incredible.

Francis Tsai is a concept artist who has worked for companies like Rockstar, EA and Eidos. Sadly, as we told you last month, Tsai was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 2010, and the condition has slowly taken away his ability to draw. First he lost the use of his hands, so he learned to…

Instagram & Steam Teaming Up Would Be A Wonderful Thing

To be clear, for those who make decisions based solely on video thumbnails Instagram is not coming to Steam. But boy, it’d be pretty funny if it did. Instagram for Steam announcement [SpookyFries69]

THQ Is Gone. Now What The Hell Happened To Homeworld?

It’s easy to have lost sight of it amongst the more contemporary series flying off to new owners today, but for me, one of the most important prizes up for grabs in the great THQ auction was the fate of the Homeworld series, which even ten years since its last release remains one of the…

Why You Should Talk To Game Store Employees In Your Native Tongue

Set against the backdrop of a prank call by Earles & Jensen, this video by Jim Dirschberger and Travis Millard is great. And gives me the sudden urge to open a phone book and start calling every EB Games in the country. Gamemasters [EightyFourFilms, via Laughing Squid]

These Birds Know How To Shred Like Tony Hawk

Man, all my budgies do is sit there. These budgies on the other hand, they know how to shred,* and they know how to shred hard. Look at them go in their tiny skateboards. Old video, sure. Cute though, so thought it was worth sharing. Maybe it’ll cheer some of you up. Well, here we…

A History Of THQ, 1989-2013

For all intents it happened late last year, but today the results of an auction called it: THQ, formerly one of the biggest video game publishers in the world, is no more. It’s been a hell of a ride. While technically first formed in 1989 as Trinity Acquisition Corporation, THQ began business proper in 1990,…

This eloquent Kill Screen piece ruminates on why diversity should be important to the future of video games

See A Bunch Of The Classes In Fire Emblem: Awakening

Just a few hours before today’s news bonanza, Nintendo unleashed this trailer for Fire Emblem: Awakening, the upcoming fantasy strategy-RPG that will be out for 3DS on February 4. In it, you can see a whole bunch of the game’s classes, some of which are wayyyy overpowered (Myrmidon) but I won’t get into that right…

The Most Atmospheric Post-Apocalyptic Video Game Worlds

Post-apocalyptic worlds in video games don’t necessarily have to be grimdark, depressing or colorless. There are many fine examples where the game’s design either moves beyond these tropes, or develops them to perfection. We have collected a few of them below. Enslaved: Odyssey To The West source: Enslaved.uk World Of Ruin In Final Fantasy VI…

Damn, The New Sim City Looks Gorgeous When In High Speed

Watching a city buzz at night time is awesome—all the cars, all the lights. It’s hard not to feel awe. It’s even better if you’re watching a city’s downtown though. Things seem to move at a different speed, almost. Here is a video of a downtown in the upcoming Sim City; it’s buzzing at ‘cheetah’…