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  It’s The The Final Fantasy XIII Countdown

  Square Enix revisits that most annoying of video game news teases, the countdown clock, promising a “new vision” of Final Fantasy XIII soon to be revealed to the world. We’ve been annoyed by countdown clocks since the first early human crawled out of the goo and said, “Hold on a sec”, but when it’s Square…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Playing Madden Makes You Smarter…About Football

  A survey conducted by the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center has indicated that playing EA Sports Madden NFL can teach you important life lessons about football. The survey queried more than 15.000 NFL fans, testing their knowledge in categories ranging from game situations to the rules and business of sport. On average, NFL…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Get Your Free Copy of the World of Goo Soundtrack

  Kyle Gabler, likely riding high on all of the gamer and developer kudos that have been rolling in for World of Goo, is giving away the soundtrack to his game. The game’s 27 tracks add up to an 85MB zip file. The mirrors are crashing fast, so if you’re interested in getting the music, I’d…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 21, 2009
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  Plain Sight Open Beta Launches, Robots With Swords Kill Themselves

  Beatnik Games has officially launched the Open Beta for Plain Sight, the multiplayer online PC game that pits bouncing robot against bouncing robot in a sword-swinging fight to the finish. The subtitle for Plain Sight is “Kill Yourself”, and there’s a god reason. You are a robot, killing other robots for points. The more points…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Capcom Signs Deal For Monumental Online Multiplayer Game

  Capcom has announced a development deal with UK-based multiplayer online game developer Monumental Games to create a multiplatform title to be released and published by Capcom later this year. Details are scant about the deal between Capcom and Monumental, the developer behind online games Football Superstars and the upcoming hunting MMO Hunter’s World. A brief…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Prototype Comic Launches on April Fools Day

  Details for the upcoming Prototype comic book mini-series just hit DC Wildstorm’s website. First announced back in April, the comic based on the upcoming multiplatform Activision game will run six issues and looks like it will cost your $4 a pop starting on April 1. The comic will be written by Justin Gray and Jimmy…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 21, 2009
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  Yuke’s Launches Downloadable Games Division With Adorable Logo

  Yuke’s Company of America loves downloadable gaming platforms so much that they’ve just created Akinai Games, a special division with a special logo, devoted to creating downloadable console titles. Yuke’s recognizes the growing shift towards downloadable titles with Akinai Games, which loosely translated from Japanese means “keep entertained.” The division will be focused on creating…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Linden Lab Buys Second Life Virtual Marketplaces OnRez And Xstreet SL

  Second Life creators Linden Lab have been shopping for shopping, acquiring virtual goods marketplaces OnRez and Xstreet SL in order to integrate them into their popular virtual world. OnRez and Xstreet SL (formerly SLExchange) are basically the Amazon.com of Second Life, where residents of the virtual world can browse and purchase items for their avatars…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2009
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  Wash Your Hands? Gargle?

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Podcast Guest Editor ‘Cause man, people in Osaka apparently do it like crazy — Osaka’s children have the cleanest hands and clearest throats in the nation. Mrs. Bashcraft has always told Mini-Bash to wash his hands and gargle after he returns from being outside. She does it. Her family does…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  Gears of War 2 Update Arrives With Mountain of Fixes and Tweaks

  Gears of War 2 updated last night with a patch that includes quite a number of fixes for multiplayer and balancing issues as well as some new features. The patch, which went up about 3 a.m., also adds seven new achievements, four of which require the Flashback Map Pack that came free with new copies…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 21, 2009
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  Governor-General Visits Afghanistan To Drop Off A Wii

  Background info: Australia has a Governor-General. Read up on that here. Anyway, she was in Afghanistan today, paying a surprise visit to Australian troops stationed there. Troops who were bored. So Governor-General Quentin Bryce flew in, said hello, shook some hands, dropped off a Wii and left. Bemused troops smiled, shook hands, waved goodbye, asked…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2009
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  Five Ways Game Sites Can Improve

  Been to a game’s official site lately? You probably have. Probably noticed while there that it was a bit crap, full of useless flash pages and 320×240 “screenshots”. Here’s five ways to fix that. Owen Davis, from Evolution Research, makes a living telling people that make websites how to do their job. We’re not normally…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2009
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  Only One Xbox 360 Game Made Top 100 Sellers of 2008

  Crunching the sales data from game publication Famitsu, we have a breakdown by platform of the 100 biggest selling games of last year in Japan. Here goes: DS: 47 games Wii: 15 games PSP: 15 games PS2: 12 games PS3: 10 games Xbox 360: 1 game And that one Xbox 360 game is Tales of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  Different Ways To Play Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time

  Actress Airi Taira isn’t only starring in the live adaption of manga 20th Century Boys, but also these new Square Enix ads. Lucky her! The TV spots are for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time and show how the game can be played with the Wii, the DS, your friends and a cat. That’s…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  SEGA Staff Cuts Confirmed

  The rumor that SEGA of America made thirty of its employees redundant is not a rumor. Confirming the lay-offs, a SEGA rep. stated, “Sega of America has grown at pace with the booming videogame industry, but at this time of economic recession, harsh retail landscape, and the reality of business challenges to profitability, we must…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  Aaron Greenberg Disagrees With Kaz Hirai, Bites Him In Face

  Gotta love this harsh economic climate. It’s dragging executive shit-talking back to its 2006-07 heyday. Latest example? Aaron Greenberg’s response to Kaz Hirai’s “console leadership” quips to the Official PlayStation Magazine. Not liking what he’s read, Greenberg does not politely rebuff the Sony man’s point of view. He does not choose to ignore the man.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2009
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  Barack Obama Doll Relaxes With Miniature Famicom

  Okay, the gaming connection? Slim at best and pretty much stops at the title. But hey, yesterday was the inauguration. If you’re cool with all that, read on. A 1/6 scale version of the new President is relaxing under a kotatsu. There are mikans and a nearby Famicom — not a Wii. But really, consider…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  Which Games Sold The Most, In Australia, During 2008?

  Seen America’s. Seen Japan’s. Seen Britain’s. Now let’s see which ten games sold the most copies in…Australia. Anyone expecting a break from the Nintendothon, don’t bother, but the list isn’t entirely devoid of surprises. It’s Wii, Wii, Wii at both the top and bottom of the list (Big Beach Sports? Really?), but in the middle?…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2009
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  Peter Moore Thinks World of Goo Devs Can Teach EA Stuff (Like Leave EA?)

  Back when Peter Moore went all “WTF” to Eurogamer, the EA Sports exec was baffled about World of Goo making the Top 50 games of 2008. “World of Goo? I’m sure it’s fun,” Moore then blogged, “and the reviewers certainly loved it, but surprised to see up so high.” Well, the exec has finally played…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2009
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  Because Halo 3 Always Needed A Little More Fallout 3

  The Halo series is, when it comes to shooters, up there with the best of the best. Only problem is, it’s so old. I mean, the last game came out in, when, 2007? That’s ancient! So let’s freshen the game up a little, throw in some features from games we’ve been enamoured with a little…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2009