We all remember back when, whenever Kadokawa told us that Haruhi was indeed airing this season, then all our hopes and dreams got shot down when they announce that it’s only a rerun? Of course, Haruhi Season 2 rumors have been about as rare as “MGS 4 for the 360” ones were. But even after being so blatantly shut down, we keep on hearing more rumors here and there.

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Robert Pelloni , the man behind bob’s game and it’s various viral campaigns, has just released a demo of the first part of the game, along with a “NOW OFFICIALLY LICENSED” in 38 point font on the front page(although I have a feeling that that part is just an April Fool’s joke). The demo is real enough however. All you need to do is go to the site and download the .nds file.

Despite my initial perplexion at choosing to release such a thing at such a date, I’m enjoying the demo so far. The humor isn’t awful, just somewhat campy but still entertaining enough.  There’s nothing too surpising out there for those who have been following the coverage, and it is just a 2d adventure game, but what’s wrong with that? What do you guys think of the demo? Has Bob and his viral campaign fed you up too much to be able to enjoy his final product? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

[Bob's Game Official Website]

Last month, rumors circulated as EA CEO John Riccitello mentioned a Dead Space title for the Wii. Now it’s official. Due some time in autumn of 2009 Dead Space Extraction will be told as a prequel to the events of the original Dead Space released for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Extraction will be made solely with the Wii in mind, built from the ground up and extensively using the motion controls in this FPS title. Offering new weapons, enemies and co-op multiplayer, Extraction is sure to deliver a much needed injection of horror to the Wii library.

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“Energy” is an enigma. We use in nearly everything we do and consume it in ever growing quantities. When I sit in my room, power-up my TV, turn on my gaming system and transport myself a way from reality, I never think about how much power I’m really using. I just pay my energy bill every month noticing oscillating charges as seasons come and go.

The real fact of the matter is that we waste a lot of energy. Our computers are constantly running, our gaming systems typically on standby mode. We have numerous gadgets left charging.

So what? I mean in the grand scheme of things the energy bill will get paid and We’ll still play the games we want, watch TV and torrent to our hearts content. The overall energy bill only fluctuates a bit a  month and whatever we do is a drop in the bucket. Right?

Well lets reframe the issue. I am not going to say you should save Earth. I’ll let someone else do that, but I will give you a guide on how going green making some minor changes will increase your spending cash to do the things you love; watch, play, and purchase anime and video games.

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For Square, this new partnership marks a divergence of their current RPG offerings. The Gas Powered Games and Square Enix collaboration will start development of “SUPREME COMMANDER® 2, a sequel to the award-winning real-time strategy series.”

Reading the tealeaves, Square Enix is looking to increase awareness among gamers who typically pass-up RPGs to play a RTS. What does this mean for gamers? Will we be seeing mechwarrior chocobos?

[SquareEnix Via GameIndustry]

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It’s no secret that women gamers are drawn to different aspects of gaming then their male counterparts. The gaming industry is seen as a teenage boy clubhouse. While there has always been talk surrounding getting women more involved in this industry, finally a company is taking real action.

“Today, I am challenging everyone to take action to help level the playing field for women pursuing a career in video games,” said Torrie Dorrell senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE). “We can encourage diversity in development and make a difference, hopefully creating more opportunities for women.”

SOE is piloting, G.I.R.L. or Gamers In Real Life, a new initiative designed to encourage female students pursuing a career “in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play,” stated in a SOE press release.

There are a number of statistics and write-ups concerning this topic, but it is pretty clear that in the game development industry and within the gamer population “girl gamers” are a small albeit growing population.

G.I.R.L. is a scholarship program given to students of undergraduate studies relating to game development. Female students compete by submitting original artwork or essays to be judged by a panel. This scholarship has been in the seedling stages for quite a while and I think this is a fantastic outreach opportunity.

Let’s be real honest here and make some general, bordering on stereotypical statements, guys are very goal oriented. Girls that I know who play games tend to enjoy games that are either more cerebral or social based. Games like Rock Band, World of Warcraft or The Sims fit in this type of category and casual gaming is still dominated by women.

In a growing multibillion dollar industry, where nearly 75% of paying casual gamers are women demonstrating they play and are willing to purchase games for themselves, the potential revenue created by having women design games with the woman in mind, are too good for developers and publishers to pass-up.

What are your thoughts? Think I’m wildly off base and the gaming industry won’t change? Let me know in the comments.

[G.I.R.L. / Via SOE Press Release]