We knew it was coming, it just made sense. Every time the Zune got an upgrade the rumors came flooding once more. “Microsoft is making a handheld!” Well of course they are but up until now it wasn’t anything but business logic and rumors. No more though! Shane Kim, a MS VP recently declared in an interview that "For us, it’s a matter of focusing on ‘when’". That, right there, is an admission of what we all knew was going to happen. He went on to say:

"because if we chased after a mobile or handheld opportunity, we would not have the resources and ability to do things like instant-on 1080p HD, Facebook, Twitter, Project Natal … And so we’ve chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we’re building a service in Live that will… extend to other platforms. No question about it."

Oh, cool stuff Microsoft, so not only are you confirming that you will eventually release a handheld but that it will run Live? Well color me shocked! What’s next, are you going to announce this device will use electricity? Oh right, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, an announcement like that will probably take another 2 years.

[Gearlog]

If Raiden Fighters Aces wasn’t enough to quench your appetite for fast-paced twitch gaming and mind blowing bullet hell action then fear not shmup fans as the time to rejoice is near. In exactly two months time, on September 8, 2009 UFO Interactive will be blessing Xbox 360 owners will Raiden IV. Fans of the series can expect to see new stages, exclusive weapons and bosses along with online features that include leaderboards, replays, downloadable themes, art and even unlockable ships (Fairy, Raiden Mark II)! That should be more than enough to keep your thumbs mashin’ away.

We’ll have more on Raiden IV soon, so be sure to keep it tuned to DDN.

Get ready for more nuts and more bolts action as Rare gears up (pun intended) to release the first major add-on pack for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts: Lord of Game’s (L.O.G.’s) Lost Challenges. Slated for an April 7 release, the add-on will feature 12 new challenges, 7 new multiplayer games and the chance for gamers to add 250 achievement points to their gamerscore. Oh, and I should mention that gamers who complete L.O.G’s challenges will be rewarded with a new version of Klungo’s Arcade Game. All this for what, only 400 MS Points ($5.00)?! Sounds like fun to me. Read more!

Over the course of the weekend owners of Bioshock for the PS3 found a little something special, and decided to share it with the rest of us. That’s right, a teaser for Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams was found at the end of Bioshock for the PS3. Picturing one of those lovely girl-creatures with a Big Daddy doll on a beach in the Atlantic sea. So get ready for more plasmids, more golden era charm and more dubious ethical choices.

Well, i thought we had heard the last of this, but it seems the Tokyo Game Show has brought this rumor to surface again. Yoshitaka Arai, the public relations head for Konami was heard telling the Japanese investor bulletin "Morningstar" the following:

"The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version (of MGS4) is quite high, and it is something we are currently looking in to."

Sounds like things are still hopeful for us Xbox fans out there, and I’m sure any fan of the series would love to see more people get the opportunity to play it. Will it ever come to fruition? Only time will tell, but keep your eyes pealed!

[Yahoo! Japan]

Capcop has being quite vocal about Resident Evil 5 at this E3. Sadly, as vocal as they are they end up repeating the same stuff everywhere. This leaves us with but a few new details of RE5.

As far as the story goes, we know that its set 10 years after the destruction of Racoon City. With Chris Redfield working for the BSAA, a bio-terrorism fighting organization. He’s sent to Africa to investigate some sort of biological attack that has happened there. We also know that parallel to all of this, Chris has been tracking the original virus used by Umbrella . Coincidentally, both events lead him to the same town, Kijuju, how handy!

Read more!

In lieu to British magazine Games(TM), and due to being stumped on a coming article, I give you a little dose of real-life equations which, unlike real equations on your last calculus paper, could be fun and related to what has been going on in the past years. Because if you can’t make fun of the videogame industry, who can you make fun of (apart from politicians and celebrities)?

More to come, so stay tuned.

Technorati : angering the internet community, battlecruiser, derek smart, fable, games TM, halo, humor, kingdom hearts, microsoft, peter molyneux, xbox, xenogears

Why this guide, of all times? Because there are other games worth playing apart from Halo 3.

Nine months just fly by so fast. For the gamers, who may have stumbled upon this page by chance, by now you have already “finished The fight” with the Master Chief and tried to pull off an aerial loop 8 out of 10 times on your PS3 Sixaxis controller. For the rest of you, you’re probably bored with Wii Sports and the Greek pantheon-sized library of portable puzzle games and brain trainers on your DSs and PSPs. Regardless, your consoles are gathering the proverbial dust until the next year when the next Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid will come out. Three months of nothing is indeed a long wait.

Fret not, dear wanderers of the world wide web, as I have compiled a list of future must-own titles for all the major consoles the average joe (and the hardcores) would be using in 2007. Yes, the PS2 does count, you next-gen elitist snob. These games will be released in between the month of October up until the Yuletide grasp of December, minus the snow and the occasional fat guy miraculously sliding down chimneys without fear of getting stuck. Not convinced? Here’s a few potential hits to keep you salivating to your mouth’s content:

Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

Release Date: November 28

This hyped-up coming attraction needs no introduction, but just as a refresher: you control a lieutenant in charge of a rag-tag group of humans and aliens as you attempt to save the world from mass planetary genocide from the Geth. With Bioware’s well-known reputation for creating immersive and epic storylines, evident in their take of the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons franchise, the space-opera that is Mass Effect boasts a way to change a direction of a conversation with a flick of a thumbstick, meaning you can go from seducing that blue alien hottie, to “kowtowing” her beliefs the next instance. Coupled with life-like graphics and the elements of a tactical first person shooter (FPS) into the combat system, and you will not be disappointed by Bioware’s latest.

Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii)

Release Date: November 12

Even with the recent E3 announcement on Nintendo making their stand on casual games, they still do care for their hardcore audience in a form of Mario’s latest platforming antics. Our plump and proper plumber now jumps across from planets to planets, which could mean a breakthrough from the medium’s norm. Just like his previous games, you have a plethora of powerups at your disposal, ranging from a Bee Suit which makes him float and fly, to the Ice Suit which lets you tread water easily as well as create blocks of frosty platforms ala Bobby Drake from the X-Men movies. I’m guessing everyone who owns a Wii probably had their calendars marked for this “second coming”.

Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

Release Date: November 20

Remember Guitar Freaks and the Taiko Drum series that were abundant in the local and international arcades? Well, Rock Band for both PS3 and Xbox 360 is a combination of the tools used in those games, except you also have a bass guitar and a microphone peripheral in the mix. And instead of playing alone, you can grab three of your friends and jam together to legendary tunes like Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Radiohead’s “Creep”. No actual guitar, bass, drum or mike skills required; anyone and everyone can join in, because this game can make you unleash your inner rock star.

Jump for more titles you need reminding of.
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Hey, at least you start outside in a forest this time. Guess there can only be one Library, huh?

After all the bullcrap and the launch party at New York, videos of people throwing duffel bags through a window, and the oodles of “memorial” ads littering game sites, I get to play Bungie’s final game of the trilogy which is synonymous to that thing you see on Jesus and angels. So how fares Halo 3, you wonder?
Read more!

Wonderful news Xbox owners, if you’re among the lucky ones who have a Japanese Xbox Live account it seems like it might still be useful. Reports are showing that not only can you download the Eternal Sonata demo that’s on Japanese Xbox live, but that it has menus and dialogues in English. How about that? Could it be that Microsoft is starting to understand us? Lets hope so! In the meantime get downloading and be sure to tell us anything dirty you find on young master Chopin, like syphilis or something.

[Joystiq]