call of juarez: bound in blood review

Anyone who reads here can probably tell I'm not a huge fan of the shooter genre of games but I try to at least stay on top of what's good, what's selling, that kind of thing and shooters certainly are one of the more popular and wider-selling game genres out there. This week will see the release of Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, the followup to the Western-themed FPS from a couple of years ago. As I said I'm not a fan of shooters but I am a fan of Westerns so I've been enjoying watching the development of this game as it gets closer to market. The animation style looks beautiful and from initial reviews it's sounding like it could be pretty cool. This review calls it "a thrilling, wild ride down a road that remains surprisingly less traveled". Could be a fun one to try out sometime.

new games lately

I don't know why I always feel like I need to buy new games but, well, I do, and so I added a few more to my collection recently. First, I decided I was thoroughly embarrassed by trying to play the New York Times crossword puzzle game because it is really, really hard - at least it was for me - so I traded that one in and picked up the USA Today Crosswords game for idiots instead. LOL. Next, I found a very nice used copy of Beautiful Katamari for the 360 and picked that one up - haven't really had a chance to try it yet but I have a feeling it could become a new addiction. Finally, as an apology for falling asleep and missing a dinner date at the mall food court during my shift on Friday night, my wonderful boyfriend bought me an immaculate copy of Fatal Frame III: The Tormented for the PS2, which means now I just need to import Fatal Frame IV and I'll have the whole set rounded out. Love me some video games!

cursed mountain sounds supercool

I just happened across a survival horror Wii exclusive game coming out at the end of August that sounds totally awesome! It's called Cursed Mountain and it's set in 1980, telling the story of mountaineer Eric Simmons, whose brother is lost on a fictional mountain in the Himalayas after attempting to ascend without making a ritual sacrifice. The mountain is populated with spirits of the dead which try to hinder Eric's passage. Being a Wii exclusive, all the controls will be motion-based and may also use other aspects of the Wii controls like the built-in speaker in the Wiimote. The graphics and animation style of this game look stunning and beautiful and I bet it will be pretty scary as well if they can pull off the lonely and haunting ambience of a snowy mountain crawling with ghosts. Learn more from IGN's Cursed Mountain preview and check out some screenshots thanks to GoNintendo.com. I will definitely be picking this one up for sure - you have to support the survival horror efforts on the Wii if you're a genre fan!

gaming news from all over

Best Buy is testing out used video game trade kiosks in stores in Austin, TX. Walmart is trying this as well. The games are redeemable for gift cards assuming they pass a test to be working. We'll see if a kiosk can compete with GameStop's solidly established retail trade-in services.

Penn and Teller will add video games to their list of topics to address on their Showtime show Bullsh*t! this season. The new season starts June 25th and unless the video game clips show up on Youtube I doubt anyone will ever see them.

The NPD Group will no longer release weekly PC sales charts documenting the ups and downs of the PC sales market. Sims 3 and Ghostbusters top the Direct2Drive chart while Left 4 Dead, Empire: Total War and Prototype are the top 3 on Steam's monthly chart.

Final Fantasy VII is the fastest-selling classic game download ever. The RPG for original Playstation has sold over 100,000 digital copies for play on the PS3 or PSP since being added to the North American Playstation Network at the beginning of June.

spore: galactic adventures review

The newest expansion pack for Spore on the PC has hit stores and it sounds like Spore: Galactic Adventures has some cool new features to offer that really enrich the Space stage of the evolution-based strategy game. I have to admit that I played through several different creature evolutions in Spore and enjoyed the game quite a bit but definitely agreed with many critics that you get to the Space stage and, well, other than mining spice and terraforming planets I didn't find all that much to do. I think the controllable captain mode of Galactic Adventures as well as the level/adventure editor tools that come with it will be really cool and add a lot of innovative gameplay aspects to Spore. IGN gave Galactic Adventures a "Good" 7.7 in their review. I think I will pick this EP up eventually but I think for now Sims 3 is still at the top of my PC gaming priorities.

personal trainer: walking

I’ve been using Personal Trainer: Walking on my DS for a couple of weeks now and I have to say I am really enjoying it. It’s kind of like a tiny version of Wii Fit – you even use Miis (either wirelessly imported from your Wii or created on the DS). The included pedometers are small and not a bother to carry around, plus uploading your day’s walking data is literally as easy as pushing a button on the pedometer. My boyfriend and I have been carrying them around and while I have been pleasantly surprised with how many steps I take on an average day (generally between 4,000 and 6,000 with a daily target of 3,000) he’s averaging more like 9,000 to 14,000! The game gives you an easy-to-read spectrum of your day’s activity, rated by how often and for how long you walked. It even assigns time of day and animal comparisons to each day’s activity – for example, an early day full of nonstop walking with little breaks makes you a Morning Horse. All in all if you’re a fan of fitness games and you want to get an idea of just how much ground you cover every day, Personal Trainer: Walking is a pretty good buy!

iphone bone controller

This is silly. Apparently iPhone apps/games have gotten so popular that some people feel you just can't enjoy them without a controller instead of the touch-screen controls of the iPhone itself. To these people, I'd like to say, "console game systems!" but I digress. Anyway, you can now get a bone-shaped iPhone game controller called the GameBone Pro made by Australian company 22Moo. The concept art for this thing is bad and there don't seem to be any photos of the real thing out there yet. I think carrying this bone thing around might negate any coolness you'd earn by having an iPhone in the first place.

Gamers bone up on the iPhone

new xbox360 features on the horizon

It's been a big year for game and game hardware development and all of the major developers have interesting and cool new stuff up their sleeves for the coming year in gaming. Even with its groundbreaking Project Natal motion-control system in the works, Microsoft knows it needs to keep up with the Joneses (or in this case Nintendo and Sony) when it comes to exciting upcoming offerings from its Xbox360 system. BloodyDisgusting.com, an excellent source for news on horror and scary games, takes a pretty in-depth look at the 360 and what it will have to offer in the near future. Personally having gotten acquainted with my PS3 at this point it's hard to see a lot of these ideas as anything but direct-response competition with Sony but still, turning the game console into a more varied multimedia machine in my opinion is a very good direction to be going in.

On a side note since I've tagged this post with Microsoft, am I the only one seriously hating on Bing and its retarded commercials where someone asks someone else a question and the person goes into a zombie-like state of rattling off quasi-related web hits supposedly from Google? I'm sorry but if you Google "foods you can't eat while pregnant" literally every single hit on the front page is relevant and useful. Try again, Microsoft. At right: everyone's favorite red ring of death.

playing wii could help treat parkinson's

Since the Wii's release it has been lauded as not just a cool game system but also a revolutionary tool that can aide in keeping people healthy, active and mobile. Now a researcher at the Medical College of Georgia has released a study that concludes that using a Wii can tremendously improve the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, a degenerative nervous system disease, by encouraging hand-eye coordination, precision movements and general activity. The full-body movements of Wii games like Wii Sports bowling and tennis help to promote continued use of physical motion in patients with advanced Parkinson's:

Studies have shown that exercise and video games independently can increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter deficient in Parkinson's patients. He suspects that's the case with the Wii’s exercise effect. Dopamine also helps improve voluntary, functional movements, which Parkinson’s patients "use or lose," Dr. Herz says.

Nintendo Wii May Enhance Parkinson's Treatment

duke nukem apparently still in the works

If you were ever a fan of Duke Nukem 3D back in the day you may have been paying attention to the never-ending saga that is the development of Duke Nukem Forever, the supposed next installment in the franchise. Well, it turns out that developer 3DRealms is in fact still planning on finishing and releasing the project, which has been in development for years now. The road to finishing the game has been paved with bitter legal battles between 3DRealms and publisher Take-Two Interactive, who are understandably pissed about the decade-long process of trying to get this game to market. Will Duke Nukem Forever ever actually make it to store shelves, and if it does, will it ever make enough to cover what it has cost 3DR so far? I guess only time will tell at this point..

Duke Nukem Forever Still in Development

xbox 360 project natal bundle?

Rumors are flying when it comes to discussion of the future release of Project Natal for the Xbox 360. Now it looks like there will most likely be a newly released 360 bundle that comes with Natal and some minor system/hardware upgrades, but that Natal will also be compatible with existing 360 units. I hope this is the case because it will suck if Natal doesn't work with current 360s. Either way, I think we can expect to see some serious trade-in deals from GameStop on upgrading to the new hardware, plus it would certainly make sense for the standalone 360 units still selling to get another price drop, in my opinion.

Aaron Greenberg, director of product management, told Eurogamer: “I think part of the excitement about this announcement is that in many ways we are delivering a next generation experience this generation. With that said, I can confirm that Natal will run on Xbox 360 so no new console investment will be necessary.”

Rumor: Speculation Surrounding a New 360 Gets Added Fuel

bioshock/oblivion bundle announced

If you haven't played BioShock or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion yet, well, you might live under a rock because both games are totally awesome and generally considered two of the best games out there. Still, you're in luck now because 2K Games is re-releasing BioShock and Oblivion together in an "Award Winning Combo" game bundle for the Xbox 360 and PC. Like many other greatest hits bundles, this one is a great deal at $39.99 for the 360 and $29.99 for PC so if you've never had these games before, you can pick them up together on July 7th or preorder them now from Amazon.

people love cooking video games

Okay, no, people don't love to cook video games, but recent title releases do seem to indicate a growing interest in video games about cooking. Much like some gamers enjoy the simulation of jamming out in a band in Guitar Hero, some enjoy doing simulated food preparation and cooking, on the Wii and DS mostly but also on the PC. All the fun, none of the mess (...or actual food). While many cooking games like Cooking Mama, Hell's Kitchen and Diner Dash are aimed at challenging the gamer with scenarios involved in cooking and serving food, cooking has made its way into the self-improvement non-game genre as well with Personal Trainer: Cooking, which holds several hundred recipes from around the world with detailed instructions on prep and cooking. You can even follow along with the game's chef as he walks you through the process of each recipe as you cook it. When it comes to the casual game market, cooking is clearly a niche that brings enjoyment to many gamers.

Video Games: Now They're Cookin'

rhythm heaven is so awesome

I have been neglecting my DS lately (it was to be expected with Sims 3 coming out, of course) but I picked it up the other day and revisited my game in Rhythm Heaven, Nintendo's strange and wonderful music/rhythm game on the DS. It's one of those games that is so simple that it's easy to forget how much fun it is, but it truly is a good time. I managed to get through the mercifully short second remix and unlock the third column of games. I got through the love lizards game which is adorable and hilarious (success in the mating dance game = babies!) and am now working on the stomp farmer which is a bit more difficult. I also unlocked a couple of prizes by getting opportunistically-timed perfect scores in certain levels, a nice extra feature that gives the game more depth and more replay value (though it is not lacking for this on its own). If you are a DS fan and haven't tried Rhythm Heaven, pick it up soon, you won't regret it!

mtv true life: addicted to video games

Apparently MTV True Life is looking for video game addicts to share their stories on the reality program that profiles young people with a variety of issues or lifestyle choices. It kind of seems to me like it would be pretty boring watching people sack out on the couch and let their eyes glaze over during a several-hour Halo binge so I can only assume MTV will try to bring the drama with family issues and failing relationships and whatnot. I can't imagine that profiling these kids would do much to help their issues but I can only imagine that the show will not spin video games in a positive light. MTV should stick to more pressing matters like "True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore girl". That one was awesome.

MTV True Life Looking for Gamer Addicts

scary video games and stephen king

I love pretty much anything scary: books, movies, video games; if it makes me jump out of my skin I'm there. Lately I've been allowing myself to really get immersed into Fatal Frame and it's paying off by raising my heart rate over and over again with scary ghosts and intense J-horror style scenes. My love for scary stuff extends to many of the works of Stephen King and as such, I'm surprised that I never thought about how well some of his stories would translate to video game format. Lucky for me, this guy did, and decided to detail his feelings on transitioning King novels and short stories into different genres of video games. One idea that occurred to me after reading the article was a survival horror interpretation of Pet Sematary - how sick would that be?? The final boss could be the evil baby and then, surprise twist, your undead wife! The wealth of character and plot in King's works certainly lends itself to some interesting game ideas. Check it out.

Stephen King's work and video games

gaming news from all over

The movie games of Summer 2009 have for the most part been a big fat flop. I think many game industry followers could have told you this would happen weeks before these games were released.

Teen who killed his parents over Halo 3 gets 23 years with possibility of parole. Apparently the major reason for the more lenient sentencing was the defense that video games make you do bad things. Because the many millions of other people playing Halo 3 are all clearly murderers who would kill their own parents. [/sarcasm]

President Obama tacks video games onto a list of health problems along with smoking and poor diets. I won't argue that fat kids need to get off the couch and play outside more often but it's pretty short-sighted to be calling video games a "hindrance to kids' education and overall success as maturing adults". More like O-booo-ma!

British lawmakers are considering offering tax breaks to videogame developers. Many filmmakers and movie studios already benefit from tax breaks offered by certain locations to draw local enterprise, and now this benefit may be extended to game developers.

four goofy game marketing efforts

I write a lot here about video game marketing and promotions as it is a topic that I find very interesting professionally as well as just for kicks. There have been some pretty amazing game marketing efforts in the past that have led to serious widespread and high-reaching game sales numbers. Still, there will always be video game marketing efforts that just fall flat and don't quite achieve the high level of brand engagement and awareness that the company was aiming for. This blog post gives a good summary of four of these failed game marketing attempts (two by Nintendo, interestingly enough, considering their recent insane amounts of marketing success). While all of them are silly, the Gamespot scuffle over Kane & Lynch: Dead Men advertising vs. review scores definitely takes the cake for ridiculousness.

The 4 Most Shameless Videogame Marketing Efforts

nintendo ds as a learning tool

The Nintendo DS arguably already has the distinction of being the console with the widest variety of "game" software including fitness programs, photography manipulation and language teaching tools, along with actual games, of course. Now Nintendo is taking the DS one step further towards education. Nintendo announced today in Japan that it will partner with Sharp to develop a new educational tool called Nintendo DS Classroom, which will allow a teacher's PC to communicate with DS or DSi units in a classroom using special DS cartridges. Sounds like DS Classroom can be used to give tests and receive real-time answers as well as conduct classroom surveys over the connection. It seems like an obvious plan to eventually integrate math and vocabulary games and other learning software into the usage of this system, which could really keep kids more focused on learning in the classroom. Plus, just as many girls are into the DS as boys (possibly more even) so teachers wouldn't even need to worry about gender and teaching effectiveness. I say bring it on!

IGN: DS in the Classroom

brutal legend embroiled in legal battle

Brutal Legend is an upcoming game which stars Jack Black in the hero role of Eddie Riggs, a roadie who gets pulled into a mythical Age of Rock (not unlike the scenes from Heavy Metal featured in a South Park episode). Unfortunately for the actor and the game's release, it is now the subject of a bitter legal battle over who actually owns the game between Electronic Arts and Activision, who claims to still own the rights to releasing the game. Fans of the game are even calling for gamers to boycott Guitar Hero due to Activision's actions against Double Fine, who made the game. I've actually heard good/interesting things about Brutal Legend, especially after E3 this year, so it would be a shame to have the title's release launch screwed up by legal issues.

Jack Black Video Game in a Legal Tug of War

e3 showcases bloody upcoming games

Have you felt like the gore level in your video games has been lacking lately? Well, good news for you because there are several highly anticipated upcoming title releases that feature no shortage of carnage, violence and blood-spilling. Though this list is far from complete as far as scary and violent upcoming games go, it's enough to whet any hardcore gamer's appetite. Get your IDs out and ready for these ultra-violent M-for-mature releases including God of War III and Left for Dead 2 (oh yeah, and Wii Sports Resort, LOL) on a variety of console systems to suit any gamer's thirst for blood.

IGN: E3 2009's Most Violent Games

project natal has people all astir

New games and hardware price drops are always nice to hear about but the lasting effect from this year's E3 is definitely the buzz surrounding Microsoft's Project Natal for the Xbox 360. The possibilities it offers do seem pretty revolutionary (although some of the ideas floating out there certainly walk the line between innovative and gimmicky) and I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg thus far. Check out this interview about Project Natal with Shane Kim, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Xbox.

Project Natal will "reinvent the industry" - Microsoft

e3 shows industry's devotion to hardcore gamers

Many outspoken gamers like to criticize the video game industry and major game developers for pandering in recent years to the growing market for casual games and family-oriented gaming. However, this year's E3 convention told a different story with regards to future game development as many of the revealed projects and titles were shooters and action games aimed at the hardcore gaming contingent. Companies may make a lot on "novice gamer" titles but nothing sells units by number like a well-made online multiplayer shooter, as evidenced by the success of game franchises like Call of Duty, Halo and Killzone. So, fans of "traditional" video gaming need not worry as the games they like are still top priority to many developers.

Video Game Makers Keep Focus on Core Market

tetris celebrates 25 years

How many older gamers out there can recall spending hours and hours playing Tetris? Well, everyone's favorite puzzle-piece-rotation game is turning 25. First available for the IBM computer and subsequently launched on the Game Boy in 1989, Tetris was developed by Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian computer engineer, who unfortunately made little money from the blockbuster (get it?) game thanks to the Kremlin government claiming rights to the game and selling them cheaply. Nintendo has reported that the Game Boy version of Tetris sold 35 million copies during its run. Now available on nearly every console, Tetris remains one of the greatest classic games ever made and is still going strong after a quarter of a century!

Computer Game Tetris Celebrates 25 Years

getting friendly with the sims 3

There is so much to discover in The Sims 3 that it can seem a bit confusing, and that’s a longtime Sims 2 addict talking. If you’ve never tried the Sims franchise before and just started Sims 3, you may be finding it a bit overwhelming. That’s why I decided to list a few hints and tips that I have found useful in my week’s worth of playing. I’ll add more as I think of them but here’s the first few that have occurred to me:

-A pair of Sims is actually easier to learn with than a solo Sim, especially if they keep very different schedules.
-What a Sim does at work can really affect his or her life so keep close tabs on how your Sim spends the workday.
-Spend your Sim’s Lifetime Happiness points ASAP – my favorite 5,000 point rewards so far are the ones that let you clean faster and slack off at work with no consequences.
-If you’re looking to build a home for your Sim, pick a lot near the beach for multiple benefits like happiness from a good view and easy access to fishing.
-Check your Sim’s inventory tab regularly as useful items like books or plant seeds can appear there without you noticing.
-If you have an HP computer and are wondering what happened to the cheat code box, you can access it by holding ctrl + shift + the windows button + C. Many cheat codes carried over from the Sims 2 including the always useful “kaching”.
-Take time to explore each Sim’s available interactions. Each personality trait adds a ton of distinct behaviors and socializing and many will combine for even crazier options!

lux-pain: definitely weird

I had a chance to try out Lux-Pain on the DS over the weekend and it definitely belongs on the list of the weirdest DS games out there! I had wanted to give Lux-Pain a try ever since I read about it before it came out so I’m glad I got to play it though I can’t say I’ll be putting a lot of time into it. I like the storyline and the graphics are kind of cool but the English translation and voiceover don’t always match up and the gameplay seems like it might get a little stale. All in all Lux-Pain has an interesting story but will only hold the attention of the most diehard fans of scary DS games due to its slightly crappy mechanics.

video games vs. video game software

I’ve been reading a lot of reviews of new stuff coming out lately and it is occurring to me more and more that so many people just can’t make a distinction between games and software these days. There seems to be a huge contingent out there that is threatened or something by the success of “games” like Wii Fit, EA Active and the Personal Trainer DS series. I just don’t get why reviewers seem to harp on small elements of animation or game play mechanics in a piece of software designed not to entertain but to assist. Even worse, these games take time to get used to and trying out EA Active for like 5 minutes before declaring that the motion controls don’t work is doing a disservice to your review audience, in my opinion. Being a fan of fitness games as well as more traditional video games, I just don’t get the need to lump them together. So, if you’re considering starting something new like EA Active, don’t lean on reviews to decide whether you’ll like it for fitness or not.

project natal is pretty cool!

Motion controls are all the rage these days and everyone's got something in the works, but the one that really has people talking after E3 this week is Microsoft's Project Natal, a camera-based motion control system (unveiled by Stephen Spielberg!) whose tagline is "you are the controller"! This thing is cool. Project Natal lets you control your on-screen character with.. well, just you. You move around and a camera senses your motions, and also appears to be able to recognize your voice and face. I'm pretty curious to see this thing take off commercially and I can't wait to see the games available with this technology! Natal is clearly a major innovation to look forward to in the video game industry. Watch Peter Molyneux's E3 presentation on Project Natal with Claire and "Milo" below. Crazy stuff!

first impressions of sims 3

Well, it's been a fun three days of enjoying The Sims 3 on the PC since it came out. One thing I know for sure is that Sims 3 makes all your Sims 2 games obsolete because OMG the advancements! My favorite things so far are the new personality system with mix'n'match traits, the recolorable clothing, and the moodlets triggered by actions, positive or negative. The map view is pretty revolutionary and you almost don't notice that you never hit a loading screen because, well, you just never do! That in itself is a huge step forward, especially if, like me, you were playing Sims 2 with 8 expansion packs and 9 stuff packs, not to mention ridiculous amounts of custom content. I have yet to try out the new movie making features but am looking forward to creating some cool movies with my Sims using the new tools built into the game. One thing I've noticed is that it's definitely worth playing multiple-sim households because the fastest fast-forward speed is waaaay slower than in Sims 2 and they do spend a lot of time sleeping and at work. Still, the ability to define what your sim is doing at work and have it affect his or her jobs and relationships is pretty great. All in all I couldn't be happier with Sims 3 and I look forward to learning more about it and discovering all the cool features that I haven't even used yet. Two thumbs up for sure!

final fantasy VII on the playstation network!

If you've always wanted to play Final Fantasy VII but aren't looking to spend collector's prices on a PSX copy, you're in luck: one of Sony's major E3 press conference announcements was the release of the game title for download onto its Playstation Network online community. Widely considered one of the best games ever (ever!), Final Fantasy VII was intended for the SNES originally, then for the N64, but was moved to the Playstation during development due to the lack of size on Nintendo's cartridges. Now you can download it for $10 on the PSN and play it on your PS3 or PSP. Enjoy!

e3 roundtable debut of new wii zelda

There are few franchises that old-school gamers get more excited about than the Legend of Zelda series and of course E3 has brought news of development of a new Wii title starring the green-tighted hero Link. The game will use the Wii's new MotionPlus controller add-on and may even require it. Shigeru Miyamoto (also known as the brain behind Nintendo's greatest masterpieces) wanted to show off the game in an actual press conference at E3 but he and fellow developers decided their time was better spent working on the game's concepts at a roundtable discussion rather than putting together an early demo. Hey, anything that helps this game be as magical/wonderful/perfect as it is destined to be is good in my book.

E3 2009: Miyamoto Reveals New Zelda for Wii

this game sounds... well, just awful

It's not every day a game manages to come to market at $60 on the 360 and PS3 and at the same time get reviews in scores usually saved for the worst shovelware on the Wii. This is indeed the case with Damnation, which came out last week. Damnation explores the alternate future of an extended American Civil War where both Union and Confederacy have found steam technology and it has drawn out the war another 40 years. This is certainly an interesting concept but apparently pretty much errrrvrything is wrong with this game from the horrible animation to the awful voice work to the shoddy physics and more. I would guess we'll see this one dropping in price like a stone over the next few months. Check out the review at IGN, which gave Damnation a 2.5 "Terrible".

mario galaxy 2 revealed at e3

We all knew a new Mario game for the Wii was on its way and now we can all get worked up over a trailer and screenshots! Sounds like the new Super Mario Galaxy title will bring everyone's favorite adorable green dinosaur Yoshi into the picture as well as giving Mario some kind of drill tool that will no doubt provide hilarity when the lil' plumber uses it. I'm sure there will be some familiar themes along with hopefully some cool new innovate Mario gameplay features. Nintendo is really bringing out the big guns this year so if you don't have a Wii yet you should really consider it. Not to mention that it's now pretty much the only console that really encourages playing TOGETHER in the same room rather than over network connections on multiple machines/copies of the game. Sorry, got a little sidetracked on a rant there but anyway, yay for new non-handheld Mario!

Kotaku: Mario Galaxy 2 Screens and Trailer

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game news from all over

The Sims 3 is charming people left and right. Read what this New York Times writer has to say about The Sims 3, in stores today. When I get home I'm playing this game for hours.

Halo: Reach trailer debuts after ODST demo. Microsoft unveiled the next game in the hugely successful Xbox exclusive Halo franchise after showing off their demo of Halo 3: ODST, out this fall, at their E3 presentation.

"Rape games" are now officially officially banned in Japan. Can't say I have any kind of problem with this.

Microsoft unveils new video/motion capture controller. The device lets the player control characters in a game by moving their arms and legs. Personally, I like sitting on my couch, but that's just me.

Sega's E3 booth lineup of games includes The Conduit, Aliens vs. Predator, and Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games. And the crowd goes "meh".

sims 3 review at IGN

We're down to less than 24 hours until the release of my most anticipated title of the year, EA's the Sims 3! This game looks like it will improve on a lot of the criticisms thrown at the Sims 2 over the years that it's been coming out. I can't wait for the new character design, new house building, new movie-making tools and more! If you're as excited as me, don't miss this IGN Review of the Sims 3, which they give a respectable 8.9.

playstation 3 price cut at e3?

Seems like you can't read anything these days without mention of the economy and coverage of this year's E3 convention is no exception. Some of the major announcements are expected to be hardware price cuts, including the Playstation 3, which currently sells for $399 for the 80GB system (or $499 for the 160GB, which currently comes bundled with Uncharted, apparently). This article does claim that the PS3 currently sells for "over $600" but I assume the purported price drop will place the PS3 in a little easier competition price-wise with the Xbox 360. Still glad we got our backwards-compatible PS3 because I'm loving my PS2 games.

Video Game Industry Fighting Fit For E3

exciting wii fit news

One of the (many) exciting upcoming presentations Nintendo is expected to give at E3 2009 this week is the unveiling of a new, more precise Wii Fit balance board! The Wii Fit Plus will come out in Japan first of course and will feature an improved balance board accessory plus an updated game with new and more varied exercises. This is pretty cool and I am fairly sure I will spring for a new Wii Fit when this one comes out.

Nintendo Wii: Wii Fit Plus Details Revealed Ahead of E3