gamestop game days sale is on

GameStop's huge annual sale has begun and you can get a few good titles for really good prices if you're looking for some good deals. The highlight of the sale I think is Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for the 360, which is marked down to $9.99 and comes with a free white wired guitar controller. Other steals include the Playstation 2 trilogy packs like the Mortal Kombat Kollection and Resident Evil: the Essentials for $19.99. Check out the full list of Game Days sale titles at GameStop.

harvest moon ds: island of happiness

I picked up Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness the other day and man, it is like crack to me! I start playing and before I know it it's been four hours of planting, weeding, walkin' around and buying stuff for the farm. I actually think this is my favorite format of Harvest Moon that I've played and the sprites and backrounds look great on the DS's screens. Having the choice of boy or girl character and the resulting bachelors/bachelorettes in town makes this game a good one for guys and girl gamers alike. The touch controls complement this game wonderfully and I looove the Pet the Animal minigame! So cute. If you're a fan of the series Island of Happiness is definitely a must-have.

sony's response to the dsi

I don't usually post on weekends nor do I make it a habit of posting after imbibing alcohol but I just can't help myself tonight! I worked a late night setting up our store for the DSi launch and while I can't say I have a DSi reserved for myself, nor do I see anything super innovative from the DSi - I mean, I have a DS Lite, an excellent digital camera and an iPod - they're still kind of cool with some new features. I don't think I need one. Still, if I were the PR person for a major competitor (*cough* Sony *cough*) I'm not sure I would have gone to these lengths:

If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the "kids" market that they've always engaged, there isn't much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we're launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we're also planning a steady stream of downloadable games -- both new titles and PSone classics -- to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.

Sony's Ludicrous Response to Nintendo DSi Launch

nintendo game boy turns 20

The original Nintendo Game Boy launched in April, 1989, making it 20 years old this month! The Game Boy did for games what his older friend Walkman did for music by making it portable; my generation truly grew up mashing buttons on the handheld devices. Tetris, Final Fantasy, plus Zelda, Mario, Pokemon... All our favorite Nintendo heroes going with us wherever we wanted them to. Cheers, little Game Boy!

The 8-bit Game Boy family ruled portable gaming from 1989 until its 32-bit successor, the Game Boy Advance, came along in 2001. The system wasn't actually discontinued until 2003, a 14-year reign unmatched by any platform besides the Atari VCS and SNK's Neo-Geo. The difference, of course, is that the Game Boy sold healthily until the very end, where those longer-lived contenders were well into "obscure niche" territory by the time they wheezed to an obsolescent finale. The only system that's ever outsold the Game Boy family (by which I mean Game Boy, GB Pocket, GB Light, and GB Color) is PlayStation 2...although the DS is closing in rapidly.

8-Bit Cafe: The Humble King of "Good Enough" Turns 20

ps2 to compete with wii for family market?

Since the Playstation 2's recent price drop to $99, apparently it is being repositioned as a family-friendly console in hopes of digging into the Nintendo Wii's near monopoly hold on the kiddies and their parents. Personally I think the Wii's unique control system and overall "voice" will keep it at the top of the family market, although there certainly are lots and lots of games available for the PS2 that are kid-friendly. Plus it is kind of hard to imagine what is essentially a 15-year old console competing too heavily with the innovative Wii and its modernized games and wireless capabilities. Also, not so sure how selling PS2s will ultimately sell more PS3s unless they re-backwards-compatible-ize the PS3 since the game library for the new system is still pretty shallow and includes almost no family-oriented games besides Sing It! and movie licenses like Madagascar.

Kotaku: SCEA: PS2 Price Drop Will Cut Into Wii, Eventually Help PS3 Sales

mc chris is funny

Shot at a Gamespot After Hours event, this video features MC Chris sharing his feelings on Kingdom Hearts II and why Resident Evil 4 is way better. Hilarious and pretty NSFW unless you have headphones or your own office and don't mind loud swearing and a drug reference. Enjoy!

take 2 interactive settles in court

Take 2 Interactive, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series, have agreed to pay $3 million for a settlement in a stock options lawsuit related to backdating options to an all-time low price.

“Take-Two’s seven-year backdating scheme was egregious and pervasive, and caused the company to materially misrepresent its financial condition to investors,” Christopher Conte, an S.E.C. attorney in Washington overseeing the case, said in a statement.

The S.E.C. contended Mr. Brant and other former senior executives had “fraudulently enriched” key employees by granting them stock options backdated to days of historically low closing prices. Mr. Brant pleaded guilty to falsifying records and was sentenced to five years’ probation.

Video Game Maker to Pay $3 Million to Settle Stock Options Case

silent hill: shattered memories on the wii

Nintendo Power has revealed an upcoming "new" Silent Hill game (not officially being called a remake but a "revisiting" of the first title in the Silent Hill series) called Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. The Wii motion controls will let the player interact with environmental puzzles and explore the freaky ash-falling world of Silent Hill. I have a soft spot for the movie version but have never really played the games. I've heard bad things about the latest installment, Silent Hill: Homecoming but I'm still glad to see more scary games coming out on the Wii. Keep 'em coming, developers!

Nintendo Power Reveals Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii

oblivion dlc discounts, horse armor increase

Strange marketing decisions, or just a silly April Fool's Day gimmick? Who knows. Bethesda Softworks has discounted its downloadable content for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the next week so if you've never expanded your Oblivion world, now's the time to pick up these expansion packs. Every Oblivion DLC is half-price for the next week, except the Horse Armor pack, which has jumped from 200 to 400 Microsoft points ($5). Bethesda's PR/marketing guy Pete Hines had this to say:

"In celebration of the arrival of April, the wackiness of April Fool's Day, and the upcoming 3rd anniversary of the release of Horse Armor (Friday, April 3), we are pleased to announce that for the next week all Oblivion DLC for Xbox 360 is half price, except for Horse Armor, which is twice as much as usual."

Oblivion DLC half off, Horse armor twice as much