Guitar Hero knockoffs aren’t new. Banking on the brand recognition Harmonix and Red Octane have cultivated, these shameless products are infesting shelves at abajilliondifferent brick and mortar joints including even stores that sell prescription drugs and whey protein powder ten feet from each other. This afternoon we snapped a couple photos ofGuitar Superstar, a brilliant all-in-oneGuitar Herospin-off. Aside from the ridiculous packaging — which rivals what Activision does withGuitar Heroproper — it features a paltry twelve “hit songs....

This past Thursday was a sad day, for it is a day that we discovered that MAGFest’s Gamer Iron Chef was rigged! How else can you explainDestructoid’s Iron Chef Kickass Superteam(D.I.C.K.S.) coming in second!? Clearly the battle was rigged against the team because MAGFest understood that if D.I.C.K.S. won riots of joy would occur across the country. So in the interest of public peace and safety the judges decided to honor the greatest cooking team ever with second place and allow them to take this amazing picture with John St....

It’s times like these that make me wish I could somehow cram two header images into one post. I really struggled between going with the one above, and one in the attached gallery — you’re able to guess which picture, I’m sure. But just in case you can’t, it was the photo that depicts Chuck in a heavily armed wheelchair sitting next to a stuffed bear with a red headband who also happens to be heavily armed....

It’s great when controls translate perfectly how you picture them. According toMyWii, Capcom has detailed some of the more action-oriented controls inDead Rising: Chop ‘Til you Drop. The most shocking revelation is that when players aim at zombies, the on screen reticule will turn red. This innovation in reticule use indicates that you have indeed targeted a “weak spot” on the zombie. To reload your weapon after sending ahorde of a hundred zombiesback to their grave, simply shake the Wii remote....

With a number of indie titles becoming considerable successes this past year, it is foolish for anybody in the games media industry to overlook the huge amount of work coming from smaller companies. As mainstream gaming continues to water itself down for the mass market, independent titles are the ones destined to become havens for those who want originality and risky prospects in their library. Titles likeOwlboyrepresent the kind of games we should be paying more attention to....

Merry Christmas and merry whatever to the rest of you. Another week at Destructoid ends so here’s the weekly recap of some of the more interesting stories of this past week. On Destructoid,Duke Nukem Forevershowed its ugly head again … does this mean that winter is ending early this year? On Japanator, Meagan’s cosplay feature shows of some awesome pictures from one of my favorite animes of all time. And on the Community Blogs, check out the top 100 ways people found Destructoid through Google … RAPE!...

It is among the hottest properties in gaming, and one of Xbox Live’s most popular titles. The originalGears of Warwas a worldwide success, even breaking barriers in Japan. It has garnered awards, critical praise, and still remains one of the most-played console titles this generation. To say anticipation forGears of War 2has been huge is to put it mildly indeed. Epic Games’ high-profile sequel has been treated with the utmost of reverence from publisher Microsoft and is looking to be one of the most powerful weapons in the Xbox 360’s Christmas arsenal....

Nope, we don’t yet knowwhenStarCraft IIwill be released; Blizzard says it will finally spill its guts in the coming weeks. But we now know that the digital download version of the game — which will be available via Battle.net — won’t be available untilafterthe game hits retail. This will most certainly sit well with brick and mortar retailers, who also get exclusive dibs on the jam-packed $99.99 Collector’s Edition which was revealed earlier today....

The Tetris Company has dominated the mobile market and has a presence on almost every platform ever. So the only thing left is for The Tetris Company to beamTetrisstraight into your brains. Or in this case, straight from your TV. The Tetris Company and Oberon Media are working with DISH Network to bring the addictive puzzle game right through your Television sets for just $2.99 a month. You’ll be able to playTetriswith your remote control and particiapte in tournaments for prizes and spots on the national leader boards....

Double Fine’s latest downloadable effort,Trenched, is a ton of fun. Unfortunately, the recenttrademark disputewith Portuguese board game designer Rui Alípio Monteiro has prevented folks in European territories from getting their hands on the title. We asked Brad Muir at Double Fine, producer ofTrenched, if he could give us any update on the title’s release in Europe and he sent us back the following statement: This entire process has been very frustrating to us and it makes us sad that the people of Europe can’t play our game....

BioWare has officially revealedDragon Age 2today, courtesy ofGame Informer‘s upcoming issue cover. The sequel toDragon Age: Originsfeatures a brand new main character, and a fresh story in a “different part” of Ferelden. Also promised is a “ton of surprising improvements” over the last game. We all knewDragon Age 2was coming, but fans ofOrigins will doubtless still be excited to know a full sequel has been confirmed. So far, this is all we know, but more details are doubtless to start leaking onto the Internet in the near future....

Web site Big Download is reporting that DC Direct is set to releaseDragon Age: Originsaction figures this September. An unearthed DC Direct Previews order form reveals that the initial run will have feature the bearded and beautiful Gray Warden commander Duncan, the rotted head of a Genlock Darkspawn, the sultry curves of Morrigan the witch, and the dark fantasy a–hole Loghain. No word from the DC Direct official Web site as of yet, but we’re certain the manufacturer is all aboutOrigins....

Coming straight out of the “it’s too early in the morning/late in the day/noon in the noon for this kind of nonsense” box, here are some photographs from the filming of a commercial for new DS gameDragon Tamer: Sound Spirit. I don’t care how good the game is, the above photograph (as featured inFamitsu) is enough to sell me not only the title, but anything else that Nintendo is offering today....