Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that achievement points have become a big feather in the Xbox 360’s cap, as well as an extra selling point for its games. I won’t deny that the allure of achievements and a little pat on the back for performing mundane tasks is enough to make me find more value in a 360 game, and it seems that the PlayStation 3 is well aware of the issue....

Ever remember the days when you would sit next to Grandma’s rocking chair and intently gaze at her needlework with the hope that she would somehow render you a plethora ofBubble BobbleandPac Mancharacters made purely from thread, sweat, and prune juice? Yeah, neither do I. Luckily, there exists a very talented lady by the name ofLost Mittenwho knows how to interweave the lost art of needlepoint with the retro sensibility of some of our most memorable games....

We can conjure several solid reasons to purchase the PAL and Europe-boundBatman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition. Foremost is that the package will include some slick 3D glasses, or at least what appears to be slick HD glasses that will work with the edition’s announced TriOviz 3D support. But the reduced price and six extra challenge maps aren’t bad reasons either. Pick your fun, we suppose. Hitting alongside the packshot of the package last afternoon is a fresh trailer full of all the old, memorable stuff you conquered earlier this year....

TheBBFC/PEGI war continuesas the British Board of Film Classification’s David Cooke sows mistrust in the Pan-European Game Information board. Cooke asserts that nobody isactuallysure who PEGI is, and claims that games are rated simply by “a couple of blokes.” “The trouble is that it is not clear who PEGI is,” Cooke toldThe Times. “Administration is handled by the Dutch film regulator, who subcontracts to a couple of blokes [the Video Standards Council] in Borehamwood....

Bungie’s prequel to itsHalotrilogy (and very possibly its lastHalotitle, period)Halo: Reachis right around the corner. The game hits shelves on September 14, and fans of the franchise are in for what could be the best game in the series to date. Today, Bungie and Microsoft have released a new trailer that highlights the game’s campaign, including new music from Marty O’Donnell’s original score. You’ll see the Covenant invasion of Reach, and you’ll watch as Noble Team fights them back, along with some of the game’s space combat scenarios....

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe man David Reeveshas suggestedthat being the forgotten market of the gaming industry is actually a good thing somehow, because Europe getting its games last means that “everything’s ironed out.” Oh, I see … that makes waiting for myFinal Fantasy IVmuch easier. Here’s what Reeves had to say in an interview withVG247: People say, ‘Well, why do we always get things last? Why can’t we say things?’ Well, I’ve said this many times before: sometimes it’s an advantage to be last in Europe, you know, when everything’s ironed out....

As you’re able to see, life has been tough at the Destructoid offices. I’d show you a photo of Vampire Dyson, but as to be expected, his images don’t show up on photos when he’s like that. As such, I’ve got the Best of the Network column taken care of this week, albeit a little later than you’re used to. So, what do we have this week, besides horrible hangovers? Well, over on Japanator, we finally broke our video review virginity and talked about nothing other than some hot boy on boy action....

Big Fish Games has taken their “casual” browser-based, micro-transaction fueled MMOFaunasphereto Facebook. But unlike most ports to the social game platform that Zynga Games is dominating, there’s a twist: the browser people and Facebook users are “linked.” It’s a cross-compatible game. And Big Fish’s first to boot. Big Fish is an unusual publisher, if only for its initiative called “New Game Every Day,” which delivers as well as its slogan indicates....

In what has become an all-too common story for PS3 games,BioShock 2will require a mandatory installation on Sony’s Black Box o’ Blu-ray. Just be warned that you’ll be hanging around for a while after you pop the disc in the system. Because nobody liked to justplaythe videogames they’ve purchased, right? The PS3 experience seems to be centered around watching very slow installation screens and waiting for things in the XMB to bother loading, so this should be business as usual for all PlayStation fans....

Being able to pre-load a game without leaving the house is a considerably better experience than going out to a midnight opening, I’d say. Sure, there can be time-related issues with when your purchased game “unlocks,” but we’re getting there. Blizzard’s executive VP of game design, Rob Pardo, believes the industry is nearly ready for this system to be widely adopted. “We’re now at the point where it’s time, especially for theWorld of Warcraftcommunity because they’re online by definition,” Pardo said to GI....

My day has just been made,again! Burger King has revealed its intention to “support the launch” of Microsoft’s Kinect with more of those completelyabsurd games. No really, I’m not making this up. Chief marketing officer Mike Kappitt makes it all official-like:“During this year’s promotion, our guests can look forward to an even greater adventure that will stimulate the imaginations of gamers and entertainment-lovers of all shapes and sizes. “While full details of the promotion are still top secret, we’re proud to be the first and only brand in our industry to stand behind this pioneering experience that will forever change the way the world looks at entertainment....

Want real proof that videogames are just as big as the film industry, if not bigger? It’s not in the big budgets of games, it’s not in the massive amounts of money the industry makes, and it’s not in the fact that game launches are just as big as movie openings. No, the real proof is that the Creative Artist Agency is actively trying to represent game developers and they’ve just hadquite the coup....

If this surprises you, then you’re either a moron or you’ve never heard of evil publisher Activision. It has today been revealed thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilizedis heading to the DS as part of Activision’s plan to saturate the market with everything released everywhere. The game also uses too many colons for my liking. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilizedwill bring the epicCall of Dutyintensity ofModern Warfareto Nintendo DS fans through a unique storyline and companion narrative,” claims Activision,evilly....