Need a new MMORPG with less brown and scores of MMO-ass MMO stuff? Perhaps Allods Online will do something for you. Created by Gala-Net and Astrum Nival, this upcoming free-to-play MMO features tons of colors, airships, traditional classes, and over 1,500 quests. The art style in particular is hip — it’s something of a mix betweenSkies of ArcadiaandWorld of Warcraft. Check out thisInternet literatureif you’re curiousortoss a comment into this post for an opportunity to go hands on with the closed beta....

Natsume continues to releaseHarvest Moongames, the latest of which,Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley, is set to drop for the PSP this April at $29.99. So what is it? It’s aHarvest Moongame. According to official release, you’ll be doing the usual thing — planting crops, mining, brushing cows and hitting on chicks that look just a bit too young — in an attempt to stop “heartless” Funland corporate goons from bulldozing your town....

Truckers Delight. We’re all still rather amazedit’s a videogame, but seeing is believing so here’s a quick video to confirm this astounding step forward in human evolution. It retains the visual style, killer music and demented humor of theoriginal videoit’s based on, and looks like a must-buy for anybody who loves the twisted adventures of truck driver Jack. I’m downloading the game as I type this and shall have a mini-review of it in the near future....

WhileGuild Wars 2was announced at gamescom 2010, NCsoft and ArenaNet have spent this last 12 months perfecting the art of continuously releasing enough bits of information to keep fans desperately clinging to the edge of their chairs. This year, we got to see a whole hour’s worth of gameplay and character creation mode, as well as some of the upgrades to combat, a new PvP arena, some epic boss battles, and underwater fun....

[Update: Since this story was originally posted, Apple has confirmed the March 2 media event in San Francisco. We’ll be on top of any game-related coverage, so keep your eyes peeled for details soon.] All Things Digitalis reporting that Apple is set to hold a media event next Wednesday, March 2, in San Francisco. The focus? The reveal of the much-anticipated iPad 2. Outside of knowing that the thing exists, we don’t know much about the successor to Apple’s touch tablet, which is also a pretty decent gaming device....

Sega really isn’t shy of throwingBayonettaassets around, and the latest is a very saucy Japanese commercial that features a “real life” Bayonetta sucking on a lollipop and saying “Jim Sterling, you are so sexy and you probably have a really big thingie so you should totally do me out and get it up me and make a damp mess everywhere.”Herwords, not mine. A few readers have been quite cynical aboutBayonetta, claiming it doesn’t look all that good....

Our good buddyNamelessTedpassed along a rather interesting bit of news that was posted over atWiredthat shows the software sales numbers in detail. Apparently,Wii SportsandWii Playboth outsoldTwilight Princess.Wii Sportssold 176.167 copies, making it the best-selling Wii game in Japan over the weekend launch.Wii Play, the bundled game with an extra Wiimote sold 174,297 copies to become the runner-up in game sales. However, the big shocker here was that the bronze medal went to the hands-down dominant seller here in the U....

The Austin, Texas-based indie meetupJuegos Rancherosis made slightly more awesome with the news that a spinoff of the elusiveWinnitronarcade cabinets is in the works. They’re calling it the Texatron, which sounds like a particularly badass Texas-themed Transformer. Perfect. The next event is scheduled for this Sunday (details here), and if you’re nearby, you need to attend. Winnitron co-founder Alec Holowka is making the journey down from Winnipeg to talk about the increasingly popular arcade network....

Internet television and video content providerJoost launcheda simplified version of its player yesterday, designed specifically to work within the PlayStation 3 browser. The work-in-progress player is designed as a simplified interface that allows you to navigate content using the PlayStation 3 controller. Basic controls have you navigating the menus using the d-pad and using X to select content; holding down X brings up advanced quick controls, like full screen. I gave it a test run on my PlayStation 3 and it works as advertised — I was able to watch a rousing interview with actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar on a potential Saved by the Bell reunion....

Those itching to get their hands on thatgamecompany’s latest abstract prettiness,Journey, are in for a treat. TheFlowerdeveloper has announced that a beta for the game is in the works and that details will drop on Monday. “Rumors of a very limited, private Online Beta for Journey are… true!” Tweeted the studio. “Check ourFacebook page& thePlayStation Blogfor details on Monday!” I thought Flower was ace-potatoes, so I’m really looking forward to seeing it and I’m sad I missed a chance to try it out at E3....

A morning raid at a Halifax car boot sale led to the largest seizure of chipped consoles ever in the UK. West Yorkshire Trading Standards officers and West Yorkshire Police raided a 23-year-old man’s residence to find 246 Wii, 168 Xbox 360s, 19 PSPs, 12 DS Lites, six PlayStation 2s, and six Playstation 3s. They also found computers set up for disc duplication, 300-400 copied games,£5,000 in cash, and the mod chips themselves....

I like Rabbids. They do a lot of important work. In this world of mopey, emo, RPG heroes, violent, grizzled, downtrodden anti-heroes, earnest corporate mascots, and cute and cuddly cartoon critters, the Rabbids want nothing more from their videogame careers than to f*ck around, be obnoxious, and have a laugh or two. I think we could all learn some important life lessons from their example. But what of their latest game?...

Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of the NPD Group said, “I think consumers will be looking for the right gift, rather than the most extravagant or expensive one.” That means that you might not be getting games. According to the NPD, 30 percent intend to spend less than they did last year. That’s probably that recession talking. The plan-to-buy figures haven’t changed much from last year, but one difference is videogames, as only 20 percent of those surveyed plan to buy games this year....