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Germany’s Xbox 360 product manager Boris Schneider-Johne hasdownplayed console exclusivesand commented on their waning importance this generation. Stating that the influence of exclusives on console sales is decreasing more and more, Schneider-Johne also touched on how it’s nearly impossible for a developer to “commit” itself to one console: What we see today is that the influence of exclusive titles on the sales curves becomes ever smaller… In addition, we are in a situation where there is a head-to-head race on several consoles and nobody is super clear in leadership — especially in matters of the PlayStation 3 against Xbox 360… Given the production costs of the games, it is hardly possible for developers to commit themselves exclusively to someone…...

Namco Bandai has thrown its full support behind Nintendo’s upcoming handheld,the 3DS. Stating that it could be one of the most important launches in console history, the publisher has touted its strong title lineup, includingRidge Racerand anotherPac-Mangame. “We are very confident of the Nintendo 3DS. We also have a strong line up of titles, includingRidge Racer 3D,Duel Pen SportsandPac Man/Galaga,” boasted UK marketing boss Lee Kirton. “We see it as one of the most important launches in gaming history and we’re very confident of all of our new titles....

NECA recently revealed (on theirMySpace page, along with shirtless photos of themselves flexing in from of their sports cars) the mold for the official Kratos action figure. The figure is set be released in tandem withGod of War 2(which currently has a March 14th release date, according to more-reliable-than-people-would-like-to-thinkGamestop.com). I like toys. I have them all over my house. I’ll buy a 12″ Leatherface doll (complete with severed body parts in a bucket) and I’ll try to convince myself it’s for my eight-year-old stepson, when I know I’ll cuddle with it when no one is around....

Yup, this is a thing that is happening.Pocket-Lintwent to a trade show in Hong Kong where they spotted this 1:1 scale Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun. Unlike all of the other plastic gun shells out there, this gun actually has the Wiimote, nunchuck and even MotionPlus all built into it already. The sub-machine gun also has rumble functionality, speakers and rechargeable battery that can be charged up through a USB cable....

Gameplay footage for D-Dub Software’s upcoming fantasy/sci-fi adult parody gameBonecrafthas been released, and we wouldn’t want you to miss it. While the footage shows the action-oriented side of the game, it’s leaving my imagination open to the more naughty bits that will surely appear in the title. Having playedBonetown, I was surprised howsmangingthe missions ended up being, andBonecraftmay end up being an even greater blend of smashing and banging. The violent space marines are cool guys, but I can’t wait to see more sexy space elf chicks....

I increasingly get the impression that you lot don’t care aboutDarkspore. And it’s hard to blame you for that. I had grave doubts about it when I saw the game earlier this year, but I came away impressed that Maxis was attempting to take theSporeproperty in a new direction that was actually pretty fun. This trailer probably isn’t going to change minds, either. It’s gameplay footage with a lot of flashy (possibly headache-inducing) cutaways and words which don’t effectively convey the concepts of the game....

Dale has already mentioned the sequel toDaigasso: Band Brothersthe other month, but now we’ve got a few screens and some info regarding the gamecourtesy of Famitsu. The game boasts having over 200 songs to choose from when you download songs, and says that you’ll be able to keep up to 100 of your favorites on the game at a time. I’ll admit, the Japanese is a little unclear here. It doesn’t quite specify where you’ll be downloading these songs (i....

Rockstar has today launched a new trailer forL.A. Noire, “Rise Through the Ranks.” This video gives you a solid slice of gameplay and explains how you can solve and re-solve cases to earn intuition points as you graduate from traffic cop to homicide detective. This is the firstL.A. Noiretrailer where I’ve beenslapped in the faceby the graphics. I love how the use of color makes everything pop, and you really can’t deny that the facial animation is good stuff....

Sonic Generationshas been confirmed for a November 1 release date, hoping to squeak out before the competition in a month packed ludicrously full of Triple-A titles. To celebrate, here’s a humble offering of new screenshots. Each image has a fresh bit of Intel for fans to suck up like ravenous vacuums of information. First of all, Planet Wisp fromSonic Colorsis unveiled, as is the robotic Robotnik fromSonic 2. We also have a shot of “Modern” Sonic meeting “Classic” Sonic for the first time, and the in-game reveal of Shadow the Hedgehog....

On the roughly 3 dozen display units, there were demos ofSuper Street Fighter IV, Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D, Ocarina of Time 3D,and the handheld’s assortment of AR games, including a giant AR card on the floor. Shooting an AR dragon becomes much more enjoyable when said dragon is 4 feet tall. From the chatter in the tent, it seemed that people were legitimately impressed with the system’s 3D effects which, while not everyone finds them to be spectacular, it’s the unwashed masses that needed to be swayed....

I was so ready to call this week’s DSiWare releases the same old stuff we’ve seen time and time again, but then something caught my eye. Something called101 Dolphin Pets. We’re told to “Choose from more than 101 baby dolphins orsimply adopt them all.” If only all of life’s problems were that easy to solve. WiiWare DSiWare Like I said, this week isn’t particularly noteworthy. A couple of demos, which are appreciated, a game about predicting the future through seashells and fortune cookies, and the ambitious-sounding dolphin title....

Nintendo sent along a retail Nintendo DSi XL, and it arrived today… with the smallest press release and fact sheet ever. To give you an idea, I’ve taken a picture of it next to my four-month-old’s foot. She’s got tiny feet because, well, she’s a baby. The ridiculous press release is about the same size as her foot. (Man, am I glad we had this baby before this thing arrived.) Yes, it’s completely readable, but now I have a headache....

The guys at Namco Bandai have teamed up with Japanese fashion labelVAROSHto create a unique set ofPac-Manitems. It ties in to the label’s 2011 seasonal theme of “Electric Night,” trying to implement the vivid neon colours thatPac-Manbrought to the screens of arcade cabinets across the world in this collection. It also mentions their attempt to use “bold” and “audacious” character expressions for emotional impact, as well as “stimulating” designs for the whole collection....