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In the latest issue ofFamitsu, Level-5 announced that ROID, its new Japanese-only game and entertainment download service for PC and mobile phones (similar to Steam), will be releasing on June 1. This is all very interesting, but let’s move on to what’s really important — well, other than the fact that the service is called “ROID.” (I can only immaturely assume the original name “YEASTINFECTION” was taken.) The above blurry screenshot of one of the launch games is featured in the article and it looks an awful lot like a certain classic RPG released on the Super Nintendo....

As if we needed any further proof thatSadnessis complete and utter horsecrap, it has been discovered that the official site for the game has disappeared. Thedomain has collapsedand is now free for purchase by anybody with money burning a hole through their pocket. As always, Nibris has failed to comment. I’m beginning to think Nibrisitselfdoesn’t exist either. I think Nibris was once a real company in the fifties, but a fire in an office building trapped all its employees and they died....

Starting next month, EA will begin shutting down the servers for anumber of itsonline-enabled games. Don’t fret too much — almost all of the affected games are either showing age or just plain aren’t good. According to the company, they amount to “less than 0.3% of all peak online players across all EA titles.” Gasp! My 2:00 AMLord of the Rings: ConquestandMadden NFL 09(on Xbox, not 360) multiplayer sessions are soon going to be nothing more than a distant memory....

I will forever be grateful to Konami thatSilent Hill 2exists. It is, to me, one of the most stunning experiences of all time — a dark and depressing game about introspection, obsession and guilt that I don’t thing we’ve quite seen in a videogame before or since. However, it is that very same gratitude that upsets me with each successiveSilent Hillchapter.SH3was decent, andThe Roomhad some inspired moments, but Konami has never recaptured my imagination....

E3. I’ll be there. FOR WORK. Not bitching, though. I love E3, and I’m glad that the Robot in the Sky sends me to cover it, but I’d love to just attend the show as a videogamer just once, and not one that has to scramble to make meetings and showings. You could be that guy by winningSony’s contest. You would be PlayStation’s “guest,” whatever that means. I’m sure that’s a good thing....

Alexander “graf_chokolo” Egorenkov has his homeraided by German police this past week, after Sony demanded the seizure of his PS3 hacking equipment. It has been subsequently revealed that Sony plans to sue Egorenkov for 1,000,000 euros … and Egorenkov doesn’t care. “The SONY’s laywer asked me why I’m doing what I’m doing, because of my hatred for SONY?” writes the hacker. “He cannot understand why I’m doing it, because he is paid for what he does....

I had a Sony Vaio P netbook. Sold it recently. It was a cool little thing to tote around as it weighed in at 1lb. I would take it to light work/press events and vacations to take care of email and light web work. It’s very steeply priced at $800+, but they’re cool enough that you kind of forget that it’s just a netbook. Kinda. If you did spend $800 and are feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse, you might get some relief in knowing that your sexy little netbook can work as a keyboard for your PS3....

Everyone’s trying to get that cool color of blue just right. I saw Microsoft’s attempt. I don’t think anyone bought one of those ugly controllers. Both the PSP and the Dualshock 3 had this really masculine dark blue color in the past, but that didn’t really pop. The new teal-ish 3DS blue is a little strong. For my tastes, the older DS Lite or PSP-3000 in that pale blue was really nice....

Square Enix leads the pack (in Japan, at least) as a company proud of their games’ musical scores, working to release soundtracks for these titles for all who will listen. I, for one, am glad that they go through the effort, as I’m a big fan of game music. Square Enix Music has put together some big collections and fancy boxsets, but this newest release takes the cake as far as size goes....

Microsoft VP of Being Bono, Kudo Tsunoda, has told the BBC that Terminal Reality’sStar WarsKinect game is scheduled to arrive during 2011’s holiday season. This means that Kinect might very well be worth owning in a year from now, provided you’ve a strong stomach for on-rails titles. “We have a KinectStar Warsgame coming out for next holiday,” says the Grouch. “I think you could just easily imagine being a Jedi and using Kinect to make you feel you’re part of a Star Wars experience, building yourself up into a Jedi....

Think you know everything about Bioware’s upcoming MMORPGStar Wars: The Old Republic? Think again. In a surprise announcement, an additional class has been revealed – theSarlacc Enforcer. If you’ve ever complained about how much goddamn WALKING all the classes inWorld of Warcraftand other MMOs require, the Sarlacc Enforcer is for you. Sure, you could take a gryphon to Thunderbluff and waste 6 minutes of your life, expend valuable energy chatting in general to find a warlock to port you to Outland, or wait an entire minute for your flight power to recharge....

The story of the Xbox 360’s success in Japan has taken anotherbizarre twist, as it has now pulled ahead of the dominating Nintendo on its home turf. As Wii sales slow down, the Xbox 360 has managed to snatch the top home console post, doubtlessly helped by its huge 30% price drop. The 360 sold 28,681 units from September 8 to September 14, beating out the Wii’s 27,057 sales and trouncing the PS3’s 8,050....

Media Molecule is on quite the tear withLittleBigPlanetcostume content. Today, on Spanish PlayStation enthusiast websitePSnow, images popped up of Sackboy adorned with variousStreet FighterGear. Chun Li, Guile, Ryu and Zangief all made the cut. Despite how official it may look, this could be one of those clever Internet ruses. Media Molecule hasn’t announced that they have recreated any of these loveable Capcom characters. But, it’s easy to believe when considering the amount of game-specific costumes already released....