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[Editor’s note: Cowzilla takes a look at the Casual gaming scene as part of theMonthly Musings theme. — CTZ] Casual gaming, which I will define as gaming that you don’t have to invest too much time into to understand and can enjoy without becoming enthralled in it, has pretty much taken the world of gaming by storm since the Wii’s launch. Though it has been around since the dawn of gaming, it hasn’t really been recognized and sanctioned off from hardcore gaming until surprisingly recently....

HALF-MINUTE HERO! Yes, the game deserves an all-caps introduction because I am that excited for its release. The game’s looked hot ever since it was first announced, and thePSN demosealed the deal. In case you’re unaware of whatHalf-Minute Herois, it’s a game that gives you thirty seconds to complete an entire RPG experience. Level up, shop for items, and destroy the ultimate evil in half a minute to win. It’s amazingly versatile and the ability to extend time lends a terrific puzzle element to proceedings....

Henry Hatsworthand the Puzzling Adventureis easily one of my favorite games of 2009. There are many reasons why I love this game and topping that list is the final boss sequence. It’s just so mind-blowingly amazing! Overon Offworld(one of my new favorite videogame sites), they got a hold of some art work and concept pieces from the game that show off a ton of stuff that didn’t make the final cut....

Here is aludicrous amount of screenshotsfor the Square Enix-published action gameNieR. These screens show off bothNieR GestaltandNieR Replicant. The Western release will just give us one version of the game, while Japan gets 360 and PS3 variants, featuring slightly different protagonists. Oddness. In any case, these screens contain a healthy mixture of violence, half-naked demon intersex girls, and weird midgets with Moons for heads. That’s pretty much all you need from a videogame, so I’m quite looking forward toNieR, even if the graphics do look slightly washed out and not so great....

I was informed earlier today that the second part in a series of animated shorts inspired byCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfarehas been out for a while now, and after seeing the strong response thefirst videogot, I had to make sure everyone saw the follow-up. So yes, it is “old,” but then again it’s not like this stuff is time sensitive or anything. Anyway, I found this short, “The Duty,” to be generally more interesting than “The Call....

It’s magical. It’s relaxing. And it’s coming to a PlayStation 3 near you. No, I’m not talking about the Blu-ray version ofButt Pirates of the Caribbean, I’m talking aboutflOw— the downloadable game that will make your PS3 seems slightly more worthy. Take a look at this vid and enjoy the soothing new age sounds.

Watch the video above. That’s an upcoming indie PC title calledDustforce, and it’s generating quite a bit of buzz onReddit. Taking the kind of fast-paced acrobatic platforming seen inSuper Meat Boy, it has an air of familiarity about it, but the addition of combat gives is something a little more fresh. I love the moody art style, too. It reminds me of games likeOut of This World. It’s definitely a game to keep an eye on, so check it out and let us know what you think....

The meat of this story is that Hudson Entertainment has confirmed that another TurboGrafx title will be hitting the Wii’s Virtual Console. On theirofficial message boardsthey tease that “it’s one of the most requested games that fans want.” They even go as far as to throw in a “Oooohh! Tasty!” I first caught this news on my cell phone, via 1up. The first thing I saw after the headline (“More TurboGrafx for Virtual Console on Monday“) was Splatterhouse, written in bold letters....

Another BioWare game, another luxurious special edition for you to spend obscene amounts of money on. We’re all getting somewhat tired of special editions here at Destructoid, but nevertheless, there is plenty of chicanery included in theMass Effect 2box for those who are still wowed by trinkets and pennywhistles. Here’s what theMass Effect 2Collector’s Edition will include: The special edition is priced at $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC....

People are diddling with iPhone games for the same amount of time that other gamers twiddle with their Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable games, according to ngmoco’s CEO Neil Young. How does he know that? Well, iPhone games spit out play data toBig Brotherpublishers. “You look at the other end of the spectrum with Rolando and the average play session is 22 minutes. The average player is playing the game ten times, Young toldGamesIndustry....

It’s easy to like Irrational Games, especially when the studio behindSystem Shock 2andBioShockgets up front about its canceled games. One such title, a fantasy-themed real-time strategy game built for consoles and centered around collectible cards, dates back to 2002. No, really,you’re able to seethe original pitch in .pdf form, complete with a Sun Tzu quote. It’s a real treat to see if you’re into game design or like having lesser-known industry facts to drop on unsuspecting friends....

With Activision’sGuitar Heroseemingly headed full speed down the path of finger blistering fret board wankery, it was only a matter of time before some Joe Satriani tunes found their way into the mix. WhenGuitar Worldmagazine asked Satriani about his thoughts on the success ofGuitar HeroandRock Band, the legendary guitarist dropped an interesting videogame-related gem. “It’s funny you ask: Both game systems have just licensed ‘Satch Boogie’ and ‘Surfing With the Alien’ for upcoming versions,” he said, sounding a bit confused, and being very non-committal to one particular product....

Yesterday,we reportedsome Nielsen statistics that indicate that the Wii was the least used console (in terms of minutes, at least in January) of this generation. Well, turns out someone made abit of a boo-booon the charts, and that’s not the case at all. In fact, it appears to be the opposite. According to the update figures, the Wii is themostplayed console of this generation, with the PlayStation 3 in a seriously distance third place....