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While I’ve been on the less popular end of a lot of arguments regarding the quality ofSenko no Rondeas a videogame (I found it overly-tech on the fighting side and chokingly restrictive on the shmup side), there’s no arguing about the quality of its distinct and wonderful character design. Shuji Sogabe and Mizuki Takayama created an array of hyper-feminine characters to choose from, with a clean, colorful and deliciously futuristic style not unlike some of Hyung-Tae Kim’s concept art....

If you have looked into building your own computer, you’ll know that shopping for a video card can be a daunting experience to say the least. With tons of specs to look at, things tend to get a little confusing when comparing different cards, not to mention comparing AMD to NVIDIA. If you take a look at the differences in specs of AMD and NVIDIA cards, you’ll see a few differences, and it’s not just the price....

Wideload Shorts (the “small games” division ofStubbs The Zombiedeveloper Wideload Games), has announced that they will be providing the first title forInstantAction.com, an upcoming web-based videogame network. The Wideload Shorts developedCyclomiteis (unfortunately) not a sequel toGyromite, but has players piloting a “Cyclomite” through meteor storms. Players control a multicolored “Cyclomite” ring in the center of the screen, using it to catch meteors as they fly towards the center of the storm....

Earlier this week, Sony made an announcement that they would be holding anotherLittleBigPlanetArt Game Jam Session, this time for the PSP. Five teams of students from the School of Game Design from the Academy of Art Institute in San Francisco were challenged to create levels based on iconic elements of the city. They had 24 hours to create something fantastic, with the winning creation available day one for LittleBigPlanet PSP....

Yesterday, news broke that Microsoft’s European Xbox event, X0 wasn’t going ahead, doubtless angering all those Germans who like to see what games are being banned in their country over the next year. With no X07 to speak of, Microsoft has instead confirmed that a UK-centered event is to take place in blighty “before Christmas.” “X07 is not going ahead,” a Microsoft spokesman toldGamesindustry.biz, “We’re looking at doing something here in the UK....

Good news for people who love thepew-pew-pew: Microsoft announced today that the new shmupAegis Wingwill be made available this coming Wednesday on XBLA, free for Silver and Gold Xbox Live members. The game was originally conceived by three Microsoft interns between sessions of coffee-nabbin’ and savage beatings by the higher-ups. From the release: “Aegis Wing” was originally conceived by three students — Scott Brodie, Danny Dyer and Matt Monson — during a summer internship at Xbox LIVE Arcade....

We just wrapped recording the latest episode ofBit Transmission, and the show had more than a few weird moments. I was particularly shocked by Colette Bennett’s genuine joy for the upcoming Wii RPGXenoblade. Colette loves her PS3 and her HD and her Blu-rays, and she also has a history of feeling genuine pain when forced to squint at the crappy jaggies of yesteryear. For a game likeXenobladeto get her excited, it must be pretty special....

Remember the guy who said “The way you manufacture a Wii is you take two GameCubes and duct tape. It’s not clear to me that Nintendo gives a sh*t about gaming as an art form“. Yeah, that wasChris Hecker, and he just got laid off from Maxis. Ironic, as he worked on the originalSpore, andSpore: Heroesis just about to make it’s way to the Wii. Maybe Nintendo demanded his head on a stake, to be barbecued atop a pile of burning money, before they would allowSporeto take its place in the Wii’s library?...

Cheapskate Xbox 360 owners holding out for your “The Ballad of Gay Tony” deal, the wait is over. TheGrand Theft Auto IVadd-on is this week’s Xbox 360 deal; it’s only 1200 MS Points, which shaves 400 points off the regular price of the game. Of course, you’ll have to own a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV, so I hope you still have that lying around. Alternately, you can pick upEpisodes from Liberty Cityfor $29....

So far, one of the main things we’ve known about From Software’s3D Dot Game Heroesis that it’s a PS3 exclusive. From even confirmed as such a few weeks ago,explicitly statingthat it was only for the Big Black Box o’ Blu-ray. However, it seems the actual development studio, Silicon Studios, isopen to the ideaof a 360 version. “We can do it. Our libraries are multiplatform, so it would be possible to make it for 360,” statesHiroyuki Misawa....

When I was young I used to live near a convenience store that would rent out NES games. That was like a dream. I could roll up, get some snacks and a game, go back home and be a happy boy. I got to playrealgames this way, ones I would have never asked my mom to purchase.Xexyz?Oh yes.Battle of Olympus, anyone? How about someGenghis Khanaction? Good times are back again, thanks to convenience store 7-Eleven....

Due to LG winning a preliminary injunction against Sony in itscopyright infringement suit, European customs officers have been advised to block shipments of PS3s into the territory for at least ten days. The civil court of justice in the Hague made the ruling as LG pursues allegations that Sony made unlicensed use of Blu-ray technology in its PS3 systems. Sony is applying to overturn the verdict, but LG can apply to have it extended, so who knows what’ll happen?...

When Ubisoftreleased detailsabout its upcomingAssassin’s Creed 2DLC and I suggested that it was content that had merely yanked out of the original game, I was told off for being presumptuous. Well, guess what — the upcomingAssassin’s Creed 2DLCiscontent that was merely yanked out of the original game. I win. “I felt that, ‘Okay, there were too many things to do and to finish.’ So we said, ‘Okay, let’s take a portion of the game that was planned and we’ll give it in DLC....