Do people still play Dance Dance Revolution? I think it's still doing well, but it seems like the hot rhythm games nowadays are Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I know the three could peacefully co-exist, but I suspect they don't. Why is that?

Whether or not DDR is still a massive cultural phenomenon or not, Konami continues to churn out iterations of the dancing game. Their latest, Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 which hits the 360 this winter, has a pretty eclectic song list that features music from the likes of Oukast, Men Without Hats and The Bangles. Hit the jump for the full list and let the head-scratching begin.

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To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: On GH3 and Jubblies

Pre-order madness. Wife got up bright and early this morning. She went to the local shopping centre to put in her pre-order for a, you guessed it, POKÉMON SEAT CUSHION. Yep! That's per request. Starting next week, Mini-Bash apparently needs a pillow for his seat. (Up until now this has not be necessary. However, his pre-school informed us that, yes, pillows were now needed. Slightly baffled why he didn't start off with a pillow.)

Whenever we got to the store near our house, all they have in stock are: Anpanman, Lilo & Stitch and Winnie the Pooh. The kid decided that these are for "babies" and "little kids." He is totally not keen. So! Mrs. Bashcraft caught wind of Pokémon seat cushions that are going to be delivered this Friday — hence the pre-order. If we don't, other parents will snap them up like that, and Mini-Bash will have to sit on a "baby" pillow. Tomorrow, she'll go pick it up, and if I remember, I'll snap a pic. Had no idea getting seat cushions could be so tricky, no idea at all...

What you missed last night
Impassioned Capcom plea for Wii Okami
New Nintendo Execs
Last quarter PS3 sales
Nintendo keeps printing money

Remember this guy? Sure ya do! He's back. Same toilet paper, different contest. This time GeeQzilla is back with his entry for the Ace Combat 6 contest. He writes:

I was attempting folding up a 4' X 6' piece of artboard when I accidentally ripped it in half and cried out $#!+!!!! That's when I got this idea :)

Here's what is happening: We're doing a paper airplane contest for Ace Combat 6. We've got a bundle of goodies that includes Ace Combat 6, glossy, photo-quality screenshots autographed by the game's producer and director, Ace Combat 6 Xbox 360 faceplates and the AC6 Flightstick set. To win this bundle you've gotta fold, cut, glue bits of paper together in hopes of creating a truly gnarly paper jet plane. They don't have to actually fly, but hey, if they do, that's a major plus. Be sure to snap a pic of your creation with something that says "Kotaku" and send it to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom. Add "Ace Combat 6 Contest" to your subject line. Deadline is October 25th at midnight PST. Today!

Tim reads Kotaku. Tim goes to college. Tim writes:

I went through a lot for this pumpkin. You see, because I couldn't find candles, I just threw a full can of lighter fluid, a couple of rags, and a match into this baby. Then it fell over and every fire alarm in my dorm went off.

Easy, Tim, you're going to get somebody killed! The rest of you, keep the pumpkins coming. No prizes or compensation on offer, mind, but you're too cool for that. We know all you really want/need is the INTERNET FAME.

Can wait for the Wii Fit Balance Board? Neither can Game Labo! The Japanese video game hacker mag's latest issue has an article on how to make your own. There's a dialogue and a Classic Controller is involved. Good news is that this homebrew doesn't have a 300 pound limit like the Wii Balance Board. So take note, husky readers! This could be the answer you've been waiting for!!
How to Build Wii Balance Board [Hobby Blog]

You cannot kill it, SEGA. The Dreamcast will not die. While the former console maker has already turned its back on the console, diehard developers have not. France based the Alice Company is releasing a DC game next year called Dynamite Dreams. As Brandon at Insert Credit points out, the Bomberman-type clone is based on a mini-game in the Alice Dreams DC adventure title that the developer has been working on for a while now. So, new Dreamcast game in 2008. Can you believe it?

Dynamite Dreams [Insert Credit]

And here we were worried sick about delays. Semi-official Official SCEE blog Three Speech have listed a few confirmed release dates for upcoming PS3 titles, and among them is SingStar. Which is apparently due sometime in December. Europeans and Australians, begin celebrating wildly, while Americans, begin the now-standard scratching of heads and wondering aloud what all the fuss is about.
CONFIRMED RELEASE DATES [Three Speech]

Nintendo Co., Ltd. has Club Nintendo and all its those exclusive Club Nintendo goodies that are redeamable with points that are packaged with games. Nintendo Europe has, you guessed it, Club Nintendo Europe. Nintendo of America has... What does Nintendo of America have? Oh, right. NOTHING. Why does it have nothing? Nintendo of America's Perrin Kaplan explains:

You know we've taken a really close look at what they're doing in Europe and what they're doing in Japan. You have to remember that, geographically, we're much bigger here and cost-wise, it is much more expensive to run a program like that. We try to do pre-sale with our retailers as often as possible. You're talking about a scale that is much larger. But we do look at the differences in markets and what consumers are liking. It's just a difference in scale.

Lemme get this straight: America doesn't get Club Nintendo because America is really big? Talk about a crummy reason!
Kaplan Interview Part II [Multiplayer]

And nowhere else, so cool your jets. Nintendo have announced that their official TV tuner dongle thingy for the DS will hit Japan on November 20, and will set Japanese consumers back ¥6800 ($US 59). Not cheap for what you get, but then, what price convenience and portability? Importers beware: it's a one-seg tuner.
[via Game Watch]

Xbox Korea recently held its X07 presser, where it unveiled future Xbox 360 titles. Most, and we mean most, of the titles were stuff markets outside Korea are getting or have gotten: BioShock, Ninja Gaiden II, Mass Effect, Viva Piñata and so on. There were two new domestic titles that stood out: Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom from dev Blueside and Superstar from Studio Nine. Microsoft getting Studio Nine is a coup of sorts as the Korean developer has made rhythm games like DDR-style PSP game Pump It Up. Sure, we'll be getting an localised version of Kingdom Under Fire: CoD early next year, but wondering if we'll see Superstar.
X07 Presser [Danawa via Siliconera]

Some retrospective reading here, folks. Below is a link to a history of the Commodore 64, the finest brown computer the world has ever seen. It's required reading. Here, though, is some trivia: the C64 was my first ever gaming machine. Dad bought one when I was 4, ostensibly as a "home computer". Five years and a few thousand games of Aztec Challenge later it was obvious budget planning and party invites were not its strong-point. This article proves my situation was not unique.
A History of Gaming Platforms: The Commodore 64 [Gamasutra]

And the new challengers just. Keep. Coming. Kirby's archenemy King Dedede has entered the Super Smash Bros. Brawl ring. It's about time! Originally, he was slated to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but ended up only in the Dream Land stage's background. He didn't make the cut for Super Smash Bros. Melee as he's just a trophy. This time around, he's one of the heavyweights like Donkey Kong and Bowser. Don't think of that as a consolation prize!
Dedede Enters [SB Dojo!!, Thanks Redfield!]

Clive Thompson's asking questions over at Wired. Tough questions. Like is the Wii Remote really the answer when it comes to the "perfect" control scheme? He's found a case where no, no it is not, and it's a case a lot of people could identify with: guy's been playing a ton of Skate, and thinks it "produces results that are not only better than the average controller, but better than a Wii". Which leads him to ponder whether the Wii Remote isn't just as artificial an input method as a D-pad and sticks. Your thoughts, peanut gallery? I say he's right, for now, but that a lot of Wii titles shortcomings have been the fault of the developer, not the controller itself. So he may not be right forever.
Smooth Moves: In Defense of Really Elegant Button-Mashing [Wired]

Seaman! Buckets and buckets of Seaman! That's what Japanese gamers gobbled up this week, as Sega's sequel to the Dreamcast test of patience from Vivarium for the PlayStation 2 topped the Japanese sales charts. The voice activated, missing link-raising sim just barely beat out Nintendo's newest non-game for the Nintendo DS, DS Bungaku Zenshuu, a collection of Japanese literature readable on the dual screen sensation.

The only other exciting sales news was the debut of Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 cracking the top ten and Lair for the PlayStation 3 hanging tough in the top 30. Also, I'm sure many of you were curious about the placement of DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series: Kyoto Atami Zekkai no Kotou - Satsui no Wana. It held strong for another week and should best the 100,000 mark any day now. Sleep well, sales figure faithful.

01. Seaman 2 (PS2) - 33,000 / NEW
02. DS Bungaku Zenshuu (DS) - 32,000 / NEW
03. Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Meteor (PS2) - 20,000 / 271,000
04. DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series: Kyoto Atami Zekkai no Kotou - Satsui no Wana (DS) - 20,000 / 81,000
05. Gundam Battle Chronicle (PSP) - 19,000 / 133,000
06. Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon: Time Expedition Party (DS) - 19,000 / 521,000
07. Beautiful Katamari (360) - 19,000 / NEW
08. Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon: Shadow Expedition Party (DS) - 16,000 / 457,000
09. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (DS) - 15,000 / 646,000
10. Banushi Life Game: Winners Circle (DS) - 15,000 / NEW

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Itprintsmoney.gif. Just picture that image, then picture it repeating endlessly across a monitor whose expanse is greater than that of the seven seas. That's how much money Nintendo is making. They've just released their quarterly financials, and to spare you the boring parts, we'll just tell you they made three times as much money as they did this time last year, have raised their operating profit forecast to $US 3.7 billion and are on track to rake in, oh, around $US 13 billion in total revenue for the year. Think this whole Wii/DS thing may actually be working?
Nintendo raises full-year forecast [Reuters]

Mature-rated Conan for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 feature rampant boobs. Just about every level has a topless damsel in distress that needs to be saved. After freeing them, the lady says, "Let me repay you" and Conan kinda stands there for a moment. The developer says "no," but there's gotta be a shameful Easter Egg, there's gotta.

The two, maybe three of you trying to call Midway's San Diego office, you can stop now. Go back to trying to call Nintendo or whoever it is you're pissed off with this week. The crazy California bush fires sweeping the state have forced the evacuation of the company's San Diego offices, with all employees expected to be staying at home for the rest of the week. A cushy week at home, then? Oh good Lord no, they're still having to work. Even the developers. Guess only the end of days can get you the day off at Midway Heavy Industries.
Midway Evacuates San Diego Office due to Wildfires [GameDaily.biz]

Finally! Things are starting to look up for embattled Sony. The electronics giant released its consolidated financial results for the 2nd quarter that ended on September 30th. The results? The company's operating loss in the game division increased because of "strategic pricing of PS3 at pints lower than its production cost." Overall hardware sales were up, and thegame division saw a 42.9 percent increase in sales thanks the PS3 and the redesigned PSP. PlayStation 2 sales remained steady. Total game software sales dipped "as a result of a decrease in PS2 and PSP software sales." Also, Sony has changed the way it reports hardware and software unit sales. Instead of counting shipped units, it now counts actual sold units. The quarter between July and September looks like this:

Worldwide hardware unit sales (increase/decrease year-on-year)
PS2: 3.28 million units (a decrease of 0.13 million units)
PSP: 2.58 million units (an increase of 0.56 million units)
PS3: 1.31 million units

Software units after the jump.

PS2: 38.0 million units (a decrease of 9.2 million units)
PSP: 12.6 million units (a decrease of 0.6 million units)
PS3: 10.3

Whew. I don't know about you, but I'm all numbered out. Breaktime!
Report Here [Sony]

You may have heard, Nintendo were short a few senior executives. Needed fresh blood. So they've gone out and got some! As expertly speculated, Yahoo's Cammie Dunaway (pictured) will be coming onboard as executive vice president, sales & marketing (Reggie's old job, before he got shuffled upstairs last year), while Shigeyuki Takahashi, formerly of Nintendo Research Inc. (business research, not product research) has been brought over to the US to serve as NoA's executive vice president, special assignment. Where, with a title like that, we expect he'll be battling swarthy terrorist types with nothing but a sharp suit and a heavily-modified Wii Zapper. Full introductory press release follows.

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This, yes this, is what we've been waiting for: The Red Ring of Death jack-o'-lantern. According to reader Zhao:

Every gamer's worst nightmare... the centre fell out and had to be taped *cries due to lack of skill*

It's like the mouth of Hell.

Seaman? Great. Though a little creepy. And most definitely under-appreciated. The sequel looks...a lot less creepy, but it'll still probably end up great and it'll still probably end up under-appreciated.

SEGA of America is taking in-game advertising one step further. The company has just inked an ad deal with GET Interactive, which is known for interactive advertising tech. SEGA business development v.p. Rob Lightner explains:

With typical product placement you simply see a product in the game, GET allows you take the relationship one step further and allows the consumer to interact in a more meaningful way with the brand.

Meaning? You can actually buy things advertised. It's in-game advertising but better. And by "better," we mean worse. Way worse.

SEGA's Ad Deal [Games Industry]

Microsoft India have announced that Xbox Live will launch in the country on November 5. If you're about to make some kind of patronising remark about tardiness, shut your mouth. Because while they're getting Xbox Live late, they're also getting some kind of Super Xbox Live, which not only will feature movie downloads (sure, they're Bollywood movies, but that's still more movies than anyone else outside of the US has got) but also game rentals. Thanks to a partnership with movie rental company Seventymm, Indian Live users can order 360 games (which are then presumably posted), play them for a few days then be done with them. Good idea! We know Netflix are looking at movie rentals, but game rentals are just that little bit more enticing.

Xbox Live coming to India next month [Gamesindustry.biz]

DOWN TO THE WIRE! You've got one hour left to enter our wrap-yourself-up-win-Dementium. That right up there, that's reader Stephanie, who writes:

I am not only playing for a chance at the DS Game -Dementium: The Ward. I am playing for INTERNET FAME! Even though the came looks pretty awesome!!

What's going on? We're giving away a copy of DS scary game Dementium: The Ward in our cosplay contest. But not just any old cosplay contest! Oh no. We're doing a bandage cosplay contest. Meaning? If you have toilet paper, you can enter. If you have band-aids, you can enter. Just cover yourself in bandage, and you are good to go. YES, IT'S THAT SIMPLE. The deadline for the contest is today. Yes, today is the last day to enter! You have until midnight PST tonight! Hurry!! Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom. And remember, you aren't just playing for a DS game. Oh, no. You, like Stephanie, are playing for INTERNET FAME. Entries outside North America more than welcomed.
Dementium [Official Site]

Just in case you missed it, yesterday Atari made available the Eternal Sonata demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace. So if you're eager to check it out, get online and grab that sucker.

If not, then feel free to ignore it!

As a bonus, the note from Atari said the game will be out in Australia and New Zealand on November 12.

Turn 10 have just announced that some Forza 2 DLC will be hitting on Friday (October 26). Included will be four "variations" of Japan's Twin Ring Motegi course, which in English means four different ways of racing around the same track. How much will said track cost you? Oh, around 600 Microsoft points ($US 7.50). Oh my. As much as that price-point screams compelling, we're going to have to pass.

Turn 10 on Forza 2's new DLC track [GameSpot]

In the industry of MMO middleware, the Australian-owned, Micro Forte-spun BigWorld has quite a reputation. While its clients have been limited in the past to the boutique, but highly profitable, Chinese market, it wasn't long ago (mid-2006) that the software was picked up by Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment for Stargate Worlds, an MMO of the sci-fi show that's currently in development.

Now BigWorld (the company is actually named after the middleware) has entered into a "strategic partnership" with Global Netoptex Inc (GNi). GNi is, in essence, a hosting business, and the plan is that BigWorld will sell the software while GNi provides the hardware - making the two combined a one-stop shop for MMO developers.

It'd be interesting to find out the pros and cons of buying pre-baked MMO server/client software, considering most developers seem content with making their own. Sounds like an interview in the making...

You can read the full release after the jump.

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A demo for Uncharted is coming. Coming SOON. During an innocent post over on the PlayStation blog about the game's AI and animation, programmer Christian Gyrling decides to make things a little more interesting, and jumps into the comments section to tell the world a demo will be turning up on the PSN "sometime mid November". That's three weeks, Drake fans. Kick those excitement turbines into gear.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Update - AI & Animation [PlayStation.Blog]

You've seen how the hot dog arm can dispose of baddies. Here's how the other arm wields a machine gun. There's lots of shooty shooty to go with the swingy swingy. Balanced game-play! This remake does look fun — if only they'd get rid of the hot dogs and the hairdo...

Here's your most recent reminder that Capcom is releasing Devil May Cry 4 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next February. This fresh batch of 30 screen shots look like they might be rich with spoilers, so do mind the revelations. Sorry if the above pic is one of those potential spoilers, but I demand that posts lead with fabulous photos. What could be better than Nero—or is that Dante? I can never tell—blocking a sword with an encyclopedia?