Go Nintendo reader Andy works at Target, and loves him some Nintendo. So he's the kind of guy to pay attention to things like changes in the way Target catalogue their Wii SKUs. Changes like the one he noticed the other day when scanning a Wii console through the register. Where previously the product would be displayed as "Wii Console", it's now coming up as "Wii White". Why emphasise the colour? No reason. Oh, unless you're about to release other colours, and need to differentiate between them. That might be a reason.

Target giving insight into new Wii colors? [Go Nintendo]

The only explanation that the clip needs is that it's awesome. Really, really awesome. Hit the jump for the original Japanese version. Likewise, awesome.

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Want some good times but can't afford a real 360? Japan's so got your back. And your unmentionables. The SeXbox is a bag of fun that, despite the 360-inspired trimmings, doesn't come with any controllers. Or cables. Or power bricks, or headsets, or even a 360 console. So what does it come with, then?

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Slightly-curved gaming displays? Load of old codswallop. Would you settle for a monitor with a little bend when you can, like these industrious Germans, rig up a 360-degree network of projected screens that's powered by what looks like a Wii Remote? No. You certainly would not.

[via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

You've got to appreciate his honesty. John Rhys-Davies, who you'll know from Lord of the Rings if not Indiana Jones, is currently starring in a videogame adaptation. Uwe Boll's Dungeon Siege film In the Name of the King, to be precise. But don't think Boll's bought his silence on the quality of game-to-film adaptations, though, because while Rhys-Davies knows which hand is feeding him, he's also not afraid to bite into its soft, German flesh:

[Hollywood's infatuation with games is] a disaster. One or two may succeed, and I hope this is one of them, but the structure of a game is completely unlike the structure of a film. And it shows the despair of the studios and producers that these movies even get a look at.

That's probably the smartest quote that's going to come out of that project.

John Rhys-Davies Talks In the Name of the King [GameDaily]

Here's the Japanese hardware sales by system/companies during the year's 1996-2007. Just look how Sony had it all! And then blew it. (Nintendo, of course, blew it before that.) Marvel at Nintendo make in-roads between 1999 and 2002. The clip features brief appearances by Sega, Bandai and Microsoft. Aren't pie charts fun?

Note: For those who cannot read Japanese, セガ means "SEGA," バンダイ means "Bandai" and 任天堂 means "Nintendo." Also, "SFC" stands for "Super Famicom," and "WS" is Bandai's handheld console the WonderSwan.

Thanks, Muu!

Fukubukuro boxes/bags are a Japanese new year's tradition. The deal is this: retailers take a bag, fill it with random crap from their store, put a price on the bag and sell it for a cheap price. Retail gambling, if you will. You could get something you really want for a great price, or you could have paid for a load of crap. Julie bought one from Japanese game mecca Super Potato. She paid a little under $US 10. Inside? Seventy-six games for the Dreamcast, Saturn, PlayStation, Game Boy, PC-Engine, Virtual Boy and Famicom. Lucky sod.

レトロゲー★ジャンクダイビング [via Hobby Blog]

We know there'll be more Guitar Hero games coming. We're pretty sure one of them - most likely an expansion or "encore" pack - will feature Aerosmith. Now, via EGM's Quartermann rumours section, we're hearing another may star...U2. Really, of all the bands that truly rock in this world, they choose U2? If you need me, I'll be on the roof, trying to come up with reasons why I shouldn't jump.

Guitar Hero U2 Edition in the works? [EGM, via Destructoid] [Image: Dror Eyal]

Back in November, we reported that Bionic Commando producer Ben Judd said, "In three months, you will be happy." Well, it's been about three months, and we're still unhappy. We're always unhappy! In the short future, Judd assures, there will be an announcement he's dubbed as a "megaton bomb." Over at the game's official site, there is a poll about that "megaton bomb" that apparently hints at what's coming. It reads as:

What do you think the Bionic Commando Megaton will be?

• The original Bionic Commando will be released on Virtual Console
• Nathan Spencer will appear as a playable character in Super Smash Brothers Brawl
• A Bionic Commando movie announcement
• A 2D version of the original on next-gen consoles
• A Wii version of Bionic Commando
• Multi-player for Bionic Commando
• A Bionic Commando Collection Pack will be released on handhelds

Multi-player is a given, so that's not much of a megaton. We're betting that the original BC will be re-released on both the Wii and next-gen consoles. We're hoping they get rid of the hot dogs.

Prior to today, I'd never heard of the conservative news site, The Cybercast News Service. What follows may be a reason why. Seems the CNS are taking objection with Mass Effect's sexual content. Or, at least, the sexual content they think is in Mass Effect, but really isn't (Rule: No sack, crack, lady nipples or dangly bits = totally kosher). There's too many entertaining quotes for us to highlight them all, so we're just going to post the best one. It's from Cathy Ruse, a lawyer and senior fellow for legal studies at the Family Research Council:

There are cultural implications for feeding porn to kids in this way," and "when you do this, you're teaching them a distorted lesson about human sexuality and human dignity. These are lessons that they will take with them into adulthood and ultimately society.

Lady, the only lesson you learn from pursuing a romance in Mass Effect is that it isn't worth the effort.

Sex in Video Game Makes Waves Through Industry [CNS, via GamePolitics]

What's worse than one King of Games shirt emptying your bank balance? Yeah. Two shirts. Hitting almost simultaneously on the site are these tees, one - commemorating the Mega Drive - from Sega's Get Ready collection and the other - for Parachute - from KoG's own Game & Watch series. If you want to know how to order them, King of Games has an English site. If you need to know how much it'll cost you, you probably shouldn't bother.

[King of Games]

For those of you ready to clean house, have we got a day for you! Today is our favorite Kotakuday, Ban Monday. Our willingness to ban increases twenty-fold as Witzbold helps clean up and clean out. We want to keep the comments section readable (AKA thin the herd), and we want you to help. Here's how it works: Send tipsATkotaku.com commenter pages for anyone you think should get the boot. Our ban threshold is going to be way lower (hello fanboy trolls!). Nothing is definite, but ban requests from longtime commenters will be given great authority with the hammer. So be sure to include your own commenting profile! Ban Monday ends in exactly 24 hours. Tuesday's comment section will be lighter, faster, better. Oh yes.

To: Ash and Luke

From: Flynn

Subject: So that's what my bed feels like...

Ahoy gents! Well it's finally happened, I went and found an apartment. Last night, for the first time in five months I actually slept in my own bed. Now I get to attend to the exciting task of unpacking all my stuff, some of it I haven't seen since I got blown out of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina over two years ago. Now that I'm settled in SF, it feels like I have finally come back home for good.

Some things you might have missed this weekend:

These guys played 48 hours of Zelda for Charity.

McWhertor talked to John Kolle about the future of the PSP.

It's time to get fat!

And now my fair fellows, I depart to unearth more forgotten about knick knacks. Hell, I might even lay in bed and read a book! Hope you have a great week, goodnight.

It's a bizarre mix of games this week and seeing as I am busy unpacking a myriad of boxes, much of this week will be devoted to that rather than gaming. Although I'm sure I'll be able to sneak some in here and there. Are any of this week's releases going to make on your shopping list?

FlatOut: Head On (PC, PSP)
Crash cars and blow stuff up.

Samurai Warriors: Katana (WII)
Swing your katana in this Samurai Warriors spin off.

Rail Simulator (PC)
You can make trains too, just like the big boys.

Furu Furu Park (WII)
More mini games for the Wii.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence (WII)
The TV show comes to your Wii in game form.

Nanostray 2 (DS)
Part two of the trippy shooter

Nitrobike (WII)
Rocket bikes! Need I say more?

Miami Nights: Singles in the City (DS)
Virtually explore the hot, hot hot Miami singles scene.

Corvette Evolution GT (DS)
Race car driving on your DS.

Games have content cut from them all the time, usually due to time constraints. If you're willing to spend a few hours digging around in any game's data files, you're likely to find bits and pieces of features, creatures, items or other miscellany that couldn't be implemented before release.

Crytek's FPS Crysis is no exception. In fact, it seems the developer left quite a lot more than just a half-finished rifle or textureless tree.

Tipster Brendan sends word that the folks over at inCrysis forums have discovered what looks like some unused levels in the shooter's resource files. From the post:

I've found something really interesting in Crysis' resources. In Demo, open Data/Gamedata.pak with Rar. Then open folder Libs/GameTokens. You'll find the following files
Act1_M01_Island
Act1_M02_Village
Act1_M03_Rescue
Act1_M04_Harbor
Act1_M05_Tank
Act1_M06_Mine
Act2_M01_Armada
Act2_M02_Camera
Act2_M03_Airfield
Act2_M04_Capture
Act2_M05_Fleet
Act3_M01_Crater
Act3_M02_Storage
Act3_M03_Maintenance
Act3_M04_Operations
and also - Ascension (which was added really late to the game)
It seems that Act 3 was completely removed from the game?

If you look closely - well okay, not that closely - you'll notice an entire third act that wasn't present in the original game.

Is it content waiting to be used in an expansion, or even a sequel? We'll just have to wait and see, though I think the hackers might beat Crytek to the punch.

Original Crysis' 3-act structure discovered [inCrysis, thanks Brendan]

And by "popular demand", I mean "one person".

Anywho, if you happened to miss the mega post from the US with photos of not only the desks of famous game developers, but the ever-so-lovable crew over at Kotaku US, here's your chance to check it out now. It makes my post just a little less random.

This is my paltry contribution. That ViewSonic monitor on the right is half-buggered. It'll only display a resolution up to 1024x768 (used to be 1680x1050 native). It's not an ideal second screen, but it's better than nothing.

Condemned was one of the first games I got for my 360 a few years ago and to be perfectly honest, I wasn't terribly impressed. As a matter of fact I sold it back to the store only a few days after purchasing it. Perhaps I should have given it another chance, but I had already moved on. This new trailer for Condemned 2 however has piqued my interest and looks to be much more up my alley. Hopefully the gameplay will be a bit more interesting than the original.

Where do all these expansions keep coming from! I don't think there's another RTS in history with as many additions as Relic's Dawn of War. Kudos to THQ and the developer for keeping the game fresh for so many years.

Actually, I can't begin to imagine how hard it is to balance nine different sides - seven from the original games and previous expansions, plus the Sisters of Battle and the Dark Elder that come with Soulstorm. Madness.

You can grab the 1.2GB monstrosity from Internode Games Network, among other sites.

The game proper is due out sometime in March this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm Demo [Internode Games Network]

As we reported a few days ago, the fate of Capcom's Bionic Commando on the Wii rests squarely on the shoulders of the players. GoNintendo's RawMeatCowboy has decided to take the matter into his own hands and has started an internet petition to get the ball rolling. Generally, internet petitions don't seem to lead anywhere (I'm speaking from experience here) but Capcom sounds like they are ready to hear what you have to say. So let your voice be heard and put your digital John Hancock on this petition!

Bionic Commando on the Wii Petition [GoNintendo]

I'm generally a fan of convergence, but it does sometimes rub me the wrong way when we start talking electronics or electronic media. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Both? And what does electronic media convergence spell for games? Leigh Alexander makes the case for the positive points of the industries colliding this week, with enough links to keep you clicking for a while (lots of CES round up talk). So, what's the crux of the argument for why media convergence could be a really, really good thing?

We'll play a role in the way entertainment media is shaped, because the game industry is pleasantly surprised at the way the mainstream has begun to embrace it in new ways, and film, television and music have realised that we're one of the cool kids, too. Neither camp expected this, and neither camp is quite sure, beyond the abstracts, how to address their evolving audiences. So they'll be listening, and watching, letting us declare how we want to play, how to reach us, and taking close notes on what makes us tick. That can only be a good thing.

It's an interesting read touching on a number of current issues, and while only time will tell how all the convergence stuff pans out, it's interesting to contemplate potential collaboration and cross-pollination.

Entertainment Media Convergence: The Case In Favor [Sexy Videogameland]

Destructoid's dashing Nick Chester has discovered that Gamestop is currently listing an upcoming peripheral called the Rock Band Stage Kit by Performance Design Products. According to the side of the box (the image of which has suddenly been removed from the Gamestop website) the kit is an "interactive light and smoke stage show" that will accompany your most frenzied Rock Band performances. You can pre-order it now in anticipation of it's posted release date of June 26 for $US 99. Could this be the rumored "big Rock Band news" we've heard tell about?

Live the dream with PDP's Rock Band 'Interactive Light and Smoke Stage Show' [Destructoid]

Over at his blog, Doolwind, former Auran programmer Alistair Doulin has posted his personal views on the closure of Brisbane-based developer Auran late last year.

There are some intriguing insights into the lead up to Auran's end of days, as well as the company itself. For example, Alistair mentions that Auran had quite a few extremely talented people working for the company that Auran failed to retain:

For me, the first sign that something wasn’t quite right was when one of the star graphics programmers informed Auran he was going to leave if he wasn’t put on something interesting. This guy (while never admitting it himself) was basically Carmack 2.0. He is the kind of person that good companies would give almost anything to have on their team. However, at Auran, they just let him slip away even after giving them a direct option to resolve the problem. The other problem was when the three leads (programming, art and QA) all resigned within a couple of weeks of each other.

Along with an inability to hold on to talented staff, Doulin cites the extreme focus on just one project, Fury, and a lack of communication as other undermining factors.

Obviously, the blog is based off Doulin's personal observations. If they are to be believed - and I see no reason not to at this stage - they paint a rather damning picture of Auran Developments' upper management. It'd be good to see another insider's perspective on the events that transpired, and we'll do our best here at Kotaku AU to chase it up. Understandably, the topic is still a sensitive one for many.

What Auran Did Wrong [Doolwind's Game Coding Journal]

Famitsu has posted some new screens for the upcoming Devil May Cry 4 that reveal a new boss character. We're not sure what his name is, but he's really, really large and looks to be made of some kind of stone. Some of the screenshots seem extremely reminiscent of the Colossus of Rhodes battle in God of War 2. However, whether the actual gameplay of the battle is the same remains to be seen. I have to say I'm really digging Nero's suitcase cum automatic weapon. I really need to get one of those, it would come in quite handy for clearing the way at crowded conventions.

Make the jump for a few more shots...

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With a backstory that is apparently the absolute height of family melodrama, the Indian Parliament is currently considering a ban on violent games. According to speculation in a GameGuru article, after a political figure realized that the game she helped her grandson acquire - Manhunt 2 - was banned in the UK, she set out to make sure it would also be banned in India. Oh dear. As Desicritics intones:

Since when have we let these Bollywood actors and socialites dictate what the citizens of India can or cannot do? Maybe it's time Mrs Tagore sorted out her own house, paid more attention to the kind of games her grandkids played especially when the games have big letters saying MA printed on them instead of urging the government to baby sit the nation's children at the expense of the tax payers hard earned money.

Why should others pay for her blatant ignorance and negligence?

Will the parliamentary proposal be successful? We'll find out soon - this doesn't seem like a huge surprise (everyone loves an easy target), but the family drama is enough to make my head spin.

Video Games Censorship Comes to India [GameGuru] and Government To Regulate Video Games in India [Desicritics] [both via GamePolitics]

Dissecting the Language of MMOs
Might be worthwhile to see if there's a definition for powerlevelling.

Rumour: New Resident Evil Arcade Game on the Way?
Must... move... to... Japan. Now. Why do they always get the cool Resident Evil stuff!

Lost Planet PS3 Trailer
Check out some high-def footage of Lost Planet on Sony's console.

Originals: From Work and Play to CES and Quitting
More spicy and original stories from your favourite gaming blog, Kotaku.

Left 4 Dead Coming In "Late Summer"
If I was going to make a first-person survival horror co-op game, it'd probably be Left 4 Dead. Except all the undead would be wearing banana hammocks. Because I'm insane.

EarthTimes.org is currently hosting an interesting article looking at the language of online games and specifically MMOs. For the long time player the article may seem a bit simplistic, but for the uninitiated, especially the non-gamers, it includes some basic useful information. It seems a bit of an odd choice for an article that is directed at non-gamers but at least it doesn't talk down to the reader or make them feel like "this crazy gaming world is something that you'll never understand." So, if you're new to the MMO scene or looking to bone up on your terminology so as not to sound like a complete noob on your first adventures in WoW, check out this article. In no time you'll know exactly what "4/6 lfm tank and dd" means and why you should care.

'4/6 lfm tank and dd' - The jargon of online gaming [EarthTimes]

Indiegames has put together a convenient wrap up of their top 20 free arcade games of 2007. There's something for everyone, and games running the gamut from simple to complex, with graphics to match. Garden Gnome Carnage not sounding like your cup of tea? Maybe Cottage of Doom or Winter's Heart will be up your alley. Most entries give a quick overview, screen shots, and a video of gameplay.

Best Freeware Arcade Games 2007 [Indiegames]

Nothing breaks up a nice slow news weekend like some delightful hand made video game crafts. Kotakuite Captain squishy points us to his girlfriend's blog where she has documented the making of these cute Mario Mushrooms that she knitted for the Captain's desk at his new job. According to her, they are fairly simple to make and don't take a ton of materials. If you'd like to make some of your own, Mrs. Squishy has kindly provided instructions that you can download here. Something about seeing those cute little guys out in a field just makes me smile.

Ian Bogost's Persuasive Games is releasing their latest serious game addressing (surprise!) the issue of obesity on Monday. Entitled Fatworld, the game purports to examine the " the relationships between obesity, nutrition, and socioeconomics ...." During his guest editor stint here at Kotaku, Bogost described Fatworld as "something like Animal Crossing meets Super Size Me."

By choosing your character's dietary and exercise habits, you can experiment with the constraints of nutrition and economics as they affect your character's general health. Will it be wheatgrass and soy? Or fried chicken at every meal? How much can you afford to spend on food, and how does that affect your general health? Characters who eat poorly will get fat. Characters who don't exercise will move around the world more laboriously. Disease and death will eventually ravage players with poor health, while those with good health will live to a ripe age.

Sounds ... weighty, on a number of levels. We'll see what public reception is like in a few days.

Prepare to Fatten [Water Cooler Games]

Today's Hot Flash is really more of a timely novelty than a truly innovative Flash game, but with MacWorld Expo right around the corner, it's at least good for a larf. In SteveNote Expo, you take on the role of Apple magnate Steve Jobs on your way to do your keynote speech at MacWorld. You must collect a list of items that includes your trademark black turtleneck, the new iPhone prototype and the latest stock quotes, all the while avoiding industry spies and skeevy journalists who are out to steal your industry secrets. Be extra careful of the journalists, we all know what thieving bastards they are.

[via Engadget]

The latest Aberrant Gamer column over at GameSetWatch is an interesting summation of a challenge Leigh Alexander extended to herself and her readers: abstaining from gaming for a week. Any kind of gaming. Some dutiful readers were successful, Leigh was not - but it does raise some interesting questions on why and how we game:

... it did feel like my world was a bit smaller; there were emotions, impulses and dreams that had nowhere to travel to, that languished amid the everyday. It's true that I learned perhaps gaming has cultivated in me a lack of long-term patience, a need for more regular stimulation, a poorer attention span. It's also very possible that I zone out with games to avoid dealing directly with things that cause me frustration or sadness. But I'm now certain there is a singular fashion in which games engage both mind and emotion - not only for the purpose of play, but for personal reasons both creative and therapeutic - that no other form of media approaches. It's a quality unique to gaming, it speaks to the power and responsibility game developers have assumed, and it makes sense out of the intense, often perplexing personalisation we feel toward the games they make.

I frequently go weeks without picking up a game - my PS2 has languished since August or September, I think I last turned on the 360 sometime before the new year, and the last time my poor DS got my undivided attention for more than half an hour or so was back in June, on a long haul trans-Pacific flight. Still, I know my games are always there for the taking (if only I had time!). I suspect if I locked them up or told myself I couldn't play, I'd be pretty anxious in no time flat.

Abstinence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder [GameSetWatch]

Watch and witness how Nintendo tried to suck people into what was arguably one of their biggest flops. The soothing, semi-detached and slightly echo-y announcer's voice was even then synonymous with "artificial intelligence." (Thank you HAL 9000) And let's face it, a person telling you something is cool is one thing, but if a computer or robot tells you it's cool, then it must be true. So, if you've ever wondered how to market your own headache machine that will eventually become an industry joke and desktop novelty, now you know.

I shamefacedly admit that in the midst of present buying frenzy this holiday season, I broke down and bought myself a PSP on a whim. While it's currently collecting dust with the rest of my consoles and handhelds, I'm already anticipating the release of Patapon, the game that Crecente fell in love with at TGS and Stephen Totilo gave a favorable review to. The more I see of it, the more I see a game that I'm going to have a hard time putting down - and a post by one of Patapon's associate producers just reinforces that feeling:

As many of you already know, there was a special holiday card making the rounds ... and many first impressions started to pop up. One thing that caught our attention was how surprised some people were at the depth of gameplay and customisability, and that's without taking into account the topography of Patapolis and surrounding lands - - it's something fierce. Each mission will require special attention on troop formation, be it for hunting, or fighting huge monsters, or hijacking Zigoton WMDs - - it's hard out here for a Patapon.

The gameplay sounds like a blast and I can't get over how much I like the whole look of Patapon. The entry is a flying tour of some of the battlelicious aspects of the game, and worth a quick look if you've been keeping your eye on the game as some of us have been.

Patapost Friday: Pata-strategy [Playstation.Blog]

While youth centers, libraries and even some churches are implementing video games as a way to entice youngsters into their folds, some groups are taking a different gaming tact: board games. Robert Fix, the director of board games for Metro Detroit Gamers, is trying to stir up interest amongst Detroit's youth by offering board game nights at local libraries. But, can actual human interaction on a board compete with the rich, in depth worlds a video game can offer?

"They may look at it and go 'Phhht, I get more out of a video,' " Fix said. "But board games can always change; video games like Halo or Guitar Hero always have the same result. ...We're not saying there's anything wrong with video games. They can be fun, but there are some great board games out there."

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In an interview with Resident Evil Fan, an aptly named resident Evil fan site, Umbrella Chronicles voice actor Tara Platt revealed that she had done some additional RE voice work besides her role as the Red Queen in UC. According to Platt, she simultaneously recorded the voice of Jill Valentine for an as yet unnamed Resident Evil (Biohazard) arcade game that will be released in Japan. When questioned about the new title, Platt had this to say:

The Japanese-based Biohazard is a game console that is available as an arcade game in Japan. And I mean an actual arcade standing game.

It was wonderful getting to play Jill. She's such a fierce character with determination and strength. Unfortunately, I don't have much more info than that, but I'm going to Japan this year, and you can bet I'll be on the look-out for the game in Arcades there!

While her answer does seem a bit confusing, it sounds like we might hear something about this new game in the coming months. If this does turn out to be true, perhaps we might see a showing at this year's TGS? Until then, I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Mike McWhertor sat down with John Koller, senior marketing manager for the Playstation Portable, at CES and extracted a lot of interesting information out of him. This GameTrailer video gives Koller a chance to pitch why he thinks 2008 is going to be the year of the PSP. Hmm, why does that sound familiar.

I do think the handheld is having quite a resurgence, though I hope that Sony continues to concentrate more on the games and less on the peripherals for the device.