And here we were thinking Telltale were working on Sam & Max for the Wii. Right system, wrong series, wrong format. While the company are indeed developing titles for Nintendo's console, they're not working on Sam & Max. Instead, they're working on a new episodic series for the new WiiWare service. I'd like to think that means they're returning to work on the long-neglected Bone series, but it probably means something entirely new altogether.
It's official: We're working on something for WiiWare [Telltale]

The Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! publicity machine continues! The game, dubbed Yakuza 3 for the West, is a PLAYSTATION 3 exclusive and will be released in Japan in early March. How can SEGA get the Japanese population worked into a frenzy? That's right, two Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! "concept bar and cafes," complete with demo kiosks and promotional videos. We can only hope the cafes will be as awesome as the Photoshopped PR pics SEGA's sending out. Doubt it, though!

Racing nutcases will probably already own the "true" Gran Turismo wheel, Logitech's ludicrously expensive G25. If that's a little pricey for you, though, or if you'd prefer your GT racing wheel to be officially official, then that's OK. Try this: the Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel. Unveiled today (it's due in both the US and Europe in May), and designed in conjunction with GT creators Polyphony Digital, it's over $US 100 cheaper than the G25 at $US 150, and includes bells and whistles like an adjustment dial, which will let you adjust things like traction control from your wheel instead of the in-game menu. You'll also be pleased to hear that, yes, unlike Microsoft's wheel this baby allows for full 900-degree rotation and - vitally - includes a Gran Turismo-badged horn, for when ramming your rivals is just a little too unsporting.

HD DVD's demise means Sony's in the clear? Not so fast! Put away those champagne bottles! Bloomberg's here to shit on Sony's party, pointing out that all this doesn't mean smooth sailing by a damn sight. There are 176 companies in the Blu-ray Disc Association, including Sony competitors Samsung and Panasonic. They're not necessarily buddies! They're competing. This is business, not summer camp!

I don't normally like posting eBay auctions. I find something about them inherently tragic. But this one, oh boy, this one is just nice to look at. Some bloke in France is selling every Japanese Dreamcast game ever made. Every single one. 606 of them. Even awesome rare stuff like De La Jet Set Radio. Oh, and did I mention they're all sealed? They're all sealed. All 606 of them. Sure, bidding starts at $US 20,000, but for the entire Japanese Dreamcast collection, sealed, that may well constitute a bargain.
Dreamcast Collection [GameSniped]

Ready At Dawn have already shown they're great at handling other people's properties. Daxter, God of War PSP, the upcoming Okami on Wii...they're a trusty bunch. Only problem is that those are all, well, other people's properties. Nothing new, nothing original! That's something Ready At Dawn are changing, as it's been announced at GDC today that they're working on "new IPs" for "new platforms".
Ready At Dawn's Upcoming Plans [IGN]

Super-influential streetwear designer Hiroshi Fujiwara and Japanese fashion mag Honeyee have teamed up on this very, very limited edition DS Lite. It's got a classy matte black exterior with white body and hinges, and as you can see, kicks the ass of every colour scheme Nintendo currently have on the market. Before you get excited, however, it needs to be repeated that this is limited. How limited? Don't know, further info is forthcoming. It might even just be this one. Needless to say, you'll never own one.

Sure GDC might be a professional workshop for game developers, but not for Tecmo's Tomonobu Itagaki. He's at GDC for one reason: Promote Ninja Gaiden II. What does he think about Itagaki?

I don't make games for other game developers nor am I trying to transmit any sort of information or philosophy to other game developers. I mean, I do this for the fans and the people out there who want to play my games. So, when you're talking about an event like GDC, which is really an event by game developers for game developers, then I don't really have a whole lotta interest in that event in and of itself... I won't say there's no point to it. GDC is a very important event, and I certainly respect and realize what they're trying to do here. It's just a personal choice... Some day maybe when I've matured maybe, and when I become a little more well-rounded like Peter Molyneux, I may decide to come and give advice and give lectures on how to make games. But right now, I'm more focused on my own endeavors.

Wii Fit just one shot deal? Nope! According to Nintendo of America honcho Reggie Fils-Aime, there are ten more Balance Board games coming. Good news for those who plan on picking up the peripheral. Wii Fit has been a smash hit in Japan, but what about America? It could be even bigger says Reggie:

We think here in the United States the reaction will be just as strong if not stronger given the American focus and psyche on being fit, and the game itself is going to be localized for our audience. We expect to have comparable success here in the U.S. if not a stronger result than what Japan has seen so far... Our sights are set very high for the this product so our goal is to make sure we have over a million units available at launch to support it... There are over 10 games in development that take advantage of the Balance Board. Certainly in terms of ongoing enjoyment, we believe that Wii Fit plus the Balance Board will provide that to the consumer.

And that's not all! A change of offices is also planned, with the local software distributor shifting operations from Lane Cove to Baulkham Hills.

Red Ant deals primarily in commercial applications, budget games and edutainment titles, so if you haven't heard of them before, don't feel like you have to neck yourself in shame. Of note, the company handles the local release of games for Ascaron (Dark Star One, Sacred), Deep Silver (Everquest 2: Echoes of Faydwer, Mage Knight Apocalypse) and Cenega (UFO Afterlight).

We've provided the old (left) and new (right) logos above for comparison. The new one would so totally eat you if you met in a dark alley. The other one would just give you some scones. Ant scones.

Wanting a little more meat on your WiiWare info's bones? Nintendo of America's Tom Prata's got your back. He's finally disclosed some of the more intimate details regarding the service, and while we still don't know how much games are going to cost or which games, exactly, are going to be available at launch, we do now know a whole bunch of other stuff.

Not sure whether to file this under ingenious or pointless. Peripheral maker CYBER Gadget has put a digital clock in its 2Way Sensor Bar. It costs ¥1980 ($US 18) and can powered by an open USB port or four AA batteries for wireless mode. $US 18 is a small price to pay for not having to look at your watch while playing Wii games!
2Way Sensor Bar [CYBER Gadget via Famitsu via ALBOTAS]

You might think that Wii Fit was a reaction to the popularity of games like Wii Sports and Wii Play, but according to Wii Fit lead Takao Sawano, the health-centric game "existed in the center of Miyamoto's brain before the console was released". Sawano gave GDC attendees a rare look into the Nintendo design philosophy today, showcasing the initial design documents for the Wii's best-selling titles, as well as giving us a visual walkthrough of the development of the Wii Balance Board.

Shigeru Miyamoto's notes on what was then known as "the Health Pack" didn't provide much in the way of direction to those on the hardware and software development side at Nintendo. He simply passed on to the team how much he enjoyed weighing himself everyday and monitoring his weight. "This is bound to lead to something interesting", Miyamoto said to what would become the Wii Fit team.

Penny Arcade's debut game - On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness - is back on show at GDC, and is sporting a new coat of spit and polish. For those wondering when they can get their hands on it and engage in some mutton-chopped fisticuffs, Microsoft have today announced a release window for the game, saying they're expecting it to be available sometime in the Summer.

If you've passed so far on Q-Games charming PixelJunk Monsters, perhaps the forthcoming demo will change your mind. It's planned to hit the PlayStation Store tomorrow with the rest of the usual updates that North American PlayStation 3 owners have come to expect every Thursday. Q-Games prez let slip that the cheap and lazy will finally get their hands on the unique tower defense strategy game with a PixelJunk twist in our quick sit-down today, the details of which you'll be reading about soon. Until then, ready the broadband connection and clear some hard drive space.

We've got America, the UK, France, Brazil, India, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and, yep, Japan. Okay, to be fair, Lost Odyssey has already been released in Japan and the Japanese site isn't always that colour. But, still.
Xbox.coms [Byonabi]
Site Byonabi Sourced [Neko Are Blog]

Don't think of this as hard evidence of the impending demise of the 80GB PS3. Just think of it as...a rather strong suggestion. Sony's online store, Sony Style, is more than happy to ship you a 40GB PlayStation 3, but an 80GB model? Nunh unh. No longer in stock. No longer even appearing on the page telling you it's out of stock, it's just...not there. With Sony's GDC address tomorrow, whatever, oh, could this mean?
PlayStation 3 [Sony Style, via Gizmodo AU]

Thanks, Mike!

Oh, Castle Crashers! I'd nearly forgotten all about you. Been faaaar too long. Nice to see you're coming along...well, nicely. Oh, and what's this? You've got new screens? Excellent. Oh, and what else? A release window? Summer 2008, you say? Well, don't take this the wrong way, but it's about time. We've all grown terribly impatient.

The Independent Games Festival and Game Developer Choice Awards is the only award show that I actually enjoy attending. The show is packed to the gills with big names and indie devs all showcased in show packed with razor whit and finally tuned humour.

The show will be giving away $US 75,000 in prizes to folks who are students, indie developers and people who put everything they have, sometimes, to create the games they love.

On to the best student award.

We're all big fans of NaturalMotion's Euphoria animation system. Replacing canned animation with real-time model "simulation" is a huge step for games, both in terms of graphics but even more importantly in terms of gameplay, since with Euphoria no two attacks or moves will ever end the same way. The tech will feature in stuff like SW Force: Unleashed, Indiana Jones and Backbreaker, but we'll get our first real good look at it when GTAIV hits in April. And nowhere will it be better displayed than when star Niko...gets his drink on and has to stumble his way home, drunk off his tits.

There is a drinking mini-game in very detailed form where you can get drunk and he can actually then stumble around and you have to get home. But all of that is fully simulated. So, it is not based on animation any more. It is actually all synthesized on the CPU. Which means that it has a completely different outcome every time you play.

If you'd like to see the gaming doco King of Kong without shelling out the bucks for it, Time Out Sydney has a competition going where you can snag free tickets.

Not that I'm saying you're cheap or anything, heck, I'll take free stuff whenever I can get it. Except for diseases, obviously.

There are 50 tickets up for grabs, so your chances of winning aren't too shabby. In fact, it's a first-in, first-served comp, so if you enter right now, you'll probably get a ticket.

Win 1 of 50 double passes to The King of Kong [Time Out Sydney]

Sumea, the one and only developer portal for Australian and NZ developers, has just undergone a facelift.

Everything's been streamlined - the latest news links flow down the right-hand side while the sponsors and affiliates have been relocated to the left. Along the top is a navigation bar, providing easy access to Tsumea's job, gallery and forum pages.

I think it's a step in the right direction. With some formatting tweaks to tighten the layout of elements, I reckon it's a goer. There's a poll on the front page, so you can succinctly contribute your impressions.

Sumea Classic is still up and running, so you don't have to worry about your normal usage of the site being disrupted.

Sumea/Tsumea is a great resource for local developers, and if you can spare the time, I'd suggest providing some constructive criticism.

Tsumea [Official site, via Sumea]

Time for some fun, because numbers, heck, they're fun. Especially so for MIcrosoft, who were throwing big numbers around like they were going out of style during their GDC address this morning, using them to highlight the success of everything from DLC to achievements to Halo 3's saved films.

Editor's note: If you're looking for news regarding the July 2008 Australian price drop on all Xbox 360 models, you'll find details here.

The official word, with all of the details for our brothers to the north is right after this.

Today, in between our sprinting between Moscone centers to cover all of Microsoft's news, we had a chance to sit down with High Impact Games' Lesley Mathieson. She was the Lead Designer on Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, worked a bit on its PS2 port and is now Design Director on the second Ratchet & Clank minus the Ratchet title to hit the PSP: Secret Agent Clank.

And, between my heavy pants of hyperventilation at meeting the brains behind the PSP's best game to date, I was able to sputter out a few questions regarding the direction of the franchise and what sweet features we could expect in the new game.

Peter Molyneux took the stage this morning to talk more Fable 2, and announce two new features that will be making their way into the game. The first is an interesting one: co-op play. Real co-op play. If you own Fable 2, and a friend of yours owns Fable 2, you can jump into their singleplayer world, play along, then leave. Sort of like Crackdown. Except here, any items or experience you accrue in their game you'll be able to take back to yours. Nifty!

Anyone who's tried World of Warcraft's crappy built-in voice knows that voice chat isn't something you can implement in a half-arsed fashion. Sony Online Entertainment knows this, and they've teamed with communications company Vivox to integrate a suite of voice tools into SOE games that's worth at least three or four whole asses. Along with standard voice chat, the Vivox package includes amazing new features, such as in-game voicemail, built-in, high quality voice masking, multiple voice channels for guild chat, raid chat, etc., all running on Vivox servers so your bandwidth doesn't take a hit. You'll even be able to dial in using your cell phone and a special pin number to get in touch with your guildies while away from the PC! The best part? all of this is completely free - not only for people playing SOE games like EQ2 or the upcoming The Agency, but for anyone who uses the Station launcher, regardless of whether they subscribe to a Sony game or not. Hit the jump for the full details on one of the coolest things SOE has done in years.