To: Crecente
From: Ashcraft

This morning: Went to the gas station. Another customer, a man on a motorcycle pulled up. He was wearing S.S. Nazi garb — shit thee not. His jacket had an eagle on it with the S.S. insignia and a swastika. An inscription read "In Hitler Solidarity." Maybe he doesn't know, maybe he can't read German! :/

This afternoon: Went to Kyoto to interview a bikini lady. Ten minutes into the interview, she points out that I am wearing a wedding ring. I proceed to talk incessantly about my wife's morning sickness and my son's TOMY car collection and my excitement for the new baby — which we've so far named after a character in a Miyazaki film. Bikini lady looks annoyed.

This evening: Went to the supermarket. Bought the most amazing toilet paper. Well, it's not the *most* amazing toilet paper, but it's pretty great. Perhaps, I'll take a snap of it for time. OH, THE SUSPENSE.

What you missed last night
Even Final Fantasy Can't Save Xbox in Japan
Kojima Is "Thinking" About MGS5
Damn This Samba Trailer Is Fun
This PC Is Awesome
Top 20 Women In Gaming
New MGS4 Screens
Better Gun Metal PS3

Think about what you did in the last two hours. Maybe you got something to eat, did some work, studied, I dunno, something. Now look at this guitar. Flickr user Monkey River Town writes:

When I get bored, I start projects. Here I completely took apart my Guitar Hero controller, sanded it, primed it, painted it in 'hammered bronze' with a chrome pick guard. The neck is now oak veneered with the frets being strips of metal tape. Still works and rocks harder than ever! Only took me about two hours to do, not counting drying time.

Just imagine if this human had three or, shucks, four hours.

Customised Guitar Hero Controller [flickr Thanks, Alice!]

The Cliffster has it rough, real rough. He makes big games like Gears of War 2. With big games comes big pressure and a big spotlight. What does The Cliffster think about that?

If I had a nickel for every time I was called a fag on the internet, I could retire. It's just the way the fans are sometimes; you do a good job and they'll hold you up in a chair and carry you through the streets. You screw up once and they'll be the first to tart and feather you, and that's the risk I take when I stick my neck out there.

That's The Cliffster, takin' risks, stickin' his neck out there, livin' on the edge. Dude.

The Cliffster Interview [CVG] [Pic]

Okay! Make-believe time. Let's say that Microsoft had a lot of money to burn. No wait, start over. Let's say that Microsoft was able to convince Square Enix to give it Final Fantasy as an exclusive. Like, Final Fantasy XIII is only on the Xbox 360 and wouldn't be on the PS3. Would large numbers of Japanese consumers break down and buy an Xbox 360? According to Microsoft's Shane Kim:

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In case you missed it, Penny Arcade's first foray into the game-making world, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is out now. I've been playing it all day. It's great. Notsomuch for the gameplay, which is standard stuff, but definitely for the charm. If you're not the type to trust my recommendation, however, (though really, you should, I'm a nice guy) anyone with a PC (Linux included) or Mac can grab a demo of the first episode, take it for a spin, see how it feels. Even if you hate smashing item boxes and turn-based combat, it should at least put a smile on your face.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Demo [Windows, Linux, Mac]

Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't even out and whaddaya know, the game's creator Hideo Kojima is already thinking about Metal Gear Solid 5. While MGS4 was supposed to be Kojima's last entry the series, he seems to have had a change of heart recently. Isn't he ready to move on to other things? Dunno. What we do know is what he told Famitsu [*spoilers ahoy!*]:

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Some Lost Odyssey DLC was released in Japan last month. For 400 MS Points, they got a new dungeon with one new boss and one new item. Nothing to really set your goodness gracious great balls on fire, then, but it's better than nothing. Good for them. So when do we get it? Yeah, the headline gave it away. It'll be available this Friday, May 23. Same stuff, same price.

The Chimp Is Awesome [Sega Nerds]

This is Acer's new dedicated gaming PC, the "Predator". I could tell you the specs (Intel Core 2 Extreme, Nvidia nForce 780i SLI, 8GB memory), but really, that's not why we're here. We're here for that case. That ridiculous, completely unnecessary, completely awesome case that looks more like a writhing Patlabor fetus than something you use to keep your PC's delicate bits away from the elements. I mean, just look at it. It doesn't just "flip open". It transforms from a closed state to an open one. And before you start, yes, it's "just" a case, but this is probably the first and only time I'm going to gush over one, so indulge me for a minute, could you?

Acer Predator [Acer]

Nintendogs was a great pet sim. If you didn't have a pet, you could play with your virtual pet! Because, really, let's face it, real pets are a hassle. You have to feed them, wash them and play with them. Worst part? You can't switch off real pets when you get sick of them and then switch them back on when you're keen for a game of fetch. Upcoming DS game Konnichiwa Akachan does the same — for babies! In this "communication" game, players can do things like feed a baby and wash a baby, but not play fetch. As like with Nintendogs, when you get sick of your baby, you can just cut the power. Oh, the humanity!

Konnichiwa Baby [Game Watch Impress via Hatimaki]

No. Before you start, no. Whatever it was you were thinking, or were going to ask, no. It's not here. She's not here. Instead, Gamasutra's list of the top 20 women in gaming focuses on those with the biggest impact on the medium today, whether as developers, executives or even writers. The list is unranked (ie it doesn't count down from 20 to 1), and while it contains some pleasant surprises (Valve's Kim Swift, for example), there's sadly no room for my favourite, Zoë Mode. I don't care that she's not a real woman. She's still my favourite.

Women in Games: The Gamasutra 20 [Gamasutra] [Pic: Game Informer]

Whether it's creating CG liquid robots or making movies underwater, James Cameron hasn't just pushed boundaries, he's toppled them over and then stomped the crap outta them. His upcoming movie Avatar doesn't sound any different! For those unfamiliar with the years off flick, the very gamey flick follows an ex-Marine's struggle for survival on an alien planet. The title refers to the main character's status as an avatar — human mind in an alien body. Besides creating oodles (yes, oodles) of CG alien characters to inhabit the flick, Cameron is also planning to screen the movie (and the movie based games!) in stereoscopic 3D. But what about the story? Says Cameron:

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Speaking last week with Kikizo, Microsoft's Shane Kim has been asked about the future of the Project Gotham Racing series, now that creator Bizarre have up and left. His response should help out any 360 racing fans who are yet to put 2+2 together:

...you know, we have a great internal racing studio in Turn 10, the creators of Forza Motorsport. And our goal is to roll the studio so that they can do more creative execution within the racing space. So you can imagine a future where they would develop a new version of Project Gotham Racing.

Shane Kim Interview [Kikizo]

Japanese erotic games that feature underage characters could very well could be a thing of the past. The Japanese Diet will hear a petition for new legislation that would ban a large chunk of erotic games (and adult anime). The meat of the petition is cease the indecent portrayal of underage females. A translation of the petition reads:

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Capcom have released a few news screens for Super Street Fighter II HD, showing resident angry-man Akuma as he kicks Ryu while he's down, hulks out at a pink flamingo and gives Ken's package a decidedly funny look. Which is a little odd, but hey, it's the HD era now, we've got to put up with both the pros and cons the extra clarity affords us.

Albania-born Partizan Zejak, aged 28, and Nard Paloka, 29, have been convicted for stealing 1,440 PS3s last May from a PS3 distributor in Northampton, UK. Both Paloka and Zejak were previously employed by the distributor and now face prison sentences for the theft. Prosecuters stated that the pair were not the masterminds, but rather, used their knowlegde of the distributor's warehouse and security. They were able to evade the security guard by telling him they were picking up a shipment. The theft was discovered later that same day. According to the Northampton Chronicle, the value of their score was £700,000, or roughly $US 1.3 million dollars. That's alotta money! That's alotta consoles!!

PS3s Stolen [Northampton Chronicle via PS3 Fanboy]

360 owners got a free Halo song, it's only fair PS3 owners get a similar deal. And they are. An email just went out to PlayStation Underground members, announcing that on June 5, a "Free GoW song for Guitar Hero III" would be released. Surely this signals the beginning of a "free, exclusive track" arms race, which can only end when players are subjected to weekly updates like "The End Credits Music From Heavenly Sword" and "Bomberman Zero Main Menu: Ibiza Party Megamix".

[thanks everyone who sent this in!]

Just saw a press release. For Beer Pong. On WiiWare. It's real. Seems JV Games have determined that it's "a game niche yet to be filled", and that "the Wii is the perfect system to replicate the game". There'll be four-player multiplayer, including three-player "Speed Pong", and there'll be no buttons, you just swing with the Wii Remote. Best of all, Beer Pong is but the first in a series of games to be released by JV under the "Frat Party Games" label, meaning Frat Party Games: Stomach Pump and Frat Party Games: Date Rape shouldn't be too far behind.

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Wac-A-Bin-Laden! Creative Engineering, the folks behind Showbiz Pizza's Rock-A-Fire Explosion, has created this one of a kind prototype. According to Creative Engineering:

We built one prototype of this unusual, politically motivated game in the tradition of "Wac-A-Mole". While we have no plans to go into production, we will sell the prototype to a collector of unique games.

Besides the Bin Laden mole, the cabinet also features Hitler and Hussein moles. Shirtless man not included.

Wac-A-Bin-Ladin [Robots And Games via GameOfTheBlog]

For the week ending May 10, the top-selling, boxed-copy PC game in the US was...The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff. The second best-seller? The Sims 2 Double Deluxe. You can see where this is going. Seven spots for Sims and Warcraft titles, leaving naught but scraps for the rest to fight over. Good news for 13 year-old girls and those coming late to the Warcraft party, kinda sad news for everyone else.

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Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) is probably the biggest annual event in the country aimed at both seasoned and budding developers. I know I'll be doing my best to get to Brisbane for the conference, even though it's not quite the show it used to be. And the warmer climate makes my fingers sweat.

Say you're an experienced dev. You'd like to go to GCAP and share your hints, tips and valuable advice. Heck, the reason people will be coming to the conference is to hear you, and many others, share your knowledge. Then you find out that, in addition to paying for admission to the conference, you have to pay to speak as well.

Pandemic coder (and part-time console performance judge) Tony Albrecht found himself in this situation. Here's what he had to say:

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While Tomonobu Itagaki adores Grand Theft Auto IV, he totally despises Ninja Gaiden Sigma. And Itagaki's own Team Ninja made it! From an interview with website CVG:

What did you think of the PS3 game Ninja Gaiden: Sigma? I'm told you won't even sign copies of the game...?

Itagaki: It was no good.

Why's that? I thought it was pretty good.

Itagaki: All you need to do is play Ninja Gaiden II and then try and play Sigma afterwards and you'll see why. Despite the fact that it's on a 'next-generation' console there's no evolution whatsoever. That was made not by me, but one of my sub-ordinates who basically tried to copy the success of Ninja Gaiden.

Ouch. We thought it was pretty good! Elsewhere in the interview, Itagaki confirms that Ninja Gaiden II will never appear on the PS3, and if it ever did that would be "a loss of face for everyone involved."

Tomonobu Itagaki Interview [CVG] [Pic]

Congratulations, Dr. Judith S. Stern, professor of Nutrition and Internal Medicine at the University of California! You're the first (though definitely not the last) science-type to come out publicly and call out Wii Fit. And not just call it out: call it baloney.

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Finally, some decent screens for Ubisoft's Prince of Persia reboot (which, sadly, is not called Heir Apparent). Those with a disdain for cel-shading might want to look away, because the game's bold new art style is on show here, and it's looking absolutely wonderful.

It's Cliff Bleszinski — not CliffyB, Cliffy B, Cliff B, Cliffy or Gears of War dude. Cliff Bleszinski. The game designer is dropping his "CliffyB" moniker and wants to be called by his real name. According to CliffyB Cliff Bleszinski, it's "time to grow up." But CliffyB Cliff, we didn't think your nickname was immature! CliffyB It's just unfortunately way easier to spell than Cliff Bleszinski! We really hope that CliffyB Cliff Bleszinski reconsiders. And stops eating puppies. Well at least our favourite CliffyB Cliff Bleszinski nickname, The Cliffster, is totally safe!

Done with CliffyB [Multiplayer] [Pic]

At first blush, these new Metal Gear Solid 4 screens look a lot like old Metal Gear Solid 4 screens. Trust me. They're new. They may seem familiar, but they're ever so slightly different, with new lighting and tiny camera angle variances. Some are even totally brand new, not just remixed classics. Check out the MGS4 gallery and see if you can spot the differences!

Between limited availability, inflated prices and Konami's wonky online store, the chances of you actually getting hold of a gunmetal PS3 are somewhere between none and buckley's. So you could collapse in despair, sobbing gently throughout the night as you contemplate playing MGS4 on your black PS3, or you could get off your arse and do something about it. Like make your own gunmetal PS3. Like this guy did. Heck, his is even nicer than Konami's, so you'll come out ahead.

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If you're not keeping up with the Hulk comic book series, Bruce Banner's angrier alter ego has become so enraged, he's turned red! Or something. It may not be Bruce Banner. Who can keep up?! Yes, Marvel is pulling the old Hulk changes colour for a while gimmick, turning the traditionally green (and sometimes grey) Hulk into something more crimson. In an attempt to push more copies of the Xbox 360 version of the multiplatform Sega-published video game, someone's seen fit to create an exclusive red-hued Hulk. He's only available at GameStop and only available for Microsoft's console.

That's right! Red. On your Xbox 360. You can see how fantastic of an idea this was.

Red Hulk Smashes Xbox 360 [Marvel.com - thanks, Joshua!]

PC gamers are enjoying new Team Fortress 2 updates right now. Things like new maps, the new Payload gameplay mode, new weapons, and balance tweaks are old hat to the Steam set. Console gamers, however, are pretty much stuck with the stock Team Fortress 2 experience that shipped with The Orange Box. That all may change—and soon—as Shacknews reports that details on console DLC is coming "pretty soon." Probably.

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Remember the Japanese game show that featured a "Human Tetris" challenge? If not, you'll most likely see a local version of Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Deshita soon, as FreeMantle Media is bringing Hole in the Wall just about everywhere. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Fox will be bringing 13 hours of the game show to North American TVs next season, just one of over a dozen international versions of the concept.

The American version will add cash prizes, a potentially more dramatic fall and might switch up the "substance" that losing players fall into. I vote for a tub of slithering eels!

Fox's 'Wall' taking shape [The Hollywood Reporter]

Stating that it's good for senior executives to invest in their own companies, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello just picked up almost $US 1 million worth of EA's own common stock, a company spokesperson said today.

It's Riccitiello's second time ever buying EA stock, and this time he purchased 20,000 shares, at about $US 48.37 each. The move comes one day after EA extended its deadline to acquire Take-Two.

Konami has released a batch of new screens from the game formerly known as Silent Hill V currently under development from the team formerly known as The Collective. Yes, your reservations are well warranted about the game, but if all the tender loving care spent lighting and texturing those zombie nurse racks is exhibited in other, possibly more important aspects of Silent Hill: Homecoming, Double Helix might just be able to pull it off. If not, we'll be giving away pitchforks and easy-light torches for our proposed "Silent Hill V Went Horribly Wrong And Someone Must Pay" contest in September. Watch for it!

Frankenreview, Haze (PS3)
It's official: She ain't what she used to be.

Age Of Conan Impressions
Age of Conan has everything you could possible want from an MMO - barbarians, wizards and bare-chested ladies.

Niko Bellic's Voice Voices Pay Concerns
Tough cookies really.

Unreleased Limited MGS4 PS3 Bundles Go Grey Market
Sure, the gun metal MGS4 PS3 looks the business, but not $9,999 worth of business.

Late last night, we learned the story of Richard Gaywood, the not-so-happy Xbox Live user whose gamertag was banned. Since "RichardGaywood" was both the user's gamertag as well as his legal, honest-to-goodness given name, Kotaku contacted Microsoft to learn the reason behind the ban.

Hit the jump for their response:

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With the news that Square Enix will bring tri-Ace's Infinite Undiscovery to the Xbox 360 this September comes an obligatory trailer full of emotional drama, pretty graphics and moody music. The lip syncing may be painfully off, but if you don't revel in valiant warriors shouting "Innuendo Dive!" or "Peacock Blue!" amid laser light shows and battles with giant floating octopi, there's something very wrong with you, pal. Get help. It looks better in HD, so catch that one if you're interested.

Infinite Discovery [GameTrailers]

A year ago you couldn't look at a list of PlayStation 3 killer apps without seeing Free Radical and Ubisoft's Haze right up there towards the top. Promising cutting edge visuals, a deep story, and the unique power of the nectar, a drug that gives soldiers superhuman abilities, Haze seemed destined to become one of the PS3's definitive games.

So how did destiny fare? The game is out, the scores are out, and the word is out on the ambitious first-person shooter. Does Haze deliver a nice, warm buzz, or does it leave you shaking and sweating in the corner, craving your next fix? Here's several small doses of Haze, now in convenient capsule form.

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Variety reports that Crystal Sky Pictures has signed a deal that will secure them $US 200 million in financing, money that's going to be used to fund films like Castlevania, a sequel to John Woo's Hard Boiled and among others... *sigh* Pac-Man. While we've known that Paul W. S. Anderson and Sylvain White's Castlevania was back on track, it's been a couple years since we've heard any chatter on the big screen adaptation of Pac-Man. Can it possibly match the fan-made version?

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The Nordic region's largest gaming magazine, Game Reactor, gave Age of Conan a 9 out of 10. They are full of crap. It's not that Age of Conan isn't worthy of the score...it's just that there is no way of knowing that yet. They had their score ready before the game even went into early access, so in essence, they reviewed the beta of the game, which you cannot actually play now.

This is not a review. You cannot review an MMORPG on day one, or two, or three, and expect to have experienced even a slice of what the game has to offer. Games change from beta to retail. Tweaks are made, the population grows, servers get strained, etc. No, this is simply my impressions of the beginning of the game, at the beginning of its life as a full, retail product.

How much have I experienced so far? I've played every character class to level 10, with my choice of main - the Conqueror - played to level 20, the point you escape the newbie island and are thrust out into the open world. I'll look at the mechanics, the story, and the performance as it stands right now, and take from that what you will.

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Xbox 360 owners with a burning desire for fantasy RPGs will be infinitely thrilled to learn that the Square Enix published, tri-Ace developed Infinite Undiscovery will hit on September 2, 2008. You know the drill—young man with cool hair adventures with a group of like-minded heroes, wearing dandy outfits on a journey to save a planet from certain doom. Should be fun, as team members from the Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile series make real-time battles pretty on 360 hardware.

Full press release, with additional details from Square Enix, follows.

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