Lord knows we encourage enough tatting around here, but like the mafia, we don't deliberately go for the face.

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It may be called "I Love Katamari," but it's not a knock-off. Straight from Namco Bandai, you can start rolling it up with your iPhone (or iPod Touch's) accelerometer for US$7.99.

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I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. Contrary to recent reports, Hellgate: London will only be clawing its way out of the abyss in Asia. Fans of the game in the US and Europe will be bidding the game farewell at the end of January, as expected.

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Ready the Sharpies and calendars, for Namco Bandai's upcoming wares have been dated, some loosely, for North America and the expansive PAL region. There's plenty of doe-eyed, anime and manga-inspired fodder for the inner 13-year old who still loves Dragonball in any form and is still planning on picking up Eternal Sonata on PlayStation 3.

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Prepare to qualify! Namco Networks, the mobile game development and publishing arm of good old Namco Bandai has futzed around with a classic racing title and dropped it on the iPhone for a whole new generation (read: market) of gamers to enjoy. Pole Position: Remix takes the primitive gameplay of the original Pole Position, tacks on some rather nifty new controls, and charges you $9.99 for the privilege of playing it.

"Pole Position: Remix is a fun and intuitive game that anyone can take for a spin," says Scott Rubin, senior vice president, Namco Networks. "Similar to playing a racing game in an arcade, Pole Position: Remix makes you feel as if you are actually getting behind the wheel and racing on the track, screeching around turns and breaking to avoid a crash."

In a fit of nostalgia I downloaded the game this morning. It's solid, and the controls are fun, both the tilt steering and the on-screen thumb-controlled steering wheel options. It's just the gameplay really hasn't aged all that well. I need some sort of nostalgia alarm that locks my wallet when the feeling hits. If you just can't resist, PP:Remix is now available at an Apple Apps Store near you.

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I've got a fever and the only cure is more Pac-Man! If you're at PAX and you love Pac-Man, you may want to swing by Namco Networks' booth #141. Throughout the day there will be tournaments where players compete for the best score in Pac-Man. The top 4 scores of the day move onto the daily final challenge where the winner will win a nice prize pack that includes a brand new phone! If you're not ready for a challenge, you can just check out the other mobile games at the booth, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Pac-Man Arcade Golf. Full release after the jump.

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Yesterday we posted pictures of guys who got their hands on Soulcalibur IV, 10 days before its release date of July 29. Today, we have video. I guess you can just walk into any store and ask them to break the street date and get your game. Here's Yoda vs. Ivy, Yoda taking it 4-1 with a lot of button mashing and bad camera work. If the game looks repetitive, I think these guys' admittedly bad technique (" I hadn't played a Soul Calibur title since Soul Calibur 2 a couple years ago, so our match is pretty bad.") might be to blame, not the game. If any of you manage to snag this, we'd appreciate a more informed breakdown of gameplay in the comments.

Soul Calibur [sic] IV Gameplay [Youtube]

Reader Sourside21 found four Photobucket images of Soulcalibur IV breaking the street date by about 10 days. Well, maybe. It looks like these guys are playing it in the back of a store, so maybe they're employees (or friends) playing with the stock after hours. Naturally, we don't see any gameplay. But we do see the character selection page and Kratos ain't on it. "We'll probably be getting a lot of information on how each of the characters play soon", Sourside21 surmises. Good bet. All the full size photos are on the jump. Officially, Soulcalibur IV drops on July 29 in North America, July 31 in Japan, Australia and Europe, and Aug. 1 in the UK.

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First Guitar Hero kicks the bucket, now this... Soul Calibur IV has been dated and priced for Japan. That's good news! The game will be released on July 31st for ¥7,800 ($AU 76.89). Above is the official Japanese box art for the game, box art that features Darth Vader for the PS3 version. Yoda is on the Xbox 360 version's cover. That's, well, not such good news. By putting these iconic Star Wars characters on the box doesn't it make Soul Calibur IV seem less like a Soul Calibur game and more like a Star Wars game? Yes, yes it does. You had a good run SC. Gonna miss ya.

Hit the jump for Yoda and try not to wonder why the Lightsabres aren't slicing through the swords!

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Joystick penis joke alert! Joystick penis joke alert! Above is a clip from a 2005 Hustler piece that featured a pantsu-less woman in a Ms. Pac-Man costume. The article includes lines like:

Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or are you happy to see me?

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