For the second year running, we’re late to the party on this one. It’s almost as if human suffering moves us not and we cackle at weakness. Thanks to everyone who kept on prodding our vestigial consciences. Anyway - The Desert Bus For Hope has been rolling for the Good of Humankind for 3 days 8 hours 38 minutes and 15 seconds at the time of writing and just inching towards a $50,000 donation to Child’s Play. This is an impressive act of gaming endurance, and well worth donating to so perhaps you should. The last time I did a repetitive act of bare self pleasure for three days I was … well, you probably don’t want to know. Sore, y’know? Anyway, here’s a song featuring wheels on buses.
(...)
Read the rest of Extreme Boredom=Cash=Desert Bus For Hope (1 words)

Posted by KieronGillen. | 4 comments | Donate or subscribe to RPS | Post tags: Desert Bus, Desert Bus For Hope
This article is from Rock, Paper, Shotgun. If you're reading it on any other website, they're stealing it from us without permission.

Well, it does if we’re going off the ‘individual format’ charts, where games which are released over eight different consoles don’t count, anyway.

But yes, Mario Kart Wii - almost eight months after its initial release - is back at the top of the charts, no doubt helped by the irresistible appeal of the Redknapp clan and the screech of “aww, ah lav bee’in yewwww” from her-what-used-to-be-in-Eternal in the current UK telly ads. Of course, what the ad fails to note is that Mario Kart Wii actually offers the worst local multiplayer in any home console Mario Kart to date, and that online twelve-player races is actually where it’s at. Still, I’ll concede that it’s a lot of fun if you’ve got plenty of casual gamer friends and three Wii Wheels, and it is the most accessible in the series to date. Yay for the ‘expanded audience’. Sort of.

Elsewhere, lovely lovely Wii Music hangs on in there at seven, only just outsold by PS3 big-hitter Resistance 2 in the latter’s launch week. Does this mean the British public has taken Miyamoto’s latest creation under its collective wing? Let’s hope it does better over here than in the US and Japan…

Kawashima’s at 3, Wii Play’s at 4 and Wii Fit is at 8, all months or even years after being launched. Pretty amazing scenes, all told - with all of these games going at least double-platinum, it seems Nintendo has cracked the formula for extending a game’s shelf life.

Bookmark to:

As if releasing the soundtrack to the new Street Fighter HD Remix for free weren’t enough, now Capcom has revealed another juicy bit of Street Fighter paraphernalia for you fans out there. Apparently, some DLC for Little Big Planet is in the pipeline now which features some adorable Street Fighter costumes for your little sackboy/girl. There will be four costumes modeled after Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief, and Ryu. No word yet on whether the costumes will grant you special “Shoryuken” or “Sonic Boom” powers.

The costumes are cool enough, but what I really can’t wait for are the inevitable Street Fighter-based levels that will have you pitting your sackpeople against each other. Sure, they’ll last about ten minutes before the copyright gurus strip them down, but oh, what a wonderful ten minutes that would be.

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Related Articles at Gaming Today:

• Homemade Sackboy From Little Big Planet is Adorable
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• New Street Fighter Action Figures

Hot Wheels and Little Mermaid are just fine by me. Napoleon Dynamite is still waaaaaaaaay too expensive.

Check out the full list here

“The Army takes this seriously,” Stephens said of PEO-STRI and its Army gaming unit, which will handle military video game requirements. “We own gaming for the Army — from requirements through procurement,” he said.

According to Stars and Stripes, the army has been using the commercially produced FPS, DARWARS Ambush. The title is now outdated and will be replaced with the highly moddable Game After Ambush.

Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is in charge of determining the game features needed for training. Col. Mark McManigal, the capabilities manger, has demanded a number of features including the ability for instructors to make changes in terrain, difficulty and change complexity during the simulation. It must be portable, low maintenance and cost effective. Most importantly, it must have a playback feature for review purposes.

PEO-STRI is charged with acquisition and fielding of the system. Leslie Duvow, project director for gaming, says that 70 games will be deployed between February and September 2009.

“Each system will consist of 52 computers with ancillary equipment including steering wheels, headsets and mice,” she said.

Soldiers will be able to drive virtual vehicles, fire virtual weapons, pilot virtual unmanned aerial vehicles and do “most anything a soldier does” in a virtual battle space as large as 100 kilometers by 100 kilometers, she said.

There will be 53 locations in the United States, Germany, Italy and South Korea.

Another program in the works for implementation in 2009 is “dismounted soldier.” Soldiers will don virtual-reality goggles and carry a weapon in a VR battle space.

Thanks to Game Politics for the intelligence.

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I hear you actually have to step for every step that Sonic takes. Thanks to BAMtendo for the heads up!

Washing the Hardcore Away

Aren’t you guys tired of the casual versus core arguments? All the bickering, complaining, and ragging on one another? Wouldn’t it be nice if gamers became more accepting of one another? Unfortunately, I think most of the problem comes from core to casual. Are you one of those people?

Article here (thanks Max!)

Top 10 Games on the Wii

Believe it or not, there are a ton of great games on the Wii. I know a lot of us spend time complaining about third party support, but there are actually really fantastic titles out there. You just have to hunt them out. The list below should have something to make any Wii owner happy.

Article here

Holiday 2008: Games to probably avoid

You may know what games to avoid for the holiday season, but there are others that have no idea. Think about all the times you got bad games from family members or friends. Perhaps you should point them in the direction of this list! That is, if you agree with choices on it!

Article here

Cue Sports: Snooker Vs. Billiards - review

A portion of a WiiWare-World review…

If only Hudson had been able to match the charm and atmosphere found in Midnight Pool it would have made the whole package a bit more enticing.

Skate It - review

A portion of an Aeropause review…

It is unfortunate that a lot of design and control flaws take down Skate It from a must have Wii title. There is a surprisingly long and challenging single player mode, that gives the player tons of things to do in the world. But when you cannot control any of that action in a stable manner, Skate It ends up eating concrete after a bad grind.

‘Second-Hand Memories’

Finally, someone is talking about what I’ve been thinking! I’ve said time and time again that I love the retail experience. I love going to my local game store to buy games, but that’s not all. I form bonds with the employees, share gaming stories, and learn more about the industry that I love. Without that retail shopping experience, how are you going to build those relationships? I think they are really important when it comes to forming your gaming personality.

Article here

Should Obama regulate used game sales?

Used game sales are coming under a lot of fire, both from the industry and gamers alike. The situation is definitely in-need of cleaning up. Does it really require Obama to step in and take care of things?

Article here

The Guitar Hero robot

Harmonix promises lots of DLC tracks for Rock Band 2 Wii, but doesn’t mention release date

Well, we have some good news from Harmonix, and some bad news. The good news is that they plan to bring most of the already-available DLC tracks to the Wii version of Rock Band 2. The bad news…they didn’t say anything about the release date. They know we are wondering what is up, but they stayed quiet!

Link

Top 11 most desired features of the next console generation

We are a sick bunch of people. As soon as one console comes out, we are already talking about the next. What was new yesterday is old today. We just can’t feed our need for new gaming technology! With that said, what features would you want to see in Nintendo’s platform?

Article here

Infinite Space - anime fan sub

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip - review

A portion of a bit-tech review..

Ubisoft has tried to spice things up a bit in the snowboarding genre by bringing an impressive engine and open-world approach to the table, but unfortunately when it comes to sports games it’s always far, far better to have some exciting linear courses rather than poorly mapped white expanses.

Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades - review

A portion of a UGO review…

If you have the original Guitar Hero on Tour for the DS then you know exactly what’s in store for you with Decades. It’s the same great game with a new set list, some new stage backgrounds and a some wireless perks.

Japanese boxart updates

More here

Mechanic Master - impressions

Impressions here

National Retail Federation surveys to find top girls/boys toys for 2008

2008 Top Toys for Girls
1. Barbie
2. Disney Hannah Montana
3. Dolls (generic)
4. Bratz
5. Nintendo Wii
6. Video Games
7. Elmo
8. Disney High School Musical
9. Disney Princess
10. American Girl

2008 Top Toys for Boys

1. Video Games
2. Nintendo Wii
3. LEGO
4. Cars (generic)
5. Transformers
6. Elmo
7. Star Wars
8. Hot Wheels
9. Remote Controlled Vehicles
10. Xbox 360

Link

Just hinting at it happening leads me to believe that the wheels are already in motion. The gaming print industry has been hurting for a long time now, and it seems like things are only getting worse. I still think a game magazine could survive and actually do well, but they would have to radically alter what they provide and how they provide it.

Link

Video

• Tomb Raider - BENEATH THE SURFACE 4, FREE
• INFANTRY STRATEGY VIDEO BRIEFING, FREE
• TOM CLANCY S ENDWAR LAUNCH TRAILER, FREE
• BioShock Challenge Rooms Trailer, FREE
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Behind the Scenes Ep 1, FREE
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Behind the Scenes Ep 2, FREE
• Pain: David Hasselhoff Trailer, FREE
• Linger in Shadows Soundtrack, FREE
• NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM TRAILER, FREE

Packs

Bioshock

• BioShock PS3 Challenge Rooms, 6.29/ 7.99

Rock Band

• CALIFORNIA BER ALLES, 0.99/ 1.49
• CLOSER, 0.99/ 1.49
• FOREVER, 0.99/ 1.49
• GONE, 0.59/ 0.79
• HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA, 0.99/ 1.49
• MICA, 0.99/ 1.49
• POLICE TRUCK, 0.99/ 1.49
• SWAMPED, 0.99/ 1.49
• THAT S HOW I ESCAPED MY CERTAIN FATE, 0.99/ 1.49
• THAT S WHEN I REACH FOR MY REVOLVER, 0.99/ 1.49
• CENTURY MEDIA GIRLS OF METAL PACK 01, 2.99/ 3.99
• Dead Kennedys Pack 01, 2.99/ 3.99
• MISSION OF BURMA PACK 01, 2.99/ 3.99

Guitar Hero World Tour

• THE RACONTEURS TRACK PACK, 3.99/ 5.99
• HOLD UP BY THE RACONTEURS, 1.49/ 1.99
• CONSOLER OF THE LONELY BY THE RACONTEURS, 1.49/ 1.99
• SALUTE YOUR SOLUTION BY THE RACONTEURS, 1.49/ 1.99

LittleBigPlanet

• Sack in the Box, FREE
• LocoRoco Costume Kit, 2.39/ 2.99

Need for Speed UnderCover

• AFTERMARKET BODY KIT PACKAGE, 1.49/ 1.99
• AFTERMARKET HOODS, SPOILERS & EXHAUST PACKAGE, 1.49/ 1.99
• AFTERMARKET WHEELS PACKAGE, 1.49/ 1.99
• COLLECTOR S EDITION UPGRADE, 6.99/ 9.99
• EXOTIC CAR BUNDLE, 3.99/ 5.99
• MUSCLE CAR BUNDLE, 3.49/ 4.99
• PAINT & VINYLS PACKAGE, 1.49/ 1.99
• TUNER CAR BUNDLE, 3.49/ 4.99
• ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE BUNDLE, 6.99/ 9.99
• ULTIMATE VISUAL BUNDLE, 3.49/ 4.99
• PRO HANDLING BUNDLE, 1.99/ 2.99
• PRO POWER BUNDLE, 2.99/ 3.99
• RACE HANDLING BUNDLE, 1.99/ 2.99
• RACE POWER BUNDLE, 1.99/ 2.99
• STREET HANDLING BUNDLE, 1.49/ 1.99
• STREET POWER BUNDLE, 1.99/ 2.99

Themes

• Saints Row 2 Movember Theme, FREE
• TRU - Black&White Theme, FREE
• TRU- Front of Box Theme, FREE

Game

• Sim City 2000, 4.99/ 7.99
• LocoRoco 2 Demo, FREE

Game

• Sim City 2000, 4.99/ 7.99
• LocoRoco 2 Demo, FREE

• Euro PS Store update for November 13
• This week's LBP download haul - Sack-in-the-Box and LocoRoco costumes
  

The holiday shopping season officially starts on Friday, November 28th. You can often find some amazing deals if you are willing to fight the anxious masses that begin their shopping adventures before the break of dawn. Be warned, bargain shopping is not for the weak. I recommend you pack an overshield and perhaps some extra health if you are going to venture out the day after Thanksgiving. Here are some of the deals on video game related items that are going to be making a dent in your wallet on this year’s Black Friday.

Buy 2 Games Get $25 Off Next Video Game Purchase

Nintendo DS Special Edition Ice Blue w/Brain Age Game - $149.99
Nintendo DS Special Edition Red w/New Super Mario Brothers Game - $149.99
Nintendo DS - Imagine Figure Skater - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - AMF Bowling Pinbusters - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Bowling Pinbusters! - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Disney Princess Enchanted Journey - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Game Party - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Guitar Hero Game - $24.99
Nintendo Wii - Wonder World Amusement Park - $9.99

Sony PSP - Sonic Rivals - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 2 - Hannah Montana Spotlight - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 2 - Transformers - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 3 80GB Package w/Ratchet and Clank Future Game + Casino Royale Blu-ray - $399.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - NBA 09: The Inside - $37.99

Xbox 360 60GB Console w/4 Games (Lego Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda, NBA 2K9, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground) - $299.99
Xbox 360 - Endwar - $37.99
Xbox 360 - Saints Row - $9.99
Xbox 360 - The Simpsons Game - $9.99

Nintendo GBA - Disney Princess: Royal Adventure - $4.99
Nintendo GBA - Hot Wheels: All Out - $4.99
Nintendo GBA - Life / Yahtzee / Payday - $4.99
Nintendo GBA - Risk / Battleship / Clue - $4.99
Nintendo GBA - The Little Mermaid - $4.99
Mario Red Nintendo DS With Free Super Mario Brothers Game - $139.99
Ice Blue Nintendo DS With Free Brain Age Game And Carrying Case - $139.99
Nintendo DS - Bee Movie Game - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Cooking Mama - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Guitar Hero on Tour - $29.99
Nintendo DS - Justice League: Heroes - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Left Brain / Right Brain - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Mah Jong Quest Expedition - $9.99
Nintendo DS - M & M’s: Break ‘Em - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Naopleon Dynamite: The Game - $4.99
Nintendo DS - Playground - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Spider-Man 3 - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - $19.99
Nintendo DS - Transformers: Autobot - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Barbie: The Island Princess - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Cabela’s Big Game Hunter - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Chicken Shoot - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Cooking Mama: Cook Off - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Dancing With The Stars - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Game Party - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle - $59.99
Nintendo Wii - Monster Jam - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Ninja Reflex - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Okami - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Rapala: Tournament Fishing - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Spongebob Squarepants: Creature From The Krusty Krab - $14.99
Nintendo Wii - Super Monkeyball: Banana Blitz - $9.99
Nintendo Wii - Controller Skins - $6.99
Nintendo Wii - Dance Pad - $12.99
Nintendo Wii - Intercooler Fan - $6.99
Nintendo Wii - Laser Gun - $12.99
Nintendo Wii - Silicone Wii Fit Cover - $6.99
Nintendo Wii - Sports Set - $12.99
Nintendo Wii - Wheel Remote - $6.99
Nintendo Wii - Wireless Sensor Bar - $12.99

Sony PSP - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - $9.99
Sony PSP - Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 2 Video Game System w/ Free Micro Controller - $129.99
Sony PlayStation 2 - Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 2 - Madden NFL ‘08 - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 2 - Resident Evil 4 - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - All-Pro Football 2K8 - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway - $19.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Guitar Hero III Bundle - $54.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - NFL Tour - $9.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Transformers: The Game - $14.99

Xbox 360 Arcade Holiday Bundle w/ Extra Controller & 20GB HD - $199.99
Xbox 360 Pro Holiday Bundle w/ 2 Games & Free $30 Gift Card - $299.99
Xbox 360 - All-Pro Football 2K8 - $9.99
Xbox 360 - Bioshock - $19.99
Xbox 360 - Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway - $19.99
Xbox 360 - Call Of Duty 3 - $14.99
Xbox 360 - Conan - $9.99
Xbox 360 - Dead Rising - $9.99
Xbox 360 - Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle - $59.99
Xbox 360 - Guitar Hero III Bundle - $54.99
Xbox 360 - Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - $14.99
Xbox 360 - Need For Speed: Carbon - $14.99
Xbox 360 - NFL Tour - $9.99
Xbox 360 - Soldier Of Fortune: Payback - $19.99
Xbox 360 - Tetris Evolution - $9.99
Xbox 360 - The Orange Box: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 - $19.99
Xbox 360 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘08 - $14.99
Xbox 360 - Wired Guitar Controller - $9.99

PC Game - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars - $4.99
PC Game - MORE Brain Games / Sudoku 2 Pack - $4.99
PC Game - SIMS Carnival: Bumper Blast - $4.99
PC Game - SIMS Carnival: Snap City - $4.99
PC Game - The SIMS 2 Deluxe - $4.99
PC Game - World of Warcraft Battle Chest - $14.99
PC Game - World of Warcraft - $9.99

Selected Video Games for Game Boy Advance & Nintendo DS - $4.99
Selected Video Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, DS, PlayStation 3 - $19.99
Selected Video Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 - $14.99
Selected Video Games for Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, Xbox 360 - $9.99

Will be added when released

Nintendo DS Brain Age Bundle + $25 Off Next Nintendo Purchase - $149.99
Nintendo DS Super Mario Bros Bundle + $25 Off Next Nintendo Purchase - $149.99
Nintendo DS - Imagine Figure Skater - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Imagine Master Chef - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Petz Hamsterz 2 - $9.99
Nintendo DS - Rock Revolution - $29.99
Nintendo Wii - All Star Cheer Squad- $29.99
Nintendo Wii - Deblob - $39.99
Nintendo Wii - Family Game Night - $39.99
Nintendo Wii - Kung Fu Panda - $49.99
Nintendo Wii - Out Of The Chute - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Rock Revolution - $49.99
Nintendo Wii - SpongeBob Class Of Doom - $29.99
Nintendo Wii - Zappers w/Link’s Crossbow Training - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Dual Charge Station - $29.99
Nintendo Wii - Energy Pak for Wii Fit - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Grand Slam 6-in-1 Sports Kit - $24.99
Nintendo Wii - Nunchuk Controller - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - 2000 Points Card - $19.99
Nintendo Wii - Wii Remote - $39.99

PlayStation 3 80GB Console - $399.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Call Of Duty: World At War - $59.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Madden ‘09 - $59.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - NCAA Football ‘09 - $59.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - Rock Revolution - $49.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - DualShock 3 Wireless Controller - $54.99
Sony PlayStation 3 - HDMI Cable - $29.99

Xbox 360 Pro 60GB Bundle w/Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Card - $299.99
Xbox 360 - Brothers In Arms - $19.99
Xbox 360 - Gears Of War 2 - $59.99
Xbox 360 - NBA Live ‘ 09 - $59.99
Xbox 360 - Rock Revolution Bundle w/Drum Kit - $129.99
Xbox 360 - Rock Revolution - $49.99
Xbox 360 - Tiger Woods ‘09 - $59.99
Xbox 360 - WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 - $59.99
Xbox 360 - Wireless Controller - $49.99

Featured Value Games - 20% Off

Nintendo Wii - Recharge Station - $19.99

Sony PlayStation 3 - DuelShock Wireless Controller - $29.99

Xbox 360 Bundle w/ Controller, Headset, A/V Cable - $249.99
Xbox 360 - Gigaware Battery Pack - $9.99

Super Mario Bros DS Bundle - $149.99
Nintendo Wii - Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle - $59.00
Nintendo Wii - Nerf Sports Kit - $30.00
Nintendo Wii - Protective Case - $11.00
Nintendo Wii - Silicone Glove Kit - $7.00
Nintendo Wii - Wireless Guitar Controller - $39.00

Sony PSP Ratchet & Clank Bundle - $199.99
Sony PSP - SanDisk 1GB Memory Card - $20.00
Sony PlayStation 3 - Dual Shock Controller - $49.00

Xbox 360 Pro 60GB Video Game System Bundle - $299.99
Xbox 360 - Xbox Live Gold 3-Month Card - $15.00

Free Gift Card (up to $50) w/ Purchase of PSP, DS, or Xbox 360 System - $0.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo DS & Nintendo Wii - $11.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo DS & PlayStation 2 - $7.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo DS, PS2 & Nintendo Wii - $15.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 - $30.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 - $39.00
Selected Video Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 - $49.00
Selected Video Games for PSP, Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3 - $20.00

Nintendo DS Spring Princess Peach Value Pack - $159.97
Nintendo DS Star Wars System Value Pack - $159.97

*All information taken from blackfriday.info

Exotypos has updated its X Motor Racing game to v1.1 and thrown in a playable demo. The game formerly known as No Brakes: X Racing features old classics as well as modern sports cars, each with it’s own physics model. Controls use real 3D wheel simulation to take advantage of the new 3D road features like humps and pits.

X Motor Racing comes with a couple other nice downloads. Avid modders can enter the race with their own custom wheels with the use of the X Motor Racing Tools. I you enjoy the music, you can also pick up the X Motor Racing Sound Track Set.

Catch the X Motor Racing v1.1 Demo on FileFront and see if this racing game does it for you.

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• Updated Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Demo Now Available
• Nitro Stunt Racing Demo
• The Week in Demos and Patches: March 31-April 5
• The Week in Demos and Patches: June 15-21
• Prepare for Some Off-road Racing as Pure Demo Hits FileFront