Kmart Leaks Xbox 360 Price Cut

Can you smell the poor college students on the horizon? They could be stampeding toward your local Kmart. They're on the eve of actually being able to afford an Xbox 360 (you know, if they don't get groceries this month).

The Xbox 360 20 GB console, pending if the photo on the left is a clever PhotoShop job, is being priced at $299.99 according to this Kmart advertisement. The release is dated July 16th, the week of E3. Curious, isn't it?

Thanks Xbox 360 Fanboy.

Daunte Culpepper Uses His Virtual Self to Beat a Record

Just in time for "Guiness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008," quarterback Daunte Culpepper has broken a record on Madden NFL 2002. A game with his face on the cover. Using his own virtual self. Here's a press release from the people at Guinness.

With drives rivaled only by his avatar, former Madden NFL cover boy Daunte Culpepper persevered and established a new Guinness World Record for "Highest Score in the Two-Minute Drill on Madden NFL 2002" with a staggering 14,500 points. Playing the same game that featured him on the cover, Culpepper played as himself with the Minnesota Vikings and made some serious connections to then-teammate Randy Moss. He earned the record at EA's 20th Anniversary Premiere Party for Madden NFL 09, and if unbeaten, will be included in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2009, scheduled for release next February.

If you're interested in other gaming records, you can pick up your own copy of the 2008 edition of the book here.

New Wario Game for the Wii on the Horizon

Wario is starring in his own brand new Wii title. No, not another one of those weird WarioWare things. This is a legitimate platform game.

Wario Land: Shake It! will utilize the Wiimote by turning it sideways like an old-school controller. The game is set to release on September 29.

That sounds cool, but I don't think it'll be quite as interesting as Sonic Unleashed. Thoughts?

Pacman Gets a Break!

Meet Pacman Jones. He's had it hard. He played football for WVU and now he's a Dallas Cowboy. He was once suspected in a shooting, he's been accused of assault, vandalism, and spitting on a woman. Trouble just seems to follow this guy around. Plus, his name is Pacman. Sound familiar?

Well, it looks like Pacman Jones' rocky past has led him to the most logical conclusion: lose the nickname. It invokes bad memories and the like. It's time to lose it. Terrence Trent D'Arby did it. Why can't Pacman.

Anyway, guess what this means for the real Pacman? He finally gets a break after getting his good name sullied! Yeah!

Tomb Raider Portal

Oh that zany Lara Croft. Always getting into new tomb-related shenanigans. Well, it looks like she has another adventure on the horizon.

Eidos Interactive just launched "Tomb Raider Portal", a website for Croft fans to find the latest in Tomb Raider news and art. Above is a photo of the upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld. The game will be out in November 2008 for every platform (except the PSP). The game is the first to be designed specifically for the next-gen consoles, so the adventure should be more interesting than the last (especially because it involves Norse mythology, finally).

Check out the website for behind the scenes news, screenshots, and even a new exclusive Tomb Raider podcast. Sounds good, right?

The B-Team Wrestling Company Video Game Update

TNA iMPACT!, or the wrestling company that hired 75% of your favorite WCW wrestlers from your middle school years, has confirmed a new feature for their upcoming video game. Downloadable wrestlers will be available depending on the system. Likely, this feature won't be available on the Wii or the PS2.

I wonder what wrestlers will be downloadable. Bill Goldberg? Jimmy Snuka? Scott Hall? Ooh, maybe "Macho Man" Randy Savage (or Bonesaw)!

Rumor: Xbox 360 Miis Comin' Up

You know this cuddly Miis that you get on the Wii? Well Xbox is taking that idea, making them more realistic, and putting them on their system. Now you can have a Mii avatar without having a Wii. It's rumored to be coming out at the end of the year.

This sounds like the first attempt by either of the two systems to incorporate Nintendo's innovative ideas that could actually turn out well. It doesn't seem to off-putting or disenchanting (like the Microsoft "Wiimote"). Thoughts?

Obama to Papas: Books, Not Video Games

Have you heard about this Obama guy? He's running for president, I guess. Anyway, yesterday, he told your dad to take away your video games. Why? So you can replace it with a book of all things. Can we say terrorist?

The first [thing] is setting an example of excellence for our children – because if we want to set high expectations for them, we’ve got to set high expectations for ourselves. It’s great if you have a job; it’s even better if you have a college degree. It’s a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don’t just sit in the house and watch “SportsCenter” all weekend long.

That’s why so many children are growing up in front of the television. As fathers and parents, we’ve got to spend more time with them, and help them with their homework, and replace the video game or the remote control with a book once in awhile. That’s how we build that foundation.

OK, so he isn't a terrorist and that's a pretty solid idea, no matter what party you're from. Happy belated Father's Day, everybody. (And sorry to tread on your turf, Heath.)

Nintendo Sues Nyko

Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against Nyko for another third-party peripheral. This time, it's for the wireless nunchuk, which Nintendo claims violates their copyrighted design. Yeah, it clearly does, but it's still pretty cool looking.

Weird, Nintendo's cool with Nyko coming up with a bunch of third-party stuff, but once it looks like their actual product, the line is drawn. Still, if this is pulled off the shelves, Nintendo should go on and develop their own Wireless nunchuk. They have the technology. They can rebuild it.

Become a Street Fightin' Man...in February

What? A Rolling Stones reference this early in the day? I guess I'm feeling sassy.

As of now Street Fighter IV is set to be released on February 3 of next year. However, you can pre-order it on Amazon right now. They even included the cool teaser art that I included above (thanks Amazon). The price is the standard $59.99 and the page I've linked to is for the 360 version, but the PS3 version is also available.

If you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty excited about this game. Maybe I'll even pre-order it (eventually...I do have plenty of time, after all).

Hell's Kitchen: The Video Game

Hide Cooking Mama's eyes. Gordon Ramsay is getting his own video game.

You can play it now on Windows and it's allegedly coming soon for the Wii, Mac, and DS. That's right, who's ready to get cursed at by the Simon Cowell of cooking (except he's far more yelly and far less handsome, if I do say so myself)?

Leo in a Video Game Movie

Sort of.

Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play Nolan Bushnell in a biopic of the Atari co-founder's life.

Other than helping out in the design of Pong, did you know that Bushnell also founded Chuck E. Cheese?

I also hope they get to the point when Bushnell was a judge on the USA network's awesome reality show, Made in the USA.

I guess I'm sort of interested. Maybe.

Two Brief DS Reviews: "Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney" and "Myst"

I played the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and beat it as soon as I could. What an amazing game. So what does Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney do differently? Very little. That's what I like to hear.

The graphics for the cut scenes have improved slightly, but it's not notable unless you're a fanatic of the original game.

Apparently, Phoenix Wright has hung up his badge. I don't know why since I didn't play the two games in between, but regardless, it's time for Apollo Justice to come on the scene. First, that's an awesome name. Second, the game is awesome. No, I haven't beaten it, but I still played it pretty extensively. Apollo Justice doesn't change a good thing, which is the best decision Capcom could've made for the game.

Grade: A

In the other corner, we have Myst. The game was originally released for PC in 1993. The game was considered a classic. Thus, they took the next step by remaking it for the DS. What a poor decision.

The game is boring, tedious, and doesn't make me want to pick it back up. When I took Apollo Justice out of the DS and put in Myst, I found myself extremely disappointed in my decision. So I took the game back out after playing it for a few minutes and putting Apollo Justice back in. It isn't really impatience that led me to turn the game off. I can sit through hours of RPGs that require a lot of time and attention. This game induced what felt more like apathy. No thanks.

Grade: F

In the Market for WiiWare

I'm not too sure what to get with this newfangled WiiWare system, but I would really love to play a new game to review for you guys.

So I won't stretch this out - what should I get from WiiWare?

Oh, and my extremely belated review of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney for the DS will come your way soon.

Vacation Gaming

I'm riding the bus in a bit for a short trip. This means a couple of interesting things.

Thing 1) I'll be on the bus.
Thing 2) I have my Nintendo DS with me.
Thing 3) I have a copy of Myst and a copy of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
Thing 4) If you were wondering, that's total game review fodder in the bag.

This short road trip only means good things for you, dear reader, and your mild interest in hand-held gaming. Cheers!

Video Game Art

I recently discovered a man whose invention gave him his viral Internet 15-minutes about a month ago. His name is Kyle Downes. Downes managed to create a NES controller/coffee table/storage space for his games. Observe.

You can visit his blog here to figure out exactly how he did it. Kyle Downes, I applaud you.

Guitar Hero: Metallica Coming to PS3, Xbox 360, Wii in 2009

I was severely disappointed to hear about the production of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. There are a lot of bands that rock a lot harder than Steven Tyler and the gang. They could have made Guitar Hero: Led Zeppelin or Guitar Hero: Bo Diddley for that matter (may he rest in peace).

Let me be clear: I love music. It's not a surprise by any means, but it's the truth. I may not be a metal head of any kind (in any sense of the term), but I'm legitimately pleased about the release of Guitar Hero: Metallica for the PS3, Wii, and 360 in the first quarter of 2009.

I've never been a huge Metallica fan. I mean, I'm happy that they're playing Bonnaroo this year (a festival I've attended twice, never to return again). They're also easily the best modern metal band. I suppose I prefer Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin on the whole, but Metallica took what those groups did and manipulated it into what metal is today. Metallica's songs are fast, heavy, and powerful, which is perfect for a title like Guitar Hero. Also, at this point in time, the franchise will have not only guitars, but also drums and vocals (as mentioned before).

So what does everybody think? Are you more likely to buy Aerosmith or Metallica?

New Resident Evil 5 Trailer

Here's a new trailer for Resident Evil 5, which is set to release in 2009 sometime on the PS3 and 360. It's bloody and violent and all that nonsense, so don't watch it unless you're 18 or older (and don't say I didn't warn you).

That's right - it's going to be in Africa. What's more, it takes place near a series of active volcanoes. Awesome.