Xbox 360 beats PS3 in Japan (Reuters)

Reuters - Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 beat Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 in Japan weekly sales for the first time two weeks ago, riding robust demand for a recent Xbox 360 title produced by Namco Bandai Holdings (7832.T), a magazine publisher said.

Xbox 360 outsells PS3 in Japan for first time: survey (AFP)

AFP - Microsoft's Xbox 360 has outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan for the first time, helped by the popularity of the new role-playing game "Tales of Vesperia," a recent survey showed.

'Star Wars' Lightsaber Duels Coming to the Wii (PC Magazine)

PC Magazine - Almost since the Wii was announced, eager Star Wars aficionados have imagined the Wii remote's implications for serving as a lightsaber. LucasArts employees have constantly teased and hinted at something being in the works, and now it looks like we finally have an answer, not to mention a release window.

Cashing in: adding real names to sports games

EA may have some of the most realistic sports games on the market, but the company is powerless to include the names of the actual college athletes. The gray market has no such restrictions, and some gamers are profiting handsomely by selling the information.Read More...

Appletell review - Spore Origins for iPod

Section: Software + Apps, Games, iPod + iTunes, iTunes, iPod, iPod nano, Features, Review Genre: RPG, Strategy Format: iPod Game Developer: Maxis Mac Port: Electronic Arts System Requirements: 3G iPod nano, 5G iPod classic, 28.7MB free space Price: $4.99 It may be hard to believe, but the release date of one of the most anticipated video games in a long time is nearing. In recent months, starting with the Spore Creature Creator, we have been teased and taunted with little samples of the game, intended to keep our breath bated until the 12th of September. Now, the latest appetizer for the entree that is Spore has been released. The newest installment, titled Spore Origins, has been released for game-compatible iPods in the US. Through the 18 levels of Primordial Tide Pool goodness, EA hopes to give a taste of what the full version will present itself to be. Before I even downloaded the game, I was very excited to take a look-see at the latest Spore teaser. The second I caught wind of its release, I went straight to iTunes to get myself a copy. I subsequently installed the game on my iPod, and the excitement ended there. My first try to play the game ended in my iPod crashing at the title screen. Granted, this is just an iPod and Spore’s a formidable game, but I wasn’t expecting any crashing, let alone before the gameplay even started. After reseting my iPod, I went for another go. The second attempt ended almost as badly, with the game freezing while loading the first level. Once more, I reset my iPod and tried again. Third time was not the charm. Not knowing what else to do, I went into iTunes, removed the game from my iPod, re-downloaded it, and re-installed it. That seemed to have done the trick, as I was up and running after that. All things ran smoothly until the end of the 17 level. While loading the 18th and final level, the game again froze. I thought that it was just my luck, but it turns out many initial downloaders experienced similar issues.  As for gameplay, I didn’t expect much, and that’s what I got. Initially, there are no predators, and you are free to pig out in the first level of the primordial soup. After five levels of play, you are offered a chance to upgrade your “Spore.” Upgrades range from coloring to body shape to body parts, the latter of which provides you with everything from mouths and tails to shells and flippers. Within each category of body part (Perception, Offensive, Defensive and Movement), there are three levels, each with more benefit then the last.  The 18 levels get progressively harder, but none of them impossibly so. They also get very repetitive, with the only changes coming from the upgrades obtained every 5 levels and the increasing difficulty from stronger foes. The levels took me around 2-5 minutes each to beat, and I got to the 17th level (before it froze) in around 45 minutes of straight playing. If you can overlook the critical freezing and crashing, this game isn’t much in the way of entertainment, as it gets quite boring and makes your hand hurt like crazy. Unless you are a crazed Spore fan like me who can’t stand waiting for another two weeks for the actual game, I wouldn’t suggest spending your money on Spore Origins, but rather a worthwhile iPod game such as Monopoly or Mini Golf, both of which haven’t gotten old after extensive play. Or, if you’re feeling quite miserly, you could just stick to Vortex, which its quite the game given its free nature. For those of you who roll with a different mobile device, the game is planned for its iPhone, iPod touch, Nintendo DS and other platform release on September 7th. Appletell Rating: See other iPod game reviews. Buy Spore Origins Full Story » | Written by Mark Rowland for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Action games deliver thrills

The truly great action films of our time — "Die Hard," "The Road Warrior," "Aliens," say — can be summed up in one word: relentless. Once they get in gear, they put the pedal to the metal and don't slow down. If only "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Whatever" had such single-minded drive.