Best Buy Black Friday offers - Resident Evil 4, others for US$ 19.99 each

The United States celebrated Black Friday once again and retail chain Best Buy had something in store for Nintendo Wii owners.

For those who aren't from the States, this is an unofficial shopping event where shops open early and sell items for discounted prices.

Anyway, Best Buy has decided to put a total of four different Nintendo Wii video games in the bargain basket for this event namely Resident Evil 4, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Brunswick Pro Bowling, Rapala Tournament Fishing. Each video game can be purchased for just US$ 19.99.

Take note that while each Best Buy store will carry a minimum number of 10 copies per title, a customer is only entitled to one purchase and no rain checks will be allowed.

Crazy games commercials...

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God Hand

The last title Clover Studio developed before disbanding may have gone past your noses, but a backgrounder isn't necessary to get the kicks out of this God Hand trailer. Some half-naked guy with a fist for a head walks around spanking ladies and breaking cars. Need we say more?

Super Mario Galaxy Wallpapers

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Mario Galaxy Box Art That Should Have Been

Some new wallpapers have turned up on the Japanese Mario Galaxy site.

What, you don't care about something as trivial as that? You're right, we're sorry. Nintendo news is, after all, serious business.

You probably think this picture is awful, hate both Mario and kittens and most definitely won't be clicking on it for a bigger version.

Have a look here

Children's Allowance - Measured in Minutes, Not money

HOWARD AND LIZZIE SHERMAN, ages 15 and 9, know that they need to complete all their homework and chores in order to receive their weekly allowance. The amount may be a little less than usual if they’ve misbehaved, or a bit larger if they have done some extra work around the house.

When the children want to use their allowance, though, they don’t go to the mall. They turn on the family’s computer or television because there’s a parallel economy in place at the Sherman home, with a currency most often known as “screen time.”

Screen time can be spent playing computer games, watching TV or movies or, for older children, visiting social networking sites like MySpace or instant messaging with friends. This new currency, used in a growing number of households, works as an allowance because screen time is highly valued by children and teenagers, and usually restricted by parents.

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The games helmet that reads minds

A device that can translate your thoughts into onscreen movements could revolutionise much more than gaming

Think carefully before you answer: is a device that is capable of reading people’s minds fact or fantasy? We knew you’d say that. But scientists at an American laboratory have been brainstorming the same question for more than five years and have come up with a mind-blowingly different answer.

They call it Epoc, but when it is launched early next year in Britain and the US it will probably be known simply as the “mind-reading helmet”, capable, supposedly, of knowing what users are thinking.

The device is being hailed as a revolutionary breakthrough in the way that humans will be able to interact with computers. Its implications are massive, opening the possibility that one day people will be able to control everything from light switches to the cursor on their computer screen simply by thinking about it. However, for now, the technology will be used as the ultimate gimmick: to play computer games simply by thinking your screen character into action.

Emotiv Systems, the San Francisco company that has developed the technology, says Project Epoc could mean the end of joysticks and keyboard bashing. Instead games players will be able to visualise a move in their head and that move will be replicated on the screen in front of them. So, for example, Harry Potter could be ordered to cast exotic spells, or a jedi might exert “the force” to fling his enemies around – all through the willpower of the gamer, with no buttons pressed.

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Jade Raymond hints at co-op mode in Assassin's Creed 2

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) is an awesome game. If you agree with the previous statement, then you'd probably be interested in finding out more about the game's development and what we should expect on Assassin's Creed 2.

We previously posted an article on the first part of the interview where game producer Jade Raymond talked about Assassin's Creed. In the second part of the interview, she mentioned that the biggest thing they cut out from the game was multiplayer co-op. Interestingly enough, she hinted that this feature might be in the sequel of the game.

We're pretty sure that you'd rather be hearing all the juicy facts about the game from the lovely Jade Raymond herself, so we're not going to spoil it for you. Head on over to GameTrailers through the via link below to watch the interview.

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The ethics of cheating (in video games)

Cheating in video games is almost as old as video gaming itself. It's never long before someone decides that he wants to take the easy way out. This would seem unfair to others who choose play by the rules of the game, however.

As a gamer I have to admit that I did my fair share of cheating through a game. Most of the time, nothing major. If I get stuck in a level to the point that I feel a migraine building up, I'll consult a walkthrough.

Some people consider this cheating, while others won't. Some who consider this cheating will consider this fair and allowable, others won't. But what is cheating anyway? And when is it allowable, and when is it unfair?

So this piece may just be my way of rationalizing my own actions, or just to appease my own gamer friends, but a part of me really wants to know. As a gamer, am I breaking some unspoken, unwritten law when I cheat? Mind you, this is an opinion piece and should not be taken in any other way than as opinion.

To go to the farthest end of the spectrum on this question, I shall define cheating as "any action done or information gathered in or outside of the game that allows the player to progress through a game outside of his or her own capabilities in relation to the dynamics set by the game."

This includes walkthroughs and asking people what to do to get to the next level. It also includes hacking, trainers, taking advantage of bugs and even using the game's own built in cheat codes (remember "black sheep wall"?).

All of this could be typified as unfair, essentially because it gives an advantage over others who are playing the game under their own steam and skill. It cheapens the overall challenge the game presents and awards less (and in some situations totally cancels out) bragging rights. Gamer's honor, if you will.

With that in mind then, what are the situations where gamer's honor doesn't matter? For example, I've already finished the game. Many, many times before. Would it really hurt if I used god mode just for the fun of it?

Another situation would be if I got myself stuck in a level and have exhausted all my mental resources and I'm about to go insane (it's happened). It's either read a walkthrough or drop the game I paid good money for.

However, there comes a point where cheating is abused and becomes a tool to gain the upper hand over someone else. In the end a line has to be drawn where "cheating" can still be called "assisted gaming." One writer from the Washington Post describes it this way: it's one thing to cheat to explore all the the games has to offer, it's another thing to use it for dominance. I heartily concur.

Video games: He rocks, she rocks

"Rock Band" takes the "Guitar Hero" experience to a whole new level.

Randy: When I got an early copy of the highly anticipated "Rock Band," I called Leslie. She's a "Guitar Hero" fiend, and "Rock Band" is like "GH" cranked up to 11.
Unpacking and setting up all the gear took nearly an hour because of all the cardboard, wires and tape holding together all the stuff inside the heavy box. The biggest chore is assembling the drum set. There's also a guitar and microphone.

Since "Rock Band" was created by Harmonix, the same company behind "Guitar Hero," the new controller looks similar to the one in that older game. But there are some differences.

Leslie: The "Rock Band" guitar is much smoother in terms of strumming, and the fret buttons have a bit more control. You can also tap on a second set of fret buttons located higher up on the neck -- which comes in handy during faster metal solos. My only complaint is that the fret buttons are level with the neck, making it a bit more complicated to feel out for finger placement. Also, in "Guitar Hero," the middle fret has a ridge to give you an origination point, but "Rock Band" does not have this feature. This is not a problem if you are playing on the easy level, but it gets more complicated later.

But enough about the guitars, let's talk about the drums! What a fun new toy!

Randy: You're not kidding. This drum set is arguably the biggest controller in video games. It has four pads that sit on top of a rack and mimic the sounds of a snare, toms, cymbals and high hat. An adjustable foot pedal attaches to the bottom of the rack and connects to the pads to give the realistic feel of a bass drum. There are control buttons embedded in the center of the rack, but you'll mostly use the drum pads.

It's really fun getting into a groove on the drums, with your foot and both hands trying to keep up with the on-screen prompts. I'm no Neil Peart, but it's a lot of work! Whether sitting or standing, you'll get shin splints from stomping on the bass-drum pedal.

The best part is when you're given a prompt to do an improvised fills during a song. Here, you just bang away however you please. All of the instruments get such solo prompts. On vocals, you can just say or sing whatever you want. And the game adds reverb and presence to your vocals to make you sound like a real rock star. Even a non-singer like Leslie sounded totally fine on the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Leslie: Ahem, "non-singer" is putting it quite kindly. As someone who hates to even hum "Happy Birthday," even I wanted to sing in this game, because the song selection is fantastic! "Creep" by Radiohead and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash are among the many classics. "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath is on both "Guitar Hero III" and "Rock Band," but is way more fun to hammer out on "Rock Band."

The only part of the game that I'm still not clear on is how you move through the levels.

Randy: Yeah, we played for a few hours and never unlocked some of the songs we heard in the intro, such as Rush's "Tom Sawyer," or in the solo mode of the game, such as Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" (in which you hit the mic with your hand to play cowbell!). But we still had a blast. It was a total party scene -- friends and family members crowding together in one room, trading instruments and cheering for one another.

So, Leslie, would you pay $170 for Rock Band?

Leslie: Yeah, I would. But I might have to save up for a bigger TV and surround sound. This game is so much more than your average shoot-'em-up that I might need a dedicated space to fully rock out.

Randy: I know what you mean. Even though I have the space and setup for "Rock Band," I have no idea where I'm going to stash that drum set between gigs.

PS3 continues Japanese sales success

But handhelds are still most popular hardware choice

Sony's PlayStation 3 has managed to outsell the Wii in Japan for a second week running, as Sony's console continues to gain solid footing in the crucial territory.

The PlayStation 3 sold 39,178 units for the week ended November 18, although this was down from almost 56,000 the previous week.

Nintendo's Wii sold 36,230 units, a slight improvement over last week's 34,546.

However, comparing lifetime-to-date sales from Media Create data, Nintendo is streets ahead of its Sony rival, with 3.8 million consoles sold compared to 1.3 million.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 still struggles in Japan, with only a further 6525 units sold, bringing the total number of sales since release to 459,943.

Nintendo is still winning the battle of the handhelds, with a further 76,084 DS Lite's sold, but Sony also enjoyed strong sales for the PSP as it shifted another 65,609 units.