So despite Namco trying to keep a lid on it, the rumors are flying, and it looks very possible that Katamari and my Wii will unite in what could be the perfect union of the two most happy-inducing electronic gizmo-softs in the history of the world. I predict total world peace, if they ever manufacture enough Wii consoles to get to everyone in the world (or any town/city to start with).

UPDATE: It's official for Xbox 360 and PS3, but still TBA for Wii, almost certainly due to control issues and having to re-write the control scheme from dual analog sticks to Wiimote. But I'm still hopeful. Or perhaps this'll be my reason to pick up a 360 (in addition to the pile of other good reasons to get one... the 360 is totally spanking in the HD gaming wars, as much as I hate to see Micro$oft win and Sony fail, the 360 is a hell of a console when it works).

On the weekend of May 5th in NYC, there is a demonstration to try and call off the lurking media attack on gaming culture as a potential cause of tragedies like the VT shooting. From the event page:

Empire Arcadia Inc. will gather as many gamers as they can in New York City at Bryan Park on Saturday May 5th, 2007 at 1pm. There we will protest, morn and show how real gamers play videogames peacefully and responsibly. This demonstration is to show that gamers will not take the blame of this tragic matter but we will do what we can to help put an end to terrible events like this. We reiterate and urge that all leaders of gaming communities, organizations down to the last gamer to set aside 10 hours of this day to pay respect and come together not just as gamers but as HUMAN BEINGS for peace. Bring you Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and Playstation Portables. Bring your favorite games to link up and play with your friends. Tetris, Tekken DR, Mario Kart and more.

“It’s ridiculous how our so called leaders who are suppose to be adults handle matters like this. If that is the case, you might as well have today’s children run this country. I’m tired of the complaining and displacing of blame to tragic stuff like this. Since they will do nothing about it then I guess us gamers will have to. If need be we’ll gather the largest force of gamers on the planet to protest against random violence in schools and in the world period. I wonder at times who is worst the psycho’s doing this crazy stuff or the politicians that want to place blame on a videogame. Disgusting! You politicians want to take on gamers we’ll show you how to play this game."

Want to beat me in Mario Kart DS? I'll be there.

Capcom is really coming up aces these days. Check this mess out: they're bringing Lost Planet to PC, in addition to launching new Phoenix Wright titles and HD versions of Super Street Fighter II in addition to my all-time favorite game to get smoked by my wife at: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and in HD no less!

Combine that with Colbert/Adult Swim crossover Harvey Birdman being worked into another Capcom title, and it's time to buy stock.

Yup. In addition to the study I mentioned previously detailing a sharp drop in teen violence since 1993, it turns out that a wealth of Gub'ment data also shows a huge decline in violence since the era of the videogame bloodbath kicked off (image taken from this story).

Some people must be pissed... seriously, what an absolutely putrid fucktard this guy is.

Remember C64? It was the Nintendo of early home PC's, if the Apple II was the Sega Genesis, this thing was the SNES. Bright, full of color, really awesome game library, and more fun to emulate than a barrel of 2-bit monkeys.

Well, they're baaaaaaaack! Commodore is re-emerging as a dedicated PC Gaming hardware company, most likely going after Alienware's customers.

Who knows if their machines are any good, but damn they look good!

In the "ain't that a happy ending" kiss-and-make-up department, we've got a nice wrap-up to all of the groan-worthy Sony hayhem from a few weeks back:

"There was this moment, just seconds after I sat down between Phil Harrison and David Karraker, when the entire table of bloggers, PR people and developers at Sony's Blogger Congress were quiet.

So he said he wanted to give me a present to thank me. Opening the box he revealed: A set of brass balls."

Now that's a way to bury that hatchet. And even work in a testicle reference besides.

Kotaku did a wonderful job of pulling a full sequence of Spore clips out of YouTube, which detail the evolution process throughout the game. Worth a watch!

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Also, if you were one of the contestants in the Burnout: Bandslam contest last week, stay tuned! We've picked winners, and we'll announce as soon as the prizes are ready to go...

Proudly announcing the first-ever GFR giveaway contest! This giveaway is being featured on GFR as well as its older sister site, Music For Robots. The prize? None other than copies of the new sequel to my favorite way to burn off the stress from a bad day, the tire-squealing, neck-snappingly fast Burnout series of racing games!

This contest is being brought to you by GFR, MFR, and Electronic Arts. In short, GFR is all about games, MFR is all about music, and EA is all about making the software, and passing along copies to us, so we can then pass them on to you. Where's the music tie-in, you ask? Let me back up a bit.

In case you've never experienced Burnout (newbies: start with Burnout: Revenge for whatever system you've got), here's the basic deal. You're driving sleek, mean cars almost too fast for your reflexes to react properly though amazing urban and more rural race areas. Sometimes it's you and the clock, sometimes it's you vs. the pack. That's when it gets fun. See, unlike the patsy-for-the-man driving I do in real life, the game allows you (hell, ENCOURAGES you) to drive like a maniac. Bonk other cars off the road. Split two oncoming 18-wheelers. Run your rivals into traffic. Nail a sedan and send it flying, projectile-style, into the race leader. Get wrecked? Drop the race into slow-mo as your wreck is grinding to a halt and detonate the wreckage just as your opponent is zipping by for a takedown. In short, if you've got some irkage to burn, it's insanely fun.

So, back to the music. You can't drive like this with Norah Jones in your tape deck. You need some seriously fast, nasty music to match the tires squeals and metal frame-crumpling sounds. In the past, Burnout has featured some name-brand acts like the Chemical Brothers, Bloc Party, Bravery, etc. For an upcoming title, EA wants your band to be playing when the rest of us hit the barrier doing 174, and they want all of us to be the judges. To sweeten the deal for you band-be-in'ers out there, you could win a grand prize Demo Recording Contract from Virgin Records! To sweeten the deal for the rest of us, we're giving away copies of the upcoming Burnout: Dominator for PS2, PSP as well as music CDs featuring bands from the game.

Here's the deal. All you need to do is vote and then e-mail us. Follow these easy steps:

1) Go to the Burnout: Bandslam page. Listen to the US or UK bands, find one you like (or just one you'd drive realfast to), vote for 'em.

2) Think back over the years, and come up with your all-time favorite song by any band to drive to. Fast. No leisurely Sunday drive, I mean you're in Florida and you need to be in a wedding in Philly by 5pm that day.

3) E-mail the following info to us at bandslam (at) games dot for-robots dot com:

• Which band you voted for in #1
• Which song you picked in #2
• Your name, address, e-mail address, and which version you're after: PS2 or PSP.

Now the disclaimers. You have to be in the USA to win the software (since it'll only work on USA-region PS2/PSPs), but you can win the CDs no matter where you live. We're giving away two (2) copies of the PS2 version, two (2) copies of the PSP version, and four (4) music CDs total. We'll pick two entries at random from the PS2 and PSP pools for the games, then four entries from all the remaining applicants for the CDs. You probably shouldn't enter if you work for EA (just go to the employee lounge, seriously).

So, in short, go here, send us your entry here, and then smash into stuff here!

Finally, deadlines: if you're entering a song to try and win the record deal, GET MOVING! Entries must be submitted by March 14th. If you're voting to get the goods from GFR/MFR, you must vote and e-mail your entry to us by next Monday, March 19th.

Good luck!

Okay, while I don't get why John Edwards is running for prez (again), this is funny and tragic (really?) anyhow:

"Shortly before midnight (CST) on Monday, February 26, a group of republican Second Life users, some sporting "Bush '08" tags, vandalized the John Edwards Second Life HQ. They plastered the area with Marxist and Lenninist posters and slogans, a feces spewing obsenity, and a photoshopped picture of John in blackface, all the while harrassing visitors with right-wing nonsense and obsenity-laden abuse of Democrats in general and John in particular.

I witnessed this event, taking names and photos, including the owners of the pictures. I also kept and saved a copy of the chat log. I have filed an abuse report with Linden Labs, and am awaiting their investigation."

Taken from the Edwards '08 Blog.

This could develop into a neat, precedent-setting cybervandalism/free speech case, since it's now dabbling in national election politics. I mean, what are the laws for cyber campaigning anyhow?

Anyhow, the bigger question is why Edwards? If they were going to go after a Dem, why not one that actually stands a chance of being president?

Dear children of America. Did you know that if you play video games can make you more violent? They're actually so potent and evil, they can make you go on shooting rampages according to technophobic crusaders like Jack Thompson, even though you don't actually even play them?

Well, I'm happy at long last that I can put this issue to bed once and for all, and say to these folks the two words they've been waiting for us gamers to say ever since Doom came out in 1993...

...you're right. Oh wait, I actually mean suck it. Y'all got pwned.

Here's the deal. Once Wolfenstein and Doom hit the streets, the family values stick-in-the-mud crowd began decrying them as the downfall of society. They would teach teens how to be killers, they said. They would increase violence to the point where teens roamed in the streets, slaughtering any living thing they could point their BFG at...

...and yet, um, no. According to a study tracking teen violence since 1993 (in the form of arrests for murders), while the number of violent games and the number of gamers of all ages (teens for sure) have steadily increased, teen murders have dropped a staggering 77% since 1993. 77 PERCENT. Eat it. So stop looking for a correlation, because it ain't there - the number of young people playing games and the amount of violent crime among these youths are numbers that are running in opposite directions.

Nail in the coffin. Or, should I say, fatality (remember the stink y'all raised over that one)?