I’ve watched this trailer over and over and can’t quite seem to find the titles of the games included in Apogee’s Duke Nukem Trilogy. Maybe you guys can help me? Please? I hate it when these trailers are so unclear about what you’re actually getting. Seriously, just give me the names of the games!

Sorry bout that, I just couldn’t resist. It possibly the worst game trailer I’ve ever seen, and was most likely put together by an intern 30 minutes before showtime. It’s amazing what one can do with copy+paste commands and crappy filters.

So you readers out there are probably starting to notice I have a new whipping boy in the video game world… and it’s the redesigned 360 interface and the (ugh) Avatars. I’ll be ranting and raving about it like a lunatic for the next few months, so Wii fanboy’s will probably be getting a break for the time being. I’m like the huge glowing Eye of Sauron, I can only seem to focus on one thing at a time.

What I can’t figure out is why they found it a good idea to waste so much screen space. Everything just seems to float in the middle of the screen with tons of grey nothing in the background (ad space perhaps?) Have they looked at this on a SD tv? I have a feeling those on smaller sets will have an honest to good problem seeing it. Oh and white text against a grey background? Brilliant. The Avatars are something separate and it pisses me off to think about them so I best just leave it alone. But I’ll say this: they fucking suck. God help those of you with tons of friends, having to look at a bunch of puppets bouncing about trying to get a “party” together.

It’s really weird that they always seem to refer to any group on this thing as a “party.” Reminds me of when I watch Cathouse on HBO and the hooker refers to what they do as a “party” when all they really mean is someone’s about to pay for sex.

Now this video below shows it all in motion. I didn’t like it when they first showed it at the Microsoft press conference, and seeing this just re-affirmed it. Maybe it changes your mind, maybe you like it even more. I know some people out there are going to agree with me and some aren’t.

I really and truly want to hear some opinions on the matter, so even though you don’t usually comment do me a favor and chime in.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Gee I love buying all these musical instrument game controllers, I just with I could spend more money on them?” Well then you my friend are in luck. Redoctane.com is now offering a real Pevey wood Guitar Hero guitar. It’s going on sale July 1st and will be in available in five different designs. It’s no doubt a pretty cool idea and thankfully doesn’t taste of the absolute whoring out of the GH franchise. I do have two huge issues with this though.

• 1. They’re $399.99
• 2. They’re for the PS2

Seriously??? I love the hell out of Rock Band and Guitar Hero (I and II) but $400 for a guitar controller with 5 but colored buttons on it? No thanks. Not to mention it’s only for the PS2, and I’m not sure that limiting a huge expensive item to a group of people that haven’t taken the next-gen plunge yet is the right way to go.

You can see them for yourself here.

Hmmm, I’m not going to say it’s funny…. but it’s interesting to see the Wii getting used as a stage prop. I did lol a bit using the Wii-mote to unhook a bra.

Chris Kohler over at Wired News has the scoop on a new initiative for Sony’s PlayStation 3: Qore. A subscription-based “digital magazine” that will offer exclusive demos, beta access, and hype for upcoming titles on PlayStation 3. Here’s Wired’s take:

The good news is that on Thursday, Sony will debut Qore, an interactive online magazine that will give PS3 gamers a monthly dose of news, interviews, and other exclusive PS3-related video and game content.

The bad news? Qore will now be the home of the hottest PlayStation 3 game betas and demos, and what used to be served up for free will now carry a $3/month price tag — and interstitial ads for Burger King, who is sponsoring the new download center.

Demoing the service to Wired.com Monday afternoon, PlayStation Network senior director Susan Panico implied that while the PlayStation Store would still get game demos, the big ones would go on Qore: “Qore is like the network broadcast” of a TV show, she said, and PlayStation Store is like “syndication.”

Users can pay $3 for each monthly “episode” of Qore, or $25 for a one-year, 13-episode subscription. As an added bonus, early subscribers will get a copy of the downloadable game Calling All Cars for free.

The inaugural episode, set to launch on Thursday, will contain interviews and preview videos for SOCOM: Confrontation, plus an exclusive invite to the game’s open beta, scheduled for later this year.

Ok I’m just a little sceptical. Charging for demos? In an ad-supported thing? WTF is that noise? They had better not be ferrying off every first-run game demo into this pay-pen. That’s a step backwards.

The digital magazine aspect is kind of intriguing, but only if it doesn’t totally step on what I’m used to getting gratis on the regular PlayStation Store. No user asks for less stuff. Besides, demos are marketing: I can’t see too many publishers being happy with the concept of flogging their wares to a decidedly smaller (albeit more targeted) audience.

We will all see for ourselves on Thursday, although personally I will be watching the reaction to the magazine itself. It’s somewhat hard to see what the specific value is right now, unless you really want into that SOCOM beta.

(Update - more details available on the PlayStation Blog.)

I’m not even sure where to start with this video. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt the lamest video game related video I’ve ever seen, and that’s assuming it was done ironically. If they were serious when they made it, well then it just might be a sign of the coming apocalypse.

Anyone excited about this game should be free of that feeling once watching the following “promo.”

Sega’s new Platinum Games label is certainly brining the pain in their first announced title “Mad World.” Can you believe this is a Wii title???