Big thank you to Orlando Fashion Square Mall for Pirates last week! Thanks to all involved! More events coming soon?

Retro Raggy,

Walaika K. Haskins, newsfactor.com Thu Jul 13, 12:20 PM ET

Microsoft has launched an

Xbox Live program that promises to take nostalgia hounds back to the days when big hair and bigger shoulder pads were de rigueur and video arcades were the hangout of choice for countless teenagers.

On Wednesday, the Xbox-maker began offering Xbox 360 gamers a chance to open the equivalent of a video game time capsule and play one of the all-time favorite video games: Frogger.

The new Arcade Wednesdays program promises to bring updated versions of popular 1980s-era games, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Street Fighter II, to the Xbox 360 platform every week.

Extreme Makeover

Currently, Microsoft offers 20 arcade games for sale to Xbox 360 owners through Xbox Live Arcade. According to Greg Canessa, group program manager for Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft plans to have at least 50 titles in the program by the end of the year. The games will sell for between $5 and $10 each.

"A good game never dies," Canessa said. "Our strategy is to pick the best games, just the cream of the crop, ones with evergreen game mechanics that never got old."

To increase the games' appeal for today's gamers, Microsoft has given the retro titles a makeover. Frogger, for instance, has been "upgraded and reinvigorated" for the Xbox 360.

The game's audio, including sound effects and music ditties, has been modernized for a crisper and clearer sound that will play better on high-performance sound systems. Other upgrades include new split-screen multiplayer modes.

EA to work on Wii

Wii to get customised versions of The Godfather, Harry Potter, and Tiger Woods...

Posted: 17:55 on 13 Jul 2006

By: Jon Wilcox

Electronic Arts has today confirmed that six titles are currently in development for Nintendo's Wii console. Two of the titles, Need for Speed and Madden, had already been confirmed by the publisher, but joining them will be The Godfather, Harry Potter, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and SSX.

EA announced that all six of the titles will take advantage of the Wii-mote, and other functionalities of the console, and that there are other games for the platform are already in development.

"Once we started to experiment with Madden on Wii, there was an explosion of innovation. Everyone in the studio is energized by the creative opportunity afforded by both the hardware and controller. By reaching into our catalogue, we are able to bring a fresh and distinctive experience to some of EA's most popular franchises. Creatively, the game play possibilities are staggering and endless," said John Schappert, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EA.

"Nintendo is excited to see the broad array of signature franchises that EA's talented development teams are designing for Wii," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO, Nintendo of America Inc. "The combination of sensational games with Wii's unique play control will thrill players and breathe new life into video games."

Gears of War hitting theaters before the game?

Trailer for Gears of War to be shown before five R-rated theatrical releases beginning this month; Cliffy B. won't rule out film version, Rein says game on track.

By Tim Surette, GameSpot

Posted Jul 13, 2006 12:00 pm PT

In the old days, half the fun of seeing a movie in the theaters was sitting through the 10 minutes of previews before the main event. More recently, advertisers have been using the captive audience to peddle soda, cars, and whatever else they can, making getting an early seat much less appealing.

Times are changing, for gamers at least, as more publishers are blurring the line between films and games by promoting upcoming games before movies, as was the case with Halo 2 and Advent Rising.

The latest to join the ranks is Epic Games' Gears of War. On the game's official forums, Epic prez Mike Capps posted a note saying the trailer for Cliffy B's sci-fi shooter will be shown before Miami Vice, Pulse, A Scanner Darkly, Clerks 2, and Little Miss Sunshine. All the movies are rated R for Restricted--the film equivalent of Gears of War's all but assured M-for-Mature rating.

Though Capps says gamers will likely have already seen the trailer, the new promotion will give them a chance to "see it on a massive theater screen and hear it in badass 5.1."

As for Gears making it to the big screen proper, famed game maker Cliff Bleszinski didn't rule out the possibility. In an interview with Xbox.com, he said, "The only way we'd ever consider doing a film of our property would be if the absolute right people were attached who understood not only the game and its universe but also the (hopefully!) rabid fanbase that we'd like to acquire."

*RUMOR*

PS3 to be delayed?

Not confirmed in the slightest, another rumor stemming from a foreign site popped up this week proclaiming Blu-Ray difficulty is holding up the PS3. Fanboys everywhere chimed in, nothing was resolved.

Sony rethinks PSP ad

Wed Jul 12, 7:30 PM ET

TOKYO - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has removed billboards for the new white version of its PlayStation Portable video game player following complaints of racism, the company said. Sony also apologized.

The billboards, which went up in the first week of June only in the Netherlands, showed a white woman dressed in white threateningly grabbing the face of a frightened-looking black girl, with an attached catch copy saying, "PlayStation Portable White is coming."

The provocative image was one of several versions showing the two women in different poses, company spokesman Nanako Kato said Wednesday. They appeared exclusively in Amsterdam and several other major cities in that country.

Sony said the ads were intended only to emphasize the color contrast between the existing black PSP and the new ceramic white PSP.

Gary: But will the models still get paid?

On-line gambling in trouble

By Peter Kaplan Tue Jul 11, 5:44 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a Republican-written bill to crack down on Internet gambling, in what critics said was an election-year appeal to the party's conservative base.

The House voted 317-93 to impose a ban on most forms of Internet gambling by making it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites. Internet gambling generates some $12 billion annually worldwide, half from American gamblers.

The bill exempted horse racing and lotteries from the ban.

"This is a scourge on our society. It causes innumerable problems," Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, one of the bill's sponsors, said on the House floor before the vote.

The House bill, which was also sponsored by Jim Leach of Iowa, is part of the Republican party's emphasis on moral values as congressional elections approach this fall.

It won support from majorities of both Republicans and Democrats.

Gary: Scary, because they don't really go into the "innumerable problems" and you can bet that mental health, a long standing problem here in Florida so far as the government actually providing help for, is one of those problems. Plus, this sets another precedent for the "moral values" clause BOTH parties level against video games. Also, we warned you that both parties would use video games as a platform in the elections, this just goes to show they will not be daunted by a few failures.

Guitar Rip-off!

After success in Japan with its Guitar Freaks franchise, Konami may be preparing to launch a new series in North America...

Posted: 12:32 on 11 Jul 2006

By: Jon Wilcox

Following the massive success of RedOctane's Guitar Hero in North America, it seems that Konami may be in the development stages of launching a rival called 'Guitar Revolution'.

Searching through some of the latest trademarks to be filed at the United States Patents & Trademarks Office has revealed that the developer/publisher trademarked the name on June 29th 2006. Covering both home consoles and arcade machines, the patent is the latest nugget to emerge from the depths of the USPTO.

Konami are yet to confirm the development of such a title, but it wouldn't be the first time that the company has created a guitar-based franchise. Released in Japan, the Guitar Freaks series were in the country's arcades with replica guitar controllers (sound familiar?), butPSOne and PlayStation2 versions failed after a short number of instalments. The series never made it out of the Far East, but with the recently acquired RedOctane taking the States by storm with the Guitar Hero series, it seems that Konami may be re-evaluating the situation.

XBOX 360 is ecstasy?

Underground bulletin boards indicate illicit pills stamped with logo for Microsoft's next-gen console are making the rounds in British clubs.

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot

Posted Jul 13, 2006 11:39 am PT

A selection of logo-stamped ecstasy pills.

Ever since it became popular in the early 1990s, ecstasy--the street name for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)--has typically appeared in pill form. Often drug suppliers would stamp their pills with symbols, and sometimes even logos of corporations, to differentiate them from the competition. One of the more famous examples of logo-theft were the "Mitsubishis" that were popular among West Coast clubs during the mid and late 1990s.

Now, it appears the latest corporate brand that has been appropriated by drug dealers is one well known to gamers. A series of postings by club-goers on a forum uncovered by Kotaku reveal that "Xbox 360 pills" are making the rounds at underground events around the central British city of Northampton.

The quality--and precise chemical content--of the Xbox 360 pills was the subject of some heated debate on the forum. However, one entity that won't be joining the debate is the Xbox 360 brand's legitimate owner. "In regards to the ecstasy pills, we don't have any comment on this," said a Microsoft rep. "But we're obviously aware of the rumors."

What I've been playing:

Prey!

Uno

Frogger

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Brain Age

Convention Corner:

AFO is a mere two weeks!

There's a weekend long Murder Mystery going on there.

RPG panel.