Toys for Kids & Adults

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Xbox Arm of Microsoft Posts Profit
GameDailyBiz is reporting that Microsoft has posted a rare profit for their games business. As you might imagine, the good news is courtesy of high game and console sales thanks to Halo 3. '[Entertainment Division] revenue increased primarily due to

Angry Fans Get Forza DLC Changes
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Review: SingStar Bollywood
Would you like an account, or have you forgotten something? I'd like a play™ account my username will be: review Sony diversify their karaoke range… review PS3 progress, says Paul review The embodiment of completeness? review EA score a corker

Naughty Dog cashes in on Drake's Fortune
Emaciated pirates never stood a chance. During the PlayStation era, it was about all Crash Bandicoot. PlayStation 2; Jax and Daxter. Now, on the PlayStation 3, Naughty Dog looks to forge a new icon with Nathan Drake from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. In a

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Air Force uses 'Halo 3' launch to find new recruits
Slip this one in thecreepyfile.

According toNew Hampshire Union Leader, a GameStop in Manchester put on a littleHalo 3launch party which involved a pre-launchHalo 2tournament. When GameStop managers announced no one under 18 was allowed to play in the tournament (asHalo 2is a M-rated game), several teens left the store, where they found the event's co-sponsor, local US Air Force recruiters.

While GameStop managers refused to let the kids playHalo 2inside the store, the recruiters offered these same kids, "…pizza, Mountain Dew and a chance to playHalo 2on a split screen from the back of a pimped-out military SUV.

While we do not know if any gamers signed their lives over to the Air Force that night, we do know that a similar event for the launch ofMadden '08last month netted two new recruits.

Does this give anyone else the heebeejeebees? Ick.

Disappointment after 'Halo 3' day one sales?
Yesterday Microsoft announced theHalo 3first-day US sales to be $170 million, which is $45 million more than theHalo 2release.

To put this in perspective,as Gamespot points out, this is more than the record breaking domestic opening weekend box office sales ofSpider-Man 3($151 million) and first-day domestic sales ofHarry Potter and the Deathy Hallows(no definitive number, but with 8.3 million copies sold at a variety of price points, the estimated haul is less than $170 million).

One would think the $170 million number is good news. Microsoft certainly seems to think so, as Microsoft Game Studios corporate vice president Shane Kim had to say of the news, "Not only is Halo 3 setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we've seen more than a million Xbox Live members come online to play Halo 3–that makes September 25 the most active Xbox Live gaming day in history."

However,Wall Street analysts were hoping for a $200 million first day haul. And, as misguided and incorrect as these analysts often are when it comes to the gaming industry, the fact that sales missed that mark has, most likely, helped in the selloff we're seeing today of Gamestop's stock (GME), which has fallen 5% to $55.15.

Sure, many are simply taking a profit from the price appreciation we've seen from the stock in the run up to the release, and, yes, the stock took another hit when aUBS analyst downgraded it from "Buy" to "Neutral", but, it is my guess that neither of these detriments would have happened hadHalo 3reached that inflated $200 million.

Does it matter that that mark was invented by people who are wrong about the industry on a semi-regular basis? Unfortunately, if you're playing the stock market, then no, it doesn't. This is why Jeremy warned you last week in hisHaloeffect analysis, "…a lot of people who don't know what they're doing are going to be jumping into the gaming sector with you. Be wary of these people as they'll pull their money out at the first sign of weakness." Point proven today.

'Halo 3' Walkthrough and Guide Complete!
Lunabean's UnofficialHalo 3 Walkthrough and Strategy Guide(Xbox 360) provides the most detailed and completeHalo 3strategies available online. With this guide by your side, you will succeed in saving Earth from the dastardly plans of The Truth and High Charity.

Not only does this LB "Halo 3" Game Guide provide aneasy-to-read level-by-level walkthroughthat is chock full of strategies guaranteeing Master Chief's success (even on the more challenging Heroic difficulty), it also contains a detailed location guide toALL 13 SkullsandALL 7 Forerunner Terminals(pictures included in the Screenshot Version).

In addition, this guide explains all aspects of multiplayer includingCoop,Campaign Scoring,Matchmaking,Forge, andTheater.

Other guides tell you what to do. Our guides tell you how to do it. So, if you're looking for "Halo 3" help, you need not look any further. Saving Earth is hard! Let us help!

For our 100% completion guide, please purchase one of the following:

First 'Brutal Legend' trailer surfaces…
As a hugeTim Schaferfan (Grim Fandango,Psychonauts), I was thrilled to hear of confirmation of his latest creationBrutal Legend.

Brutal Legendtells the tale of Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black), a heavy metal band roadie whose freak guitar tuning accident lands him in the middle of a Nordic fantasy world where demons have enslaved the human race. Sound weird enough? That's Tim Schafer for you.

Below is the first trailer released for the brutal little game. ExpectBrutal Legendto hit Xbox 360s and PS3s at an undisclosed date in '08.

It's official — Bungie branches off from Microsoft
While rumors have been swirling for a couple of weeks now, Bungie Studios and Microsoft made it official today: Bungie is now an independent entity, free from the grasp of Bill Gates and friends. Well, sort of…

Bungie is now a "privately held independent company, Bungie, LLC, in which Microsoft will hold a minority equity interest." Microsoft will retain theHalointellectual property rights, and first right of refusal of publication of any future Bungie creations. In exchange, the people at Bungie are now free to let their creative juices flow, work on projects on which they want to work, and work at a pace with which they are most comfortable.

All in all, it sounds like a everybody wins (particularly the gamers of the world) situation.

Bungie Press Release

Related:
'Halo 3' Walkthrough and Strategy Guide

Would You Like Me to Charge your PSP, Mr. Bond?
Blog Post: Would You Like Me to Charge your PSP, Mr. Bond? Subscribe to this RSS feed Author: Ben Karl Digg This! Comments Play video games and you might score a job with the British Intelligence Service. The Government Communication Headquarters, or

September NPD - Halo Rocks You Like A Hurricane
Thanks to all who sent this in!The NPD for the month of September is finally out and Xbox 360 sales have boosted to beat out the Wii by a few thousand and the Playstation 3 by a few hundred thousand. Halo 3 takes the top spot in software sales, selling

Lost Planet confirmed for PS3
Capcom's shooter Lost Planet is heading to PS3 early next year, says word that's sneaked out onto the interweb.

Tomb of Kaltan - Part 4
By Published Author Christine d'Abo Allia ached from head to toe. The party had traveled for over a week with very little chance to rest. They were in the middle of orc territory and heading straight for Xibalba. According to the map, the tomb laid to

Disgusting new Condemned 2 screens
It's time for disgusting-ness and horrors as new screenshots from Condemned 2 terrorize our in-box. It's looking very… icky. In the sequel you jump back into the shoes of Ethan Thomas, former Serial Crimes Unit investigator who's been called back to

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'Halo 3' blamed for 'Heartbreak's' Heartbreak

I don't particularly care for Ben Stiller nor his movies. I think he's annoying and generally unfunny.

That's why perhaps I have found a little bit of joy in the fact that his recent movie,The Heartbreak Kid, has had a disappointing run.

But, now, I'm just annoyed that the film's studio isblamingHalo 3for stealing the movie's audience, thus causing the poor opening.

Nope, it's not that the movie has receivedpoor reviews("misogynistic" and "hateful" seem to be common descriptions), rather, it's that Master Chief stole all the suckers who would have gone to a Ben Stiller romantic comedy.

Hey, there are only so many entertainment dollars and hours. If you make a crappy movie that only 13-15 year old boys would find funny and then slap an "R" rating on it, well, you've pretty much dug your own grave.

Read the article

Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) Video

I'm predicting right now thatLink's Crossbow Training, bundled with the Wii Zapper, will be one of the best selling games this holiday season.

Not only is it a mere $19.99 but it looks to recapture some of that social gaming magic that isWii Sports. Due out on November 19th, how many families do you think will be playing this on Thanksgiving and on Christmas day?

Toyota Tacoma 'WoW' ad

I'm an unapologetic fan of theLeeroy JenkinsWorld of Warcraftvideo. I could watch it once a day and not get sick of it.

Just a few minutes ago, as I was watching theTodayshow (yes, my morning video game news gathering also involves watching morning TV), I saw the following commerical.

If there was any doubt that video games, and specificallyWorld of Warcraft, have become mainstream, well, I think that debate can be put to rest.

If you want to see the original that the Toyota ad spoofed,go here.

'Haze' fake website, Mantel Corp.

If you don't know about Ubisoft's upcoming PS3 exclusive FPS,Haze, I'm sure you soon will. It looks amazing…truly worthy of a "next gen" moniker.

But, that's not the point of this piece. What I'm more interested in is Ubisoft's fakeHazewebsite forMantel Global Industries, the evil corporation in the game.

Viral marketing like this always intrigues me. And, in fact, it's more than marketing. It's an attempt to make the game elements "real"; that this corporation really exists, with career opportunities, a ticker symbol, and CEO bios.

Sure, I'm weird, but stuff like this really makes my day.

Mantel Global Industries

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Monster Hunter 3 on Wii
Would you like an account, or have you forgotten something? I'd like a play™ account my username will be: preview Luke asks what lurks in the desert… competition We have the (20) key(s)… preview Conspiring to be rather good… preview Care to

New Ware for Wii
Would you like an account, or have you forgotten something? I'd like a play™ account my username will be: preview Luke asks what lurks in the desert… competition We have the (20) key(s)… preview Conspiring to be rather good… preview Care to

WWE SmackDown Countdown 2007: Snitsky
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Luke asks what lurks in the desert…
When you talk about big name game franchises, Halo, Final Fantasy, Quake, Mario, et al - the Resident Evil (Biohazard in some parts of the world) series also deserves to be up there on the podium, the long-running series having helped define a genre and

TimeSplitters 4 Officially Confirmed
Link to this: http://news.spong.com/article/13987 Developer Free Radical has double-confirmed what we already pretty much already new: TimeSplitters 4 is on the way! A post on Free Radical's website reads, 'It's back! Featuring even more crazy

Square Enix Talks about the Ivalice Alliance
The latest on Revenant Wings, FFT PSP and FFXII International. With Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions arriving on PSP today, 1UP though it only appropriate to bring you the definitive Q&A with several folks at Square Enix involved in

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Seven More Toy Recalls Announced including Baby Einstein, Toys 'R' Us, KB Toys, Dollar General Products
Slowly, but surely, the list of toy recalls is getting longer. This is bound to happen, considering the fact that as more and more toy manufacturers start to test their…

Red Alert - Kolcraft Recalls Play Yards Due To Strangulation Hazard
A huge number of infant play yards, totalling nearly 425,000, are being recalled by Kolcraft, Inc after a horrible incident involving the strangulation of a 10 month old boy. The…

Teach your Kids the Value of Money
Teaching children the value of money is always a good idea. When kids start saving and putting away small amounts of money, they appreciate the fact that it takes a…

It's Halloween Costume Shopping Time!
Can you believe that in less than two weeks we'll be out of September and into the Halloween month, October? Somehow, October and Halloween are synonomous for me. Maybe it's…

Doll Strollers Recalled Due To Finger Entrapment Hazard
When you make children's products, you have to be extra vigilant that there is absolutely NO room for error. In the case of a doll stroller sold by Pottery Barn…

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Teach your Kids the Value of Money
Teaching children the value of money is always a good idea. When kids start saving and putting away small amounts of money, they appreciate the fact that it takes a…

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Shiver me timbers! All me hearties, it's time to get out the Jolly Roger and the Pieces o' eight! For all you landlubbers wondering what I'm talking about, rest easy….

It's Halloween Costume Shopping Time!
Can you believe that in less than two weeks we'll be out of September and into the Halloween month, October? Somehow, October and Halloween are synonomous for me. Maybe it's…

Guidecraft Recalls Children's Puppet Theatres
Guidecraft Inc, a well known manufacturer of children's toys, has issued a recall of it's Children's Puppet Theatres due to violation of lead paint standard. The product being recalled is…

Doll Strollers Recalled Due To Finger Entrapment Hazard
When you make children's products, you have to be extra vigilant that there is absolutely NO room for error. In the case of a doll stroller sold by Pottery Barn…

Toy Recalls - Target Recalls Toy Gardening Tools and Chairs
Target has announced the recall of the Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs sold at Target stores nationwide due to lead paint standard violation. As mentioned in…

More Toy Recalls in the Offing from Target, Dollar General and other Top Retailers
The worst has yet to come. After the major Mattel toy recall which affected more than 20 million toys, the grapevine is now abuzz with news about more toy recalls…

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