Activist lawyer Jack Thompson has been on the case of violent games and their developers for years now, and he's provoked the ire of gamers time and again. We're looking back at some of the most memorable quotes he's ever dropped, and we've chosen the twenty best out of them all. See the full list of Jack Thompson's most memorable quotes right after the jump!

Remember Hideo Kojima and Jade Raymond's interview from a few months back? Well, we might have been musing about them coming up with a Metal Gear Solid - slash - Assassin's Creed hybrid, and now... well... Let's just say we're pretty amused. In this gameplay video, we see Altair running around a familiar-looking war zone, carrying his own rifle and trying to fight a couple of... nah. Sorry. No spoilers. Anyways, though the video appears to not take itself seriously (clue: April 1, 2008), you can't help but think if there's actually more than meets the eye...

There are video game awards, and then there are video game awards. This particular video game awards feature is probably of the latter, but with a lot of good-natured irreverence thrown into the mix. While it would have been easier for us to just make an article about our favorite games (and we did), we felt that the gaming year of 2007 had a lot to offer, and thus we're giving credit (and blame) where it's due.

Check out the winners in the full article.

Originally posted on January 21, 2008 at 1:14 PM.

If you fancy some off-topic humor for some easy viewing over the weekend, here's something to tune into: Late Night with Conan O'Brien and their recent segment with Rock Band.

Turns out that the WGA strike had left them with a lot of free time on their hands... Which makes us think that, yeah, video games really are benefiting from the writers' strike.

Getting tired of the same-old machismo that's prevalent in your daily dose of gaming? For the guys looking for an alternative to the said manliness, we've come up with a list of our  "beautiful men" of gaming. And while they're all indeed effeminate beyond compare, they're in every way just as bad-ass as the likes of Kratos or  Markus Fenix. Head on over to the full article for the list!

Anyone who's already beaten the recent hack-and-slash fantasy action game by Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword, might already have stumbled onto this little Easter egg left by the developers when playing Kai's mission in the third chapter. It seems as if an infamous God of War has carelessly left his signature weapons and armor hanging in the armory just for the taking. Curiouser and curiouser indeed.

Of course, knowing that both Heavenly Sword and God of War were both published by Sony, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that little cameos like these can be slipped into the two similarly themed games. Coincidentally, this may be a deliberate move by the developers to give fans a little glimpse of what Kratos (or at least his equipment) might look on the PS3 some time in the near future. Still, it's nice to know that even the people who put a lot of time giving gamers hours and hours of fun in front of our consoles have a sense of humor.

Another noted insertion into the game was noted by Dubbedinenglish, a poster on the PlayStation forums. He also noted a reference when Kai was getting the password from the commander, saying: "Or shall I hit you in your weak spot for massive damage?" (a reference to the combo notes in God of War) Time will only tell if Sony finally decides to release a next generation version to the fabled God of War series.

It was a big pity though that Kai opted to pick up the Heavenly Sword instead. Who knows how different Nariko (and the game) would have turned out if she started swinging the Blades of Chaos at her opponents.

   

 

For every ground-breaking title out there, there exists an unsung hero. They – like soldiers and bad sitcoms of old – are the miserable underdogs who never receive the due credit they deserve for their work. We're not talking about the developers -  we're talking about specialists - the (fictional) guys who work behind the scenes to ensure that the elements in whatever genre you play will always remain in tip-top condition, whether its your resident androgynous antagonist 's script, or your unfriendly neighborhood mook's marksmanship scores.

These guys will be the topic of today's quick list - along with an explanation with that special thing they do just to make the game better for one special individual - you. On to the list!
 
1. Sephiroth's acting coach
Let's be honest - Sephiroth isn't that original. More than one anime, manga, and J-RPG can boast its own brew of silver-haired, bad-ass sword-wielding bishie hotness, with Sephie being just a part of this popular trend. What sets him apart, however, is execution (acting, not Aeris…).
 
Sephiroth's dark foreboding lines and steely glare will haunt many a gamer's dreams, and for this, we can thank the man's ever-capable acting coach. We're talking the drama-guru who made Sephiroth walk the walk, talk the talk - the dude who probably taught him captivatingly cheesy one-liners like "Shall I give you despair?"
 
I'm afraid you haven't, Mr. Sephiroth's Acting Coach. You did give plenty of fanboys/girls something to think about for their next few - err - dreams, though...
 
Special accreditation goes to Cloud's hairdresser.

The rest of the list is available in the Full Article

Upon digging for more news to serve you guys, we've stumbled upon something beyond strange and intriguing. Electronic Arts (EA) posted up a site called Kah Ra Shin - beneath its simplistic eastern design hides a chockful of surprises.

There are four sections of this insanity. First up, 'The Way of the Scream' where you can find a bunch of user sent videos of themselves shouting. Anyone can either upload a scream or send one to a friend.

Next up, a history page of Kah Ra Shin titled 'Through the Ages'. Apparently, this cult started when a young boy living in a Tiberian village discovered the joy and release to be found by smashing things. Take note of the broken car image beside the text.

Third section, 'The Teachings', is the most hilarious out of the bunch. It offers a collection of eight videos detailing the ways of Kah Ra Shin that follows the idea of 'speed, aggression, destruction'. Here's a snippet of their ideology:

Kah Ra Shin is fun and easy to start... simply snap a pencil, smash a vase or drive a car into a wall at 200kph. To become a grand master, however, takes dedication, self belief, and an endless supply of crockery. Pay attention disciples, the peace and joy that comes with such efforts will truly reward the faithful.

True enough, followers are found screaming, breaking stuff, and playing Burnout Dominator (on the PS3, no less) to release their anger.

Finally, the 'Testimonials'. As you would expect, testimonies from people all over the world who were enlightened by Kah Ra Shin can be found here. From what we can tell, this group's members are all former problematic with a history of anger issues. Looks like Kah Ra Shin is better than any anger management program, or so these guys say.

Considering the theme of destruction, Burnout Dominator's logo on the bottom left, and being made by EA, one would say that this is an elaborate ploy to attract people for an upcoming Burnout title. It's too early to tell, so enjoy playing around the site for now.

Find the site by clicking on the Read link below.

So you're planning a road trip, eh? Finally decided to get out of the house, stretch your legs, and get some well-needed R&R after that ridiculously-long all nighter fragging loud thirteen-year-old kids in the Halo 3 Beta? Spiffing! The sunshine will do you a world of good, not to mention the physical rigors of an excursion will get the juices flowing again in those game-atrophied muscles.

While there are some ideal destinations that let you lounge beside a sparkling pool while being waited on hand and foot by beautiful, scantily-clad specimens of the female persuasion, there ARE a couple of locations you might want to mark off your list, or avoid entirely. This Videogame Enthusiast Survival guide is about those locations, and if on the off-chance you find yourself in them - well, you're pretty much beyond all help.

But don't lose ALL hope, though, as this IS a survival guide, and we have a few tips to share - just in case.

The full Survival Guide after the jump!

Game developers come up with cool and innovative ideas all the time. However, it's a fact that right around the time that everyone starts thinking that the idea is fresh and cool, some other developer rips it off and feeds it to us again with a different flavor. The strange thing is that we all embrace cliches like they were avant garden.

So what do we do? Put together some crusade to fight game cliches? Nah, if we do that, people would rip it off and we'll be part of yet another cliche that we ourselves started. Heck, even lists are cliches. So what isn't? We don't know, but we better start the list before we all lose our minds.

The "Ten weariest game cliches ever" list awaits after the jump!