The PS3's release is just around the corner, and it being so, the demand for pre-order's have been overwhelming. Looking at the divine piece of hardware that is the PLAYSTATION 3, it's understandable why consumers can't wait for it. So, when we say that there's another way you can get your hands on those famous buttons that this guy had tattooed on, would you take it?

Japanese gamers would have their fill of Sony's latest console with the PS3 kiosks that are going to be installed in stores around the country. It will be equipped with a 26" Sony Bravia and a modified PS3 with 160GB capacity. You can download demos, movies and even check the log data of the movie's frequency of playback.

In other words, it functions pretty much the same as the Nintendo DS Station or the PlayStation SPOT. Except that in the roughest translations of the Japanese website, "If the 'PlayStation SPOT' is used gently, you think that it is good, but there is a reason which cannot be used by any means if is, the "just a little SPOT" it hits, how?" Got that? Good.

Coming from an over the top Play Beyond ad campaign during the Entertainment Expo (E3),  Sony does a complete 180 in their latest ads seen around New York City.

The stark white background and the dark as night PLAYSTATION 3. hovering in mid air, provides a vivid contrast that will immediately draw your eyes to it. We can still see the play beyond logo, with a backwards letter E that resembles a number 3.

Previously, we've shown you huge posters hanging from a building's facade, in the corner of Lafayette and Bond. Now, thanks to Nikos, who gave us a heads up on the billboard in Queens, we can see more ads. The ad now sports a release date of 1117 below the word "Beyond."

This ad campaign for the much awaited debut of the PLAYSTATION 3, leaves a lot to the imagination. We can only guess what Sony has up its sleeves.

  

In the world of permanent ink, one of the top no-no's is to have your lover's named tattooed on your skin. They say that once you do this, you and your loved one will be history. And all you're left with is a tattoo that you'll either get erased (which by the way, is more painful than actually getting inked) or woo another person of the same name.

Hopefully, this PlayStation 3 fanatic won't experience the dreaded Lover's Curse as he gets the buttons of the console tattooed on his arm to express his eternal love for the PlayStation 3. Why did he stop gaming for three hours to be pierced by a needle over and over? Why did he tolerate all the pain? Why's he doing all this? He's vying for a chance to get a free PS3 and an invite to the PS3 premiere party.

SEGA's game line up during the Tokyo Game Show, which included games for Next-gen consoles Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Virtua Tennis 3 and Virtua Fighter 5, received mixed reviews from gamers.

Some say that Senior Production Manager for SEGA Erica Mason, is dishing out the generic PR about SEGA being on the cutting edge of technology and their dedication to be one of the best multi-platform developers, which dampened their mood.

However, just keep in mind that the games are more important than all the PR stuff. To fully enjoy the games, maybe it's good to get some background on them first. Get to know more about Virtua Fighter 5's two new character's El Blaze and Eileen, to give your kicks and punches much more ooomph.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz for the Wii just went more bananas, with the addition of two new characters, YanYan and the Doctor. And would they miss any updates on their posterboy Sonic, being his 15th Anniversary and all? Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii and Sonic the Hedgehog, (which now has a demo at the Marketplace) received the bulk of the media hype.

If you've already gotten your hands on the demo, don't hesitate to share your thoughts on the comment section, as well as the other games featured in the SEGA booth.

Download: [SEGA at TGS round up video]

 

The brains are taking center stage as we give you Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man's high-definition gameplay videos from Activision's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. These two characters are probably the smartest ones in the Marvel Universe.

Mr. Fantastic or Reed Richards in real life, is a child prodigy who excelled in mathematics, physics and mechanics. He went to prestigious universities like the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Columbia University, and the fictional Empire State University. He earned Ph.D's in both physics and electrical engineering while working as a military scientist - all this by the age of 22.  

The gameplay video shows Mr. Fantastic can, well, do fantastic attack combos. His ability to stretch his arms and limbs plus turn into any shape he pleases make for very interesting attack combinations. A personal favorite is when he turned his arms into nunchuks. Needless to say, long range attacks are his specialty.

On the other hand, Iron Man or Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark entered the undergraduate engineering program at MIT while only 15 years old and graduated at the top of his class. At 21, he was already running his father's company, Stark Industries, which later became Starks International.

He is shown in this gameplay video flying about and blasting away enemies with his repulsor beams. His best attack in this video is probably the last one, where he went nuts and disposed of all his enemies in one blast.

Both these brains also have some serious brawns, so be careful not to get on their bad side. Thanks to Wiebke Hess for sharing these goodies.

Download: [Iron Man Character Trailer]
Download: [Mr. Fantastic Character Trailer]

Buy: [Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for PS3]
Buy: [Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for Xbox 360]

If you were to ask us how to best describe Call of Duty 3, we'd have to borrow a line from Tupac Shakur, "Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal." True enough, the historical accuracy and detail shown in every pixel of Activision's first person shooting game is enough to send us back to the Normandy Breakout.

In Call of Duty 3's multiplayer game, teamwork is most required. Just imagine two teams of 12 against each other using Sony's online PlayStation Network. If you're not a solid battalion then good luck claiming victory, much less getting out alive. Team Battle and Team Capture the Flag modes can serve as your teamwork bootcamp.

Another mode you'd probably want to get your hands on is Headquarters. In this mode teams have to make a capture and then hold neutral bases. However, if the war had your brain fried already and you have an urge every five minutes to waste away somebody, Deathmatch mode is more for you.

Winning a war doesn't require everybody to take up arms. Managing your Character classes well could very well spell victory. You can take every sniper you wanna have, but without a medic to render first aid you'd soon have a pile of sniper carcasses.

Buy: [Call of Duty 3]

If we rummage through the layers of hair-raising, spine-tingling horror sequences of Vivendi's F.E.A.R (First Encounter Assault Recon), we'd find a superb first person shooting game. It didn't score an 88 percent out of a hundred on Game Rankings for nothing.

And let's face it, when your entire team have been mysteriously wiped out and you're left wandering alone in the middle of nowhere, you'd shoot at everything that comes at you. So for now, let's leave the mysterious girl in a red dress alone and focus on some hardcore gun action. Here are the two new screenshots that explore what's on the other side of F.E.A.R.

Buy: [F.E.A.R. PS3]
Buy: [F.E.A.R. Xbox 360]

We're already fast entering Halloween season, so better have your spook essentials in check. Scary mask? Check. Urban legends? Check. Slasher movies? Check. Fear? Oh we've got that alright. Double check.

F.E.A.R's (First Encounter Assault Recon) X06 trailer shows what a horror-themed game is all about - a mysterious one namer girl in a red dress. But, a creepy little girl can only sustain the suspense for so long. Of course you'd have to be a new recruit, left alone in a very dangerous mission in an eerie town because all your comrades got violently killed by an unknown force or entity. Then, you have a horror-themed game.

F.E.A.R is slated to be released by Vivendi some time this November. There is nothing to fear but F.E.A.R itself. Boo.

Download: [F.E.A.R X06 Trailer]

Mahjong Taikai IV is like the historical Mahjong Celebrity Deathmatch with these three historical figures as the players. Oda Nobunaga served as a mayor during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering most of Japan before his untimely death in 1582. Known for his eccentric behavior and lack of restraint, his unpredictability is his weapon.

Zhuge Liang, is a Jack of All Trades - a statesman, engineer, scholar, and legendary inventor. His name has become synonymous with intelligence and wit in Chinese culture, so better watch out for his tricks.

Aside from being an accomplished swordsman, Sakamoto Ryōma is a brilliant strategist. His conquests are those that you would never believe. Sakamoto negotiated a secret alliance between Choshu and Satsuma Provinces, that are absolute enemies. Also, he developed trade with foreigners in order to obtain modern weapons and naval technology, even his family was known to be the lowest ranking of samurais. Do not fall into his trap.

So, enough of the history lesson and download the video. Mahjong Taikai IV from Koei, will be hitting stores this coming November 11.

 

Download: [Mahjong Taikai IV Trailer]

From Jamie Lee Curtis' celebrated children's book, Is There Really a Human Race? we quote, "When did it start? Who said, "Ready, Set, Go"? Did it start on my birthday? I really must know." We're guessing the first person who can relate is the still unnamed blonde-haired, blue-eyed warrior of mixed parentage from Koei's Ni-Oh.

Ni-Oh, which was originally meant to be an epic three-way project between KOEI Corporation, Kou Shibusawa Productions, and Kurosawa Productions, is about a someone who is out to prove himself. Set in the civil war era of feudal Japan, he must carve his own fate by throwing himself into the tides of war.

Information for this game is very scarce, but this third official trailer shown at the Tokyo Game Show will prove everything Ni-Oh has to prove.

 

Download: [Ni-Oh: Third Official Video]