Another classic from console generations past will once again get a breath of life in the new hardware. Gameloft is now hard at work in bringing Earthworm Jim out of the ground and back in the surface, freshened up big time with an HD overhaul. We've got more details about our favorite worm's comeback, so stick around for the goods.

Earthworm Jim is getting ready for another adventure with Princess What's-Her-Name thanks to a deal between Gameloft and Interplay that has cleared the way for the former to develop, distribute, and publish an Earthworm Jim game for PSN, Xbox Live, WiiWare, and mobile platforms.

Mega Man 9 must have revived the retro spirit in Sega. The studio will be resurrecting several of its classic games from the Sega Genesis on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, including the first three Sonic the Hedgehog games on the platform.

Details after the link.

Granted, the video game console is rapidly becoming saturated with the same genres: shooters, action, sports, sandbox. Innovation did happen, but a lot of it was stove-piped, locked within the genre rather than in the greater world of console gaming itself.

Brave is a title that bucks conventions and is willing to take risks. One more recent development was bringing the traditionally PC-centric real-time strategy genre to consoles, which until games like Full Spectrum Warrior and Battle for Middle-Earth II, were rather clunky and painful affairs. But now, we have Command & Conquer 3, and Ensemble is spinning Halo Wars up to speed.

In the same vein I'm taking another PC-centric game genre and looking at its chances in console gaming. Except this time, unlike RTS games, I'm less confident about its chances - not because it can't be done, but out of the fear that just like innovation, interests in console gaming are rather stove-piped as well. And for the most part, the console is locked to shooters, action, sports, and sandbox.

Pity, really. Consoles could be a potential breakout ground for the submarine simulator.

Thar she blows up, Cap'n. Appreciation - and cynicism - for console subsims after the jump.

While it's a lot harder to agree on which counts as the best of the best, pointing your fingers and laughing deviously at the worst of the worst is a pastime that almost defines the internet. Since you guys love making fun of things, here's something for you.

Below is a collection of what GameTrailers feels is the worst of the worst when it comes to consoles. It serves as proof that whatever problems you may have with this current generation's offerings, it pales in comparison to the garbage that other folks had to sift through during their time.

Think of this as history lesson on what not to do with gaming systems.

We've played that game before, right?
Re-imagining the classics for the new generation. This is RE-GEN.

With power comes evolution: shooters have gone from scrolling to full 3-D environments, from turkey galleries to smart, reactive enemies. Yet even the classics, with their scrolling and their shooting galleries, have virtues all to their own.

The Strike series from Electronic Arts is one of the most notable examples of the genre. A multi-directional, military-themed shooter, it became a hallmark franchise, particularly on the Sega Genesis. Even in that age of solid-state cartridges, Strike was known for its surprisingly challenging gameplay, and became known as the 16-bit "smart shooter."

After three successful 16-bit titles, and two CD follow-ons in the PSOne (as well as the Saturn and PC), Strike vanished; no more was heard. Perhaps it was a victim of its own success, having stuck too close to its core formula. Or perhaps EA lost interest (happened before, happened since). Pity: the series had quite the potential, even after five games. And especially today.

RE-GEN is all about second chances for the classic titles we loved. Can the power and capabilities offered by today's platforms, from the high-end PS3 and Xbox 360, to the innovative Wii, to the handheld wonders of the PSP and NDS, offer something new to resurrect the Strike series? This is the question we set out to answer today. Some things, after all, don't deserve to gather dust in the back of a shelf, when it has more to offer.

Time to go back in time, before going back to the future. Learn about the Strike series, and speculating its next-gen future, after the jump! Or discover what the Wii, the PSP, or the DS has to offer a Strike title.

Double Fusion's European Managing Director Frank Sagmier recently revealed that their firm may be acquired by a larger company in the next year or two, proving that game advertising is a fast-growing segment of the electronic entertainment business.

He highlighted the status of his company's niche by saying "clearly this is a business that is so prone to growth that big companies - and you've seen it with Microsoft and Google - would be very happy to get their hands on such a growing segment."

Sagmier refereed to Microsoft and Google's recent moves to acquire and franchise similar firms. Game advertising waters are relatively uncharted to conventional ad industry people, but with the break-out of the industry in recent years, multinationals have found themselves taking a dip.

Nike and Gatorade have both been actively bannering their wares in sports titles. Pepsi even took it to a weird level with its Cool Spot game in the Sega Genesis days and Pepsi Man in the original Sony PlayStation heyday. Now that gaming has become a more cohesive part of popular culture, game ad companies find their value rising.

Sagmier, however, warns that the market can be tough for people who aren't quite experts in the niche. Starting can be a really hard step and that's where a lot of upstarts stumble. "Bigger companies do not want to spend the resources, time and effort in a niche market until it becomes bigger, and by then it's too late. Therefore they buy," he explains.

Prior to his stint with Double Fusion, Sagmier worked with Electronic arts running major franchises like The Sims, FIFA and Harry Potter.

Libraries are cool. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a bookworm. Now, there might be even more reason for non-bookworms to ask for a library card and visit the establishment more often. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, that's what they say. Now, aside from the Library of Congress, it seems that other libraries across the country are getting on the same "preserve videogames" bandwagon.

The Campbell County Public Library in Kentucky just added a whole selection of various videogames into their collection of... media. Videogames are, after all, part of our cultural heritage. Anyone beg to differ?

As of now, the library is starting with a collection of over 50 games, and according to Anderson, the titles would be available for checking out within a week or two. Each branch of the library will host a different console: the Cold Spring branch gets PlayStation 2 games; the Fort Thomas Branch, Xbox 360 games; the Newport branch, Nintendo Wii games. (ooh, maybe they're deliberately doing this so as to separate the fanboys from each other - harhar! we kid!)

In each branch, there will be a rating board so that parents would know what games they could borrow for their kids. Cold Spring manager Dave Anderson says, though, that they won't be delivering "violent games with harsh language." [cue collective sigh of disappointment]

The selection will range from games like Kingdom Hearts (both I and II) and SpongeBob to Tony Hawk's Project 8 to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. Despite the "violent games" restriction, there'll also be racing games and PS2 ports of Sega Genesis games (like Sonic and Virtua Fighter) for the adults. Besides, upon some research, they found out the adult early-30s bracket made up the biggest portion of the gaming population.

Whispers of a Jane Austen videogame being sighted among the shelves are yet to be confirmed.

I was bored last night. Not able to stand the monotony, I decided to go through my game shelf just to see if there was something that I could pop into my PlayStation 2 and enjoy. I eventually picked up and dusted off my copy of Clover Studio's Viewtiful Joe 2.

I decided to play through the first stage mostly as Sylvia. While I was blasting through the stage with her pink guns of unrelenting joy and joyfulness, I suddenly got hit by a wave of nostalgia. I needed a 2D platforming high.

Why go with 2D you ask? Well, it's because if there's anything that Castlevania on the DS and Viewtiful Joe by Clover proves, it is that there's still room for well-done 2D platforming games in this hyper defined, 1080p, next-gen world.

Dammit, I want to play Commander Keen again.

This isn't really news. This is a long rant-ish post, and to save you the pain of having to read through a dinosaur's gaming woes, you're only going to have to read the rest of the post after click on that "Full Article" link below. Zerglings, cyberpunk hippies with mini-guns, and space-travelling pre-teens await after the Jump!

We don't know if you've notice but the triumvirate of gaming consoles are banking on the nostalgia of retro games. Microsoft, despite not having a previous console (Xbox is not included; it's still considered current gen), is reaping the same benefits with its Live Arcade service. On the other hand, it is no secret that Sony has always been big on backwards compatibility while Nintendo is employing the services of its Virtual Console.

We all know that regardless of their current market value now, the PS3, the X360 and the Wii are a bit costly for some people. But if you think about it, this has been done before. Over and over again actually. Newly released items are priced higher because of the hype. After a couple of months or so, the hype dies down. And the prices, too.

The obvious question now is why are we jumping at this big next-gen ocean immediately? Can't we wait even for just a couple of months? While we are stuck with this idea we came across some readings suggesting to go even further, meaning opt to have the older game systems. Sure, the graphics are a bit choppy and the gaming experience less vivid, but this is an excerpt from the material:

If you have a reasonable kid, a dated system is a good way to go. The one rule I'd follow when choosing an older game system is to go back at least three generations. Right now, the GameCube is no more nostalgic than a 1993 Ford Escort while playing a Sega Genesis is like motoring around town in a Dodge Charger.

If you're down with that, then eBay is the way. You can buy a Nintendo 64 or SNES there, games included, for just US$ 60. You can also grab Sega Dreamcast with a dozen games for US$ 20. As we all know, it abounds wit PSOne and PS2 consoles as well.

Well, we are not saying that next-gen consoles aren't worth our money. We are just saying that if we can't afford them as of yet, then a little waiting won't harm you. Then if you really are a gamer at heart, a dated system is always better than nothing.