Best Buy vending machines now offering portable games in airports

We live a fairly fast-paced, jet-setting lifestyle, an unfortunate side-effect of which are the hours of frequent layovers we are forced to suffer while flying between Hugh Hefner’s Sky Villa in Vegas and our private, opulent island getaway off the coast of O’ahu. These long stretches are made even more unbearable when we forget to pack our handhelds, a situation that often causes us, in a sheer fit of boredom, to overdose on Dramamine and attempt to ride the baggage carousel.

Luckily, we’ll never again have to know the firm, rubber-gloved grip of an annoyed Air Marshal, Best Buy recently began offering DS Lites and select DS titles in their Best Buy Express vending machines. These machines are located at several major airports throughout the U.S., and sell a number of important devices for travelers, such as headphones, chargers, and most recently, Pokémans catching simulators.

ESRB lists Guitar Hero: Modern Hits for DS

Everyone, please, raise an eyebrow and pretend to be surprised. We first heard about Guitar Hero Modern Hits when Activision Blizzard trademarked it in October, but we didn’t have any more details. Now, GHMH has resurfaced, this time on the ESRB’s website with an E10+ rating for the Nintendo DS. Based on lyrics referenced in the listing’s description, we know three songs from the game: Finger Eleven’s “Paralyzer,” Franz Ferdinand’s “The Fallen” and Sum 41’s “Still Waiting.” Given the DSi’s launch next year, this will likely be the last GH DS title before Activision Blizzard needs to figure out a new peripheral to release.

DS screen manufacturer accused of price fixing

We reported back in February that Sharp and Hitachi, two tech industry juggernauts who are responsible for supplying the DS with its LCD screens, were under investigation for their suspected collusion to control the price of said screens. Earlier this week, the Japan Fair Trade Commission concluded their investigation, and accused Sharp of violating the nation’s “Antimonopoly Act”, ultimately fining the company 261.07 million yen ($3 million). In a statement delivered on Thursday, Sharp agreed to “strengthen [their] effort of compliance with law and business ethics,” though they denied that they participated in activities that violated the Antimonopoly Act, stating that two manufacturers alone would be unable to control the market in the manner the JFTC has accused them of. They stated that they are looking into their “next steps,” and are considering a hearing request.

Ubisoft bringing Broken Sword to Wii, DS March 2009

Who says adventure games are dead? Well, Sierra for one. LucasArts for another. But not Ubisoft, oh no, as the company just dropped a press release confirming plans to bring Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, the first in Charles Cecil’s landmark adventure game series, to the Wii and DS in March 2009. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars has been ported to numerous platforms since its original PC release in 1996, including the PlayStation and GBA. Ubisoft describes this latest version, however, as ‘The Director’s Cut,’ promising a new narrative “interwoven with the first story,” as well as new puzzles designed to take advantage of each platform’s affinity for waggle and touching. Even more interesting, the game’s more than decade old graphics have also been retouched, including new facial animation by Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons. Consider us pointed, and our wallets collectively clicked.

Nintendo reveals early 2009 releases, Pokémon Platinum on March 22

Alright everyone, brace for surprise! Nintendo revealed its release calendar for the first quarter of 2009, and it includes: A game that teaches math; several remakes and rehashes; and, the big surprise, a Pokémon game! No, seriously. So look for Personal Trainer: Math on Jan. 12, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Feb. 16 and Pokémon Platinum on March 22. Big N’s only Wii releases for the quarter will be New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin, both in March. Looks like the third parties are the ones bringing the heat this quarter. Square drops Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in the spring, Sega’s stepping up with The House of The Dead: Overkill in February andMadworld in March. February also marks the release of Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers. We didn’t think it possible, but we now have yet another reason to be thankful for swimwear-clad girls defending us from the undead. We’ve got the full list for you after the jump.

Club Nintendo briefly up, accepting NA members … now down

After years of chanting “Let us in, let us in!,” the doors to Club Nintendo have finally been opened to those living in North America. The service, which was announced this summer, takes the place of NOA’s previous My Nintendo site. Nice to join you, Japan and Europe. Already have your Nintendo gear and games registered on My Nintendo? Not to worry. Logging into the Club Nintendo site automagically converts your old account and, most importantly, makes sure Club Nintendo knows about all the stuff you’ve bought. So you can, y’know, start saving up for exclusive merchandise and other rewards, including the (now official) US version of Game & Watch Collection. There’s just one problem, after seeing the site with our very own eyes (!) it … disappeared, and was replaced with placeholder art assuring us that Club Nintendo was “Coming Soon!” Lucky for us then that one NeoGAF user thought to grab a screenshot (seen above). Don’t worry, you take the night off. We’ve got our clicking finger on the Reload button and we’ll let you know when everything’s back up. Now go have a drink, you look tired.

Spike’s Video Game Awards ‘08

Yes that’s right the VGA ‘ 08 is tonight at 9:00. Game of the year: Gears 2, Fallout 3, or Fable 2. In my opinion it is tough to choose between Fallout 3 and Gears of war 2, Fable 2 in my opinion is good but not compared to these games. Anyway watch on Spike TV at 9:00.

Fable 2 wins top honors in X-Play’s ‘Best of 2008′

The moment you’ve all been anxiously anticipating is finally here! The winners of X-Play’s “Best of 2008″ awards have finally been announced, though perhaps a bit prematurely, as Calvin Tucker’s Redneck Jamboree won’t be hitting store shelves ’til next week. Fable 2 took the gold in the “Game of the Year” category, beating out Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead and Resistance 2. X-Play made some solid choices for the winners of other categories: The World Ends With You took home “Best Handheld Game”, Rock Band 2 clinched the “Best Music/Rhythm Game” category, MGS4 won “Best Action/Adventure Game”, and Fallout 3 beat out Fable 2 in the “Best RPG” category. So, for those playing along at home, Fable 2 is the best game that came out this year, but not the best RPG. Can someone whip up a Venn diagram to try and explain this one to us?

Gardening Mama to sprout in Spring

Tired of wrestling with assorted meats and vegetables, Mama has moved from the confines of Majesco’s kitchen and into the fresh outdoors, or at least she will next Spring when Gardening Mama is released for the Nintendo DS. Developed by the folks responsible for Mama’s culinary exploits, the game will allow players to “plant, nurture and harvest” flowers, fruits and veggies growing in her backyard. Perhaps this is the beginning of a trend for Mama as she explores the world outside of her kitchen to discover firsthand just where her ingredients come from. We gleefully await the arrival of Slaughterhouse Mama to deliver some delicious reindeer steaks just in time for next year’s holiday rush.

PETA plans on making more games to spread message

PETA intends on creating more games to raise awareness about practices within the meat industry. The organization states that its recent Cooking Mama game wasn’t an attack on publisher Majesco, but a way of getting its “Meet your Meat” video, an unsettling “undercover video” of a corporate turkey farm, in front of fresh eyes. Speaking with GI.biz, a PETA spokesperson said the organization uses games to raise awareness in people who “may be turned off by more direct appeals.” It originally turned to games to attract young males, but has since learned the demographics are much wider. The group believes Majesco took the parody in the way it was intended, which seems like a reasonable assumption considering the publisher’s lighthearted response. Despite all the joking, PETA does hope that Majesco makes a Cooking Mama: Vegetarian Kitchen “one day.”