Videogames Lead to Behavioral Addiction Mike Tyson’s Paparazzi Punch-Out!! Video GameStop Buys Majority Stake in Video Game Digital Distributor Jolt Miyamoto: 3D Isn’t Everything Are You A Video Game Junkie With Mad Writing Skills? Write For Ripten NFL Super Bowl Champion Steelers Connect with Soldiers in Iraq for Guitar Hero Competition

Coming on the heels of Blizzcon 08 (where a StarCraft II trilogy of sorts was announced), Blizzard has come under attack from forum trolls and games journalists alike! Has the Activision merger finally come to haunt the seemingly snow white reputation of Blizzard? Blizzard’s Starcraft rep says NO!

In an interview with Edge magazine, Bob Colayco was quoted as saying “Blizzard is the one calling the shots.” Alright Bob — with you so far — what else do you have to say? Read more…

Sony’s CEO Jack Tretton recently gave news that PSP and Playstation 3 sales are up 30% from their projected targets. While this news comes as a welcome surprise, it’s also bittersweet. Mr. Tretton went on to say that because of the high sales numbers of the PSP and PS3, he anticipates manufacturing shortages on both consoles later this year. Read more…

A video featuring a mechanical Tetris playing robot table has just hit the internet. In the video the rig features an NES style controller that adjusts the x and y axis of the blocks. Read more…

According to BusinessWeek Sony has cut manufacturing costs of the PS3 by half: making the current cost $400 instead of the $800 they started with at launch. Nikko Citigroup’s Kota Ezawa chalks up the price reduction to smaller chip sizes and design tweaks. Read more…

According to Canadian physicians, videogames can be more effective than drugs alone for people who suffer from chronic pain. Read more…

Due to the recent Writers Guild strike, the staff of Late Night with Conan O’Brien have been lazing around playing RockBand (are they hiring?). While I wish the free time would have culminated into some better material for the oft times painful to watch show, I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Hit the jump for Conan’s take on RockBand. Read more…

Complaints have started to hit the internet en mass regarding the Psyclone Wii-Mote charger. Claims range from the unit simply not working, to reports of the remote actually melting onto the charger. Amazon.com’s review page runs rampant with warnings regarding the battery charger; out of 27 reviews, 25 of them ended up being negative. Psyclone chargers can be found at most major retailers ranging from Target to Circuit City. Read more…

Replica plasma grenades are now available on Ebay, thanks to a little handy work by worldwidewebbs. The Ebay user is charging $19.99 plus a $5.00 shipping fee for the little bundles of joy. We know what you’re thinking, but unless you want to spend another 25 bucks, don’t throw this in your dad’s face when he tells you to mow the lawn. Read more…

After losing a fight in school, a 17 year old boy in Beijing covered his classmate with gasoline and lit him on fire. According to Beijing News the teen claimed that he “had lost himself in World of Warcraft” and “transformed into a Fire Mage.” Read more…

The PC gamer is probably the hardest person to shop for. We are a well informed and well connected bunch. If it’s out, we probably already own it, or at the very least we know if it’s worth buying or not. With that in mind, this guide is tailored specifically for you. I won’t insult your intelligence, because lets be honest, we know damn well your Grandma isn’t reading this article. Read more…

It’s only natural to feel a strong nostalgic resonance with a piece of artwork. Look at literary works such as Huckleberry Finn or Dante’s Inferno that only seem to gain popularity as the slow weather of time imprints their narratives into the deepest psyches of our mind. So why then do the classic games of our time fall short as the years slowly wear them away? Read more…

Want a stocking stuffer for that Playstation owner that seems to have everything? Well you can’t get them a PSN pre paid card…At least not this year. Sony confirmed on their Official Playstation Blog today that US retailers should start getting the cards in early 08’. Get the full details after the jump.

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Chris Kohler over at Wired reported today that Sony has allowed developers to overclock the PSP to run at 333mhz, instead of the current 222mhz. In addition, the people over at 1up put a video together illustrating the extent of the changes being made. Read more…

Three hours of work, and it didn’t save my game!

Save points are truly a spear in the side of any modern gamer. It’s 2007, we have the latest in bump mapping, anisotropic filtering, and the best of mipmaps. We’ve got the graphics, so now it’s time to look beyond superficial beauty. We need to fix problems that have plagued our media for far too long, namely, sparsely placed save points. Read more…

Nine million people can’t be wrong. How many times have you heard that one? Well if nine million people each shell out an extra $40 for Burning Crusade, and another $40 for Wrath of the Lich King, then that leaves Blactivison with…A hell of allot of money. Simply put WoW is big business. Read more…

For all the masochistic gamers with a love for PAIN, comes the news that Sony will be adding in game advertisements to its $9.99 PSN title. Read more…

With all the heavy reading shining a negative light on Eidos’ recently released Kane and Lynch, it’s great to see someone actually excited to play it. Just don’t tell Grandma about the lightning Kane shoots out of his fingers, or she may just beat you with the ol’ bicycle chain. Read more…

An insider at GameSpot has come forward today claiming he worked on the Kane and Lynch ads. He put in his two cents regarding the Gerstmann firing. Read his thoughts after the jump. Read more…

In a forum post via the official community forums, Harmonix went on record claiming that the strum bars in early production where “imperfect”. This just confirms what we already knew. We’ve been getting reports of guitars breaking by the truckload. In addition, Harmonix spoke on the issue of PS3 guitar compatibility, saying, “These issues have our full attention”. Read the full response after the jump. Read more…

In an epic interview with GamaSutra’s Brandon Sheffield and Christian Nutt, Epic Game’s VP and key creator of the Unreal Engine Mark Rein went into detail about Unreal Tournament 3 and other official UE3 licensee titles.

Among other useful niblets of information, Mr. Rein highlights the importance of Sony consoles this holiday season, stating, “I think Sony’s going to have a good Christmas this year. Games like Unreal Tournament 3 will hopefully get out the door.” Read more…