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#wii The second game of my Nintendo holiday preview was Wii Party. I planned to suffer. A half-hour later I wondered if I had played the best Wii game for this fall. A fake bomb helped. More »

#clips Real-time strategy gameplay got you down? Slip into the cantina for some pleasant conversation, Night Elf dancing, and a little scrolling-shooter action, courtesy of Lost Viking. More »

Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

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Last updated: Tuesday, 11:00 AM

38 Studios is OUT ... of Massachusetts. Curt Schilling's studio, which just announced its first project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, at Comic-Con last week, is moving from Maynard, Massachusetts to Rhode Island. The state will be giving the development house $75 million in loan guarantees. According to The Boston Globe, the studio is obligated to bring 450 direct jobs to Rhode Island by the end of 2012 or face penalties.

Massachusetts is home to several high-profile game developers now, including Harmonix, Turbine and Irrational. Demiurge Studios, which will become the state's largest independent studio once 38 leaves, had the most immediate reaction to the news, sending out an open letter to Curt Schilling. Studio CEO William D. Reed, who was the former director of the greater Boston region for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development wrote, "I can assure you more industry professionals than ever call this great state home. A large number of game-focused graduates and brilliant thinkers come from our local colleges and universities, supplying the talent to meet our industry's growing demand. Our businesses are truly fortunate to grow in such a thriving community." The letter concludes that if "anyone on the talented 38 Studios team" wants to stay in Mass., they're welcome to join Demiurge.

Keith Stokes, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., informed the Globe that the state will provide 38 Studios the $75 million in bonds while it adds jobs and meets predetermined milestones. If 38 Studios goes under, RI taxpayers will be left holding the bag.

On-disc set list expands with 22 rockin' new tracks.

It’s been a busy few days for Dead Space fans; a lot of news has come to light over the last week. While Dead Space 2 is still on track for early 2011, the world of Isaac Clarke is spreading like necromorphs through a ventilation system.

In this interview from last week’s EA Showcase, Dead Space 2 Producer Rich Briggs answers your questions about Dead Space 2 and the PS3-exclusive HD edition of Dead Space Extraction, and details the forthcoming Dead Space Ignition (which will tie in to DS2).

Later on in the week, EA/Visceral Games made even more Dead Space-related announcements at Comic-Con. Here’s Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis with details for our readers:

Today is a very exciting day for the Dead Space franchise. I’m proud to announce 2 new fiction extensions for the Dead Space universe.

Dead Space Aftermath is our second animated feature. It tells the story of what happened after Isaac had his encounter with the red marker. We are working on this with Starz/Film Roman and will be released January 2011.

Dead Space Salvage is a new graphic novel featuring the talented artist Christopher Shy. It takes a peak at what happened to the Ishimura after Isaac departed.

Both of these additions will continue to expand the Dead Space fiction and we can’t wait to see what people think when they get to enjoy them.

If this stuff sounds cool please post a message and let us know. Thanks.

Look, considering Nintendo drew just about every one of its big guns from their respective holsters when it revealed the 3DS lineup during an E3 press conference last month, we don't blame you if this story doesn't thrill you to your core. The company recently filed a set of trademarks relating to software for the three-dimensional device, including "CrossPass," "CrossPass Network," "CrossPass Connection" and "CrossPass Mode." It seems the handheld's always-on Tag mode has been given a much more Google-able moniker.

Nintendo also filed trademarks for "3D Paddleball," "3D Hopper," "Target Shooting" and "3D Challenge" -- all of which were available in tech demo form at E3. Does this mean they could see the light of day when the 3DS gets released next spring? We're not sure, but we wouldn't mind sinking a few more hours mastering the subtleties of Hallway Pong.

#wii Who gets a couple of hours to play any of the Nintendo-published games arriving this holiday season for the Wii and DS and starts with FlingSmash? Me. Yesterday I played a batch of Nintendo games. Throughout today, I'll tell you about them. More »

GameStop just took a huge step into the casual online gaming market, by agreeing to purchase the Flash game portal Kongregate. According to the announcement, the site will remain under the management of founders Jim and Emily Greer following the purchase, which should finalize on August 1.

CEO J. Paul Raines explained the move, saying, "Dolphin Olympics 2 is really, really wonderful." Okay, we made that up (though Dolphin Olympics 2 is really, really wonderful). Raines actually said, "Kongregate advances GameStop's digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers. We welcome the Kongregate team to the GameStop family."

GameStop has previously experimented with free-to-play online gaming with initiatives including the Legends of Zork browser game and a small "Free2Play" portal on its retail site.

Solarobo, CyberConnect2's DS action RPG about animals piloting mechas, is on its way to the Anglophone world -- specifically Australia, according to an OFLC rating for the Namco Bandai-published game.

Solarobo, a spiritual successor to CyberConnect2's Tail Concerto, casts the player as a dog bounty hunter (but not Dog the Bounty Hunter) who uses his mech to catch fugitives on his floating island home. The game allows characters to fight and interact with the environment both in and out of walking robot vehicles. Red (the dog hero in question) can also "trance up" and transform into ... a human, with his mech transforming along with him.

To learn more about Solarobo's gameplay, you can check out several short videos on the website. It's something to do while we optimistically wait for a general announcement.

Think about how much it would cost you to embark on a quest into space. First, you've gotta build a ship (or, at the very least, secure the services of one Billy Bob Thornton). Then you have to fill, like, 80 baggies or so with Cheerios, probably pack a juice box or seven and get yourself a space suit. It's not cheap.

That's why we'd like to bring the latest deal from digital distribution hub, GoG.com, to your attention. The Space Quest 1 + 2 + 3 pack -- a bundle of classic Sierra adventures Space Quest, Space Quest 2 and Space Quest 3 -- is now available for $10.
Look, we're not trying to force you to buy this game bundle or anything, but you should really buy this game bundle.

Seriously, do you know how much of Billy Bob Thornton's time $10 will get you? Maybe day at most if he doesn't really have much to do and doesn't mind hanging out. Oh, and these games won't get all drunk and break stuff either.

To the top of the charts and beyond

Trying to log on to the PlayStation Network today? You'll be prompted with yet another mandatory firmware update. According to the PlayStation.Blog, the big new feature added to firmware 3.41 is a new "You May Like" section to the PlayStation Store. And ... that's about it, apparently.

Some commenters have already expressed some frustration with the firmware, which comes less than one month after the last mandatory update: "That's it?" "Why do we need a PS3 update for a store update?" "Would much rather have a search feature for your download list."

While firmware 3.41 is available now, PSP owners will also be able to get into the mandatory update action with firmware 6.31, which improves the "system software stability."

#blizzard Blizzard, the studio behind StarCraft and World of Warcraft, was planning on rolling out a compulsary "Real ID" system, requiring gamers to use their real first and last names on Blizzard's forums. More »

#starcraft The first StarCraft game was released in March 1998. That was twelve years ago. So much has changed. So have I. And the smart money says so have you. More »

#starcraft If you play World of Warcraft, or still play Starcraft or Diablo online, don't watch this. You'll learn nothing. But for the hordes of people signing up to Blizzard's online service for the first time today, this is most helpful. More »

#blizzard Some of you have purchased StarCraft II. Some might have been in the beta. Some might not. But to those who have picked up the game and began playing it, what do you think? Hit us up in the comments. More »

Listen here, you Free Realms freeloader, you. If you've been thinking about throwing some money at Sony Online Entertainment's MMO to get the full experience the game has to offer, you can now get a lifetime membership to the game for a one-time lump sum of $30.

#books I hope the ultra-wealthy portion of the Kotaku readership didn't get their hopes up for one of those $450 tomes collecting the history and art of Grand Theft Auto devs Rockstar. Because they're not actually going to be made. More »

#nintendo Nintendo has registered several trademarks in Japan, including the titles 3D Challenge, 3D Paddleball or 3D Hopper. Those could be actual games (mini-games?) or they could be tech demos for the upcoming 3D-glasses-free Nintendo 3DS. More »

To the top of the charts and beyond

#study Video games may nor may not be dangerous, they may or may not be art, but I don't think I've ever stood back and wondered whether they were permissible under Islam. More »

#capcom Capcom, fresh off months of sluggish sales, is keen to make more video games. More video games might mean more sales! More »

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was just released on the DS -- if you've yet to check out our review, then here's the pertinent linkage. So, considering how much Square Enix has invested in the title, it's no surprise the brunt of producer Horii's chat (which you can see for yourself past the break) largely revolves around his hopes for the game. Basically, he wants everyone to play it. What a surprise!

#sony Sony has kicked off today the "PlayStation Logo Licensing Program". Translation: you'll soon start seeing all kinds of miscellaneous crap turn up sporting the PlayStation logo. More »

#pc It's an umbrella that looks like a sword. Or maybe it's a sword that looks like an umbrella. More »

#midnightlaunch Three hours sleep plus recording with my iPhone 4 while driving on a dark and rainy night equals one mildly dangerous StarCraft II midnight launch video. More »

#starcraft Starcraft has a fairly well-known story, but it's also a game that came out in 1998. People's memories may have gotten a little fuzzy since then. If that's you, Starcraft II's installer is here to help. More »

#blizzard StarCraft II is out. People are buying it. People are playing it. Not everybody, though. More »