By Nick Heikkila
      

The NPD just released a list of the top selling-games of the year thus far and at the top of the list were 2 games based on original IPs: Lost Planet was the bestselling game and Gears of War was number 3. While the rest of the list is populated by sequels and rehashes like Mario, Zelda, Warioware, and Madden, the recent success of original titles like Gears and Lost planet is certainly a good thing for the industry.

Recent original titles like Okami, Dead Rising, Bully, the just released Crackdown and the aforementioned two games will surely spawn countless sequels but it is reassuring to see some game developers are willing to take risks on new ideas.

 By Mike Duberowski
      

How does a writer follow up a one-two punch like "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash?" Well, if you're Paul Haggis, you follow it up by writing one of the most disappointing films of the year.

"The Last Kiss" is Haggis's attempt at a romantic comedy and, if it's any indication, he should probably stick to his thought-provoking dramas.

 By Mike Duberowski
      

Each year we see more than a handful of films about drug addicts and burnouts. Almost always, the characters fit a likely description: they're unlikable, reserved, lower-class males who sit on the couch all day and steal items from their mother to buy their next joint. "Half Nelson," the debut film from Ryan Fleck, breaks the typical stereotype by creating a drug addict that is successful and quite likeable.

 By Mike Duberowski
      

If a director is willing to take on a project as daring and emotional as a story based on the 9/11 attacks, he better be pretty dang sure he can deliver. Given Oliver Stone's recent disappointments, which include "Alexander" and "Any Given Sunday," I'm not certain why any producer would trust him to take on such a project. (Note: Stone is one of the several producers of "World Trade Center.")

Playstation 3 Press Conference: A price drop? HDMI included? Has the PS3 been Saved???

Ken Kutaragi dropped a few bombshells at Friday's PS3 forum at the currently running 2006 Tokyo Game Show. First, he confirmed that the 20gb model of the upcoming console will now include HDMI support, something it previously did not have. This news seems to make the once infinitely inferior model a truly viable option. Kutaragi then seemed to alleviate another problem many had with Sony's upcoming mega-console: the price. That's right sony has now dropped the price of the 20gb model: the price will be at or under 50,000 yen(around $430), a significant drop from 60,000 yen. Unfortunately both of these potentially huge announcements have only been confirmed for the Japanese market. Hopefully Sony of America will soon answer American prayers begging for a cheaper and HDMI enabled 20gb model PS3.

 By Matthew S. Haglund
      

With all eyes on Sony this TGS, one thing's certain: they'd better have their software act together.

At the moment, Sony's at the top of more than one person's shit list. After promising the world their PS3 would be launching over a tight one-month staggered schedule, two weeks ago it was revealed that most of the planet (most notably Europeans) wouldn't be playing the high-powered console till a third of the way through 2007. This fact, combined with Nintendo's reveling of everything Wii last Thursday, means that this year's Tokyo Game Show will be decidedly Sony-centric - for better or for worse. So how can Sony control the damage while impressing the crowds? Three words: beautiful, playable games.

 By Casimir
      

Let’s face it: webcams are the wave of the…well, past. But, this technology has only gotten better and more sophisticated as the average user (me) has discovered the functionality and ease with which they can be utilized. Cheaper pricing and the realization of potential have helped this advantageous accessory survive the graveyard of techno duds.

Wii Price, Wii Package, and Wii Launch Date Revealed

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All you ever wanted to know about the Wii launch - in a neat little package. Matt and Nick discuss the price, the date, and the games you'll play.

Hosts: Matthew Haglund and Nick Heikkila

 By Matthew S. Haglund
      

The most hated man in America? Mark Zuckerberg.

It's been eight months since I talked about the social networking trend toward unrestrained Internet exhibitionism, and as I'm sure you can guess, it's only gotten worse over the last year. Because of this, I must admit that throughout 2006, I've avoided discussing the bottomless pit that is Facebook - every college student's dorm away from dorm - like the proverbial plague. However, with the controversial addition of the News Feed and Mini-Feed tools last week, the good ol' topic of self-abandonment of privacy has earned a revisit by none other than yours truly (a self-proclaimed social networking idiot).

PS3 Launch Reductions, Xbox 360 Comparisons, Wii Secrets

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Matt and Nick sit down to discuss Sony's announcement that there will only be 500,000 PS3s at launch, the screwing of Europe, how this will affect Xbox 360 and Wii sales, and whether or not Nintendo's still got anything up their sleeves.

 By Matthew S. Haglund
      

With all the unknowns leaked, how are things shaping up for Microsoft's OS problem child?

Windows Vista. Over the past two years, those two words have conjured up nothing more than scoffs and shaken heads. Month after month - almost to the point of suspicion - nothing was revealed on Microsoft's next-generation operating system, save for reports of release delays and chopped features. But just when it seemed all hope was lost, Microsoft got its head in the game last February and released Beta 1; then Beta 2 came rolling out in May; now, since the end of August, we've got our hands on Release Candidate 1.

 By Mike Duberowski
      

The secret to making a good horror film is to keep the villain believable. Steven Spielberg knew this when he created "Jaws." Alfred Hitchcock knew this when he created "Psycho." Even Jonathan Demme had some understanding of this when he directed the Best Picture-winning film, "The Silence of the Lambs."

 By Casimir
      

When I think of traditional print comics a few choice words come to mind: hackneyed, stale, archaic, sophomoric, banal, kowtowing, sellouts. Not for nothing, newspaper sales in general are down in the face of digital news sources or blogging sites (case in point, you’re reading Techno Blues). The electronic evolution of the world of comics has catapulted the medium into a direction that it should rightly have headed, but where will it go from here?

 By Matthew S. Haglund
      

Video site strives to find independent filmmakers the audience they so desperately need.

These days, internet video is very, very hip. If this statement needs any sort of confirmation in your mind, look no further than Sony; last Wednesday, in hopes of finally expanding its business into the twenty-first century, the company bought video sharing site Grouper.com for $65 million US. And if that price-tag doesn't tell you that web-based video is hot, I don't know what will.

 By Casimir
      

There is a vehemently contested and long-standing issue in this country regarding decency, expression, and censorship. A chasm separates the extremes, but there is a generally accepted common ground barring things like racist speech, violent or pedophilia-related pornography, and things of that nature. The debate, however, is not fought over those issues, as they are rarely contested. The contemporary subject most taken issue with in America is sexuality. Enter Rockstar games.