Microsoft still isn’t saying much about the rumored “Xbox 360 Arcade” bundle, even after we’ve seenretail displays confirmingits existience. Let’s see how much longer they can tip toe around the issue after we’ve seen the whole box! A Target store in Haverhill, MA happened to have one available for sale, according toengadget. The the “spy shots” are a bit blurry, but the price tag looks like it lists a price of $279....

Xbox Live is known for a few things: It’s a great service that lets you keep track of your friends, has a relatively solid performance level and of course, has built-in voice support. And, how can we forget, it’s one of the best places to hear how much of ahomosexual you are. Well, now Xbox Live can be known for something else: It has 6 million members. In fact, Microsoft is so proud of this that they sent out a release this morning touting the fact that they reached the mark months ahead of schedule....

It’s fun enough to learn to think with portals, but there’s arguably little in existence that is more fun than learning with thePortalgames as an educational tool. As long as you don’t have to hear that damn song ever again. Because the people at Valve know this, just like they know the deepest secrets of our little consumer hearts, they are offering the firstPortalfor free on Steam — until September 20th, that is....

I have to admit: I’m not the biggest Rush fan on the planet, but my wife surely is. So when she was stomping around the house flipping furniture yesterday, I knew something was wrong. It seems that Rush’sMoving Pictures, scheduled as yesterday’sRock Banddownloadable content, has been slightly delayed. “Just so you know, we know that Rush’sMoving Picturesisn’t up yet,” wrote Harmonix community manager Sean Baptiste (featured in the above video) on theirofficial forums....

Frima Studios, the developer behind the decent PSP Mini titleYoung Thorhas announced its new game,A Space Shooter For Two Bucks!. Frima’s Martin Brouard has more info on the title on thePlayStation Blog, along with in-game images. (Spoiler: It takes place in space.) A Space Shooter For Two Bucks Blasting Off December 21[PlayStation Blog]

[Editor’s note: Scary Womanzing Pig Mask talks about virtual deck building for his A Time to BuildMonthly Musing. — CTZ] I have a confession to make: I like children’s card games. Not likeGin RummyorCrazy Eights, although those are amazing, but the addictive devil known as trading card games. They’re incredibly fun, in both playing them, constructing and personalizing a deck. The process of starting out with a simple deck and slowly augmenting it by steadily gaining new cards from booster packs, with the eventual result of a customized, unique deck that perhaps even reflects you a bit, is one I greatly enjoy....

Yeah, Activision really did go through with itscompetition for independent games. Phase one is finally over, and the publisher has named two winners:Dstroyd(first place, $175,000) andRigonauts: Broadside(second place, $75,000). Rigonauts, pictured above, has players putting together war machines by hand, while the early-in-developmentDstroydis a fun mix of real-time strategy withScorched Earth. It’s noted that theDstroydguys will retain the intellectual property, but Activision “gets the first opportunity to publish the game if and when that time comes....

Alan Wakeon PC was so obscure that I didn’t know it was supposed to be happening, but now it’sdefinitelynot. It was revealed that the “psychological action thriller” from Remedy was no longer coming to PC, as previously promised, and that just sucks. A PC version was expected to arrive after the launch of the Xbox 360 version, but Microsoft has confirmed that such plans are now scrapped. The decision was apparently based upon atmospheric, rather than logistic concerns....

We’ve featured this game countless times on here, so anyone who doesn’t have it at this point must hate Batman or enjoy depriving themselves of pleasurable experiences. For instance, inArkham Asylum, you can beat up shirtless, sweaty convicts for hours on end and no one will question your motives. Why? Because you’re the goddamn Batman. This was worth paying the full $59.99 for way back when, and it’s certainly worth putting up $14....

Remember how much we all hate it when videogames get released during the end of the year and it’s virtually impossible to play all of the good ones? Do you also remember how companies are afraid to put out their games during the same time asModern Warfare 2, which happens to be coming out near the end of this year? Where am I going with this and will I please stop asking f***ing questions already, you ask?...

We all knew it was coming, and today is has been confirmed that Microsoft will soon be charging for a range of pretend clothes with which to adorn your twee little Avatar.Imagesof the NXE’s summer update reveal a whole new Avatar wardrobe, with prices attached. As you can see from the above image, a Steampunk jacket will cost you 160 Microsoft Moon Dollars. Frankly, that’s 160 Moon Dollars too much to play dress up with something that has absolutely zero use to anybody whatsoever, but therearepeople out there who will buy it....

[Spoiler Warning:There are spoilers forBatman: Arkham Cityin here. Obviously.] I’m on the prowl, looking for any openings in the enemy’s defense. Methodically, I pick them off one by one until the coast is clear and the way forward revealed. I’m caught off guard by the intimidating Mr. Hammer and get jumped by him and his sizable squad of goons. With my Remote Electrical Charge and other gadgets in hand, they too prove no match for me....

Frontier Developments boss David Braben throws out some big words, saying that he doesn’t think that current generation blockbusters likeHalo 3andBioShockare examples of “next-gen” titles. “Overall the whole game [BioShock] was beautifully executed, but the game play itself was not ‘next-gen’,” says Braben in a recent interview with Eurogamer. “I foundHalo 3great fun, too, but also a little disappointing – as although there were a few nice touches and improved graphical fidelity, it hadn’t really moved on much fromHalo 2in terms of the gameplay....