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It’s not justFinal Fantasy XIIIthat’s line for ajuicy Xbox 360 bundle. If you still don’t own the world’s most reliable and fault-proof console, then you will have a choice of packages to help sway your wallet, especially with the latest reveal — aSplinter Cell: Convictionbundle. For $399.99, you’ll get a 250GB black console, two controllers, a headset, and the usual cables. Not too bad a deal, although I dare say that if Conviction is a big enough system seller for you, you’ll already have the special edition on pre-order....

In a recent Famitsu interview, Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada announced that Square had struck up a deal with Ubisoft to handle distribution of their games in Japan. Wada also mentioned that Square would not only be working with Ubi to distribute games, but in “various other undisclosed ways”, which is about as vague as a football field of fog. Wada also commented that one of Square’s hopes is to introduce more Japanese gamers to American titles in the future....

[Update] Looks likeLonexWolf606actually won the contest. Sorry! Worse still, I can’t PM him/her for some reason. If you’re reading thisLonexWolf606, email me at[email protected]so I can get you your winnings. [Original Story] First, the winner of the contest fromlast week. It’sblutapes. Congratulations! You named the most games with the words “Dead”, “Dark” or “War” in them. Yikes, I expected there to be a lot of games, but I didn’t think there werethatmany....

Not content with a simple Portal Gun prop, YouTube usertrpchakaihas constructed an intricately detailed and extraordinary puppet of Wheatley fromPortal 2. It’s certainly an impressive way to set yourself apart from all the other cos-players dressing up as Chell. The entire creation process has also been helpfully chronicled on her blog atFurin Cosplay. He also quotes ten different phrases from the game shown off to great effect in the video above as his puppeteer matches his mannerisms almost exactly to his character in the game....

Valve made a big splash last night after announcing thatTeam Fortress 2had become free foreverand — as you’d expect fromanyValve announcement — entitled fans got severelybutthurtand arenow demandingtheir huge $20 investments back. It doesn’t matter that gamers have been able to get more gameplay for their $20 than many $60 titles, the very fact that newcomers don’t have to pay has retroactively made the years of free updates disappear like magic....

No gameplay in this one, but withDevil May Cry, you know what the gameplay’s going to be — juggling, shooting and running around looking ludicrously cool. This trailer, fresh from the Tokyo Game Show, is made up of some of the killer cinematics that will be present in the game, including … is that? … yes it is, that’s a dude with a monocle! As Destructoid’s “Mr. Monocle,” I can’t help but fully approve of anythingDevil May Cry 4does now, just on the strength of that one character....

Arcades are a big part of what I love about Japan. From Taito’s five-story monster arcades to the retro ones hidden away in an Akihabara alley, Japanese arcades fascinate me and make me upset most Americans will never experience a multi-screen majesty ofDarius Burst. What makes me even sadder is seeing the current trends in Japanese arcades and how they continue to diminish year-by-year. Nowhere was this more visible than at this year’s Amusement Machine Show....

Last night, the Los Angeles branch of Destructoid held a bit of a drunken video game party at Casa De Summa. Did we live thedream? My hangover and piles of beer bottles scattered about this morning say yes. Starting out the night,Chad,ColetteandIwere joined byRomeandHoganfromEpileptic Gamingand Rob Pennyman fromCoin-Op TV. After blowing sh*t up inCrackdownfor a while, Hogan and I proceeded to throw down inFight Nighton the 360 — it was an epic battle, but I was able to pull through in the later rounds and knock Hogan out....

So, we reviewedHydrophobiathis past week. You may or may not have heard what happened in the fallout of certainHydrophobiareviews, and the behavior of the game’s developer, Dark Energy Digital. You can read an excellent article on the debaclehere. Needless to say, the situation hasn’t been pretty. This week’s Jimquisition takes on developers who are doing injury to their industry by acting like brats about review scores, and the recent accusations of reviewers not playing games “properly....

Weird gaming crap enthusiastsGameSniperecently scored themselves a real, honest to goodness copy ofFinal Fantasy VIIfor the Famicom. Much like the recently talked about 8-Bit version ofStreet Fighter 4, 8-BitFF VIIwas made by some of those evilpirateswe all hear so much about. Also like 8-bitSF4(and all othergame design atrocities), I both loathe and desperately desireFF VIIin it’s 8-Bit format. Sure it’s awful, but it’srare, and that makes me want it. Hit the link above for more on the game, or just clickhereto watch the part you most likely want to see....

2K Marin is developingXCOM, notthe2K Marin. According to1UP, the Australian arm of 2K Marin is the house where the newXCOMtitle is being built, which is not the same house we would attribute as the main driver behindBioShock 2. That one is in Novato, California. The two are “sister studios,” as explained by a rep speaking with 1UP, and as such, 2K Games simply just rolled with their shared studio name in the press release announcing the revival of the classic IP....

From now until January 1, you can get down with your economically conscious self thanks to a dealfrom Harmonix. Valid at most retailers where you would normally buy videogames from, theRock Band 2Special Edition bundle for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has temporarily dropped down to a slim $99. Whether you want to get a Christmas present for a distant relative as the family’s one true responsible gamer (Petz? Puh-leeze), or you just plain need to upgrade your music game peripheral collection to theRock Band 2standard, it’s a mighty fine deal to be had....

One of the best covers ofMega Man 9music yet. Oh, and since some people complained on the Weekend D post, the last boss is shown in this video. How that’s a spoiler, I don’t know. So the Spike VGAs wrapped up a few hours ago and the big winners were revealed. What are your thoughts on the award show? Are you happy for the winners or pissed beyond all reason? Check out Nick’spost for a list of allthe winners....