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At E3, Microsoft proudly showed someone using a system of mystical motions in order to play a racing game, but despite Project Natal’s promise of a brave new tomorrow, genre staple Codemastersremains skeptical, believing traditional controllers are the way to go. “The complexity of control for a racing game, certainly for a core racing game like ours, requires a controller,” explains game design manager Ralph Fulton. “It requires feedback, and I don’t think waving your hands around and pretending you’re steering a car offers you the precision or the feedback that racing games require....

By all accounts, social networking is a necessity for making your console an it-can-do-everything device. Microsoft has brought Facebook, among other Web sites, directly to Xbox 360, and it’s looking like Sony is about to do the same for PlayStation 3. ScrawlFXstumbled acrosswhat look to be legit pictures of an embedded Facebook application, which are hosted on the official UK PlayStation sitehereandhere. Also, there’s even a shot of a PlayStation Network ID card with editable colors locatedhere....

Analyst Nick Parker has shot a warning at the Xbox 360, stating that declining European sales could lead to a delisting in some territories. He was speaking at the 2008 Nordic Games Conference when he spoke of the potential trouble. “The trouble with Xbox 360 is it hasn’t managed to shake off this urban, irreverent adult male feel; so it hasn’t gained traction in the more casual gaming markets of mainland Europe such as France, Spain and Italy, where it’s stalled,” Parker stated....

Is this a shock, honestly? Nintendo’s sorta like Blizzard in the way they develop and release their top games. They take their time and release the little bastards when they’re ready. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to any knowledgeable gamer that the three most anticipated games in Nintendo’s portfolio next year may get hit with the delay stick. It’s all rumor at this point, butCVG tendsto tread on the legit side, so you may want to put a tad bit of stock into what they have to say:...

Eberron Unlimited — the “digital upgrade” forDungeons & Dragons Onlinethat kills monthly subscriptions — will go public tomorrow. The full experience —DDOwith upgrade — has been in closed beta for a while and despite the public not being able to get in on the action, developer Turbine has profited from the new structure. To back up a second: Eberron Unlimitedgives the MMO a free-to-play hybrid structure. Players can purchase loot and items (with funny money) that give them advantages....

Today is a very special day, for it is the day that Germans are legally allowed to buyDOOMandDOOM 2in common high street stores. The two games were previously filed under Media Harmful to Young Persons, which placed them in the same category as porn. Today, they received a USK 16+ rating. “We are obviously very pleased with their decision,” Bethesda’s Pete Hines told Joystiq. “Can’t give you details yet on when they will be available in Germany....

While taking my first quick walkabout the showroom floor, I was passing theIndieCadesection and happened upon a curious display of three colored cubes sitting in front of a webcam. Approaching the game with no instruction, I picked up the red block, each of its sides mapped with a different barcode, and aimed one of the sides to the camera. To my absolute delight and surprise, the monitor above the display suddenly revealed a tiny 3-D room in the box with delicate little stairs, doors, and windows....

Much to no one’s surprise, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games will be releasingLEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4in 2010. The title is pretty much what you’ve expect, putting players in control of LEGO versions of Hogwart’s usual suspects – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, along with other characters from the first four books. The action-adventure will allow you to do exciting things like cast spells, mix potions, fly on broomsticks and… attend lessons....

The CEO of Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, hascondemnedthe games industry’s reliance on sequels and a “rinse-and-repeat” mentality, making perhaps one of the most ironic statements of the year. EA is, of course, the king of repetition and sequels that make only minor updates, something the company has become incredibly well known for. “There’s been lots of product that looked like last year’s product, that looked a lot like the year before,” Riccitiello said, failing to include that EA was likely responsible for a vast percentage of them....

The guys atArsTechnicahave recently done their part to help rekindle the feud betweenMortal KombatandStreet Fighter. Years ago, when Mortal Kombat was shiny, new, and very gory Ed Boon and Capcom had quite the verbal sparring match. At this year’s Comic-Con, it looks as if Boon is not ready to hang up his gloves quite yet. When asked byEurogamerifMortal Kombat versus DC Universewas still in the running against the Street Fighter series, Boon had this to say:...

As you may or may not know by now, it seems likely that Jack Thompson is to lose his career as a defense attorney. The Florida Bar seems to have gotten the strange impression that he’s a lying, manipulative, offensiveduncebreedand is looking to disbar him for no less than ten years. Since Jack Thompson is a good friend of ours here at Destructoid, we do not want to see him unable to earn his daily bread....

We know what you’re thinking. With at least two versions of every major console title out there already, what we need are even moreMetal Gear Solidre-releases on the market. You’re itching for it, especially with all the recenthoo-hahsurrounding an eerily similar series, and Konami has the cure for your ailments. With the 20th anniversary of the series coming up, reissues of the entireMGSlibrary, including handheld spin-offPortable Ops, are heading your way....

I’m really looking forward to hearing the final details on the PlayStation Vita, and it looks like this year’s Tokyo Game Show will be the place to hear them all. Sony’s new portable will also be playable on the show floor. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida and Senior Vice President Yoshio Matsumoto will speak at their keynote, which is focused on the PS Vita.Andriasangsays that their presentation promises detailed specs and the latest information about the Vita’s software line-up....