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Japan’s three largest game makers plan to keep their eyes on the prize and put everything else to the side. No one has to tell you that Nintendo’s two babies, the Wii and the DS Lite, are dominating the business of video games. Themoney printingconsoles have showed no signs of slowing down, and the biggest game makers out there have noticed. According to a Japanese Nikkei newspaper survey, fiscal 2007 will see a serious shift in focus for these big game developers....

Orzammar’s Dark Spawn issue can now be fixed. Kind of. Vicious blights critical to the narrative of another game — a much bigger game, mind you — tend to not be crushed in supplemental material. It’s just common sense. But, hey,Dragon Age Journeys, the2D flash-based game we told you about ten centuries ago, isalmostavailable over atthe game’s official Web site.Don’t just write it off if, especially if you’re hot forDragon Age: Origins....

Kaz Hirai, theTekkencharacter-resembling PlayStation boss, isn’t satisfied. It’s not because nobody else is as impressed as he is withRidge Racer, it’s because he himselfisn’t impressedwith one of the PS3’s biggest future hopes,Home. The displeased Sony Computer Entertainment head confessed that he wasn’t happy with the in-beta version ofHomeand is doubtless aiming for significant improvements to what he declares a big project for his company. This came out as he spoke of the feature’s Spring 2008 delay:...

Kmart is having sale on a handful of titles until this Saturday. Most notable of the sale is the recently releasedLost Planet 2going for just $39.99.Super Street Fighter IVis down to $29.99 andBioShockandBioShock 2are on sale as a combo pack for just $49.99. Kmart also hasDark Voidon sale for $19.99 and it’s hard not to laugh at Kmart’s description for the game: Lastly, the flawed but ambitiousDark Void(Xbox 360, PS3) will be available for only $19....

[Editor’s note: Here’s the sequel to Mxyzptlk and Mudkip5000’sInterview with aLeft 4 Deadzombie. — CTZ] Hey guys, this isMudkip5000, posting on Mxyzptlk’s account because his work banned Destructoid.com and our internet at home is broken. Anyway, we finished editing theLeft4 Dead 2: Interview with a Zombie 2 video.

MCV, the British version of Gamasutra, hasan articleup about some recent comments made by Labour MP for Leicester East Keith Vaz, in which he claims that whether a member of Parliament plays video games or not has absolutely no bearing on their ability to regulate them. Keep in mind that this was the guy who urged Tony Blair to banCanis Canim Edit(Bully, here in the States), as if Mr. Blair didn’t have more important issues to deal with (like fellating Dubya, or finding Billie Piper’s phone number for me)....

Let me share a little factoid with you: the reason I am so obsessed with gaming in Japan isn’t that I want everything I play to be disgustingly cute or look like it just fell out of an anime. It’s because Japan’s games lean frequently towards a level of weird that I absolutely love, and there’s some screaming and nutty music to go along with it. Add a bunch of characters with totally vacant expressions and some completely ridiculous gameplay elements, and I’ve just found console heaven....

Speedy mechs collide one final time tonight as Backlog finishesZone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. As Dingo and Jehuty approach their confrontation with Anubis, I suspect there is going to be a whole lot of things blowing up, along with lasers and terrible dialogue delivered in the most hamfisted way possible. In other words, it’s going to be a damn good time tonight. Make sure to tune in to Backlog every weeknight at 9pm Pacific where we’ll continue to play through the games gathering dust in my collection....

[Not sure what Mash Tactics is? I’ve included a clip from a recent episode to show you just a glimpse of what you’ve been missing, you daft fool! You can see all of Destructoid’s previously aired live showsin our archives.] Today, Mash Tactics is jumping into the early accessUncharted 3multiplayer. The multiplayer access is available to anyone on PlayStation Network who buys a drink fromSubway, and redeems the code on the cup....

Charming indie adventure game,Machinarium, has expanded its robotic reach and is now available on the app store for iPad 2 owners. The developers, Amanita Design, made a new trailer in honor of this occasion. The game appears to relieve constipation and make men in hats dance. This must be a new feature, as it certainly didn’t do that on the PC version. It must be a portable thing. It also reveals another helpful aspect of the iPad, you can use it to rest beverages on....

Looks like there is good news forGears of Warfans who think they have what it takes to go up against the best players out there; and for those who have ambitions of one day becoming professional gamers themselves. Major League Gaming hasannouncedwhat everyone (andCliffy B.) have been waiting for: We heard you loud and clear: MLG is proud to announce that we have been able to secureGears of Warfor the 2007 Boost Mobile Pro Circuit!...

Let’s have areally messed up storyto reinstall our collective faith in humanity, shall we? It’s being reported that a 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of beating up his six-year-old son … because he performed badly in a videogame. I guess evenwatchingvideogames can turn people into violent psychopaths now. Terry Taulbee allegedly beat the boy on his lower back and arse hard enough to leave handprints, with the child’s mother claiming Taulbee “became upset when the boy didn’t play well in a video game....

Have you noticed the trend of character-focused IPs in gaming today? Marvelous Entertainment chief creative officer Yasuhiro Wada has also noticed, and he says that this tired formula is shrinking the gamer population in Japan. “Strong IP, series or popular characters are the main focus today. They are seen as secured elements in a very risky environment. Publishers and developers have used this for years, leaving little place for originality and new contents....