Press the Buttons has commentary on a short, interesting piece at the Miyamoto Shrine site. There, they look back at the making of Mario 64. From the article: "Possibly the most important part of Mario 64 was making sure Mario was easy to control. Before any of the levels had been created Mr. Miyamoto had Mario running around and picking up objects in a small 'garden' which he uses in all his games to test gameplay elements. 'Alot of the animation was actually in there before any of the game' explains Goddard. 'The Mario that he had running around basically looked the same as he did in the final version. Mario's movement is based on good physics, but you have bits on top that you plug in so you can do things you shouldn't be able to do. They spent a lot of time working on the swimming, it's harder than running to get the feeling right, they didn't want you to avoid the water, the wanted to make it an advantage and fun to dive in.'"

Announcements have been made for new titles that are likely to get some folks excited. An online-enabled version of Tetris for the Nintendo DS is slated to come out this March, and the first add-on to the online RPG Guild Wars is due out sometime in the second Quarter. From the Tetris article: "After long dismissing online play as not being central to gaming, Nintendo is fast becoming one of Web-enabled multiplayer's biggest boosters ... Tetris DS, a reworked edition of the 1985 Soviet puzzle game. It will add six new modes to Tetris' classic block-combination gameplay, all of which will incorporate the DS's second, touch-sensitive screen. "

Gamespot is reporting the EA has filed for a trademark on the System Shock brand. From the article: "Electronic Arts registered a trademark last month on the title 'System Shock' for use in video games. Interestingly enough, it also made note that the trademark was to apply to 'a computer game that may be accessed network-wide by network users,' or 'an online computer game accessed and played via mobile and cellular phones and other wireless devices.' An EA representative was not immediately available for comment as to whether the trademark was a sign that the dormant franchise would soon be awoken, or if it was just a bit of routine upkeep of the company's intellectual property. " Take-Two is still developing the title thought to be the spiritual successor to the System Shock series, BioShock. Their purchase of Irrational Studios was reported yesterday.

The NDA for the Dungeons and Dragons Online Beta is now a thing of the past. F13's piece prior to the lifting of the NDA is a good place to get started. They also have a lively discussion going, discussing all aspects of the upcoming game, which launches February 28th. From the f13 piece: "The most important thing to understand about DDO is Turbine is trying a different take on the genre. People looking strictly for a WoW clone in a D&D flavored wrapper won't find it. For some that may be a good thing, for others not so much. Oh to be sure, it has a lot of the same trappings as your previous favorite graphical-Diku-mud; after all, most fantasy computer role playing games owe a little or very large portion of their structure to the granddaddy of all pen and paper rpgs, Dungeon & Dragons. So it comes as no surprise to find this game with familiar fantasy races, defined character classes, and easily recognizable fantasy monsters, magic items and spells. But, as I have grown fond of saying these last several years, the devil's in the implementation. To that end, DDO is almost as easily defined by what it is NOT as by what it IS."

Engadget had a sit-down with Bill Gates at CES, and they talk for a good while about the Xbox 360's launch and subsequent issues. From the article: "We played quite a variety. Actually, the Xbox Arcade was a big thing, a lot of the adults wanted to sit down and play for five or ten minutes. It was Hexic or Zuma that were easy for them to learn the rules, get used to the controller. We had some younger kids who were just beating the heck out of me at Project Gotham Racing, Kameo, basketball, Perfect Dark Zero. We have, I think, a dozen titles in total."

steven williamson writes to tell us that Hexus has a quick look at Jonathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel's approach to a new gaming mouse. At first glace it doesn't seem to have much to offer beyond your average optical mouse. A few of the features are a "four finger" setup with regards to mouse buttons, a mere 1600 DPI but that should be plenty for most, and an exchangeable weight to give it just the right heft.

Via GameSetWatch, the word that BBC program Newsnight recently broadcast live from the virtual world Second Life. The broadcast included a lead-in shot on a backdrop designed to emulate the real-life Newsnight set. From the article: "Because the virtual money inside Second Life is convertible to US dollars, and people who make things can keep the intellectual property, it is possible to run a real life business inside the game. I got in touch with Cory Edo - real name Sara Van Gorden - who runs a business in Second Life designing avatars - the idealised 3D personas that people use as their online identities."

The BBC reports that, while gaming continues to grow in popularity, the industry still faces numerous challenges in attracting new customers. From the article: "Although gaming is a huge industry, the report warned that turning a profit will become increasingly difficult. For players such as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo the fact that the market is reaching saturation point coupled with the increasing costs of producing both games and consoles means profit margins may not be a big as they would like. "

Uwe Boll's latest attempt to kill the future of gaming movies is officially terrible, reports Next Generation. From the article: "Filmjerk: 'In his mind, [Boll] is Steven Spielberg; arranging danger and adventure on the screen with clarity and a roaring sense of excitement. However, the tragic reality is that Boll has all the artistic ability of the average 4th grade finger-painter.'" Update: 01/09 21:33 GMT by Z : 1up has a short and telling interview with Mr. Boll from this past weekend.

Joystiq reports on new details on using the Revolution's controller from an unlikely source. National Geographic Kids Magazine has a spread on a trip they took to Nintendo's HQ, and what they saw when they were there. From the article: "Backwards compatibility is of course something we've known about for awhile; however, the "old favorites" mention is so provocatively vague! They list The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Brothers, and Donkey Konga. Question is, are they listing games or franchises? If they are listing games, does this mean the "old favorite" versions of these games (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Melee) will use the Revolution controller to slash a sword or work as a shield?" Update: 01/10 05:35 GMT by Z : Yeah. It's a fake. Sorry about that, but I thought you could trust National Geographic. Points to Press the Buttons for the DS9 reference in mentioning the fakery.

GamePolitics reports on a story of confusion and misunderstanding in Florida. A flyer made from the Zombie Survival Guide was found near a school. Police have, naturally, leapt to the conclusion that the makers of the flyer are threatening violence against schoolchildren and are videogame players. From the article: "Although the Democrat reports that 'Zombie' is a video game, GP is not so sure. There are plenty of games based on zombies, of course, but we can't recall a single one actually named 'Zombie.' 'This underscores the importance of parents knowing what their kids are doing online,' school superintendent Bill Montford said. 'This should be a wake-up call to parents. Students shouldn't be involved in games where people are being shot.'"

Next Generation has an excellent piece, looking back on the history of game controllers, leading up to the Revolution's fascinating controller. They look at controller design, as well as the usage that some games wrest from the controllers. From the article: "There are ways to mess with the system; in Shadow of the Colossus, the player stabs a beast not by pressing the attack button but rather by letting go of it, making the violence a release, a consequence of the player's action. Still, there's not a lot of room for subtlety or nuance. The most subtlety you can get comes from analog control and state-shifting, and both of those are just jury-rigs to the system."

urinal-cake writes "The popular Half-Life 2 Modification Dystopia has been graced with a highly anticipated update patch. Dystopia is the highly awarded Source modification whose development team was flown to the Valve offices to work on the game. The update patch contains two new maps, one based on breaking in to a missile installation and the other on infiltrating a highly guarded fortress. The update can be found at their website. Dystopia represents what a team of gamers can do with free tools and a lot of spare time." Relatedly, Gamecloud is reporting that Half-Life 2 Aftermath is slated for an April 24th release date.

Next Generation is reporting that Microsoft has, reluctantly, admitted they won't hit their 90 day sales target for the Xbox 360. From the article: "In a report in today's Financial Times, the company shifted its attention to the longer-term target outlined at CES last week. The firm now says it will hit sales of 4 million to 5.5 million by the end of its financial year, in June. Analysts believe sales of the console had hit around 1.3 million by the end of the Holiday sales period. But as January moves along, retailers have yet to see evidence of shortages easing."

jkdove writes "GamerGod rolls out their list of "The 10 Most Interesting People in Gaming for 2005". From the article: "Our list draws from a wide slice of the gaming community. A respected game designer is on the list, but so is a political figure, a game player, a man with an agenda, and even a modder. Each person was selected for their ability to grab and hold the headlines with their design, deeds, or words; and for their contribution to twelve months of gaming headlines, news, scandals, sensations, and entertainment.""

Casual games are ever more financially lucrative in the new world of everyday games. With money to be made, clones of successful games can be launched in a very short period of time, resulting in the original title vying for financial success with its johnny-come-lately play-alike. From the article: "But, while PopCap's James Gwertzman comments in a recent interview of Zuma's success in 2004: 'We were all very excited about it, but it's 2005 and there have been a ton of very obvious Zuma clones', we have to ask - how about Mitchell's 1998 title Puzzloop for arcades, also known as Ballistic for PSX in the States? The game's basic design seems identical to Zuma. There was even some talk of Mitchell, which has released a PC version of Puzzloop, taking PopCap to court over the issue, though neither company has ever made public statements about it."

IGN is running a piece taking a look at the launch of the Xbox 360, and comparing it to the launch of the original Xbox. From the article: "What we now have is some good old fashioned perspective, and since Sony's PlayStation 3 has yet to launch, what better system to compare the Xbox 360 to than its little brother, the Xbox. Our focus will be the launch of each Microsoft system. Specifically, we'll be answering these questions: How do the games that launched with the Xbox and Xbox 360 compare? What were the big issues surrounding each launch? What worked, what didn't? And which launch was ultimately better?"

Gamespot reports that Take-Two Entertainment, publishers of titles like Civ IV, has reported much lower earnings than in the previous year in the same period. From the article: "There were several reasons behind the shortfall. Though Take-Two had three Xbox 360 launch titles--Amped 3, NBA 2K6, and NHL 2K6--and a solid PC hit in the form of Civilization IV, the company admits it had a lackluster Christmas in 2005. 'Clearly, the holiday season did not live up to anyone's expectations,' said Paul Eibeler, Take-Two's president and CEO, in a statement."

Anonymous Coward writes "TG Daily has its weekly videogaming column up, and this week the author is attacking what he terms The Pointlessness of Current Videogame Journalism. From the article: '...the formulaic, child-minded writing-for-the-lowest-common-marketing-denominator style that encapsulates 99% of the mainstream videogame press is a load of crap ... Rather than being critics who add to the industry as film and music journalists arguably did back in the heady days of the 50's - 70's... videogame journalists are mere extensions of the marketing machine, pushing even the most mediocre of games into a good light with the public in previews and then trashing them for sport to see how many good puns can be dredged out of the 500 words which the author really doesn't want to have to write.'"

Press the Buttons has word that, finally, a DVD Edition of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show will be available in March. From the article: "While the show-within-a-show The Legend of Zelda saw release at the end of 2005, now the company has announced definitive details regarding the animated Mushroom Kingdom adventures. Twenty-four episodes of the show will be released in a four-disc set on March 28, 2006 and will include the bizarre live action segments featuring Captain Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi."