Next Generation is running a piece looking into the five biggest mistakes made in the gaming industry this year. On the other side of the coin, via GameSetWatch, an MTV News look at the finest moments in gaming in 2005. From the NextGen article: "And what did it turn out to be, this so-called Revolution? A GameCube in overdrive with a controller than can tell where you are and what you're doing with your hands. That was worth it, wasn't it? Not only that, but Nintendo has stated up front that they will not be competing with the likes of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Rather, they'll focus on gameplay. Graphics won't matter if you just focus on gameplay. If you believe in Nintendo, clap your hands! C'mon everybody! Clap louder!" I link to em'. I don't say I agree with them.

An anonymous reader writes "FiringSquad.com has posted an article discussing 11 design flaws of the Xbox 360, ranging from gaming to Xbox Live Marketplace issues." From the article: "Mistake #2: No MSN Music - I'm as much of a fan of DRM as everyone else (which is to say I don't like it), but with Microsoft already charging gamers for Xbox Live Gold support, it would have been possible for Microsoft to offer discount service "bundles" allowing you to buy unlimited subscriptions to the MSN Music library at rates less than you would have to pay for Napster or Rhapsody. Gamers would have had an opportunity to get music cheaper and add one extra weapon in the console battle against Sony." I'm not so sure some of these are that big a deal. I'm more than a little glad the 360 has no web browser.

IGN has a piece on a modern NES clone, the NEX. Well constructed and designed to recapture a gamer's enthusiasm for the 80's gaming juggernaut, they have a rundown on the deck's features and extras. From the article: "Though there have been some rather weak attempts to remake the NES/Famicom prior to the NEX, Messiah really put some work into the production to make the NEX feel deserving of the love its users no doubt feel for the original. The device itself is small, cute, and very reminiscent of its forefathers with a front-loading NES cartridge slot and a top loading Famicom slot. The controller jacks are the same as the original NES, meaning you are welcome to use your original controllers if you still have some. Even the packaging is attractive, and the Generation NEX kit includes a cartridge-shaped manual in a slip case, packed with instructions written and illustrated in action-comic-book style and a mini rarity guide developed by Digital Press."

Gamespot is reporting that the next iteration in the Unreal Tournament series, UT 2007, has been announced as a PlayStation 3 launch title. From the article: "The game on display appeared to be Unreal Tournament 2007, the flashy-looking, Unreal Engine 3-based successor to the popular PC shooter Unreal Tournament 2004. However, neither Sony nor Epic would confirm when--or even if--UT 2007 would arrive on the PS3. Seven months later, the two companies have broken their silence. The January 2006 issue of PlayStation Magazine proudly proclaims that, yes, UT 2007 is coming to the PlayStation 3. Inside, the magazine also reveals that the game will be a launch title for the PlayStation 3, which is tentatively slated for a spring 2006 launch."

eToyChest is reporting that, if you play your cards right in the game version of the Kong film, King Kong might return home the end of the game. Apparently the designers thought people wouldn't want to play if they already knew the ending. From the article: "To unlock the alternate ending, players must complete the entire game and then go back and play through various maps and earn a total of 250,000 points. Other unlockable features include several Weta Digital concept art galleries, interviews with both Peter Jackson and Phillipa Boyens, an "old movie" filter, a King Kong theatrical trailer and more."

Gamasutra has a piece talking with Michael Rubin about his new book, Droidmaker. From the article: "GS: Why do you think George Lucas saw the importance of games so early, and why was he able to capitalize on it so relatively well? MR: I think he actually didn't see the importance early. He had to be convinced that a games effort wasn't going to be a distraction. Quickly though, he was able to integrate his personal interest with education and using technology to aid in education, with the research going on in the games group. Making video games was only one aspect of that groups' work."

Next Generation has an article breaking down the 10 best games released in Japan this year. From the article: "This game will debut next year in America as "Steambot Chronicles," which is kind of a cool name. It is an action-adventure about a girl, a young boy with amnesia, and his giant robot. Now, that sentence might describe a hundred thousand animes -- though please, stick around for a minute. There's more: your giant robot looks like a car with legs, the girl is the lead singer in a jazz-blues-rock band whose guitarist might be trying to kill her so he can raise the backup singer to the lead position, and the only possession found on the young boy with amnesia was a harmonica with his name engraved in it. Exciting, huh?"

SquareEnix has announced some of its plans for 2006. Gamasutra reports on an upcoming three year anniversary party for FFXI in March of next year. There will be some major announcements at the event, as well as information on the upcoming MMOG expansion. Gamespot also has information from the Jump Fest 2005 event, where SquareEnix displayed announced plans for a Dragon Quest VIII spinoff starring Yangus. Xbox 360 RPG studio Mistwalker was also there, with details on upcoming titles Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon.

Next Generation is running an article looking at the year in Gaming Politics, written by Mr. McCauley of the GamePolitics blog. From the article: "The silliest politicians of 2005 include North Carolina State Senator Austin Allran who proposed a bill to remove Solitaire from every state-owned PC; Illinois State Senator Deanna Demuzio, sponsor of the state's videogame legislation, who claimed games were neither art nor media; Pennsylvania State Rep. James Casorio who wrote there was no evidence that games are constructive forms of either recreation or learning; and Oklahoma State Rep. Fred Morgan, whose editorial recommending a videogame law for his state based on the Illinois model appeared three days after a federal judge ruled the Illinois law unconstitutional."

I try to look for the best in every situation. In the grand scheme of things, getting bumped from the first shipment of pre-ordered Xbox 360s to the second wasn't the end of the world. Indeed, it allowed me to focus on launch news and information, posting stories for the games page and absorbing the mood of early adopters. The reports that came back were mixed, with occasional technical difficulties and tepid gameplay marring the first next-gen launch. Overall though, gamers seemed to be pleased with their purchases. When my local game store called to let me know my console was in, I bit the bullet and swiped the plastic. Today I have for you a rundown on what it's like to go where others have gone before. Read on for my impressions of the Xbox 360 experience after a month of retail sales and a week of gameplay.

Gamasutra reporst that EA is reporting lower than expected earnings for the third quarter and fourth quarters. They also discuss some of the problems related to next-gen consoles PS3 and Xbox 360. From the article: "Probst noted that EA seemed to be keeping its 25% game market share for 2005 on current-gen game platforms, and was looking at closer to a 30% market share on both the Xbox 360 and PSP, meaning that, though the company was doing relatively well, it was still down on expectations. Finally, the EA execs mentioned specifically: 'Our expectation is that both the PlayStation 3 and Revolution will launch in calendar '06... our expectation would be the second half of calendar '06', meaning that the next-gen installed base can start to be built up starting next year."

There's been a lot of talk about the controversy surrounding the NGE changes to Star Wars Galaxies, but very little substantial analysis. Darniaq has commentary on the sweeping changes made to SWG, looking at how they've affected each system and what it means to the players. From the article: "Oh, hunting animals to sell their organic resources was a lucrative business, but that was combat as a means to an end. I didn't do it because fighting was fun. Even a number of attempts at combat revamps did not result in a markedly different game. They felt mostly like tweaks to a system most of the players had long since accepted. That it wasn't that fun for the average gamer didn't mean SWG wasn't fun for players. So why truly change a game when you're making money?"

hipernoico writes "Wired has a summary of good portable RPG games for the end of this year. 'What better way to travel than in the company of a dragon-slaying knight? ' " I've travelled thousands of miles playing various Game Boy Pokemon titles. Although lately WarioWare Touched and Meteos have taken the place of my usual RPG travel companions. What games will you be playing while dreading arriving at your parents house?

JamesAlfaro wrote to mention a News.com article about a pair of game store owners charged with Xbox modding. From the article: "Jason Jones and Jonathan Bryant, two Los Angeles residents who own the ACME Game Store on Melrose Ave., allegedly sold Xbox game systems that had been modified by Pei Cai, of Pico Rivera, Calif. Cai allegedly equipped the Xbox consoles with modification chips and large hard drives to allow the user to copy rented or borrowed games onto the device for future playback. Buyers would pay from $225 to more than $500 for the changes."

GameSetWatch reports on a Mario-themed MIT hack, transforming the 'little dome' into a NES wonderland. From the article at Laura's MIT Blog: "And of course, what Mario level would be complete without the all-important triangular flag? Unfortunately, one of the coolest parts of the hack was impossible to capture with a photograph. As I walked into Lobby 7, camera in hand, ready to document the hell out of MITMarioWorld, I was met with...music. The Mario theme was resonating throughout Lobby 7. It was. so cool."

We've reported once or twice on stories declaring the end of or salvation for PC Gaming. Today, Next Generation weights in on the latter, declaring PC Gaming is Not Dead Yet. From the article: "Relying on NPD's number blinds one to the ongoing evolution of PC game distribution. The key insight, as summarized in a new report from IM Consulting (the market-intelligence unit at Ignited Minds), is that 'the PC game software market is much more robust than a cursory glance at the data suggests...(our analysis) becomes a call to publishers to recognize that the PC market can be a very lucrative and profitable place to publish, if the games are done properly in the right genres.'" Ie: Make the right casual game or a hit MMOG and you can print money.

Sony Online Entertainment has patched in a mouse-only control scheme for Star Wars Galaxies, reports Chris Kohler's Game|Life Blog. We reported this weekend on the complaints of Nick Dupree, a disabled player who was unable to play after the NGE changes. From Chris' post: "Our new fast-action combat control scheme inadvertently presented a hardship for some without the use of both hands; for this reason we are introducing mouse-only play which allows all movements and abilities to be controlled through the mouse exclusively. This is live in the game right now and can be accessed through the options menu. "

Gamasutra reports that the 'Pokemon' cancer-causing gene has been renamed after legal threats were made by Pokemon USA. From the article: "Scientific journal Nature reported that Pokémon USA, the subsidiary company of Nintendo established to control the Pokémon brand in America, threatened to sue the cancer research center on the understandable grounds that equating Pokémon with cancer was doing harm to the brand's image. Sloan-Kettering acquiesced to the company's demands and changed the gene's name to the more unobtrusive Zbtb7."

The Press the Buttons blog has a rundown on some of the finest game compliations currently on offer. From the post: "After more than two decades of cranking out hit titles, the game industry has come to love compilation cartridges and discs. Publishers can crank out collections for relatively nothing in terms of cost, and fans can pick up a slew of their old favorites in a single box for a low price. However, as compilations have matured over the years some companies have become lazy about the process."

These are the last days of Asheron's Call 2. We've known since late August that the online world was slated for sunset, and Wired has a stirring look at the final days of a dying world. From the article: "The economy has also tanked. When the announcement first came down, players say, a majority of gamers immediately fled. Previously, you'd log on and find several hundred people online; now you'll get nine or 10. High-powered character accounts used to sell for as much as $500, but the online auctions have gone silent. That's partly because, as the end nears, Turbine is tossing out some freebies and giving away more "rare" items, making them less rare. Without a sense of a future, capitalism ends. There's no demand in a condemned world."