Gamespot has a piece running today revisiting some of the late and lamented game titles that never made it out of the development phase. Though the article covers all genres, there are a depressing number of canceled Massive titles on the list. From the article: "You'd be hard pressed to find a game whose cancellation caused Xbox owners to shout "D'oh!" louder than True Fantasy Live Online. The ambitious game was slated to be the system's first MMO and it was being crafted by seasoned Japanese developer Level 5, whose resume includes such gems as Dark Cloud 2 and Dragon Quest VIII. The game had all the signs of being one of those special landmark titles for a platform--more than just a seminal moment in the console's software library. The game's ambitious use of Xbox Live, which would have been the most extensive use of the service in a game ever, was more in line with the level of sophistication seen in a PC game. Unfortunately, it appears that Level 5's ambition was what led to TFLO being shelved. The game's scope and rich experience presented a sizable challenge for both the developer and Microsoft within the given time frame."

ImaNumber writes "Brittlefish has posted a nice roundup of the major multiplayer games currently available for the Nintendo DS. They make their picks on which ones have good wireless play and which ones just added it in as a gimmick." From the post: "If you have 2 Nintendo DS's or you know someone else who has one you've probably played some multiplayer games. And you want more. But which games are worth buying with the incentive of good multiplayer?"

Kimi writes "1UP is running a week's worth of coverage on Valve; content includes Aftermath, Lost Coast, Day of Defeat, Sin Episodes, Garry's Mod, Half-Life 2 Xbox, and an exclusive interview with Gabe Newell. Be sure to check out the kickass cover image, which was designed using assistance of the Garry's Mod community." From the subsite frontpage: "It all started with a tram ride into unknown catastrophe. With the release of Half-Life in 1998, Valve put themselves on the map as the undisputed saviors of PC gaming. For 1UP's second-ever cover story, we team up with sister-magazine Computer Gaming World and go behind Valve's iron curtains to get an exclusive sneak peek at Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the latest chapter in their Half-Life saga. "

As the launch for the Xbox 360 approaches, with incredibly expensive bundles up for offer, Joystiq takes a look back at expensive system launches of the past. From the article: "Commodore 64 - $1207.04 (originally valued at $595 in 1982) Despite being the most popular computer model of all time, selling between 17 and 25 million units, the Commodore 64 was a relatively expensive games machine by today's standards. However, it offered extremely good value for money by offering unprecedented sound and graphics quality."

Gamasutra has a Designer's Notebook column up this week offering up a Player's Bill of Rights. Written by Ernest Adams, the article decries the many indignities that we as players should never be forced to suffer. From the article: "The Right to Feedback: The player has a right to know how she's doing, and in particular, to some means of determining if she's in danger of losing the game. If the player doesn't get feedback, she can't adjust her strategy, and the outcome will feel random. Players need to know whether their approach is working or not."

MaxConsole writes "The Xbox hacking group smartXX has managed to unofficially get their hands on three Xbox 360 development kits. As if this wasn't enough, they have completely dissected the inner workings of the Xbox 360 dev kits, showing exactly how the Xbox 360 will work revealing all the details on the various hardware components."

1up.com has an unflinching article looking at what is broken about Halo 2, and what can be done to fix the problems. From the article: "The problem isn't the cliffhanger ending, because then you'd have to hate The Empire Strikes Back. Nor should you blame the prelaunch marketing plan that had consumers believing Halo 2 would be a battle for Earth -- it was documented before launch that the adventure would take place across the universe. It's not the Metal Gear Solid 2 hero-fakeout trick; while Master Chief represents Halo to many people, Bungie's use of the Arbiter to show another facet of the Halo universe demonstrated the company's commitment to the world of Halo and not the characters of Halo. And it's certainly not because Halo 2 didn't have cooperative online play. No, Halo 2 polarizes fans because of its multiplayer mode... and, more to the point, the problems therein. "

Anonymous Coward wrote to mention a Wired article about the rise of Pokerbots in online gaming venues. From the article: "Smart, skilled players are rewarded in the long run, especially online, where there are plenty of beginners who would never have the nerve to sit down at a real table. But WinHoldEm isn't just smart, it's a machine. Set it to run on autopilot and it wins real money while you sleep. Flick on Team mode and you can collude with other humans running WinHoldEm at the table. For years, there has been chatter among online players about the coming poker bot infestation. WinHoldEm is turning those rumors into reality, and that is a serious problem for the online gambling business."

Gamespot's excellent Rumor Control column this week has some weighty topics to consider. Specifically, they take on the rumor floating around that the revolution in the Revolution's controller will be 'tilt resistance'. From the article: "When Nintendo intimated that the truly revolutionary aspect of its next-generation consoles was in its controller, rumors began to fly fast and furiously. One of the very first was that it would incorporate gyroscopes, which would allow players to control games via physical movement of the controller. Later rumors said the controller would sport everything from a touch screen, which would allow for configurable virtual buttons, to there not being any controller at all--just a visor and floor-mounted motion sensor." Their verdict? We're going to have to wait and see what Iwata has to say at the TGS. Other topics covered this week include Nintencats and Killzone 2.

Nintendo sure has a lot of people scratching their heads, with news of the Revolution's hook still a ways off and Zelda moving ever further into the distance. Gamemethod thinks they know what's up, and have an editorial talking through Nintendo's strategy. From the article: "The most problematic system for Nintendo appears to be the GameCube. Clearly, support for the indigo box has declined rapidly over the past couple years, with third-party publishers cutting off support and many of its exclusives (especially those from Capcom) spreading to other consoles after experiencing little success with the GameCube's limited user base. GameCube has seen a couple terrific first-party exclusives recently; such as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door; but in order for the system to hold up at all against the technologically superior Xbox 360 (not to mention the original Xbox and PlayStation 2), Nintendo needs a new killer app for their console.". Gamemethod aren't the only ones thinking about the big N. IGN has a rundown on the new GBA Micro, and Press The Buttons unearthed some gems: legally viewable Super Mario Bros. Super Show episodes. That's more Italian plumber than you can shake a stick at.

Gamecloud has an article that goes into detail about the good, bad, and fun of playing a villain in a game. The article refers to several psychological studies, and has developer commentary from across the game design board. From CliffyB's comments: "Video games are a playable fantasy and there are few things more alluring than living out the fantasy of being evil and doing bad or illegal actions without any real world repercussions. As a designer, the best thing I can do when I allow the user to indulge in that fantasy is to show that there are ramifications for those actions. In GTA the more police you attack the harder the game gets, ultimately resulting in capture or death."

Next Generation has a piece up stating that, according to a JuniorSenior Research poll, something like 60% of all children play video games every day. From the article: "39% of the children polled said they were happy to pay a high price for games they especially wanted, and said they had saved up to buy a particular game. A third of children say their friends are the primary resource for information about new games, signaling the absolute importance of playground evangelists. Surprisingly a quarter of kids say advertising is a key source of information, while only 10% say they rely on TV shows."

The Escapist has an article up discussing what they refer to as The Greatest Generation of Games, ala the people who fought in World War II. From the article: "The decade between the Fall of Atari and the Rise of Doom was a dark age for many gaming companies, as wave after wave perished in an onslaught of returns and red ink. Arcade gaming vanished, seemingly, overnight. Computer gaming seemed like it was going to be relegated to geeks; console gaming, to children. But just as modern society was birthed only after the fall of Rome swept away Antiquity, so, too, modern gaming was born from the ashes of the Golden Age, with products from upstart companies like Nintendo, Sega, and Electronic Arts."

Disney's ToonTown Online is finally getting a day in the sunshine. Gamespot is reporting that Sony Online Entertainment is going to be publishing the game commercially, both for the PC and console systems. From the article: "The boxed version of the game will retail for $19.95, which includes a two-month subscription to the $9.95-a-month service. Toontown has been available directly from the game's official Web site since June 2003."

1up.com has news, via MCVUK, that PSP VP of Studios Phil Harrison has classified Nintendo's entry into the handheld market as 'irrelevant'. From the article: "The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance...Those formats don't appear in our planning. It's not a fair comparison; not fair on them, I should stress. That sounds arrogant, maybe, but it's the truth." 1up.com's commentary is well seen. From their piece: "Whether or not you fully agree, Nintendo DS can come off as gimmicky, but Sony's commentary is fairly strange." Read on for my own short commentary.

Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes "A Wall Street Journal article looks at the myriad ways, some surprising, that voice is being integrated into websites and other online tools. Usages range from the familiar--multiplayer gaming--to conducting business transactions and long-distance relationships. 'Ten years ago, the first Web sites were like company brochures, says Jeff Pulver, the VoIP pioneer. 'No one ever expected to have the ability to engage a community virtually. But now a lot of services are becoming a part of the Internet experience, including video, email and voice.'" Update: 08/27 00:12 GMT by Z : Corrected the attempt to 'enchant' and 'enhance' in the same word.

heday writes "1up.com has a comprehensive strategy guide for Nintendogs, which was released this Monday. The article explains a lot of the nuances and idiosyncratic stuff with videos and pics." From the article: "The subtle sounds of shuffling feet running towards you. Those adoring eyes glazing at you with complete obedience. The moist soft tongue running up and down the back of your feet. That pendulum tail wagging back and forth that embodies the dog's adoration for you. If there were any companion animals vying to be man's best friend, the dog would be unmatched in terms of friendship, loyalty, and devotion. Anyone who has loved a dog would testify that raising one is truly one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But owning a dog is no walk in the park--it requires the utmost responsibility. "

HarvardFrankenstein writes "A Nintendo press release confirms what many people have already speculated: the recent delay of the release of the Nintendo DS game, Metroid Prime Hunters, will give the developers time to implement support for the upcoming Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. From the release: 'Metroid Prime Hunters will launch in the first quarter of 2006, complete with access to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's upcoming online gaming service. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will debut before the end of the year with a Mario Kart® and an Animal Crossing® game, and will let players connect wirelessly with one another as easily as if they were sitting in the same room.' This is excellent news, as many people felt that the first person shooter would suffer heavily without online multiplayer support."

Kyle Orland (the video game ombudsman) has a new site, VGM Watch, and today he has commentary and and interview on a team up between G4TV and Gamespot. Given the tone of the interview, there will be more collaboration between the two businesses in the future. From the article: "Usually, the worlds of online games journalism and televised games journalism remain relatively competitive. Sure, an online outlet may report on the latest televised game awards show and members of the online media may sometimes appear on TV, but usually the two media are competing for the same eyeballs, rather than collaborating to create joint content. That changed this week, though, when GameSpot and G4 teamed up to produce four half-hour episodes of Cinematech (the shows premiered over the past two days, but this is G4, so there will be at least 50 repeats in the next week). I talked to Gamespot's Greg Kasavin about the G4 collaboration, the differences between TV and the Web, and the future of putting video into video game journalism."

Funkmon writes "For the last two years, Slashdot has announced the Rockets on Prisoner Awards. This year, though, is different and better. The winners will win real golden Master Chief trophies, Red vs. Blue DVDs, and much more. There was a public nomination process around a week ago, and now, the website is open for voting on Halo Movies. See a Halo movie you really liked? See if it's nominated, and vote for it!"