Well, sort of. With the new Avatar system being integrated into the new Xbox 360 dashboard, some people have been hard at work (read: bored) creating avatar versions of some of their favorite characters and people including Super Mario, Kratos, Chuck Norris and more. Game characters, movie stars and political figures are in the line-up and heck even some really bad creations are in there too. I have posted a couple after the jump but you can check out the rest of them by following the link at the bottom of the article. source: Check out the whole bunch created by the guys at GamesRadar by clicking here.

Well, I am an old-school NFS fan, I played them from the first one, right down to the point when I started losing interest, somewhere around the release of Carbon, So I take it that I am the perfect candidate for one of these promised smiles and to be honest, I am more than happy to have my mind changed.... Watching Maggie Q standing in a strangely dark lit room saying something like "Ok, your getting in deeper and that's exactly where I want you" (I can't tell if that is supposed to sound that bad) over the span of what must be around 5 - 10 seconds does not exactly make me want to break out the popcorn just yet. We can't expect too much of a story from a racing game but this time it looked like we were going to get given one, which is the only reason why it's quite a letdown so far.... It seems as if they have tried to squeeze every single next-gen visual effect onto the screen at the same time, ultimately making it so overdone that you basically can't see what is going on. image: IGN All the races take place during sunset or sundown (and there is no excuse for not yet integrating day/night cycles into the series yet) , so you have the sun in your face a lot of the time.... The roads are strangely reflective, as if they are constantly wet (but even more shiny than usual) and the cars themselves are also overly shiny and reflective, essentially making everything look so full of white reflection marks that it just looks plain ugly and the glow effects on everything can be such a visual distraction that you will end up slamming into a pillar at full speed just because it was too difficult to see what's in front of you.... Most of the time it will be relatively fine but it can drop like a brick through certain areas and is so inconsistent that it will pick up when you face your car away from the city towards the open seas, causing times where the framerate could drop down to around 5 - 8 framers per second and then jump straight up to 60fps as you turn a corner.... While I never really thought about them much in previous games, the sound guys have done such a fantastic job in keeping the dialogue realistic that I started to wonder if they had just plain stolen it off of some Real TV episodes.... The customisation has been cut down, which I don't really see as a bad thing to be honest and to make things even more laughable (especially when compared to other titles on the market), elements like simple vinyls don't even show up in online Multiplayer races.... While I can understand that yes, maybe there are some people out there who are short on time and would rather pay to get ahead, It is not in the spirit of gaming and comes across more as a willingness to make extra profits in every way possible and with no shame.... image: IGN Take that great driving mechanic and destroy it's fun factor with low framerates, repetitive races, lack of motivation from the story and an almost useless open world and you are really left with nothing but a game that feels like it has only moved backwards. At the end of the day the game feels like a stripped down and emptied out version of some of the past titles and while that may be fine for handheld titles, it really is unacceptable for a Next-Gen title from a large company such as EA.... Those were the good old days of the Need for Speed franchise and while I really did enjoy the move to street racing with the Underground series and even Most Wanted, I think that it should have ended there. Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted, Carbon and Undercover feel like they are still the same game at their core and while I commend EA on trying something different with Pro Street, it isn't the kind of "different" that many of the fans are looking for.... I really cannot recommend this game to anyone looking for a fun racer to play on their console because in all truth, I would rather recommend picking up a cheap copy of NFS: Most Wanted instead, purely because it feels like it is a more advanced game.... Scoring: Gameplay: 6/10 [ Driving is fun but hampered by too many other factors ] Presentation: 4/10 [ No, no ,no ,no, no ] Sound: 8.5/10 [ A magnificent gem in a bucket of rocks ] Value: 6/10 [ While there is quite a lot to do, there is little motivation to carry on and the multiplyer is easily trounced by rival titles ] Overall: 6/1 0 [ Nothing more than a reminder that the Need for Speed series is in need of a serious change.

Destructoid picked up an interesting difference between the Madden 09 PS3/Xbox 360 covers and the Wii cover. In the PS3 version Brett Favre (who is like a God to NFL fans) is all action and sporty. However on the Wii side he looks more like a demented psychopath, which is apparently what happens when you force a big burly football …

While the initial release date was set for the end of March 2009, a press release has been released stating that the game is indeed now confirmed for January 21. While the only downside is that a lot of people are still going to be incredibly broke from the combination of the recent gaming season mixed together with the expenses of the holidays, I am still really happy that the game is going to be in my console so much sooner.... We can probably expect a demo to be releasing fairly soon then as well and considering that I got more playtime out of the original Skate's demo than some of my full titles, I can't wait. The creation tools, referred to as the "Graphics Creator" is going to allow gamers to create custom graphics to apply to their hats, shirts and decks through an online web-based application, allowing gamers to look far more unique than before. For anyone interested, here is the full press release: SKATE 2 HITS STORES JANUARY Satisfy the Skate Craving with the All-New Graphics Creator or Pre-order Now for Exclusive Access to the Throwback Pack

...– 25th November, 2008 – Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Skate 2, the sequel to the genre-defining original game will hit retailers in North America on January 21st, 2009 and worldwide on January 23rd, 2009 – making it one of the first must-have games of 2009. Players that can’t wait until January can indulge their irrepressible Skate craving even sooner, with the Graphics Creator, a web-based customization tool launching next month on www.skate.ea.com. For those in North America anxious to shred the streets in blaring style can pre-order now for an exclusive code to unlock the Throwback Pack, a special upgrade pack that includes retro clothing, accessories and gestures.... With this tool, gamers have the freedom to create custom graphics for their in-game hats, decks and shirts, infusing their skateboarding experience with an unrivaled level of individuality.... Skate 2 brings gamers to New San Vanelona, a city that’s been rebuilt after an unspeakable disaster five years ago. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, players are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the skate scene. Now with the ability to get off-board and move objects around, gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges which can then be uploaded, shared and experienced by others around the world. Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding with all-new tricks that allow players to truly skate it their way – on and off the board. Skate 2 is developed by Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be available on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Those that want to skate indoors over the holidays can enjoy Skate It with family and friends on the Wii™ and the Nintendo DS™ available in stores now.... More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

I always like receiving these press releases as it means the game is virtually assured of not being delayed. Prince of Persia is expected to land on our retail shelves on the 5th of December (12th for PC) and by all expectations it is going to be making a late run for the Game of the Year title or at …

Sony famously stated that the PS3 will last for 10 years and that you are investing in your future by picking one up, Microsoft on the other hand haven’t put a timeline down but were widely expected to replace the 360 in 2010/2011 with their next version. However that plan may now be changing and we could see the 360 …

Tomb Raider has always felt like a Sony game to me so this news shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise. Though I don’t know why I see Tomb Raider as being a PlayStation game as most of my Lara time was spent behind a PC but there you have it. Anyway according to GamesIndustry.biz the latest iteration of …

So just like the real 50 cent, the franchise can't be killed and is back for more. I never had the chance to play the first "Fiddy" game but I heard that it was a pile of crap. The real scary news is that we have heard that this new title is actually looking pretty good. The gameplay seems to steal elements from Gears of War, Bourne Identity and a couple others ant to be honest, I would rather that they leech off of some other concepts than just release more horse dung out into the world. I can see some potential from the trailer but at the same time a lot of us know that if the cover system and the gunplay aren't finely tuned then it can spoil the whole game. I'm not going to be expecting too much from the story to be honest but if the rest of it is fun then it might not really matter.