Videogames have never been immune to politicians, especially when it comes to violence. But using a videogame as a promotion device? That’s a new one. According to a trustedGamePoliticssource supplying pictures, it appears as though Barack Obama is now targeting the “I like driving fast” demographic viaBurnout Paradise. As you can see, it’s a billboard featuring Obama’s face and a message which states that early voting has begun. It also has a handy URL for helping voters find places where they can toss down that early, but important vote....

Japan has an all girl pro-wrestling league called NEO. All ages can fight in NEO and as you can see in this video, the young grade school girl kicks the 20-something-year-old’s ass. Of course, it’s not pro wrestling but it’s more entertaining than WWE at least. Check out Japanator for more videos of this NEO wrestling league. On Destructoid, Chad picks the best videogames to play during an earthquake. On Japanator, fansubs are pretty funny....

THQ announced today that they’ve made nice with Maryland (what, what represent!) based developer, Big Huge Games. The mighty duo will be creating a brand new Role-Playing Game for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in 2009. Hold on to your pre-order dollars. Yes, it’s going to be awhile, but there’s no doubt the game is definitely going to be huge. A few months ago,Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionandElder Scrolls III: Morrowindlead designer, Ken Rolston, hopped aboard the Big Huge Games team....

2K Games’ BioShock community,The Cult of Rapture, has revealed that the first episode of theBioShock 2podcast will premiere on April 13. It will presumably focus on the upcoming sequel, and will likely be litered with cryptic gameplay and narrative hints. Can’t wait for that. But that’s not all — theBioShock 2madness doesn’t stop there. You already know it’s featured on thecover ofGame Informermagazine. But did you know it’ll be featured on the cover of 25 other magazines, too?...

The Wii highlights Best Buy’s doorbuster deal. You’ll be able to nab the console for $169.99 which will includeWii SportsandWii Sports Resort. On the Xbox 360 side, you can get the Xbox 360 4GB slim for $199.99 along withLEGO Batman, LEGO Star Wars Complete SagaandLEGO Indiana Jones. As for the PlayStation 3, you can get the 160GB model for $299 which includesModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanetandCarson Blu-Ray. Best Buy will also have the Red and Green DSi for $149....

Recently, upwards of 50,000 peoplesigned a petitiondemanding thatDiablo III‘s color palette be darkened. Luckily for us, the fan outcry wasn’t enough to make Blizzard reconsider the game’s art direction. Talking toMTV Multiplayer, lead designer Jay Wilson says that “there’s no going back now.” He comments thatDiablo IIIoriginally had a darker color scheme, but the team eventually decided against it. “When you have 30 creatures on screen — and four or five different types — target prioritization is a factor....

Even those us of notliving in theDallas-Fort Worth area can get in on theBorderlandsmidnight launch madness. While the rest of us won’t be able to hang with the Gearbox crew physically, we can certainly do so in spirit. Over 1,300 GameStops are set to hold midnightBorderlandsreleases, and if this sounds like something you want to attend (protip: it likely is), then head on over to thismassive forum postpacked with every single last store location....

If you were wondering “What’s the deal with the silly ‘Combat Evolved’ inHalo?”, here’s your answer — blame Microsoft. In an interview with withEdge,Halodesigner Jaime Grisemer said that Microsoft didn’t feel that the name“Halo”would hold any weight as a videogame brand. It wasn’t descriptive enough, said the publisher. Bungie drew a line in the sand, saying the name would have to stand, but there was a compromise — adding a subtitle, “Combat Evolved....

Following E3 the majority of you would have gathered that I am quite theGearsfangirl, but despite my love for the franchise I cannot justify getting rid of my new Xbox 360 Slim just for the newly skinnedGears of Warversion due to be released alongside the upcoming game’s launch. However, Calibur11 may have solved that little problem as they have announced a partnership with Epic Games to release an all newGears of Warvault for the Xbox 360 Slim....

Capcom’s got something up its sleeve, and it’s set to reveal it next week on Japanese Xbox LIVE. Word comes fromFamitsuthat the publisher will reveal the title on Tuesday, January 26. It’s likely that the reveal will come in the form of a video on Xbox LIVE, much howLost Planet 2was announced last year. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive; despite appearance thatLost Planet 2would be, the game is coming to PlayStation 3 andmostly likely PCthis year....

Apparently some game devs have been whining about the Nintendo 3DS. No names are mentioned, but it was enough to piss a high-profile game maker off. Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono is not having it. He’s all about the 3DS and the power under its hood, so much so that he said that he “went over the moon three times because of the 3D vision, hardware spec and the extensive network functions.”...

As if you needed any proof, we havenumbersconfirming that the PS3 version ofResident Evil 5has outsold the Xbox 360 version in Japan, where the lure of Achievements hold no sway over the minds of mortal men. Of course, since the 360 version doesn’t come packed withCliché RPG VIII, it didn’t stand a chance. The PlayStation 3 version has thus far sold 222,000 copies in comparison to the 360’s mere 56,000. In slightly more interesting news,Resident Evil 5has beaten outResident Evil 4‘s initial sales of 117,000 GameCube copies and 145,000 PS2 copies....

Well I wasn’t expecting this. Yes, it’s a wartime FPS, in card form! Usually the realm of wizards and goblins, theCall of Dutyreal-time card gamebrings guns and Russian terrorists to the world of card-based dueling. The premise for the game is fast-paced play, in which there are no turns taken and everything happens in real-time. Game creator Upper Deck claims it is perfect for fans of the series, and states that it is closer to a first-person shooter than an actual card game....