The main thrust of this news article is that developer-localizer Carpe Fulgur has released a demo for its first project,Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale.To understand why that’s kind of interesting and cool, though, you’ll need some background: Released by JapanesedoujingroupdEasyGameStationlast year,Recettearis about an eponymous shop owner who must raise money to pay off her father’s arrears under the watchful, but not altogether benevolent, eyes of Tear, a fairy come to collect....

Bungie’s classic Mac first-person shooterMarathon: Durandalis now available for download on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. A mere 800 points nabs you this Freeverse-made remake, souped up in high-definition. It’s just too bad that they didn’t include a barf bag in the bundle. That’s not to say thatMarathon: Durandalisn’t fun. It’s actually a great retro blast for the few minutes before the head-splitting dizzyness and lunch-tossing queasiness sets in. Gamers are complaining of motion sickness, and the game’s ultra-fluid frame rate of 60 frames per second probably has something to do with it....

There’s a lot of PlayStation news rolling out this morning, and some of it’s even good! Here’s a story that’s sure to please PS3 lovers, as the long-awaitedMass Effect 2port has been given a release date. Hooray! BioWare’s sprawling sci-fi RPG is due to land on August 06, 2025 in North America. Europe will get their copies slightly later on January 21. The studio will be including an interactive comic with the PS3 version, and the choice players make in that comic will actually affect the game itself....

In a rather strangeincentiveprogram, Marcelo Ebrard, the newly elected Mayor of Mexico City, is trying to curb gun violence in the city’s notoriously bad barrio; Tepito (barrio’s are dangerous? Who knew!). But instead of rounding up the usual suspects and putting them in the slammer, the Mayor has decided to take a different approach. You can now trade in your Tek-9 for just plain old tech. The Mayor is offering to exchange computers for guns (similar to San FranciscoCare not Cashprogram, but waaaay cooler), hoping that this program will encourage a drop in gun violence....

I’ve always hated the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink.” What the hell does that mean, anyway? I have to use it here, though. Therecently announcedMetal Gear Solid 4PlayStation 3 bundle does include everything but the kitchen sink, and that includes backwards compatibility for your PS2 game collection. You already knew that the bundle containedMGS4and an 80GB PS3. Also, DualShock 3? Check. Not bad for $499, right? But a PlayStation Blog reader wanted a bit more value in his bundle, according toMCV....

Paper craft is a great hobby that I personally wouldn’t have the patience for. I’d be covered in paper and glue, crying from countless paper cuts before I could make anything out of paper worth showing off. Ron over atPapercraft.netis a master of all things foldable. He has created some sweet video game characters out of paper; some in fact are so good you really need to look closely to realize they are made out of paper in the first place....

Microsoft Game Studios chief Phil Spencer is very excited about E3, so much so that heclaims he may“break the bank” by talking about a selection of titles that are about half a year away from release. “I came out of an E3 planning meeting just about an hour ago and we were looking at some of the plans for the future and things that we might want to tease,” beams Spencer....

Hello, my darlings. It’s your old pal Max with some more internet videos for you to watch instead of doing your homework. Our robot overlord Mr. Destructoid has social-engineered his way into theMs. ‘Splosion Man Pinball FX2table. You know, pinball? Like, those old steampunk arcade games? Ubisoft’s up to their old dirty DRM tricks again withDriver: San Francisco.Stop it. Seriously. DICE address the PC/console differences forBattlefield 3,and then add that it’skicking ass with pre-orders....

Microsoft has announced that a newHalo Legendsepisode, titledOrigins, and a holiday special ofRed vs. Blueare coming toHalo Waypointand Xbox Live very soon. The new episodes shall be running in the new year, and will surely be a must-watch for allHalofans. “InOrigins, fans ofHalolore will witness Forerunner battles with the Flood, through the present day ending of theHalotrilogy,” states MS. “The episode will shed light on some of the main events of theHalouniverse, which set the stage for the beloved series of Halo games....

My must-own game for this week isPrince of Persia. This game is just absolutely fantastic. I got a chance to play through the first level not too long ago and everything about the game was pretty awesome. I’m also looking forward toMushroom Menfor the Wii. I’ve played it a number of times now and really love the style of the game. Not much else on my radar for the week and that’s perfectly fine, as I still have a lot of catching up to do....

The upcomingSilent Hillsequel, previously known asSilent Hill 8, has been officially namedSilent Hill: Downpourin an upcoming issue ofGame Informer. First details of the game reveal a town so vast that it needs a Subway system to explore, with areas that include the never-before-seen Southeastern side of Silent Hill. There are no hospitals or schools in this area, eliminating locations that have been part of theSilent Hillexperience since inception, but there will apparently be optional sidequests this time around....

ngmoco, a notoriously good developer for the iPhone platform (Rolando,WordFu), recently raised ten million dollars from previous investors of the studio. Instead of blowing the cash on cocaine, hookers, inflatable pools, and Christmas decorations, the developer will “utilize the funding to expand its pipeline of premium games and accelerate the development of its publishing and social gaming platform for iPhone and iPod touch connected gaming.” Or in other words, make more iPhone games faster....

[As originally posted onTomopop] I had the pleasure of playingNinjatown, the upcoming DS title featuring the art and characters you know so well from the adorableShawnanimalsline, at this year’s E3. Shawn is every bit as cool as you might imagine a man to be who creates ninjas for a living, and the game has all the potential to be addictive as all hell. If you live in NYC, San Francisco or Chicago, you can actually get a peek at the game before it’s release thanks to the Ninjatown Sneak Peak Tour....