I have feared this day since I first saw my cohorts get sucked into the disease at the various shows we have attended. That disease isRock Band(PS3, X360). It will suck their souls dry I’m afraid to say …As far as the other games go, I don’t think I’ll be picking any of these up! I have too many games to play through as it is, and the only one I really want isGhost Squadbut there’s no way I’m paying for a new copy of that game — even with the all thehalf-naked chicks....

Leading mobile game developer ngmoco has something to say about the next generation of dedicated gaming handhelds, and it’s not pretty! According to boss man Neil Young, theNGPis going to fail hard. “I think they are hurt; I think they’re clearly hurt,” said Young, talking about Nintendo and Sony versus mobile gaming. “I think PSP is done and the new [NGP] is dead on arrival. It’s really difficult to compete with an app store that has hundreds of thousands of applications and a wide range of options where the average price paid is around $1....

I really love adventure games but there are two major problems that I have with the genre. The first is that they tend to fly under the radar with very little fanfare. The second is that the really cool-looking ones usually come out in Europe, leaving me panting for a US release. Such is the case withNikopol: Secrets of the Immortals. All I have to go on is the above trailer and a press release blurb with a sparse plot summary (which you can see after the jump)....

I hadn’t heard ofAkimi Villageprior to today, but it’s instantly recognizable. You see, I played (and loved)A Kingdom for Keflingsand its follow-up,A World of Keflings. Akimi Villageis now available on the PlayStation Network (June 22 in Europe), and at first glance, it appears to essentially be more of the same city building and resource management of theKeflingstitles. Minus the Xbox Avatars, of course. Since this is a different audience, sure, why not?...

It makes sense that Nintendo would want to use their portable, wireless touchscreen device for things other than gaming. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata outlined a couple of ideas that they’re working on for the DS. Iwata says that the DS would be useful in places like train stations, museums, and amusement parks, although he didn’t give specifics. We’re guessing they’ll be used for localized uses like information, directions, and even something like food menus....

Depending on your TV viewing habits as a child, you may forever associate the letters N.O.M with the sounda certain “googly-eyed” Sesame Street charactermade while smashing cookies against his forehead in a fit of confectionery bliss. However, if a recent trademark filing has anything to do with it, those letters will soon be the acronym for Nintendo Online Magazine. At this point, no details are known about this potential companion (or replacement) toNintendo Power— or if it even exists at the moment....

PAX is just three days away now (ZOMG) and Microsoft has finalized what they’ll be showing off at PAX. The biggest title of the bunch isGears of War 2.The multiplayer mode will be available for hands-on play and this is will be the first time the multiplayer mode has been made open to the public to try out. Joshua Ortega, the lead writer for the game, and Pete Hayes, artist for the game, will both be around from 1-2 PM every day of PAX to sign specialGears of War 2posters....

In aninterviewwithNGamermagazine,Tatsunoko vs. Capcomproducer Ryota Niitsuma revealed that everyone’s favorite defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, had been planned as a playable character in the crossover fighting game. Unfortunately, the team found difficulty in creating a moveset for Wright, due to his limited arsenal of combat techniques: …because Phoenix Wright only has one move, ‘Objection!’, we struggled. We designed a move for him: when he says objection, the actual writing attacks the opponent....

Randy “Savage” Pitchford is at it again. The outspoken Gearbox Software president has moved on fromcriticizing Valveand is now focusing on id Software and Crytek, two of the biggest PC developers out there. Randy believes that the two studios have pushed technology to a point where they risk their own doom. “This is going to be the longest generation we’ve seen in the last few of them,” Pitchford tellsOXM. “Some people have invested a lot going to a place that’s too far, and the customers aren’t ready for that yet because they don’t have the hardware for it....

Inpart oneof our examination ofDante’s Infernoand how it compares to its source material, Joseph Leray, Benjamin PerLee and I took on the first three Circles. We’ve talked about dead babies, giant phallus towers and excrement. We’re off to a rip-roaring start but a start is all it is. We have to go all the way baby. All the wayhome. Those first three sins are for chumps. They’re barely even part of Hell, practically a suburb....

Polygonal PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has stated that the upcomingPlayStation Suitemobile service is taking an “open stance” with regards to platform. Although it’ll hit Androids first, it could come to iOS, Windows Phone 7 and even expand into television. “We have a completely open stance with carriers and with hand set makers,” said Hirai. “There are a variety of OSes but we’re focusing first on Android. There’s also Windows, iOS and so forth, but we don’t have the resources to make it compatible with everything from the start....

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, gather ’round and feast your ears on the astounding presentation of Man Vs. Beast that is Podtoid 119. See Brad Nicholson go head to head with the undefeated Hippity Hopper in a twelve-round bout to the finish.

PR firm The Redner Group has been fired by 2K Games after threatening to blacklist those reviewers deemed too “venomous” in their appraisal ofDuke Nukem Forever. It later transpired that the threat was an unplanned and rash statement, not approved by 2K. Redner later apologized on Twitter and sent out personal emails to companies, Destructoid included. “Many went too far with their reviews,” wrote Redner on his company’sofficial Twitter account....