Think EA treats its employees unfairly? Think gold farmers in far off lands have it bad? Check out what the crew of Destructoid was subjected to over in Las Vegas during CES. Unfortunately, we were unable to photograph the electric shock machine for bad grammar, but you get the picture … literally. Now this is living!

[Character Studies is a series about videogame characters talking about videogames. It used to be calledSundays with Sagat, but then we had to fire Sagat because he was unprofessional towards a famous person.] In this episode, Commander Video, star of theBit.Tripseries, takes a trip to the hospital, where Felicia fromDarkstalkersasks him medical questions pertinent to his condition. Watch closely and you’ll get some exclusive information onBit.Trip BEATfor Steam/iPhone/iPad, and the upcoming penultimate chapter in theBit....

Fans ofDemon’s Soulsmay want to venture back into the dismal realm of Boletaria this holiday season, as Sony has recently teased a mysterious event due to occur around Christmas. What the surprise will be, Sony shan’t say, but it seems that the game may ease up on players in the spirit of the season. “Heroes of Boletaria, take heart,”Tweets Sony. “Rumor has it the Old One’s power will falter in the days following the winter solstice....

That right there is a photo of mecelebrating my 27th birthdayat Chuck E. Cheese’s. It was a depressing, miserable experience, watching children mindlessly pump tokens into ticket redemption scams so they could walk out the door with a piece of plastic worth less than fifty cents. Now, UFO Interactive will bring the experience of child exploitation into your home! A listing has cropped up on GameFly for a kart racing game based on the Chuck E....

Crysis 2wasn’t on my radar at all this year. I mean, I know I was going to play it eventually, but it wasn’t a “OMG I HAVE TO IT IMMEDIATELY” kind of a thing. That is until I played someCrysis 2multiplayer at a recent press event. Now I can’t wait to get the game.Call of Duty: Black Opsjust didn’t cut it for me andCrysis 2is going to become that fast-paced FPS I’ve needed to fill the void for my itchy trigger fingers....

Do you loveCrysis? Can you read? OH THEN WE HAVE THE TREAT OF TREATS FOR YOU, YOUNG SIR! Del Ray Books has announced a novel based onCrysis 2titledCrysis: Legion. Sci-fi writer Peter Watts is penning the masterpiece, which is pegged as an “adaptation” of the game’s story. So I’m guessing it’ll beCrysis 2‘s story with better writing, essentially. The last game-based novel I read wasDragon Age, which was pretty good....

These days it seems like Microsoft sets the bar when it comes to online gameplay and in-game customization. While Microsoft’s competitors offer their own innovations, it’s hard to shake the feeling that things are missing from their gameplay experiences. PS3 owners have been waiting for (begging for) the addition of some of those Microsoft innovations to their games. This week’sPlayStation Network updatefeatures a couple of games that include these wanted features....

[Update:Electronic Arts has told us this this is not intended as DRM, but as part of the experience. According to the publisher, even if you’re playing a single-player game, your loot and experience need to be sent to EA’s online servers for use with co-op and PvP. While PC players are still upset over the restrictions, EA is adamant it’s a required part of the experience.] Here we go again! Electronic Arts has, for the hundredth time, upset PC gamers with more needless DRM restrictions....

Usually when retailers let you pick a game for a bargain or bundle, it’s a piece of crap. Walmart is actually giving you a good selection with this Xbox Live Gold membership bundle, though. For only $79 and a couple dollars shipping you get a card for 12 months of XBLA and your choice of one of the following: There are actuallyseveral more games to choose form in this deal....

After playingResistance 2at length, I wondered if Insomniac suffered from the same issue that Bungie probably had with theHalotrilogy — development time. Time is a funny thing. Take too much and fans are disappointed. If a developer takes too little, fans are disappointed. It’s a thin line, indeed. The originalResistancetitle,Fall of Man, was a flagship title for the PlayStation 3, much likeHalo: Combat Evolvedwas for the Xbox. Success and generally fabulous reviews do have one setback — publishers always want more....

Supergiant Games’ first title,Bastion,hits Xbox Live Arcade next week, on July 20. It’s going to cost 1200 MS Points, and based on what I’ve seen and played, will be totally worth the price. If you’re unfamiliar withBastion, this launch trailer that publisher Warner Bros. Interactive just released should get you caught up. “Beautiful, inventive, and absolutely captivating” pretty much sums it up for me right here. What do you think?...

Hey Destructoid! No Apparent Reason Parties — NARPs for short — are a long standing tradition here at Destructoid. NARPs are parties hosted by Dtoiders for Dtoiders and everyone is welcome to attend a party. It’s about playing games and interacting with other people all in the name of having a good time. According to Jonathan Coulton, the month of May brings interesting outdoor recreational activities. In the same spirit of the month, Dtoid Regional Groups from all over the world are making plans to meetup at various events for gaming, movies, and all around great times....

My first mistake with Spike’sShinobido 2demo for PlayStation Vita is that went head-on toward the first enemy I saw. He killed me. I was told by a Spike representative that I was overlooking the stealth aspect of the game. I wasn’t being very ninja-like, in other words. And no, this is notTenchu. My second attempt was a bit more successful. I made better use of the various control methods the Vita provided, making it easier to sneak around feudal Japan on my assigned killing mission....