I spotted this Podcastle graphic last night while onthe Forumsand immediately died laughing for about five minutes. Awesome things happen in the Forums, people. Ben Perlee checked out Berkeley’sStarcraftclass, Samit checked outUncharted 2, go waste a few hours on GoS-CPT-Stewart’sPong-Karugagame, Niero wants random crap for the Destructoid offices, and plenty more happened on 02/10/09. Destructoid Originals:The Podcastle records today. Say stuff!Podtoid 86: This podcast is a LIEStarcraft 101: Sitting in on Berkeley’s class on Zerg rushingDestructoid Interview: Infinite Interactive’s Steve FawknerRetRose Tinted: Mickey MousecapadeGame Debate to the Death!...

High Voltage’sThe Grinderis weird. On theXbox 360, PS3 and PC, it will be a top-down action game inspired byHunter: The Reckoning. On Wii, it will remain the concept it originally started life as — a co-op FPS inspired byLeft 4 Dead. Contrary to popular belief, the Wii version was not axed, and basically the IP will live as two different types of game. “The expansion ofGrinderto 360 and PS3 and its subsequent change in gameplay and perspective has been somewhat misinterpreted as a universal change across all platforms,” explains the studio....

The firstStreet Fighter IVUltra Combo videofeatured the male ultra combos from Capcom’sother fighting game. This time around, the ladies show off their stuff and kick some serious ass. I just adore the editing in these videos. So good.

Sound isn’t usually given much emphasis in videogames these days. Bland, generic music and weak sound effects punctuate far too many modern titles.The Last Storyis doing things differently, however, putting a major focus on sound production and developing sound effects in tandem with the gameplay to create a cohesive world. “I believe we’re progressing well with sound effect production,” writes Mistwalker. “We placed importance on it from the start, and while it is out of the ordinary from a scheduling standpoint, we started sound development simultaneous with the start of production....

Way back in 2006,Grimand Istartedthe tradition of praising our most anticipated Xbox 360 games each year, and this year we’re starting things off nice and early.Last yearwe both picked some good ones and had the pleasure of seeingmostof our choices reach their expected release dates. This year we see a few games return, plenty of new faces and a very promising early schedule for Xbox 360 owners. Check out both our full lists below, and be sure to add a list of your own in the comments!...

A press release hit my inbox earlier today in whichEVE Onlinedevs CCP Games announced the release of their latest patch for the human-condition-masked-as-a-space-opera title. Aswe had previously mentioned, this is the release in whichEVEgetsthe graphical faceliftafter four years of looking like a Heinlein day dream. The release also sees the addition of new ships, new skills, and a larger version number onthe title’s ‘Patch Notes’ page. If you’re interested in the press release itself, hit the jump....

We haven’t heard too much aboutNo More Heroes 2: Desperate Strugglelately, which had me worried that the game wasn’t going to make itsJanuary 2010 launch date. Seeing the ESRB rating for the game has put those worries to rest. Unless the game’s publisher has a sudden change of heart,NMH2should arrive right on schedule. That’s just the start of the good news. ThisESRB rating summaryfor the game almost seems to be bragging about how awesomeNo More Heroes 2will be....

GamerVision caughtthis ad that’s appearing inside some big comics right now. As you may see, it’s the Thing and the Hulk battling it out through the newPunch-Out!! This ad is completely unrealistic. First of all, look at the Thing’s hands. His fingers are way too big for the Wiimote and Nunchuk. No way would he be able to playPunch-Out!!or any other videogame for that matter. And the Hulk? Well the Hulk is too stupid to be able to play a game....

[This Week in the Community is your weekly look at some of the best Community related work that has come from the Community Blogs and Forums.] No game room this weekend. Instead, check out Mxyzptlk and his gang of crazies video entry to theDarksidersmanly contest. They were late in submitting the video, but it’s way too epic not to share with everyone. MAGFest was awesome, munnyman5 is roasting the staff, a few people were showing off their Secret Santa gifts, more people are making disturbing Podtoid art, Ali D is full of win and more happened in the community over the last couple of weeks....

What isRage, exactly? “It’s notMotorStorm, it’s notFallouteither,” says id CEO Todd Hollensheadduring an episodeof GameTrailers TV. It’s hinted that the game isn’t open-world per se, but the environments aka “wastelands” are vast in comparison toDoom 3, and the “traditional id style FPS action” is present through combat-focused “instances.” I can’t speak for the rest of you, but that quick-and-dirty description has got me fairly excited. Unfortunately,Ragewon’t be released this year, so now I’ve been forced into the fetal position while weeping heavily....

Toucans are the best birds in the world, and so I’m delighted to be hearing that PC strategy gameTropicois making its Xbox 360 debut with the release ofTropico 3. To be honest, I know very little about the series, but any game with toucans in it is a friend, so I hereby resolve to be interested inTropicofor the rest of my life. According to our resident PC guy Jonathan Ross,Tropicois basicallyCivwith more communism and jokes about oppressing South Africans....

Nintendo isn’t the only one who wants to make gamers into ambassadors, but unlike the 3DS variety, nobody is giving away free videogames if you become aVideo Game Voters Network Ambassador. The program, which is open to any college or university student in the United States, is aimed at educating interested parties about the facts and myths related to the gaming industry. The Ambassador part comes from recruitment, which is part of the goal here....

As new videos, images, and tidbits of information about Starbreeze’sThe Darknesshave been popping up lately, I’ve become more and more obsessed with the game. Yes, it is another first-person shooter. But,The Darknessisn’t an average, ordinaryFPS. Here’s why:•If theopening sequencefor the game is any indication as to how the storyline will be,The Darknessshould prove to be very entertaining during actual gameplay and throughout cut-scenes.•Mike Pattonprovides the voice for the darkness. ‘Nuff said....