We’re getting a ton of news, fast and furious-like, from Namco Bandai’s annual Level Up press conference. First off, the biggest news is thatSoulCalibur 5has been announced, which ought to get a lot of juices flowing amongst gamers. But there’s a lot more going on than justSoulCalibur. Here’s a rundown of the announcements we’ve heard so far:

“These video games — gosh, they’ve gotten a lot more realistic over the years,” says Fox 26’s newscaster Ned Hibberd in the opening of a segment called Videogame Addiction on Houston’s Fox station. In the segment, which can be found in their Videogames can be Explicit, Addictive story, they talk with neurotherapist Ron Swatzyna, who says that gamers’ “brains can not tell the difference between being in real combat and being in a game,” and continues to say that “the brain is going into a survival mode....

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is North America’s primary bean-spiller, and if you’re a fan of Ubisoft franchises, it dropped a big bit of cool news today. The board has rated theSplinter CellandPrince of PersiaHD re-releasesfor the Xbox 360. Originally only announced for the PlayStation 3, these touched-up releases are going to find a wider audience than previous, PS3-exclusive collections such asGod of WarandSly Cooper. So, if you like your gaming Microsoft-flavored, Ubi’s got you covered....

So,Spore got delayed. Bummer. But EA also had some sort-of-kind-of good news to report in its place: Steven Spielberg’s upcoming video game now has a loose release date (sometime before April 2008) and a specified console (the Nintendo Wii). But that’s it. No plot. No gameplay details. No explanation ofhowinvolved Spielberg will be in the game’s production. Spielberg’s game deal was first announced in October of 2005, andthisis all we’re told?...

Now, I have never followed professional wrestling all that closely, particularly in the 90’s when my pretentious teenaged self thought it was more amusing to watch and laugh at my friends whowereinto wrestling. So, when I see this Stone Cold Steve Austin rant in support ofWWE All-Stars, what I see is a redneck superhero, celebrating all the things which help keep white trash trashy and white. Everybody needs someone to look up to....

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What the hell, right? If you’ve already watched the above video, I bet you’ve come back for some context. Without context, this has to be one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. Even with context it’s still pretty strange. So here’s the deal: We went to Tecmo’s TGS party, much like we do every year. Well, this year, thanks to the recent merger, it’s now the Tecmo Koei party, but it’s still in the same Kaihin Makuhari hotel, and there’s still the same drinking and debauchery as always....

Rainy Woods is described on the GameVideos website as “Silent HillmeetsTwin Peaks” and aside from their desperately needing to ground the analogy with a video game reference lest it be lost on an audience completely oblivious to any other entertainment medium, I agree — we don’t even get fifteen seconds into the trailer before our eyes are assaulted by eerily symmetrical midgets in blood-red mood lighting. Aside from scribbling David Lynch’s name on their Trapper Keepers then encircling it in crude pencil hearts with ironically traditional arrows through them, developer Marvelous Interactive couldn’t possibly be more in love with the creepy auteur....

You wantedCatherine. I wantedCatherine. I had my ram horns on. But she’s not here. Atlus’ horny, upcoming game is absent from Tokyo Game Show 2010. I didn’t expect a playable demo, but I was at least hoping to hear a little bit more about their next game. Or at least see some Catherine cosplay. But no. Because so many have asked me, I’ll say it here:Catherineis not really on the show floor....

The start of June brings us the next Monthly Musings. The theme this month is called “The start of the affair” and we want you to tell us what game got you into videogaming. Colette replied to the theme withPhantasy Star IIand a bunch of you have already turned out some great stuff on the C Blogs. Expect some promotions tomorrow. In the mean time, check out what we brought to you today....

Mr. Resetti a hero? That’s what Rev Anthony believes. He wrote up a very compelling piece explaining why Resetti is the most heroic videogame character ever. Only Rev would think of something like that. Other stuff from today include a new contest where you can win a special Xbox 360 withDBZ: Burst Limit, an amazing newSonic Unleashedtrailer, Jim creates his ownViva Piñatas, and much more. Wednesday Regulars:Podtoid 58 tonight, probably about sexismScraps: Crap we missed on 6/18/08...

So Xbox Live is going up in price soon. you may snag a good deal on the service now, but damn. Picture unrelated. Sean Carey looks at trial and error gameplay, Nick reviewedGuilty Party, PAX is this week OMG, the DSi and DSi XL are getting price drops,Borderlandsis getting a “Game of the Year” edition and more happened on 08/30/10. Destructoid Originals:New releases: Metroid: Other M, Castle Crashers and moreYou keep using that word: “trial and error”Community:Community blogs of 08/30/10Reviews:Guilty Party...

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