This is no joke nor is it a scam. It is a legitimate promo that Amazon is pushing really hard – and I think that some of you just might benefit from this. So what is this promo about?

The idea is for you to trade in your games. What you need to do is submit a video game trade-in order. The main requirement is that your order has to be worth at least $50. This is not much, considering how much video games cost. Once you send in this order, you will receive an Amazon Gift Card PLUS an extra 50% OFF on your next purchase. This covers video game or accessory purchases from the Amazon Video Games store.

The promo period is from June 28 to July 11. You have to make sure that you send in your order before the end date, otherwise you will not be eligible for the discount. Other important details from Amazon:

-Trade-in submissions not accepted and returned to you do not qualify for the promotion. Your trade-in submission could be returned to you if the items are damaged or non-working, incorrect items are included in your package, or accessories such as artwork or manuals are missing. Any submission postmarked later than 7 days after a mailing label is printed will be returned to you automatically. You should receive returned games within 14 days of receipt via the U.S. Postal Service.
-Qualifying customers will be emailed their coupon code within 10 days after their trade-in has been accepted.
-Coupon code not valid for consoles or handhelds.
-Coupon code applies only to items shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Does not apply to items sold by other merchants on the Amazon.com Web site. Does not apply to any products purchased in Amazon.com’s other sites, including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, or Amazon.co.jp, or in Marketplace.
-Coupon code valid on purchases ordered before 08/31/09.

Go ahead guys, trade your old games in now!

That’s just great. I mean, the PlayStation 3 is THE gaming machine. There is no denying that. I am sure Xbox360 fanboys will contest that but the capabilities of the PS3 are way beyond that of Microsoft’s toy. The problem is that Sony might have created a machine that is way ahead of its time. High costs and the relatively limited selection of games have contributed to a lot of problems that Sony has been experiencing.

And now Activision might pull out? This is utter disaster. Activision is one of the video game makers that actually provides excellent games for the PS3. Think Call of Duty. Think Guitar Hero!

Recently, Bobby Kotick (chief executive of Activision Blizzard) released a statement saying that he is “getting concerned about Sony.” He went on to say that “the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform. It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation.”

I guess it all boils down to money, doesn’t it? After all, these companies are not here for the sheer pleasure of providing video games for the public. They are in it for the money! And if they are not making enough (in their minds) on games for the PS3, why should they continue doing so?

I hope that this won’t happen. I really do.

Yeah, I do get depressed sometimes; especially when I can’t find any new games to play. I do have my all time favorites but sometimes, I feel like playing something new. And it seems to me that these days, it is not that easy to find excellent games like in the old days.

I just read about this study which talks about a different kind of depression, though; the REAL kind. WA Today has the story:

Teenagers who spend a lot of time watching TV or playing video games are at higher risk of developing depression as young adults, a study has found.

American researchers looked at the viewing habits of 4142 healthy adolescents and followed them up seven years later, by which time 308 had developed depression.

When the study began in 1995, DVDs and the internet were not widely available and the teenagers used different electronic media for about 5.7 hours a day on average.

This included 2.3 hours of television, 2.3 hours of radio, 0.6 hours of video cassettes and 0.4 hours of computer games.

The study, published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, found that each additional hour of daily television viewing significantly increased the risk of depression.

So it’s not just video games, eh? I don’t know about this study. While I do know a lot of depressed people – more than is normal, I sometimes think – I really cannot make that connection between playing video games a lot and the condition. Perhaps more study is needed? What do you think? Are you convinced?

I was quite excited when I heard that this game was in development. I was also realistic and expected a lot of opposition to the game. That is why I was not all that disappointed when I heard that Six Days In Fallujah was being pulled out by Konami. After all, the battle occurred in very recent history, and the resulting wounds are still fresh.

A few months after the announcement about the pull out, however, we are treated to the news that the developer still has plans to continue with the production. Yes, the project is still breathing – albeit faintly. Atomic Games is the developer for this project and big boss Peter Tamte has declared that he is determined to see this project to the end – all $20 million worth of it.

He said that talks have been going on with alternative sources for funding. He also says that there are many people interested in the game. As of now, nothing is definite yet, and the developer has yet to sign a deal with a funder. The will to live is there, though.

Tamte further assures the public that they will not be using the faces and likeness of fallen heroes in Fallujah. According to him, real life Marines have actually asked them to create such a game to celebrate their valor, but out of respect for the dead, they will not be including them in the game. Fair enough? I don’t know if it will pacify everyone but it looks like we’re going to see this game sometime in the (far) future.

E3 has always been a big thing for gamers all over the world. While a large number of gamers are not able to physically attend the convention, practically all of them follow the events as they unfold online. In the recent years, however, many gamers have been disappointed at what E3 has become. It seems that as the years go by, the convention has become lackluster, with fewer participants and more mediocre offerings. Perhaps one of the reasons is that since 2007, E3 has been closed to the general public and has only welcomed “trade participants.” Is this year going to be any different?

One thing is for sure, E3 is still NOT open to the general public. However, reports have come in stating that this year’s E3 is going to be BIG. The Tech Generation has this report:

Nevertheless, the glitzy 2009 iteration of the conference is expected to attract up to 40,000 participants. While 40,000 is a respectable number, it is certainly a far cry from the 70,000 starry-eyed gamers who attended the show in 2005. Of course, the industry is still reeling from the restricted attendance of 5000 participants during the 2008 expo.

Unsurprisingly, attendance guidelines were relaxed for E3 2009 after panicked game publishers realized that April software sales had sunk 23 percent to $511 million.

Will these revised guidelines really attract 40,000? And is 40,000 enough to bring back the glory days of the convention? Optimist would say yes. I say let’s see what happens as the day – nay, the week – unfolds.

Did you go to the movies over Memorial Day Weekend? If so, what did you watch? If the Box Office figures are to be believed, you probably went to see Night at the Museum 2 – it whopped the butt of Termination Salvation on the opening weekend. And if game reviews are accurate, the video game version of the movie is not much better. In fact, it is probably worse.

IESB recently reviewed the game, which seems to be as disappointing as many other video games based on movies:

The graphics are not impressive with today’s standards of video gaming world. It gives a thorough feeling of being on an episode of a bad Saturday morning cartoon than to be in an actual Terminator movie.

The cut scenes and the human characters are very robot-like in their movements and interactions. The gamer could swear everyone in the video game is a Terminator, including John Connor himself.

The game itself can be completed less than 3 hours on easy mode, a little more time than watching the actual movie.

And, in hard mode, it is barely any harder.

If SkyNet wants to destroy the human race, then this video game being the main cause for our destruction.

The game is developed by Halcyon Games and GRIN, with being published by Equity Games and Evolved Games. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive.

Grade rating D.

That grade rating is way below average. But I am not surprised. They released the game before the movie and you know what that means – they probably didn’t spend much time and money to make it good. Needless to say, I am NOT getting myself a copy of this game.

If reports from all over the blogosphere are to be believed, we just might see this happening very very soon. The news is that people have been seeing a lot of these red kiosks, which are supposed to be “Video Game Buyback” stations, all over various Wal-Marts. These stations are purportedly part of Ohio’s E-play.

Some “official” figures have been released by Kombo, stating that there are 77 stations located in various Wal-Mart branches all over the US. The idea behind this program is that users can receive credit on their credit cards instead of the usual cash back system. And how much credit can one receive? They say that it can be anywhere from 50 cents to $25, depending on the title of the video game. Naturally, newer and hotter items will receive higher credits.

The idea of buying used games back is nothing new. Indeed, you probably sell your used games to Gamestop on a regular basis. So why are we going gaga over this new thing at Wal-Mart? Well, it is a sign of things to come, if anything else. Wal-Mart is a big franchise and having them buy back used video games means more convenience for us. More so, the Wal-Mart system has an advantage because it puts the credit into the credit card of your choice. This is unlike what others have, which is usually in-store credit only. The only concern now is that the credits offered are not as high as what you might get from Gamestop.

I could not believe my eyes when I read that this excellent piece of high fantasy is going to have a game version. Then again, I shouldn’t have been surprised, really, as it seems that a lot of good fantasy books are finding their way to the world of video games. After all, many gamers are also avid fantasy book readers.

If you are not familiar with the title, A Song of Ice and Fire, this is the series written by George R.R. Martin. There are currently four books in the series, starting with A Game of Thrones. The fifth book, which fans have been waiting for forever, is supposed to come out soon.

So who was able to acquire the rights (exclusive, mind you) to this fantastic series (no pun intended)? You probably have never heard of them – neither have I! Cyanide, a French studio, was able to strike a deal with the author. Interestingly, this group is made up of former Ubisoft employees! This should be good, right?

And while Cyanide is not really known for RPG, managing director Patrick Pligersdorffer says that they “are all huge fans of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ so it is a true honor for our teams to be entrusted with creating the first video games inspired by this masterpiece. The twists and turns of the plot will allow us to deliver an experience which can be enjoyed by both long-time fans as well as gamers new to the series.”

Not everyone is thrilled, I know; but I think I will follow the developments on this game closely.

Now this I have to see. Based on personal experience alone, it is very rare (if not impossible) that a video game can beat the movie it was based on. I suppose that this is due to the fact that many video game developers try to pack so much in such a short period of time.

In any case, for the game version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we might be in for a treat. Bloggers, critics, and people in general are already creating a buzz about how the game is so much better than the movie. Now, the man behind the character himself has joined the fray.

Hugh Jackman has spoken about how involved he has been in the development and production of the game. In an interview with Yahoo Games, the “real” Wolverine revealed that he is not much of a video game player but he did spend a lot of time helping out in the game. For starters, he said that he did a lot of voiceovers for the game. He said “I did more voiceover for this than I’ve ever done before.” We don’t mind – it will make the game all the more real.

What I really like is what he said about the game branching out into more subplots than the movie. This is something that is important for playability and now, I am finding myself excited to actually get my hands on the game. I just hope that it will not be a disappointment.

I am sure that the very idea that the video game is based on has already pricked one person too many. Whoever thought of the video game Six Days In Fallujah was bold. He (or them) really went out on a limb, and it seems that that limb is not going to hold. A mere several weeks after the intention to develop and release the game was announced, Konami is pulling out of the project.

This is due to the pressure that they have been receiving from various sectors, the strongest of which has come from retired soldiers, families, and citizen groups. I think that it is quite understandable that this kind of reaction would be expressed, and even more understandable that Konami would give in. According to a spokesperson of the group, “After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it. We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.”

While the intention of the game developers might have been all good, the event is too recent, I think. It is much like movies relating somehow to the 911 attacks. A couple of years after it happened, no one could touch the subject, not even Hollywood. The wound was just too fresh back then. Perhaps it is the same thing with Fallujah. Perhaps in several years’ time, things would be different. For now, it is good that they decided to respect the wishes of those who were actually involved.