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The Guardian's Games Blog has an article discussing where indie game development will go in the next few years after its recent resurgence. The story follows the success of one small game studio, and suggests that the games industry will move to further embrace low-cost development. Quoting: "The likes of XBLA, ... PSN and WiiWare represent a reasonable revenue stream for publishers and developers, especially with a recession looming. However, in-house staff may not have the skills required to punch out cool, hugely intuitive budget games, with little or no management. If you look at something like Geometry Wars from Bizarre Creations, the project was started in the free time of experienced coder Stephen Cakebread, and may never have happened had he been shunted on to different, larger projects. Instead, big industry players are reaching out to the indie scene to source talent."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Oops, looks like we missed a bit of important news over the Xmas break. Just some days ago, a new gamesave exploit was released that enables all PSP firmware up to v5.02 say hello world. The exploit makes use of Gripshift. More here.

According to internet reports from UK publications, Sony has indicated that the Killzone 2 demo will be released as normal in Europe. In the US, the demo is exclusive to GameStop pre-orders.

Here is the latest trailer for Tekken 6 which will be heading to both Xbox 360 and PS3...

A 6 year old boy who missed the school bus decided to try and drive the family car and eventually crashed. The boy actually made it nearly six miles before crashing before hitting an embankment and utility pole. As expected, he noted that Grand Theft Auto video games helped him \'learn\' how to drive.

Here is one crazy and in many people\'s eyes - a pointless DS modification. After all the pain of tearing up a DS, this modder had the ultimate aim of branding it with a SONY VAIO logo so it would match his other computer equipment. More pictures are on show at Jyank.

It has been confirmed that Ziff Davis has sold the 1UP digital network to the UGO entertainment division, this includes MyCheats, Gametab and Gamevideos. Long running print magazine EGM is also closing doors once and for all.

The Technologizer has collected a series of electronic gaming patents spanning from 1969 to 1989. The list includes devices such as the Atari joystick, Simon Says, and Nintendo's Game Boy. It also has a variety of less popular devices, at least some of which should be familiar to anyone who was gaming back then. Here's one description: "A game machine has a plurality of targets which unpredictably come out and disappear from their corresponding holes at the surface of a table on a game stand. A player can only strike targets which are positioned above the surface thereof. A main shaft is provided with the target on its upper end and is supported by bearings in such a manner that it can rotate and move up and down. A plunger disposed at the periphery of the main shaft is magnetically attracted by an electromagnetic solenoid. When raised, the main shaft always faces a predetermined direction due to an action of permanent magnets. Hitting of the target can be detected by monitoring abrupt large fluctuations in the current flowing through the solenoid during a period of time that the target is caused to appear above the table." The game? Whack-a-mole.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Capcom and Sony preparing special PS3 unit for March release.

Konami has teamed up with Subway to offer a variety of DDR branded toy accessories available with Fresh Fit for Kids meals. The meal also comes in a branded DDR bag but don\'t expect any real console games to be given away, now that would just be too much!

Stormrise (PS3)
Aussie-developed and looking great.

Pirate Master III (iPhone)
A good game buried underneath bad controls.

Sean Brennan of Bethesda has revealed that if Home lives up to expectations, then it could well be a defining moment in the games industry. However, we think Home needs a lot more appeal to achieve this status.

Petz Sports (Wii)
An attempt to combine virtual pet care with athletic events that doesn't quite cross the finish line.

Silent Hill: The Escape (iPhone)
Touch the nightmare.

Puzzle Arcade (X360)
Jigsaw puzzles without the frustration of lost and broken pieces.

Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (X360)
Hunt for clues around the world.

Merv Griffin's Xwords (X360)
The gameshow comes home.

The gameshow comes home.

Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (X360)
Travel to exotic places and stare at pictures.