Surfer Girl's updated her blog once again, and as usual, she provides readers with some really juicy insider info. Want to know what's in store for your consoles and handhelds this year? Head on over to the full article for her updates on the Virtual Console, follow-up titles, and XBL goodness.

Capcom just released three new screenshots of Bionic Commando's (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC) revival to next-gen consoles. If your arm is itching for some of this upcoming title, swing over to the full article!

Looking for more exclusives on your next-generation game machine? A forum post suggests that Capcom may be on its way to releasing Sony PS3 exclusive Lost Planet:  Colonies and Black Cloud for the Microsoft Xbox 360. Where is Street Fighter IV going to land? Will Bionic Commando (PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360) and Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) remain cross-platform?  Find out in the detailed version.

Ben Judd, at the helm of production for Bionic Commando (PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360), was featured in a podcast and spilled details on Capcom's attempt to revive the NES classic. Judd revealed that Bionic Commando was being aimed at a "middle ground" of the gaming market and that its key characteristic would be the swinging mechanic.

While the most of the hour-long conversation dived into remarks on games as art, the growing trend of classic revivals, and how most revivals will never address the hardcore fan base because of money, Judd was able to squeeze in a few thoughts on what appears to be the production team's views on Bionic Commando as a product.

As a producer, Judd admitted that he first felt that he had to make Bionic Commando "the greatest game ever," but recent training from Capcom's internal producers told him to "stop looking at games as games." To that end, he found it difficult to step out his gamer shoes to view the production from a business perspective.

Taking two steps back and viewing the title from a marketing standpoint, said Judd, showed that reviving the classic would have to be a consideration of a "middle ground" - that is, there's enough profit to be had without sacrificing as many features faithful to the original. There's a risk of alienating hardcore fans, but there's more money to be made, he says.

Also, the game's key selling point - or "hook" as a representative from Capcom's subsidiary described it - would be the swinging mechanic. While already offered by Activision's top selling Spider-Man 3, Bionic Commando's version may not be so semi-automatic in flow and may even require some skill - or so Judd hints.

More details, and perhaps more clues to the Bionic Commando remake, as they come in.

Australian Xbox 360 owners are getting some old school arcade action on Xbox Live. Konami's 1989 arcade title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hits the XBLA in Australia today for only 400 MS Points.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lets players choose from one of the four titular heroes to rescue April O'Neill and Master Splinter from Shredder. Players will have to fight through hordes of Foot Soldiers and other baddies to get to Shredder and rescue their friends in this side-scrolling title.

This title is not to be confused with the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game which was also released in 1989. Interestingly, this game was retitled to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe due to issues involving the word "ninja". Huh. Never really understood that.

We recently reported that Capcom has confirmed the development of Bionic Commando for the PC, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360, and showed you some videos and some artwork. This time we've got the first batch of Capcom's Bionic Commando screenshots all for your enjoyment.

Bionic Commando was released in the late 80s by Capcom on several platforms, with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) iteration being the most commercially successful. Bionic Commando introduced some new depth to what was then a stagnating 2D side-scroller genre with a more elaborate storyline than most of its peers and a bionic arm/grappling hook which can be used as a weapon and as a tool for scaling the stages a la Tarzan.

There was a clamor from Bionic Commando loyalists for a sequel, but other than a Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color appearance, there were no fireworks seen for the franchise. Finally, the blast from the past caught a break, and from what we're seeing in these screenshots, Bionic Commando looks like it's going to be a worthwhile game for this generation.

   

If you dig old classic games getting next-generation iterations, you'll be glad to know the Capcom is bringing back Bionic Commando for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and the PC. It's supposed to be a next-generation sequel of the original Bionic Commando with a lot of new twists.

The original Bionic Commando launched in 1987 aboard arcades, making home game system debuts the following year. The most well-known version was for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which is enjoyed to this day by 2D side-scroller enthusiasts.

The Bionic Commando franchise lived on discreetly with a 1992 appearance on the Nintendo Game Boy and a sequel in 1999 on the Game Boy Color. Pleas have been made to remake it Bionic Commando for higher-end platforms, but no answer was given until now.

Capcom has announced that the Bionic Commando sequel is to go simply by the same name and will feature gameplay in the same vein as its predecessors. Players will take control of bionic agent Nathan Spencer and his trademark grappling hook to swing through buildings and take out enemies all with one tool.

The storyline of the new Bionic Commando starts with Nathan coming home to his country supposedly a hero, but is later charged with crimes he did not commit and is sentenced to death. Strangely enough, a devastating terrorist weapon is used against Ascension City on the date of his execution, prompting the government to negotiate with Nathan to take out the terrorists in exchange for favors.

More specific gameplay details are being kept under wraps for now by Capcom, but more are set to come to drum up attention for Bionic Commando. Keep it here to get latest updates on this welcome returnee.

Admit it, playing as a pansy would suck even if it was the best video game ever made. That isn't to say having some random well-built guy with a deep voice on screen is enough to make a game fun. In fact, we've seen so many pitiful attempts of trying to make "cool" characters that it's not even funny anymore.

Fortunately, there's a handful of really manly video game dudes out there that aren't just made of testosterone and big muscles - they also have the history, personality, and attitude to be considered men among men. In this list are the most epic piles of manly turned video game characters. Are you man enough to take it?


10. Ryo Hazuki - Being manly doesn't mean you have to be some barbaric dude with an axe and a loud voice. As they say, the deep waters are more silent. Ryo Hazuki sounds and acts like your typical quiet guy, but fans of Shenmue know what lies beneath. He's not a womanizer or a jock. In fact, he ditched his cute lover, plays with kittens, and drives forklifts. What makes him so manly, then?

Even while facing potentially the strongest organized crime group in China, Ryo is deadset on facing Chiyoumen's leader, Lan Di, to avenge his father. Just like a man with strong convictions, this guy fresh out of high school has left worldy matters behind to do whatever it takes just to get closer to the fiend that killed his dad.

Click on for the rest of list, in which we ooze machismo and hose the decks down with testosterone. RAWR!

Geoff Keighley, host of Gametrailers' special feature Bonus Round, is back as Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter and Japanese games importer Pink Godzilla co-owner Nathan Paine discuss what's hot in Japan, and why American games have never been big in the land of the rising sun. You'll find a lot of interesting bits, much Nintendo love, and the secret of Japanese developers in making games that explode worldwide.

Pachter believes western developers, American or European, know how to please their respective audiences, and there's no reason to snatch an idea or two from Japanese game creators. Publishers in the west follow effective formulas to sell, he said.

He went on, saying only odd or Americanized Japanese games will sell outside Japan. Another worth noting is how, according to Pachter, gamers think of Sony and Microsoft when talking about games, and Nintendo is just an afterthought.

Paine, however, expressed his confidence in Japanese games right off the bat. He doesn't think there'll be any gaming industry in the U.S. today if it wasn't for Japan, particularly Nintendo which revitalized gaming after the 1983 crash. With the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) synonymous to fun back in the day, and Mario being the first widely popular superstar from a video game, it's difficult not to agree.

Paine mentioned other Japanese game franchises that have been successful worldwide, like Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and the likes. After naming Square Enix, Konami, and Capcom as the big three developers and publishers, he pointed at the three F's that make their titles hit: fun, fantasy, and freedom. By freedom, he meant how Japanese developers are able to be creative and are not obligated to make movie tie-ins or yearly football games.

For the U.S., the three R's come into play: rockets, realism, and rights. Realism is all about how Americans love their games oozing with detail in eye-bleeding graphics, while rights concern acquiring copyrights or licenses.

Rockets symbolize the hunger of American gamers to shoot things and cause big explosions, something that the Japanese don't like. Simply put, as Paine learned from Nintendo's Koji Kondo, gamers in Japan don't like mindless violence. Metal Gear Solid games, for example, pits players in the shoes of a super agent involved in political affairs. Good and evil forces battling each other like in Gundam games are also more attractive to Japanese gamers than murdering the covenant en masse.

To find out more, check out the Bonus Round by clicking on the Read link below.

Ah, the lucrative world of gaming accessories. Seeking to cater to the ultimate comfort of gamers, some people came up with the Gamer's Shield finger guards that can be slipped on the middle fingers to prevent fingers from getting too sore while gripping the controller.

Most people would just normally get bandages to cushion their fingers while playing, but Gamer's Shield offers a more comfortable solution in the form of a stretchable and breathable fabric with extra padded cushion to protect the fingers that come in contact with the controller.

However, it seems that this accessory came a little too late. Controllers nowadays are designed ergonomically, unlike those hailing from the NES days, and chances of getting sore fingers have now been lessened. Also, the finger pads are shown to be used with the middle fingers - shouldn't they be used on thumbs as well?

The Gamer's Shield comes in five colors, and costs US$ 3.95 per pair of the finger guard.