LittleBigPlanet 2 Beta: Sack Flower

LittleBigPlanet 2 hasnt been getting too much hype, but I think its really gonna be a mind blowing event for PS3 owners. The amount of customization has evolved to another level of insanity - this guy basically recreated the PS3 game Flower, replete with soothing musak, in a matter of days. Can you imagine what people are going to do with the release version after its been out for a year? Comes out Jan 2011.

Doomswitch of Life

As some of you know Im experiencing one of my life downswings, where everything just goes to shit - including poker. Luckily, I have some awesome friends and family, and luckily, I dont really care much about money whether Ive got a lot or a little, like right now. I have some cash saved up to pay my rent and bills and stuff for a year, and some savings, and I have a couple other sources of income, so I should be ok. But I dont think Im going to be taking any trips to Vegas soon, which I was really looking forward to. Moreover, losing streaks are just disheartening - they kill your motivation to play.

When you choose poker as lifestyle, you have to take the good with the bad. So Im taking a little break from playing after running like crap in live games and bustoing my fulltilt account. I know Im a skilled player - listen, it takes a lot of skill to get all your money in drawing dead in Pot Limit Omaha - and variance is a huge factor in PLO, but still its time to reconsider why Im playing it (mostly to get better). So Im gonna take a break from PLO, and in the next week or two start grinding my roll back up playing my best game - Holdem - and hope for the best.

Portal 2 Coop Trailer

More Portal 2 - (PlayStation 3) Videos

Ive replayed Portal again recently, and then watched a friend play through the whole thing for the first time, and I cant say the game ever ceases to amaze me. I really think its one of the most unique and compelling gameplay experiences of this or any other generation. To say that Im excited for the sequel, which offers a single player and coop experience which are each double the length of the original game, is an understatement. 2011 cant come soon enough.

GT: Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Review

Video Games | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit | Review

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

L.A. Noir: In Game Trailer

More L.A. Noire Videos

If you havent heard of it yet, L.A. Noir is the debut game by Team Bondi, published by Rockstar. It is a detective game set in 1940s Los Angeles. The game looks, in a word, incredible. The level of detail that they have managed to achieve in the facial animation and lip syncing appears to be unprecedented.

Microsoft Moves All In with Full House Poker

Certain XBL gamertags have recently received confidential invites to participate in a beta for Full House Poker, the details of which are still scant. We know that Microsoft cancelled 1 vs 100 and promised to bring back something bigger and better, and it looks like its taking the form of a live, primetime poker tournament where contestants compete for Microsoft Points and other prizes. It is rumored to have avatar and kinect support, as well as more than 100 players in a single tournament field, which means bigger prizes.

Does this herald a new age for online poker? Hardly, as its highly unlikely we will be able to play 24/7 "Heads Up for Rolls" in the near future, even if your roll will only be Microsoft points which cant be redeemed for cash. For now it looks like its going to be a nightly freeroll tournament for Xbox Live Gold members. But HU4mspRollz might be a possibility depending on how well Full House Poker does, and real money games could happen years down the road if legislation regarding online gambling in the US evolves. Right now, its illegal for US banks to process financial transactions for online gambling companies, making it very difficult for US players to deposit cash into their Full Tilt or Pokerstars accounts. However, it is legal for banks to process your payment for Microsoft points. Because points arent redeemable for cash, Microsoft can offer poker tournaments for prizes and point packages and it doesnt violate any US laws. As long as we are gambling for points, and not money, Microsoft and companies like Facebook are able to offer poker legally. If online gambling becomes regulated in the US, all this may change and there will be a huge flurry of new competition, but for the time being, its appears that Microsoft is holding the nuts and all XBL gold members get a chance to scoop a nice pot.

Where's The Poison?

Classic example of Game Theory from a hilarious scene in The Princess Bride.