Say hello to my spiffy new Xbox Live Arcade (and Indie Games) player

Last week, Amazon.com offered shoppers a pretty sweet deal on four-gig Xbox 360 systems: Buy one and they'd give you a $50 promotional credit that could be used toward future purchases.

I've been waiting for such an opportunity for quite some time, so I jumped on it. The system arrived on Friday afternoon and shortly after I ordered a 4,000 Xbox Live Points Card with my $50 credit (which arrived on Saturday, surprisingly enough).

So far, I've used that points card to pick up a number of Xbox Live Arcade and Indie Games releases, including Arkedo Series--03 PIXEL!, Kaiten Patissier, Miner Dig Deep, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX and Protect Me Knight.

I have my eye on a few others--like Braid, Castle Crashers, Costume Quest, Limbo, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, Nin-2 Jump and Trouble Witches Neo--but I'm going to spend some quality time with the titles above before buying any of them.

Anyway, of the games I currently own my favorite, by far, is Pac-Man Championship Edition. I'm not very good at it, but I don't care--it's so addictive and so fun that I can't stop playing it.

I've always been a sucker for men who wear Tanooki suits

Especially when they're as cute as the guys in deviantartist beyx's "Mario Suits" illustration (below).

You say you've got a thing for guys in raccoon suits? Check out this illustration, also produced by beyx. (See more of her stuff in her deviantart gallery.)

Adele is obsessed with Angry Birds, too

OK, so the song included in the video below isn't actually Adele's. Rather, it's an Angry Birds-focused parody of the British crooner's hit single, "Rolling in the Deep."



My favorite lines in this version of the song, by the way, are: "I've reset this level a hundred thousand times. This ninety-nine cent App purchase is destroying my life."

(Via joemygod.blogspot.com)

About those Project Café/Wii 2 rumors ...

Well, the folks at Nintendo of Japan finally admitted that the successor to the Wii--supposedly codenamed "Project Café"--will be revealed at the upcoming E3 event (June 7-9 in Los Angeles) and will be released sometime next year.

Unfortunately, that's about all they admitted during a press conference held earlier today in Osaka, Japan.  (Another will be held tomorrow in Tokyo.)

Sure, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata shared that the company "will offer something new for home game systems," but that's hardly a shocking statement given its forward-thinking DS, 3DS and Wii systems.

The question is, will the "something new" Iwata refers wind up resembling any of the rumors that have been swirling around the Interwebs for the last week or so? (Read about them here.)



Will the system's controller really have a six-inch touchscreen in the center of it (as depicted in the mock-up above), for instance? If so, will it really allow users to stream games and other media to said screen without turning on their TVs?

Also, does this mean Nintendo is turning its back on the Wii remote and the motion controls that were popularized by it--or will this new console be backwards-compatible with its predecessor?

That last question has me feeling a bit edgy at the moment, I have to admit. I've really enjoyed using the Wii remote--its pointer functionality, especially--and I'd hate for Nintendo to give it up just so they can offer the masses something new and exciting.

What do all of you think? Are you curious about Project Café, or could you care less about it?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! How are you spending the day? I'm/we're spending it with friends--in fact, I'm just about to start making brunch (French toast, bacon, potatoes, etc.). After that? I'll probably play with my new toy (which I'll tell you about shortly).

Anyway, I hope all of you have a wonderful day. The illustration above was produced by bartotainment, by the way. I don't think the imagery was pulled from a video game, but it certainly looks as though it was, doesn't it?