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You know, the United Kingdom isn't a great place to go if you enjoy drinking. The folks there, they just aren't big drinkers. It's difficult for them to find reasons to partake in the time-traveling powers of alcohol. Enter: Allotment, a new bar in the Glasgow area that offers thirsty patrons live performance art, music and a bit of the in-between.

Right about now, you're probably wondering what this has to do with games. Well, this Saturday, the bar will be transformed into a living dedication to retro gaming, with a central theme of "gaming and morality." There'll be roulette and karaoke, some arcade gaming. But, more importantly, coordinators will envision a real-life Pong tribute in the space, allowing attendees to participate at any time in the recreation by simply walking up and changing it.

If you're looking for more information on Allotment, or tickets to attend, then head on over to the National Theatre of Scotland. If after reading this, you're in the mood to watch that awesome video of Japanese Matrix ping-pong, well ... you aren't the only one.

[Via GamePolitics]

We initially dismissed the Friiboard, a Balance Board attachment created by the husband-and-wife team at Swiit Game Gear, as another inconsequential plastic Wii add-on, or worse, a Roll & Rocker for the Wii. The device adds a convex surface to the bottom of the Balance Board, adding real movement to the board, with the goal of enhancing the realism of snowboarding and skateboarding activities.

But upon viewing the (very homemade) video, we think it actually looks like it could be fun. It gives the Balance Board a little wobble, but not so much wobble that it will destroy your body, loved ones and home like the Tony Hawk Ride board. One thing the device shares with Ride: it costs a lot. At $44.99, its price makes it a shaky proposition.

[Via GoNintendo]

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Japanese retail blogger Oosaka King has compiled a list of what he believes are the games that did worst for stores in 2009. These aren't just poor sellers, they're also games with low margins or other problems that kept retailers from profiting.

Topping the list: Blood of Bahamut, a DS RPG released by Square Enix on August 6, just a few weeks after Dragon Quest IX. No mystery why that one didn't sell! Monster Hunter Tri, which may be more surprising, was the blogger's number two choice, due to low margins on the standard edition, as well as some unspecified shipping issues from Capcom.

The full list of what one retailer believes was unprofitable in 2009 is after the break. It features a few more big names, like Sonic, Mario, and Gran Turismo. The preponderance of major games is probably due to the fact that retailers stocked way more of the big games, expecting more sales, and stocked presumably niche titles more judiciously.

[Via Andriasang]

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We would never call you out on your love for whatever crappy thing it is that you love but, guys, you're using Google wrong. Its recent Zeitgeist 2009 report shows what the most popular gaming term searches of this year have been and the results are pretty surprising.

At the top spot is Ghostbusters, which is fine by us -- it was a pretty big deal when it was announced and it sold a lot of copies, so naturally folks were interested. But, as we delve deeper into the top 10, the search terms become a bit more interesting. The next three terms -- "ufc" "saw" and "bakugan" -- really threw us for a loop. Saw? Really? Bakugan? What is that, a gun that uses evil Japanese spirits for ammo? Actually, that sounds pretty cool.

Further into the list, we see that Batman: Arkham Asylum managed to put a batarang in the fifth spot, much lower than we'd like, but we can live with that -- however, coming in at the sixth spot is Twilight. Guys! Vampires. Do. Not. Sparkle. Seventh was FIFA 2010, followed by Modern Warfare in eighth. The ninth spot belonged to Transformers 2, which we must admit has one of this year's best performances by a human male, so that seems okay. Finally, Resident Evil 5 rounded out the list in last place.

Between John Davison recently promising a revitalization of GamePro, Steve Harris' purchase and subsequent relaunch of EGM (as EGM Now), and now the announcement of "Kill Screen" from Jamin Brophy-Warren and Chris Dahlen, it's been quite the year for gaming magazines. But Kill Screen seems to be taking a decidedly different approach to publishing, aiming its first print run at "2 or 3,000 copies," Brophy-Warren told us this afternoon.

With an editorial directive to thematically tackle game writing -- and no obligation to the traditional reviews/previews/news format due to a donation/subscriber-funded, non-profit approach -- Kill Screen intends to avoid the mechanical nitty gritty that plagues game writing. "A great example of that is with Brütal Legend," Brophy-Warren said. "Tim Schafer had to come out and defend the RTS elements ... When we talk about games critically, it's not going to be in that sense."

The first issue, the "test run" or "zero issue" as it's being called, will be finished in "the next week or two" and shipping by January. Brophy-Warren added that he's hoping the second issue will be ready for GDC, but he's not so certain. And as for the short initial print run, he says "Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?" and encourages people to subscribe to insure they'll get a copy. We wish them the best of luck!

THQ is no stranger to producing accessible, fun-for-the-whole-family entertainment and has just inked a deal to acquire exclusive rights to Dreamworks game tie-ins worldwide. This agreement will see THQ produce three titles initially: Kung-Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom; a game based on upcoming Shrek spin-off, Puss in Boots; and a title based on the animated TV series, The Penguins of Madagascar. That last one sounds a lot more interesting than a game based on Morgan Freeman's penguins, though we must admit, a game based on the French version of that would be fantastique.

But, we digress. THQ also gains rights for "Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Nintendo Wii Virtual Console" -- we guess THQ has never heard of WiiWare? The first title to release as a part of this deal, The Penguins of Madagascar, will grace store shelves starting next year, while the other games will release alongside their theatrical counterparts in 2011.

Mindscape has established a new development studio in France called Punchers Impact, Develop reports. The news here isn't so much that the team will be focusing on downloadable games for XBLA, PSN and PC -- rather, that many of the 40-odd staffers come from noteworthy devs EA and Free Radical.

The studio is being led by Guillaume Descamps in the role of studio director and executive producer. Previously of casual game devs ZigZag Island and DK Games, Descamps is in charge of Punchers Impact's yet-unnamed first release, which Mindscape says will be ready for the end of 2010. While the team's makeup may lend itself well to delivering a solid downloadable action title, we have a sneaking suspicion that, given Mindscape's track record of games such as My Pet Hotel, the chances of a TimeSplitters-like release have been neutered.

We imagine it'll be somewhat strange the first time we watch Resident Evil's Albert Wesker being eaten by Lost Planet 2's giant salamander boss, now named "Gordiant". And watching the helmet-less antagonist desperately struggling to keep his hair just so while battling the third level's boss, "Red Eye," should prove comedic if nothing else. We just couldn't help but put two and two together when looking at the new screens the game's publisher released recently of three new bosses (including the eloquently named "Akrid X"), especially with the knowledge that we can play through the entirety of Lost Planet 2 as Resident Evil's recurring villain still so fresh in our minds.

Sure, finding out that the ginormous monster that we battled in the demo is named "Gordiant" is just about as exciting as meeting Michael Bublé (swoon), but it doesn't have quite the same charm as finally watching Wesker perish. The demo experience has certainly changed for us, though – now we have a name to direct all these profanities at while being repeatedly murdalized.

Source 1 - Capcom Unity
Source 2 - Capcom Unity
Source 3 - Capcom Unity

Ten-hut, soldiers! During wartime, the government is granted special powers and as such the Army is going to need to commandeer your personal computers. Before we send our best and brightest out into battle, we'll need to train them in advanced maneuvers via upcoming PC games Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Before you start packing up your 'puters, know the government has issued its guidelines for computer operations (via Shacknews). Report past the break to see if your computer meets these stringent requirements.

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Tragnarion Studios has announced that it will soon bring its third-person shooter, entitled The Scourge Project -- first announced in 2007 -- to Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and Steam. The game, powered by the Unreal Engine, promises "a unique focus on co-operative narrative and gameplay," in which each of the four playable characters will have a unique perspective on the story. From a more meat-and-potatoes standpoint, the game features five hours of gameplay over four levels (each with different special abilities), nine different weapons and co-op for up to four players. The Scourge Project also offers versus multiplayer for up to sixteen players and includes deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and "Frontier."

The game certainly seems to be packing some graphical chops, especially compared to Tragnarion's previous project for the DS, a puzzler called Doodle Hex. The game is expected to debut on Steam this month, while the XBLA version is scheduled to arrive in March 2010. The press release does mention a PSN version of the game, though it doesn't appear in the body of the text. We've contacted Tragnarion to see if the PSN listing was legitimate or made in error.

Check out some screens in the gallery below and find more info on the official Scourge Project site.

[Via Big Download]

What do you do once you've directed actors for a game that's piled up millions faster than pretty much everything? Well, if you follow the Keith Arem School of Thought, you move on to directing in film. Variety reports that Arem's just signed on to direct upcoming action-thriller Frost Road -- the story of a man who awakens from a car crash to find the world is infected with a deadly disease to which he is inexplicably immune.

Moving on to movie making is not much of a stretch for Arem, who was the talent director responsible for rounding up actors and coordinating their efforts in Modern Warfare 2. He also penned the script for Frost Road, so we're totally expecting the protagonist to have one bitchin' mustache.

German Borderlands players who just had to import the gory, uncensored version of the title from another region are getting their comeuppance. According to a lengthy thread on the Gearbox forums, players who purchase the Zombie Island of Doctor Ned expansion from the German Xbox Live Marketplace can't access the new content from their imported copies of the game.

We've contacted Gearbox to find out if anything is being done to refund the DLC's 800 cost to these depraved, violence-crazed importers. They certainly don't seem like the type of crowd you'd want to upset.

One day after the ship date of its DS game Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, the newest project from Critter Crunch developer Capy has been somewhat revealed: a collaboration with artist Craig "Superbrothers" Adams and singer Jim Guthrie, called Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP.

We aren't sure exactly what this is: the description on the site describes it in terms like "a brave experiment in I/O cinema" and "a crude videogame haiku about life, love & death." It appears to be for the iPhone platform, and the "EP" in the title suggests a short-form experience. Whatever it is, we desperately want to know more, as you will after you watch the teaser after the break.

[Via GameSetWatch]

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Sad that you missed all the Black Friday sales? Walmart wants to take advantage of that feeling of being left out, with a series of December sales and price drops. The most exciting offer: for one week (from December 5 -12), every Wii will come with a $50 gift card, effectively dropping the price to a ridiculous $150.

Walmart's price drops on games are less dramatic, failing to reach the depths of, say, Amazon's Black Friday weekend drops, but the list provided (after the break) does include a lot of hot games for less than MSRP -- like The Beatles: Rock Band on Wii for $40 and Batman, Dragon Age, Left 4 Dead 2, and a lot more for $50 each. Walmart promises more price drops on its website and in stores. How can it afford to do this stuff?

Oh, right, by dominating the entire retail industry.

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