The first day of 2008's Penny Arcade Expo is coming to an end and we're shuffling over to catch The OneUps, Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton perform in the main hall. Check out all the awesome costumes and fashion statements we bumped into today.

Let's destroy your dreams now: Our friend KennyL did not talk about BioShock 2. Instead, Ken Levine kicked off Penny Arcade Expo by talking about his journey from from sex-intrigued comic nerd to Hollywood scribe and back to geekdom (which may in fact be the future plot of BioShock 2, but that is as of now unconfirmed). Regardless, Levine's keynote was a hysterical, vulgar and self-deprecating tribute to puberty and gaming.

Levine broke up into three acts, each different parts of his life. In part one, Levine described how he discoverd the adult with science fiction, from his dream to sleep with The Scarlet Witch to his dream to sleep with Jessica-5 from Logan's Run (both the comic book character and the film version's actress). "I wanted to smoke cigarettes and listen to Deep Purple," he said. "I didn't want to go to bed [thinking about Battlestar Galactica], but I did."

Act 2 was on the discovery of tribes, and how how his Dungeons & Dragons group moved onto girls. "The truth is, my tribal brothers were simply ahead of me in the game." In Act 3, in which our friend is a failed movie scribe, Levine ends up at Looking Glass Studios (System Shock). The rest, as you know, is history.

In his near-final last words, Levine offers a thanks to Tycho and Gabe, "We are united by a common element. Its not the color of our skin or our ideology or where we come from. No it's that we're a giant bunch of fucking nerds," he said to a roaring applause. Listen to it yourself:

In an interview with Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard we discussed Fallout 3's lack of a MOD support and this generation of consoles. While Howard admits the team wants to add support for user generated content he confesses adding the feature -- which was included in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- is a daunting task for a team eager to complete the epic adventure.

"We don't [have MOD support at launch], we want to but we have our hands so full with getting the game out and getting tools out there that work well for people and with the game is a pretty big undertaking," Howard told Joystiq.


[MP3] Download this interview in MP3 format

If you're at Penny Arcade Expo this weekend and are really good and video game trivia, ChatterBox Video Game Radio is looking for you for a Family Feud gameshow they are hosting. We want to prove that our readership has the most expansive knowledge of video games, so leave a comment below if you fit that criteria and want to do us proud.

It happens to all battery-operated devices that burn too bright. They die so young. Oh PSP Brite, it was just 3 short hours ago when we powered you on, cradling your Slim body in our palms, eyes numbing from the vibrant images dancing upon your screen. And then, you went dark. (Well, that's how we're imagining it at least.)

PSP know-it-all John Koller has diagnosed the new PSP model with short-term battery disorder. Koller estimates PSP Brite will burn through its charge 20-30 minutes faster than current PSP-2000 series units. That's not a good thing, you know. Luckily, Sony's bringing back "the bulge" (the now-discontinued extended battery) to combat the crippling disorder. We hear playing close to a power outlet also helps to ease the symptoms.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Perhaps it's the sight of a former rapper flying awkwardly through the air with guns blazing, or the amusing result of That 70's Show's Jacky pretending to be a real toughian, but we're feeling slightly optimistic about Max Payne's journey from game to film. Sure, it's a journey that's been attempted and failed by many blithering idiots who could barely stand upright, but we're intrigued by this film's gloomy atmosphere and winged, are-they-real-or-hallucinatory demons.

Plus, you know, Brett Ratner isn't directing it. See the theatrical trailer after the break.

Microsoft and Tecmo announced today that Ninja Gaiden II has sold a million copies worldwide over the last two months. It's the sort of good news Tecmo could use while it faces a buyout by Square Enix.

Ninja Gaiden II was well received when it released, but was criticized for not being as balanced as the original and for failing to rectify the hilariously wonky camera positioning. Game sales are great, but here's what we really want to know: How many people bought the Ninja Gaiden II "horse armor" on XBLM?

We were given the opportunity to sit down with the Lead Game Designer for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath Of The Lich King, whilst attending the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany. Check out what Tom Chilton had to say about the rationale behind level 55 Dark Knights -- and why Warcraft III fans will love Lich King -- in our brief chat below.

What will you be putting in Wrath Of The Lich King to keep current World of Warcraft players coming back for more?

Lich King is more orientated towards existing players, than new ones. We've raised the level cap from 70 to 80, added a new class, new battlerounds, new arenas, etc. Most of these features are for existing players of World of Warcraft.

If you find yourself unable to wait until the Aug. 31 release of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, we may have the perfect soothing balm for you: Armor Games and EA's Mercenaries 2: World (Nearly) In Flames. It's exactly like the console versions of Mercenaries 2, except it's free! (And it's made in Flash. And it's two dimensional. But other than that? Exactly the same.)

OK, so maybe it's not as technically impressive, but we could think of many worse ways to kill some time until the real release than with this solid, old-school diversion. Enjoy.

The juicy "Gearbox is developing Halo 4 OMG" rumor continues to be at the top of fanboy debate lists, with Microsoft confirming to Kotaku that Corrinne Yu, director of technology at Gearbox and pictured in full Spartan armor, has been hired as principle engine architect (fancy!) for the Xbox manufacturer's internal Halo team. The official statement: "As the Halo franchise continues to flourish, Microsoft Game Studios is growing its internal team to develop future Halo projects."

And what could "future Halo projects" entail? Microsoft isn't blabbing, but suspicious men in trenchcoats posit that Yu will be working on the nebulous Peter Jackson project and putting her Unreal Engine 3 expertise to good use.