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The Metacritic rating of 87 attached to Quantic Dream's "Heavy Rain" belies the wide disparity between actual review scores for that particular game. A beautiful game which was itself in many ways an interactive movie, detractors took issue with a number of elements, everything from basic production-type stuff like voice acting to more abstract concerns with the game's unique, largely contextual control scheme. Everyone seemed to think it was interesting, but no one could agree on whether that was a good or a bad thing. Now we're going to get to see if Quantic Dream's efforts translate well across mediums with a film treatment from one of the top names out there: David Milch.

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Tags david milch, heavy rain, quantic dream

One of the more surprising and unique features on the 3DS is the inclusion of Game Coins. On the surface, you might guess that players could earn Game Coins by performing certain accomplishments in games, akin to achievements. Nintendo, however, has a very different vision in mind for Game Coins.

As we've learned, the 3DS has a built-in pedometer which tracks every step you take, even while the device is in sleep mode. Taking a certain amount of steps will earn you Game Coins, which can then be used in games to unlock content in games. A pretty unusual feature which was seen in last year's Pokemon release, via the Pokewalker.

I was curious why Nintendo would bother including the feature, so I asked Reggie Fils-Aime, the President and COO of Nintendo of America. Here's what he had to say.

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Tags nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime, Video

The rumor mill surrounding the PSP2 has gone to ludicrous speed in the past week, with all signs pointing to an official announcement in Japan... well... today. And it happened. The PSP2 -- codenamed: NPG -- is very real and very much on the way in the near future. Read all about it after the jump.

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Tags sony

This message is for people who are so excited for "Killzone 3" that even with guaranteed access to the coming beta, the wait for the game's February 22 release has become unbearable. Everyone else can go about their day. You're getting yourselves a demo, "Killzone" fans. A single player demo. With jetpacks.

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Tags Killzone, killzone 3, sony

We all liked "MadWorld" and hopefully most of us liked "Vanquish" too. "Bayonetta" was a little bizarre, but her clothes were actually her own magical hair and her high heels were guns, so that was cool. Now the next game from the ever-inventive Platinum Games has been announced, and it looks like it's all about unleashing a whole lot of chaos online.

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Tags atsushi inana, max anarchy, platinum games

There have been many educational games over the years, but few have taught so many kids so very little than "The Oregon Trail" and "Where In The World Is Carmen San Diego." Seriously, I probably dropped a few-dozen computer lab hours playing each of these, and what did I end up learning? Buffalo are really easy to kill and some of Carmen Sandiego's henchmen really like Tex Mex food.

Educational value or no, the pair of franchises have been revived multiple times over the years, and in February, they'll be coming to, where else, Facebook.

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Tags facebook, The Oregon Trail, where in the world is carmen sandiego

Demakes are on fire right now. You have to appreciate the simple genius of it: take a game that requires a complex computer device to be played, extract some of its basic ideas and themes, and build a far simpler game built on the foundation of what you got from the source. Boom. It's a demake. What happens though when you take something that is already simple and make it simpler? One creative dev-type asked that very question of seminal first-person shooter "Wolfenstein 3D." The result? "Wolfenstein 1D"!

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Tags wolfenstein 1d, wolfenstein 3d

As you probably already know, the Nintendo is offering a new Friend Code system on the 3DS. Instead of having to enter unique Friend Codes for every game, each system has just one Friend Code which is used across all games. A handy improvement, to be sure.

It begs the question, though, why even have Friend Codes at all? We've already learned that the 3DS has built-in parental controls to limit what kids see and do. So couldn't those parental controls extend to your buddy list? For example, couldn't you just prevent kids from adding random friends online? That way, older players would be able to use a more recognizable ID, an equivalent to an Xbox Live Gamertag or a PSN user name.

I posed the question to Reggie Fils-Aime, the President and COO of Nintendo of America. He gave the following reason for why Friend Codes still exist:

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Tags nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime, Video

Arguably the best feature included in "LittleBigPlanet 2" is its insanely expansive community, which is supported by level-designer wannabes from around the globe. There's a never-ending supply of new levels to play, and because of that, weeding through everything can be a daunting task. To make things a bit easier, we've put together this handy little guide for "LBP" newbies who are looking to jump right in to some of the best, and most creative levels without having to endure anything less.

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Tags community, LittleBigPlanet, littlebigplanet 2, media molecule, sony

Here's some news that will make you feel better about the world. The San Diego team at Sony is currently hard at work polishing off "MLB 11: The Show," which is in stores on March 8. In a nod to the gamers of the world with disabilities they're including a unique way to play the game, dubbed "Association for Disabled Virtual Athletes" mode.

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Tags hans smith, mlb 11: the show