I know a lot of our readers have been disputing Grand Theft Auto 4's (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) GOTY status, so it may come as a disappointment to that part of the gaming masses that Rockstar's latest GTA has been crowned as THE game of 2008 in the New York Times' own Best of 2008 list. Yeah, it's not exactly earth-shaking news, but what caught my eye in this list wasn't the GOTY, but the more unconventional awards that were handed out.

Photograper Robbie Cooper shows us all just how focused young gamers can be while playing with actual clips of kids of various ages while they're playing games. Watch all the triumph, the anxiety, the joy of the kill, and a little girl with no emotion. Catch all the different faces in the video.

Those of you who were expecting to get downloadable content for your Nintendo DS will be sadly disappointed at this bit of news we have today.

A Nintendo representative retracted Reggie Fils-Aime previous statement about the top-selling handheld getting downloadable content through a future Wii channel.

For more information, read the full article!

 How did today's handhelds do in the holidays and for the duration of 2007? The answer shouldn't be too hard to figure out if you've been reading gaming news every so often. The Sony PSP had a solid year all throughout, while the Nintendo DS continued its dominance above all other platforms. Analyst Michael Pachter and PSP marketing manager John Koller share their insights why.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Entertainment Software Association (ESA) President Michael D. Gallagher revealed that one of the ESA's priorities is to infiltrate Washington.

The new ESA president noted that while the movie and music industries already have backers in Washington, the video game industry does not quite have the same privilege yet.

According to Gallagher, the main challenge lies in "connecting with decision makers and creating champions for the video game industry in the policy-making arena."

In addition to having a smaller budget, Gallagher also noted that the video game industry doesn't have the star power to seduce politicians.

"Washington is very enamored with glitz and the appeal of stars," said Gallagher. "Whenever Bono shows up he creates this bow wave as he comes through, and it's true that stars do help drive messages. And it is true that Master Chief and Mario are not yet household words on the Hill, but wait for the years ahead."

Gallagher also said that the ESA will be revealing its full agenda after E3.

This is excellent news. Our lawmakers make their decisions based on information. If that information only comes from anti-gaming lawyers and anti-gaming activists, then of course our lawmakers are going to develop an anti-gaming bias. So it's good that our industry strengthens its representation.

Gather round, owners of the Nintendo DS! The 2007 lineup for the handheld with the quirky touchscreen mechanic is finally here, by way of IGN getting hold of some official documentation released after Satoru Iwata's press conference last week. Without further adieu, let's look and see what's in store for the handheld that could.

Titles coming out in Japan this year:

• Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 - 5/17/2007
• Kurikin Nano Island Story - 5/24/2007
• DS Medikara Training - 5/31/2007
• Sujin Taisen - 6/7/2007
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 6/23/2007
• Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon A (Temp) - 2007
• Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon B (Temp) - 2007
• Archaic Sealed Heat - 2007
• Mario & Sonic in Beijing Olympic Games (Temp) - 2007

And yet again, Japan gets ALL the good games first, namely Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, the sequel of the original rhythm game (a favorite here in QJ, as the concept of dancing up a WORLD HADOUKEN automatically wins) and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (it's a portable Zelda! What  else is there to say?). Oh well, there's always importing to help one stave off the pangs until the localized versions are released.

The entire list after the jump!

StarWars.com has revealed that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is currently slated for novelization. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the latest chapter in the Star Wars saga and puts players in the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice.

Set during the largely unexplored era between Episode III and Episode IV, the game lets players assist Darth Vader in his quest to eradicate the Jedi from the face of the galaxy.

The novelization of the game will be handled by New York Times bestselling author Sean Williams. The novel will cover the events of the game, as well as provide fans with a more in-depth story than what the game alone has.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed features multiple endings, but this novel will be "one of the only places where fans will be able to find the official canon ending which will mold the events of the Star Wars galaxy for the future."

Leading casual console games publisher Crave Entertainment revealed today their plans to publish Sudokuro for the DS, giving puzzle fans another reason to grab a DS for themselves.

"The Sudoku and Kakuro puzzle phenomenon is still going strong and appeals to all ages," remarked Sheri Snow, Director of Marketing for Crave Ent. "With unlimited replay, a special mode for kids, and the stylus input with handwriting recognition, this game is a natural fit for the Nintendo DS."

Sudokuro will include both the incredibly popular and highly addictive Sudoku and Kakuro logic games. It contains 1,500 hand-crafted Sudoku puzzles and an unlimited number of automatically Sudoku puzzles, and over 5,000 Kakuro puzzles.

According to USA Today, Sudoku has "become the morning brain breakfast for millions of commuters", and the New York Times comments, "no puzzle has had such a fast introduction in newspapers since the crossword craze of 1924-25." Kakuro, which has often been called a mathematical translation of the crossword, is second in popularity only to Sudoku in Japan.

Sudokuro is expected to be available in January for a retail price of US$ 19.99.