Hmm. I see CliffyB is making bold statements yet again. Bold as they come, it's always interesting to see how a game developer assesses the current playing field that he is working in. So what's Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski commenting on now? In an interview, he remarked that some of the more influential game developers out there aren't always given the honor or appreciation that they so deserve.

Hideo Kojima, Koji Igarashi, and a handful of playable demos and new game announcements have all been announced as part of the Konami experience at Leipzig. More in the full article.

The game industry may be getting swamped with sequels, remakes, annualization, and all manner of money-raking tactics. That's bad news, an analyst says, because creativity among developers is often compromised. He says, however, publishers are better off in the long run by breeding talent among the minds behind the medium. Get his full take in the article after the jump.

Let's play a little association game. When I say "men in video game development," whose names come first to mind? Kojima? Jaffe? Miyamoto? The list goes on. Now how about if I say "women in video games development?" You probably thought of Jade Raymond then... blank. Kind of imbalanced ain't it? That was the point of Emily Newton-Dunn, former producer of the Burnout series. She remarks that there is a gender imbalance in the industry and that there should be more women making games. Full story after the "read more" link below.

That's right, Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima went one on one in an interview. Unfortunately, they didn't talk about a cross-over between Altair and Solid Snake. They did discuss about game development, so check out the full article for more details.

It's an endless debate when talking about girls playing the same video games guys play. They say girls only like MMORPGs, then follow up with "there are no girls on internet." Others believe female gamers stick to casual games, but Mario and Pokemon titles have more fanboys than fangirls.

No matter what your stand is, here's a list of non-girly games that aren't Barbie, Bratz, or any of those glamorous stuff.

For many of us, this isn't really such a big deal. For the purists and hardcore-fans, however, the topic of whether a localized game should be subbed or dubbed is a factor that can potentially alter the entire play experience. We'll be taking a look at this matter a littler further, by way of a feature piece. Check it out in the full article.

Japanese video game giant Konami's stock prices may have taken a hit when it was announced that Kojima Productions was delaying the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Sony PlayStation 3, but there's more good news than bad as sales and profits steadily grow. This week Konami has revealed its financial performance for fiscal 2007's first half and great results were observed. MLB Power Pros for the Nintendo Wii sold big in Japan, while Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is keeping the West occupied. Read the full article for more.

It's been a few days since Halloween, so we'd rather honor the most memorable deaths that made gamers shriek, throw tantrums, and cry. Of course, along the line are deaths so dramantic, shocking, or simply sad that they're difficult to forget. In other words, a list of characters who died in ways that scarred our minds, or those we felt so attached to that seeing them perish became emotional. If it's not obvious enough, we'll have to warn you about major spoilers that await.

Admit it, playing as a pansy would suck even if it was the best video game ever made. That isn't to say having some random well-built guy with a deep voice on screen is enough to make a game fun. In fact, we've seen so many pitiful attempts of trying to make "cool" characters that it's not even funny anymore.

Fortunately, there's a handful of really manly video game dudes out there that aren't just made of testosterone and big muscles - they also have the history, personality, and attitude to be considered men among men. In this list are the most epic piles of manly turned video game characters. Are you man enough to take it?


10. Ryo Hazuki - Being manly doesn't mean you have to be some barbaric dude with an axe and a loud voice. As they say, the deep waters are more silent. Ryo Hazuki sounds and acts like your typical quiet guy, but fans of Shenmue know what lies beneath. He's not a womanizer or a jock. In fact, he ditched his cute lover, plays with kittens, and drives forklifts. What makes him so manly, then?

Even while facing potentially the strongest organized crime group in China, Ryo is deadset on facing Chiyoumen's leader, Lan Di, to avenge his father. Just like a man with strong convictions, this guy fresh out of high school has left worldy matters behind to do whatever it takes just to get closer to the fiend that killed his dad.

Click on for the rest of list, in which we ooze machismo and hose the decks down with testosterone. RAWR!