And the build up for E3 2009 continues. The good news is that the pre-E3 dry spell hasn't quite started yet, but we're in the final stretch here, folks. Everybody and their mother -- or grandmother, in the case of Old Grandma Hardcore -- is getting ready for June's big event. That still a week away, though. Now as for this week, we once again saw rumors, denials, confirmations and teases about what we'll be seeing not just at the upcoming annual game expo but for the rest of the year as well. Read on for all the big news that flashed across the QJ front pages the past seven days.

Whos' Number 1 for Famitsu for 2008? All was revealed at the Famitsu Awards, and the Monster Hunters still proved to be the favorite as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G takes the top spot as Game of the Year.

Usually, the trend has been to experience a noticeable dip in the amount of news coming out the week before the GDC. However, this year's pre-event week proved to be a rather different one from those I've experienced in the past. Unexpectedly, but fortunately, there were a great deal of updates. It was a busy one, alright, and thank God you stuck with us throughout the week, making it such a blast!

Living legend of video gaming Hideo Kojima has agreed to deliver a keynote address at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. Hopefully he'll be able to inspire a new generation of video game devs to keep pushing video game development, the way he always did.

Dammit I have to stop sounding like fanboy when I talk about Kojima.

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.