We've seen porn in PSP, we've seen ecstasy in GTA, and now it's the Nintendo DS' turn to hand out freebies from hell. Jodi Wykle from Lake Wales got a new DS for her 16-year-old son, who was all too happy to be getting a new handheld for his birthday. But instead of finding a shiny new DS in the box, the guy found a pile of rocks and a roll of Chinese newspaper. Bummer.

An unfortunate event on Black Friday has occurred at a Wal-Mart branch in Long Island, New York. One worker was killed while at least four other people were injured. Sales are great , but there's no need to go rushing mad. Read up the story at the full article.

What comes to your mind when you hear the words "Adults Only?" Chances are, you're thinking what we're thinking. There are, however, certain things you should know about what makes the rating and what the actual number of games with this kind of rating is. The latter point is especially important. Find out why after the jump.

Taking a look at the games from both the east and the west, there's no denying both have their own charm in wooing their respective crowds. However, some gamers enjoy crossing the lines and end up playing games, despite the fact they don't understand a word of what the characters say.

Read more about import gamers in the full article!

In the world of gaming industry trading, the latest word is that analyst Michael Pachter believes that GameStop should have purchased the retail chain Gamestation when it had a chance. He believes that GameStop missed an opportunity by not buying the chain, as consequently, it was purchased by the Game Group for £74 million.

The reason for this is quite simple, and Pachter gave a very good explanation why he feels that GameStop lost an opportunity.

They should be in the UK market, and instead of purchasing Gamestation and immediately being one-third the size of Game Group, they allowed Game Group to get bigger. If GameStop were to open 200 stores now, they would be a quarter the size of GAME. They could have been two-thirds the size of GAME by buying these stores and opening 200 more.

Now the increase in The Game Group's market share has certain individuals worried who believe that The Game Group may use their latest acquisition as additional leverage against game publishers. Pachter was quick to put down this rumor, stating that while the company has grown quite a bit, they still don't have enough of the UK market to make demands.

He discussed a worst case scenario where GAME will attempt to exert pressure on the game publishers, and as he explains it, publishers will simply sign exclusives to Wal-Mart or Dixon's. Now, Pachter mentions that the majority of Game's market is composed of hardcore gamers. If they run out of these titles, then gamers will turn to  the likes of Dixon's. He also pointed out that mass-market titles are not really the strong suit of the said company. His conclusion is simply that "If enough publishers shift supply away from them, GAME will learn to play ball in a hurry."

For now, it seems that a gaming distribution monopoly will not be happening in UK. However, the threat of that happening is always there.

Well, it looks like there's no turning back now.

As it turns out, Valve is starting to test out the use of in-game ads for their titles, and the first guinea pig for this experiment is none other than Counterstrike 1.6 (screenies above, both courtesy of SK Gaming). Despite the flurry of protests that the mere mention of in-game advertising tends to generate, many game companies may soon be following Valve's lead.

While some fans argue that the sight of a real-world item being advertised inside a game tends to be detrimental to the whole experience, devs have noted that this form of advertising is actually beneficial for everyone in the long run.

After all, it generates revenue for game-makers.

Revenue equals more (and better) games.

More games equals happy gamers.

On top of that, there have been promises that the ads will remain discreet and out of the player's way.

At the moment, Valve is displaying advertisements for Portal and the upcoming Orange and Black boxes, all of which are their own products.

There have been earlier reports that Google ads may also end up invading the gaming world, and this has caused many to fear the possibility of having to encounter an in-game advertisement for Starbucks in a war-torn, World War II setting. After all, can you imagine running into an ad for McDonald's as you're crawling the trenches in games like Call of Duty or Brothers In Arms? Or perhaps one for Pedigree puppy food during an Unreal Tournament deathmatch?

On the other hand, there are also those who are willing to reach a compromise between revenue generation for the game companies and immersive gaming experience for the gamers. One point of this compromise involve the conditions which specify that ads that appear in games must be carefully chosen to match the theme and setting of the game itself.

Read the rest of the article after the Jump!

News has just reached our ears that there are now free Wii buyer's guides up for grabs in Wal-mart stores, and one generous soul over at the Biffsputnik site confirmed this, saying that he was able to get one at his local Wal-mart. So, what makes him generous? Well, he scanned all the pages of the guide (we mean ALL) to share with us the contents.

Now, on to the more pressing question: what's inside the buyers guide? Basically the guide consists of more than 30 pages of Wii 101, profiles on some Wii games (including NFS Carbon, Madden, Trauma Center, Zelda, etc.), as well as an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime.

The Wii buyer's guide not only talks the Wii-speak, but also lists the must-have games for the other Nintendo consoles: DS, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, making this buyer's guide a definite Nintendo-lover must-have. Check your local Wal-marts for availability so you can drool all you want right in the comfort of your own homes - or, click below and download away!

Download: [Wal-Mart Wii Buyer's Guide]

Are you a fan of the most annoying character in The Legend of Zelda? If so, you'll definitely want to try out A Fresh Picked Tingle's Rose Coloured Rupee Land! What in Miyamoto's name is that you ask? Well, it's a spin-off game based on a middle aged man who wants to be a fairy. This crazy game about our good friend (or enemy) Tingle is coming out in Japan, but Nintendo is hesitant to bring it over to other parts of the world. With this type of box art, I think that'd be a shame. Can you imagine this thing all over Wal-Mart and EB Games? Heck Yeah!

As we reported earlier, Nintendo has a survey on their main website. They ask you questions about Tingle as a character, as well as his game. If you care about Tingle, you'll take it! Can you really resist that box art? Click "Read" for the survey.

Just this summer, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) launched a new initiative that would definitely strengthen its video game ratings system: the "seal of approval" and its mystery shopping program were initiated.

Not only will these new programs strengthen the ratings system, it's also supposed to boost public awareness regarding games and their ratings - or at least that's what they're hoping to happen.

Included in these new programs by the ESRB is dubbed "Commitment to Parents." This will require retail stores who have signed up for the program to agree to train their sales staff about the board's rating system, promote the said game rating system and set up a system for complaints made by consumers regarding sales violations.

ESRB's programs may have been implemented during this crucial time that the gaming industry is under scrutiny by a lot of politicians and parent groups. Some people though are considering this move by the board a mere show as their rules regarding the sales of games are voluntarily being heeded by most retail stores.

Rocky Mountain News conducted its own mystery shopping experiment where they used a 15-year old kid to try and buy Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from five major stores - Wal-Mart, Best Buy, GameStop, Circuit City and Target. He wasn't able to purchase the game, meaning these major retail stores are enforcing these ratings.

According to ESRB's president, Patricia Vance, since most stores already respect the rating system for games, it's up to the parents to respect (or voluntarily follow) the ratings. Vance said that most of the time, the parents are the reason how underage kids get their hands on games with a 17 and above rating - thus, the "Commitment to Parents" program.

Let's just see if these new programs help in getting politicians' and concerned groups' eyes off the gaming industry soon.

Yes, you heard it right! The NDS Lite isn't supposed to be sold to the general public in the United States until June 11th, but it seems as if some stores have already begun selling them! The first known report that was published online was from a user named Trakan, and at first, no one really believed him. Now, more reports are coming in from gaming blogs around  the internet! The known stores that are to be selling them have been Walmart and Target.

As announced, the retail price is 129.99$, so all those that do not own a NDS, this is the perfect time to do so! The NDS Lite was impossible to find in Japan after the first day of launch, so I wonder how the official launch will compare in the US with people already have purchased them 2 weeks prior! There has also been a Frappr page made especially for the NDS Lite locations in the US, so feel free to drop by there for a look. If you still do not believe, us, feel free to check out the picture to the left that displays the NDS Lites on sale! I have not had a chance to check my local Walmart, but when I do, I'll be sure to share my story!