Everybody who has ever played a video game can attest to the fact that the majority of the female characters in them are usually not horrid beasts whose appearance is so revolting that you want to gouge your eyes out. Usually, if a female character is insulting to our senses it is because they are either a zombie, some sort of enemy we are suppose to detest or they are the overly plump mother figure. The heroines, or the damsels in distress are usually pretty easy on the eyes – for a pixilated figure – and the fandom that surrounds Lara Croft, for example, can attest to this.For years on end, men have had their Dead or Alive chicks, Lara, the Final Fantasy babes, any female in Soul Calibur, and pretty much the whole gambit of scantily clad women in the RPG genre. This has always been okay with me, because I am not a prude and I understand that developers and the demographic that they cater too are mostly male. Men like to look at voluptuous women oozing with sexuality that can handle a broadsword with as much tender loving care as they would a helpless kitten. It is a scientific fact that men are stimulated visually when it comes to the opposite sex – therefore, if a game developer wants to include a female character in a game that wears nothing more than a thong, pasties, thigh-high boots and fishnet stockings – go for it! It does not offend me in the slightest.

I do however, have one request from developers: Why not make your main protagonists just as easy on the eyes as the women? I am not asking you to put them in a codpiece or have them in costumes that make them look like nothing more than a reject from a Village People casting call. I am not even asking for you to make them “really, really, ridiculously good-looking”. I just think it would be wonderful to have nice looking men who are just as easy on the eyes as their pixilated female counterparts. Handsome heroes in video games are few and far between and while Duke Nukem may be a bad ass, his resemblance to Howie Long only disgusts us to be quite honest. Solid Snake may be one of the most awesome heroes of his genre, but he is no Sam Elliot.

Because of the lack of hunky men in video games, I set out to find some that I personally though might fit the “handsome” mold. I shared my findings with some female friends who are also gamers, and they agreed with me on my selections. With more and more women taking up gaming as a hobby, if you are going to include a hot chick, make her counterpart just as hot. I have picked some of the hunkiest gaming heroes that have so far graced our TV/PC screens, and while there are not that many, the ones I have chosen – to me anyway – are the ones who are easiest on the eyes.

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Sometimes, I find some really interesting lots for sale on eBay. Doing a little searching today, I came across a lot of 400 video games for $3,199.99 + Shipping (US $250, Canada $400). That works out to about $8.62 per game if you have it shipped to the United States. Keep in mind that a majority of the games are for the PS2 and original Xbox. I’m not sure what a collection like this would cost you at a store like GameStop for example, but I think the price would actually be pretty close. I wouldn’t classify this as a great deal, but it would be sweet to have all these games in your collection. If the price were closer to say $2,000 for all 400, I’d consider buying it myself.

Auction Link

The exact games included follow the break:
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Coming this December to a Wii near you is the latest Soul Calibur game from Namco Bandai aptly titled Soul Calibur Legends. Today, we have submitted two new trailers for your approval along with some new screenshots from the game. The trailer I have posted shows gameplay featuring the character Lloyd, and here is a link to basic gameplay featuring Seigfried and Sophita. The screenshots just speak for themselves, and to view more of them, click on this link.

There are several new trailers up now showing off some of the different characters that will appear in the upcoming Soul Calibur Legends. The one above shows Seigfried fighting his evil alter-ego, Nightmare. The rest show Astaroth, Ivy, Sophitia, and Taki fighting several waves of enemies. The gameplay looks a lot like your typical beat ‘em up fare, but with the combat system of Soul Calibur. There are also several screens up which reveal some new characters and enemies, particularly one creepy-looking girl with claws on her knees. A huge world-destroying sword I can handle, but that’s just freaky.

Nintendo of America have said that by the end of 2007, the Wii library will have 140 titles, and the Nintendo DS library will reach 450 games. Below is a list of 79 Wii titles for the months of October through December. This list does not include the DS titles, or downloadable games (which will total 200 by year’s end) but it is still an impressive list – I never said all of the titles were, just the amount.

October

1st – MLB Power Pros (2K Sports)
1st – Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire (D3)
2nd – Crash of the Titans (Sierra)
5th – Balls of Fury (DSI)
8th – Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (Nintendo)
9th – FIFA 08 (Electronic Arts)
9th – Bleach: Shattered Blade (SEGA)
9th – Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal (WB Games)
10th – Arctic Tale (DSI)
15th – Sea Monsters (DSI)
16th – Thrillville: Off the Rails (LucasArts)
22nd – EA Playground (Electronic Arts)
23rd – Backyard Football (Atari)
23rd – The Sims 2 Castaway (Electronic Arts)
23rd – Rockstar Table Tennis (Rockstar)
23rd – The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (Sierra)
23rd – Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (TOMY)
25th – M&M’S Kart Racing (DSI)
28th – Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision)
29th – Battalion Wars 2 (Nintendo)
30th – Ben 10: Protector of Earth (D3)
30th – Showtime Championship Boxing (DSI)
30th – Need For Speed: ProStreet (Electronic Arts)
30th – The Simpsons (Electronic Arts)
31st – Manhunt 2 (Rockstar)
October – Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (Activision)
October – Bee Movie Game (Activision)
October – Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (Activision)
October – Ultimate Duck Hunting (Detn8)
October – Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Ignition)
October – Namco Museum Remix (Namco Bandai)
October – Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity (The Game Factory)
October – Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth (THQ)
October – Bratz: The Movie (THQ)
October – Cars: Mater-National (THQ)
October – Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (THQ)
October – SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis (THQ)

NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER TITLES LISTED AFTER THE BREAK

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During E3, NAMCO BANDAI gave us some screenshots and a trailer for their Wii exclusive Soul Calibur Legends and also provided us a bit of background on the storyline and new characters. Not too much has changed in the way of characters,  and like all Soul Calibur titles that star Ivy, one thing has stayed the same – she is still sporting that massive wedgie. I am sure this gives everyone’s favorite dominatrix an edge in battle. Oh yeah, another thing I noticed is that Sophitia is still wearing that cut-up version of a gladiator/German barmaid getup. Isn’t it nice to know that some things never change? Look for Soul Calibur Legends at the place you usually purchase games on November 30th.

MORE NEW SOUL CALIBUR LEGENDS SCREENS

Soul Calibur Legends is kind of a side story for the series. A new character, Isuka, is a mysterious young man of imperial blood who is traveling with Siegfried during the 16th century. Legends is different from the normal one-on-one fighting style of the series, and is instead more of a 3rd-person sword-based action platform, with characters facing multiple enemies at once. Enemies consist of classic Soul Calibur fighters as well as some new beasts. Use special attacks acquired throughout the game to crush your enemies and large bosses, earn honored titles such as Knight or Soldier while battling through diverse stages and environments.

The control schemes change depending on which character you are playing (you can switch between two) with new playable characters being unveiled as you progress. These new characters also acquire new skills and weapons along the way. In addition to combat, there are traps and other treacherous obstacles in dungeons. Different game stage layouts contribute to the fight as well, so players will want to use height to their advantage.

Slated for a November 30th release, Soul Calibur Legends is a Wii exclusive from Namco Bandai Games. We have plenty of screens for you to peruse, and the E3 trailer too- enjoy!

Attention Soul Calibur fans. There have been screenshots, but this is the first trailer for the upcoming Soul Calibur Legends game for Wii. Few details for the game have been officially announced yet, but the trailer gives you a nice taste and shows how the game will work on the Wii remote in some ridiculously overwrought black-room video clips of thrusting remotes overscored by epic music and “whoosh” sound effects.The game will feature both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes along with the single-player mode.

Today, NAMCO BANDAIi revealed it’s product lineup for E3. This lineup of 17 titles includes games for all major consoles as well as the Nintendo DS and PSP. “Our E3 2007 lineup highlights NAMCO BANDAI Games’ unparalleled commitment to delivering a collection of core franchises, licenses and original properties that will appeal to everyone,” said Genichi Ito, president and CEO of NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “As our industry continues to evolve and captivate the next generation of gamers, we are prepared to meet this market change and engage those who enjoy interactive entertainment with appropriate high-quality content across all platforms and genres.”

E3 Lineup:

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Release date: October 23, 2007
Platform: Xbox 360

Beautiful Katamari
Release date: Fall 2007
Platform: Xbox 360

Culdcept SAGA
Release date Q1 2008
Platform: Xbox 360

Digimon World: Dawn/ Digimon World: Dusk
Release date: Fall 2007
Platform: Nintendo DS

Digimon World: Data Squad
Release date: Fall 2007
Platform: PlayStation 2

Dynasty Warriors:GUNDAM
Release date: Summer 2007
Platform: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3

Eternal Sonata
Release date: September 2007
Platform: Xbox 360

.hack®//G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption
Release date: Fall 2007
Platform: PlayStation 2

Namco Museum DS
Release date: Fall 2007
Platform: Nintendo DS

Namco Museum REMIX
Release date: Q4 2007
Platform: Wii

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes
Release date: August 28, 2007
Platform: PSP

NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles 2
Release date: September 2007
Platform: PlayStation 2

Smash Court Tennis 3
Release date: July 10, 2007
Platform: PSP

SOULCALIBUR Legends
Release date: Q4 2007
Platform: Wii

Space Station Tycoon
Release date: Q3 2007
Platform: Wii

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
Release date: July 2007
Platform: PSP

Time Crisis 4
Release date: Q4 2007
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Full Press Release after the break

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*UPDATED*

In what may go down as one of the most critical holiday seasons in gaming history, the major players in the console market are swinging for the fences. This list is a venerable who’s-who of major gaming titles. The list itself is staggering, with more than 60 titles represented. (That’s not to mention the titles that I omitted for lack of popularity). Just glancing at this list makes my wallet burst into flames.

Disclaimer: For purposes of this list, the holiday season starts 8/1. I checked multiple sources for verification of these release dates. Nevertheless, most of these release dates are not 100% confirmed. If I missed a title you are eagerly anticipating (And no, MGS4 is not coming out this year) be sure to let me know, I’ll try to update the list if necessary.

Two Worlds – 8/2/07
Bioshock – 8/21/07
Blue Dragon – 8/28/07
Eternal Sonata – 9/19/07
Halo 3 – 9/25/07
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation – 10/25/07
Lost Odyssey – 10/30/07
Tom Clancy’s Spinter Cell: Conviction – 11/15/07
Too Human – TBD ‘07
Mass Effect – TBD ‘07
Project Gotham Racing 4 – TBD ’07
Alan Wake – TBD ‘07

See the rest of the list after the jump:
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