As a gamer, my mind often trails off into a dream world populated with my favorite video game characters. Sometimes I’m brushing blades against Ganondorf on the fields of Hyrule; sometimes I’m barreling through loop-the-loops in pursuit of Dr. Robotnik; sometimes I’m just spending some quality time with Sheena from Tales of Symphonia (and who could blame me?)

There are times, though, that my fantasies become more elaborate. Any time that I’m forced to spend several hours in a car, or when I have to mow the lawn, or if I had to perform open-heart surgery. It’s times like these that have made me speculate on many occasions, “if aliens were to attack my beloved Earth, what video game characters would I assemble to combat them?” These are the musings that bring you this article. Hit the jump to find out which characters made the cut and what weapons they’ll be issued in the battle against the extra-terrestrial menace!

In 2004, Starbreeze Studios made a name for itself with the original Xbox hit, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. After successfully launching into a sea of critical praise, Starbreeze shifted gears to the next generation of consoles. In 2005 they announced their next game, a first-person-shooter based on the comic book series, The Darkness. A FPS starring a mobster possessed by demons? It was a risky move, to say the least, but Starbreeze managed to pull it off. Continue reading to find out what makes The Darkness one of the first hidden gems of this generation.

Yep, it’s that time again! As you can probably tell by my header image, the Blue Bomber is amongst those being slapped onto Nintendo’s download service today. Who’s joined him, though? Hit the jump to see!

As many of you may be aware, the newly created Xbox LIVE Productions creation, Fable II Pub Games, was released to gamers everywhere via Gamestop & Amazon’s Fable II pre-order codes. (The game was also released on the Xbox Live Arcade, where it can be purchased in full for 800 Microsoft SpaceBux, or $10). However, the immediate response by hardcore Fable fans has been starkly polarized — some love the game while others seem to loathe it.

Earlier today, Dan Paladin of the Castle Crashers development blog announced that the much anticipated upcoming Xbox Live Arcade behemoth would cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD). This price is being met with cries of joy and admiration from many forum folk who had initially thought that the game would cost a staggering 1800 Microsoft Points ($22 USD).

Hit the jump for the full blog post!

Alone in the Dark was easily the most difficult review I’ve ever had to write. Eden Games created some amazing sights that are best experienced to understand how amazing they are. Alone in the Dark also sports a few unique features such as DVD style controls and a complex item system. Unfortunately, the game, much like Central Park, holds a dark secret. (SPOILER: The controls suck!) So, does Alone in the Dark deliver? Hit the jump to find out.

This past Wednesday, Braid was released on the Xbox Live Arcade. A platformer that uses the manipulation of time as a core gameplay mechanic, Braid attempts to push the boundaries of how games can be storytelling devices.

Does the game succeed? Hit the jump to- Oh screw it. Braid is f***ing brilliant. Buy it now.

Have you ever noticed something new about a thing you’ve looked at a thousand times before? In my 20 years of gaming, I’ve encountered a few such items that I’d like to share with you, my adoring fans.

1942: Joint Strike is a wonderful reiteration of the revolutionary top-down shoot ‘em up that originally graced the NES so many years ago. However, this time, instead of featuring mandated screen-flicker, Joint Strike delivers a monotone array of greys and browns and blues that define the war game atmosphere. Coupled with a vast enemy system with decent AI, the result is a dreary, sometimes confusing pandemonium that lasts until the final shot is fired.

Can 1942: Joint Strike stand up to the success of it’s predecessor? Hit the jump to find out!

Before you get too excited, the Halo movie produced by Peter Jackson is still dead in the water. This concept art, however, is from a draft of a movie based on The Fall of Reach, a prequel novel written by Eric Neylund. The movie script was written by Stuart Beetle, whose credits include Collateral and two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Everything is still very much in the preliminary stages, but at least some progress is being made.

So, what do you think? Could a Halo movie be a Star Wars style epic or would it be more of a Doom-style disappointment?

[Halo: Fall of Reach Concept Art - LationReview.com]

Mondays are always good days for Wii owners. That is, those of us that still have room on the measly half-gig of storage space. Anyway, today brings 3 new games available for download. Hit the jump to find out what they are.

What the hell, Activision? According to IGN, you’ve gone and dropped several really promising Vivendi titles. Not cool, you guys.

Amongst those on the guillotine were Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Brütal Legend, WET, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and World in Conflict: Soviet Assault. While it’s still entirely possible that another publisher will swoop in and pick these games up, we’re looking at an uncertain future for all of these. Dammit, I was really looking forward to Brütal Legend, too.

[UPDATE: Fortunately, it looks like both Brütal Legend and Ghostbusters: The Video Game are going to be fine. Hopefully the others are similarly lucky, because some of them actually looked pretty sweet. -zizzy]

Get excited! Tomorrow sees the release of Mass Effect: Ascension by Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer of Mass Effect for the 360 and PC. Sure, you’ll probably be tied up with Soul Calibur IV, and rightly so, but hear me out on this one.

Castle Crashers, the newest XBLA game from The Behemoth finally has a release date for their eagerly-awaited co-op action game. August 27 is the day you can pay a few spacebucks for this adorable little adventure. Woohoo!

Microsoft has also given release dates for titles such as Bionic Commando: ReArmed and Geometry Wars: RE 2, which you can find after the jump.